Utah Snowy Owl Turns Into Escaped White Gyrfalcon

Around the middle of last week I and other Utah birders received an alert from eBird that someone had reported a Snowy Owl at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, Utah.  Based on the brief description provided by the observer I decided that the most likely scenario was a novice birder seeing a Barn Owl. Parts of the description, such as "small head" and "narrow pointed wings" were off for a Snowy Owl. I essentially ignored the alert and figured a confirmation would come in from another birder if it was really a Snowy Owl. Friday afternoon Sean Jorgensen, a Salt Lake County birder and photographer, emailed an image of a white bird he found in the area where the Snowy was reported and asked for an ID. It was a white-morph Gyrfalcon, an Arctic species which sometimes moves southward into northern US states during winter months. I replied to Sean's email as soon as I saw it to ask if the bird had jesses or any straps on its legs, thinking an escaped falconer's bird was the most likely case.

I left work and drove to the location which was about fifteen minutes away. I arrived to find about ten local birders looking up at the "Snowy Owl-like" falcon from the street bordering the golf course. Seeing the white belly and black marking on the upper side began to make sense as to why a novice birder associated it with a Snowy Owl. I'm glad it was reported so others would eventually recognize it for what it was and get proper attention focused on the bird.

The falcon stretched a bit and revealed the falconry gear attached to its legs. Bummer! Not a legitimate Gyrfalcon sighting, but it was an awesome bird to watch.

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Shortly after arriving on the scene our curious group of onlookers moved to the back of the home and onto the golf course. We essentially claimed one of the fairways. The golfers, neighbors, and other passersby seemed more interested in the bird than whether we were standing in the playing area. The falcon occasionally fluffed its feathers, revealing some of the small black spots on an otherwise bright white underside.

Mike Shaw from Hawk Watch International came by with a bal-chatri trap that held two Siberian Hamsters safely inside. The goal was to lure the falcon to the trap so it could receive proper care and be reunited with its owner. I had a semi-paparazzi experience when the celebrity falcon took flight from the pole, checked out the trap, and circled our group couple of times. I've never heard so many shutters going off as I did that afternoon when the falcon circled us in flight. The falcon was somewhat interested in the hamsters, but passed on them multiple times. The likely reason for this is that captive falcons are generally raised on birds rather than mammals.

We were rewarded with a few curious raptors as we stood around and observed the Gyr. Before we left we had seen a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Merlin buzz the Gyr while perched and while flying. The Merlin ended up chasing an American Kestrel when it saw that the Kestrel had a mouse in its talons. The two scuffled in the air until the Kestrel dropped the mouse. The Merlin dropped straight to the ground, retrieved the mouse, and flew off into the distance. A Cooper's Hawk was observed soaring in the distance as well. Here's one not-so-great image of the Merlin as it passed. The lighting was tough so I turned up the exposure compensation hoping to bring out some of the details. It was a dark bird to begin with and the lighting didn't help matters.

Female Taiga Merlin Flying Over After Buzzing an Escaped Gyrfalcon at Mick Riley Golf Course Murray, UT

Here are a few of the flight images I captured during some of the passes made by the falcon.  Our blue sky backdrop soon turned blah as clouds rolled in. It would have been nice to have a little more contrast from the sky for the flight shots.

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

Escaped White Gyrfalcon Found at Mick Riley Golf Course in Murray, UT

The falcon was finally caught after I left. I was informed that Hawk Watch International had fed the bird and was holding it safely to be returned to its owner.

On my way home I passed a Best Western Hotel in Lehi and noticed about seven falconry birds on the lawn next to the hotel. I stopped to investigate and ended up meeting falconers who were in town for the annual Sky Trials, a competition for falconers. I met Chris, the president of the Utah Falconer's Association, and the owners of Falcon Force, Vahe and Becca.  They run a bird abatement business that uses falcons and hawks to rid farms, airports, and other properties of nuisance birds such as starlings and gulls. I showed them the images of the Gyrfalcon and they put out the word among falconers to locate the owner.

I captured an image of a very large female Harris's Hawk after visiting for a while with Chris, Vahe, and Becca.

I am glad that birders are out watching nature. We've discovered and rescued countless animals during our routine bird outings. We know and are networked with lots of great people who give their time, talent, and resources to care for some of nature's finest creatures. I'm grateful for those people.

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

St George Winter Bird Festival 2014

I participated in my first St George Winter Bird Festival this past weekend. I had thought about going for several years, but schedule conflicts prevented me from participating. This year, however, my wife and I combined the Winter Bird Festival with a weekend getaway.  I signed up for a couple of the festival's half-day field trips and spent the rest of the time shopping, going to a movie, and simply eating and hanging out with my wife. I wish I could have attended some of the festival presentations. Organizers had some great presenters lined up for participants. I appreciate all the time, talent, information, and energy volunteers shared to make the festival a benefit to all who participated.

As a photographer and blogger who wants to have close encounters with birds and wildlife I have generally chosen to bird solo or with another photographer over the past few years. Big groups and bird photography don't mix very well. Guided trips, however, have played an important role in helping me learn how to bird in new territory. Consequently, I signed up for my first festival field trip because I wanted to meet the guide in person and learn how he birds parts of southern Utah that I have not birded. I've admired the reports and photos Rick Fridell has shared from southern Utah over the past few years and he was the guide who led us to Quail Creek Reservoir, Stratton Pond, Sand Hollow State Park, and Hurricane Fields. "Hurricane" is pronounced "her-uh-kin" by locals. It sort of reminds me of the difference between how Americans would say "Briz-bain" when Australian's say "Briz-bin" for Brisbane.

I wasn't expecting to have good photo ops while birding with a large group so I left the camera in the car until Rick gave me a heads up that the Greater Scaups on Stratton Pond were very cooperative with photographers. He was right. Two males and a female came in to feed just like your average park Mallard. Greater Scaup show a sloping head from crown back where Lesser Scaup show a peak at the back of the head.

Female Greater Scaup on Stratton Pond Hurricane, UT

Female Greater Scaup on Stratton Pond Hurricane, UT

Male Greater Scaup on Stratton Pond Hurricane, UT

The image below appears to be a stare down. Greater Scaup actually show the broader cheeks compared to Lesser Scaup.

Male Greater Scaup on Stratton Pond Hurricane, UT

The next two images captured one of the males scratching its head. It's not often that you get to see the bottom side of a duck's bill.

Male Greater Scaup on Stratton Pond Hurricane, UT

Male Greater Scaup on Stratton Pond Hurricane, UT

Sand Hollow State Park allowed us to see a Utah rarity, a Red-necked Grebe. We observed it through a scope along with several Common Loons. Seeing all three Mergansers (Hooded, Common, and Red-breasted) in one location was another highlight from Sand Hollow. While pulling into one of several parking areas from which we observed water fowl on the Sand Hollow reservoir my raptor radar detected a bird of interest. I caught a glimpse of a small raptor in a distant tree. While the rest of the group moved toward the reservoir and planted their scopes for viewing water fowl I walked in a different direction to identify the raptor. It turned out to be a Prairie Merlin. I captured a few distant images and cropped them. I think they turned out pretty well despite having to crop the images quite a bit.

Prairie Merlin at Sand Hollow State Park Near Hurricane, UT

Prairie Merlin at Sand Hollow State Park Near Hurricane, UT

After photographing the Merlin I headed back to join the group. That's when I saw a Bald Eagle fly toward a group of small rock cliffs and chase a Prairie Falcon from its perch. I shared what I observed with Rick and others and most were able to see both the Merlin and the Prairie Falcon. All were able to see the Bald Eagle since it remained on its perch.

I learned some neat things about the birds and habitat during the field trip with Rick. One thing I hadn't realized before was that Cactus Wrens often choose the Cholla (cho-ya) Cactus to hold their nests. The needles from these guys provide great protection from natural predators to the Cactus Wren. These are not friendly to people either. Steer clear of contact because once they embed in you they will end up leaving an irritating remnant under the skin that will fester for some time.

Cactus Wren Nest in Cholla Cactus Sand Hollow State Park Utah

The nest above is typical. It opens on the side of the cactus and goes back into the interior of the cactus, forming a tubular looking nest. The one below was actually on the surface of the cactus so I took a picture to show the length. The actual entrance is to the right of the cactus and not visible. The angle shows the side and rear of the nest.

Cactus Wren Nest in Cholla Cactus Sand Hollow State Park Utah

My first field trip of the St George Winter Bird Festival was very productive, informative, and memorable. It allowed me to bird new areas and was a great opportunity to meet some new people and reconnect with some old acquaintances. Rick was a great guide.

I returned to the hotel after my first field trip and cleaned up for a date with my wife. Before heading out for the afternoon and evening I captured images of our hotel's resident Northern Mockingbird. I wonder if this is the same mockingbird I see every time we stay at the hotel. I can't think of a time when I stayed at the hotel in St George and didn't see this or another mockingbird in the front parking area.

Northern Mockingbird St George, UT

Northern Mockingbird St George, UT

Saturday morning I walked Lytle Ranch with about 25 other birders. Lytle Ranch is about 30 miles west of St George and is a small oasis in the middle of the desert. It is a bird magnet, especially during spring and fall migrations. We were led by Larry Tripp, another southern Utah birder. I signed up for the Lytle Ranch trip to meet Larry in person and to see how a local birds the Ranch. Larry was very knowledgeable and helped our group pick up some desert specialties such as Phainopepla, Verdin, and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. I and a few others were able to hear a Greater Roadrunner cooing on several occasions, but we could not get a visual. I was surprised to see two Rock Wrens in the middle of the dessert as we were making the 10 1/2 mile dirt road drive from the ranch back to the main road. I observed 36 species during our trip to Lytle Ranch.

My wife indulged me Sunday morning as we were leaving St George to return home. She said she'd join me for about an hour to see what would present itself in Washington Fields. I picked up another seven species for my year list. One of which was a Say's Phoebe that was fly catching from a low perch above an agricultural field.

Say's Phoebe in Washington City, UT

Say's Phoebe in Washington City, UT

Spring Estates Pond was on the way back to the Interstate. I took a quick five-minute look and found a resident Snow Goose along with at least two Cackling Geese, a subspecies of Canada Goose identified by it's smaller size and noticeably shorter bill. Cacking Geese often show a more rounded head, but that can be skewed depending on whether the goose is relaxed or stretching its neck while foraging, flying, etc. The images below allow the more rounded head and shorter bill to be seen well. The Cackling Goose's bill seems to have a length of bill that is usually less than about 1.5 times as long as it is high at the base.

Cackling Goose Amid Canada Geese Washington City, UT

Cackling Goose Amid Canada Geese Washington City, UT

By the end of the trip to St George I picked up 44 new species for my 2014 list of species observed. That took me to a total of 128 species for the year. I didn't capture as many photos as I would have had I been on my own, but I enjoyed the company of other birders and learned a bit from some experienced and talented people. It was nice to get out of the cold of northern Utah with a 3 1/2 hour drive to southern Utah. The red rock country and desert were welcomed changes of scenery.

Accipiter Redemption and a Sunday Sharpie Photo Session

Yesterday I shared a bit about my observations and photos of the birds of prey wintering around the south end of Utah County and the west side of Utah Lake. I expressed surprise that, despite checking some areas known to have accipiters (primarily Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks), I came up empty handed.  Click here to see yesterday's "birds of prey" experience and images.

Well...I experienced a little accipiter redemption without even leaving my yard or neighborhood today. The redemption started when I returned home from church just after noon. I was at the kitchen sink looking into the back yard when I caught a glimpse of an accipiter gliding low to the ground from the back of my yard. It swooped up and over the fence and landed in my neighbor's tree. I stopped what I was doing at the time (I'm not even sure what that was now), fetched my camera, and went out the back door only to realize the hawk was back lit from my position. I went next door and got permission to go into the neighbor's back yard so I could get the sun behind me instead of the bird. The hawk was still perched so I began a photo session with an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk. The dark crown and nape, orange colored eyes, and horizontal barring across the chest are indicative of an adult. One of my neighbor friends knew something was up when he saw me toting my camera into another neighbor's yard so he joined me. Moments later another raptor-loving friend and neighbor joined me with his camera.

We captured images of the hawk as it sat calmly in one tree and then moved over the fence to another tree. The cycle began again with getting permission from the neighbor and then capturing some images. Sharp-shinned hawks are among the raptors that actually eat other birds. They nest in our mountains here in Utah during the spring and summer, but they return to the valleys in the winter. They often hunt from a perch near yard feeders. They will patiently sit and wait for other birds to forget about their presence and return to the feeders. The "sharpy" or "sharpie" as they are often called, will then suddenly attack. Unless they get disturbed by another predator, they typically pluck the feathers and consume the insides of the chest cavity right where they capture their prey. If you've ever see a pile of feathers in your yard it was likely the result of a Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawk having a meal. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks look quite similar. It takes an experienced birder to distinguish between the two species.

You can click on any of the images in this post to enlarge them for a better view.

      

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

In the image below you can see that the eyelids are partially closed. I included this image for that reason. Later in the post I'll share an image and information about the third eyelid that is common to raptors--the nictitating membrane.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

The hawk was listening to and watching for other birds while it was perched. It would occasionally lift, tilt, and twist its head for a better perspective.

       

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

When I realized the hawk was not concerned with my presence I gradually moved below it to get a different perspective. This perspective accentuates the "smallish head" trait that is associated with Sharp-shinned Hawks when compared to Cooper's Hawks.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

Those are some super sharp talons. Prey generally won't escape their grasp once a grip has been employed by the Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

The image above shows the hawk taking an alert position. It was probably noticing some birds at a distance and preparing to make a move for some food. The images below continue to show the hawk in an alert position, but the first one also shows the nictitating membrane (third eyelid) covering the eye. You can see that the eye has a dull look when the membrane is covering it. Compare the first image with the second image and you'll see the difference. The nictitating membrane is translucent and moves side to side rather than up and down. It protects the eye by moistening and removing debris while still allowing visibility.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard
The Nictitating Membrane (3rd eyelid) is closed in this image, causing a blurry look to the eye.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

The hawk abruptly launched from the tree and passed over the house, down low across the street and then into another neighbor's yard. I noticed some birds taking flight, but when I relocated the hawk it was perched in another tree without prey in tow.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk Taking Flight From a Tree in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

Moments later the hawk did a short, erratic flight around another yard and then began to soar. It made several loops overhead, gaining altitude with each loop, until it broke the soar and flew northward. It was time to move on.

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk Beginning a Soar in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk Beginning a Soar in Pleasant Grove, UT Yard

I stepped out on the front porch just after 5 tonight. I was pleased to discover an adult Cooper's Hawk perched in the tree above my driveway. I was disappointed by the lack of accipiters during Saturday morning's raptor hunt. Who knew that they'd come right to my yard the very next day.