Vaux's and Chimney Swifts - NMNH

Vaux's Swifts from above

Chimney Swifts from above

Chimney, note the longer tail and less contrasting rump. The wings are longer and the bird larger as well .

Vaux's, note the short tail and more contrasting rump.  This bird was mounted in an unnatural position with the wrists pulled back. 

Here's the two together.  Note the larger Chimney with the longer tail, and the smaller Vaux's with the shorter tail.  And the rump coloration, again more contrasty in the Vaux's.

Chimney Swifts from below

Larger Chimney, smaller Vaux's.  Not sure what subspecies these are, that may account for the browner coloration of the Vaux's. 

Christmas Mountains Oasis - Lucifer Hummingbird Haven!

Here's a link to Carolyn Ohl-Johnson's Christmas Mountains Oasis Blog. This private ranch and bird habitat is a magnet for desert birds and migrants moving through the area. Be sure to make arrangements in advance, as with so many private properties spontaneity will leave you on the wrong side of a locked gate. This site hosts many Lucifer Hummingbirds all summer.  These little gems are aggressive, and the chasing is non-stop.  An American Kestrel flew over and was chased by a mob. 

Varied Bunting is the other bird I associate with the site. The adult males are stunning purple, pink, and blue. You'd think they would be unmistakable, but I thought one was an adult male Brown-headed Cowbird. It was a quick naked-eye glimpse, but still... it's funny what the mind can do.

I was surprised to see this juvenal plumaged Varied Bunting, more because the drab plumage is a contrast to the adult male. Varied Buntings wag their long, rounded tails much like a Painted Bunting or a cuckoo clock. One of the best field marks for this drab plumage is the lack of field marks. I wish these transient plumages were better illustrated in modern field guides.  

Rose-throated Becard at Estero Llano Grande - June 13, 2012

Here are some snaps of the last time I saw the Rose-throated Becard at Estero Llano Grande State Park, on June 13. Here she is checking out her nest, a compact construction hanging high in a palm tree.

She spent a lot of time gleaning bugs off the tree trunk or from the old woodpecker holes.  It was hard to see what she was doing, but she ended up with a grub in her bill.  Note: she has only one tail feather, perhaps because of European Starlings pounding on her. 

I got a couple of snaps of her in flight, showing off that single ratty tail feather but more importantly the beautiful cinnamon wings.  You can see how rounded the wing shape is, and some interesting emarginations on the outer primaries. 

I've looked for her at high noon a couple of days since and haven't found her - and now she's been missing since July 1.  She's vanished before, who knows - she may turn up again in short order!

Thailand 3 - Nick Upton - Kaeng Krachen area - Water Drip Afternoon

I had two days free between the WINGS Spoon-billed Sandpiper extension and the Peninsular Thailand tour. I had arranged to go birding with Nick Upton of http://www.thaibirding.com at Kaeng Krachen, a national park on the Burma border. Nick picked me up at 5 AM on March 2 and returned me to the airport hotel late on March 3. In between was a whirlwind trip that was a real highlight for the birds, food, and company. I wish I'd had another day.  I'll post more about Kaeng Krachen and Ban Maka when I get the chance.  Here's a collection of photos from the afternoon of March 2 at a water hole on private property with a blind nearby. We were the only ones in the blind and we were treated to a constant parade of birds and animals coming in to drink. Here's Nick (on the right) with the owner of the site.

Here's the hide, which is more expansive than it looked . There were several folding chairs on either side of the tunnel. We were fortunate to be the only ones present, as the animals were obviously aware of us.  Reservations are recommended, we were just plain lucky the blind was open.  The shade was welcome!

We had a constant circus of squirrels (Burmese Striped Squirrel, Gray-bellied Squirrel (below), Indo-Chinese Ground-Squirrel).

and this Northern Tree-Shrew. I was surprised at these size of these animals! A life family for me, the Tupaiidae - whether insectivores or primitive primates.

A pair of Streak-breasted Woodpeckers came in separately.

These Racket-tailed Treepies were comical! Something about those blue eyes, even without the bowing display. 

Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush

Black-crested Bulbul, the real bulbul extravaganza was on the Peninsular tour, but I got a headstart on some here.  Black-crested Bulbul was not an ID challenge.

Three bulbuls at the water hole - from left to right, Stripe-cheeked, Black-crested, Stripe-throated Bulbul.  At least these are the bright, colorful ones! This photo shows nearly the whole pond.  It was quite small compared to waterholes we make in the LRGV of Texas, but it was just as attractive to the wildlife. 

This stunning male Kalij Pheasant strolled out of the jungle.  It was hard to get the whole bird in the photo. What a stunning bird, what incredible plumage!

Several different Lesser Mouse Deer or Chevrotain came in to drink. 

Note the fangs peeking out from the lower lip.  Not much defense when the whole animal is the size of a large Chihuahua. This one has been in a fight - note the cuts on the back. 

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, showing off its long, twisted tail feathers.  The tips were in constant motion  in the breezeas this bird waited its turn in the water!  I'm surprised the birds didn't splash all the water out. 

White-crested Laughingthrush.  I was surprised how shy the Laughingthrushes were as a group, and how social. They normally arrived in droves and stayed until all had a turn in the water. 

Emerald Dove, one of my favorites from Australia is also found here.

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

Bar-backed Partridge - the scattered grain was a bigger attractant than the water, or so it seemed. 

This Yellow-throated Marten was one of the highlights of the afternoon. It came out of the shadows to drink, watching us as it approached the water each time.

Another highlight, a Scaly-breasted Partridge that strolled into the clearing. Unlike the Bar-backed flock, the Scaly-breasted Partridge came in alone. We did well on the gallinaceous birds. This was one of the first birds to come in. 

The roadside sign for the hide.   You'd never find it if you didn't know it was there! Don't ask me where it's located - ask Nick Upton, or the owners at Ban Maka. I had to guess at the location in eBird, let me know if you know which road it's on. 

Presidio and Salt Cedar May 29, 2012

The Presidio BBS route begins at the intersection of TX 67 and TX 170 and follows TX 170 NW along the Rio Grande. The route has thickets of salt cedar or tamarisk along the Rio Grande that have been killed off by a salt cedar leaf beetle (Diorhabda sp.). These salt cedar thickets had high species diversity with a lot of insectivores and Neotropical migrant birds and were always active until the salt cedar was killed by the beetles.The salt cedar in the photo below is the brown line at the base of the hills, just in front of the white buildings on the south side of the river. 

Here's an area where the salt cedars come closer to the road.  These thickets were monocultures of salt cedar with no other vegetation.  The salt cedar tracked the river closely. 

Short term, these areas of dead salt cedars seemed to perhaps have more woodpeckers than before the trees died.  Long term avian population changes will depend on restoration of riparian vegetation and recovery of the natural vegetation. 

Portions of the salt cedar were burned, and these areas were very quiet.  I'll be interested to compare the data for this BBS route as the area recovers and vegetation fills in where the salt cedars were present.  

Rose-throated Becard at Estero Llano Grande

The Rose-throated Becard that has been playing hide-and-seek with birders at Estero Llano Grande State Park since November 2011 is now ridiculously easy to watch. The Becard is building a nest in a palm tree in the Tropical Zone. The flowering palm provides the base for her large woven nest, and she makes frequent trips to the nest during the day trailing nest material. Unfortunately she's unmated, but other female Rose-throated Becards have built a nest and spent a lot of time incubating even though the eggs are infertile. Where are all those males that were present other years?