The Farm - Missouri

First time away from my girl.  :(  We're at Nathan's farm/woods near Bowling Green, MO.  I'm sitting in the shade, it's 65 degrees.  Staring into the woods right now.  I'm hearing an Eastern Wood Peewee, Blue Jay, Red-bellied woodpecker, and a cardinal.  The Barn Swallows overhead occasionally fly through the window of an old and tattered abandoned home next to our tent.  A pair of brown thrashers (pictured below) were visibly concerned that had encroached on their domain.  Cool breeze, cloudless day.  We woke at 4:45, whip-poor-wills still calling.  It's a strange bird that's difficult to spot but easy to hear and ID throughout the night. Fact: they migrate up for the Summer from the Gulf Coast or Central America and lay eggs in phase with the lunar cycle to capitalize on an insect feeding frenzy during a full moon. :D

Sean headed one way this am and at sun-up and I headed the other, my bird quest involving a bit more biodiversity and leisure, his more..  hmm..  I want to say "skill and determination" which is true, but I know a thing or two about birds.  He just happens to know a LOT about one particular bird.  We'll probably be eating some wild turkey soon.

The bird that pops in early May

When I caught up to a birding group at North Park Nature Center packing in a 10-month old with a bright pink hat I wasn't met with a warm welcome but perhaps I was paranoid.  A few ladies finally quietly giggled with me that they had spotted a pink-crested cutie baby, lol.

She was pretty quiet for the first 20 minutes or so as I crept along behind the crowd of ten.  As soon as she started squawking I peeled off and headed back the way we came, toward the entrance. I knew what I was attempting was a stretch, it was worth a try.  Figured I'd try to spot a few more on my way out.  It was only May 2nd, very few leaves out on the trees so imagine my panic/elation when I saw this orange and yellow sun-spotlit first-ever what-the-hell bird is that against the drab brown and gray of the surrounding woods.  Trying to keep her quiet and still so I could get a proper focus was a challenge but to be honest I mostly remember my fumbling with my gear.  Do I get the shot and risk not getting it, do I sacrifice the shot and just get a better look with binocs?  How is that bird still sitting so low and close with us making all this movement/commotion? 

Upon doing a little research this is a first-spring Summer Tanager.  These birds migrate up from Central & South America but aren't all that common this far north.  They are bee and wasp specialists, usually catching them in flight as they sally from branches high in the forest canopy - another reason I'm lucky to have seen one up close.  Fun fact - they beat the insects against a branch before eating them.  And another fun fact - they are commonly nest-parasitized by brown cowbirds.  This involves the cowbird mom laying eggs in the tanager's nest then the unsuspecting tanager raising all the young only to have her own often kicked out by the bigger, stronger cowbirds.  Doesn't that make you love them even more?

I walked out feeling like hell yeah.  That was a good session.  I was thankful the pink-crested chatty baby hitched a ride or it probably wouldn't have happened.

'Tis the Year for Many Snowy Owls

Jerry alerted me to one of the Gyllenhaal's Snowy Owl sightings this am.  I was headed back from Montrose and had to call home to get the ok for my extended outing ;).  Pretty exciting and he was fully supportive..  Apparently this Gyllenhaal had seen eight?? of them at 31st St. Pier.  I got there as others were arriving and we were sure to keep our distance.  I spotted the first one out on the rocks then over the next half hour or so three more came into view.  Just specks to the naked eye out on the breakwater rock wall.  But I got a few pics with Jerry's super-camera that he sent to me and a few more with mine.  Idyllic creatures...  and not bad for a first wild viewing.

Willow May

Here's why I've not been out birding as often this past migration season...  Willow May was born July 6th at 5:37pm and weighed in at 6lb 11oz.  She's a good girl, learning her lessons as my mom would say.  One day she'll learn all about the kinds of critters that grace our willow trees each May ♥

Which pic for nursery?

Easter at Montrose Bird Sanctuary

American Woodcock

Twice a year around 5 million birds, representing around 200 different species fly through Chicago.  Some are here only briefly as they head further North, some here for the Summer.  With this first four days of Spring in the early 30's and 15 mph winds I'm surprised so many birds are already back...  Great Blue Herons, thousands of Sandhill Cranes, turkey vultures, lots of duck species.  

One early migrant I've been dying to see for years is the American Woodcock.  They're super goofy looking, and I've heard they have a really sweet late-dusk male mating display preceded by a duck-like peeent sound to get the ladies' attention.  

Looked up bird-sightings on IBET yesterday and saw that the Evanston birding group was taking an evening field trip to try and see the dance.  We arrived at Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie around 7 and finally, after standing in the cold for a half an hour, ready to give up, we heard the peeent....  and waited.  We saw the male silhouette emerge from a small swampy area and take a wide spiral up into the air 200-300 feet while making high-pitched wing twittering sounds.  It then took zig-zagged plunges down toward the female, landing near her then pausing and peenting before heading up again.  So weird!  Fist bump to that, whew.  Hate to drive so far and have hopes high only to get stiffed.

Now I just need to see them up close, jamming their awkwardly long and flexible probing beak into the mud on the search for earth worms.  That might be even more exciting.  Check out Cornell's fact sheet on these birds.

Update:  Yesss!  The picture above was taken at Montrose Bird Sanctuary one week after this post, Easter morning.  I was strolling around, seeing a whole lot of nothing when another birdwatcher told me where he'd seen one scurrying around in the leaves.  After some slow, steady searching I spotted him, he spotted me,  and I proceeded to snap bad photos of him.  I followed while he ran awkwardly from me pausing periodically to see if I'd given up.  I'm now feeling bad for him/her... I wonder if they are frequently spooked by nerders like me.  I guess they're also fair game for hunters too, so they have cause for caution.  Check out the muddy end of its beak!  I wish I could feel it to see how much it flexes.