From the Field
May 31: Paul French reports from Mongolia
After a week of camping in the wilds of the Mongolian Gobi desert, the Sunbird/WINGS tour to Mongolia has arrived in Arvaikheer after completing the southern loop of the tour. The Gobi delivered all of our hoped for species, with some incredible experiences to match.
Koslov's Accentor, a near-endemic to Mongolia, was pleasingly easy to find in the juniper valleys at the very end of the Tien Shan mountains.
Oriental Plover is an enigmatic shorebird that breeds in the semi-deserts of Mongolia and northern China and remains a dream bird for many. We were treated to the rocking and clicking display flight of one male for near on 30 minutes, plus great looks at several other individuals.
One of the more sought-after gulls, Relict Gull is unusual in that it breeds in saline steppe and semi-desert lakes of Mongolia and Kazakhstan, but the whereabouts of any breeding colonies are currently unknown! Our site for this species has consistently produced one or two birds, but these are assumed to be passing through to lakes elsewhere and as yet undiscovered...
A 2nd calendar year Pallas's' Fish Eagle buzzed the group, intent on getting to the huge numbers of cormorants and ducks at the river mouth. It was accompanied by at least 3 other birds, including a stunning adult.
Seeing several Asian Dowitcher in full summer plumage was a highlight for many.
Is Mongolian Lark possibly the best lark in the world? It's certainly one of the most striking.
Migration this year has been good, and this male Amur Falcon showed off his underwings at our first Ger camp in the Gobi.
May 23:
Gavin Bieber on his just-concluded tour, Arizona: Owls and Warblers
Our tour coincided with a period of unseasonably cool, overcast weather (including some highly unusual May rainfall), but we very much enjoyed birding in seventy degree temperatures. The many highlights scattered throughout our 209 species ranged from gaudy Scott’s Orioles coming in to grape jelly, to Buff-collared Nightjar with its arresting calls, and from a Five-striped Sparrow in the rocky borderlands to a Rufous-capped Warbler in Florida Canyon and a dazzling Blue-throated Hummingbird in the incomparable Chiricahua Mountains.
Scott's Oriole, a bird with both beautiful plumage and song
Five-striped Sparrow at one of its very few known breeding locations in the U.S.
The chatty, perky Rufous-capped Warbler, still very scarce but now a resident in several southeastern Arizona Canyons
Blue-throated Hummingbird, beautiful and a fierce protector of its nectar source
Wonderful birds presented at every turn but as is often the case, bird of the trip laurels fell to Montezuma Quail, which we saw on multiple occasions this year.
Montezuma Quail; some years we can't find any but thankfully not this year
Perhaps as expected for a tour with "Owls" in the title, we saw nine species of these sleep-robbers and heard a 10th.
Whiskered Screech-Owls are remarkably common in the oaky canyons
There are few places in North America where one can combine such a wide array of spectacular birds, fascinating mammals and reptiles and endless stunning desertscapes. It's a truly excellent tour!
The extraordinary Antelope Jackrabbit, an Alice in Wonderland moment
The grassy approaches to Madera Canyon
May 19:
Paul Lehman summarizes the highlights of his three April-May 2017 West Coast cruises, two to British Columbia and one to Alaska
All three WINGS West Coast cruises during April and May 2017 were successful in recording multiple Laysan Albatrosses and Pterodroma petrels. The late April trip aboard Holland America from San Diego to Vancouver recorded good numbers of both Murphy's and Cooks Petrels, while the early May trip from Los Angeles aboard Princess Cruises recorded good numbers of Murphy's and several Hawaiian Petrels. And the San Francisco to Southeast Alaska roundtrip in mid-May recorded good numbers of Murphy's and a surprise immature Short-tailed Albatross.
Murphy's Petrel. Image: Bruce Rideout
Murphy's Petrel Image: Bruce Rideout
Short-tailed Albatross. Image: Bruce Rideout
Not rare, but always enjoyable, were the fine views obtained on all three cruises of large numbers of Fork-tailed and Leach's Storm-Petrels, hundreds of Black-footed Albatrosses, many groups of Red Phalaropes and Sabine's Gulls in breeding plumage, smaller numbers of Long-tailed Jaegers and Tufted Puffins, as well as many Humpback Whales and Dall's Porpoise, several Fin Whales, and even a few Orcas and Baird's and Cuvier's Beaked Whales. The "repositioning" cruises off California also added Black-vented Shearwaters, whereas the cruise to southeast Alaska recorded Kittlitz's and Ancient Murrelets, Aleutian Terns, and Short-tailed Shearwaters.
May 9:
Gavin Bieber on his and Evan Obercian's just-completed tour, Florida: The South, the Keys and the Dry Tortugas
We just wrapped up a fun week exploring from Fort Myers to Key West. We started with a day in the dry pine forests and upland scrub of the central peninsula and fantastic views of a pair of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. A day trip out to the unique Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas was sunny and hot but still produced 13 species of warblers and some other spectacular migrants such as Scarlet Tanager. The colony of Masked Boobies continues to grow on Hospital Key, and we even managed views of two passing Audubon’s Shearwaters on the way out to the fort. Some of Florida’s most special birds,like Mangrove Cuckoo and White-crowned Pigeon posed for us nicely this year. We even lucked into two excllent vagrants; Bananaquit and Fork-tailed Flycatcher, both on Key Biscayne just south of downtown Miami. As always, Florida isn’t all about the birds, and this year we had unusally good views of two American Crocodiles, and some scenes that would be hard to replicate outside the state like this trio of Black Vultures devouring the remains of an American Alligator. I look forward to this tour every year, as it combines great eastern migration birding with Florida's highlight species, a chance for rarities from the Caribbean and a wealth of reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and even fish!
A well-researched Red-cockaded Woodpecker showed well
Of our 13 migrant warblers, the Blackpolls may have traveled the farthest
Always a knock-out, this Scarlet Tanager brightened up the Tortugas
Masked Boobies seem to grow in strength on the small sandy keys of the Dry Tortugas
Mangrove Cuckoo is never assured but this year one was remarkably confiding
The subtily beautiful White-crowned Pigeon
Two infrequently seen American Crocodiles
The recycling brigade - Black Vultures dine on a dead American Alligator
May 5:
Gavin Bieber on his and Evan Obercian's recently completed tour, Colorado: Lekking Grouse
Early spring in Colorado is dynamic both for weather and for birds. This year we found the prairies and even the mountains to be warmer than average, with many trees already leafing out. Over much of the Rockies there was little snow, and no appreciable precipitation during our tour, although persistent winds were an issue on a couple of the days. Of course the top prize of any spring Colorado trip must fall to the grouse. This year we had exceptional views of all five lekking species, and excellent looks at a male Dusky Grouse that seemed utterly oblivious to our presence, even allowing us to sit down next to it! White-tailed Ptarmigan performed perfectly in their picturesque alpine home, with two birds casually feeding in a small clump of willows that were protruding from the rapidly thinning snowpack. The stately but somehow supercilious displays of Greater and Gunnison Sage-Grouse provided a great contrast to the frenetic and comical antics of the three prairie chickens. The supporting cast was wonderful as well; from all three species of Rosy-Finches including several dazzling male Black Rosy-Finches perched above a feeder in Crested Butte, to luminous male Mountain Bluebirds and the roosting Barn Owl that showed well for us as it circled overhead. It was a wonderful voyage around the scenic and bird-rich state of Colorado, with a two-day side trip out into the prairies of Kansas and Nebraska, and even a short excursion into southern Wyoming!
A delightfully accommodating Dusky Grouse. Image: David Fisher
With the diminshed snow pack, White-tailed Ptarmigan were a bit easier to find this year
A Greater Sage Grouse in all his pompous splendor. Image: David Fisher
Greater Prairie-Chicken, still the champion 'stomper'.
Feeding stations bring rosy finches like this Black down to our level. Image: David Fisher
Mountain Bluebird, one of the most arresting birds in North America. Image: David Fisher
This Barn Owl briefly shelved its nocturnal habits and gave stunning views. Image: David Fisher
May 5:
Paul Holt on his just-completed tour, Taiwan
We saw all 26 of the island's endemics and noted all but five of the island's 55 endemic subspecies. Swinhoe's Pheasant won the end of tour 'Bird of the Trip' though Mikado Pheasant and Taiwan Partridge pushed it hard. Besides the endemic taxa we all also saw Fairy Pitta, Black-faced Spoonbill, Malayan Night Heron (hence the images), Slaty-breasted Rail, and Japanese Paradise Flycatcher as well great studies of shorebirds that included Grey-tailed Tattler and Long-toed Stints aming many others.
Swinhoe's Pheasant
Mikado Pheasant
Malayan Night Hero
April 19:
Rich Hoyer on his and Luke Seitz's recently completed tour, Costa Rica
No one could be blamed for choosing Resplendent Quetzal as their favorite bird on the Costa Rica in Spring tour. We had wonderful views of this magnificent species on three different days, one all to ourselves on a quiet trail near the famous town of Monteverde.
But in reality it was very difficult to choose favorites when we saw so many species, so many of them colorful gems, and so many of them well. Red-headed Barbet is never a guarantee, so seeing a pair with a group of Speckled Tanagers at a feeder on our third day was a treat.
Another bird of the highlands, often the favorite of the day was Collared Redstart, and some were incredibly confiding.
In the cool highlands of Cerro de la Muerte we marveled at the blue and opal iridescence on a Spangle-cheeked Tanager that seemed to be fighting its reflection in the windows of the hotel restaurant.
In the warm lowlands of the Osa Peninsula we had huge bird lists each day, with Scarlet Macaw and Yellow-billed Cotingas among the top favorites. A Lesson's Motmot was often right around the lodge.
The only bats we identified to species were those on their day roosts, offering wonderful photographic opportunities, such as a Greater Sac-winged Bat in the eves of the lodge.
A female Black-throated Trogon on the trails at Bosque del Rio Tigre could not have been more confiding.
We completed the tour on the Caribbean slope where we had our first rain. But this allowed us to look for a very special frog. Finally, after some searching to find the pond, close inspection revealed two stunning Red-eyed Treefrogs.
Night rains can bring out some nice moths to our hotel lights, but this huge Rothschildia lebeau was just over-the-top gorgeous.
The rain came to an end, and at our lunch stop near Arenal Volcano, a Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth stretched out to dry out.
The rain had also bottled up phenomenal kettle of hundreds of Swainson's and Broad-winged Hawks that drifted right over us on our next-to-last afternoon.
A pair of White-whiskered Puffbirds entertained us for some time on the same afternoon walk.
Our final morning gave us a last chance for some early morning birding, though relaxing and enjoying the birds visible from the lodge restaurant was not at all a bad idea.
April 14:
Will Russell on WINGS' first Cuba tour
The first WINGS Cuba tour under Jon Dunn’s leadership was birdy and fascinating. We saw all the expected Cuban (and regional) endemics, saw them well (Cuban Nightjar gave only flying, flashlight-lit views) and in most cases repeatedly. Several feeding stations maintained by entrepreneurial Cubans gave us access to species normally either scarce or reclusive. Lots of wintering North American warblers were especially pleasing to some of us. We had several interesting conversations with Cuban ornithologists and artists, got a modest sense of the place through our interactions with ordinary Cubans, and had exposure to Cuba’s history both in Havana and Camaguey.
The ever-present and beguiling Cuban Tody.
After poling down a narrow waterway, and several attempts...
...we got reasonable looks at Zapata Wren.
Loggerhead Kingbird was one of a number of Antillean endemics with representation in Cuba.
The stunning Gray-fronted Quail-Dove was one of the species we might not have seen were it not for local in-habitat feeding stations...
...and while we saw Bee Hummingbird in the wild, our views in a Zapata-area back yard were slightly better.
A Swainson's Warbler, one of a number of wintering warblers, was so busy rearranging leaves that it seemed unconcerned with our presence.
The Cuban field guide author, Orlando Garrido, signs his book and holds forth on 70 years of experiences.
Beginning our bicycle tour of the wonderful city of Camaguey
Definitely a cultural highlight for some of us as Jon Dunn convinces a very good singer/quitarist combo to try a Leonard Cohen song
April 11:
Gavin Bieber on his recently completed tour, Puerto Rico
This gem of a Caribbean island, known for its excellent weather (which was wonderfully cool this year), beautiful beaches, and fine local seafood is also an excellent island for the visiting naturalist.
Puerto Rico's northeast coastline
Over the course of our five days we encountered all 17 of the island's endemics, including the critically endangered Puerto Rican Parrot, plus two more that will surely be split soon. The highlights were many, with birds like the dazzling Puerto Rican Woodpecker, jewel-like Puerto Rican Tody (selected bird of the trip for the 9th straight year!), a cooperative Mangrove Cuckoo, stunning Red-legged Thrushes, and perky little Adelaide’s Warblers.
Puero Rican Woodpecker
Puerto Rican Tody
Mangrove Cuckoo
Red-legged Thrush
Adelaide's Warbler
The long-staying lone American Flamingo, dubbed “Mr. Pinky” put on a nice showing for us again this year, and we enjoyed multiple views of the gaudy Key West Quail Dove (and Ruddy as well).
"Mr. Pinky"
Key West Quail Dove
A surprise American Avocet, some gaudy Lizards like this Puerto Rican Ameiva and a few colorful exotics including Blue-and-Yellow Macaws filled out our triplist of 126 species overall.
Puerto Rican Ameiva
For such a small island, Puerto Rico certainly has a wealth of natural history to offer the visiting birder!
April 11:
Jake Mohlmann on his recently-completed tour, Nebraska: The Sandhills and the Platte River
Signs of an early spring were apparent as we covered just under 1,000 miles of Nebraska’s (mostly) backroads. The mature hardwood forests of the Missouri River had yet to push out leaves allowing great views of resident species as well as many lingering wintering individuals. Typical forests birds including Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinal, and White-breasted Nuthatch were abundant. A northbound Golden-crowned Kinglet even came in at eye level to investigate our curious optics, replete with flaming yellow head stripe. Waterfowl numbers were excellent and we came across 27 species with highlights including several day’s encounters with Wood Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, Common Goldeneye and all 3 merganser species.
An inquisitive female Golden-crowned Kinglet displaying its golden crown
The brushy verges of eastern Nebraska’s woodlands host an impressive array of sparrows; Song, American Tree, “Red” Fox, and the Midwestern specialty Harris’s Sparrow all perched nicely for extended viewing opportunities
A perched Harris’s Sparrow, a Midwestern U.S. specialty
To say we saw many Sandhill Cranes would be an understatement. There’s really no words to describe the spectacle that is their migration through central Nebraska. Wave after wave, thousands upon thousands, of Sandhill Cranes poured over constantly at both sunset and sunrise. These weren’t the only birds utilizing this rich environment. Other species including Snow and Ross’s Goose, Canada and Cackling Geese, and both Trumpeter and surprise Tundra Swan were all passing through this amazing stretch of river.
Countless Sandhill Cranes pouring in at sunset
Mullen Nebraska lies in the middle of the vast Sandhill country in the northwestern part of the state. Here we had another unforgettable experience as we watched the debonair dance moves of both Greater Prairie Chickens and Sharp-tailed Grouse. The chickens hooted loudly while expanding their yellow throat sacks and strutted back and forth sizing each other up on their lek. The fighter jet display of the Grouse was taking place even before the sun came up. With tails raised the males stomped their feet and glided by one another only occasionally fighting over the perfect piece of land.
Male Sharp-tailed Grouse in full regalia
Our group was filled with locals and far flung visitor’s alike and everyone enjoyed the unseasonably warm temperatures, great conversation, excellent food, and constant avian presence over the five days we were together. Perhaps this is why 101 species of birds were seen in such a short amount of time.