Rattlers to Hummers: A Cautionary 'Tail' & Prelude to a New Season of Hummers

Last summer I was at the mouth of Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, Utah attempting to get some photos of hummingbirds.  I would have been thrilled to see Calliope and Rufous hummers, but in the end I only heard Broad-tailed and saw lots of Black-chinned. I'll share some of my favorite hummingbird images from various outings at the end of my post, but I want to share a story and a caution, first, as we head into the warmer season for some parts of the globe.

On my way down the trail to the parking lot I was scrolling through some of the images I had just captured on the display of my camera when I nearly stepped on a Great Basin Rattlesnake which was lazily sprawling across the trail in front of me. I've never encountered a rattlesnake in such a way so I stopped immediately and did a quick look at the head (definitely triangular in shape) then followed the length of its body to confirm there was indeed a rattle on the tip of the tail. I kept my distance and observed an awesome yet potentially lethal product of nature. The sound of its rattle was much more rapid and higher pitched than I expected. Had I not seen the snake when I heard its rattle I probably would have written it off as a noisy grasshopper rapidly clicking its wings as it flew.

I shutter to think of what would have happened had I taken the next step without seeing the snake. Be careful out there as spring and summer advance. Some of nature's critters can be harmful to your health if you don't give them the space they need. I should have been paying attention to the trail and not the camera while moving. That's kind of like texting and driving--not wise.  I hope it is a good reminder for us as we explore fields, rivers, trails, etc. in our search for birds over the coming months.

Here are images of the snake that became a part of that particular bird outing:

Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Tail of Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

This is a birding blog so here are some of my favorite hummingbird images to qualify this an actual birding post. It's a sort of prelude to a new season of Hummingbirds for those of us living a little farther north. One of my goals this year is to get some fun action shots of hummers, especially species not included in these images. I welcome input on the IDs if you feel I've confused some, especially female species that can appear similar (e.g. Broad-tailed and Rufous).

Male Rufous Hummingbird at Lava Point Campground in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The following image helped me confidently identify my lifer Calliope Hummingbird. It was mixed with Broad-tailed and Black-chinned Hummingbirds in the mountains above Utah County. It's not the unmistakable adult male Calliope, but what I like about the image is being able to see some of the conclusive identifiers for a juvenile/female Calliope: Short, thin bill; thin white line over gape; wingtips reaching right at/just beyond tip of tail; and, those distinctive little peanut shaped central tail feathers. This image was captured in August so that is why I am not sure if it is an male or female, but my best guess is adult female.

(My Lifer) Female/Juvenile Calliope Hummingbird Along Timpooneke Trail in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird in American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I was also able to capture an image of my first adult male Calliope Hummingbird during a trip to the small town of Tabiona, Utah. The lighting wasn't ideal, but I enjoyed seeing and photographing the dintinctly streaked gorget displayed by the adult male Calliope.

Male Calliope Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Calliope Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Calliope Hummingbird Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird in American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The Tail of a Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Broad-tailed Hummingbird at Grove Creek Canyon Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female Anna's Hummingbird Chandler, AZ (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Subadult Male Rufous Hummingbird Tonaquint Park St. George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird Lexington, KY (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Subadult Male Black-chinned Hummingbird Tonaquint Park St. George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird Lexington, KY (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female Rufous Hummingbird Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird at Lava Point Campground in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird at Lava Point Campground in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I've labeled the following as female Broad-tailed, but it does seem to have some rufous above the eye so I'd love to know if anyone thinks this one may be a female Broad-tailed.

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Black-chinned Hummingbird at Tonaquint Park St. George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Subadult Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird at Tonaquint Park St. George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Just in From Argentina: Up Close With a Swainson's Hawk

Several years ago, when I was new to birding, I drove by some fields near my place of work. I noticed a hawk perched in a tree just off the road. It was unlike any Red-tailed Hawk I had ever seen. Minutes later I saw another one just like the first one and then a third one shortly after that. I'd been looking at Red-tailed Hawks for months before seeing those three new hawks. I wondered why I had never seen one before and then suddenly saw three in such a short time on the same day in mid-April. I checked my field guide and realized I had just seen several Swainson's Hawks. I did a little reading and learned that the Swainson's Hawks that were suddenly showing up in Utah were migrating from as far away as Argentina and were looking for breeding territories in the western parts of North America. I was amazed that these hawks had migrated over thousands of miles in preceding weeks.

Well, I've been enjoying the new arrival of Swainson's Hawks over the past couple of weeks here in Utah, especially one I came across the other night on my way home from work. You know how people talk about near-death experiences when they come close to death, walk toward the light, and live to tell about it?  I had a near-Swainson's experience. It wasn't a traumatic experience or anything near scary (quite the opposite), but I came across a Swainson's Hawk, walked toward it, and not only lived to tell about but got some nice images to prove I had the experience after practically inspecting its nasal cavities. The sun was setting to my back and on the front of this beautiful bird.

The images below start from the initial distance in my mobile blind (aka Honda Accord) and conclude with me standing right below the hawk on the ground below. I got back into my car and drove away with the bird still looking calmly toward the sunset.

Swainson's Hawk Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The next couple of images captured the nictitating membrane fully covering the eyes of this beautiful hawk. The nictitating membrane (third eyelid) is translucent and allows some birds, reptiles and other animals to moisten and protect their eyes while maintaining their vision. The membrane moves from the inside corner of the eye, all the way to the outside corner and back.

Swainson's Hawk Showing Nictitating Membrane Over Eyes Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Showing Nictitating Membrane Over Eyes Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I'll go ahead and throw in a few of the first images I ever captured of Swainson's Hawks when I started birding and doing digital photography several years ago.

This is the first photo I ever took of a Swainson's Hawk. I was new to birding and new to photography. I probably had the "auto" feature set to capture this image. It isn't great quality and the wings got clipped, but it is an image with significance to me personally.

Swainson's Hawk Taking Flight in Springville, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Backed by Snow-covered Mountains in Springville, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Flying Over State Road 77 Near Lakeshore, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Swainson's Hawk Near Lakeshore, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Thrashing and Burrowing Again in Utah's Sagebrush Plains

The title of this post may lead one to believe my wife put me in the dog house and I'm the one out thrashing and burrowing in the sagebrush plains. Actually, I needed some time to contemplate an important decision Tuesday afternoon after taking care of some business so I pointed my Toyota Tacoma westward from American Fork and drove to Saratoga Springs in Utah County. Saratoga Springs is a relatively new community that is situated on the northwest edge of Utah Lake. It has Lake Mountain as its west-side backdrop with a view eastward across Utah Lake to more populated cities such as American Fork, Pleasant Grove (my home), Orem, and Provo. Once you pass through the small community of Saratoga Springs heading south you are quickly reminded that much of Utah is a high desert with lots of dry sagebrush plains. This particular area has lots of sagebrush with an occasional juniper tree or three placed here and there. The junipers become roosts for Short-eared Owls at different times of the year.

I drove for about 30 minutes as I moved south on State Road 68. I was curious to see if I could locate my first Burrowing Owls of the season. I am aware of several burrows that are used during breeding season so I decided to drive by and check them out. I didn't see any owls driving south so I was tempted to continue driving the full 100-plus miles for a complete loop of Utah Lake. Fortunately, I noticed a bird perched atop a bush and took a quick glance toward the bird as I passed. I was delighted to see that it was my first Sage Thrasher for the year. I did a u-turn and used my truck as a blind to pull over for a closer look. It was a handsome male singing a beautiful warbling melody on what must now be his breeding ground. I was certainly impressed with his song. You can hear one version of a Sage Thrasher's song by clicking the play button below. It might be good background music as you continue with the rest of today's blog post.

A Loggerhead Shrike flew by and the Thrasher left his perch for the ground below.

Sage Thrasher Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

He soon resumed his perch on a budding bush and allowed some time to capture a few photos as he checked out his surroundings.

Sage Thrasher Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Sage Thrasher Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Sage Thrasher Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The image of the bird's upper side allows a slight view of the white that covers the corners of the outer tail feathers.

Sage Thrasher Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The Sage Thrasher is North America's smallest thrasher and is common but usually solitary in sagebrush plains. They eat insects and other invertebrates. We get to see these skittish, duck-and-cover birds during the spring and summer in Utah. They generally don't like to be the center of attention for us and our camera lenses so today's bird was actually very kind to me.

After spending a little one-on-one time with the thrasher and seeing the Loggerhead Shrike pass by I decided to nix the "loop of the lake" idea and took the shorter route back toward home. Thank goodness because this view allowed me to spot a pair of Burrowing Owls near the entrance to their burrow. I pulled off to the side of the road and used my truck as a blind again. This burrow was about 100' away from the road and on the private side of a barbed wire fence. The male was keeping watch over the burrow while the female stayed hunkered near the entrance with her head just breaking the surface of the ground (lower left of the image). Breeding for these owls usually starts late March/early April.

Burrowing Owl Pair (male above, female peeking from burrow) Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Oops! Now they both know I'm peeking through the lens at them.

Burrowing Owl Pair (male above, female peeking from burrow) Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

He looks like such and good little soldier. I'm sure he's a great companion, protector, and provider for the lady and little ones! 

Burrowing Owl at Burrow Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Burrowing Owls are on about the same schedule as the Sage Thrashers when it comes to returning to and breeding in Utah. I've watched Burrowing Owls hunt and return with small rodents to the burrow during daylight in this area before. The owls will also eat some reptiles, small birds such as sparrows and Horned Larks, and large arthropods such as beetles and grasshoppers. I was glad to see both the Sage Thrasher and the Burrowing Owls for the first time of the year on the same day and sharing the same habitat.

I think it would be safe to say that Tuesday's pair of Burrowing Owls produced the little guys in the image below during last year's breeding season in Utah. Some research informed me that Burrowing Owls are generally monogamous and often return to the same or nearby burrow for breeding each season.These siblings were staying close to the very same burrow last year while mom and dad were perched and/or hunting nearby.

Burrowing Owl Fledglings at Burrow Near Saratoga Springs, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)