Into The Woods and Elsewhere

Snowy Owl

2012-01-07T22:14:00.003-05:00

Michigan, along with many states sharing a border with Canada, has enjoyed this winter's breakout of Snowy Owls. There have been up to five snowys in Harrison Township, Macomb County where at least one or two have been amongst the most reliable to see.

However, the absence of reports of snowy owl sightings near the DNR office this past week nearly deterred Rodolfo Palma and I from our pre-planned trip. Neither of us had an opportunity to see the owls when they were been reported daily. Nevertheless, it was such a nice day that we decided to try our chances knowing that we would at least see something.

I hadn't seen Rodolfo since September when he gave a presentation on birding in Chile - his native country - to the Washtenaw Audubon Society. We got off to a bungled start when, talking too much, we drove past the Metrobeach Metropark exit. We drove about seven miles beyond before we turned around and headed back west.

We had directions to South River Road, but neither of us is well-acquainted with Lake St. Clair birding locales. We found the DNR office on a finger of land jutting into the lake and carried our gear out to the tip of the little peninsula. There were a few ducks on the water here and there - Common Goldeneye, but overall there was a general absence of waterfowl on the lake.

At the tip, however, Rodolfo saw the first of several massive flocks of dark ducks flying overhead. We stood for approximately ten minutes watching a steady stream of both large and small flocks very high up and flying very fast. The best identification I could come up with was that they were scaup species. How many? Thousands.

While watching the ducks we met up with a local gentleman who walks daily in this location. He commented that he had seen the snowy owl on the jetty yesterday. Roldolfo and I were surprised and encouraged. He continued walking in his direction and we continued on to the jetty side. We scanned the jetty with our scopes. Nothing.

We met up with the gentleman again as we were coming to the end of our search and he asked if we has seen the owl. He pointed out landmarks on the jetty where the owl had been seen on other days. Nothing. We were seconds from parting company when he commented that he saw something move to the right of the angled 4x4 jutting from the jetty. Being polite, but skeptical, I focused my scope on the area. Sure enough - there was a speckled head with yellow eyes peeking at us from the other side of the jetty. How the gentleman had seen this with his naked eye is beyond me. In the years I've been birding I have come to understand how beneficial being long-sighted truly is. The fact that I am near-sighted makes this all the more acute. The three of us enjoyed this turn of events. Minutes later we were joined by four others and we were able to show them the owl.

In the middle of the cropped image above, you can just see the top of the owl's speckled head, the small lump just slightly whiter and protruding above the rock. Others walked back toward the tip of the peninsula and found a spot where the owl was more exposed.

As always, we took photos and chatted for awhile. Clouds began to roll in, the wind increased and the sun faded in and out. We left for lunch with plans to return to see if the bird moved to the peninsula side of the jetty.

After lunch the bird had moved, but only nearer to the angled 4x4, but still on the opposite side of the jetty. More photos. By this time, the clouds were in for good and we finally left. We made a brief stop at Metrobeach Metropark and scanned for a few ducks - goldeneye, common mergs, ruddy ducks and scaup species.

Having such good luck with the snowy owl we decided to try our luck with the short-eared owls on Gotfredson Road. We made the westbound trek from Macomb County to Washtenaw County arriving at the site with a good amount of daylight still remaining. Our good luck continued here. With about ten others we watched one short-eared owl actively hunt, often flying directly towards us and quite near. As it was well before true dusk I was encouraged to be hyper-optimistic with my little point and shoot.

Even these pathetic photo efforts easily reveal a hunting short-eared owl.

The owl had been hunting for awhile when it was joined by two northern harriers - one juvenile or female and the other a gray adult male.

This is Rodolfo's photo of the same owl and where the bird's little round head and disked face can be seen.

Nice January birding.

Great Gray Owl

2012-01-01T19:49:00.002-05:00

For my final day of birding in 2011, I went to Kingsville in southern Ontario to see this astonishing bird that has been present for about a week. I read the daily reports and wondered if the bird would still be present on Saturday when I would be free to make the trip over. It was. Following an early morning appointment in Ann Arbor, I drove across the Ambassador bridge and arrived shortly after 10:00 am.

The photos speak for themselves - a completely enchanting bird.

Bird on a wire

One that is in such an unlikely location, however, that it seems almost certain to be in trouble.

On Thursday and Friday a kerfluffle broke out on the listserve I read about photographer behavior as they angle for better and better photos of the Great Gray. Of course, I knew I wanted to photograph the bird too. Of all the people (and cars) present on Saturday - the above photo shows a mere fraction of us - all but just a few had cameras. The owl is not visible in this photo but was on a utility wire (top two photos) above and in front of the man with the black jacket in the foreground center. It seemed to be trying to hunt in the long grasses at the base of the roadside hill where the observers are lined up in the middle of the photo. At one point it left the wire and dropped to the ground into the grass. It flew up from the grasses without evidence of prey in its talons and flew across the field to land in the safer perch of a tree. It seemed clear that so many observers would interfere with its hunting.

Cars lined both sides of the narrow-shouldered road. At one point a local driver in a white pick-up truck angrily laid on the horn as he tried to make his way past the crowd.

The video above is 5:05 minutes in length because I was hoping to get the owl leaving its perch. I took this one long video and a few shorter videos but it never did budge. While taking this video I was approximately 100 feet across the field and standing on a hill so I was essentially level with the bird. The audio picks up the sounds of the large crowd and there is some interesting commentary. To view full screen click on the title Great Gray Owl.

Such a beautiful bird and the mild temperatures of the morning tempted me to linger, but I was satisfied with the photos and video I had and I knew that one less person and car could not be a bad thing. The only thing missing were the street vendors selling hotdogs, popcorn, cotton candy and soda. I wish I could imagine a good outcome for this spectacular bird.

Mt. Zion National Park

2011-12-10T06:57:00.001-05:00

I'm so late in posting this trip and my photos. The back story: on October 31st I flew to Salt Lake City to attend a conference and took three days at the front end for vacation. I arrived on a mild Monday afternoon and drove to Antelope Island State Park. Originally I had planned to stay around the Salt Lake City area which is in northeast Utah. But weather predictions for Tuesday, November 1st were calling for 45 degrees and rain mixed with snow and sleet. Even though this kind of weather had not yet arrived in Michigan, I knew it was right around the corner. I was not quite ready to face it on a vacation day. I decided then to take the plunge and do the long drive to southern Utah for their spectacular canyon national parks. After my Antelope Island visit I drove well south of Salt Lake City and stayed the night in a motel for an early morning departure straight south on I-15 to Mt. Zion National Park. This was the national park furthest south and the one I had heard the most about.

I arrived just as the sun was lighting up the tops of the red rock cliffs. There were hardly any cars on the road. I received a surprise when I arrived at the Mt. Zion park gates. Typically there is a $25.00 entry fee. I was waved in by a park attendant who was apparently still setting up. "Just go in?" I asked. "That's right." and he waved me by him.

The beauty of this kind of landscape, while obvious, is difficult to capture in photos. Around each curve in the road is a scene more spectacular than the one before. I drove to the visitor center for a park map and to get an idea of how to spend the day. The ranger was a birder and knowledgeable. She highlighted all of the doable hikes for a one day visit.

My first hike was to the Emerald Pools - a series of three pools each going higher in elevation. The waterfall in the photo above was between the first and second pools.

This handsomely posing Western Jay (Aphelocoma californica) popped up and stayed long enough for me to snap three photos - two of the photos were of the bird facing me, but in the photo above you can see the glint in its eye. In this same location there were also a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets (Regulus calendula), one even singing. But probably the best bird here for me was a Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli). One was actively feeding very close but moving too quickly for me to get a photo.

The above photo shows the canyon walls around the upper emerald pool. By this time of the day it was sunny, bright and warm. I shed my sweater and fleece vest as I hiked up.

This little bluet landed on a sunny rock surface. As in the east, Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile) is the most common and widespread, but other bluets are also found in southern Utah. An expert would need to identify for me.

A small brown lizard did the same. This time of year the canyon gets very cold at night. These small creatures need to warm up to start their day.

The Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus) was my best surprise of the day. From the park ranger I knew they were present, but I didn't really expect to see one. There is a backstory here, too. In 2008 I took a trip to southeast Arizona - my first birding trip to the southwest - with Maryland friends Mark Linardi and Steve Sanford. We handily saw Cactus, Bewick's and Rock wrens, but the Canyon Wren was a holdout. We heard them all over but never saw one. Finally, near Patagonia at a roadside pulloff and while looking for Thick-billed Kingbird, we briefly saw a distant Canyon Wren scuttle across a rock surface and disappear into a canyon crevice. We never did find the Thick-billed Kingbird and that distant and brief view of the Canyon Wren remained our only one for the trip. I can now finally say I've seen the Canyon Wren well. Along this Mt. Zion trail, and later in the day along another trail, they were handily in view and like any wren they were busy searching for food, calling to each other and popping up to perch every so often.

Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi) was another bird seen nicely along the trail. Unfortunately, the photo above is the best I could get. In this location I heard the ruckus of innumerable small bird notes. Easy to find the spot - at least two or three dozen Ruby-crowned Kinglets were in a tizzy. Amongst them were a couple of Juniper Titmice and the Canyon Wren even joined in. They were all buzzing around a yew-like tree and I thought, "there is something in this tree."

Of course, I was hoping for a western species owl, but I was still pleased to find this Saw-whet (Aegolius acadicus). The tree was along a steep embankment and my search for the owl took some maneuvering which did then scare away the kinglets - apparently satisfied they had done their job. Here the owl is awake and looking at me as if to say "thank you."

Moments later it was sleeping. Ah, how I admire that skill to quick sleep. Hopefully, it was able to enjoy some peace after all that.

From a distance this squirrel could be mistaken for an ordinary gray squirrel. Up close this Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus) has a pretty speckled coat and tail.

Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) were common throughout the park and quite tame.

I was hoping to see American Dipper in this beautiful river valley. No such luck.

With Mt. Zion's massive vertical cliffs, I wondered if I might see some climbers. These two had attracted a crowd that were glued to their precipitous efforts. You can tell how high up they are on the rock surface by how small their images are in this photograph.

A Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) paused to drink from the river's edge. Several were around with Yellow-rumped (Audubon) warblers (Setophaga coronata).

Mt. Zion was not the birdiest place I've ever been and it would be difficult for me to recommend it for birding, but I did see some good birds - especially given the time of year. Apparently, though I did not see any, American Dipper is common here. Of note, I was told of a location where California Condors are now being seen. Unfortunately, they did not make an appearance for me.

I have not visited many of our national parks, especially the western parks. I would recommend Mt. Zion in a New York minute. It is spectacular beyond words. Also, my November 1st visit was perfect. There were plenty of other visitors but not the crush of people that would be more typical in summer. Because of my long drive back to Salt Lake City I finally had to tear myself away around 4:00 pm. It was hard to do. The sun was just starting to set in the canyon and I could tell I was going to miss something special.

Pacific Loon, Wm. Sterling State Park, Monroe County, Michigan

2011-11-27T11:20:00.001-05:00

Probably the most pleasant and easiest rarity chase I've ever done. Several local birders enjoyed a companionable morning watching a Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica) make feeding circuits around the northern end of a lagoon that also held a Common Loon (Gavia immer), uncountable numbers of Common Mergansers and Bonaparte's Gulls.

Our mild, end-of-November weather encouraged lingering for a chance of photographs. These are my best with my point and shoot. Very cooperative and fun bird to spend time with.

The Pacific and the Common occasionally swam near each other. This distant view of both shows side-by-side differences in bill and head structure. Good to remember.

For really great photos of both birds, plus a nice sunny shot of Common Mergs check out Jerry Jourdan's blog in my links at right.

The Great Salt Lake

2011-11-08T20:38:00.001-05:00

I attended an Oncology Nursing Society conference in Salt Lake City, Utah during the first week of November. I had never been to Salt Lake City or to Utah before. So I took three days vacation at the start of the conference to look around.

I arrived at the SLC airport about 2:00 pm on Monday afternoon and picked up my econo car from Alamo. From there I found Antelope Island State Park on the GPS I rented and made my way north on the I-15.

Shortly before my visit, the island's buffalo (Bison bison), our largest land animal, had been rounded up for their annual health inspection and to give the young ones vaccinations, etc. However, a few of the "old bachelors" remained free. Just beyond where these three are grazing is the entry road to Antelope Island.

The Great Salt Lake waters that lap the shores of Antelope Island State Park are the place to see Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis). This flotilla contains a few scaup (Aythya sp.) and Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis) otherwise these are all Eared Grebes. There were several large flocks like this.

The shores are also a good spot for flocks of American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana). A flock of flying avocets is really a spectacular thing, with black and white wings flashing, but I couldn't capture their flash in a photo.

Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus) were also common hunting over the island grasses.

I've seen Chukar (Alectoris chukar) in England and in Bulgaria, but these are my first seen in North America. In addition to these perched birds, as I was leaving the island I flushed a large group that were feeding along the edge of the road.

These Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocapra americana), fastest mammal in North America, were neatly hidden in the long grass to graze.

This White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii) was hiding in tall grass and scrubby bushes.

On my 2009 car trip to Idaho I saw only three Black-billed Magpies (Pica hudsonia). There were several on the island and I later saw them in a Salt Lake City neighborhood. During 2010 and 2011 trips to England and Bulgaria I saw how common Magpie (Pica pica) is in Europe. Common or uncommon, magpies are big, spectacular birds.

For whatever reason, this coyote (Canis latrans) was my favorite sighting on Antelope Island. There were two and the one in the photo above paused long enough to allow a couple of photos - such a beautiful and serene face.

Ravens (Corvus corax) were common on Antelope Island. Passerine species I saw on the island included Western Meadowlarks, White-crowned Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds.

The Northern Harrier was hunting along the shoreline and I saw it switch directions and fly out over the lake carrying food. It appeared to head for the mountain on the opposite shore.

Antelope Island State Park was worth the visit. The panoramic mountain views beyond the island at sunset were beautiful. On a late Monday afternoon, there were few other visitors except some cyclists and I felt like I had the place to myself.

Chipmunk control on Belle Isle

2011-10-03T20:20:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, a relatively unbirdy Sunday morning, I got lucky [again] with a Cooper's Hawk flying in to perch, completely unobstructed, on a fallen log.

The bird flew in so suddenly that I did not notice it was holding something in its talons.

The unfortunate meal appeared to be more furry than feathery. Then I saw the tail listless againt the brown of the tree bark - the shape and size of a chipmunk's tail. There is no shortage of chipmunks at Belle Isle!

While the bird was perched I didn't notice the meal. When the Coop took off, the chipmunk was dangling from its talons. In the photo above the bird is bending over for a nibble just before flying off.

Last year, about this same time, I came across a Cooper's Hawk perched in low shrubbery. That bird was obstructed by leaves and shadows in my photos. Cooper's Hawk is common on Belle Isle and it is uncommon not to see and hear one or two on any given visit.

New shorebird habitat in Dearborn

2011-10-03T19:56:00.001-04:00

I don't know if it's just temporary or if it will become permanent. For the past several years there has been a large water management and river restoration project at several sites along the Rouge River in Dearborn. The areas affected have been torn up for years. For this particular project along Military Road between Cherry Hill and Michigan Avenue, a woods was torn down to proceed with the project.

Two weeks ago I happened upon this location to find two Killdeer and eight Mallards feeding in the shallow, grassy water. Despite only the Killdeer being present at that time, the habitat still looked very promising for other shorebirds. I stopped by again on Sunday evening. Two Solitary Sandpipers were present and feeding actively.

Whatever restoration of this location into shallow, muddy, grassy habitat was intentional or accidental is unclear. All of our recent rain may have created the shallow pools that are present now, but it appears to be a spot that will collect river overflow during flood times. A few large fallen trees remain in the water which would be a surprise if it was not intentional. I think of Dearborn residents as typically preferring non-native, and even invasive, botanical species for landscaping that has been manicured to within an inch of its life. This spot is in one of Dearborn's high-end neighborhoods - so it will be really special if this is left as is. Over time it will probably grow over, but for now, we have some really nice shorebird habitat.

The above video is about four minutes long. Prior to shooting this video, I saw the bird swim across a pool of water and I was hoping to capture that again. No such luck.

The spot is halfway between my mother's home and my home. So I hope to make several more visits this fall.

Update: The hoped-for shorebird habitat is gone. Shortly after this post was written with the the Solitary Sandpiper - which I think is a great bird for Dearborn - the wet field was essentially dry and was planted with trees. Oh well, it was hopeful while it lasted.

August shorebird video from Point Mouillee

2011-09-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

Better late than never ...

For full screen viewing double-click on the arrow and then view full screen video from the You Tube page by clicking on the full screen symbol in the lower right corner.

Broadwing Hawk weekend

2011-09-19T21:25:00.000-04:00

With visiting birding friends in from England and Pennsylvania, this past weekend turned out to be very nice. The little birds were generally scarce, but the broadwings did not disappoint.

My camera was able to capture just these few birds out of a kettle of hundreds. As it turned out, kettles of over a 1,000 broadwings proved common on Saturday, September 17th. The Detroit River Hawk Watch recorded 190,000+ migrating broadwing hawks flying over the Lake Erie boat launch on this day.

After leaving Lake Erie Metropark we stopped along other areas of Point Mouillee without success before continuing down to Sterling State Park. In last year's shorebird pond - a little too deep for shorebirds this year - there were 75 Great Egrets.

Ceder Waxwings were plentiful this weekend. There were a few warblers and vireos around, but generally we did not have good luck with these - especially on Saturday.

Other good finds at Sterling was the Fiery Skipper above, followed by this very fresh Red Admiral below.

On Sunday morning we made our way to Belle Isle. There was a long going on in Detroit - especially in the running and biking categories. Nevertheless we snuck through all the roadblocks and made our way to Belle Isle's nature trail for a very slow walk around. There were ten or more Swainson's Thrushes. None were seen. A few warblers showed themselves. Perhaps the best was a Philadelphia Vireo.

Finally, on a log in the muddy river running through the nature trail was this surprising turtle. It's identification stumped me. A google search revealed that it's a Yellow-bellied Slider. I don't think I've every seen a Yellow-bellied Slider before. It's non-native to Michigan belonging instead in Virginia to Florida. It is, however, a pet trade turtle thus explaining it's presence in the Belle Isle River.

Central Park, the Ramble

2011-09-14T21:18:00.000-04:00

A hematology conference took me to NYC this past weekend. The conference was held in a Times Square hotel and this turned out to be a short walk to Central Park. I skipped out of the multiple myeloma lectures and made my way to the famous "Ramble" to see what it was like and to see some fall migrants. It took me awhile to find it - Central Park is gigantic - but, then I did.

I knew I had finally found "The Ramble"

Red-eared Slider

Park bench

One of the six or seven warbler species seen - Canada Warbler

Miriam, Janice, Bill, Anne
We birded together - all were well acquainted with
the park.
Later Janice and Bill showed me how to use the subway,

Bulgaria: Krapets to Sofia via the central Balkans

2011-07-16T20:10:00.085-04:00

Evening of June 15th through departure: our final days

Recognizing that the trip was winding down made me want to savor every sighting, bird or otherwise. In just a few more days I would be back at work with only memories of a great birding trip and wonderful vacation.

The evening of June 15th would be our last night at the Hotel Yansita. When we returned from the day of birding we noticed that the hotel had other guests from Romania who arrived for the weekend and were swimming and relaxing by the pool. Just before dinner I saw Mladen heading out with his camera and tripod. Knowing where he was going, I asked to join him. On both prior pre-breakfast walks we saw an active, singing Barred Warbler. That early in the morning the bright eastern sun made taking photographs nearly impossible.

Mladen used his phone and trusty speaker device to call the Barred Warbler (Sylvia nisoria). The male responded immediately and flew to leafless branches of a tall tree across a field to continue singing. Soon the bird flew in closer but proved to be an elusive subject for a photograph by diving into the bushes.

While waiting for a bit of time to elapse before again calling the Barred Warbler, a Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) perched on a nearby branch. Throughout the trip I had tried many times for photos of the Red-back Shrike always with generally poor results. This was my best opportunity and one of the two shots I took turned out to be acceptable.

Again Mladen called for the Barred Warbler and this time the female popped up and posed very nicely for just enough time for the photo below.

The largest of the Sylvia warblers, the Barred is a unique appearing bird. Mladen played the Barred's song again. The male bird responded and we could see it moving around in the bushes.

Finally, the male Barred Warbler popped up and presented itself just long enough for a couple of shots and the one above was the best.

After dinner several of us were sitting around the pool chatting. Doug Woods came over to the table to report that an otter was feeding just beyond the breakwater. We all jumped up, ran into our rooms for cameras, and ran out of the hotel courtyard to the breakwater across the street. This turned the heads of the Romanians who, I'm sure, wondered where the fire was. By the time I walked the thin edge of the breakwater the otter was a bobbing head quite far out and in rapidly dimming light. All I can say about the otter is that I saw it - sort of.

Balchik (via Krapets) to Sofia looks like this on google maps. The next morning it was time to leave. We were down to our last two days of birding in Bulgaria. Our first stop of the morning would be a return to Balchik. We had visited Balchik in the late afternoon on June 13th to look unsuccessfully for the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo). The Eagle Owl is such a desirable bird that the second visit was anticipated with mixed expectations - knowledge that we were unsuccessful once, but hopes that a second visit would bring success.

Another bright, sunny morning washed out the sky over the white cliffs where we hoped to find a perched owl. We had two spotting scopes, Carol's and Mladen's, and the rest of us searched with binoculars. Even Dencho, the van driver, searched. He had found the owl for another birding group.

A Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus) flew over. Mladen folded his tripod and it seemed like we were going to give up. Instead, we all loaded up into the van and drove down the road to a different area of the cliffs and began looking again. After a quick search over the cliffs, Mladen moved purposefully down the road and set up his scope. He raised his arms in the air. Eagle Owl! Oh, my goodness, I don't know about anyone else, but I couldn't believe it.

The Eagle Owl is in the right cliff cavity of this attractive rock formation. In the heavily cropped photo below the bird is seen in the right corner of the cavity. My photos gives the impression that we did not see the bird well. Through the spotting scope, however, the bird was well seen. Carol even got quite a good digiscoped photo through her Zeiss scope. At times it was apparent that the bird, a fledged juvenile, was watching us.

We allowed ourselves a bit of celebratory leisure but eventually, with happy reluctance, we moved on. The next stop was a meadowed wetland in Botevo to look for Ruddy Shelduck. This was a completely beautiful location. It is here that I had my best look at Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava feldegg). The Yellow Wagtail in Bulgaria is the subspecies feldegg, an attractive, dark-headed yellow wagtail.

Under skies completely washed out by the bright sun, the wetlands water for the Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) is beyond the waterfall (above). We never did see the shelduck. That's not to say it wasn't present. The pools of water were void of any waterfowl, but there were plenty of hiding places for waterfowl of any species in this wetland.

I struggled to obtain an acceptable photo of any of the four shrike species we saw. So it was with the Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator). I thought this bird was very attractive, perhaps my favorite shrike of the trip. The only photo opportunity the Woodchat offered yielded the above effort.

Leaving Boteva, we drove by Mladen's town of Shumen, a town with a population of just under 100,000. We knew we would see the town where Mladen lived and I thought we would have lunch there. But we continued to drive for twenty minutes more to an outdoor restaurant on a lake. Before lunch was served, Mladen, never resting from finding us a good bird, scoped out the lake to make sure we wew not missing anything.

The above photo is of Yoav Chudnoff, our fearless and funny leader. Here I imagine that he is looking forward to the hours ahead when he can finally rest. It was clear that the amount of planning and organization that goes into arranging a trip such as ours is enormously challenging to do well. Yoav did it well, always the calm and masterful negotiator.

Following lunch we embarked on our second longest travel segment of the trip to take us to the central Balkans. Much of the trip was on highway roads and we had no birding stops to lessen the travel time.

In the early evening we were back in the central Balkans and checking into the Hotel Sima, another out-of-season ski resort. After the hot, sunny weather of the past four days, the cool mountain air was refreshing.

After check-in we had time before dinner for an exploration up the mountain to see what might be around. A Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) called from the tall, deciduous trees. We called again for Gray-headed and White-backed woodpeckers with no success.

Continuing up the hill to the open meadow with few scattered trees and bushes, a dog barked from the location of a bundled red tarp. There were few birds around and Mladen suggested we call it quits in favor of returning for dinner. We would be back in the morning. Dinner at the Hotel Sima restaurant was very nice - with the wonderful cucumber, tomato and Bulgarian cheese salad, which I sadly realized might be my last, followed by an entree of tender pork medallions with a light gravy and potatoes.

This restaurant also had a wine selection which included wines from Bulgaria's wine growing regions, some of which we passed though on our second day of the trip. With Bob's help we selected a couple of Bulgarian reds and a white. I found each enjoyable. Earlier on the trip I had a glass of red wine which I described as thin and harsh. Bob tasted it and nodded in agreement. "It's oxidized," he said.

He explained that oxidation occurs with sloppy attention to detail in the wine-making process.

At various times on the trip we heard about Bob Traverso's passion for wine-making. Bob was a native Californian from Italian immigrant grandparents who grew up drinking wine. First his grandfather watered it down half and half, then a little less water until, as a kid still, he enjoyed wine with meals. To Bob, the wines we selected for dinner, "were not great, but nice." It was over the Hotel Sima dinner that he described for us the process of making wine from start to finish.

After dinner while many of us were still sitting around drinking wine, Yoav left to see if he could call out a Tawny Owl. Many of us didn't even notice he was gone. Mladen's telephone rang. Yoav was calling to say that he had a Tawny Owl. We ran out to the dark woods behind the hotel. On his cell phone, Yoav played the vocalization again, and immediately the Tawny Owl (Strix oluco) flew in to perch on an overhead branch and looked down on us. A completely cute owl! Although it looks like a mini-Barred Owl (Strix varia) and is of the same family, its responsiveness to hearing its vocalization and its alert behavior reminded me of our Eastern Screech Owl (Meloscops asio).

The next morning we returned to the high meadow for our pre-breakfast walk. Through the spotting scope we saw our only Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrenella) - see my earlier blog entry titled Buntings - of the trip, as well as male and female Whinchats (Saxicola rubetra). While the others left to call for, yet again, the Gray-headed Woodpecker, I remained behind for this photo of the male Whinchat. In retrospect, a good move. The woodpecker was not seen.

When we left Hotel Sima, we drove along the road above the hotel to bird the high meadow. Here we saw close up the tame, but free, horses that we had seen from afar the evening before. Yoav and Dencho spent a good amount of time amongst them with Dencho taking close-up photographs. The target bird here was Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix) and we were unsuccessful. This high location in the central Balkans was beautiful and, with the horses and other birds we saw, it was a pleasure to be here.

In the shadow of a gigantic, and not very attractive, cement monument built by the Russians in 1949 to honor Bulgaria's independence from the Ottoman empire, we took this group photograph. Only Dencho, our van driver, is missing. I thought about how Mladen, now age 32, would have been less than ten years old when the Berlin wall came down and just a couple years older when the official break-up of the Soviet Union finally occurred. I thought of how Yoav, born in Israel and who, over 20 years ago, married a Bulgarian woman who received her Ph.D. in Bulgarian studies from Temple University in Philadelphia. Now their daughter is a law student at Drexel University. Considering all that has occurred between then and now, surely this must represent what is good about globalization. I felt completely privileged to have visited this beautiful eastern European country.

We had lunch at an attractive outdoor cafe where the young woman owner worked so hard to prepare a meal for our completely unexpected large group. Watching her come out from the kitchen to check on our meals reminded me, again, of how hard people work. Thinking back on this we really were not appreciative guests, leaving most of the food on our plates. She must have wondered what hit her. She may also have had a few thoughts about Americans.

A couple more stops to look for raptors and then we reached the outskirts of Sofia. We had not seen the city of Sofia at all and Dencho drove us around the busy city center while Yoav called out buildings of historical, cultural, municipal and religious significance.

We arrived back at the Hotel Edi for our final night. The Gray Wagtails were still present. Many of us would depart early the next morning for Sofia Airport to begin our return flights. That night at dinner we shared good birds, laughs, stories and memories.

Just as the moon rose over the Black Sea at dusk to end a long day of birding, my Bulgaria trip was over.

Краят.

Butterflies seen:

Princeton field guide: Svensson's Birds of Europe

2011-07-10T16:48:00.014-04:00

Prior to leaving for my trip to Bulgaria, I had a discussion with Harold Eyster about the field guide Birds of Europe, second edition by Lars Svensson.

I commented that I would be take this field guide on the trip but that I really didn't like it. My dislike was based on things like the heavy and awkward size of the guide, the crowded plates and small size of the bird illustrations followed by tiny, unclear range maps.

Harold shrugged his shoulders in polite disagreement and said that he really liked this field guide and supported his statement saying simply that he thought the descriptions for each bird were excellent and that this attention to detail more than made up for the small image size of the bird illustrations.

Now that the trip is over, I will say that Harold's assessment of the Birds of Europe is by far the more accurate. It's an excellent field guide. As soon as we began to use it in the field, Harold's reasons for liking the guide became immediately clear. Superficial concerns about size and heaviness melted away in favor of superior descriptions matching excellent illustrations. Where the small range maps were concerned, a study of the map of Europe was enough to make them clear.

We had three field guides available for our perusal on the trip and the one we always defaulted to was Svensson's 2009 Birds of Europe. Anyway, how could I not like it with one of my favorite birds on the cover?

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Bulgaria: Bullfinch and Hawfinch

2011-07-10T14:02:00.012-04:00

With the exception of my British birding friend, Malcolm Richards, who I enjoyed birding with in 2008 and 2010, I have almost no experience birding with non-American birders, especially in the United States. For lack of this experience, I always imagine that when non-American birders prepare for their first U.S. birding trip they spend at least some time focusing on cardinals, blue jays, goldfinches and robins as birds they would really like to see. Then I imagine that we, as their guides, rightly focus on Kirtland's Warbler and other good birds we know they should see while completely ignoring our spectacular cardinals, blue jays, goldfinches and robins. This is all in my imagination. Of course, we know that foreign birders will see our spectacular common backyard birds almost without even trying. Mostly. We also know, especially when considering the season, that they could easily miss some of our more common birds. Woodpecker enthusiasts might have a hard time finding, say, a Hairy Woodpecker. When I was birding with Malcolm in early September we missed seeing a Field Sparrow at Crosswinds Marsh. Go figure.

While preparing for my trip to England in June, 2010 I dearly wanted to see a Bullfinch and Hawfinch. When studying the range maps for these two species I thought I would see both. So, when I didn't see either, I was surprised and disappointed.

Knowing nothing about the bird in the painting or of my desire to see one, this past Christmas my mother gave me an inexpensive, but beautiful, oil on canvas bullfinch which she bought for me just because she found the bird so irresistible and could not leave it in the store. It's been hanging in my dining room since February.

Each time I walked into my dining room I thought about my upcoming trip to Bulgaria and of my hopes of seeing a bullfinch and a hawfinch. Of course, I now also know that these are not common backyard birds.

As you can see by the photos below, at least with the Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), I did. The Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) photos are not nearly as identifiable. However, as it turned out, seeing both of these birds was difficult.

The Bullfinch was seen in Trigrad during my pre-breakfast walk around the village on the morning of our Wallcreeper day. Carol Thompson saw it first and when our paths crossed on the road she told me about it. A magnet pulled me to the spot. The bird did not present itself immediately and I was both patient and impatient. After approximately ten minutes of looking and listening, I saw movement to my right and looked just in time to see a male and female bullfinch perched on a wooden fence rail. I got a good, but brief, look before they flew off to scrubby bushes at the back of a farm building. The movement from

lifting my binoculars was probably enough to flush them. Seeing the male and female together suggested they had an active nest. I walked up a path on the other side of the building but there was no sign or sound of the birds. I retreated back to the front of the barn and after another wait saw the male bird moving around in the trees behind the barn. He perched in the sun and looked around. I fumbled with my camera and had just enough time to take the terrible photograph above.

I thought the Trigrad Bullfinches would be the only ones I saw. Then on the last morning of our trip in the central Balkans near the Hotel Sima, another out-of-season ski resort, Mladen heard a Bullfinch call and a split second later it flew out from trees at the edge of the trail and across a short field to perch at the tip of a conifer tree. Another split-second photo opportunity yielded the above result just before the bird took off and flew away from us and out of sight. Mladen said that in Bulgaria the Bullfinch is a bird of higher elevation habitats which explains why we saw the bird in the locations we did. I've added this RSPB link with the Bullfinch vocalization here.

Arguably it was even more difficult to see the Hawfinch. Each time we were alerted to their presence when Mladen heard them. But actually seeing one was a different challenge. A Hawfinch would perch and as Mladen set up the scope it would fly off. This happened every time. On the 13th, we arrived at the wooded location where we called for Grey-headed Woodpecker (shortly after departing Nessebar) and saw the movement of several Hawfinches in the trees - probably a family. It was with this group of Hawfinches that we had our best chances for a good view. Finally we decided that the best way to see the Hawfinch was in bits and pieces; that is, tail, then wing patch, then bill, head ... , etc. As the rest of the group was leaving I stayed behind and managed the two dreadful photos above and below. Both are obscured shots of the same bird. Above the Hawfinch is finding a caterpillar and below the caterpillar obscures its huge bill. The RSBP link with the Hawfinch vocalization is here. Additionally, the RSPB synopysis offers an explanation for why the Hawfinch is so hard to see.

In the end I saw both birds. The challenge made it very satisfying.

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Bulgaria: Cape Kaliakra Reserve and nearby

2011-07-09T12:51:00.110-04:00

Following a violent storm that ripped through my neighborhood and many other areas of southeastern Michigan on Saturday night, July 2nd, my neighbors and I lost power for the next three days. When I returned home from work Tuesday, the 5th, we finally had our power restored. Without power I couldn't work on my blog over the weekend as I had planned.

Back to Bulgaria: June 14th and 15th, 2011.

Arriving at our seaside hotel in Krapets on the evening of June 13th, the next two days of birding would be day trips. June 14th turned out to be one of my favorite days of birding because of the places we visited and the birds we saw.

We birded along the road en route to Cape Kaliakra, our first stop for the day. About halfway between Krapets and Cape Kaliakra we saw some birds eating insects on the road. One was larger than the others and Mladen called out - with some excitement because it was a good and unexpected bird - "pratincole," as in Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola), a bird lumped in with their waders and unlike any bird I know of in North America. We got satisfying looks at the pratincole on the ground and in flight. With its unique body structure and the unexpected opportunity to see it, the pratincole was possibly one of my favorite birds for the trip.

The purpose for visiting Cape Kaliakra was to see Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) and Pied Wheatear. Some did see the shearwater - tiny specks flying low and fast way out over the Black Sea - but this is my least favorite way to see a bird. Knowing I would never count such a view on my trip list, I gave at best a half-hearted effort to see them. Unfortunately, efforts to see these specks over the water gave way to our group's only overt conflict of the trip. The tension had probably been building and it was just time for release. The conflict was later resolved, more or less satisfactorily, with a discussion after lunch. Our group was made up of a very nice bunch of birders and disagreements were kept relatively low key.

While looking over the Cape Kaliakra cliff edge at nearby breeding plumaged Black-necked Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), Eared Grebes to us, an interesting discussion occurred about a particular verb tense. Mladen spoke fluent English and transitioned easily between Bulgarian and English. In the mid-2000's he lived in Maine for three or four summers in a row and spent time with many American birders. In his job he also leads a lot of British birders around Bulgaria. While looking at the grebes through the scope several of us commented that "it dove" when the bird ... well, ... dove. The next person at the scope would need to relocate the grebe. Somewhat startled, Mladen said, "Ah, you said it, that word 'dove'." He explained that when leading a group of Brits recently he had used the same phrase, "it dove," whereupon he was quickly pounced upon by the Brits who told him there was no such word as "dove." All of us American birders agreed that "it dove" is standard lingo when watching diving water birds. Decide for yourself with this link conjugating the English verb "to dive."

Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) nest on Cape Kaliakra and we saw many. Being accustomed to people at this tourist location, they were generally easy to approach for a photograph. Nevertheless, they still seemed to have a distance limit. To see this handsome bird's large black eye, the image above is best viewed when enlarged. For the trip we saw four species of wheatear; completely delightful birds that I found myself wishing we also had in North America.

In an earlier blog entry I included a distant photo of Bee-eaters, but can there ever really be too many photos of the bejeweled Bee-eater? The Bee-eaters at Cape Kaliakra were active along the cliffs below us so not as easily spooked, and like the Pied-Wheatear were more accustomed to people.

Leaving Cape Kaliatra we visited some nearby fields along quite busy roads with travelers driving to and from the Cape. By this time on the trip we had grown unaccustomed to much traffic on roads where we were birding. The overall absence of traffic in places we visited was something that I found wonderful about Bulgaria. Our target bird was an aerial specialist, the Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra), and after everyone saw the bird well through the scope, I was able to sneak closer for the photo above. Later in the afternoon we saw Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) on the steppes. For the trip we saw five species of larks, another bird it would be very nice to have in North America.

Leaving the Calandra Lark and again driving on the relatively busy road leading to and from the tourist location of Cape Kaliatra I noticed a brown lump at the edge of the road. Looked about the right size, right color too. Mladen also saw it. We both called out "hedgehog!" Hedgehogs are slow-moving, nocturnal animals and we saw many dead along the road during our travels. Seeing this hedgehog on the move during the daytime was a complete surprise. But a surprise with grave consequences for this particular hedgehog. Even as Dencho stopped the van three cars were approaching the hedgehog from the opposite direction. Mladen quickly got out of the van, crossed the road and nudged the hedgehog back into the bushes. He stomped his feet a few times so the hedgehog might think again before leaving the safety of the bushes. Just as he got the hedgehog off the road Mladen stood at the edge and allowed the three cars to pass before he returned to the van. All of this happened within seconds and, unfortunately, we had no chance to take photos. But, had the timing of our arrival been delayed by even a minute we would have been seeing yet another dead hedgehog on the road. We gladly preferred our photo-free experience.

After our Calandra Lark and hedgehog moments we had lunch at a very nice roadside restaurant where we shared the outdoor patio with German diners who were workers on the nearby windfarms building and erecting windmills.

I asked Mladen why Bulgarians did not do this work. He didn't know why but went on to explain that the wind farms in this region were illegal, having been built on environmentally sensitive land without completing the necessary environmental impact studies. The local mayor was corrupt and had somehow got away with the contract. I forget the details now but the corrupt mayor's palm is well-greased. I guessed then that the company erecting the windmills was a German company and employed its own workers for the job. Now that the windmills are erected there is no chance they would be taken down. I thought of how we in the United States face similar environmental threats when politicians and corporations, often flying low under the radar, attempt to push through lucrative, but potentially damaging projects for the environment.

The sign above had nothing to do with our lunch restaurant, but I saw it in one of the small towns we passed through near Cape Kaliakra. This sunny area in northeast Bulgaria on the Black Sea is an affordable and attractive location for British retirees tired of their damp, gray English weather. I imagine that this sneckbar sign in English was appealing to the area's new residents.

After lunch we visited an area with sandstone cliffs for our second unsuccessful attempt to find an Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo), but we saw so many other great things including butterflies, dragonflies and a hunting European Honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus).

Leaving the sandstone cliffs, we saw this Hoopoe (Upupa epops) on a wire over the road. At first I took backlit photos of the bird from the van window. Then we turned the corner and I saw I could place the ultility pole behind the bird for an unsilhouetted view. Using the van as a blind I took several shots from the open window. Prior to even departing for the trip Hoopoe was one of the three birds I most wanted to see and photograph. While we saw and heard Hoopoes several times, the look was always fleeting or from afar, and only once briefly with the crown feathers raised. I began to think that I would not get a photo so when this opportunity occurred I was thrilled. Such a unique bird! As a bonus it was also vocalizing.

Leaving the Hoopoe we drove to the steppes, large areas of rocky meadow with wildflowers for another highly sought after bird. Almost immediately Bob Traverso spotted a close Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus). We froze while Mladen set up the scope. When our careful movements failed to frighten the bird we took the opportunity to load up in the van to move closer. Mladen had never photographed a Stone Curlew so closely. I had trouble finding the Stone Curlew in my viewfinder at the closer range yet I still managed to get a couple of decent photos. The one below may be from the more distant range. That evening when Mladen downloaded his Stone Curlew photos to his laptop he gave me an important pointer on evaluating the appearance of a bird in a photograph. Did the bird appear natural or did it appear frightened? So subtle and something that I had never before considered. Mladen had a couple of photos, clear and sharp, where the Stone Curlew seemed frightened and appeared to be running away. These were quickly deleted.

Official birding for this day ended shortly after seeing the Stone Curlew and Lesser Short-toed Lark, but we continued to bird from the van and saw another Calandra Lark close to the road and further on a Little Owl was perched in plain view at the edge of the road.

After our morning walk followed by breakfast, we started out on Thursday, July 15th for our target bird, the Paddyfield Warbler (Acrocephalus agricola), at Lake Durankulak. It was windy that morning and Mladen worried that we might not be able to see it. But he heard a male singing almost as soon as we stepped off the van near a beach resort on the Black Sea where, with the exception of one fisherman, we were the only visitors. This bird was important here because its range is so limited in Bulgaria.

This location, Lake Durankulak, was also the only place we saw Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca).

We drove to another area of the lake to look for Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus) and a handsome male immediately flew in upon hearing Mladen's recording. A bird with such a unique appearance elicited oohs and aahs. We heard, but did not see, Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides), another target bird in this habitat. So many old-world warblers look so much alike.

Throughout the trip Mladen used recordings to call (or, in some cases, not call) birds in. To do this he used a tiny set of speakers that attached to his Nokia cell phone on which he had downloaded bird vocalizations. I had never seen such a compact and field-friendly sound device. We have iphones, ipods, blackberries, etc. all with the same capability, but it was the speaker device which really made the kit.

Knowing that I would only bring one pair of shoes for the whole trip, I gave a lot of thought to which I would choose and finally decided on a lightweight pair of Adidas sneakers. They were perfect and I was pleased with my selection; that is, until we birded in the meadowed habitat of Lake Durankulak and Lake Shabla. The grass we walked through here had barbed stickers that grabbed at my mesh shoes and cotton socks. Some of the barbs made it to my feet and pricked my skin with each step. Those who had a heavier hiking boot style of shoe did much better in this habitat. In the van I removed my shoes and socks to pluck off the stickers that had managed to get everywhere.

Walking around the village after lunch I found another snack bar sign in both languages. Seeing the Bulgarian words for snack bar made clearer where the translation sneckbar had come from on the first sign.

After lunch some stayed behind at the hotel to enjoy the nice pool and the rest of us went on to Shabla Lake. I felt right at home when looking at this sign because some marksman had thought it would be a good idea to shoot it up a bit.

A Roller was on an overhead wire and I crept closer and closer for the photograph above. The thing is, as pretty as it is perched the Roller is truly spectacular in flight. Too late I got the idea to try to video its flight. I thought of it only after I watched this bird take off and fly away from me unable to take my eyes off of it and knowing there was no way to switch my camera mode quickly enough. After this I never got another chance.

Months prior to departing for this trip, I practiced with the video mode of my camera so I would be able to use this feature with adequate confidence. Thinking back on it now, I should have taken more video during the trip. In the end I used it only twice - fortunately, I thought to use it early on for the Wallcreeper and many days later for the singing Corn Bunting. Both of these videos are included in prior blog entries.

We had seen distant Tawny Pipits (Anthus campestris) in a couple of earlier locations, but in the meadows near Lake Shabla we got to see this bird very well.

As is seen in the photographs, the two days birding around Krapets, Cape Kaliakra, and the two lakes were hot and sunny. Around mid-afternoon on the 15th it was clear to me that I was overdosing on sun. I dropped out of a walk around Lake Shabla in favor of finding a shady spot to bird. Fortunately, and thanks to SPF 50, I did not get too sunburned. For the trip our weather was perfect. Our only rain occurred in the late afternoon on the 14th when the heavens opened up twice for a ten minute downpour each time. Occasionally, especially in the mountains, it was cool and overcast but we always enjoyed comfortable and good birding weather.

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Butterflies and other critters seen:

Bulgaria: Sinemoretz to Nessebar to Krapets

2011-06-28T20:54:00.037-04:00

June 12th through June 15th, 2011

The drive from Sinemoretz to Krapets, not actually on Google maps probably because Krapets is such a tiny seaside resort, looks something like this. For the sake of identifying our drive, Balchik is near enough and we did go to Balchick as well. These were, without a doubt, our easiest travel days and our days of greatest leisure - all while continuing to see great birds.

I am starting to bump up against elapsed time converging on the lapse of memory. Fortunately, I have my photos, our itinerary and the locations of our overnight stays to remind me of trip events.

Leaving Sinemoretz we drove toward Nessebar birding along the way. We stopped at a BSPB reserve that employed a young German intern for the summer. He'd only begun to work there and I think he was surprised to see a relatively large group of American birders invade his space. Of course, the young man spoke flawless English. The main reason for coming here was to have lunch on the veranda overlooking a large marsh and bay while also being able to bird from the veranda. The German intern had the spotting scope trained on a White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) on nest and he sort of shyly told us this. When Mladen heard this, he replied, "Oh come on man," and rushed to the scope. We did see the White-tailed Eagle, but the bird on nest was a distant shimmer on the bright sunny day. Not a great look. It turned out to be our only White-tailed Eagle of the trip. Here we also saw our only Eurasian Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) for the trip. Veranda birding was leisurely and we invited the German interns, another appeared also, to have lunch with us.

Moving on, we visited a series of salt flats where sea salt is made by a process where salt is extracted from the sea water. I may be remembering this incorrectly but I believe Mladen said that Bulgaria is the largest producer of sea salt. We saw a lot of birds at the salt pans, but without leaving the parking lot we stopped to call in a Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus). A very cute bird that gave me only one brief opportunity for a photo and I missed. The best I could get was a photo of its elaborate hanging nest (above).

Here is where we had our closest looks at Dalmation Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), the largest pelican, size easily noted when sitting side-by-side with Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), also a very large pelican. Unfortunately, the Dalmation Pelican was not in its spectacular breeding plumage, its intensely red-orange bill pouch having already transitioned to post-breeding yellow.

Amongst many other birds, we saw Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus), Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus), and Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus genei) at this location.

The salt pans were all along this area of the Black Sea coast and we drove from one to the next. Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus ostralegus) (above) and Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), split from Snowy Plover in 2011, (below) were birds I was able to photograph at our final stop for the day. The stilts had young and were feeding in one of the retaining ponds. The plover, still in breeding plumage, was by itself along some sandy dikes of the holding pools where they are known to breed. It may have arrived too late to breed - or simply was the last to depart post-breeding. Shorebird breeding occurs much earlier here.

The Kentish Plover did not flush as I moved closer for my photograph, but it would scuttle away and duck behind sandy mounds in an effort to hide.

We arrived in the beautiful tourist town of ancient Nessebar, a tiny peninsula and world heritage site, and checked into the Hotel Nikola.

Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) is the omnipresent gull in Bulgaria. We saw this bird everyday, even inland. This was my only chance for a photograph taken from the balcony of my hotel room. The gulls nest on the roofs and chimneys of the houses and businesses.

The Hotel Nikola was our nicest hotel of the trip with our rooms having balconies that opened up to the Nessebar bay. Outdoor restaurants, cafes and hotels lined the road and the tourists were from Russia, Romania, Germany and other countries nearby. The streets and buildings of the ancient city were actually preserved behind, or in the center, of the hotels and restaurants occupying the outer ring.

Mladen on Nessebar street below hotel

We had our evening meal in the outdoor cafe and then walked around the old part of the city. By this time it was dark so not conducive for photographs. In the morning following breakfast in the same outdoor cafe, much quieter with all the night-reveling tourists still in bed, we loaded up the van and were off again to our next stop.

For this part of the trip we were making short stops as we traveled up the coast so the traveling was short and we had time to enjoy each stop. The first stop was a very birdy roadside rocky ravine where we had the leisure to see many birds and I had time to photograph some.

Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata)

Our real destination in this locale was to visit a not very thick forest with creek, meadow and pasture to call for Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus). We never did see or hear a Grey-headed Woodpecker. A comment about woodpeckers in general; they were scarce and somewhat hard to see. We saw the more common species like Great Spotted (Dendrocopos major), Middle Spotted (Dendrocopos medius), Lesser Spotted (Dendrocopos minor) and Syrian (Dendrocopos syriacus) woodpeckers, but not often and not many. If only because they are white, black and red these would be most similar to our Picidae woodpeckers. Yoav and Mladen suggested that we were just a bit too late to see woodpeckers. They had already bred, fledged and dispersed by the time of our trip. The link with Grey-headed Woodpecker above is a good link for all of the other woodpeckers as well.

Our next stop was lunch at a popular cafe along a busy roadside in Goritsa. When we stopped for lunch at a certain location there was usually a reason. At this location it was the Semicollared Flycatcher (Ficedula semitorquata). A pair were feeding young in this birdhouse that was on the restaurant property. Unfortunately, despite being quite close to these birds, I do not have a good photo to offer. The combination of dark light beneath the broad leafed tree, movement of the leaves and movement of the birds conspired against me to get a photo that even approximated being in focus. Earlier in the breeding season, the Semicollared Flycatcher could be seen in the deep woods across the street. But again, this late in the breeding season, that would not be possible to find. Of note, the Semicollared Flycatcher is a world endangered species. We also saw Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) and Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla) in the woods across the road from the restaurant.

The 13th was really a whole day of visiting very birdy locations for passerines - my favorite kind of birding. From here we went to the Hotel Yanitsa in Krapets on the Black Sea. We were booked to spend three nights in this hotel - complete luxury - and from which we would take day trips after breakfast. While there was nothing special about the rooms here, the Hotel Yanitsa had a nice restaurant, great outdoor space with tables, umbrellas and a very nice pool.

The restaurant opened relatively late for breakfast. Mladen asked them to push up the opening time for us and they did, but we still had time to meet at 6:30 am and bird for an hour or so around the hotel.
The Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) (with Bee-eater) above is a dreadful photo, but I finally saw the bird after only hearing it every day. The oriole was perched far away, but I had to try - for the memory.

On my trip to England in June, 2010 every photo I attempted of European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) was dreadful. Here I think I have a passable photo and it occurs to me its because of the bright blue sky background which I did not have for my goldfinch photo attempts in England. We also had our best views of Linnets (Carduelis cannabina) on these morning walks

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Butterflies seen:

Bulgaria: Madzharovo to Sinemoretz

2011-06-25T15:53:00.368-04:00

June 11th - 13th, 2011

Madzharovo to Sinemoretz looks like this on Google maps. Just look at this long drive/day! By far, day five was our longest and hardest travel day, but it was also a big day for excellent birds. Because it was such a long travel day, we missed out on seeing much of Sinemoretz which was our first overnight stop on the Black Sea and where we stayed at the Villa Philadelphia, owned by our American organizer, Yoav Chudnoff and his family.

Ending day four in Madzharovo we had excellent looks at Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) as one flew in particularily close to our location on the river and with cliffs behind.

The Egyptian Vulture below decided to perch on the road.

On our first night in Madzharovo, we heard Scops Owls (Otus scops) calling from the trees in the neighborhood. After dark on our second night, we all walked down the street to call in a Scops Owl. It took about five minutes to gain the attention of these responsive little owls.

Starting out day five and leaving Madzharovo we found Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius) and Cirl (Emberiza cirlus) and Rock (Emberiza cia) buntings (already described) on the rock faces nicknamed "the flintstones." Eventually, we saw these birds well as they moved around and sang from a variety of stone perches.

Here we also saw several close perched Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) in excellent light. Previously we had seen Griffon Vultures only in flight and quite high up.

The sign above, in cyrillic letters of the Bulgarian language, is the name of the spring, Eagles Nest. In addition to Egyptian and Griffon vultures, this was an important area for other breeding birds of prey.

This charming White (also Pied) Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba) was present on the cliffs the whole time. Finally it came close enough for me to get a clear photo. White Wagtail is another bird we saw every day.

The above photo is of the beautiful Arda River gorge adjacent to the Egyptian Vulture cliffs and rock faces near Madzharovo.

We had to hustle away from Madzharovo to see our next good bird of the trip in an area called Szilengrad about an hour drive from Madzharovo.

After a relatively leisurely walk though beautiful fields with woods scattered throughout we finally saw a bird fly and then land in a tree across a small river from us. Levant Sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes)! Through the spotting scope we got great looks at this bird. The manner in which it was perched, unobstructed and cooperative, allowed me to take this distant and heavily cropped, but easily identifiable photo. Mladen commented that he had never seen Levant Sparrowhawk so well as this and he has never photographed one. Though he never let on, I am sure he wished he had his camera. I wished he had his camera.

We next drove to Shitit (yes, this is the name of the place) to see Masked Shrike (Lanius nubicus). The tiny perched bird in the photo would suggest that we did not see it well. But, through the spotting scope this was a completely beautiful bird. We had to chase it around a bit in a forested meadow - habitat the likes of which I have not seen in the states. In this same location we also worked hard to see an elusive Olive-tree Warbler (Hippolais olivetorum), which we finally did see reasonably well.

Following this it was time for a late lunch and we stopped at a place that Mladen seemed to know well and the owners appeared happy to see him. We had Bulgarian salad, sausages and french fries. This was a completely interesting and charming place not far from the border with Turkey.

Mladen had served a tour of duty with the Bulgarian army near here. One of my regrets is that I did not pay enough attention to the places where we stopped for lunch - the names of the restaurants and, like this one, the remote town in which it was located. Several of us wanted coffee following lunch. but giving attention to the time, we had to move on to the next good bird.

While driving on a road in need of some repair, probably some of us nodding off - especially those in the back of the van - suddenly Mladen shouted, "Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), Imperial Eagle!" Wake up. A close, low-soaring bird flew right in front of the van and began circling low over an adjacent field. We all emptied out of the van and this time Mladen had his camera ready. Even with my point and shoot, I was able to fire off several photos of which the one above is probably the best. We watched this bird until it was in the clouds.

We left the Imperial Eagle and thus began the long drive to Sinemoretz. How long? Lloonngg. It was a drive in which, like a bunch of kids in the backseat, we would ask, "how much longer?" "Two hours," came the reply. Two hours later again, "how much longer?" Again, the reply "two hours." You guessed it, two hours later, "how long now?" "Two hours." At this point, Bob asked his wife, Carli, for some ibuprofen. Carli dug around in her gold day bag and pulled out a ziplock bag of pills to hand her husband two ibuprofen. She then casually asked if anyone else needed anything. "Ibuprofen?" "Antidepressant?" Everyone howled.

It turned out that the problem was really the state of disrepair of the roads requiring the van to travel very slowly. When it came time to decide if we should take a longer route on better roads, a decision was made to take the shorter route on poor roads. That was the clincher.

But the long ride took us through the Strandje forest. At one point we had to stop for the obvious reason. The forest was deep and dark. We decided to take this opportunity to call for White-backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos) and Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius). We heard both of these birds and some saw them fleetingly. If I had seen the Black Woodpecker the whole ordeal would have been offset. At least we heard it. Finally, the mosquitoes began to attack and we made a hasty retreat to the van for the next two hour segment of driving.

We arrived in Sinemoretz at 10:30 pm thoroughly whipped. We got into our rooms and then walked down the road a short distance to the Afrodite (yes, I believe this was the spelling) restaurant on the Black Sea for something small to eat.

Secondary to the long day we set a more leisurely wake-up time. Everyone woke refreshed. After a good night's sleep it was easier to reflect upon what great birding we had the previous day despite the many hours of travel. After breakfast the guys and Carol went for a forest walk along a river, again to look for woodpeckers. Too soon to return to the van for Carli and I, we stayed behind to walk around and explore Sinemoretz.

It was a great morning and we met a charming young couple from Slovakia who, it would not be too much of a stretch to say, spoke English better than we did.

Още, за да се!

Butterflies and dragonflies seen:

Praise for a baby robin

2011-06-22T20:24:00.024-04:00

Taking a break from birding in Bulgaria for the moment, I am distracted by a drama that is happening in my own backyard.

Prior to my departure for Bulgaria, I noted that a robin was nesting in my pagoda dogwood tree. On the hottest day of the summer she sat on the nest with her beak open disipating the heat. Occasionally, she would leave the nest to drink from the bird bath that I was keeping with daily fresh water.

I arranged for Julie Craves to take care of my cats while I was away. I showed Julie the robin's nest and asked her to keep the bird bath water fresh.

When I returned home Saturday night I received an email from Julie saying that the baby robins had hatched. But then on Sunday an adult robin was standing in the dogwood near the nest or on the utility wires overhead giving its mournful seep notes for a large part of the day. On Monday morning, having taken an extra day off to recover from my trip, I awoke to robins singing. Later in the morning, I was pulling weeds and noticed a fuzzy head move in the nest. No adult birds were around.

I recalled all of the advice that is inevitably discussed on the birding listserves when someone finds a baby bird. That is, the parent birds are indeed caring for the hatchling. And, in this case, the little bird was being cared for. Shortly after I observed feeding going on.

On Tuesday, I came home from work and checked on the nest. It was not in the tree. There had been a storm earlier in the morning. I heard a baby bird call note and saw the baby robin in the baking sun on the edge of the sidewalk alongside the grass. Both parents were on the utility wire overhead. I have no idea how long it may have been out of the nest and in the hot son. I found the nest on the ground under the tree. I put the nest upright on the ground at the base of the tree and put the little bird back in the nest in the shade. Both parents were calling their alarm clucks.

Later I sent an email to Julie Craves to tell her what had happened and what I had done. As I was getting ready for bed I checked my email one last time and saw a reply from Julie.

"Don't leave the nest on the ground. Put it back up in the tree with something ... !"

Of course, what was I thinking? So at 10:00 pm I was outside in the dark tying the nest on to a low limb with some old shoelaces. Unfortunately, in the dark, I could only find a limb about two feet off the ground. Would this actually be better? To make matters worse it rained during the night.

This morning I checked on the bird. I even made myself a little late for work while I took this 39 second video. The parents are chirping in the background scolding my activities.

The baby robin was curled up in the nest with its tiny body heaving slightly from its respirations and heart beat.

When I returned home from work this afternoon everything was still status quo. So far so good with at least one parent nearby. I've also seen the other parent.

Now, even as I write this, it's raining hard again. The nest must be sodden by now.

I've just come back from checking on the nest and the above photo is what I found. I'll allow myself a little anthropomorphism - robins really are good parents. If you enlarge the image you will see droplets of water on the adult bird's feathers.

A second downpour just ended and I've checked the nest a second time. Parent is chirping from the utility wire.

The baby robin is a little out of focus because it was moving as I took the photo. Earlier I had given consideration to getting a ladder and trying to place the nest higher up in the tree. I've decided to leave the nest where it is and keep my fingers crossed that all will be okay. I have to work tonight and won't be home to check on it until tomorrow evening.

Thursday evening - have arrived home from work to find the hatchling in its nest. It may be my imagination, but I think it's getting bigger.

With parent on the utility wire overhead, the nestling was peeking out of the nest at me.

On Friday morning, before going to work the little bird in the photo below is what I found. Definitely bigger.

Upon arrival home from work Friday evening, June 24th, the nestling became a fledgling. Neither parents or baby were in sight. But later in the evening I heard robins in my front yard and saw one carrying food.
The other was hunting food in my next door neighbor's yard. I think this is a good sign and I hope it's grown enough to make it. In the photo above, I think it appears to be about the same size as the baby robin I photographed in my neighborhood in April, 2010.

But then, baby robins are tough little creatures.

June 28th update:

I was working on my computer at the table on my back patio when I heard squeaky seep or seet notes of a young robin. After looking around a little I finally found a fledgling robin in my large maple tree. I would be very surprised if this is not the nestling that seems to have made it as a fledging.

The bird is on a high perch and it was windy so I had difficulty getting the bird in focus. Almost certainly, given the location of the nest, the location of where I observed the adult robin carrying food last Friday and now the location of where this bird is perched, this must be the same fledgling robin.

A great outcome that makes me happy.

Bulgaria: Buntings

2011-06-22T18:44:00.013-04:00

For the trip we saw six species in the Emberizidae family. The big miss was Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) which was a surprise since it seems that this bird should be common and well-distributed in many of the habitats we visited. I saw the Reed Bunting well and often during my visit to England last June. A key issue for the miss on this trip may be because birds nest much earlier in this southeast corner of Europe. With their nesting completed they may have already dispersed.

Of the six species seen, three were seen only once. The Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) is a beautiful bird with yellow throat, a blue-gray head and rufous-colored breast which Mladen located in a high, rocky meadow. If you google Ortolan Bunting, as I did for the above link, you will also find links that give instructions on how to prepare this tiny songbird for eating. Many will not want to be reminded, but I include my blog link reviewing Jonathon Franzen's excellent New Yorker essay titled Emptying the Skies.

We saw Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia) once on the rocky cliffs nicknamed "the flintstones" by Mladen and Yoav near Madzharovo. This was a relatively distant view through the spotting scope in so-so lighting.

The Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) was seen through the spotting scope on our final day of birding in the meadows of another out-of-season ski resort of the Hotel Sima in the Central Balkans.

The Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) was seen only twice, but well each time. The bird above was seen on our morning walk behind the Hotel Paradise in Madzharovo. I happened upon it singing in the tree when I was actually angling for a better photo of a Turtle Dove. I called everyone else to see it and immediately abandoned my efforts with the Turtle Dove to focus on the Cirl Bunting. The bird was quite cooperative, but, of course, the light is terrible. Still, I think it's easy to see how attractive the Cirl Bunting is.

Perhaps my best photo of the whole trip is of this beautiful, singing Black-headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala). We saw the Black-headed Bunting well and often. Such a beautiful bird with its lemon-yellow breast and rufous patchs on the lesser coverts.

Finally, a word about the Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra) - the ubiquitous Corn Bunting. This bird was seen and heard every day, whether in the mountains or in the lowlands, in grassy areas with scattered trees and bushes. While traveling along in the van we heard it singing from its roadside perch through the open windows. Whenever we stopped to look at other birds, the Corn Bunting was singing. When eating lunch or having dinner, we heard the Corn Bunting sing.

While I doubt I could ever forget the Corn Bunting or its song; just in case, I decided to record it. In this 25 second video it gives two vocalizations. Between the vocalizations you'll also hear the fluted whistle of the Golden Oriole. At the end you'll hear another Corn Bunting. Of course, what else?

Още, за да се!

Bulgaria: Arriving in Madzharovo

2011-06-21T20:27:00.018-04:00

June 10, 2011

Trigrad to Madzharovo looks like this on Google maps.

After our time with the Wallcreepers, we left Trigrad Gorge and proceeded down the mountain and along the rapidly moving river. We stopped for lunch of fresh trout at a very nice outdoor cafe. After lunch we had our final chance for dippers and I tried for a view of an adult White-fronted Dipper. Mladen found one but it was distant and by the time I had moved closer it was out of sight.

We continued to travel on to Madzharovo driving through small villages. It was an interesting drive with the villages offering a window into the lives of rural Bulgarians. This was my first observation of what terrific gardners the Bulgarians are. This would be confirmed thoughout the rest of the trip. No matter the house - rich, medium or poor - each has a garden. If the house is wealthier appearing it might have flowers, vegetables and fruit trees. A lot of cherries are grown in Bulgaria. Poor houses seemed to favor vegetable gardens. There was no such thing as wasting space to grow grass.

Finally, in one of these villages this Little Owl (Athene noctua) was spotted perched on a chimney. The dark coloring of this bird made it more special as this is much less common for Little Owl. For the trip we saw two other Little Owls each with the lighter coloring.

In the early evening we arrived at the Hotel Paradise where we stayed for two nights. This was a relatively large, very attractive with beautiful gardens, well-maintained hotel in the middle of a completely run down village consisting of the old-style Soviet era apartment blocks. The outdoor patio was very comfortable and the dining room was inviting. Apparently, it was also quite an expensive hotel. For our two nights we were the only guests. Clearly the hotel was profitable, but how?

The story goes that the hotel owner's father lived and worked in the United States. We he returned to Bulgaria with every penny he ever earned in the US, he built this hotel for his family. In 2004, the owner (daughter) built a small Christian chapel on the hotel property to honor her parents.

We were here because this is a central location for sighting both Griffon Vulture and Egyptian Vulture amongst other birds of prey. Apparently, in April and May the hotel is fully booked with birding groups. It turned out to be one of my favorite places to stay.

Sometimes the food was very attractive and I'll always regret not taking a photo of the beautiful cucumber, tomato and Bulgarian cheese salads. For this Paradise Hotel breakfast, I took a photo because the egg yokes were peach colored. The kind of chicken?

On the first morning of our stay here we birded around the hotel and found some very nice songbirds. The above is a Woodlark (Lullula arborea).

Following breakfast we set off for one of my favorite birding locations of the trip.

We saw White Stork every day and it all areas of the country. Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) was seen for the first time in this remote river valley location and a few other times elsewhere. Unlike the big, untidy nest of the White Stork stacked on someone's chimney, the Black Stork seemed for favor more remote nest locations. Mladen later showed us a Black Stork's nest with four nestlings on a rock overhang and tucked beneath a natural ledge. Both were spectacular birds, but of the two I think I found Black Stork more striking.

This was our only location to see Rock Nuthatch (Sitta neumayer). When we became distracted by all of the other birds we were seeing, like the Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica) below, Mladen reminded us to focus on the nuthatch because this was the only place we would see it. We saw it well. While my photo is poor, it is still easy to see the nuthatch in the bird.

I thought the Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispaniica) was a spectacular bird, with it's silvery head, black wings and white breast, and would have liked a better photo. We never did see another.

Chukar (Alectoris chukar) is an introduced game bird in the United States that has established breeding populations in many western states. But in Bulgaria it's the real deal native species. This bird stood on its rock ledge and vocalized, unperturbed, for several minutes.

This area was also a haven for butterflies and dragonflies. I saw a beautiful white butterfly that I could not photograph and found a large and very beautiful dragonfly which grabbed Mladen's attention as possibly an undocumented species for the area. He ran back to the van for his camera. Before I could ready my own camera for a photo, the dragonfly flew and we could not find it again - a disappointment for both of us.

Amongst other raptors, we saw four Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) this morning. No matter where seen, Golden Eagle is always a thrilling bird; even Mladen gave an excited shout when he saw them. Here a Hobby is giving chase to one of the Goldens - a dreadful photo for sure, but still an interesting image.

After a picnic lunch, Mladen successfully called out a Wryneck (Jynx torquilla) which thrilled everyone, especially when it perched for prolonged looks through the spotting scope. The Wryneck is on the right and, though it's difficult to see, it's sharing the bare branches with Lesser Grey (Lanius minor) and Red-backed (Lanius collurio) shrikes.

The photo above is cropped to show a better view of the Wryneck. Such a curious looking little bird. The Wryneck has been stuck with the woodpeckers, but I'm not sure it belongs in the Picidae family. What do I know?

Още, за да се!

Butterflies and other critters found these days:

Bulgaria: Wallcreeper!

2011-06-20T19:41:00.010-04:00

June 9th, 2011

While the area of Trigrad was our only real location for seeing White-fronted Dippers well, the main reason for traveling through the Rhodopes was to visit the Trigrad Gorge for a very special bird - the Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria). Some have identified the Wallcreeper as one of the top fifty birds desired to be seen by birders. This may be true, but I like best Karl Overman's description of the Wallcreeper as "a world-class bird." Formerly the Wallcreeper was associated with nuthatches and creepers, but today it is the sole species in its own family, Tichodromidae.

We were not disappointed. Mladen knew of a location with a nesting pair in a rock crevice that we could view from a distance of no more than 15 meters. He knew the time to arrive - when the male would be out of the nest to hunt insects and return to feed the female. All of this turned out to be just as he described.

The Wallcreeper is a difficult bird to photograph with a point-and-shoot camera. My shutter is just not fast enough. While the bird gives the impression of being cooperative, it also moves very quickly.

Since I could not take good still shots, the best I have to offer is video of a female Wallcreeper hunting insects around her nest. In the background you'll hear Mladen's camera firing away and Carli commenting on how beautiful this bird is. To Karl's comment I would add that the Wallcreeper is a show-stopper.

Finally, Wallcreeper viewers bunched together on our Wallcreeper cliff ledge. Don't look down or step back!

Още, за да се!

Bulgaria: Sofia to Trigrad

2011-06-20T13:20:00.043-04:00

June 7, 2011 arrival to the morning of June 12, 2011 looks something like this in Google directions → Sofia to Madzharovo. The first travel day was Sofia to Trigrad.

On the 7th, Tom Heatley, also from Michigan, and I were the first to arrive on a flight from Munich. We were met by American Yoav Chudnoff, president of Phildadelphia-based FofBSPB, and Mladen Vasilev from Shumen, Bulgaria, our field guide for the next twelve days, in the airport lobby. We waited at the airport for another flight from London to arrive carrying Doug Wood and Bill Shepherd. With a couple of hours to spare before the arrival, from Budapest, of Bob and Carli Traverso, we walked around a pond and wetland park adjacent to the airport. Another birder, Carol Thompson from Texas, had arrived a day earlier and was exploring Sofia.

It was hazy, sunny and warm with a mild-to-moderate breeze. It felt good to be walking and moving my legs. Amongst other birds here we heard our first, of many heard, Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus), a bird which proved surprisingly difficult to actually see. Great Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) sang from the [phragmite] reeds and we had good looks at a few. Parts of their vocalizations reminded me of our Yellow-breast Chat (Icteria virens). For this reason, it was an easy bird to identify for the rest of the trip. Accordingly, in the presence of reed warblers, Common Cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) also called from areas around the pond. Reed Warbler is a favored bird for the cuckoo's nest parasitism. An excellent New York Times article from June 1, 2010 by Olivia Judson titled Cuckoo! Cuckoo! is linked here and well worth a look. Possibly the best bird for me on this walk was a brief, but clear and satisfying, look at a Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) flying across the pond. For the rest of the trip, we would see two other Little Bitterns in exactly the same way, flying across a body of water. Being a warm afternoon it was not all that birdy and while standing on a small bridge looking at a marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus), Mladen suddenly called out "Alpine Swifts" (Tachymarptis melba or Apus melba)! We expected to see these birds in other locations, but they seemed unlikely here. As it turned out we would see Alpine Swifts many times, but this would be our closest and lowest look.

Bob and Carli Traverso arrived and we headed to Hotel Edi in a suburb of Sofia. I wanted to collapse but knew this would be disaster. Hoping for a good night's sleep, it would be better to remain awake until a normal bedtime in my new time zone.

So we hung out in front of the hotel drinking beer and watching a male and female Grey Wagtail (Moticilla cinerea) perch, sing and call out. The wagtail was such a performer with it tail wagging and warning calls that I thought this might be my new favorite bird. Bill Shepherd assured me that this would not be so and he was right about that.

We left the wagtail and walked around some streets of the neighborhood. I saw the Jay (Garrulus glandarius) above fly in and perch over a rushing creek where it stopped to preen and gave me a moment to snap a couple of photos. The Robin (Erithacus rubecula) stopped for even less time, but it was enough for me to get off this quick photo.

Back at the hotel, dinner was served in the hotel restaurant. I don't recall the main course, but dinner started with a glorious cucumber and tomato salad topped with shredded, white Bulgarian cheese. The cucumbers were crisp, the tomatoes flavorful and the Bulgarian cheese was sharp and pungent. It was so good! We were joined for dinner by Dancho Kristov, the fellow working on the Strandje habitat restoration, who spoke about how the money raised from our trip participation benefitted the research efforts of this project. That's Dancho, the star birder in the 3:20 minute video, which I do recommended watching.

Though, of late, I've become a dreadful sleeper, collapsing into bed that first night felt great and I do believe I actually slept. Good thing, too. For the remainder of this trip would be go, go, go and do, do, do. My kind of trip.

First stop on Wednesday, June 8th was not far up to a off-season ski resort to look particularly for Nutcracker and both firecrests. I was stunned when I saw what a Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocacatactes) looked like - big and crowlike. Secondary to living on a ski resort, I think these birds had become habituated to humans. Later when we were eating lunch at a picnic table, one of the birds began to beg and swooped in for a piece of dropped bread.

While we were eating lunch this Ringed Ouzel (Turdus torquatus alpestris) appeared. It was very close and confiding and the cameras fired away. We were also successful with both firecrests, two birds that are surprisingly difficult to see although their behavior is like that of our kinglets.

The ski resort also proved to be a great butterfly spot but more about this later.

After lunch we began the long drive to Trigrad in the Rhodopes Mountains where we would stay for our second night. This was a beautiful drive that took all afternoon traveling though villages, a wine- making region, mountains and alongside a beautiful reservoir.

En route we stopped for ice cream and I spotted this amazing White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) nest built atop a tall chimney stack. Even though this is a distant photo, I love it for the action of the adult bird flying in. The nest contained at least three nestlings. White Stork nests are so large that House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) and Spanish Sparrows (Passer hispaniolensis) take advantage of this and build their nests in the underbody of the stork's nest material.

In open grape-growing countryside, Bill Shepherd called out this bird perched on a utility wire and I was able to snap a few shots from the open window of our van. The Roller (Coracias garrulus) is spectacular, especially in flight. This photo does not reveal the bird's true beauty, but the Roller is a bird that flushes early and is not easy to photograph with a camera like mine, so I was very pleased with this shot.

In the evening we finally arrived in Trigrad and checked into the Tribria Hotel. We had time to walk around a bit before dinner and this area turned out to have the only Serins (Serinus serinus) that we would see on the trip. The hotel owners had also been to the United States and their daughter and grandchildren still lived in Los Angeles. Carli Traverso, also of California, and the wife had a lot to talk about.

With a fast moving river across the road from the hotel, this area was also our best stop for White-fronted Dippers (Cinclus cinclus). I missed seeing one well on the evening of our arrival, but I awoke early and before breakfast the next morning, I saw this juvenile. I never did see an adult bird well but I can blame that on my own impatience.

After breakfast we loaded up and moved on to our next stop - Trigrad Gorge - for a very special bird.

Още, за да се!

Butterflies found during this time:

Home from Bulgaria ... sneak preview

2011-06-20T06:43:00.009-04:00

Twelve days of travel and hundreds of photos and memories later, I am home from Bulgaria. Still recovering from the long day of return travel (I would avoid Frankfurt, Germany airport the next time), doing laundry, grocery shopping, paying bills, etc.

Back in February 2011, I wrote about my upcoming birding trip to Bulgaria sponsored by the Friends of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (FofBSPB) headquartered outside of Philadelphia in cooperation with the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) headquartered in Sofia. Accompanied by six other birders from Arkansas, California, another from Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas, the trip proved to be all that was promised and, in this case I think, even more.

The first thing I did upon arriving home Saturday night was to download my photos. On Sunday morning, I began to go through them deleting the obvious throwaways and cropping and editing others.

The above three are a sampling. As is typical of my blog, I use my most presentable photos as the foundation of my narrative. Remember my camera is a point-and-shoot and I don't purport to be a professional photographer, so please go easy on me with regard to the quality of the photos. Hopefully, the narrative, photos and the links provided will be of interest to many.

Повече очаквайте скоро!

Saving a bird from extinction

2011-06-06T05:47:00.002-04:00

From Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust: Saving the spoon-billed sandpiper.

Departure

2011-06-04T11:51:00.015-04:00

A couple of photos from Memorial Day weekend birding done locally. On Sunday, May 29th I went with Harold Eyster and Diana Newman to LeFurge Woods Nature Reserve and to the Cherry Hill Nature Reserve to look for Yellow-breasted Chat.

We remained chatless, but we did find this rather early Giant Swallowtail (Papillo cresphontes), which had already experienced a major mishap, flying next to the road around the Cherry Hill reserve. We ended our morning with breakfast at the Flim Flam Restaurant on Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor.

On Memorial Day morning I went to the Ford Estate Woods behind the U of M - Dearborn campus to see if the Connecticut Warbler found by Julie Craves and Darrin O'Brien on Sunday had remained overnight. It had not. But I did see this hefty beast, American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), casually resting on log over the lake. It is difficult to assess the frog's size in this photo, but I would guess that it was about the size of a small dinner plate.

I depart for Bulgaria on Monday, June 6th and this will be my last blog entry until I return. I hope I've prepared adequately for the trip and that I'm able to take a lot of photos that I will be able to share here when I return. Иска ми късмет.

Magee Marsh: some photos and video

2011-05-22T13:32:00.005-04:00

Yesterday's field trip to Magee Marsh offered up nice weather, good birding and good birding company. I met up with my western Pennsylvania friend, Steve, as well as many birders on a Washtenaw Audubon Society field trip.

I should do a blog entry of photos taken of just this single, beautiful male Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca). In the bright sun, against the blue sky, it performed in a leafless tree just at the edge of the boadwalk. I chose this photo secondary to the pose it struck.

Magee Marsh is the place where I first saw an Eastern Screech Owl (Otis asio) after only hearing them for years. Most years they are located for viewing somewhere along the boardwalk. This screech was found out in the open for daytime viewing. Shortly after I took this photo grackles harrassed it enough to make it fly to the cover of a broad-leafed tree branch.

My favorite warbler? I don't know - whichever I am looking at for the moment. I do, however, love Bay-breasted (Dendroica castanea). This little bird was also performing out in the open, but I could not get a photo until is paused in the V of this low tree and stopped to look around. I chose this photo because the russet cap was the most visible.

I love a bathing Robin (Turdus migratorius). They are so clearly enjoying themselves. In this case, as the Robin flapped, dunked and splashed it sent the tiny duckweed airborn all around it.

From the parking lot, we saw a large flock of shorebirds flying in a unified, swirling, diving mass. Given the time of year, we assumed they were Dunlin (Calidris alpina) but went to the shore to get a closer view of the show they were putting on.

This Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citria) was nest-building in a large cavity literally right next to the boardwalk. It did not seem an ideal location for a nest. I don't know if it was just practicing or working on the real thing, but it was certainly busy and focused on its task, unperturbed by the large group of birders watching its activity.

While not as striking as her male counterpart, this female Blackpoll Warbler (Dendroica striata) is a bird which I think often challenges identification efforts, perhaps because it receives so little attention. I was happy for this single photograph.

No matter how common, it is impossible for me to resist a perfectly posed bird - always graceful, charming and handsome, Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - even at Magee Marsh.

An Eden for Rare Birds in Hawaii

2011-05-15T09:51:00.003-04:00

From the New York Times, Sunday, May 15, 2011.

An Eden for Rare Birds in Hawaii.

NAMC 2011

2011-05-15T07:48:00.006-04:00

Wilson's Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla) at Belle Isle

The only warbler, of the twenty-one species counted for the day, that gave me any chance of a photograph. My biggest surprise at Belle Isle was seeing a Yellow-breasted Chat, my first ever for the park.

The Grasshopper Sparrow above and the Upland Sandpiper below are two of the three reasons counting at Willow Run Airport in western Wayne County for the NAMC is worthwhile. The other is Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), but none of the seven I counted cooperated for a photo.

While Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus pusilla) is found at Willow Run all years, I think this may be the first time I have actually found one on count day.

I like this shadowy photo of the Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) walking through the tall grass. This bird was upright while its companion was bent over much lower to forage. I'm lucky I found them. Neither bird vocalized. The infield of the airport is large and the birds could have been anywhere. For this NAMC, I got lucky and they were near the fence.

Cool, overcast and with spotty rain all day, our first mid-May NAMC in several years could have used a bit of sun to help identify small, flitting birds in the treetops. Nevertheless, it seems to have been successful overall. For the day, I found a total of 82 species in my count areas.

Belle Isle migration and more

2011-05-08T20:56:00.007-04:00

What a beautiful day it was today! Really a great day to be out birding. Because of our cold and wet April this is the first early May migration that I can recall in awhile where the trees have not been fully leafed. The birds are more visible in the still just budding trees. What a treat. Thirteen warbler species and many more for the morning.

Wood Duck

Gray Catbird - comical pose of the singing bird.

White-crowned Sparrow

Tree Swallow - love is in the air. Wonderful color on
these birds.

RRBO this morning

2011-05-07T15:55:00.005-04:00

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Male Yellow-rumped Warbler

Female Yellow-rumped Warbler

Acrobatic nest material gatherer

Black-capped Chickadee with beak full -
could still call dee, dee

Palm Warbler

Garter snake

Some add-ons from Monday evening, 05-09-2011, when I went looking for Prothonotary Warbler and a "Brewster" Warbler, but did not find either. Instead ...

Black-capped Chickadee photographed behind the Environmental
Interpretative Center. Note that is has been banded by Julie
Carves of the RRBO.

Finally, on Tuesday evening, 05-10-2011, a Clay-colored Sparrow found on the channelized Rouge River near the TPC golf course pond between Rotunda and Southfield.

Search for an elusive bird

2011-05-04T06:30:00.012-04:00

Last summer my sister and her family moved to northeast Georgia and, for a break, this past weekend I accompanied my mother for our first visit to their new home. My second goal was to search for Swainson's Warbler. Prior to our departure, I did some research on the best locations to find Swainson's. I identified three locations where I hoped to have luck. Two of the locations were in Athens, Georgia and the other was nearly a four hour drive to just outside Columbia, South Carolina - Congaree National Park.

I was inspired by an incredible 2007 You Tube video of a singing Swainson's Warbler found at Congaree National Park. A park bird list described Swainson's Warbler as being a common bird here. Hmmm? For these reasons the national park was a late add-on that would require significant driving time. But, I thought it would be worth it.

After my unsuccessful Friday afternoon visit to Congaree National Park to see Swainson's Warbler - although I did hear two birds, one distant and one close - I returned early Saturday morning to hike the Kingsnake Trail for a second try. I had spoken with a park ranger who commented that this was the location for Swainson's Warbler. Last summer the park hosted a researcher who had selected some more remote areas of the park to conduct Swainson's Warbler research. The ranger did not know the researcher's data, but he pointed out on the map the area of the park where he had spent most of his time.

I arrived around 6:40 am and was the first car in the Cedar Creek canoe access parking lot. No other birders, or anyone else, on the trail. The Kingsnake trailhead is quite remote and, being on my own, I was unprepared for this. I didn't necessarily feel unsafe, but it was spooky and I allowed my imagination to run a little wild. I imagined wild boar that the south is so famous for inhabiting the swamp and coming upon me alone on the trail. I think the photo below offers a good idea of the beautiful, but forbidding, habitat.

Barred Owls, Pileated Woodpeckers, Acadian Flycatchers and Northern Parula abound in the swamp forest. Our backyard birds, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Cardinals and Tufted Titmice are also very common in the depths of the forest. Both cuckoos called. Summer Tanagers pikki, tikki, tukked. I walked from the "L" bridge to the "K" bridge before deciding to call it quits. Overall, I saw many birds on Saturday morning and heard one Swainson's Warbler briefly. My calculation to visit Congaree caused me to do a lot of driving to not see my target bird. Nevertheless, I'm glad I visited Congaree National Park to see the cyprus swamp habitat. It's easy to see how one would have insurmountable difficulty finding Ivory-billed Woodpecker in this kind of habitat - apparently, they once inhabited this area.

By the time I arrived back to the parking lot it was filled with the cars of canoers who were portaging their canoes and kayaks down to the slow moving water. Time for me to drive back to Georgia - Athens this time - for the other two locations I selected for my search.

I arrived in Athens early Saturday afternoon and birded The State Botanial Garden of Georgia. Very nice place of both planned gardens and natural gardens with woods on the Oconee River. This location is listed as an IBA for breeding Swainson's Warblers. There were birds here, but I didn't see or hear one Swainson's Warbler.

The map above is a photograph of a trail sign at my final search location, Sandy Creek Nature Center where Swainson's Warblers had been reported on eBird the previous April and May. This was ten minutes drive from my hotel and it was easy to get an early morning start. Except for a dog walker, I was the only one in the park. Construction work was being done on the visitor center and main parking lot. The habitat didn't look right and this dampened my hopes. But I stumbled on to the Cook's Trail that was accessed by walking under Highway 441. This trail was along a slow moving boggy river so at least the habitat improved.

I'm not good at estimating distance when walking, but the trail seemed to go on and on and while there were birds around; a few Ovenbirds, plenty of Hooded Warblers, Carolina Wrens, Brown Thrashers, cardinals, and titmice, I did not hear Swainson's Warbler. I was discouraged and several times considered calling it quits. I came to the end of a very long boardwalk and the trail continued along a dirt path.

I walked along the dirt trail. A small bridge crossed the river and the trail resumed on the other side of the river. More walking. Suddenly, up ahead, a singing Swainson's Warbler. I woke up.

It seemed close. Recalling my experience at Congaree where I heard the bird, but could not see it, I prepared to record the song. I moved toward the singing - the bird seemed so close. I angled for a better position and began recording. Don't look for the bird in the above video link. You'll only hear its loud song. With the song recorded, I concentrated on trying to see the bird. I maneuvered through thick brambles and vines. Not exactly a quiet effort. The bird moved. I repositioned myself back on the trail for a second try. I repeated this same strategy over and over as the bird flew and sang around a fairly large territory on both sides of the river. This went on for about an hour. Finally, I saw the bird fly over the trail - a blur. But it began its singing again in a near and relatively open area - just a few brambles to plow through - and I could stand upright. It was so close. I began to play its own song back from my camera. Silence. The bird had moved to its most distant spot yet to resume singing.

I gave up, satisfied finally that I had recorded the singing and had seen its blur fly over the trail. I haven't decided yet whether I'll include the singing Swainson's on my life list. Typically, I only count well seen birds - but I have included a couple of heard birds, Black Rail and Chuck-will's Widow. I do feel like I worked for it. My legs have the insect bites, bramble scratches and one small patch of poison ivy to prove it.

Remarkably, on the walk back, I heard three more Swainson's Warblers. None were closer than the one I tried so hard to see. I continued walking. If my sister continues to live in Georgia, the Sandy Creek Nature Center is closeby for another visit. I ended my search for the elusive Swainson's Warbler - partially successful.

Things I saw en route to ...

2011-04-29T20:49:00.007-04:00

... not seeing Swainson's Warbler at Congaree National Park outside of Columbia, South Carolina.

Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus)

Mating Carolina Satyrs (Hermeuptychia sosybius)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Creole Pearly-eye (Enodia creola)

Lace-winged Roadside Skipper (Amblyscirtes aesculapius)

Barred Owl (Strix varia)

I heard one singing Swainson's Warbler near bridge C of the trail. Tomorrow morning I'll try again in a different area of the park before moving on to locations in Georgia.

Belle Isle on Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T22:20:00.003-04:00

Spring migration continues to move along slowly; but a few good birds.

Please don't look for Brown Thrashers in the tangles; they were high up in the trees. This video is only for their singing. Although it is difficult to differentiate, four were singing at once.

Something to shout about ...

2011-04-18T06:19:00.005-04:00

Magee Marsh, Ohio April 16, 2011

... followed by a moment of silence - please.

Wind!

2011-04-17T21:19:00.002-04:00

40 miles per hour all this mid-April day making just about any outdoor activity, like birding, impossible.

Surprise meeting at Magee Marsh

2011-04-17T07:44:00.030-04:00

Rodolfo Palma and I made our second visit of the month to Magee Marsh today. It rained throughout the drive down southbound I-75, but as we approached the Oregon exit for westbound Highway 2, the skies opened up and the sun began to shine. This was an unexpected and hopeful sign because the weather for today was promised to be horrible. We stopped along a large field puddle across the highway to the entrance of Metzger Marsh when we saw shorebirds and gulls - Dunlin, Lesser Yellowlegs and Bonaparte's Gulls. The light was perfect and I suggested to Rodolfo that we go first to the Magee Marsh boardwalk as the storm may have halted migrants in the woods.

We drove toward the parking lot and saw a photographer walking along the roadside who Rodolfo had not seen before. We parked the car where eight other cars were already parked - six from Michigan. As it turned out the Detroit Audubon Society was having a field trip led by Richard Quick today. We birded with the DAS group and saw a nice sampling of April birds - not a lot, but enough to keep it interesting and us on our toes.

About halfway down the north side of the boardwalk, we ran into a woman with bird song recording gear. She asked if we had seen any Fox Sparrows. Thus far this morning we hadn't. I commented that when Rodolfo and I visited a couple of weeks ago, Fox Sparrow had been the bird of the morning.

Fox Sparrow, April 2, 2011

But, you know, what good did that do for today - when someone says, "yesterday ..., last week ..., last month ...," etc. we saw such and such here? Oh, well. I said it.

The recording equipment was interesting and Rodofo and Jim Bull asked questions about editing the recordings, etc. We learned her name, Pam Rasmussen, and that she is with Michigan State University. The fellow with the camera was an ornithologist friend visiting from Bangladesh. This explains why Rodolfo had not see him before. She showed us the microphone with the fuzzy hood removed and explained how it worked. At that point, I flashed back to the February Soo trip when I had the pleasure of birding with Cody Porter, a MSU student who was recording bird sounds for his professor. Our first bird sounds of that February Saturday morning were of nine Sharp-tailed Grouse making their charming clucking vocalizations on the Nicolet Road lek. Cody was intent upon capturing this sound. Just at the point where Cody had the mike out the window and all was quiet I, in the backseat, broke into a spontaneous coughing fit. Embarrassing. Nevertheless, as I recall, he was successful in recording their sounds. I commented on birding with Cody in the Soo to Pam Rasmussen and she knew immediately who he was and mentioned the Sharp-tailed Grouse recordings he had done.

This morning we did not see Fox Sparrows. Rather, Eastern Towhee was the bird of the morning. They were all around the boardwalk and frequently very confiding, uncommon and untowhee-like behavior.

The second bird of the day were several Hermit Thrushes. Unfortunately, none were singing - something I don't have a chance to hear often. There were also many Ruby-crowned Kinglets and these were singing.

Almost immediately upon our arrival to the boardwalk, the sun that seemed so promising was again covered by clouds. The rain held off until around 11:00 am, when the sky opened up and it began to rain heavily. Unfortunately, I was not dressed for rain and we returned to the car along the slippery boardwalk. We said goodbye to the DAS group and took off for the Ottawa NWR. Today, being the third Saturday of the month, the dikes were open to cars.

On the drive over to Ottawa NWR, I noted to Rodolfo that Pam Rasmussen and her friend were in the car in front of us. As we turned into Ottawa NRW - left to go to the visitor center, right to go to the dikes - it suddenly came to me that I knew the name Pam Rasmussen. When I connected her name, I immediately wanted to catch up with them to speak with her again. We first had to stop in the visitor center for the facilities. At that point I really didn't think I would have the chance to speak with Pam. But when we got on the dike their little car was in sight. We passed a couple of cars and finally they pulled off the road and Rodolfo also stopped. The Bangladeshi ornithologist was taking photographs. I waved and got out to speak with Pam Rasmussen.

Several years earlier I had read an essay in the New Yorker titled Ruffled Feathers by John Seabrook. I couldn't recall specific details; only that it was a gripping account of a young, American, female ornithologist and researcher who exposed theft and fraudulent behaviors by the [formerly] esteemed 20th century British ornithologist, Richard Meinertzhagen, while researching her book, The Bird of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. On the very last page of the essay, Seabrook writes that "Pam Rasmussen is now at Michigan State University ..." I clearly recall being surprised and thrilled that she was at Michigan State. Meinertzhagen died in 1967 and, while some of his specimens were authentic, his body of work has been thoroughly discredited. He has even been implicated in the death of his wife, also an esteemed ornithologist when, it is hypothesized, she may have threatened to expose his behaviors. By contrast, Pam Rasmussen's own contribution to the field of ornithology is impressive.

I walked to Pam's car and told her of recalling her name just as we were turning into the refuge entrance. I said, "I know your name; you're famous." We spoke for several minutes and she clarified my foggy memory of the New Yorker essay. She also said that there are all sorts of fraudulent occurrences in ornithology. It was still raining and we could not talk for long, but I'm glad Rodolfo and I made the effort to catch up with her.

The Ruffled Feathers abstract in the May 29, 2006 issue of the New Yorker is linked. New Yorker subscribers can read the whole essay from this link. Non-subscribers can scroll to the bottom for instructions to purchase a copy of the essay. As I hope is apparent from the summary above, it's a must read. I read it again this evening - eleven pages of riveting history and all the more meaningful now that I have met the protagonist.

Pamela C. Rasmussen has her own Wikipedia page and the Meinertzhagen fraud is mentioned here. There is more about Pam Rasmussen, Ph.D. on her page of the Michigan State University Museum website and includes her research interests and articles about her. The MSU Department of Zoology website also features her faculty activities and research interests. Consistent with her activities today, I found this MSU sponsored You Tube video with Pam speaking about bird sound recordings and the importance of their accurate documentation. Toward the end of this video there is a still image of a small owl. I wondered if this was the Forest Owlet, a bird thought to be extinct thanks to Meinertzhagen's manipulation of data, and rediscovered by Pam Rasmussen when she narrowed down the owl's range for a more accurate search.

Finally, and arguably the best, is her book, The Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (subtitle is explained in Ruffled Feathers), Vols. 1 and 2 illustrated by John C. Anderton, is currently out of print but can still be purchased on Amazon. Additionally, Pam told me that the book is being re-published this year or next. Read the reviews that are included in the Amazon link.

My friends often tease me because I frequently comment "I read an article in the New Yorker ... " and then launch into some description of one thing or another. But it's worth it. Today proves that.

White Wagtail, Point Mouillee

2011-04-09T22:04:00.070-04:00

Updates: On the evening of 4/12, I again visited Point Mouillee and saw the bird again only briefly. I had the privilege of looking for the wagtail with one of Michigan's most experienced birders, Alan Ryff. Alan has identified the bird as a second calendar year male M. alba ocularis.

Still present, same location and behaviors, through 04/24/2011. Likely still present, but it rained all day on the 25th and I have not seen any reports of the bird since the 24th. Will update if the bird is reported again. Of note, I went out again on the 23rd with Julie Craves and Darrin O'Brien. The bird had been seen by others just a half hour earlier in the Vermet Unit but we were unable to find it. Even when the bird is known to be present, it's not a guarantee.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Finally, a major rarity on a day and near enough that I could chase.

A White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) was found by Adam Byrne this morning while doing one of his Point Mouillee surveys. Adam spread the word quickly via Caleb Putnam. Darrin O'Brien called me and I then I told Eric Huston with whom I was leading a field trip for Ford Motor Company engineers and their families at Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor.

The bird proved challenging to see. It was very flushable and flew between a wet field area near the Vermet Unit and cell 3 of the banana. Being small and fast moving in either location, but especially on the extensive mudflats of cell 3, it proved hard to locate. The first looks I got through Lyle Hamilton's spotting scope (I was a real putz and failed to see the bird at all on my first two attempts looking through Lyle's scope) were very distant. Fortunately, the bird chose this time to momentarily settle down and remained long enough to allow everyone to finally get relatively close and satisfying looks.

Of the large group of birders who saw the bird at the same time I did, only Jerry Jourdan got photographs and, remarkably under the circumstances, some astonishing video. Jerry's White Wagtail video is linked here.

For those who saw the White Wagtail today and for those who may try tomorrow, I think Jerry describes it best when he wrote on his listserve post - "it is extremely spooky and very difficult to see in the mudflats. Patience is key and a scope will be required."

I made the long walk back to the Mouillee Creek parking lot with Robert Epstein, who was also very generous with his spotting scope today, and we talked about the experience. At one point, I suggested I might give up. Robert is a veteran of many successful bird chases and spoke about what it takes to see a rarity. In summary, luck and patience are required. I don't think of myself as having either of these traits particularly, but I am happy I had them today.

Of note, it occurred to me that the only reason we could all dash around the dikes looking for this bird today was because it was cold and gray. If this had been a hot and sunny day chase, we all would have been dying of dehydration with all the running around we were doing.

Comments on subspecies:

Of course, I came no where near getting a photograph of the Point Mouillee White Wagtail today, but I do have my two amateur brightly lit photos of a juvenile bird (M. alba yarellii, also called Pied Wagtail, the subspecies found in Great Britain and Ireland) that I saw on Ramsey Island in Wales last June. I was told by the RSPB staff that the bird had only fledged that morning, but to me it seemed to be an already skillful flier. As I recall, even getting these two photos was challenging. During my trip, I tried several times for photos of adult birds but was completely unsuccessful every time.

Mladen Vasilev, of Bulgaria, has excellent photos of White Wagtail on his website. The habitat that appears in many of Mladen's photos seems similar to what the Michigan wagtail has found at Point Mouillee. However, all of Mladen's photos from eastern Europe are of a plain-faced bird with white forehead, cheek and nape likely making them the alba subspecies of M. alba. The © 2009 second edition of [Princeton Field Guides] The Birds of Europe describes the alba subspecies, as in M. alba alba found on continental Europe.

The bird that Jerry has digiscoped so well shows a very distinct, straight, thin black ocular line extending from the bill through the eye to the nape in addition to a very pale gray back. This favors the ocularis subspecies of M. alba that breeds in northeast Siberia. This leaves the lugens subspecies of M. alba. This was formerly the Black-backed Wagtail that is shown in the © 2000 Sibley guide. This is a black-backed bird with a more-extensive black bib and larger white wing patches in adult breeding birds. The lugens subspecies also has the thin ocular line and it breeds in northwest Alaska. I checked much older field guides and only White Wagtail is described. This suggests that the ocularis and lugens subspecies have been lumped, split and are now lumped again.

Worldwide distribution range map for M. abla copied from Wikipedia.
Note the tiny bit of yellow in northwest Alaska.

My subspecies investigation has been corrected a couple of times. The gold standard for wagtail identification is Pipits and Wagtails by Per Alstrom and Krister Mild. Alstrom and Mild devote 49 pages to White Wagtail identification secondary to the complex taxonomy.

Along with Jerry Jourdan's blog, Jerry's Birding/Digiscoping Blog, Caleb Putnam also has excellent commentary, photos and video on his blog, Avian Tendencies.

Good birding!

Dearborn's first Ross's Goose, #1847-26353

2011-03-26T18:43:00.028-04:00

Just as I was ready to pick up my neighbor to go out for a Thursday evening meal at Roman Village - wonderful live music by two terrific, traditional musicians - I received a phone call from Julie Craves. Jim Fowler had found a Ross's Goose on private property in Dearborn and they were on their way. I picked up my neighbor and we joined them approximately fifteen minutes later. Mike O'Leary, a Dearborn police officer, had already arrived and had taken photos. The white goose was tiny next to the three companion [probably local] Canada Geese it had selected to settle with in this location.

When everyone who was coming had seen the goose, I creeped up behind a large tree to get closer for some photos. The sun was bright and so there was a lot of evening western glare. A cloud floated in to briefly block out the sun and I got the photo above. Below is the cropped image of the head to improve field mark viewing.

As is evident in this close-up crop, there are some troubling things that suggest hybrid. The slope of the forehead, the ragged edge where the bill meets the face and the evidence of a grin patch - albeit a small, narrow one. However, the bill is not too big and the base is bluish and having the start of the warty appearance (called caruncles) that is described in male birds. In his guide, Sibley allows for a hint of a grin patch. Hmmm!

Remarkably this bird was banded! What an excellent spot for this bird to stopover. Being banders, this was initially much to Julie's and Darrin's chagrin because no one had bothered to bring a scope. They know exactly how to chase down the origin of a banded bird. But when I looked at my photos in the camera I saw that I could zoom in on the numbers to identify. I cropped each image where the band is visible as above and I could clearly identify five of the numbers - the 26353. Julie knew that there were more numbers - like xxxx - 26353 - so we were still missing the first four.

Mike O'Leary's photos revealed the band from a different angle and he was able to crop enough so that the first four numbers could be identified to 1847. What a fun little investigative project. The numbers still need to be confirmed before we will know for sure. Stay tuned!

Follow-up: On Monday, 03/28/2011 the Bird Banding Lab confirmed that this Ross's Goose was banded on Nunavut on August, 7th, 2006, a male of undetermined age. Check the google map for the location of Nunavut, Canada and you can see that from Michigan this goose, heading straight north, is on a direct path to Nunavut.

Second update: Julie Craves has received additional information about this Ross's Goose that is very interesting. Please check Julie's Net Results blog to read more.

Flash back to the end of 2007 and other Ross's Goose photos for comparison.

I had seen my life Ross's Goose in Delaware in November, 2001. That sighting was a distant view and I was not as discriminating then as I am now. So when Walt Palowski found a Ross's Goose at Willow Metropark, I drove out to see it on 12/01/2007 and took the photos above and below with my Canon Powershot. Photographing birds was new to me then and I was thrilled with these. I changed this Ross's Goose to my life bird.

Exactly one week later in December, 2007, on Karl Overman's Detroit Audubon Society field trip to Niagara, Ontario, Karl and Alan Wormington found the Ross's Goose below. I decided then that this is my favorite goose.

Julie has a more detailed review of the Dearborn Ross's Goose on her Net Results blog. As follow-up from the Bird Banding Lab reveals, our efforts to piece together the band number of this bird were correct. See also in Julie's comments section an interesting report from Joe Hildreth, an Ohio birder, about a banded Ross's Goose he found on the Bowling Green University golf course on March 13th.

Another excellent review of Ross's Goose identification is on Caleb Putnam's blog, Avian Tendencies. You'll need to scroll through several pages to his March 8th and 9th, 2011 entries.

Fun Thursday evening birding.

First day of spring

2011-03-20T19:01:00.026-04:00

Finally, it's here. All of my recent blog entries hankering for spring have been wishful thinking. Today there is no turning back. Everyone I know is ready to say goodbye to this past long winter.

I went to Crosswinds Marsh this morning to look for signs of spring and I found them complete with overhead airplane - common at this location - to compete with the frog chorus and, from somewhere, a passing train whistle .

Silly goose

For years there has been a domesticated Greylag Goose associating with Canada's in the vicinity of the main pond near the parking lot. I don't go to Crosswinds as frequently as I once did and I have not seen the greylag in recent visits, but certainly this poor bird is a member of its progeny. I found another recent photo of Greylag x Canada by Don Appleton of England taken in February, 2011 at a location in Norfolk, England where Greylag Geese and Canada Geese are common residents. Don Appleton photographs and comments on hybrid bird species as he did recently with a goose located on Belle Isle March 8, 2011 and photographed by Alan Ryff. You can also see other hybrid photos and discussion on this same link.

Mink on the boardwalk

Mink pausing when it sees me

Mink departing

Singing Red-wing Blackbird

Spring Robin

American Wigeon and submerged Mute Swan

New Bald Eagle nest - directly opposite the old nest.
Double click to enlarge and eagle is on the nest

It is true that, in Michigan, we'll still have a little more winter - but, it's all over but the shouting.

Fading winter

2011-03-14T06:11:00.005-04:00

After just writing about not having been birding in my last blog entry, yesterday morning with the sun shining brightly, I went to Belle Isle.

I was quickly rewarded with two good birds. One cannot sneak up on an Eastern Phoebe. This is especially true when trying to sneak through mud, large puddles, vines and snapping twigs. It's never going to happen.

Finally, the bird flew to the fence of the handball courts for this poorly focused and brightly lit shot. The bird was calling its horse phoebe call nearly the whole time I watched it. Even though it was one of the birds I hoped to find, it still seems a bit early for its arrival. I checked Julie Craves' book, Birds of Dearborn (although Belle Isle is in Detroit), and Julie's earliest date for phoebe arrival is March 22nd with the more typical arrival being March 31st. So, this is an early bird. It was flycatching in typical phoebe fashion in the sunny location of the handball courts and the woods opposite.

Leaving the phoebe, I startled an American Woodcock from its hiding spot.

While the morning started out with bright sun, clouds returned and it was suddenly back to being winter.

Setting my clocks forward for the first day of daylight savings time again reminded me of spring. While not too cold, again it was gray. On Saturday, there had been reports of Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs still present at a traditional location for these two birds - Gotfredson and Vreeland roads and Sunday morning I drove out to see them.

Red-winged Blackbirds are everywhere and their song was heard all along Gotfredson and Vreeland roads.

Unfortunately, there were no Snow Buntings or Lapland Longspurs seen by me. There were plenty of Horned Larks around. This bird was distant, but perched on the corn stalk and I was able to get this photo.

After finishing up on Vreeland Road, I went briefly to the parking area of LeFurge Woods preserve. The trail was muddy and icy and walking was not easy or enjoyable. Tree Sparrows were pecking in the weeds all along the trail, but I cannot resist singing Song Sparrows, my nom de querre. Winter is fading. Now for a bit of sunshine to brighten up these photos.

Closer to home harbingers of spring

2011-03-06T15:26:00.012-05:00

I think I am well overdue for a new blog entry and recently a few friends have asked if I've been birding much lately. The answer to this question is that, with the exception the Soo trip at the beginning of February, I've done almost no birding at all this winter.

This is not to say that I've been completely inactive - just laying around on the couch. In January and February I started and completed a major house redecorating project and am now enjoying the finished product. For the first time ever, I did not do the project myself but I organized it and lived with the disorganization that any house project creates. Additionally, I've taken this winter as a time to work a lot.

All this to say that I have found this winter to be a long one. Could any day as dreary as yesterday (heavy rain followed by heavy wet snow) dampen our spring spirits more? So, when the sun peeked out late this morning I hustled over to the channelized Rouge River to see what might be out. This time of year, the channelized Rouge is pretty typically unbirdy so it was not exactly like I was making a big birding commitment for the day. But for an hour or so, it felt good to be out.

True to the reputation of this area, few birds were around. Canada Geese dotted the still winterized landscape of the TPC golf course. I heard a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a few sparrow chip notes but the actual birds remained invisible. Though this area does have a Red-tailed Hawk pair and it is possible to occasionally see a kestrel, I saw no raptors. My good luck with the peregrine at the end of January did not repeat itself today. Had it not been for the return of bad weather, I might have had daydreams of seeing an early phoebe or meadowlark. Indeed, Jerry Jourdan reported Eastern Meadowlarks near Vreeland and Gotfredson in eastern Washtenaw County today.

The TPC pond is still frozen, but it is here I saw my first harbingers of spring. I slid through a hole in the fence to to get closer to the pond. Three Great Blue Herons took off from a small rim of open water around the little island. Undoubtedly they had overwintered and I feel certain they are pleased to see the end of it. Then the call of Red-winged Blackbirds sounded as three birds flew overhead. Later a grackle flew over also calling. Both of these have been seen and heard recently in our neighborhood.

Finally, I heard a Killdeer. I know from the reports of others that these have been recently seen in southeast Michigan. Killdeer nest in the stony edges along the river. But, I never did see the bird. This left me reluctant to call this my first of the season Killdeer secondary to the presence of abundant starlings in our area.

Still, as the sun continues to shine today, I know that phoebe, meadowlark, killdeer and all of the others are not far behind. In another week the ides of March and spring soon to follow.

Птиците в България

2011-02-13T08:28:00.035-05:00

June 2, 2011 update: this trip departs on Monday, June 6th. If you click on the Friends of BSPB link below you will see the trip description for the 2012 trip already up on their website. I'll be updating my blog with trip reports when I return. Wish me luck for some good photos.

The direct translation of the title above is Birds in Bulgaria. I don't think birding has a literal translation from English to Bulgarian - at least Google translator doesn't offer it.

Sometime last autumn I experienced a disappointment with vacation and birding plans to visit Alaska in June, 2011. I quickly signed up for the June, 2012 Alaska trip and then began looking for another June, 2011 trip.

Around this same time my Birding journal had arrived in the mail. I spotted an advertisement titled Birding Bulgaria in bold red letters advertising a fundraising trip to aid conservation projects in Bulgaria and sponsored by the Friends of Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. Right dates, right price. The next day I contacted the trip leader, Yoav Chudnoff, and discussed the trip details with him. I also recalled how, in June 2008, Karl Overman had led a Detroit Audubon trip to Bulgaria and had a great time.

Cut to the chase; I signed up. As of my last check of the Friends of BSPB's website, three spaces remain open. It's not a requirement that these spaces be filled; the trip goes no matter what. But, as a fund raiser for conservation projects in Bulgaria, it stands to reason that the more participants, the more money raised for the earmarked project - in this case a biodiversity project in SE Bulgaria. And, read the fine print. A portion of the trip fee is tax deductible.

Hoopoe. Photo used with permission from Mladen Vasilev.

If any of the above is of interest to readers, the four links below will be helpful.

Semicollared Flycatcher. Photo used with permission from Mladen Vasilev.

Starting with the main link, The Friends of BSPB website, where all trip details can be found. The website now has a 3:20 minute YouTube video highlighting the area of the southeast biodiversity conservation project. Even if not interested in the trip, the video is beautiful! Additionally, the website of one of the trip leaders, Mladen Vasilev, Wildlife Photos of Mladen Vasilev is linked here and at right in my favorite websites. Finally, on his website, Karl Overman's Bulgaria narrative trip report. I'll just say that Karl writes amazing field trip reports full of details, large and small, that take you to the time and place. Again, even if not interested in birding in Bulgaria, it's worth a read. Note also that on June 2nd, Mladen Vasilev joins Karl's group as their guide, and Karl's comments. Karl documents the Bulgaria itinerary and annotated checklist separately from his trip report.

Don't just take FoBSPB, Mladen's, or Karl's word for it. Combine birds, birding and Bulgaria in a Google search and you will be rewarded with a myriad of excellent sites. Finally, Lonely Planet travelers ranked birdwatching #69 of 656 things to do in Bulgaria.

I recall how I had wanted to join Karl's Bugaria trip in June, 2008 but had already arranged a trip to SE Arizona and southern California with two Maryland birding friends. So, here is my opportunity again in 2011.

Interested? Three spaces remaining.

The Soo

2011-02-07T19:53:00.012-05:00

With Dea Armstrong and Artemis Eyster and the Jackson and Washtenaw Audubon group led by Gary Siegrist and Lathe Claflin, we had a great weekend birding in the Soo. I'll own up immediately to it being a difficult weekend for photographs. None of the photos I offer up here are anything to brag about. I selected these as the most presentable to anchor my blog entry. Late Saturday morning it seemed like the sun might try to break through. No luck. The sky remained low gray all weekend thereby providing terrible lighting.

Arriving Friday afternoon we took the back roads into the Soo and the first bird we saw was this Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) spotted by Dea and perched on the utility pole on the upper M48. It was a very dark bird and we thought it to be a juvenile female.

This young light morph Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) was near 129 and lower M48. Over the two days we saw approximately ten Rough-legged including two dark morphs.

Before driving into the Soo to check into the motel, this Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) was seen on Riverside Drive to end the day on Friday. I might add that all three of the above birds were found by the driver, Dea Armstrong. Northern Shrike was also a fairly common bird over our two days.

On Saturday morning after stopping at the power plant for goldeneyes and mergansers, we went to the Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) lek on Nicolet Road. Still needing lots of practice, I captured the above 59 second video of nine distant males dancing on their lek. The video is terrible; again, the high-definition is better and the HD You Tube upload is here for comparison. Again, much more work on processing video required.

Dunbar Forest feeder station had lots of little birds; redpolls, (no Hoary), siskens, nuthatches, chickadees, and one male Pine Grosbeak. The photo above is terrible, but I love the color on this redpoll.

On Saturday, Lathe and Gary relocated this guy perched on the wooden structure out in the middle of a huge field near Centerline Road. This bird was lighter than the Snowy seen on Friday and we thought it likely to be a juvenile male. Even though the owl is but a speck, I do like the composition and color of this photo.

Lathe and Gary relocated the large flocks of both Pine Grosbeaks (Pinicola enucleator) and Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) eating off trees laden with crabapples behind the Dafter post office. The flock of grosbeaks probably offered everyone the best photo opportunities of the trip. This is one of my best photos.

The birds in the photo above are Bohemian Waxwings with one Pine Grosbeak on the left. This was a large flock of perhaps 100 birds. They were skittish and took off sometime shortly after our arrival. We returned on Sunday morning to see them a second time, but before anyone even stepped out of the car, the entire flock again flew off.

The long drive home on Sunday was uneventful. Weather much worse in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area than anywhere in the Soo.

First photos with Lumix FZ40

2011-01-30T20:27:00.025-05:00

Taking advantage of today's bright sun, I was able to get out for about an hour to try for some photos with my new camera. There were few birds around so I looked for photo ops where I could imagine a perched bird and that I thought would challenge the telephoto.

I was getting ready to leave when I checked once again the trees over the frozen pond. Good thing I did. This Peregrine had flown in and perched without my noticing.

On the way out I flushed two American Tree Sparrows near the gate and was able to take several photos.

The sparrow above was posing and remained on this fence post long enough for me to shoot the 34 second video below. Not ready to accept my Academy Award yet; this is the first time I've used the video recording on any camera ever and then figured out how to upload to You Tube. Grateful for small things.

Slate on-line magazine article: The Birder

2011-01-18T05:25:00.004-05:00

Birds and birding are showing up in popular culture ... again. Nathan Heller writes an article for the on-line magazine Slate titled: The Birder: The ominous rise of amateur ornithology.

NY Times article: Birding in India

2011-01-15T18:18:00.006-05:00

I've come to think that somebody on the New York Times staff is a birder. India, Through a Birder's Eyes appeared in the 01-14-2011 paper. The slide show alone says it all.

Red-winged Blackbirds fall from the sky

2011-01-03T18:35:00.004-05:00

Dramatic news coverage has been on several internet, radio and television news sources.

NPR All Things Considered/Morning Edition, linked here, takes on the mystery of the death of thousands Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) over the town of Beebe, Arkansas on New Years Eve.

A week later, this piece about the incident appeared in the New York Times Week in Review section.

Last Christmas bird count for 2010 ...

2011-01-01T21:01:00.005-05:00

... welcome 2011. Detroit River CBC - the last for my 2010 CBC season and my first birding of 2011. I found twenty-five species of our mostly ordinary winter birds. It was rainy and warm ~ around 50 degrees F and, consequently, muddy. All of our snow is gone.

American Robin was the bird of the day for me. Here there were a dozen or so in a disturbed area near a golf course where trees still had berries. With them were several White-throated Sparrows.

Later I came to the large lawn of a church property. It was full of robins and puddles from melted snow and ice in which the bird above took a vigorous bath. Some of the robins were singing. I love our winter robins.

Happy New Year!

2010 in review, highlights and new photos

2010-12-29T20:35:00.076-05:00

The thought of a new year starting in a couple of days makes me think of the year past and some of the great birds I've had a chance to see. I worked a lot the past year, but looking back now I was still able to do quite a lot of birding.

The birding year always starts for me on January 1st when I count for the Detroit River Chirstmas bird count and see our typical birds. My first birding trip in 2010 was the first weekend in February to Sault Ste. Marie with the Washtenaw and Jackson Audubon societies. This is one of the best club trips I have ever been on. This year we had saw the Northern Hawk Owl for the photo opportunity below. I used my Canon Powershot for the photos I took of this bird and was thrilled with the result. The bright blue skies behind this bird stayed with us all weekend.

I was lucky with the photo of the Northern Hawk Owl on Pealine Road outside of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. I took the photo with my Canon Powershot. Having fought with my Canon for nearly three years, in late February I updated my camera to the same point and shoot style Panasonic Lumix. Three big trips were still to come and my Canon needed to be retired. Incidentally, this Northern Hawk Owl was important in a 2010 big year and can also be seen in the blog Slow Birding: the big year meets the big night.

In the beginning of March, I went to San Diego for a conference and took a couple of days at the beginning for birding. I took two photos of the Black-throated Sparrow that I loved and this was my first indication that my new camera was a success. I loved it.

I saw three life birds in the San Diego area, Black Turnstone, California Gnatcatcher and the California Thrasher above. The turnstone was too far for a photo, the gnatcatcher was too quick but the thrasher was a singing performer.

In April I went to Florida and saw ten life birds and added several others to my North American list. I had seen many Smooth-billed Anis on a 2006 trip to Cuba. We worked hard to see the Smooth-billed Ani pictured above near the Royal Palms Visitor Center in the Everglades National Park. I wrote much more about this bird in my blog titled, A special bird in the Everglades. It was only after I returned home and began to think about this bird that the significance of the sighting sank in. I have no way to prove it but our Smooth-billed Ani may be the last remaining in Florida and thus in the United States. In the winter season publication of North American Birds, Vol. 64, No. 2, 2010 this bird is recognized with a small photograph on page 358. There is something irretrievably sad about this solitary bird with tail typically askew.

In June, I went to England and Wales for my first European birding trip. Actually, my non-birding friends humored me and ran me around the eastern part of the country for some terrific birding at several amazing RSPB locations. Then they needed a weekend without birding and dropped me off at the Minsmere RSPB to bird with new friends, Malcolm and Angela. Joy and Cliff topped off our time together with a trip to Pembrokeshire, Wales which was nothing short of spectacular. In England there is nothing at all special about Black-headed Gulls, but I like this photo.

When I returned from England I was burned out. I did scant summer birding and concentrated on a few outings to photograph butterflies.

Then in mid-August on an Oakland Audubon field trip to Point Mouillee led by Jim Fowler, we saw another unexpected bird, my life King Rail. Before this I had heard King Rails many times but had never seen one. A juvenile bird, it turned out to be another performer and everybody present that morning got long and satisfying looks.

In November for my county and state list, a Golden-crowned Sparrow showed up at the Belle Isle feeder station. Not only was it a close chasable bird, but I was actually able to take an extended lunch in the middle of the day to drive over to Belle Isle. I must have been meant to see that bird because that never happens.

December is concluding with Christmas bird counts and I finished my sector of the Rockwood count on December 26th with two Northern Harriers on Chinavere Road.

January 1, 2011 will start with the Detroit River CBC. It all comes full circle.

Old Red-tailed Hawk ...

2010-12-25T21:22:00.000-05:00

... featured in another great New York Times bird article. What I really like about this bird is that she even looks old. She has a great story.

From Old, but Unready to be Rung Out by Peter Applebome, the New York Times, December 19, 2010

Bad weather in England ...

2010-12-25T07:44:00.002-05:00

... brings the Redwings in from the fields.

I didn't get to see a Redwing (Turdus iliacus) when I was visiting in June, but they are in my friend's backyard now. We've all been hearing about the weather that is closing down Heathrow and Gatwick airports, and other airports around Europe, causing holiday havoc. Found in England in winter and then typically in the fields, the Redwings have had to seek shelter and food in backyards with feeders. A bird I've always wanted to see. My friend, Cliff, sent me this photo of a Redwing in his backyard.

Merry Christmas.

Bird Song Bible

2010-12-23T06:05:00.006-05:00

Really? A bible?

Well, yes, apparently! NPR reported on Cornell's new publication on bird song, a ten pound tome with hundreds of bird songs, on their 12/22/2010 Morning Edition broadcast. You can listen to the Bird Song Bible segment here. You can also read the segment, but since bird song is involved it's best to listen.

Courtesy of Kenneth Rougeau of Art Fire

Incidentally, the book's full title is Bird Song Bible: The Complete, Illustrated Reference for North American Birds and is edited by Lee Beletsky. I peeked at the book on Amazon. The illustrations are also inviting. If you still have Christmas shopping to do ...

Audubon and Eyster in the WSJ

2010-12-06T21:03:00.013-05:00

It took awhile to locate on-line, but I just found this Letter to the Editor written by Harold Eyster and published in the Wall Street Journal on December 4th. The article to which Harold refers, Stalking a Masterpiece from the November 26th WSJ, is also linked in his letter.

December 7, 2010 follow-up: Sold today, first edition Birds of America by John James Audubon. You can read about it in The Birdbooker Report.

The University of Michigan Graduate Library also has a copy of Birds of America currently on display.

No Sabine's Gull for me

2010-11-28T09:21:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, amongst thousands and thousands of mostly Ring-billed Gulls, some Herring Gulls, an even lesser number of Bonaparte's Gulls and one Lesser Black-backed Gull, several Michigan and Ohio birders searched for a Sabine's Gull that has been well seen by many at Metzger Marsh over the past few days.

Everyone present who has seen Sabine's Gull elsewhere said they typically associate with Bonaparte's Gulls. So when the above Bonaparte's landed in the water of the inlet and floated around for awhile, I thought this might be the Sabine's invitation. No luck, however.

The bird had been seen on Friday by James Fox and Karl Overman. James posted this photo of the Sabine's Gull from his Flickr site.

I had an afternoon commitment and so had to depart relatively early. When other Michigan birders who stayed on reported also not seeing the bird, I didn't feel so bad.

Bird-friendly coffee

2010-11-13T07:42:00.009-05:00

Recently Julie Craves was on the public radio program The World discussing the benefits of shade-grown coffee to help preserve bird habitat. The segment ends with a pithy little quote that I have come to know is typical of Julie.

Read or listen to the November 10th The World segment, Bird-friendly Coffee.

I spoke with Julie the other evening. She commented that a producer for The World said that this program segment received more tweets and comments than is typical for The World's program topics. You can also read more about sustainable coffee and Julie's comments about the show on Julie's coffee blog, Coffee and Conservation.