From the Field
September 2: Rich Hoyer from his on-going private tour to Brazil's Mato Grosso
We’ve had a great trip in Brazil so far, visiting the cerrado habitats northeast of Cuiabá, then the seemingly endless marshes and dry forest patches of the Pantanal, ending that portion of the tour with over 250 species of birds. Despite a late cold front that brought persistent winds for over two days and very chilly mornings, we did well with many of the cerrado specialties, such as the Red-legged Seriema in the photo below. We also enjoyed watching two male Greater Rheas fight, a nine-banded Armadillo cross in front of the bus, and a gorgeous Collared Crescentchest, a new family for all the participants. The Pantanal was an embarrassment of riches, starting with roadside ditches and wet fields filled with birds and caimans before we took a boat ride on the Rio Cuiaba and in a single afternoon saw two Jaguars, one posing nicely in the photo below. On the same boat ride we watched a Crane Hawk hunting fearlessly at close range in the undergrowth along an oxbow, and it too posed for photos. Finally, we birded the drier forest and savannah on the property of our lodge, scoring four species of owls while standing in one spot, though we saw only the rarest two of them, Black-banded and Mottled Owls (the two we heard only were Striped and Tropical Screech). But even the common were a treat, such as the tree full of Toco Toucans, two of them sparring in the photo below, and at least the leader enjoyed the challenge of teasing a Screaming Cowbird out of a flock of Shining Cowbirds, the one photo below showing nicely the difference in bill size and shape. We’ve just arrived at Cristalino Jungle Lodge for the final week, and a bunch of new birds on our first afternoon preceded the first evening thunderstorm and downpour of the season. Let the fun continue!
Red-legged Seriema
Jaguar
Crane Hawk
Toco Toucans
Screaming Cowbird
August 16: Jon Dunn on his just-completed "second spring" tour of southeast Arizona
The summer monsoon had hit in force prior to our visit; indeed more rain had fallen over much of southeast Arizona then over the past several summers combined. Everything was green. Despite the wetness, there were breaks in the rains and we were never inconvenienced by weather. Perhaps the main highlight of our tour was the thirteen species of hummingbirds including an adult male Allen’s, two female White-eared and six Lucifer Hummingbirds and a Plain-capped Starthroat. Also of note were a Least Grebe, five species of owls, including family groups of Spotted and Burrowing Owls, a family group of Northern Goshawks, side-by-side views of Crissal and Bendire’s Thrashers on the ground, Five-striped Sparrows, numerous Varied Buntings, including a female on a nest, and at least three juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers. It's hard to overstate how beautiful Arizona is in its "second spring,"and early August is my favorite time. All the special birds are still here, some migrants too, and the land- and sky-scapes are breathtaking.
At this time of the year the monsoon is in full swing with a build-up of spectacular thunderheads in the morning and afternoon thundershowers.
Even in late summer most of the southeast Arizona specialties can still be found, such as this Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Some will be at the peak of their nesting, such as this territorial adult male Varied Bunting...
...or this very localized and uncommon Five-striped Sparrow, nearly all of whose U.S. representitives are found in just a few canyons in southeastern Arizona near the Mexican border
August is the probably the peak month for hummingbird numbers and diversity; here a female Lucifer
August 12: Paul Lehman on his just-completed cruise from San Francisco to Southeast Alaska and return
The inaugural ten-day WINGS cruise from San Francisco to southeast Alaska and back was a great success, with fine birds (including rarities and some exceptional concentrations), superb scenery, good weather both onshore and at sea, a very comfortable ride on a comfortable ship, and excellent food. Some of the pelagic highlights included a Cook's Petrel and 2 Laysan Albatrosses off northern California, a Hawaiian Petrel off Oregon, a Great Shearwater off British Columbia, 21 South Polar Skuas, 700 Black-footed Albatrosses, 13 Buller's Shearwaters, over 100 Long-tailed Jaegers; concentrations of 10,000 Fork-tailed and 7000 Leach's Storm-Petrels and 5000 Marbled Murrelets; as well as many Red Phalaropes, Sabine's Gulls, Arctic Terns, and a few Ancient Murrelets. Glacier Bay produced over 50 Kittlitz's Murrelets and close-up views of calving glaciers. Onshore excursions found a wide variety of woodland species, plus a family group of Dusky Grouse just inside the Yukon (near Skagway, AK) and Sky Larks near Victoria. A fine selection of marine mammals included hundreds of Sea Otters, four species of whales, and a pod of Orcas, all against a backdrop of stunning alpine and fjordland scenery.
Thanks, Owen Schmidt, for all the images, below.
Hawaiian Petrel
Great Shearwater
Pacific White-sided Dolphin
Leach's Storm-Petrel
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel
Sea Otter
A glacier in Glacier Bay National Park
August 12: Susan Myers from her on-going tour of Borneo
This afternoon we went to the canopy walkway at Sepilok after lunch and stayed until after dark. We spent a couple of hours at one of the towers, the Trogon Tower, that links the walkways. The views of the rainforest from the 28 m high tower (and from the Hornbill Tower, which is almost 60 m above the rainforest floor!) are incomparable. From up here we can really appreciate the staggering floristic diversity of this amazing habitat. The birding this afternoon was a little slow compared with this morning's potpourri of hornbills, minivets, ioras, flycatchers, spiderhunters and others. But as the sun sank lower in the sky and the temperature cooled activity started to increase. we focused on one of the taller trees in anticipation of its inhabitants emerging and right on cue a furry red head popped out of a hollow and out glided a magnificent Red Giant Flying Squirrel and another, then another. We watched them for some time as they glided up to 100 m, climbed to the top of the tree, then glided again. To finish off the day we walked down one of the nearby trees and found a roosting Rufous-collared Kingfisher, a beautiful and very shy forest denizen that we felt very lucky to find as we certainly don't see it on every tour of Borneo!
Rufous-collared Kingfisher (thanks, Cliff Hensel)
Sepilok Canopy Walkway
July 17: Gavin Bieber on his just-concluded tour of British Columbia
BC is an incredibly beautiful place, and we sampled much of it from the peaks of the Cascades with displaying Sooty Grouse, to the arid Ponderosa forests of the Okanagan with breeding Flammulated Owls, to coastal woods and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, rocky shorelines with American Black Oystercatchers and the open waters of the Strait with curious Harbor Seals, New sights anf sounds greeted us at every turn and by the end we had tallied 183 species of birds, and 17 species of mammals all while enjoying some of the most attractive landscapes that North America has to offer and nearly perfectweather. Who could ask for more?
Sooty Grouse
Flamulated Owl
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Harbor Seal
July 16: Steve Howell at the conclusion of Ecuador: Week in Paradise
From multicolored Toucan Barbets and Plate-billed Mountain-Toucans (both below) to cryptic antpittas (Ochre-breasted below) and otherworldly Oilbirds, from displaying Andean Cock-of-the-Rocks to feeding Long-wattled Umbrellabirds, and from dazzling tanagers (Golden Tanager below) and hummingbirds (Velvet-purple Coronet below) to the misty world of the cloud forest and great hospitality at our lodge, this tour was way too short but oh so full of great birds and memories.
Toucan Barbet
Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan
Ochre-breasted antpitta
Rio Silanche
Golden Tanager
Velvet-purple Coronet
July 10: Steve Howell from his ongoing tour, Ecuador: A Week in Paradise
Walking away from leisurely views of a feeding Long-wattled Umbrellabird (below) was one of today’s many highlights. Others included gasp-eliciting male Orange-breasted Fruiteaters, many Moss-backed Tanagers, and multicolored Toucan Barbets. A stunning Sword-billed Hummingbird as we stepped from the van on our first morning set the tone, and it has been non-stop great birding ever since, from sunburst-winged Sunbitterns and sleek Little Cuckoos to elegant Red-crested Cotingas and confiding Tawny Antpittas (all below). Too many birds, too little time – but all from a very comfortable base with great food and hospitality.
Long-wattled Umbrellabird
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Sunbittern
Little Cuckoo
Red-crested Cotinga
Tawny Antpitta
July 5: Yann Kolbeinsson from his ongoing tour of Iceland
Within half an hour from leaving the airport on the first day we were rewarded with close-up views of a male Rock Ptarmigan next to the van! That very first day then ended with a displaying Eurasian Woodcock in the late evening late as the sun slowly hid behind the distant mountains – and no less than five Short-eared Owls were seen! Since, we have had unbelievable views of White-tailed Eagles and Red Phalaropes, which sometimes are prone to giving distant views. All that with the omnipresent Northern Fulmars, drumming Common Snipes, Common Redshanks, Red-necked Phalaropes and Arctic Terns in the air and on land. Parasitic Jaegers carefully fly over fields looking for their next prey while Red-throated and Common Loons keep an eye on their territories on the lakes. Seven Gyr Falcons have also been spotted so far this trip! Several unusual visitors have also been seen this year, including an American White-winged Scoter, a drake Lesser Scaup (the first for Lake Mývatn!) and a Common Wood Pigeon. Whale-watching tomorrow morning!
Images below: Gyrfalcon with Arctic Tern escort; the massive waterfall, Godafoss; Red Phalarope; a mixed morph pair of Parasitic Jaegers; and female Snow Bunting with one of her kids.
June 17: Gavin Bieber on his just completed tour of the Pribilofs
We started with a real bang, as within an hour of our arrival we had close views of the soaring White-tailed Eagle that has been hanging around the archipelago for the last year. The bird cliffs were riveting as always, with superlative views of Crested (below), Parakeet and Least Auklets, Horned and Tufted Puffins (both below), and Red-faced Cormorant. The true speciality bird of the islands, the cute and striking Red-legged Kittiwake (below), performed well offering repeated daily views. In addition to the aforementioned eagle we located a female Eyebrowed Thrush sheltering in the lee of a volcanic cinder cone, found a migrant Eastern Yellow Wagtail foraging near the island's NE Point, and enjoyed excellent views of the surprisingly large and colorful local subspecies of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. As always, no trip summary to the Pribilofs would be complete without a mention of the islands mammals. This year we found many Arctic Foxes bounding around the islands coastline, watched as beachmaster male Northern Fur Seals vied for prime real estate in the rookeries, saw the often elusive herd of introduced Reindeer foraging on the rapidly greening vegetation near the airport, and had scope views of inquisitive Harbor Seals and lolling Steller's Sea Lions. Every trip to the Pribs is special, and the islands truly do deserve their oft mentioned moniker of the Galapagos of the North.
June 17: Derek Lovitch from the first days of his Maine and New Hampshire tour
The first day of the Maine-New Hampshire tour was long but exceptionally rewarding. We began on the beach and salt marshes with the likes of Saltmarsh and Nelson's Sparrows, Roseate Tern, and Piping Plover. We ended at 6,200 feet atop Mount Washington, with Bicknell's Thrush. In between, we logged Grasshopper and a Clay-colored Sparrow, Upland Sandpiper, and a nest hole brimming with Black-backed Woodpeckers. Tremendous diversity, and we're just getting started!
It's all smiles on a lovely summer's day atop Mount Washington!
Then, after telling my group, "we won't see the Bicknell's better than we did last night...this happened:
