Pishing Above Aspen Grove & Sundance Ski Resort

You may be wondering, "What in the heck in "Pishing? Is that a typo?"  Pishing is a sound some birders make with their mouths when they suspect small "tweety" birds are hiding nearby in dense brush or foliage. The sound draws the attention of some small birds to the point of bringing them out of their hiding places.

When I first rekindled my interest in birds a few years ago I had two broad categories for them. Raptors were the cool birds, of course. Tweety birds were all the little singing birds. Needless to say, my interest in and fascination with birds has grown to include and appreciate every species I encounter. Consequently, I've added "pishing" to my tool bag for locating, identifying, and photographing the tweety birds.

I attended a  purchasing conference at Aspen Grove, near Sundance Ski Resort in Utah County, a little over a week ago. It was a Friday and the first winter-ish storm of the season had passed through the area and left a thin blanket of snow in some of the higher elevations. The sun was still hidden by clouds, but I captured a few images looking up from Aspen Grove before leaving the conference.

Fall View From Aspen Grove Lodge in Utah County, UT

View Toward Mount Timpanogos From Aspen Grove Lodge in Utah County, UT

Aspen Grove is on the other side of the mountain, so to speak, from my home so I drove back up and over the top of the mountain to return home. As I was starting that drive I looked back and admired a scene of mixed seasons. The light layer of snow revealed some of the lower runs of the Sundance Ski Resort in the distance. Maples turning orange-red, evergreens, and deciduous trees that were still showing green leaves added color to the scene.

View of Aspen Grove From Alpine Loop Road in Utah County, UT

Driving a little farther and higher took me to a vantage point allowing a better view of the ski resort as it was beginning to be shrouded by heavy clouds.

View of Sundance Ski Resort From Alpine Loop Road in Utah County, UT

While admiring the scenery I heard sporadic "peeps" coming from the trees on the hillside below me so I decided to give "pishing" a whirl.  And out came some cute little tweety birds! Black-capped Chickadees showed themselves first, but it was the Mountain Chickadees I decided to photograph since I was enjoying time in the mountains, after all. This one struck a nice pose as it came up for a look at the "pishing" guy.

Mountain Chickadee Above Sundance and Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

Within a few minutes several more Mountain Chickadees were curious enough to fly in from their hiding places. One particular bird was drawn more to plucking some seeds from the blossom of a Mullein plant. I've heard most people pronounce that as "mool-uhn."

Several Ruby-crowned Kinglets made their way into nearby cover and slowly gained the courage or enough curiosity to move into the open. This little guy is really only about four inches long from head to tip of tail. He came close, but kept his ruby-colored crown feathers well hidden except for a tiny red dot that can be seen near the center of his crown. If you are like me you'll need reading glasses to see that tiny dot of red.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Above Sundance and Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

Here's an image I captured previously in southern Utah just to give you an idea of how much red was hidden by the bird above. During breeding season these males can reveal red feathers that cover nearly a third of their crown.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Tonaquint Park in St George, UT

Red-breasted Nuthatches were last on the scene. They are, in my experience, often the last to arrive at the pishing parties.

Red-breasted Nuthatch Above Sundance and Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

I think it was coincidental that a Steller's Jay passed through and landed on the bare branches of a nearby tree. They don't generally respond to strange people making "pishing" sounds on a hillside. I always enjoy seeing these black, white, and mostly bright blue jays. They are generally found at the higher elevations of coniferous and mixed wood mountain forests.

Steller's Jay Along Alpine Loop Road Above Sundance and Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

Steller's Jay Along Alpine Loop Road Above Sundance and Aspen Grove in Utah County, UT

The conference I attended was fun and inspirational. The drive home was peaceful. The world is a wonderful place because of good people and the beauties of nature. I felt blessed when I returned home to family after a wonderful Friday.

First Species Photographed in 2013 Plus a Few More

Rather than put on my mental blinders, drive to a great bird habitat, and hope for a really cool first-of-the-year bird (which I've done on previous New Year Days), I chose to look out the kitchen window to see what ordinary bird might be visiting my feeders. I observed a lone Lesser Goldfinch.

I saw other birds during the morning and along a short drive, but the very first species to present itself for a photo-op was American Crow. My good birding friend, Eric Peterson, and I came across a small flock that was frolicking in some freshly-fallen snow in a junior high school parking lot.  American Crow is a bird I see in Utah about three or four times a year and they are generally in flight while I'm driving on a freeway or other busy road when I do see them so it was not a bird I expected to have in my first images of 2013.

Crows are very intelligent birds. Check out some cool facts and information on American Crows shared by Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology by clicking HERE.

American Crow in Snow at Canyon View Jr High in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

American Crow Foraging in Snow at Canyon View Jr High in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

American Crow Foraging in Snow at Canyon View Jr High in Orem, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Eric and I eventually spent some time at the Provo City Cemetery in Provo, Utah chasing after a mis-guided Northern Parula that has been seen multiple times in the past week and then again hours after we missed it and left.  Some you get and some you don't. However, we did see a small flock of Red Crossbills, which I see maybe once a year in Utah so finding some on day one was a good omen for a new year of birding. We managed to photograph a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Red-breasted Nuthatches to finish our first bird outing of the year.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet in Provo City Cemetery Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Red-breasted Nuthatch in Provo City Cemetery Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet in Provo City Cemetery Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Red-breasted Nuthatch in Provo City Cemetery Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet in Provo City Cemetery Provo, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

"Hey! Over Here!", Said the Ruby-crowned Kinglets

Three years ago on December 13th (thank you eBird for easy record keeping) I knocked on my friend's front door and then glanced at a small shrub as I waited for someone to come to the door. It was winter and snow was falling gently. The nearby mountains and foothills had been covered in snow for a few days. I just happened to look at the right shrub at the right time to see a very small bird flitting its wings and moving nervously through the interior of the shrub, just inches off the ground next to me. When it jumped from one small shrub to another I got a glimpse of a bird I had never seen before. I made some mental notes, visited briefly with my friend on his doorstep, and then went home quickly to search for the ID of the tiny little bird in my only field guide at the time. I was looking for a tiny but stocky greenish bird, with a narrow, pointed bill, white around the eye, and white stripes in the wings. I also heard it make a harsh "chit, chit" sound several times as it moved about so I could use that as an identifier as well. I had begun my birding in earnest only a couple months earlier so life birds (ones I was seeing, or at least noticing, for the first time) were popping up regularly, especially as the seasons changed and winter pushed some birds from the north and down from the local mountains. I discovered that I had just observed life bird #56 (at least since I started recording my sightings in eBird several years ago)--a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet on River Lane near Palmyra, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are about 4.5 or so inches long and packed with loads of nervous energy.  I learned that well the first time I tried to photograph one. They do not hold still. The one above provides a nice profile and shows typical field marks like the ones I observed with my first one, but I also like how the image shows its brown feet contrasting with its black legs. They are common in wooded areas, range from north in Alaska and all over Canada during the summer to the southern states and into Mexico in the winter. They are present year round in Utah so I hear and see them often.  They come foraging for food around valley homes in the winter like the one I first discovered. I heard one "chit, chitting" yesterday from a pine tree as I walked up to my office building for work, prompting today's post. I kind of felt like there was more to see of Kinglets after my first encounter because I didn't see a ruby crown at the time.

Last December, almost like an annual winter tradition, I found myself following a small flock of Ruby-crowned Kinglets through Tonaquint Park in St George, Utah. One bird in particular was cooperative and displayed his ruby crown.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (with crown revealed) at Tonaquint Park in St George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (with crown revealed) at Tonaquint Park in St George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (with crown revealed) at Tonaquint Park in St George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (with crown and proud little chest revealed) at Tonaquint Park in St George, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (with crown revealed) at Tonaquint Park in St George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

As I was photographing the cooperative Kinglet above I found myself ignoring the mobbing sounds of other Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Black-capped Chickadees. There seems to be something about naming these small birds after things on their heads. Based on my experience with them I could lump them in a group called "the owl finders." I turned from my cooperative subject after getting what I thought would be some nice images and realized that the other kinglets and chickadees had located a roosting Western Screech Owl for me. The owl was snug against the trunk of a pine tree, standing on alert as a result of being harassed by all the little guys. This was not a regular roost because there was no wash (typical white owl poo) or pellets present below the roost. The image below gives a feel for how well hidden the owl was at the time. I probably never would have noticed the owl if the tiny little birds, especially the kinglets, didn't start squawking at it so loudly and flying all around it as if to say, "Hey, camera guy! Over here! Look at this one!"

Western Screech Owl Hidden, Yet Revealed by Kinglets and Chickadees, in Tonaquint Park in St George, UT
(Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Screech Owl in Tonaquint Park in St George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Western Screech Owl in Tonaquint Park in St George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)