May we learn to return
And rest in the beauty
Of animal being,
Learn to lean low,
Leave our locked minds,
And with freed senses
Feel the earth
Breathing with us.
May we enter
Into lightness of spirit,
And slip frequently into
The feel of the wild.
John O'Donohue, from To Learn From Animal Being
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| Our good morning started with happy thoughts for the birds to show-up. |
I find such peace during most of my visits to the ponds as the turtles sun and the birds swim, fish, hunt, and fly. I suppose participating in the "census taking" of the Christmas Bird Count* is a small part of my payback for the joy and peace. Surely keeping track will benefit the birds in the long run.
DH and I began participating in Christmas Bird Counts in 2015 or 2016 and I have continued them when possible - mostly by monitoring the ponds a few miles from the house. [That started when a broken ankle threatened to sideline me - and I was assigned to stake-out the ponds.] I've loved the count even as I've had to bid farewell to some beloved birds,** struggled to improve my recognition of bird calls, and learned a bit more about those darned ducks.***
The count is over for another year and the following is an attempt to share a few stories (a little drama and a lot of fun) about love and disagreements at the ponds during a day of monitoring. My experiences are probably somewhat different than those of most folks involved in the count who cover more territory than I do. I spend 8 to 10 hours along a small rural road that is a birding "hot spot." Lucky me!
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| Red-shouldered Hawk - perhaps my favorite hawk |
ROMANCE:
A Red-shouldered Hawk was perched on a wire where I had seen a Red-tailed Hawk of late. I made a u-turn to get a photo and pulled to the side of what is a somewhat "iffy" place to stop. I took the photo (it was bad - the above is from the following day) I heard the clear call of an another Red-shouldered Hawk and watched the second hawk fly up towards the first. Was I going to get a shot of the two, side-by-side?
Nope. The bird in flight went gliding past the first hawk and down into a wooded area beyond. Then the first took flight and followed. While disappointed not to get that photo, I was also pleased. It's probably a nesting pair and bodes well for our hawk population.
BULLIES?
It's not unusual to see a bit of territorial/protective behavior in birds, but I rarely see so much in a day. One of the benefits of monitoring a small area for the day of CBC is covering only about a mile and a half. I have the opportunity to take my time and see the comings and goings (and interactions) of birds for a full day.
I. The Herons - I've watched herons stake out their fishing areas before. It seems common at one particular pond, but today I saw two incidents. As I drove past the tank/pond located just inside the turn, I heard loud squawking and then saw one Great Blue Heron chasing another northward. It was pretty aggressive, pushing the other bird away from the pond some 75 feet or more.
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| For some reason I believe this "large and in-charge" bird is the "rowdy" GBH. |
Later, I was surprised to see another "chase" just south of the road near a larger pond. What's going on here? I figure it is a battle over fishing area right now. Of course it could also have something to do with mating behavior (but I suspect that's a spring activity). What I can say is that we had more Great Blue Herons in the area yesterday (5) than I have seen in a long time. Perhaps they were just feeling "crowded."
II. The Crows - I spied a Red-shouldered Hawk (not one of the "lovers" mentioned above), and quickly noted some American Crows approaching it. Two of the 5 crows began to "caw" loudly and start to hassle the hawk. I've seen this behavior before.**** I'm always surprised the hawk doesn't end the fight with one swift claw. This exchange did end quickly, but it was the the hawk that left the area as the crows settled-in to feed in the field.
[Sorry, no decent photo of a crow. You know what they look like.]
III. The Mockingbirds - At the end of the day I watched a Red-tailed Hawk move from utility line to utility pole to a pile of mulch across the highway. As I was about to head home I heard a disturbance to my right and saw two Northern Mockingbirds chasing the hawk off of the pile of wood chips, across the highway, and into the wooded area beyond. [This is not unusual behavior either - I've seen mocking birds and Blue Jays fearlessly "take on" hawks and succeed in moving the hawk along.]
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| Northern Mockingbird - I love these wild dancers! |
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE
The ridiculous number of ducks found at dawn (more than 300) had disappeared by mid-morning. I waited for their return as I needed to "see" one particular species - the Northern Shoveler. I knew they were present at the ponds, having seen them for days before the count. But I had not seen any during the count. Finally, some flew in and landed in two of the ponds. As I was counting and taking a few photos of "the girls" (no males shovelers were observed by me on this day), they suddenly alerted and the group broke apart as a hawk flew low over the pond. I was almost as shocked as the ducks.
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| Female Northern Shovelers - before they got a fright. I missed that shot. Bummer. |
CHANNELING MY INNER TWELVE-YEAR-OLD
I "went hunting" with my dad from about the age of 5 to 12.***** There are rules about hunting. You cannot make any noise. If you are on foot, you have to be able to stalk slowly and carefully, and you should use cover when possible. So, when I saw that there were vultures in close proximity to the road I decided to attempt to take some closeups. I had some photos of perched Black Vultures and I saw a few birds I thought were Turkey Vultures on and around some of the baled hay near the road. It looked like I could park the car and use some fencing as cover to approach the birds for some photos, provided I could still channel that 12-year-old deer-stalker.[I cannot consistently take a decent photo when birds are in flight even though I can see and recognize many.]
Might I take a moment to explain that I do not usually get out of my car in this locale.****** Most people who live along this public road are not bothered by birders, but some are. AND there was an incident a few years ago that makes me operate with caution.
But it was a quiet day and I figured I'd get the photos and get back in the car with no trouble. The photos were well-worth the effort. It was magic - the closest I've ever gotten to a vulture AND CRESTED CARACARAS! I had hoped to see Caracaras and knew they were often found with vultures. And there they were!
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| I stood at the end of the fence on the left and shot my photos at that single bale. |
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| This is the first view from my hiding spot. TWO Crested Caracaras with two Turkey Vultures. The caracara to the left never got any closer. |
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| That large pond in the background is often teeming with wildlife, but I cannot usually see anything past the tree line (note the cormorants in the tree in the background). |
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| I love Crested Caracaras. |
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| Lovely Turkey Vultures (okay, I know. They are kinda creepy.) |
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| What a weird and wonderful bird! |
MORE OF THE CBC EXPERIENCE
We are encouraged to view our area the three days before and the three days after the count. So I'd seen the Red-tailed Hawk up and down the roadway nearby and flying over the ponds recently. The two days before the CBC the hawk moved into a tree just off the road. So, I was disappointed that it was nowhere to be seen when I drove up. Finally, 5 hours into the event, there it was - high above the road on a utility transmission pole.
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| Where have you been, crazy bird. You are LATE! |
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| Really. What are you doing up there? |
Then I saw another "big bird." Nope. It looked like the same Red-tailed hawk.
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As I made one lap of the area I noticed something big on the utility pole to the right. You see it, don't you?
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| Looks like a Red-tailed Hawk to me. In fact, it looks like the same one observed on the transmission line. |
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| Look at those beautiful tail feathers. |
On a later lap, look who showed up again!
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| This time the bird was on a lower level of a utility pole just a little closer to the highway (check the distance photo above). |
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| This is where the hawk came under attack by some Northern Mockingbirds who were probably protecting their territory. If you have ever seen mockers in the spring, you will know they have some serious territorial behavior. |
MISCELLANEOUS BIRDS
Okay. The rest of these photos are parked here in the event I want to review in the future and for want of a better place for them. My results? 39 species (same number as last year, but a few different species). Here are a few of the decent photos in no particular order...I did see a few other species in the days before (Osprey) and after (Belted Kingfisher and Carolina Chickadee), but no rare birds. Bummer.
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| Not a bird - domestic cat, Felis catus. (3 observed in total over the day) |
NOTES:
** We often have a nesting pair of Pileated Woodpeckers hanging around here, but they didn't make it yesterday (I saw them a few weeks ago so some are still in the area). We also once had a Vermillion Flycatcher regularly here who would almost pose for photos. He was something. We suspect he was killed in extreme weather two winters ago.
*** Pardon my whine, but DUCKS ARE HARD! And many of the females look alike (to me). The distances here can also make identification even harder. THIS is why they usually call in an expert to "cover" my duck inadequacy.
***** I killed my first and last buck when I was 12 or 13 and decided I wasn't hunting anymore except with a camera.
****** I do stop to rescue turtles when it seems necessary.
~~~ FINAL NOTES about preparation:
1. Dress for the weather and take extra bad weather gear. I had a raincoat I didn't need and a fleece jacket I did need. Spare shoes and socks might be nice if you get your feet wet.
2. Eat a good breakfast.
3. Bring water and snacks. You don't know when you will have a chance to stop or when you will get lunch (even if you are the driver).
4. Bring a camera (to prove up identities - especially if you see any rare birds) and a bird book if you have one. You may be stumped, have no internet, and need to look up a particular bird.
5. Bring your sense of wonder and sense of humor.
6. Bring a notebook and a pen (preferably a couple of pens in case one or two roll under the carseat). I tried taping a narrative of a bird crawl once. It was terribly irritating so jotting down the count works better for me.
7. Plan bathroom stops.
8. MY necessities:
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| Breakfast tacos for all! |
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| Caffeine and extra gear! |
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| The best companion ever! She never complains as she sleeps through most of the count. |
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