NeoVista Birds and Wildlife: March 2013

Friday, March 29, 2013

Eye to Eye With a Migrant Sage Sparrow

I had the great fortune of getting eye to eye with a migrant Sage Sparrow in early March of 2012 as I was birding the Provo Airport Dike along the east shore of Utah Lake. It's not unusual to see Sage Sparrows (interior west subspecies) along that dike during spring and fall migrations as they make their way to more suitable sage habitats. The sparrow I encountered last March allowed me to slowly approach on foot and gave me the opportunity to essentially get down to ground level for some eye to eye contact while it foraged for seeds and made a few typical sage-sparrow dashes from one bush to another with its tail held high. It also displayed another behavior typical for Sage Sparrows--holding the tail high and flicking it to one side or the other. I've included an image of one tail flick and numerous other imaged to share a 360-degree view of this awesome sparrow.

Sage Sparrow (interior west subspecies) on Provo Airport Dike in Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The image below captured a moment when I was essentially on the ground next to the sparrow. It seemed to have a curious what-are-you-doing look as it turned toward me.

Sage Sparrow (interior west subspecies) on Provo Airport Dike in Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The image below shows the sparrow flicking its highly-held tail to the side.

Sage Sparrow (interior west subspecies) Demonstrating Typical Tail-Flick on Provo Airport Dike in Provo, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Sage Sparrow (interior west subspecies) on Provo Airport Dike in Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Breakfast at The Cooper's For a "Sharpie"

I rolled open the blinds on the kitchen window a few morning's ago, looked into the backyard, and said to my wife, "Look! That hawk is eating a bird!" A Sharp-shinned Hawk was having its breakfast in our (the Coopers not the Sharps) backyard. The hawk had taken down an American Robin a moment before I opened the blinds and was plucking feathers. My wife was actually disappointed that one bird would eat another bird and quickly busied herself with other interests inside our home. I, on the other hand, was thinking that history was in the making in terms of yard bird experiences. I've seen Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks in and around our yard. I've also seen a pile of feathers in the backyard near our feeders a time or two before and thought that one of those hawks must have hunted successfully in the yard. This time, however, I was actually watching the hawk with its prey. It was kind of surreal to watch what was taking place. Nature can be both awesome and terrible at the same time depending on perspective.

Distinguishing between Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks (aka Sharpies) can be quite challenging with juveniles and adults. I think that the first image (adult) below illustrates this well because key differentiating field marks are obscured:

1. Is the nape pale (Cooper's) or matching the dark gray crown (Sharpie)?
2. What is the relative size of the head to the body? Blocky/large (Cooper's) or small (Sharpie)?
3. How broad is the white tip of the tail feathers? Broad (Cooper's) or thin (Sharpie)?
4. Are the outer tail feathers shorter (Cooper's) or relatively equal in length (Sharpie) to the central tail feathers?

What can you share to help in differentiating between the two species? Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment below.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk Preying on an American Robin in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Encountering Barrow's Goldeneyes in Salt Lake County

While taking a brief walk along the Jordan River Parkway Trail near Sandy Pond in Salt Lake County on February 18th I was able to capture decent images of Barrow's Goldeneyes. We see countless Common Goldeneyes in Utah and Salt Lake Counties during the winter months. Barrow's Goldeneyes, however, are not "common" (because they are Barrow's right?) so it is always a fun exercise to scan through the Commons in hopes of finding the surprise Barrow's Goldeneye. Male Barrow's stand out quickly with their big white tear-drop patches at the base of their bills, but females can be challenging to spot because they are very similar in appearance to female Commons. With my recent encounter I was fortunate to have a handsome male catch my attention initially. As I watched him I realized he had a female companion sticking closely by his side. Her bill was mostly yellow rather than mostly dark with a yellow tip that you see with Commons. She also had the steeply sloped forehead associated with Barrow's.

Male and Female Barrow's Goldeneye on Jordan River in Sandy, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The image below introduces a third Goldeneye that I believe is also a Barrow's. It never strayed more than a few feet from the adult male and female. Over time I watched the Commons go one way while the Barrow's went another. Each time this younger duck went with the two adult Barrow's. According to my Sibley app young female Barrow's Goldeneyes should show yellow on their bills by around December. This image was captured in February. This young duck is showing some lightening of the bill color at the tip so it may be the beginning of the yellowing of the bill. Other 1st-winter males that have been seen in the river are already showing the beginnings of the white crescent at the base of their bills. I and a few local birders lean toward this one being a 1st-winter female Barrow's. I'd love to get some feedback on this if you have experience with young Barrow's.

Adult Male and Female Barrow's Goldeneye with Possible 1st Winter Barrow's Goldeneye on Jordan River, Sandy, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

This final image captures the male Barrow's Goldeneye as it picks up speed to take flight from the Jordan River.

Adult Male Barrow's Goldeneye Taking Flight on Jordan River in Sandy, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)