Saturday, November 15, 2014

Kane County Rufous Hummingburrrrd (again!) and Surf Scoter

Well, it happened. At long last, a beautiful Summer and a delightfully slow, temperate Fall have given way to Winter. A week that began in the 50s ended in the 20s without much of a transition, and it doesn't look like there's any turning back. And, the birding goes on.

In keeping with its pace thus far this year, Kane County continues to produce fantastic birds. 2014 was a good choice for the handful of Kane birders who have undertaken a Big Year at the county level this year.

A report on the Kane County Audubon page of another Rufous Hummingbird had Scott and me intrigued, so we decided to check it out yesterday. Unlike the September bird, this one cooperated quickly and visited the feeders regularly, giving us ample opportunity to observe it and get pics. I even managed the all important spread tail shot. Also unlike the the bird in September, this one is toughing it out in the face of below freezing temperatures. I was amused that, as our fingers went numb from taking pictures, this tiny little motor with wings seemed to be more comfortable than us.

The extent of orange on this bird narrowed it down to two species: Rufous or Allen's. Rufous is pretty much annual in the state now; Allen's would be outstanding - but if every orange selasphorus gets written off as a Rufous, then we'll miss the Allen's when it actually does show up some day.

But, how do you tell the difference? As it turns out, Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds are essentially identical in every way - including plumage and voice - and distinguishing the two comes down to the shape of a single feather - R2. There are ten tail feathers, two groups of five. The two central tail feathers are both labeled R1, then moving outward you get R2, R3, etc. In the picture below, R3-5 each have white tips, R2 stands out, and the R1 feathers are overlapping, giving the appearance of one feather.

In an Allen's, R2 has a smooth edge at the end, giving it a nice rounded appearance. In a Rufous, R2 is tapered, or pinched, making it look a little more pointed at the tip. This is most pronounced in adult males, though is discernible still in juvenile males such as this bird (likely a juvenile male due to the lack of green in R2, which a female of any age ought to have). Obviously, these characteristics are pretty much impossible to observe in the field, so without taking a DNA sample and measurements in hand, you have to rely on photos. Fortunately, I was able to get one as it flew off, showing the tapered tip and confirming it as a Rufous. Check out this link for more info on this ID issue.


Cameo appearance from a junco:








Rufous Hummingbird
Kane Co, IL
November 14, 2014

This morning, I made the trip back up to East Dundee to see the bird again so Andrew and I could snag Buddy List bird #274. We were treated to some really nice looks.



Rufous Hummingbird
Kane Co, IL
November 14, 2014

After that we tried for the Kimball St. Harlequin Duck, another need for the Buddy List. We missed it somehow, which is frustrating because Scott saw it later in the day. But, we did have a very nice consolation prize in the form of a county lifer. Andrew suggested we check the north side of the bridge just to see if anything was over there, a great call on his part!

Andrew spotted an odd duck at rest on the western edge of the river. At first we could just see one white spot, but when it became apparent that this jet black duck had a white smudge on the front and back of its head, we started getting excited. Andrew put the scope on it - "Yep, Surf Scoter!" A great bird away from the lakefront, and even more exciting for it to be an adult male. These pics don't do it justice whatsoever. It did make a handsome combo with the nearby Hooded Mergansers.


Surf Scoter
Kimball St. Bridge, Kane Co, IL
November 15, 2014

We were confounded by the fact that this bird probably would have gone undetected had we not taken the little bit of extra effort to check the other side of the bridge. Crazy how birding goes sometimes. Apparently this guy had to fight for its life and fend off some feisty Bald Eagles later in the day; hopefully it's doing alright and will stick around the area for a little while.

How many more does Kane have left in it this year? Only time will tell.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

63rd St. Red Phalarope!

In an already remarkable year for Red Phalaropes in Illinois, yet another one showed up, this time on the lakefront. Just to recap, over the months of August, September, and November, they have been reported from Chautauqua NWR (where they're reported annually), Lake Carlyle, Horseshoe Lake, Gridley Wastewater Treatment ponds, Hennepin-Hopper (my lifer!), Greene Valley Forest Preserve, Kane County, and now Jackson Park in Cook County. Amazing.

Notorious one day wonders, this particular individual found something it liked in the algae beds along the 63rd St. Beach and decided to stay for four days! I had already decided when I woke up yesterday morning that if the bird was reported again that I would have to find the time to go for it. It just so happened that Scott was working downtown so I was able to pick him up on the way and we got to enjoy this spectacle together. Perhaps the most amazing fact is that this wasn't even a year bird for either of us, though we were both quite pleased with the county lifer! Cook bird #234 for me, making it my highest county ever.










Red Phalarope
63rd St. Beach, Cook Co, IL
November 11, 2014

And the good birds just keep coming! What will November turn up next???

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Early November Lake County Lifers

My November birding has been pretty minimal so far, with the exception of a couple quick trips up to Lake County, both of which have been quite productive. I've scrounged up nine county lifers between the two trips, with a couple particularly nice birds along the way.

November 1: Great Black-backed Gull and Harlequin Duck

After leaving the Gilson lakewatch on this Saturday morning, I headed north to Waukegan with hopes of finding some of the good birds that had been seen there recently. The Laughing Gull had left with the previous day's intense low pressure system, but the Harlequin had lingered for me. As I checked out the main pier by the beach, I noticed a group of Red-breasted Mergansers near the beach behind me. As they took off, a smaller bird in the group stood out; I got on it and snapped a couple pics to confirm it was a Long-tailed Duck! This was the first of the season for me, and even after seeing 60+ in one day in the county earlier in the year, I never tire of seeing these fantastic birds.

Long-tailed Duck with Red-breasted Merganser
Waukegan Lakefront, Lake Co, IL
November 1, 2014

Back in the harbor, I was escorted by a couple Snow Buntings along one of the piers.

Snow Bunting
Waukegan Lakefront, Lake Co, IL
November 1, 2014

The Harlequin hadn't been in its previously reported location, but I just had a sense that it was still lingering around. And sure enough, as I picked through a group of American Coots in a more sheltered area of the harbor, this little beauty stood out!



And here it is in flight with a Red-breasted Merganser:

Harlequin Duck
Waukegan Lakefront, Lake Co, IL
November 1, 2014

On a buddy list note, Andrew and I have now seen three of the same Harlequin Ducks in Illinois in the last year, but have not been able to see them together, so the Harly is becoming a bit of a buddy list nemesis for us!

While I was watching this bird, a large gull in flight caught my attention. Its size, white underparts, and large bill immediately struck me as fitting for a Great Black-backed Gull, so I stayed on it for a while. By the time I realized that it wasn't going to bank and come back, it was already a ways away, so my photos are low quality. Even though I was leaning towards Great Black-backed, my limited experience with this species caused me some hesitance in pulling the trigger, but after posting on the North American Gulls Facebook Group, the feedback was overwhelmingly in support of it being a Great Black-backed! I feel like I am slowly but surely, but mainly slowly, getting a little more comfortable with gulls. Being so connected to online communities of experts has definitely played a huge role in this, in addition to just getting out and spending some time working with the birds in the field.


Great Black-backed Gull
Waukegan Lakefront, Lake Co, IL
November 1, 2014

November 7: Red-necked Grebe

Yesterday, Andrew and I met up for the morning to bird along the Lake County lakefront. The view from Waukegan at sunrise was breathtaking, and a flyby Peregrine Falcon was my first county tick of the day.

Waukegan Lakefront, Lake Co, IL
November 7, 2014

We headed to North Point Marina, where our main target for the day couldn't have been easier to find. As we drove along the entrance road, a single waterfowl was sitting out in plain sight. I put my binoculars up as Andrew drove along, and he asked "Is that the Red-necked Grebe?"

"Yep."



And here it is with a Common Goldeneye flying by:

Red-necked Grebe
North Point Marina, Lake Co, IL
November 7, 2014

This makes six different counties that I've had Red-necked Grebes in this year: DeWitt, Will, Cook, Coles, Massac, and now Lake - not something I anticipated accomplishing!

Other new county birds at North Point Marina included American Pipit, Rusty Blackbird, and Sharp-shinned Hawk. The other county birds for me were less exciting waterfowl that I should have already had by this point, but considering that I don't actually get up to Lake too often, my current list of 141 isn't too bad.

Here's a couple fun shots of Horned Grebes that I managed too. You don't get to see them in flight too often, so that was a treat.


Horned Grebe
North Point Marina, Lake Co, IL
November 7, 2014

Horned Grebe
Waukegan Lakefront, Lake Co, IL
November 7, 2014

Lake County is now the 12th Illinois county in which I've seen over 100 species this year. Good birding!

Friday, November 7, 2014

A Couple Important October Highlights: ABA #500 and #501

Before getting too deep into November, I need to go back and recap two important birds from October - one expected, one unexpected. I had a couple other excellent days of birding in October, but I'll post those at a later time.

#500 - Harris's Sparrow

I had been sitting on 499 for the ABA year list for almost three weeks, and in the meantime I had been scouring every zonotrichia flock for a Harris's. Then, the morning of October 15, David Johnson's report of one at Lurie Garden popped up on my phone. Wednesdays are one of my busiest days of the week, but it just so happened that this week a couple of my meetings had been rescheduled for another day. My sliver of time was still minimal though; an uncooperative bird or a hiccup in the traffic and I would be running late. Scott and Andrew were both able to go for the bird too, so I decided I couldn't pass up the opportunity. After checking Google Maps to assess the traffic situation, I was off.

I arrived at Lurie shortly before Scott, and we had been walking around less than ten minutes when up popped our bird! Andrew joined the fun, making this the first time we had actually all been together since our 145 species, record-breaking Kane County Big Day back in May, which feels like an eternity ago. I was really happy to get to share this milestone bird and moment with them.










Harris's Sparrow
Lurie Garden, Cook Co, IL
October 15, 2014

And with that, my goals of hitting 300 for Illinois and 500 for the ABA in 2014 were in the bag!

501 - Lark Bunting

Much to my delight, two days later a Lark Bunting showed up at Montrose. I had been out birding earlier in the day, and news of this bird was confirmed while I was in a meeting back on campus. With the afternoon free ahead of me, I raced down to Montrose. I searched the dunes fruitlessly for a little while, concerned that the wind may keep birds down. I joined up with Matthew Cvetas when he arrived, and we eventually came upon a small flock of Savannah Sparrows. When they flushed, one bird stood out as different, and we both got on it to see the white wing patches of the Lark Bunting! It flew to the pier where we watched it. Andrew then arrived so we were able to add this fantastic bird to our buddy list. After tracking it down for a picture (though not a decent one, as you can see), we let it be.

Lark Bunting
Montrose, Cook Co, IL
October 17, 2014

The Lark Bunting was a completely unexpected bird, both for my Illinois and ABA list this year, what a sweet bonus!

A Long Time in Coming.

I definitely won't be setting any records with my Illinois Big Year this year, but I may just be the first person who was ever seen 306 birds in the state in a year BEFORE getting a Pine Siskin. Last year was a terrible winter finch year, and siskins were basically nowhere to be found after January 1. So, it was with a chuckle that I finally added this bird to my year list on October 18 at Greene Valley Forest Preserve in DuPage.

I haven't added an Illinois bird since the siskin, and as I sit here at 307 there are still a few possibilities. Common Redpoll and Northern Saw-whet Owl come to mind. I'll be making a trip back down to try for the Prairie Falcons which did not cooperate earlier in the year, either time I tried. Barn Owl is looking like less and less of possibility. Northern Goshawk? California Gull? Black-legged Kittiwake? Purple Sandpiper? Pacific Loon? Either crossbill? Spotted Towhee? Varied Thrush?

The possibilities are endless; the probabilities are few. I feel pretty good about 310 at this point, and 315 would require a crazy November, which Illinois has been known to produce before. It should be an exciting end to the year!

List totals:

ABA 2014: 504
Illinois 2014: 307

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Indiana Lakewatch: Sabine's and Parasitic and Pomarine, Oh My!

Halloween 2014 will go down as one of my most memorable days of birding. Ever. In a year of seemingly unending highlights, this one stands out, and I have to put it in writing while it's still fresh.

Throughout last week, birders were discussing the low pressure system that would be coming on Friday - would it be perfect for birds, or would the conditions be too extreme? Can birds even fly in these sorts of winds?


After a bit of deliberating, noticing that the more severe conditions wouldn't occur until late morning, discussing it on Facebook, and scrounging up enough layers for the first truly cold conditions of the season, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to go for it, setting aside the Illinois year list for the day in hopes of adding something to the ABA list.

Turns out birds do indeed fly in this stuff.

I arrived at 7:20 am, encouraged to see a small group of Indiana birders already lined along the east side of Carmella's Cafe, trying to utilize what little windbreak was available while still being able to scan the lake (the latter being more important than the former). I donned gloves, hat, ear muffs and coat, and as I marched up to the line I took great solace in the fact that I was not the only idiot crazy enough to want to know what birds do on a day such as this. I planted my scope, and together we scanned and waited.

This was my morning view, while the winds were only 20-30mph:


It wasn't long before we picked out a jaeger on horizon. It was way too far out to identify, as were the next two that flew by, but the mere presence of jaegers seemed promising.

Before any more excitement with the larger birds, a flyby Red-necked Phalarope right along the beach stirred up the group and gave us some momentum.

The next person - and last, at least for a long while - to join the crew was Amar, and not surprisingly, the madness started unfolding not long after he arrived. Someone called out that they had an interesting small gull approaching, and as we all shuffled to get on it, the striking tricolored dorsal "M" of a SABINE'S GULL emerged from behind the breakers. Though the looks were rather quick and interspersed with trying to anticipate where the bird would again appear, it was actually fairly close to shore, and that unmistakable black/white/slate gray pattern had already made the day worth its while, as it had been over a decade since I had seen a Sabine's - and this was ABA #502 for the year!

Amar had of course come prepared with plenty of bread to keep the gulls happy, so on a couple occasions he and I forsook the shelter of the quasi-windbreak and ran down to the beach to chum, where a rather humorous scene unfolded. It turns out, opening packages of bread with gloves on is, well, about as difficult as it might sound. Throw in 30-40mph winds, a consistent spray from the lake, the necessary attention to the tide in order to keep from getting completely drenched, as well as the birder's never ceasing awareness of the actual birds flying around, and you have a bit of an interesting situation, which in this case was only further complicated by the (seemingly intuitive) fact that throwing sliced bread into strong headwinds is quite, quite difficult. Nevertheless, the waves eventually started picking up the bread at our feet and taking it back to the surf, piece by piece, where the swelling flock of Ring-bills, Herrings, and Bonaparte's indicated that our seemingly futile endeavors would pay dividends. In the midst of it all, Amar commented that any jaeger worth its salt would be making a pass at a group of gulls like this.

Here was the view from down on the beach:


Not long after, while we were back scoping with the rest of the group, two jaegers were spotted to the east. They were fairly close to shore and moving our way, so Amar and I ran back down to beach, resisted by the ever increasing winds off the lake. We locked in on the birds which were barreling our way and alternated between watching through the binoculars and trying to get pictures, both of which were difficult to accomplish as steadiness of hand was greatly challenged by the conditions. But, the pics were good enough to show that this pair was a PARASITIC with my lifer POMARINE JAEGER!

Note on the Parasitic the pointed central rectrices extending a couple inches beyond the rest of the tail, plus the extensive white flash on the underwing.



Parasitic Jaeger
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

On its first pass, this was the best shot I got of the Pomarine; the waves tell the story of the weather.

Pomarine Jaeger
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

While watching these fly off, I spotted a second Sabine's Gull! Again it appeared only briefly above the waves, but it was close enough to give some great looks.

Thrilled by the jaegers and another Sabine's, we headed back to scope from the cafe area. It was only another 15 minutes before the jaegers returned from the east, but this time they had added a member to the group - another Parasitic! We scampered back down to the shore, steeled ourselves against the howling winds, and waited for the birds to make their pass again.

Note the difference in size between the Pomarine (on the right in all these photos) and the Parasitics. What a beast of a bird!





Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

Here are the two subadult Parasitics. The darker one appears to be the same bird from the previous round, and the new one is a light morph. Admittedly, the central rectrices and dainty size next to the Pomarine initially had us thinking these were Long-tails. But upon further discussion and review of the pics, it's quite clear that these are Parasitics: the central tail extensions are perfectly inbounds for Parasitic; while being slender, these birds still show more of a gut than a Long-tailed should; the white flash is more extensive than a near adult Long-tailed should have; and an interesting point that I found in Birds of Europe, the width of the base of the wing is equal to the width from the bottom of the wing to the tip of the tail (not including the central extensions), whereas a Long-tailed would have a narrower base of the wing - tough stuff to pick out when the bird is flying past in these conditions, so I'm grateful we were able to get diagnostic photos. The whole experience was a great reminder that an essential aspect of birding is maintaining a willingness to question yourself, reconsider your IDs, and maintain the humility to admit when you're wrong. This was a fantastic learning experience for me.









Parasitic Jaegers
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

Bulky, dark, and the double flash on the underwing made this lifer a little more of a straightforward ID.

So. Awesome.



Pomarine Jaeger
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

As these birds disappeared to the west, Amar mentioned that we'd have a hard time topping that.

And 15 minutes later, we did just that.

Jaegers were spotted again to the east, so we quickly repeated the drill of struggling our way down to the beach, for the fifth or sixth time by this point - any claim that birding is not an active hobby is pure rubbish! This time the winds were so strong that they blew the lake water further inland than before, creating a miniature river between the two dunes where Amar and I were perched and poised for our next jaeger encounter.

To our extreme delight, the group of jaegers had picked up a couple new friends and was now up to FIVE birds! A close look at the pics revealed that the top left bird was a new Parasitic, while the other four were Pomarine, an outstanding count!



Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

Equipped with more stealth and athleticism than the Seahawks' defense, the jaegers cut through the wind seemingly unfazed by the mounting gusts off the lake. Could they even be enjoying it? Surely they were as they loafed along, somehow simultaneously carefree yet in complete control. As I watched them pierce through the unrelenting gusts, I absolutely marveled, unable to think of a time in recent memory when the sheer coolness of a bird had so mesmerized me.

Here's the new Parasitic, which did not have any central tail extensions:

Parasitic Jaeger
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

I keyed in on the Pomarines as they came closer, capturing all four together, and getting some actually decent shots of a couple that came particularly close - the kind of shots I figured I would only ever get on a pelagic trip off one of the coasts someday. The wing flash, the barred rump, the squared off central rectrices - it all gets me giddy all over again just looking through these shots.








Pomarine Jaegers
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

Appropriately, my final shots of this group are some of the most dramatic of the whole day - capturing in one frame these graceful creatures over turbulent waters, which together created one of the most amazing scenes I've ever taken in.


Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers
Marquette Park, Lake Co, IN
October 31, 2014

Here we are after the madness, back to work at the scopes, with enough adrenaline pumping to keep us warm for the next little while:


Amar, in his element, minus gulls:


All of this had happened by noon. And from that point on, conditions began to deteriorate. Rain showers increased in frequency. It hailed. It snowed. The predicted 40mph sustained winds developed, and at our location gusts reached 69mph at one point, which, just for reference, is only 5mph short of hurricane force winds.

After a couple hours of slower birding, with only one more pass from a Pomarine, the group dwindled down to just a few of us, and I decided to call it a day so that I wouldn't have to face traffic on the trip home after a physically demanding day - I was sore from my muscles being tensed up all day as I braced against the wind, and six days after the fact, the tips of two of my fingers are still bruised from slamming them in my tripod on a couple occasions, which I barely even noticed at the time because I could hardly feel my fingers for much of the day. Seven plus hours of standing in that kind of weather will do it to ya. Of course, it was all more than worth it.

Sabine's was 502, Pomarine 503, and Parasitic 504 for my ABA year list. And I can't wait for my next lakewatch.