October Birding in Eastern Nebraska

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Le Conte's Sparrow
Image Credit: Illinois Birds

I spent a few days in the middle of October visiting Nebraska for some meetings at the LaVista Convention Center. Most of my time was taken up by business; however, I did take advantage of my free time to do a little birding in the area.

I birded mainly in two areas, Chalco Hills Rec Area at Wehrspann Lake and the grassy fields adjacent to the Cabelas and the Convention Center.


Sedge Wren
Image Credit: Royse Photos

In all, I observed 48 species. The highlights for me were the sparrows. Here are my observations:

Canada Goose 200
Mallard 20
Pied-billed Grebe 9
American White Pelican 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Sora 1
American Coot 300
Killdeer 3
Herring Gull 1
Mourning Dove 6
Chimney Swift 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 2
Barn Swallow 18
Black-capped Chickadee 20
Sedge Wren 2
Marsh Wren 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 6
Eastern Bluebird 6
American Robin 300
European Starling 100


Clay-colored Sparrow
Image Credit: Scott Franke

Cedar Waxwing 20
Orange-crowned Warbler 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler 18
Clay-colored Sparrow 6
Field Sparrow 60
Vesper Sparrow 40
Savannah Sparrow 25
Henslow's Sparrow 1
Le Conte's Sparrow 1
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 14
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 12
Lincoln's Sparrow 14
Swamp Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 14
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Northern Cardinal 3
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Western Meadowlark 25
Brewer's Blackbird 200
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 20
House Sparrow 2

Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Image Credit: Bird Photography


I hit all my targets, except for Harris' Sparrow; although I did give it the ol' college try. Nevertheless, I was quite content with what I was able to see during my brief visit.

Nuttall's Woodpecker - #300 on US Life List

Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
Image Credit: Ron Wolf

I was going over my life list this weekend after my Nebraska and SoCal trips. It turns out that I surpassed 300 species for my US life list. I am now standing at 317 species on my US list, and 472 species on my world list. Although I am making ground, Phoebe Snetsinger
has nothing to worry about.

US species #300 was Nuttall’s Woodpecker. The bird was observed in Big Sycamore Canyon in Point Magu State Park (Ventura, CA). We had just entered the park and were making our way down the main trail toward the camping area. I heard the woodpecker calling, but was unable to locate it. After a few minutes searching, my daughter LeAnn spotted it in a tree a few feet off the road. The bird hung around for several minutes, providing me with some really good looks. I subsequently heard two others about an hour or so later in the same location.

I referenced Wikipedia to get a little background on the bird.

Nuttall's Woodpecker is common in groves of live oak and chaparral west of the Sierra mountains in the state of California and extends south into the top of the Baja California Peninsula of Mexico. It is a small woodpecker about 6 to 7 inches in length. It is primarily colored black and white, with a barred pattern across its back and wings, and a plain black tail. Its white breast is also speckled with black on the flanks and rump. The male Nuttall's also has a red patch on the back of its head. Nuttall's Woodpecker is very similar in appearance to the Ladder-backed Woodpecker, but Nuttall's Woodpecker has more black on the head, face, and upper back, and males have less red on the head. The range of the two species only intersects a minimal amount in southern California and northern Baja California, so misidentification should not be a concern over the majority of their range.

I also referenced the Stanford Birds to get a little life history.

Diet: Insects (80%); also few acorns, sap, occasionally grain. Nuthatch style of gleaning from underside of limbs.

Breeding: Oak woodland, chaparral, riparian (esp willow-cottonwood) woodland; often foothill canyons. Usually nests in dead riparian deciduous tree. Unlined. Excavation ca. 13 days, not reused.

Displays: Mostly territorial: head bobbing and turning, crest raising, bill directing and raising, wing spreading and aerial displays.

Notes: Pairs remain on year-round territories. Male performs most of incubation including all nocturnal incubation and brooding. Preferentially forage on oaks; females forage on smaller branches and twigs more frequently than do males. Occaisonally hybridizes with Ladder-backed and Downy, with which it is especially territorial.

Birding in Southern California

Black-throated Sparrow
Image Credit: Panoramio

I had a few days off last week for some business on the left coast. Although I lived in San Fran for a few years during my post-doc, I never found much time to bird. As such, I decided to take advantage of my trip to SoCal to do a little west coast birding. I birded in several areas: Laguna coast, Santa Monica Mountains, Ventura coast, Joshua Tree National Park and the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens.

I used two guides for the trip, The Field Guide to Birds of Western North America by David Sibley and A Birder’s Guide to Southern California by Brad Schram. The Schram guide was most helpful, as it gave detailed information on the best areas to see birds in SoCal. I highly recommend this birdfinding guide!


A Birder's Guide to Southern California, Brad Schram

With the preliminaries out of the way, let’s get to the birds!

Laguna Coast

I arrived at LAX in the afternoon. After getting my bags and picking up a rental car, I headed down to visit some old Penn State friends in Irvine. Having a few hours to spare until my friends got off of work, I decided to wander around the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve. As described on the reserve’s website, Upper Newport Bay “is one of only a few remaining estuaries in Southern California and is the home of nearly 200 species of birds...The Bay is an important stopover for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway and up to 30,000 birds can be seen on any day during the winter months.”

As I was driving along the Back Bay Drive, I was scanning the estuary for birds. My first sighting was a Great Blue Heron, followed by a Great Egret and a small flock of unID’d Gulls. Once I found a parking area, I was able to scan the water and shoreline more carefully. I spotted quite a few interesting birds, including a few lifers such as the Cinnamon Teal and Marbled Godwit.


Cinnamon Teal
Image Credit: Greg Lasley

Here are my observations:
American Wigeon
Mallard 2
Cinnamon Teal 8
Northern Pintail 10
American White Pelican 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 2
Green Heron 1
American Coot 4
Black-bellied Plover 1
Willet 50
Whimbrel 1
Marbled Godwit 20
Sanderling 2
Western Gull 1
Forster's Tern 4
Black Skimmer 60
Black Phoebe 1
American Crow 3
Song Sparrow 3

The next morning, I headed down to Laguna Beach to look for Gulls and Shorebirds. I was not disappointed. After eating a tasty breakfast burrito as a local beach shack, I headed down Marine Drive to the coastal access point. The first birds sighted were a mixed flock of Western and Heermann’s Gulls. I followed the gulls down to a rocky outcropping where a number of shorebirds were feeding, including Surfbirds, and both Ruddy and Black Turnstones. I made my way about a mile down the beach before retuning to Cliff Drive. A number of birds were observed along the way.


Surfbird
Image Credit: Brad Sillasen

Here are my observations:
Brown Pelican 15
Brandt's Cormorant 5
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Pelagic Cormorant 7
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Willet 1
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Black Turnstone 11
Surfbird 14
Heermann's Gull 18
Western Gull 25
Herring Gull 1
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Brewer's Blackbird 4


Hollywood Hills

I spent most of the next day attending to business in LA, after which I fought through the lovely LA traffic toward Griffith Park. The park sits just east of the Hollywood Hills and provides a nice view of the famous Hollywood sign. You can drive up to the top, but its hard to see birds that way. Alternatively, you can make the short 20 minute hike to the top and view birds along the way. I choose the latter, taking in many birds, including a sizable flock of Bushtits, lots of Acorn Woodpeckers, and a Northern “Red-shafted” Flicker.


Red-shafted Flicker
Image Credit: IBC

Here are my observations:
Acorn Woodpecker 9
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
Black Phoebe 2
Common Raven 1
Bushtit 19
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 20
California Towhee 1
White-crowned Sparrow 1
House Finch 2
Lesser Goldfinch 3


Ventura County

This was the day for the BIG TRIP out to the Channel Islands, specifically to Santa Cruz Island, to see the Island Scrub Jay. As luck would have it, the trip didn’t pan out. The Santa Ana winds were blowing that day making for choppy seas. The trip was cancelled.

Rather than let the day go to waste, I decided to do some birding on the Ventura Coast and in Big Sycamore Canyon. I made two stops along the Ventura Coast, first at the Ventura Pier, and then at Emma Woods State Beach. Of the two, Emma Woods Beach was the more productive, especially along the Ventura River Trail where I spotted a large flock of White-crowned Sparrows, an Eared Grebe and a pair of Bewick’s Wrens.


Heermann’s Gull
Image Credit: Richard Wong

Here are my observations:
Mallard 8
Ruddy Duck 3
Pied-billed Grebe 4
Western Grebe 5
Eared Grebe 1
Brown Pelican 18
Great Blue Heron 1
Snowy Egret 2
Black-bellied Plover 1
Willet 60
Marbled Godwit 23
Sanderling 11
Heermann's Gull 30
Western Gull 50
Osprey 1
American Kestrel 1
American Coot 20
Bushtit 3
Bewick's Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Black Phoebe 1
California Towhee 2
Vesper Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 40
House Finch 1

In the afternoon, I headed down to Big Sycamore Canyon in Point Magu State Park. As the name suggests, there were quite a few sycamores in the park. Among other birds, these trees served as home to a sizable population of Black-hooded Parakeets. The park is also home to a number of chaparral and riparian species. I observed several of these in the park, including California Thrasher, Wrentit, and Nuttall’s Woodpecker. There is also beach access just across Highway 1 where a variety of birds can be seen.


Nuttall’s Woodpecker
Image Credit: San Jose Parks

Here are my observations:

Western Grebe 3
Brown Pelican 9
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Pelagic Cormorant 2
Sanderling 12
Heermann's Gull 8
Caspian Tern 2
Black-hooded Parakeet 8
Nuttall's Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 1
Black Phoebe 1
Western Scrub-Jay 1
Common Raven 1
Wrentit 5
California Thrasher 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 20
California Towhee 2
Savannah Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 2


Santa Monica Mountains - Malibu

The following morning, I headed back to LA. On the way back, I made two stops. One at Malibu Creek State Park and the second at Malibu Lagoon.

Malibu Creek Park is composed of 7,000 acres of rugged country in the middle of the Santa Monica Mountains. I hiked along the main path paralleling the creek. My destination was the old M*A*S*H site; however, due to all the birds observed during the hike, I never made it. In fact, I didn’t go much beyond the visitor’s center. Among the many birds observed in the park were Say’s Phoebe, Cassin’s Kingbird and Oregon Juncos.


Oregon Junco
Image Credit: Michael Franz

Here are my observations:

Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Kestrel 1
Merlin 2
Acorn Woodpecker 9
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
Black Phoebe 2
Say's Phoebe 2
Cassin's Kingbird 2
Western Scrub-Jay 8
American Crow 3
Common Raven 1
Oak Titmouse 19
Bushtit 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Western Bluebird 8
California Towhee 1
Song Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 4

Malibu Lagoon was next on the agenda. I hit the beach late in the afternoon. It was a bit breezy and there were not many people on the beach. Up near the lagoon, a number of gulls and pelicans were resting on the beach. Among the Heermann’s, Herring and Western Gulls were several California Gulls – lifers for me. My daughter made friends with a fairly tame Greater White-fronted Goose, to whom she fed some bread. Also, to my surprise, my wife spotted three Snowy Plovers. The lagoon itself was teeming with waterfowl, cormorants and waders. Notable among them were several Clark’s Grebes, a Solitary Sandpiper and a large flock of Marbled Godwits.


Snowy Plover
Image Credit: Birds & Blooms

Here are my observations:

Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Gadwall 4
Mallard 20
Northern Shoveler 12
Ruddy Duck 20
Pied-billed Grebe 6
Clark's Grebe 2
Brown Pelican 40
Double-crested Cormorant 20
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 6
Snowy Egret 9
American Coot 200
Black-bellied Plover 1
Snowy Plover 3
Killdeer 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Marbled Godwit 60
Heermann's Gull 8
Western Gull 70
California Gull 4
Herring Gull 5

Joshua Tree National Park

Having birded the coastal areas, I decided to head inland to Joshua Tree to look for desert species. I entered the park via the north entrance, near 29 Palms. I hit most of the scenic spots indicated on the park map. Overall, the birds were pretty sparse, as one might expect. That being said, there were some excellent birds to be seen, many of which were lifers for me. The first stop was at Jumbo Rocks where I saw a lone Phainopepla. The following few stops yielded few birds. I then hiked out to Barker Dam, only to find evidence of California’s drought – no water and no birds. On the hiking trail, I spotted a small flock of Black-throated Sparrows, and my wife pointed out a Verdin. We then visted most of the other scenic spots in the park but saw nothing other than a few Ravens and some Red-tailed Hawks. Our final stop was Cottonwood Springs, which we hit about an hour before sunset. It was teeming with birds, including a large covey of Gambel’s Quail, and small flocks of Black-throated Sparrows and Lesser Goldfinch, and a nice mix of other passerines.


Gambel’s Quail
Image Credit: Richard Seaman

Here are my observations:

Gambel's Quail 20
Red-tailed Hawk 4
American Kestrel 1
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Common Raven 5
Verdin 1
Cactus Wren 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
American Pipit 1
Phainopepla 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Sparrow 7
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 2
Western Meadowlark 1
House Finch 2
Lesser Goldfinch 8

Huntington Library Botanical Garden

The last leg of the trip, before returning to LAX, was a stop at the Huntington Botanical Gardens near Pasadena. According to the Huntington Library website, the gardens “covers 207 acres, of which approximately 120 are landscaped and open to visitors. More than 14,000 different varieties of plants are showcased in more than a dozen principal garden areas.”. As you can imagine, the gardens draws a nice variety of birds, including many hummingbirds. During my visit, I found the desert garden to be the most productive for birding. Among the many birds seen there were two exotics - Red-whiskered Bulbul and Yellow-chevroned Parakeet.


Red-whiskered Bulbul
Image Credit: Avian Resources

Here are my observations:

Mallard 4
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Rock Pigeon 8
Band-tailed Pigeon 3
Yellow-chevroned Parakeet 2
Anna's Hummingbird 5
Allen's Hummingbird 2
Acorn Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
Black Phoebe 3
Western Scrub-Jay 2
American Crow 11
Bushtit 40
Cactus Wren 1
House Wren 1
Red-whiskered Bulbul 14
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 5
Cedar Waxwing 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler 8
Wilson's Warbler 1
Spotted Towhee 3
California Towhee 4
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 1

Summary

Before I knew it, it was time to head home. But the birding was not done. On the way to LAX, I observed several White-throated Swifts circling above on the exit ramps on 405. That bought my total for the trip to 104 species, 36 of which were lifers for me. In addition, I observed several sub-species that were also lifers – the Sooty Fox Sparrow, the Oregon Junco and the Red-shafted Flicker. Incidentally, I surpassed the 300 species mark for the US on the trip, with Nutall's Woodpecker being 300. In total, I have 317 US species (472 World). Although there were many exciting birds, the highlights of the trip were the Verdin and the Black-throated Sparrows. I found that the Sibley Guide, as well as every other other guide I checked, does not do the Black-throated Sparrow justice. It was one of the most spectacularly handsome birds I have seen anywhere in the world.

Little Stint - #400 on Life List

Little Stint, Calidris minuta
Image Source: Wikipedia

I was going over my life list this weekend in an effort to try and organize all my birding data. Although I have been birding since 1983, I didn't start keeping records until 2001. On record, I have observed 407 species of birds. Of these 249 have been observed in the U.S., 115 in Asia (Taiwan & Hong Kong), and 43 in the Arabian Peninsula (UAE & Oman).

On my recent trip to the Middle East, I passed the 400 species mark. Being that there are approximately 10,000 species of birds, it would seem that I still have a ways to go to catch-up with Phoebe Snetsinger.

The Little Stint was #400. I observed it at the Ras Al Khor Wildbird Sancturary in Dubai. There were several hundred individuals present, along with an assortment of other waders.

I referenced Wikipedia to get a little background on the bird. Here is an excerpt:

The Little Stint, Calidris minuta, is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia. It occasionally is a vagrant to North America and to Australia. It is gregarious in winter, sometimes forming large flocks with other Calidris waders, particularly Dunlin, on coastal mudflats or the edges of inland pools.

Its small size, fine dark bill, dark legs and quicker movements distinguish this species from all waders except the other dark-legged stints. It can be distinguished from these in all plumages by its combination of a fine bill tip, unwebbed toes and long primary projection. The call is a sharp "stit",

The breeding adult has an orange wash to the breast, a white throat and a strong white "v" on its back. In winter plumage identification is difficult. Juveniles have pale crown stripes and a pinkish breast.

This bird nests on a bare ground scrape laying 3-5 eggs. It is polygamous, and male and female may incubate separate clutches.

Food is small invertebrates picked off the mud.

Birding in the UAE and Oman

Greater Flamingo
Photo Credit: Arkive

It’s not quite spring! Nevertheless, Spring Break was on the calendar, so we packed up the family and headed east – to the Middle East actually - to visit friends. As always, I brought my bird book and binoculars. I never go anywhere without them.

We spent spring break in Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I used two guides for the trip, Birds of the Middle East by Porter et al., and Birds of the United Arab Emirates by Richardson.


Birds of the Middle East

The Porter guide is the best guide for the region. I was quite happy with it, however, it could use a few improvements. Most noteably of which are the range maps which show only the know breeding areas. Overwintering area and migration regions are not show. Also,a few of the paintings could be improved, such as the Purple Sunbird and the Laughing Dove.


Birds of the United Arab Emirates

The Richardson guide is a must-have. Although it has line drawings of most and photos of many of the regions birds, I would defer to Porter for IDs. The strengths of the Richardson guide are its limitation to UAE birds, its info on migrations and seasonal abundance, and its descriptions of the key birding sites in the region.

I would also like to thank Steven Feldstein and Tommy Pedersen for help in sorting out some of my observations.

Mizrah
We arrived in town – the Mizrah district - late Friday night. I could hardly sleep, anticipating what yards birds would make their appearance in the morning. Just before 6 am, I heard the first bird song. It sounded very familiar. I suspected that it was a House Sparrow. Not wanting my first Middle Eastern bird to be a House Sparrow, I refused to verify it by sight. I decided to hold out for something else. I didn’t have to wait very long. I was rescued by a White-cheeked Bulbul.


White-cheeked Bulbul, Pycnonotus leucotis
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The House Sparrow was second. In retrospect, I believe I owe the House Sparrow an apology. The House Sparrows in Dubai were quite interesting in their own right. Relative to the one’s back here in the US, they are somewhat paler in appearance. In addition, they frequently build their nests in trees, like birds are supposed to do, rather than in the space below one’s air conditioner or in a crack in the siding.

Over the course of the next two hours, a few more birds showed up, the highlights being the Eurasian Hoopoe and the Crested Lark. These birds were nesting nearby and made regular appearances in the yard. The Hoopoe would typically show up fairly late in the morning, usually alone but sometimes in a pair. They methodically probed the lawn for insects/invertebrates in a manner more becoming a dowitcher or other long-billed sandpiper. I tracked down their nest to a small hole in the base of a neighbors garden wall.

The Crested Larks were relatively abundant in the neighborhood. Although they were observed in the morning, they were much more common in the early afternoon just after the lawn sprinklers shut off. They were also frequent visitors in vacant lots around clumps of vegetation. They mainly procured their food by hopping around the ground, pecking at the dirt or gleaning insects. Occasionally, they would begin singing and fluttering about 20-30 ft. above the ground, struggling to hover. I observed one singing from his hover-spot at over 100 ft. It was quite impressive!

Here are my observations for yard birds for the week:
White-cheeked Bulbul
House Sparrow
Eurasian Hoopoe
Crested Lark
Rock Pigeon
Collared Dove
Common Mynah
Ring-necked Parakeet
Common Swift
Laughing Dove
Graceful Prinia
Red-vented Bulbul
Purple Sunbird

Sharjah


Indian Roller, Coracias benghalensis
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Later that morning, we headed to the neighboring emirate of Sharjah to pick-up the kids at the Girl Scout camp. Although we didn’t stay long, I did observe several interesting birds: Laughing Dove, Long-legged Buzzard, and Indian Roller.

We then took a ride through the sand dunes in the desert. It’s a bit of a local sport in the Emirates. During the course of the trip, we made several stops the observe wandering packs of camels and take in some of the birds. It was the hottest part of the day, so there were not as many birds as I would have liked. Nevertheless, I made a few interesting observations.

Sharjah Observations:
Laughing Dove
Long-legged Buzzard
Indian Roller
Southern Gray Shrike
Red-wattled Lapwing
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
European Bee-eater
Little Green Bee-eater


Old Town & Dubai Creek


House Crow, Corvus splendens

Sunday, we headed downtown to visit the old souks (markets) along the Dubai Creek. We had to take a small abra across the creek. It is only about a 10 minute ride, but there were plenty of birds – mostly Black-headed Gulls – to keep one busy. There were also a few gulls of the Black-backed Gull complex, most likely Steppe Gulls, and one Socotra Cormorant on the creek. Once on the other side, we toured the souks and then visited the Al Fahidi Fort (now a cultural museum) near the Persian Mosque. The wall of the fort afforded numerous nesting places for swifts, who seemingly took advantage of every one. There were thousands of Pallid Swifts circling the sky above the fort. In many cases, you could literally reach out and grab one, as they came within arm’s length. Outside the fort and along the banks of the creek, House Crows were plentiful.

Dubai Creek Observations:
Steppe Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Socotra Cormorant
Pallid Swift
Red-vented Bulbul
House Crow
Ring-necked Parakeet

Safa Park


Purple Sunbird, Nectarinia asiatica

Safa Park is an urban park located along Sheikh Zayed Road, near the downtown business district. It is a manicured garden-style park with mowed lawn, trimmed hedges, and artificial water features. That being said, it had a surprising diversity of birds.

The first bird of the day was an old-world warbler that I could not ID. I got a few brief looks at it, but still could not key it out. It was grayish-brown on the back, and white on the throat, breast, and vent. It was otherwise unmarked. The only “marks” that I could distinguish were a dark narrow pointed bill with a touch of yellow on the lower mandible. It also had a white or buffy supercilium and somewhat darker primaries. It was feeding in the understory of a broadleaf tree. In combing through the field guide and consulting with a experienced birder in the region, my best guess is that it was a Lesser Whitethroat. But it’s just a guess.

I spent about 2.5 hours in the park, until it got too hot for the kids. In all, I observed about 25 species, the highlights being the Purple Sunbird, Pied Mynah, Indian Silverbill, and Egyptian Goose. The Purple Sunbird was the most spectacular bird in the park. The apparently evolved to fill the same niche as hummingbirds by convergent evolution. At a distance or in low light, the Purple Sunbird appears black. However, in full sun, it takes on a metallic steel blue or purple irridesence. Unlike the hummer, it has a melodious song. I observed one singing from a well-lit perch. While singing, it displayed scarlet and yellow pectoral tufts. I found no mention of these in the Porter field guide.


Pied Mynah, Sturnus contra
Image Credit: Wikipedia

The Egyptian Goose was observed in the fenced in bird sanctuary at the back of the park. The goose is a tropical African species that occasionally winters in Cyprus. Its presence in the Arabian peninsula is most likely due to its introduction or escape from exotic collections. It has since established breeding colonies in the region. Pied Mynahs are also apparently introduced.

Safa Park Observations:
Lesser Whitethroat (putative)
Laughing Dove
Red-vented Bulbul
White-cheeked Bulbul
Black-headed Gull
Indian Roller
Pied Mynah
Common Mynah
House Sparrow
Indian Silverbill
Graceful Prinia
Sparrowhawk
Grey Heron
Mallard
Red-wattled Lapwing
Common Sandpiper
Ring-necked Parakeet
Egyptian Goose
White Wagtail
Gray Wagtail
Eurasian Hoopoe
Little Grebe
European Roller
Purple Sunbird
House Crow
Gray Francolin

Mushrif Park


Little Green Bee-eater, Merops orientalis
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Mushrif Park is a natural woodland park located in the Mizhar area, about 10 miles from the Dubai Airport. The park has one main road going straight through the middle and connecting to another road which encircles the park’s perimeter. Many birds can be seen from the car. Getting out and walking around can also flush out a few surprises. I spent about 2 hours in the park. The highlights were the Menetries Warbler, Great Spotted Eagle, Southern Gray Shrike and the Little Green Bee-eater. The Bee-eaters were first spotted on a fence near the maintenace area. Two bee-eaters were perched on the end of an acacia tree, in a manner reminiscent of a shrike or kingfisher. Upon spotting its prey, it would sally forth and snatch it out of the air or glean it off a leaf. Their skillful gathering of food was quite a spectacle to watch.

Mushrif Park Observations:
Laughing Dove
Southern Grey Shrike
Ring-necked Parakeet
Eurasian Hoopoe
House Sparrow
Collared Dove
Red-vented Bulbul
Rock Pigeon
White-cheeked Bulbul
Gray Francolin
Purple Sunbird
Great Spotted Eagle
Menetries Warbler
Graceful Prinia
House Crow


Ras Al Khor Waterbird Sanctuary

Ras Al Khor Sanctuary is essentially a lagoon at the end of a Dubai Creek. The area is completely fenced off and has guards 24/7. The only access one has to the park is a series of bird blinds – which are quite good. The blinds also have stationed guards.

The number of shorebirds the area draws is quite impressive. I think they must feed the birds or something. I know for a fact that they feed the Flamingos, as the guard showed me the food pellets. Anyway, we stayed for a little more than an hour and got a good look at a number of interesting birds – the highlight being the Greater Flamingos. In all, there were about 5000 flamingo according to the guard. From what I saw, it seemed there were less, but then again we only had a view of part of the lagoon.

In addition to the Flamingo, we also saw a nice variety of other waders and other birds, the highlights being: Cormorant, Common Snipe, Western Reef Heron, Terek Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew, Temminck’s Stint, Little Stint, Redshank, Greenshank & Greater Spotted Eagle.


Greater Spotted Eagle, Aquila clanga
Photo Credit: Arkive.org

Ras Al Khor Observations:
Greater Flamingo
Greenshank
Black-winged Stilt
Cormorant
Common Snipe
Western Reef Heron
Kentish Plover
Terek Sandpiper
Ringed Plover
Greater Spotted Eagle
Little Egret
Great Egret
Little Stint
Eurasian Curlew
Redshank
Temminck's Stint
Common Sandpiper

Musandam, Oman


Hume’s Wheatear, Oenanthe albonigra
Photo Credit: Ardeola's photostream

On Friday, we went over the border into the northern part Oman, to Musandam. We stayed at the Golden Tulip Hotel, overlooking the Gulf of Oman. There are a number of small islands overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. We hired a dhow to take us out looking for dolphins and such. We saw a number of spectacular birds both on the mainland and out on the islands. The highlights were the Isabelline Shrike, Hume’s Wheatear, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Clamorous Reed Warbler, African Rock Martin and Great Black-headed Gull.

The Great Black-headed Gull was spotted from our hotel balcony. All morning we had large flocks of Black-headed Gulls, but I was careful to scan each one for tag alongs. The Great Black-headed Gull caught my eye because of its size and large yellow bill. I was really excited to see it. There were also a few Socotra Cormorants as well. Outside our hotel there were lots of rocky cliffs attended by feral and domesticated goats. There were also a few birds in the mix. The Isabelline Shrike was perched atop an acacia tree and hunting insects and lizards. I observed it snatch-up at least one small lizard or geckoe.


Great Black-headed Gull, Larus ichthyaetus
Photo Credit: Juhani Kyyrö, Virtual Bird

Oman Observations:

House Sparrow
Laughing Dove
Purple Sunbird
Isabelline Shrike
Socotra Cormorant
Black-headed Gull
Great Black-headed Gull
African Rock Martin
Hume’s Wheatear
Yellow-vented Bulbul
Caspian Tern
Clamorous Reed Warbler


Overall, I observed 61 species, 43 of which were lifers for me. As always, there were a few disappointments. I has several birds on my target list that I did not get the opportunity to see, such as the Masked Shrike, Little Owl and Arabian Babbler, but I can not complain.

Review: Birds of East Asia

Birds of East Asia by Mark Brazil

Birds of East Asia is a fantastic field guide. As always, Mark Brazil does not disappoint!

The region covered includes Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Eastern China & Eastern Russia. The guide describes 985 species on 236 full color plates (19 extraliminal species are also described). Although the geographic range covered and the number of species described are quite large, the guide itself is not too cumbersome to be carried into the field (but it won'f fit in your pocket).

Taxonomy follows Howard and Moore. As anyone who has birded in Asia is aware, there is a tendency by taxonomists toward "lumping". To address this issue, the author makes a great effort toward the description and depiction of sub-species, paticularly in cases where an impending taxonomic split seems likely. The plates are very well done, with the size of each bird sufficient to see distunguishing field marks. For raptors, as well as many shorebirds, waders and waterfowl, there are also paintings of the birds in flight which can be very helpful for identification. In addition, for most birds, male, female and juvenile plumages are all shown where appropriate. The description, range, habitat, and voice are all indicated on the page facing the plates, along with an accompanying range map, making it much more user friendly than some other guides. In addition, contrary to some guides in the region, the text is entirely in English. On the down side, there is not much description of bird behaviors which can be very useful in distinguishing similar species in the field.

I would highly recommend this guide, particularly for Taiwan and China, where I have birded many times. Although I have not personally birded in Japan, Korea or Russia, I have studied other guides for these regions in preparation for forthcoming trips. While I have a highly favorable opinion of the guides put out by the Wild Bird Society of Japan, they are somewhat outdated. All in all, Mark Brazil's guide to the Birds of East Asia is by far the best guide for the region.

Winter Birding in Florida

Burrowing Owl ( Athene cunicularia).
Photo credit: Birds of Sanibel

This past holiday, I spent New Year’s week in Florida visiting relatives and soaking up some sunshine. Needless to say, I planned to do a fair amount of birding while there. As I have been to Florida several times before, I was not expecting to see anything exotic, but one can always hope to come across a vagrant from the West Indies. Perhaps a Bahama Mockingbird or a La Sagra’s Flycatcher? Unfortunately, there were no vagrants observed, but there were quite a few exciting birds.

To prepare for the trip, I studied the field marks for the birds I was likely to see, as well as for a few target birds. I used Sibley’s Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America as my primary guide. I also used the Bill Pranty’s A Birder's Guide to Florida, 5th Edition, which is available from ABA sales. I found this guide to be most valuable. The book is not a field guide, but rather a guide to find the best places to observe birds. It describes over 300 birding sites throughout the state, including exact locations of species that can be seen there. In addition, the book also gives website site URLs so that one can preview a given area, and physical addresses that can be dropped right into your GPS system to help you find the sites easier. In several cases, target birds were literally found exactly where the guide said they would be.


Pranty's Birder's Guide to Florida

Central Florida


Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis).
Photo credit: Jim Neiger

I did most of my birding within 30 minutes of the hotel we stayed at in Kissimmee. The main locations were Lake Toho and East Lake Toho. The highlights were the Snail Kite and the Monk Parakeet. At first glance, the white rump of the Snail Kite led me to believe that it was a Northern Harrier. Its behavior was also consistent with the Harrier. I almost brushed it off without looking through my binos. Tree Swallows were also plentiful. Just before sunset, a large flock (10,000+) was observed swarming over the lake. The Monk Parakeets were also exciting to see. I encountered them at the old Kissimmee Power Station near East Lake Toho – precisely where the Pranty guide said they would be. I also observed the parakeets at a few other sights, as they appear to have established a stable feral population.

We also made brief stops at several parks and springs north of Orlando to take in the wildlife. The target species for the springs were not avian, but rather mammalian. We were looking for manatees. De Leon Springs did produce one manatee, but the water was murky and visibility was poor. We did catch a brief glimpse of one proboscis, as its owner snatched a quick breath and submerged. We also took a nice tour of the river, catching views of lots of birds (mostly waders). Later, we stopped at Blue Springs Park. There the water was much clearer and the manatees were more plentiful. We observed at least 40 manatees while there. The ranger counted 72 for the day. As far as birds go, Blue Springs was disappointing. We spotted mostly Anhingas and Cormorants. There was one Eastern Pewee back by the source of the spring, but that was about it.

These are my observations:
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tri-colored Heron
American Bittern
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
White Ibis
American Coot
Common Moorhen
Anhinga
Double-crested Cormorant
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-necked Duck
Eurasian Collared Dove
White-winged Dove
Monk Parakeet
Snail Kite
Osprey
Northern Cardinal
Palm Warbler
Eastern Pewee
Tree Swallow

In addition to local birding, I also made a few field trips to Merritt Island and the Canaveral National Seashore on the East coast, and several parks in the vicinity of Fort Lauderdale in the South Florida.

Merritt Island & Canaveral National Seashore


Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula).
Photo credit: John Inram

The drive to Titusville took about two hours from the Orlando area. Once we arrived in Titusville, birds started showing up. They were mostly Ring-billed Gulls and Boat-tailed Grackle, but there was a sizable flock of Black Skimmers at the bridge between the island and the mainland. At Merritt Island, we spent the entire trip along the Black Pointe Wildlife Drive. It’s about a seven mile drive, with several places to stop and hike around. We spent about 3 hours on the drive, stopping frequently to check out the birds – and the gators. The ponds along the drive supported thousands of water fowl and waders. The majority of the fowl present were American Coots and American Wigeon, but there were also a nice mix of Shovelers, Teal and Pintails. Stand-outs for me were the Mottled Duck and Virginia Rail, but the highlight was undoubtedly a pair of Florida Scrub-Jays near the Ranger’s kiosk by the enterance.


Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens).
Photo credit: Faizani

The Canaveral National Seashore is less than 10 minutes drive from Black Pointe Drive. We arrived there about an hour before sunset, and mostly walked the beach looking for seashells. As always, I brought my binos just in case something should pass by. I bumped into a local woman on the beach. She also had binos and was scanning the horizon. I assumed she was looking for birds, but it turns out that Right Whales were migrating. Of course they weren’t there while I was there, but I did spot a three Northern Gannets and a handful of Brown Pelicans during the search, so it was not entirely fruitless.

Among the birds working the beach, were Ruddy Turnstones and Black-bellied Plovers. There were also a number of Ring-billed Gulls and several Royal Terns making their way down the beach. The highlight for me was the Sanderlings. Although I have seen them countless times, I never cease to enjoy their choreographed dance with the surf line.

These are my observations:
Tri-colored Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Double-crested Cormorant
American Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Blue-winged Teal
American Coot
Common Moorhen
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Willet
Yellowlegs
Killdeer
Black-bellied Plover
Sanderling
Western Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Wood Stork
Sandhill Crane
Brown Pelican
Pied-billed Grebe
Hooded Merganser
Northern Shoveler
Mottled Duck
Sora
Virginia Rail
Northern Gannet
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Black Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Fish Crow
Florida Scrub Jay
American Kestrel
Gray Catbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
Tree Swallow
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler


Fort Lauderdale Area


Loggerhead Shrike ( Lanius ludovicianus).
Photo credit: Kaweah River Birds

We also made a road trip down to the Fort Lauderdale area to visit my in-laws. The ride down takes about 3 hours or so from Kissimmee. One of the highlights was the two dumps we passed on the way down. There were literally thousands of Black Vultures feeding at the dumps and circling in kettles above. Once we reached our destination, we set out to look for birds. Specifically, we were looking for Burrowing Owls. According the Pranty, Brian Piccolo Park (Piccolo was memorialized in the 70’s telemovie Brian’s Song) is a reliable place to see the owls. We were not disappointed. I asked the attendant at the kiosk for the location of the burrows. She pointed out several for me, but said I probably would not see any due to a girls softball tournament that was going on that day. The first two burrows produced no owls, but the next four I checked had 2-3 owls each. I was surprised at how well acclimated the owls were to people. The were several softball games going on simultaneously. Families were picnicking all over the fields and kids were running around making lots of noise. Nevertheless, the owls were all perched at the mouth of their burrows – sometimes only a few feet from a family on lawn chairs or kids wrestling. The owls seemed unfazed by all the excitement. My wife even got a few good shots with her point-and-shoot digital camera.

In addition to the owls, we also found a nice sized flock of about 20-25 Monk Parakeets. They too were unaffected by all the activity. Several Loggerhead Shrike were also observed at the back end of the park near a canal. They were catching insects and anoles.

On the way back to my in-laws restaurant (Red Ginger in Coral Springs), we made a stop at the John U Lloyd Seashore to swim. Again I brought my binos – just in case. Overall, the beach was disappointing. There was also a Mangrove Trail we wanted to explore, but the trail was not maintained and could not be hiked. The beach did produce a few birds, mostly Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls, but there were a few Gannets as well. The Gannets observed here, like those at Canaveral, were mostly immature birds. With the naked eye, I initially thought I was seeing Brown Boobies. However, once I trained my field glasses on them, I was convinced that they were not. The white upper tail coverts were pretty clear.


Photo credit: Wikipedia

Before heading back to Kissimmee, we stopped at Tree Tops Park. Overall, the park was pretty quiet. Our target there was a La Sagra’s Flycatcher that had been reported to winter there. Unfortunately, we did not find it. The boardwalk trail around the marsh produced only a Cormorant and a Green Heron. We then hiked the hammock trail looking for warblers and found quite a few. Two species of vireo were also observed.

These are my observations:
Little Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Tri-colored Heron
Green Heron
Cattle Egret
American Coot
Common Moorhen
Anhinga
Double-crested Cormorant
White Ibis
Laughing Gull
Brown Pelican
Northern Gannet
Belted Kingfisher
Eurasian Collared Dove
Wild Turkey
Bald Eagle
Burrowing Owl
Monk Parakeet
American Kestrel
Boat-tailed Grackle
Loggerhead Shrike
Boat-tailed Grackle
Blue-gray Gnatcacher
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Black & White Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Mockingbird

Overall, I observed 71 species – five of which were lifers for me. The overall highlight of the trip was the Burrowing Owls. There were disappointments, as there were several target species that we did not get the opportunity to see - particularly the Roseate Spoonbill and the Limpkin. We had also intended to spend more time around Kissimmee – particularly in the Three Lakes WMA and Joe Overstreet Road (both near the south end of Lake Kissimmee) where we were targeting the Brown-headed Nuthatch and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. On the bright side, I now have an excuse to go back!