I knew the term "Life Bird" had to do with seeing a bird for the first time in your life, but always suspected there was more to it than that. I was wrong. :)
In response to a request, here is a photo of a duck dabbling (cute):
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March 2014
03/31/2014
Bird-nerd-words of the day: Life Bird
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03/30/2014
Mallard
Next time you see children at the park carrying bags of crushed Doritos getting chased around by a waddle of ducks, take a closer look. You’ll probably see most of the ducks are Mallards.
They tame easily and frankly like the easy life. Taking handouts comes naturally, but it can change them (not the way it does politicians. Well a little like that.) :) They often settle down comfortably in the pond at the park and start hobnobbing with the locals. Soon (it doesn’t take too many generations) they start to show physical changes. They get pot-bellied. They change their feathers. You may see all dark ducks, or some with big splotches of white, or…who knows what? Tame Mallards.
Some go further. You’ve seen barnyard ducks, right? The completely white ones? They’re called Peking Ducks and were bred from Mallards (for you-know-what). They can’t even fly! Complete sell out. But domestication hasn’t solved all their problems. A career as a Peking Duck, as you might imagine, can be short.
So some, taking domestication to new levels, have gone into marketing. :)
(The wild Mallards shown in this blog are not paid actors, but real ducks.)
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03/21/2014
Thick-billed Kingbird
Kingbirds are in the genus Tyrannus. So their name is basically Tyranical Kingbird. Tyrannus is Latin of course which smart people use to name birds. Since they know their birds, and because guys that use Latin don't mess around, you know kingbirds have to be tough. In fact the can get real grumpy in breeding season. It's probably the sudden responsibility of having a family and all those little beaks to feed.
At any rate, the little bullys think they're "King in the castle." So the next ime you're getting buzzed by one, first duck; then remember these immortal words:
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03/17/2014
Beware the Twitching Hour
In birding the twitching hour is usually at dawn rather than midnight and there's nothing scary about it... except maybe this: when you go looking for one bird and only one, it's very likely you'll find exactly none. Birders are very good to share sightings of rare birds, but they are not so good at erecting billboards that say "IT'S OVER HERE!"
So I don't twitch. Technically. Though I have been known to drive several hours to look all day for a reported rare bird--but I've never crossed the continent for one. :)
The point is, you can expend a lot of energy to see a lot of nothing.
(Feel the "but" coming?)
But...when you finally do see the bird, it's worth all chasing around and time spent lurking indiscreetly close to people's back fences. Of course once having seen it and snapping a few photos, it's back to the car...there's that Bay-breasted Warbler across town that you couldn't find the day before. :)
So this is my rare bird--at least in So-Cal. You could probably see one if you went as far east and south in AZ as you could go, but then of course that would be twitching. :)
Distinguishing Marks: Pale yellow breast, gray head, white throat. Large economy-size beak.
Boring Fact: Other than being rare, this bird is pretty boring. :)
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03/14/2014
Bird-nerd-words of the day: Sexual Monomorphism
Ok. Is this a male or female Western Meadowlark? Can't tell?
Actually it's easy.
Just pay close attention to see which one is laying eggs. Other than that? Good luck.
When talking of birds (which I usually am) Sexual Monomorphism (sort of the opposite of Sexual Dimorphism) is when both sexes look alike. Western Meadowlarks fit the bill. :)
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03/13/2014
Western Meadowlark
Western Meadowlarks--west here meaning west of the Mississippi, not the real west :) -- are not necessarily desert birds, but they let me get closer there. :) They pretty much like any open country and their nest reflects it: a shallow depression with a dome of grass and anything else lying around woven into the vegetation around it. They enter through an opening at one end. Kind of cool. This mound serves two purposes: one it protects the eggs from the sun, but more importantly it provides excellent camouflage.
After all not too many predators want to go digging through what looks like a cow-pie for dinner. :)
Oh yes, and this to my wonderful daughter who actually likes my sense of humor: Happy Bird-day to you. :)
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03/12/2014
This Bird Speaks for Itself
This bird isn't just another pretty face. It's song is world famous. (I do have to admit though, I've never seen one that could dance a lick.)
I hope it brightens someone's day anyway. :)
Distinguishing Marks: Bright Yellow front with black V. You can't miss them--unless they want you to....
How many do you see? Hover here to find out (Click to enlarge)
Boring fact: You'd think with that bright yellow sign saying, "Eat me" they would be a quick snack for a fox or prairie falcon (and sometimes they are). But they're not dumb. When danger approaches (say me as an example) they crouch near the ground hiding the yellow. They stay motionless letting the camouflage do its job until I get just close enough that when they burst into the air in a flutter, it scares the bird song out of me. They're good in the air but don't usually go far before gliding out of reach.
Click here to enlarge (check it out) :)
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03/09/2014
"Beep Beep"--Greater Roadrunner
This was my favorite comment. The official name for this member of the cuckoo family is Greater Roadrunner. The cartoon character Road Runner has made this bird the favorite of lots of people. Any bird that can outfox Wile E. Coyote and beat a rattlesnake to death at the same time has to be pretty cool.
Find out where they're seen on ebird
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03/08/2014
The Big Rain
Last weekend was supposed to be my mini-version of The Big Year. Among other things, the San Diego Audubon Society was holding their annual festival which included a pelagic tour, a birding boat ride I'd been looking forward to for months.
So of course it rained. Not just a So-Cal so-called rain, but a blustery, torrential, coming-down-in-sheets Midwestern type of rain. And this smack in the middle of a severe and protracted draught. We’d had nothing for months but miserable, day-after-day sunshine and clear skies (which we’re having again by the way). I know we need the rain. Honest. But on the exact four biggest birding days of the year. Really?
Oh well. Off to the desert!
But first a little story. Recently on a plane, I sat next to a real professional wildlife photographer. During the conversation he asked what was my favorite bird. That stopped me. I spent the rest of the flight trying to puzzle it out. Finally I realized that was like asking who was my favorite son or daughter. I don’t have a favorite! For me it's similar to that with birds. I like them all. (Well ok, there are a few birds that are more like other people’s children: I’ll be nice to them, but I don’t have to like them.) :)
No question about my favorite bird as a kid, though. I used to keep my nose pressed to the glass when we travelled across the desert hoping to see one of these booking it along the shoulder.
Distinguishing Marks: generally brownish (not much help there); crest usually raised; runs a lot. :)
Boring Fact: I always heard these birds could kill rattlesnakes. I thought it was just because they were quick. They are. They can catch a rattlesnake by the head in mid strike. But just in case they miss, they have feathers so thick and tough they can deflect the fangs. Too bad for the snake. The bird then politely has him for dinner. Whole. They do the same with scorpions and black widow spiders. The poison? They have stomach acid so potent that as far as they're concerned, it’s just another wholesome protein.
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03/05/2014
Bird-nerd-word of the day: Biometry [by-OM-a-tree]
This field of study accurately measures the dimensions of creatures like birds--for example, they have found a hummingbird usually weighs a couple of grams. That's 0.0705479 oz. Don't tell the hummingbird though. These pugilistic little bully's still like to throw their weight around to protect their territory. A friend told me of one harrassing a hawk, dive bombing and buzzing it. Suddenly the hawk snapped and the little hummer was no more. Hubris.
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Hot Pink Paternity Suit: Anna's Hummingbird
These little guys used to come up to California from Baja just for a visit. They decided they liked it, so they unpacked and stayed on full time.
[Click here to see the ebird interactive location page to find where Anna's Hummingbirds have been spotted.]
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03/03/2014
Hot Pink Paternity Suit
Yeah, good luck with that. It's a fancy outfit, that's for sure. But while he may be well dressed, faithful he's not. The technical ornithological term for it, fittingly enough, is: promiscuous.
The female builds the nest, incubates the eggs, and raises the fledglings all by herself. She's kind of like the Little Red Hen only smaller. Now that may not seem like a fair arrangement to us, but it seems to work for them. At any rate, they don't complain. :)
Distinguishing Marks: pretty much like every other female hummer. The best way to tell, if you can get your hands on one, is to check for the white eyebrow. It's unique.
(On second thought, she does look a little grumpy.) :) Click to enlarge
Boring Fact: This bird was named by René Primevère after a pretty young Duchess of Rivoli.
Mmm-hmm.
Anyway, she might not have felt so honored had she known her namesakes were so disfunctional. :) Careful if you're guessing; hovering here might give it away: What's her name?
And...here's an extra photo for the nice woman at the lagoon who pointed this little beauty out to me. So if you found me, here you go. You can download them if you want. There are more too. :) Email: coot@bird-call.com
Also, see some way cool submissions by a friend here: Fledgling Hummingbirds
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