Timing & Townsend's Solitaires

The Townsend's Solitaire is a long-tailed gray bird that lives and breeds in the mountains of the western United States and essentially embodies what I love about birding. At first glance it seems dull and boring. That's how many non-birders view birding in general. However, what seems dull and ordinary at first glance can change dramatically when observed carefully in the field.  Just as the Solitaire goes from dull gray to flashes of yellow and white in flight, birding can go from ordinary to exciting when a new species is discovered or a typical bird is seen from a new perspective.

I remember the first time I saw a Townsend's Solitaire take flight across the road in front of me as I was driving into the mountains which form American Fork Canyon in Utah County, Utah. Soft yellow flashes came and went with each flap of the bird's wings. White outer tail feathers were displayed and the bird was gone almost as quickly as it appeared. I had seen Townsend's Solitaires perched several times before and remember thinking they were slender, dull gray birds. Nothing really appealed to my senses with those initial encounters. They also seemed to prefer perching at the very top of really tall evergreens so they didn't seem very camera friendly. However, those soft yellow flashes and white outer tail feathers were unexpected and piqued my curiosity. After studying a few images in my field guides I made a mental note to watch for opportunities to photograph a Townsend's in flight to capture that burst of yellow and white from an otherwise dull looking bird. I also wanted to get images showing their unique, white eye ring, and the scaly looking plumage associated with juvenile birds. Each of those photos would require nearly perfect timing, lighting, and perspective.

Well, over time, some of those nearly perfect Townsend's-timing moments presented themselves in and near the mountains of Utah. The most recent occurred a couple days ago while I was at the kitchen sink in my home. It didn't result in a photo to memorialize the moment, but it is locked in my mind's eye. I had just walked up to the kitchen sink in my home and looked out through the window. In a split second a Townsend's Solitaire landed in the small Eastern Redbud Tree a few feet from the window. It was present for no more than two seconds before it flew out of view, but that was long enough for me to recognize it and make it the latest addition to my growing list of bird species observed in my yard--species #67.  Neither my neighborhood nor my yard provide the ideal habitat for a bird that prefers feeding on the fruit of Junipers during the winter months, but the timing was perfect for observing such a rare visitor. I'm sure the heavy snow fall in the mountains pushed this bird into the valley in search of food.

Just a little over a week or so ago I encountered a Solitaire while I was trying to photograph another bird near Battle Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Below are some images of that bird, including flight photos that, while not perfect, display the plumage that piqued my interest nearly two years earlier when I encountered the flying Solitaire in American Fork Canyon. The unique white eye ring, yellow wing stripes, and white outer tail feathers are all captured in these images.

Adult Townsend's Solitaire at Battle Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Townsend's Solitaire at Battle Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Townsend's Solitaire at Battle Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Townsend's Solitaire at Battle Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The image below provides a good feel for how Townsend's Solitaires are typically observed in their preferred coniferous habitats. This might be the dull and boring view beyond which the non-birder never passes.

Townsend's Solitaire at Granite Flat Campground in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

A closer, more careful view begins to reveal some unique features around the eye and in the wing patterns.

Townsend's Solitaire Along East Coal Creek Road Near Wellington, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Last but not least are two images of Townsend's Solitaires displaying early and later stages of the unique juvenile plumage. I came across the first bird at Lava Point Campground, high in the mountains above Springdale, Utah in the summer of 2011. The last image was captured near Squaw Peak in the mountains above Provo, Utah.

Juvenile Townsend's Solitaire at Lava Point Campground Near Springdale, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

First-year Townsend's Solitaire Above Squaw Peak Near Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

King For The Day: Belted Kingfisher Male & Female

Birders. We are an interesting group. We often keep our eyes on the periphery, in hopes of discovering a bird, when others are focused on the task in front of them. We sometimes schedule our errands around the hope of seeing a particular bird along our planned routes.

The fog and haze that has blanketed Utah County for what seems like a month or more gave way to the sun Monday. I had some errands to run during the afternoon and realized I'd be passing by a location in Pleasant Grove where I had observed a male Belted Kingfisher working a little fishing hole the Friday before--when the light was not so great. I grabbed my camera and put it in the car so I'd be prepared if my little friend happened to be fishing in the same spot again.  The lighting from the afternoon sun was great when I arrived at the location, but I did not see the bird along the short length of the fishing hole. I decided to turn around and leave the area to finish my errands. As I began my two point turn I caught a glimpse of my new-found friend as he flew up to a fence post. I pulled into the parking lot near the bird hoping that all the crunching of the snow beneath my tires would not spook him from his perch. Kingfishers are notoriously skittish and keep their distance from humans.  My "king for the day" was calm and remained on his man-made throne as I captured a few images, including the one below. You can't see it in the image below, but I positioned myself so his background became a snow-covered mountain--a much better background than the freeway just a short distance to his rear. I noticed a rather large, oblong hole at the base of his bill and wondered how that might have happened.

Male Belted Kingfisher  in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) 

I did capture a couple images of presumably the same male Belted Kingfisher when I first discovered the little fishing hole last Friday. I didn't like the lighting that day, but thought I'd include one of those images to compare the left side of the bill. Friday's bird was either a different male or the same male before somehow creating the hole on the left side of his bill. Here is a picture from last Friday.

Male Belted Kingfisher in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The image below is from Monday again and was taken as "the king" was perched on a concrete bridge that allowed him to look down into a small stream. Kingfishers often perch in conspicuous spots where they watch for prey to appear in the water below. They dive head first into the water to snatch their prey with their bill.

Male Belted Kingfisher in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Just before I left I captured an image that allowed a little bit of a view of the tail with its spotted pattern. I will go back in the near future to see if I can get some flight and fishing images to show the impressive tail and wing patterns.

Finally, in order to add just a little extra color to today's post, I'll share one of my old images of a female Belted Kingfisher. Unlike most bird species where the male typically has more colorful or ornate patterns, it is actually the female Belted Kingfisher that has more color. The male has a blue and white pattern with a blue belt across the chest. The female adds a nice rufous color to its sides and lower chest. This image was captured last winter along a stream near the American Fork Boat Harbor in American Fork, Utah.

Female Belted Kingfisher in American Fork, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

American Kestrel: The Small But Colorful American Falcon

A few years ago when I first started rekindling my childhood interest in birds I was browsing through a field guide to the birds of North America and came across a bird called American Kestrel. I had never heard the word "kestrel" before and I had no idea where such a bird would exist. I remember reading that it was the "most colorful falcon" in North America. The picture I was viewing was certainly colorful, especially the male. I remember thinking I would love to see one of those guys. Little did I know I simply needed to become aware that the bird existed and then point my eyes in the right direction when I took my usual walk along the canal near my home a couple of days later. I saw my first-ever Kestrel sitting on a power line and was awestruck by its colors. I'm sure I've seen a thousand since that first time, but I still take time to admire them. I remember once pointing out an American Kestrel to my wife as we were driving from Utah down to Arizona. I said something like, "You can tell it's an American Kestrel by where it is..." And before I could finish my sentence my wife said, "Like in America?" We laughed. My wife and children occasionally poke fun at my nerdy bird hobby when I try to share factual tidbits and we all enjoy some laughs.

As I was driving near my home yesterday I noticed a female Kestrel perched on a corn stalk on the side of the road. I parked on the shoulder of the road and took some photos of her. They turned out okay despite the low-light conditions created by the persistent fog and haze we've had in northern Utah for the past few weeks. After a few minutes she flew up to a speed limit sign and did some preening. At one point she seemed to be examining her nails and I joked with myself, "How do they look?" The short series of photos below captured that moment.

Female American Kestrel in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female American Kestrel in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female American Kestrel in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female Kestrels show brown streaking on their chests.  Males have cleaner chests with a soft salmon color above and a few spots on their sides. The females have rufous (rusty) and black barring on their wings and back. Males have distinctive blue upper wings with black markings. Both males and females have distinctive face patterns that include two black stripes. Both sexes also show "false eyes" on the backs of their heads. This is believed to help deter possible predators that may be approaching from behind. Here are some images showing the differences between the two sexes.

Female American Kestrel in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

This male was photographed on a beautiful, sunny day as I took a drive around a place local birders refer to as the Provo Airport Dike in Provo, Utah.

Male American Kestrel in Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The photos below show some of the differences between the two sexes when seen from below. The male's tail feathers show a broad dark terminal band. The female shows banding throughout the tail feathers. Again, the male has a cleaner chest with a few spots where the female shows streaking in the chest.

Male American Kestrel in Davis County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male American Kestrel in Davis County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female American Kestrel in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

This final image shows a male as it was hover-hunting. These birds will flap their wings to suspend themselves mid-air as they scan the field below them for prey. They are excellent mousers and will also eat small birds, insects, and reptiles.

Male American Kestrel  Hover Hunting in Davis County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Great Horned Owls: Heating Up In Frozen Utah

Freezing rain is rare in Utah, but that is exactly what we had when I checked the local weather before leaving the house around 6:15 yesterday (Thursday) morning. My friend, Eric Peterson, and I had made plans to get out early for some birding and bird photography at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area north of Salt Lake City. Apparently the roads north of us were covered by a sheet of ice. Farmington Bay was right in the middle of the icy zone and cars were reportedly sliding off the roads left and right. I later heard that 125 accidents were reported in a matter of hours in Salt Lake County. We certainly didn't want to let weather get in the way of another outdoor adventure so we changed our plans and headed to the south end of Utah County, about an hour south of Salt Lake City.

We were in a very rural area near Goshen when my cell phone dropped a call from my wife. She had just mentioned something about how the driveway at home was now a sheet of ice and she lost control of the car and slid down the driveway. Of course I wanted to know how that story ended so I began to slow down so I could try to reconnect the call. It turned out that she and the car were fine, but about that same time Eric noticed a large shape amid a stand of trees next to the road and asked me to back up. We did and soon discovered a Great Horned Owl. We pulled over to the other side of the trees to see if we could get some photos. We had a better view of the owl so I exited my Tacoma and quickly discovered a second owl just about ten feet away from the first one. I'm pretty sure they were a courting pair. Great Horned Owls begin breeding and nesting in January and February, much earlier than other raptors. We saw one bow and hoot at the other--typical of breeding behavior. It was a scene that reminded me that despite a difficult winter, nature moves forward and the cycle of life continues.

We had heavy fog when we spotted and photographed the owls so the lighting was horrible--notice the lack of blue skies in the images below. I played around a bit with exposure compensation (increasing it) as I captured the images below. It allowed me to get brighter images of what would have otherwise been color-muted owls, but it also brightened (overexposed) the foggy background. I'm still capturing all my images in jpg format (not capturing raw images) and do minimal editing using Google's free photo manager, Picasa, so the better I do in the field the better my chances for ending up with decent images.

You can see that one of the owls below (1st and 3rd images) has more of the orange/tawny coloring in the facial disc around the eyes. I'm not sure if that helps to identify the sex of these owls because Great Horned Owls vary greatly in their coloring, from almost gray to more of a darker color overall. Feel free to weigh in owl experts. Usually females are 10-20% larger than males, but that didn't seem to be apparent as we viewed these owls.

Not Bad For Office Birding!

My Peregrine friend below wonders why you are looking here for today's blog post. He and some of his friends are being presented as one of my monthly contributions to one of the world's leading bird blogs--Birding is Fun. Click here to see my blog post today as it appears on Birding is Fun.  It includes closeup images of Peregrine Falcons (like the one below), a Golden Eagle, Red Foxes, and more.

Thanks for visiting my blog. I'll have another post right here at NeoVista Birding in the next few days!

Bohemian Waxwings At Last!

Friends, technology, and life bird encounters--you've gotta love them!

I left the house Saturday to run some errands and do some shopping after completing some morning housework. Northern Utah has been an ice box and we've been stuck in an inversion (high pressure keeping haze and cruddy air stuck in the valleys between the mountains) for a couple of weeks. Saturday's air was cleaner and the sun was shining so I decided to take my camera as a last-minute thought.

My cell phone rang just as I was standing in the checkout line at a store. I'm glad I actually heard it with all the noise around me and answered it. My good birding friend, Eric Peterson, was calling. He asked if I had gotten a Bohemian Waxwing yet and I told him I hadn't. He then informed me he was looking at some Bohemians even as he was speaking. Lucky for me he was just five minutes from where I was.

The Bohemians had flown from the area just before I arrived, but we soon heard their call and pinpointed a few in a nearby tree.  A hawk flew in and the birds were gone in a flash, but they returned within a minute or so. We were able to get some diagnostic photos quickly and then hoped for some close ups. The birds flushed again just before Eric left so I went searching and found them again. Below are some of the images I was able to get during a 30-minute encounter with both Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings.

Bohemian Waxwing at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Cedar Waxwing at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Bohemian Waxwing at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Cedar Waxwing at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Bohemian Waxwing at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Cedar Waxwing at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Bohemian Waxwing Showing Wing and Tail Patterns at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Cedar Waxwing at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Cedar Waxwing at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Bohemian Waxwing Mixed With Cedar Waxwings at Orem Technology Park in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Barn Owl: The Ghostly Hunter Making Daylight Appearances

We've had a number of recent reports of Barn Owls hunting during daylight hours in northern Utah. The Barn Owl is considered strictly nocturnal so seeing one hunt during the day is a rare opportunity for bird and especially owl observers. I use the word "opportunity" from our human perspective because daytime hunts from the owl's perspective are the result of difficult times. It is most likely severe hunger that causes the Barn Owl to leave its secluded daytime roost to look for food. Sustained sub-freezing temperatures in northern Utah have caused the owl's hunting grounds to remain snow covered for weeks. It could also be other factors that have caused the food source to be scarce in the owl's normal territory.

Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch Before Resuming a Daytime Hunt in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Saturday afternoon I came upon the Barn Owl shown above as it was hunting over the agricultural fields near my neighborhood. It was coursing low over the fields and along the road in a very quiet and buoyant manner and would occasionally do a quick drop into the snow below.  Barn owls often hunt by sound so it is likely the owl was pouncing where it heard and suspected rodents moving beneath the snow.  The owl would remain in the snow momentarily and then resume the hunt. I watched the owl hunt in this fashion for about ten to fifteen minutes, without success, before I had to leave.

The images below were taken from quite a distance as the owl coursed over the fields. They have been cropped a bit so the quality is not what I typically prefer, but it does show a little of the birds hunting style.

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Barn Owl During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The owl perched and rested on a power line for a brief moment before it resumed its hunt and I had to leave for other activities. The bright white facial disc and mostly white chest with sparsely placed black spots are indicative of a male Barn Owl. The first image below shows the owl in the middle of a blink so its dark brown irises are covered by a white lid. It also has one leg tucked up into the feathers of its belly.

Adult Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Male Barn Owl on Temporary Perch During Daytime Hunt Over Agricultural Fields in Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Here is an image of a female Barn Owl that was captured at a different time and location. I present it as a frame of reference for seeing the difference in color and spotting between adult males and females. The female below has a tawny colored chest and shows many more prominent black spots than the male above.

Barn Owls eat their prey whole, have the greatest hearing ability of any animal tested, and share hunting grounds with other Barn Owls.  The female makes a nest from her regurgitated pellet material. The male starts bringing food to the female about a month before she starts laying eggs. Barn Owls breed in response to food supply and may breed multiples times in a year with ample food supply. However, most pairs begin breeding in late winter/early spring. Average life span appears to be about two years. Many die in their first year. You can find these and other cool facts and information about Barn Owls at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barn_owl/lifehistory and The Owl Pages.

Horned Grebe: A Rare Transient for Utah

Horned Grebes are rarely seen in Utah. Generally when they are seen, they are passing through the state in spring or fall as they migrate to or away from breeding areas in western Canada and Alaska.  A local birder discovered one this past week on Sandy Pond, a pond I frequent on my lunch hours because it is about five minutes from my office. It is a community pond where water is circulated year round so it becomes a magnet for waterfowl when natural ponds and lakes freeze over in winter. We've been in the single digits for our temperatures recently so the pond has become loaded with some of our regular waterfowl. The Horned Grebe was a bonus for local birders. I was able to see the grebe the other night as the sun was setting. I returned for a short lunch visit today and captured the following images. Due to the season, this one is in non-breeding plumage.

Adult Horned Grebe in Non-breeding Plumage on Sandy Pond in Sandy, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Horned Grebe in Non-breeding Plumage on Sandy Pond in Sandy, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Horned Grebe in Non-breeding Plumage on Sandy Pond in Sandy, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

A more common and similarly appearing grebe for the state of Utah is the Eared Grebe. Below are two images of Eared Grebe in non-breeding plumage for comparison. The Eared Grebe does not show the sharp contrast or demarcation between the dark cap and the white cheek seen on Horned Grebes.

Eared Grebe in Non-breeding Plumage in Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) 

Eared Grebes in Non-breeding Plumage in Lehi, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper) 

I was fortunate this year to see two Horned Grebes this past spring, in April, as they stopped along their migration at a place we call Geneva Settling Ponds on the east side of Utah Lake, near Lindon, Utah. I like these images because they show a bird molting into breeding plumage.

Horned Grebe in Transitional Molt to Breeding Plumage Geneva Settling Ponds Lindon, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Horned Grebe in Transitional Molt to Breeding Plumage Geneva Settling Ponds Lindon, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Horned Grebe in Transitional Molt to Breeding Plumage Geneva Settling Ponds Lindon, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Finally, here is a side by side of the rare (for Utah) Horned Grebe and more common Eared Grebe, both in breeding plumage. You can see the more horn-like feathers on the Horned Grebe compared to the more ear-like feathers on the Eared Grebe.

Eared Grebe in Breeding Plumage
Pleasant Grove, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Horned Grebe in Transitional Molt to Breeding Plumage
Geneva Settling Ponds Lindon, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)