Early Spring Singing: Red-winged Blackbirds

Winter conditions have grown a bit old for me here in Utah County so a  recent streak of warm weather has been more than welcomed. I've noticed that the birds are also excited by the warm streak. I heard then saw this male Red-winged Blackbird singing and flexing on his newly claimed breeding ground just as I was driving away from a visit to a local vendor yesterday. I enjoyed the moment since it was the first bird of the year that made me pause and think, "Wow. Breeding season is here already. Spring IS coming." We have Red-winged Blackbirds year round in Utah County, but they sort of fade away from the forefront of activity during the winter months. Then, just like the red and yellow shoulder patches pop from their otherwise dark body, these birds pop out from obscurity with their lively singing and colorful breeding displays. This guy was singing his love song and flexing his wings as he tucked and spread his tail feathers.

Male Red-winged Blackbird Singing and Displaying at the Beginning of a New Breeding Season in American Fork, UT

Male Red-winged Blackbirds really are strikingly handsome birds. It's always fun to have my interest in familiar birds rekindled as the seasons change. I'd spent so much time looking for and studying raptors during the winter months that I had temporarily forgotten what spring will hold in the coming months. I've stopped to listen to and watch many male Red-winged Blackbirds sing and display on their breeding territories over the past few years. They are a familiar sight in marshy areas around lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams.

Male Red-winged Blackbird on Phragmite at Antelope Island State Park in Davis County, UT

Male Red-winged Blackbird on Phragmite at Antelope Island State Park in Davis County, UT

Sometimes all the singing turns to screaming for these handsome blackbirds. I ran across a scene a couple of years ago that mesmerized me for about ten minutes. A large flock of blackbirds had found refuge from a terrorizing Prairie Falcon by moving as deeply as possible inside a Russian Olive Tree. The falcon was essentially harassing the blackbirds by making repeated passes through the flock. The blackbirds would move deeper into the center of the tree as the falcon passed. Hundreds of the birds were literally hiding and flying for their lives the whole time I watched. The Prairie Falcon eventually left them alone without causing any casualties.

Prairie Falcon Harassing a Large Flock of Red-winged Blackbirds in Springville, UT

I'm looking forward to another season of singing, nests, and new life as breeding season perpetuates another generation of some of nature's finest creatures. I've paid attention to the nest sites of several bird species in the past couple of years so I'm going to watch a few this year to see if they return to and use their previous nest sites. Here's to the species that was first to kick off another breeding season in my mind. I'll remember that each time I see a Red-winged Blackbird over the coming months.

Male Red-winged Blackbird on Antelope Island in Davis County, UT

More Macro Birding: Looking for the Big Birds

Winter time is prime time for what I call macro birding. It's when I cover large areas in a short period of time looking for large birds. I find it relaxing and rejuvenating to cruise rural roads and highways looking for hawks and whatever else might be presented by nature. I can forget about daily responsibilities and get space from the traffic of daily interstate commutes. There is no doubt that I'm missing the micro birds when I macro bird. I'm okay with that because I love looking for the birds of prey during the winter months when it's relatively easy to locate them. It's also the time of year when we get northern birds of prey such as Bald Eagle, Merlin, and Rough-legged Hawk.  Winter raptor prowling allows me to hone my skills for identifying species, age, and sometimes the sex of a bird from a distance and/or while they fly. The many hours of micro birding I do during spring, summer, and fall hone my skills for spotting and picking out some of the more distant raptors and hidden owls during the winter months. I get a kick out of hearing a common question that comes from my non-birding friends after I point out a distant raptor or hidden owl. It's almost always the same question asked in utter amazement, "How the heck did you see that?"

This morning I decided to do more macro birding at the southern end of Utah County. I was able to see the following birds of prey during the morning as I covered over 100 miles:

Great Horned Owl (a breeding pair that I saw in the same location last winter)
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle (including juveniles and adults)
Western Red-tailed Hawk (light and dark morphs)
Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk (dark morph)
Ferruginous Hawk (all four were beautiful adult light morphs)
Rough-legged Hawk (one beautiful adult dark morph and numerous light morphs from juvenile to adult)
American Kestrel (these are a dime a  dozen in Utah)
Prairie Falcon (three separate individuals)

I was surprised I didn't see a Merlin or either of the typical accipiters (Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks), but that is how birding goes sometimes.

Most of the birds I saw along the road were skittish and took flight as soon as I pulled over to get a photograph, but I did manage a few images from my macro birding this morning. The first was what I believe is a second-year Bald Eagle.

Young (probably 2nd year) Bald Eagle in Goshen, UT

I didn't take photos of the Great Horned Owl pair today, but here are images from when I found them with a friend last winter in the very same location.

    

 

One of my favorite hawks to see is an adult light-morph Ferruginous Hawk. I love the clean look of the underside of these birds and was able to capture one image this morning that illustrates the clean look. The top side is quite colorful compared to the under side so I'll share an image of the top side of an adult light-morph Ferruginous Hawk I captured recently in southern Utah.

Adult Light-morph Ferruginous Hawk Near Elberta, UT

Adult Light-morph Ferruginous Hawk Near Santa Clara, UT

As I was making my way home along SR 68 on the west side of Utah Lake I noticed a small white dot on the top of a low cliff edge. At first it seemed like it could have been some sort of trash discarded by someone. I decided to pull over and check it out with my binoculars. It turned out to be my third Prairie Falcon of the day. It was hunkered down and looking over the valley toward the lake. I made a short hike toward the bird in hopes of getting a photo. I saw it change its posture from relaxed and hunkered down to more alert. I prepared for it to fly and hoped it would fly in my direction. It looped close enough to get some decent images. I could see that its crop was bulging. It probably just enjoyed a meal of one of the micro bird species I had been overlooking for the morning, a Horned Lark.

Prairie Falcon Near Saratoga Springs, UT

Prairie Falcon Near Saratoga Springs, UT

Prairie Falcons of the Arid Western States

I took advantage of sun and blue skies yesterday (Saturday) morning and went in search of raptors around some rural areas of Utah County. I'm not up to date on hunting seasons so I didn't realize there would be hunters with their dogs scouring nearby fields in search of pheasants. The abundance of hunters and dogs had raptors seeking better hunting fields of their own. After coming across the same scene in several nearby fields I decided to go to a place where I was fairly certain there would be no hunters scaring off the raptors. I drove to an agricultural area owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Elberta. It has been a very reliable place for seeing eagles, hawks, and falcons during winter months. I quickly found a Prairie Falcon perched on a power pole as I drove up to the farm. I spent a fair amount of time observing the falcon. An intermediate morph (rufous morph) Red-tailed Hawk flew down from a more distant pole and caused the falcon to move to a new perch several poles away. I watched the hawk eventually begin to soar and the falcon return to its former perch. I wish I knew what those birds were thinking before, during, and after their interaction.

Behavior:

Prairie Falcons nest remotely in cliff edges and rocky outcroppings. They are easier to find after nesting season when they spread out across the western states of the US. They do not migrate, but they do expand their territories during winter months. They are generally solitary and prefer open grasslands, sage deserts, and agricultural areas where they can hunt and eat ground squirrels and other small mammals. They will also eat medium sized birds of open lands. Prairie Falcons hunt from a perch or on the wing while flying low to the ground. One of my favorite sights is to see a Prairie Falcon flying about three feet above ground as they follow the lay of the land in search of prey. Sometimes they glide and then increase their speed with rapid shallow wing beats when they engage in the pursuit of prey.

Identification:

Prairie Falcons are a sandy brown color on their top side and white with sandy brown spots on the flanks and chest area on the bottom side. One of the easiest ways to recognize a Prairie Falcon in flight is by seeing their dark arm pits and wing linings. From a perch they can be recognized by the pattern of their head--a thin white line above the eye, a dark malar (mustache) mark running down the front of their face, a patch of white below their eyes, and a dark ear patch. Here are some images of yesterday's falcon showing the facial pattern common to Prairie Falcons. The bright yellow skin colors of the legs, cere (skin around the nasal passages), and around the eye is indicative of an adult bird. Juveniles sometimes show a bluish or more pale yellow skin color. I'll provide examples of young falcons toward the end of the images.

Adult Prairie Falcon in Elberta, UT

Adult Prairie Falcon in Elberta, UT

The dark armpits and wing linings are displayed as this falcon begins to take flight from one perch to another.

Adult Prairie Falcon Taking Flight in Elberta, UT

Adult Prairie Falcon Taking Flight in Elberta, UT

Adult Prairie Falcon in Elberta, UT

The tail of an Adult Prairie Falcon appears lighter than the rest of the top side. You can see the tail below as being lighter than the top side of the left wing.

Adult Prairie Falcon in Elberta, UT

Exposure can alter or hide some of the colors associated with birds. The exposure of the image below gives a much more pale appearance overall. A careful look still reveals a slightly lighter tail color, almost a pink hue. It's always helpful to have more than one image when identifying species, age, sex, etc. for birds.

Adult Prairie Falcon in Elberta, UT

Below are a few of my favorite Prairie Falcon images from previous encounters over the past few years. This first one was seen on January 1, 2011. You can tell by the way it is hunkered down and fluffed out that it was a very cold morning. The skin around the eyes and the cere is a faint yellow color. That would indicate that this is a young bird.

Young Prairie Falcon Braving Sub-freezing Temperatures in Vineyard, UT

I enjoyed watching this next young falcon come and go from the same pole as it was hunting for food. It would perch on the pole, dive and fly low to the ground for a while, turn around, and then land back on the same pole. I think it shows fairly well how younger Prairie Falcons tend to look a little more streaked rather than spotted on the belly. The spots appear closer together and more in a line.

Young Prairie Falcon Preparing to Land in Lehi, UT

Young Prairie Falcon in Flight in Lehi, UT

I came across a Prairie Falcon once in Springville, Utah that was dive bombing a large flock of mixed blackbirds. The birds were flocking as deeply as they could inside a Russian Olive tree. They would fly from that tree after each pass by the falcon. The bird was moving so quickly as it approached the tree I couldn't get focused on it. However, you can see in this first image how hundreds of blackbirds were seeking safety in the tree as the falcon passed.

Prairie Falcon Dive Bombing a Large Flock of Blackbirds in Springville, UT

 This image show an in-focus falcon with Red-winged Blackbirds flying for their lives in the background.

Prairie Falcon Dive Bombing a Large Flock of Red-winged Blackbirds in Springville, UT

This falcon was perching on a pole above a security camera at the Utah Flight Park State Recreation Area near Lehi, Utah.

Prairie Falcon at Utah Flight Park State Recreation Area in Lehi, UT

Prairie Falcon at Utah Flight Park State Recreation Area in Lehi, UT

Prairie Falcon at Utah Flight Park State Recreation Area in Lehi, UT

Prairie Falcon at Utah Flight Park State Recreation Area in Lehi, UT

Prairie Falcon at Utah Flight Park State Recreation Area in Lehi, UT

Seeing and photographing just one Prairie Falcon yesterday was a treat. Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks along the way added to the fun. I think I'll devote a few future posts to each of Utah's amazing raptors.

Utah's Winter Raptors Revisited

The following is a re-post of my first-ever blog post. It was born out of an invitation from Robert Mortensen to be a contributor to his birding blog, BirdingIsFun.com. It was first published October 16, 2012 on BirdingIsFun.com. I'm re-posting here so it is included among my other NeoVista Birding posts. I hope you enjoy it! Jeff

I was out of state or otherwise preoccupied this year during the peak of fall passerine migration in Utah, but I'm not letting that dampen my birding enthusiasm because another of my favorite birding seasons is quickly approaching. I know that when the Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains takes on its fall colors and our Swainson's Hawks and Ospreys leave the state around the end of September/early October it is time to get excited for winter raptors.

Someday (on my buck list) I'm going to make it to one of the popular hawk migration sites, but until then I'll continue to enjoy local hawk migration sites such as Squaw Peak Lookout above Provo, Utah.  I joined a small group of Utah County birders September 29th for a hawk watch and thrilled at the sights of all three accipiter species (Northern Goshawk, Cooper's Hawk, and Sharp-shinned Hawk), Red-tailed Hawks, and Golden Eagles making their way southward along the ridges. We enjoyed watching one Cooper's Hawk rise from the trees in the hillside below us, catch a thermal, and soar right before our eyes. The hawk rose slowly and circled in front of and above us as if it wanted to make a lasting impression, which it did. I could see that its crop was full and it was fueled for the next segment of its migration. It rose higher and higher and then ended the gentle looping with a direct flight southward along the ridge.

Migrating Cooper's Hawk Provo, Utah
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Last November I happened to photograph my first Harlan's Hawk (subspecies of Red-tailed Hawk), without even knowing it at the time, in a location we refer to locally as Point of the Mountain. It was Jerry Liguori, raptor expert and author, who confirmed the Harlan's ID when I shared some images with him. Once Jerry confirmed the ID and I shared the sighting with the local birding community raptor watchers descended upon the location and multiple Harlan's Hawks were observed throughout the winter.  Point of the Mountain is a plateau at about 5100' and sits between the borders of Salt Lake and Utah Counties. It is also the location for the Utah State Flight Recreation Area which is used by hang gliders, paragliders, and hunting raptors because of the thermals rising from the hillsides and open fields below.

Juvenile Harlan's Hawk at Point of the Mountain Lehi, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Once I became a little more discerning with my observations of the ubiquitous Red-tailed Hawks I was able to locate my first light adult Harlan's Hawk which had claimed a small field in American Fork for its hunting grounds. Jerry Liguori shared with me that recent data indicates that light Harlan's Hawks make up about  12% of the total Harlan's Hawk population. The images below show the bright white underside lacking buff and rufous tones, blobby belly marks, streaked head, white around the eyes, dark terminal bands in the wings, and the absence of other banding in the wing and tail feathers--all typical traits for light adults. The upper side image shows the whitish scapulars and pale tail feathers which are also common with these hawks.

Light Adult Harlan's' Hawk American Fork, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Light Adult Harlan's Hawk American Fork, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

One day while visiting the fields south of the Point of the Mountain and behind our local Cabela's store (a place we call Traverse Ridge) I came across two hunting Prairie Falcons. One would perch on a power pole, leave the pole with a dive and then make a swift, low flight across a field only to do a u-turn and return to its previous perch. After seeing this occur several times I decided to use my truck as a blind and park below the pole to capture some action images. I saw this same behavior with another Prairie Falcon the other day at Point of the Mountain and employed my previous truck-as-a-blind strategy to capture action shots of that bird as well.

Prairie Falcon Below Traverse Ridge in Lehi, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Adult Prairie Falcon at Utah State Flight Recreation Area Above Point of the Mountain Utah County, Utah
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

During the winter months I often hope and check for Bald Eagles in a small stand of cottonwood trees near one of our local boat harbors in Lindon, Utah.

Bald Eagle (under overcast sky) at Lindon Marina in Lindon, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

It was a pleasant surprise to see groups of Bald Eagles perched on snags along rivers and highways during  a drive through southern Utah on my way to Phoenix last December. I especially enjoyed the one below after driving to the outskirts of the tiny town of Panguitch, Utah.

Bald Eagle near Panguitch, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The Rough-legged Hawk below was flying next to our van as one of my great birding friends and I drove along the Antelope Island State Park causeway last winter.

Rough-legged Hawk on Antelope Island State Park Causeway Davis County, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I'm excited about the prospects of seeing Merlins and Ferruginous Hawks this winter as I cruise the valleys and open fields.

This Merlin made Pleasant Grove, Utah its winter home in 2011 (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ferruginous Hawk near Beryl Junction, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

And there is always the surprise visit of a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawk at our winter yard feeders. I received a call from a friend last winter to let me know a Sharp-shinned Hawk had just taken some prey in his backyard. I quickly drove over and witnessed the scene below.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk Having it Meal Pleasant Grove, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Are you ready for winter raptors? I can hardly wait for the next one that comes into view!