June Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - June, 2008 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Monday, June 30, 2008

Sunday, June 1, 2008
Out again today with Rob and Ray for another bout of target birding in several Santa Cruz County locations. Despite the fact that It was another super warm day to get June underway (it's almost time to point the Blue Trogon north), we had excellent results and only missed one target species.

Although I'd planned to leave THICK-BILLED KINGBIRD until the end of the day, a perched bird visible from highway 82 as we drove by Patagonia Roadside Rest area changed that. A brief stop soon produced good views of a couple of birds near the picnic table. This was just as well because the heat was stifling when we returned to Patagonia in the afternoon.

We didn't need to spend much time at Patagonia Lake to find BOTTERI'S and RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROWS along the entrance road; ditto for a softly calling NORTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET foraging in mesquites at the main trailhead.

The early success with targets allowed us the luxury of a quick look at the water. Species of note were a lingering female COMMON MERGANSER (only my second June record anywhere in SE AZ); 2 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS and 3 BLACK-NECKED STILTS. Other species at the state park included WHITE-THROATED SWIFT (uncommon here); a migrant WARBLING VIREO and a VARIED BUNTING singing on territory.

We arrived at Kino Springs at 7:15am, much earlier than I normally get here when first visiting Patagonia Lake. Consequently, it was still cool and pleasant and bird activity was high. Our main target was TROPICAL KINGBIRD and it didn't take long to find an obvious bird, singing and foraging from the snags on the island at the small club house pond.

Of note in the same location was a migrant WILLOW FLYCATCHER, located by its fitz-bew song. The bird was quite secretive and difficult to see well. My personal records don't really reflect the "uncommon to common" migrant status assigned to this species. I have 34 records in 13 of 16 years; 6 in spring, 28 in fall. These are low numbers for such a high abundance level, especially considering the amount of time that I spend in the field. Also of note was a lone WHITE-FACED IBIS on the large club house pond. Although this is a common migrant throughout SE AZ, I've only seen it 7 times in 7 different years at Kino Springs so I'll go out on a limb and call it scarce at this location.

We dipped on Gilded Flicker (our only miss of the day). While Kino certainly isn't a prime location for this species, I have recorded them as a breeder here in 4 of 16 years. Among the 36 species that we noted on a brief visit were 2 BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS, BLACK VULTURE, several GRAY HAWKS, COMMON GROUND-DOVE, BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER and VARIED BUNTING.

Our next destination was Madera Canyon to look for "Flameboy" and Elegant Trogon. Both birds took way more time than I expected to locate but we ended up with excellent views. [I'd much rather look for trogons in the Huachucas but current policy means no entry for foreign nationals.]

We reached Madera Kubo at 9:30am. I started listening for the tanager slightly up canyon while the guys spent some time at the feeders. It wasn't until after 10:30pm that the FLAME-COLORED TANAGER first put in an appearance. Although the bird was detected by song, it certainly wasn't the song that I expected. Over the years, the only song that I've heard the bird sing is comprised of three very loud, fairly slow and quite "burry" notes, repeated often. Today the bird was singing four to five note phrases that were much quieter and included some definite clear notes, far less raspy overall. In fact, quite reminiscent of  Summer and Hepatic Tanager songs. The location was a little higher up canyon than recent sightings (about 20 yards higher up than the "yellow tank" that is above "big rock". The bird didn't stick around very long and offered poor views before flying away even further up canyon. Fortunately, it returned a little after 11:00am and was easily located by its "normal" song that can easily be heard from a distance. Great views this time. The bird was present and singing loudly at 1:30pm as we drove back down canyon after a jaunt up the Vault Mine Trail.

While waiting for the tanager to arrive, we pursued a calling ELEGANT TROGON from just above the tanager spot almost to Chuparosa Inn. Unfortunately, the bird easily gave us the slip which meant that, after finally seeing the tanager, a hike up the Vault Mine Trail was in our future. This certainly wasn't something that I looked forward to on a warm day. However, it did pay off well with excellent views of a first summer male trogon (red on belly not fully developed).

Among the species that entertained us during the tanager vigil and on the trail were several ARIZONA WOODPECKERS, CANYON WREN (singing and close to the road); PLUMBEOUS, HUTTON'S & WARBLING VIREOS, PAINTED REDSTART, HEPATIC TANAGER and HOODED & SCOTT'S ORIOLES.

We finished up in Paton's yard where there was very little hummingbird action in the heat of the afternoon. Even so, the usually reliable VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRDS put in several appearances. We stayed for about 30 minutes and recorded about as many species including a pair of GAMBEL'S QUAIL with only two tiny youngsters (quite a big loss already); EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, INCA DOVE, a constantly calling but never visible YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT; several SUMMER TANAGERS, ABERT'S TOWHEE, BLUE GROSBEAK and BRONZED COWBIRD.

Noteworthy on the drive home was a ZONE-TAILED HAWK in the Sonoita grasslands on highway 82 near the Las Cienegas south entrance. This is not a location where you would typically expect to see this species. However, they nest near the ranch headquarters which is barely 5 miles away as the hawk flies.

This was my last scheduled day of client work until July and its almost time for my annual June getaway. The heat of the past two days has certainly been a timely reminder of why I do this! More than likely, I won't leave town for a week or so and journal updates won't resume until I hit the road.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Road trip Day 1: AZ-NM-OK-TX-KS; Trip List: 46
Today I hit the road a little later than is the norm for my June escapes. Most years, I leave town too early and end up returning before the monsoon season starts. Although there have been a few signs that the monsoon may start early this year (some afternoon cloud build up in recent days), it's been pretty warm and the expected high in Sierra Vista today was 103 degrees. A good day to be leaving; I expect to return after the July 4th holiday.

I broke up the outbound journey into three segments and today I traveled 780 miles to Liberal Kansas. Much of the journey was through new Mexico, first along I-10 to Las Cruces then generally northeast into the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma. I left home at 4:00am so that I could spend an hour at Willcox starting at sunrise. There wasn't any slack in my day for birding elsewhere. Gee, you think!

Early conditions at Willcox were, dare I say it -- pleasant. However, I would not have wanted to be here later in the day.  Ironically, now that all the northbound shorebirds have passed through, habitat is starting to appear as the water level drops slightly. Obviously, with only an hour to work with I couldn't turn over every rock looking for birds so I only found the obvious stuff. None were more obvious than 2 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS (I have a few June records at this location). BLUE-WINGED TEAL is also somewhat regular here in June and today I found two pairs along with one male CINNAMON TEAL. At least 5 REDHEADS (3 males) and a continuing female PINTAIL were the only other ducks of note. I saw 3 EARED GREBES, 4+ adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS. 4 BLACK-NECKED STILTS and over 50 AMERICAN AVOCETS. The only shorebirds that I saw were 39 WILSON'S PHALAROPES; all were females presumably heading back south, job done. SCALED QUAIL were common around the periphery of the main pond. 29 species in all.

The temperature was already high as I drove through southern New Mexico (106 was the expected high today in Las Cruces). Northern NM was a little cooler and I encountered a cooling, albeit brief, rain in Santa Rosa. The Texas panhandle was pretty wild -- dark skies, windy and wet (although I think that I just missed the worst of it). The Oklahoma Panhandle was calmer, brighter and dry. RING-NECKED PHEASANTS were roadside in TX and OK. However, roadside birds were generally few and far between throughout the day. Obviously, raptors are the most conspicuous birds while driving at high speed and SWAINSON'S HAWK was the most numerous raptor that I noted. Mourning Dove & Western Kingbird were the only species that I noted in each of the five states that I passed through.

46 species recorded:
Eared Grebe, Am. White Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Mallard, N. Pintail, Blue-winged & Cinnamon Teal; N. Shoveler, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, Turkey Vulture, N. Harrier, Swainson's & Red-tailed Hawks; Am. Kestrel, Scaled Quail, Ring-necked Pheasant, Am. Coot, Black-necked Stilt, Am. Avocet, Killdeer, Wilson's Phalarope, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning & White-winged Doves; Common Nighthawk, Say's Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Horned Lark, Cliff & Barn Swallows; N. Mockingbird, Am. Robin, Chihuahuan & Common Ravens; European Starling, House Sparrow, House Finch, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern & Western Meadowlarks; Common & Great-tailed Grackles.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Road trip Day 2: KS-NE-SD; Trip List: 70 (+24)
Today was another travel day as I moved on from Liberal, KS to Yankton, SD (a distance of 610 miles including a few detours). The day began cloudy, cool and windy in Liberal; then it was mostly blue skies and windy through much of Kansas and Nebraska (less windy in northern Nebraska); warm and partly cloudy when I reached Yankton at 8:00pm. Many years ago I remember getting a speeding ticket in Dodge City. Today I stopped there for gas and I'm pleased to say that I got the hell out of Dodge without a ticket (where the hell does that expression come from?). A very brief report follows.

The most common roadside species today were DICKCISSEL and COMMON GRACKLE.

I only made one "official" birding stop and that was at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend, KS. This is obviously not the best time of year to be here but, hey, I was passing by so I said "what the hell". I didn't focus much on the water areas and spent my time on landbirds despite the midday hour. Highlights for me were the eastern species that I only see once a year if I'm lucky. In particular I enjoyed RED-HEADED WOODPECKER even though the bird refused to come out of the shade; GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, a singing BROWN THRASHER, several raucous and obnoxious BLUE JAYS (amazingly, I still haven't managed to photograph one!); lots of BALTIMORE ORIOLES and a couple of ORCHARD ORIOLES.

Many COMMON NIGHTHAWKS and CHIMNEY SWIFTS were active in Yankton as darkness fell. I wasn't very active at all.

Thursday, June 19, 2008
Road trip Day 3: SD-MN; Trip List: 76 (+6)
Today was the third and final travel day of the initial Minnesota phase of the trip. I moved on from Yankton, SD to Grand Rapids, MN and covered a distance of 460 miles. It was mostly a blue sky and pretty white clouds kind of day; breezy in places. Summer is almost here and I think it is celebrated a little more in these parts than it is back in AZ. Another very brief report today.

COMMON GRACKLE was again the most common roadside bird but they gave way to RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD in Minnesota. DICKCISSEL numbers diminished considerably.

The only non-roadside birding today was down by the dam on the Missouri River near Yankton. Even this was brief since I wanted to get to my destination in Minnesota at a reasonable hour. No real birds of note. A few BLACK TERNS were below the dam and I noted a few passerines on the Nebraska side including an EASTERN KINGBIRD building a nest.

Friday, June 20, 2008
Road trip Day 4: Minnesota; Trip List: 104 (+28)
Today was my first full day of birding in Minnesota on this trip; and the start of my fifth visit to the state. I've made three previous birding trips (5 days in June 1996; 4 days in February 1997; 2 days in June 1997); and a vacation trip almost 30 years ago in another life. On this trip I wanted to avoid Duluth and I decided to stay in Grand Rapids in Itasca County. My birding focus in St. Louis County is the Sax-Zim bog and the distance from Grand Rapids is about the same as from Duluth -- and I don't have to hassle with that city's traffic. A secondary aspect that impacted my decision was that I can easily bird in adjacent Cass County and it's more convenient when I move on to Roseau County in a couple of days.

Although I would have preferred an early start this morning, much-needed sleep took precedence and I started birding quite late. I followed up on several recent reports of CONNECTICUT WARBLER in three separate locations in the Sax-Zim bog area and was somewhat successful. I detected birds singing deep in the bog at two of three locations that I tried, but I only managed a very brief look at one individual. Other species seen in the bog during 5 hours of warbler effort included a pair of BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS at a nest site with noisy youngsters; several YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS and adult & juvenile GRAY JAYS. Incidentally, mosquitoes were not a major problem.

I also enjoyed several WILSON'S SNIPE sightings sitting high atop trees and, in one case, an adult with three chicks in tow walking across the road. While they are regular in SE AZ as a migrant and in winter, I don't get these types of sightings. BOBOLINK has a great song and I never tire of seeing and hearing them on my forays away from Arizona.

In the evening, I followed up on a report of a Great Gray sighting from this morning, well away from the traditional locations (where recent pickings have been slim) and reasonably close (40 miles) from where I'm staying. I've seen them before in Minnesota and California but that was before I owned a camera. Tired as I was, I invested the time, effort and gas money to make the journey. Lo and behold, I arrived at the spot (on CR 73 south of Hibbing) to find this GREAT GRAY OWL sitting exactly where advertised. The owl flew off before I could recover my composure enough to take a photo but it returned to the same perch several times between hunting forays. The light was quite poor as dusk approached (especially in a roadside ditch sheltered by trees) but I tried my luck anyway (when have I not). I managed a useable image despite a slow shutter speed. Photographing the owl was one of only two serious objectives for this trip so I suppose I should be pleased. What an awe inspiring bird! However, it's certainly not the shot I was hoping for in terms of the perch, pose and image quality. Perhaps I can come across another photo opportunity in Roseau County next week. Give me the sun and I still want the moon.

Saturday, June 21, 2008
Road trip Day 5: Minnesota; Trip List: 115 (+11)
After yesterday's late start and poor result, I wanted to wanted to make sure that time of day wasn't an issue for Connecticut Warbler. Therefore, despite the fact that I had a late night, I hit the road at 4:30am this morning for a fairly short drive west to Cass County. I once again followed up on a recent warbler report; this time from the Tamarack bog on CR 135.

The early start plus sunny and calm conditions didn't translate into success. In fact, my results were more disappointing than yesterday when I at least had a glimpse of a bird. For the first hour today I didn't even hear a CONNECTICUT WARBLER. However, over a period of 2.5 hours I heard at least four individuals, all too far away to consider approaching through the mosquito infested bog. In contrast to yesterday, mosquitoes were a significant problem today. Bottom line: I'm still not happy with my warbler results.

After a sit down breakfast (a rare treat for me, such decadence), I spent the rest of my morning peedling around some of the lakes in Cass County. I was more in tourist mode than birding. Lots of people and very little birdlife on most of the lakes that I looked at. The only species of note was COMMON TERN at Leech Lake where it is a local breeder (one of the things that I learned today). I also learned that despite the high cost of gas, the speed limit is way too low for most drivers. It's a wonder that people are still able to stand up and walk (since they keep shooting themselves in the foot -- thought I'd better explain in case it was too deep).

Sunday, June 22, 2008
Road trip Day 6: Minnesota; Trip List: 131 (+16)
Today I moved on from Grand Rapids and traveled to Roseau in the northwest part of Minnesota, a distance of about 200 miles. I also managed to get a reasonable amount of birding done in Lake of the Woods County and in Roseau County (plus some exploring in Roseau County). By the time I was done I'd been in the field for 15 hours and traveled 360 miles. Yikes, think of the gas money (I'd rather not). Another fine weather day -- mostly sunny as all days in Minnesota have been so far. Just a tad too warm for my liking but I don't think the locals are complaining.

I tried to stay off the main highways as much as possible and worked my way northwest by zig-zagging on the county roads through some very pleasant meadow and forest habitats. Lots of roadside birds, a few of which were a stately perched NORTHERN HARRIER, YELLOW-BELLIED, ALDER & LEAST (common) FLYCATCHERS; WINTER WREN with its bubbly and long drawn out song, OVENBIRD (teacher-teacher-teaching me wherever there was a stand of habitat -- which is almost everywhere!); SAVANNAH SPARROW (abundant wherever I have been) and the always delightful BOBOLINK.

The Bankton Forest Road (Beltrami Island State Forest) in Lake of the Woods county was quite an interesting and productive drive. A stop at the Archie Thurston Homestead (1916) was very pleasant (apart from the insects). This is a nice open area in the woods adjacent to the Rapid River. It makes me wonder how people managed to live in the woods all those years ago without the convenience of bug juice. Birds included YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (I had great fun learning how the bird learned to outwit me as I tried for a photo); PILEATED WOODPECKER, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, EASTERN PHOEBE, AMERICAN REDSTART (fairly common) and NASHVILLE WARBLER (very common).

In Roseau County, I scouted the Thompson State Forest Road  (Beltrami Island State Forest) where I plan to go in the morning. It was quiet in the heat of the afternoon but I added a few more birds for the day including PINE WARBLER and INDIGO BUNTING. A stop in Warroad yielded a few birds and lots of people enjoying the lake (of the woods) on a Sunday afternoon. FRANKLIN'S GULLS and PURPLE MARTINS were new for the trip.

After a break, I ventured out again in the late afternoon. I started just northwest of Roseau in a boggy area (flooded fields, really) that is part of a state wildlife area. Here I found a gurgling AMERICAN BITTERN; AMERICAN BLACK DUCK in with lots of MALLARDS; 5 SANDHILL CRANES, untold numbers of calling SORAS; a couple of sleepy looking BONAPARTE'S GULLS sitting in the road enjoying the afternoon sun; a few BLACK TERNS and plenty of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

I then cruised around the fields checking roadside ditches while waiting for night to fall. Additional species included BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, SEDGE WREN, CLAY-COLORED & LE CONTE'S SPARROWS and BOBOLINK. The latter four species were all singing and within earshot at the same time. Great views of Le Conte's.

Great Gray Owl was the only bird that I specifically looked for today. I was hoping to improve on the image from a couple of days ago but my evening foray on highway 310 wasn't successful (I also failed here on a previous trip). However, tonight I perhaps quit too soon because it stays dark quite late and I needed some sleep!

Monday, June 23, 2008
Road trip Day 7: Minnesota; Trip List: 145 (+14)
This morning I headed out before sunrise to the Thompson State Forest Road (that I scouted yesterday), where I had every intention of working to find Connecticut Warbler. Unfortunately, it wasn't the quiet road that I saw yesterday. It didn't take long for the logging trucks to become active and there was a reasonable amount of other traffic as well. Apart from the noise and general disturbance when trying to listen intently, I was blasted with dust by every passing vehicle. Definitely not fun. I very soon lost interest in finding the warbler and started to enjoy whatever birds I came across.

I was entertained by numerous common eastern species that are pretty fresh and exciting for me since I don't see them very often. This EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE insisted on coming very close to me and begging to have its photo taken. It must have figured "I've got a sucker here, nobody usually takes the time too look at me". I also took the time to stop and look at a one of the many singing RED-EYED VIREOS (of which I've heard hundreds over the past few days). Among the other species seen along the road when I wasn't dodging logging trucks and mosquitoes were my first RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD of the trip; YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, LEAST FLYCATCHER, BROWN THRASHER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, MOURNING WARBLER, PINE WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, lots of OVENBIRDS and NASHVILLE WARBLERS; ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK and INDIGO BUNTING.

After a couple of hours I moved on to nearby Hayes Lake State Park, a very nice spot that I had to myself for several hours. I spent the time working on getting a few images, particularly of YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. After my recent failed efforts, I figured out how to deal with these suckers. A pair of birds were busy gathering food to take to youngsters (I never found the nest). I soon learned their foraging habits and managed a few shots. The above image wasn't the best that I obtained but it was the most interesting (a bird on the ground gathering bugs). Here's a more typical YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER image of a bird on a tree trunk.

While working on the sapsuckers, I heard the loud calls and drumming of a PILEATED WOODPECKER. Later, I was able to photograph male and female high atop a tree and a juvenile poking its head out of the nest cavity. They are certainly Impressive birds that I haven't seen much since my days living in Washington. All the images presented me with photographic challenges, especially the nest location where the sun was blasting right at me. The adult images are large and are best viewed using

I enjoyed a number of other species in the state park including DOWNY & HAIRY WOODPECKERS, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, EASTERN KINGBIRD, a few CEDAR WAXWINGS, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, AMERICAN REDSTART, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER and numerous brightly colored AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES.

I played tourist for a while and had lunch in Warroad overlooking Lake of the Woods. FRANKLIN'S & RING-BILLED GULLS were the only birds on the lake from the Lake Street vantage point.

Back in Roseau, I worked the meadows and ditches where I was able to see the expected species including SEDGE WREN, CLAY-COLORED & LE CONTE'S SPARROWS and BOBOLINK.

A mid afternoon check of Roseau sewage pond was productive. I counted no less than 120 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, perhaps more beyond the dike that limited my view. 3 RING-BILLED GULLS may have had an inferiority complex. Ducks were plentiful with the most interesting (to me) being a pair of CANVASBACKS, 15+ REDHEADS, 2 female COMMON GOLDENEYES, a male BUFFLEHEAD and 4 female HOODED MERGANSERS. The only shorebirds were 20+ MARBLED GODWITS, a lone LESSER YELLOWLEGS and a handful of female WILSON'S PHALAROPES.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Road trip Day 8: Minnesota; Trip List: 149 (+4)
Today I spent the morning birding in the immediate area of Roseau then moved on a short distance to Thief River Falls, a straight line distance of only 54 miles. However, the Blue Trogon rarely travels in a straight line. I spoke too soon about all those sunny days -- this morning was very cloudy and cool. It was still dark when I headed out at 4:30am but I could tell there had been some overnight rain.

I went out early to take a final crack at another Great Gray Owl photo opportunity. Highway 310 from Roseau to the Canadian border is only about 10 miles and the last 3 miles or so are bordered by boreal forest. The last couple of miles before the border are reputed to be reliable for the owl. However, I'm now 0 for 3 in this location. I'm sure a second person would help because it's difficult to adequately scan both sides of the road; I simply cruised slowly up and down. Since the border doesn't open until 8:00am, this stretch of road is traffic free and a great birding location. Many species were singing this morning.

Although I didn't get the photo opportunity that I was looking for, I did get a reward for dragging my weary ass out of bed. As I cruised along, I saw a lump in the gloom that wasn't there the last time I drove by. I drove closer and closer and closer until, whoa! -- SPRUCE GROUSE. I backed up and maneuvered the vehicle so that I could setup the camera equipment shielded from the grouse. I didn't want to lose the opportunity so I stepped outside unprotected and was soon being bitten to death by mosquitoes. I wish I had known that I would have had time for coffee and doughnuts. Over the next 30 minutes the grouse tried to outwit me while still remaining on the edge of the road. Eventually, it just got on with its business and in the end I drove away and left it still feeding. Although the bird was clearly aware of me, it was generally tolerant and behaved similarly to Dusky Grouse in Arizona.

You simply wouldn't know it from the resulting image, but the light was really poor (shutter speed 1/60s). I recently invested in some camera support equipment (Gitzo tripod, RRS ballhead and Wimberley Sidekick). This stuff costs a fortune but it showed its worth this morning. There's no way I could have hand-held my 400mm lens and camera and obtained this type of quality at 1/60s. Fortunately, I was very close to the bird and was able to remove the 1.4X converter that I normally use, otherwise I would have needed an even slower speed.

Other birds along the highway included BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, BOREAL CHICKADEE and MOURNING WARBLER. 30 species in all just from the side of the road (most heard only).

Next, I moved to the southwest a few miles where the habitat is markedly different. We're talking meadows, wet ditches, flooded fields and the occasional pond with species such as AMERICAN BITTERN, SORA, MARBLED GODWIT, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SEDGE WREN, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, CLAY-COLORED, SAVANNAH and LE CONTE'S SPARROWS and BOBOLINK. Today I also picked up the first VESPER SPARROW of the trip.

I came across a group of BLACK TERNS working along a marshy ditch and tried my hand at getting an image. Ha! However, no raffle ticket means no prize. Although the light was against me and the birds never alighted, I managed to catch one in mid-hover. Definitely a "photo first" quality image though.

After a leisurely breakfast back in town, I returned to the same area and tried again with the terns without any real improvement. I moved on to sparrows. LE CONTE'S had been calling like crazy earlier in the morning but now I couldn't raise one. CLAY-COLORED were very responsive but I could never obtain an unobscured view. You see, that Murphy guy is always with me -- for every Spruce Grouse moment there's a hundred Le Conte's and Clay-colored moments.

I finally departed Roseau around midday with a definite tinge of regret. Although I won't return home for some time yet, today I started the swing west that marks my inevitable return to the heat of Arizona. I drove through the Twin Lakes wildlife area in Kittson County without seeing much. I added a few new species for the day such as GRAY CATBIRD, BROWN THRASHER, WARBLING VIREO, AMERICAN REDSTART and BALTIMORE ORIOLE. Just over the county border, back in Roseau County, I was able to add an adult BALD EAGLE to my fledgling list for that county.

I had planned to visit Agassiz National Wildlife Area today but I was completely beat and postponed it until tomorrow morning. I continued on to my overnight destination of Thief River Falls.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Road trip Day 9: MN-ND; Trip List: 153 (+4)
As I've mentioned before, just about every one of my jaunts has a day to forget. Today was that day (at least I hope there aren't any more like this ahead of me on the trip). The morning began well enough with a visit to Agassiz NWR in Marshall County. I then traveled northwest into North Dakota and that's where the rot set in. After getting stuck in the mud in a remote location, I was finally able to get underway and make it to my planned overnight destination of Bottineau.

Although I saw nothing spectacular at Agassiz NWR (my second visit here, the first was in 1997), a couple of casual hours produced almost 50 species. Morning viewing along CR 7 and the refuge auto route is difficult looking east almost the entire time. This is compounded by a lack of elevated viewing areas to see above the marsh vegetation alongside the road (there aren't even any pullouts). Among the species that I noted were many BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, a female BUFFLEHEAD with 8 chicks; SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, more FRANKLIN'S than RING-BILLED GULLS; BLACK TERN, LEAST, ALDER & GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, many SEDGE and the first MARSH WRENS of the trip, a few LE CONTE'S SPARROWS and BOBOLINK.

I've visited North Dakota several times now but the northeast corner was still a new area for me. Consequently, on this trip I decided to rectify that by checking out Pembina Gorge, a location where there is a fair amount of habitat not typical of the state. This is written up in "Birding North Dakota" by Dan Svingen and Ron Martin. An enhanced version of this publication will become a birdfinding guide for the state. It'll need a change.

My entry into North Dakota didn't start well but that had nothing to do with anyone but me. Paraphrasing Jimmy Buffet: "some people say there's a bird to blame -- but I know it's my own damn fault". I was low on gas and should have filled up while still in Minnesota. I said, "no, I can make it". Little did I know that road work would cause me some extra miles. I ended up running on fumes and I was extremely relieved to finally fill up in Pembina close to the border with Canada. At $3.98 it was the highest price that I've paid for gas so far on the trip. If I'd gassed up when I should have done in Minnesota it would have been $3.84. Bend over.

Still, this was only a precursor of what was to come. To cut a long story short, I took a road down to the Pembina River that I should never have taken. The irony is that I could probably have made it -- but instead of driving around a muddy rut, I went through it and got stuck with the back end elevated and no traction. I had to walk quite a long way uphill (of course) to call for help. I called AAA but the tow never came. I wasted 90 minutes waiting before finding out they had declined to provide service because of the location. After some frantic phone calls, I eventually found a friendly local guy who was as crazy as I was. He agreed to drive down the road which was certainly more difficult for him in his 1979 behemoth that weighed more than the proverbial ton. He made it down the hill and towed me the few feet necessary. The bottom line was that I lost a total of 5 hours and a few bucks for my indiscretion; and only gained a shit load of mud.

By the way, "mud road" is at the end of the route described on page 59 of the above mentioned publication. There's a sign at the top of the road that reads "bridge out 2 miles ahead, local traffic only". However, this didn't faze me because I had not planned to cross the river. I later learned from the guy who towed me that the locals simply placed the sign there to deter dorks like me because others before me have got stuck. Do not take this road!  I often say to clients that what I do is "not just a job, it's an adventure". I'm living the dream every damn day. This is what I meant when I said that the Blue Trogon rarely travels in a straight line.

Birds that I saw on the CR 55 approach route from Walhalla and on "mud road" included YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, ALDER, LEAST & GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, VEERY, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and EASTERN TOWHEE. The latter two were new for the trip. The Great Crested sighting was interesting -- I saw the bird on the road and thought that it was dead. However, it appeared that it was sunning itself, just laying prone with wings spread apart.

After getting back into town (Walhalla) and cleaning up a little, I headed west (130 miles, 2+ hours) to Bottineau where I have three nights scheduled. What should have been a leisurely drive with plenty of time to look at the many roadside ponds was just a straight drive. The only roadside birds that I positively identified at speed were NORTHERN HARRIER and BLACK TERN.  Lots of ducks were in the ponds but I didn't identify any of them! PURPLE MARTINS were vocal and active when I arrived in Bottineau.

Thursday, June 26, 2008
Road trip Day 10: North Dakota; Trip List: 155 (+2)
Clouds, thunder and rain greeted me this morning and I did an about turn as I was preparing to leave the motel at 6:00am. I took advantage of the conditions to catch up on emails and record keeping and didn't leave until 9:30am. By this time the rain had stopped and I could see blue sky as I drove into the Turtle Mountains (I use the word "mountains" loosely). However, even though they are not very high, the habitat they provide (which includes lots of oaks, aspens and many lakes) is radically different compared to the flatlands below. As I was leaving town, a PINE SISKIN was very unexpected.

This is my third visit to the Bottineau area and the Turtle Mountains. Some of you may remember my Philadelphia Vireo wild goose chase here in June 2005. Today I was pleased to enjoy the scenery and look at whatever birds came my way without worrying about finding anything specific. The wind picked up by midday so I only spent a few hours in the mountains. Common species throughout in appropriate habitat were FRANKLIN'S GULL, LEAST FLYCATCHER, CEDAR WAXWING, HOUSE WREN, RED-EYED VIREO, YELLOW WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, CLAY-COLORED, VESPER, SAVANNAH & SONG SPARROWS; BOBOLINK and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

I spent some time at Strawberry Lake where I picked up EASTERN PHOEBE, GRAY CATBIRD and OVENBIRD plus the common stuff. I saw RED-NECKED GREBES on several ponds but it wasn't until I spent some time at Pelican Lake that I had a fair chance for a photo. Even here I was a long way from the bird and working against the light. What else is new (but it beats being stuck in the mud). The pictured bird looks a little worse for wear. Appropriately, WHITE PELICANS were also at Pelican Lake.

In the evening, as skies looked threatening once again, I took a short drive around the fields south of town. New species for the day were SWAINSON'S & RED-TAILED HAWKS, NORTHERN FLICKER (Yellow-shafted), EASTERN KINGBIRD, HORNED LARK, CLIFF SWALLOW, SEDGE WREN and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. 30 species in all. It's interesting to see how birds that need trees can make a living in just a little bit of habitat wherever there are properties in the fields. Species such as BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, RED-EYED VIREO and YELLOW WARBLER. In the fields, VESPER SPARROWS far outnumbered SAVANNAH SPARROWS, quite a reversal as I've traveled west.

Friday, June 27, 2008
Road trip Day 11: North Dakota; Trip List: 160 (+5)
Today I visited J. Clark Salyer NWR, Lords Lake NWR and the Turtle Mountains. It was a weather impacted day, first by rain and then by wind.

Bottineau seemed to be right on the edge of a weather system this morning. I could see clear blue sky to the east and black clouds to the west. Rain began as soon as I left town and when I reached the Salyer refuge (near Upham in McHenry County, just 25 miles southwest of Bottineau), rain was persistent. I started birding at 7:00am and the rain didn't quit until 8:30am. Good, I thought, but Murphy said "not so fast" and an instant strong wind began and persisted for much of the day.

It was almost a red letter day, we'll call it a rose colored day. After god knows how many years of listening and looking, I actually heard a bloody BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. Wonders never cease. Now the bad news. The bird was calling from at least 0.5 mile away in an area that was fenced off and inaccessible. Unfortunately, I was unable to entice it closer and all that I did was cause it to stop calling. Nevertheless, progress has been made because now I know first hand that this species actually does exist. I may try again tomorrow as I make my way into Wyoming with an overnight stay in Montana to break up the journey.

Birding was tough going in the rain and you all know my feelings about wind. Apart from the cuckoo, highlights on the refuge were side by side EASTERN and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS (the latter being more numerous) and several singing and perched up GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS. In fact, it was when I stopped to look at the sparrows that I heard the cuckoo.

In all, I saw 50 species on the refuge including multiple pairs of EARED GREBES, a few BLUE-WINGED TEAL, a very tolerant (or dumb) RING-NECKED PHEASANT that continued to feed on the grass verge as I drove by and gawked at it; the first VIRGINIA RAIL of the trip; many FRANKLIN'S GULLS, several BLACK TERNS, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, a singing ALDER FLYCATCHER (listed as rare here with Willow fairly common); scads of MARSH WRENS outnumbering SEDGE WRENS for the first time on the trip; the usual grassland sparrows, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK and ORCHARD ORIOLE.

The road to Lords Lake (24th St NE) to the east of Bottineau is where I found my life Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow in June, 2005. I listened carefully today even though the wind made it almost impossible. Nevertheless, I did manage to hear a LE CONTE'S SPARROW. The lake (actually several lakes) had white caps and very few birds. MARBLED GODWIT and WILLET (trip first) were the only obvious shorebirds.

Given the windy conditions, I'm not sure why I bothered heading into the Turtle Mountains. My only reward was watching a pair of RED-NECKED GREBES feeding a youngster on School Section Lake. Other ducky birds included CANVASBACK and young BUFFLEHEADS on Bacon Lake.

Saturday, June 28, 2008
Road trip Day 12: ND-MT; Trip List: 164 (+4)
It's perhaps a good thing that I was traveling today because it certainly wasn't a good day for birding. When I left Bottineau it was cool (almost cold) and cloudy and a strong wind was blowing across the open landscape. If anything, the wind was perhaps a little stronger than yesterday and once again it persisted all day. Oh joy. Blue sky prevailed in western North Dakota and into Montana with increasing temperature as I traveled west to my overnight destination of Miles City.

Given the conditions, I decided not to return the Salyer refuge to look for the cuckoo again. Besides, I'm betting that the copse it was in yesterday is still 1/2 mile from the road and the fence is still standing. The cuckoo dream lives on. You can tell how broken up I am about this.

Apart from the usual blackbirds, meadowlarks and scads of FRANKLIN'S GULLS battling the wind, the first 100 miles were not bird rich. A pair of RING-NECKED PHEASANTS at the western edge of Bottineau County made a change.

I was hoping that the wind would have abated by the time I reached Lostwood NWR (near Stanley in Burke County, ND). No such luck. This is my fourth visit to Lostwood and my objective today was to try to photograph a SPRAGUE'S PIPIT. Finding this species and BAIRD'S SPARROW is usually fairly easy here as it was today despite the wind. Unfortunately, the habitat that the birds use near the grouse blind has been closed to public access and I couldn't get close enough. Second day in a row that a fence has caused me a problem.

SHARP-TAILED GROUSE is another species that I've had success with in the past at Lostwood and so it was today. I saw them in two separate locations (near marker #3 and marker #12) as well as on the highway near the south exit of the refuge (intersection of ND 8 and ND 50 east).

In addition to BAIRD'S, I saw a several more expected sparrows -- CLAY-COLORED, VESPER, SAVANNAH and GRASSHOPPER. All except Vesper were singing despite the wind. Among the other species on the refuge were BUFFLEHEAD, AMERICAN AVOCET, MARBLED GODWIT, EASTERN KINGBIRD, HORNED LARK and MARSH WREN.

The drive west into and through Montana wasn't much fun in the wind and I didn't see any birds of note along the way.  By the way, if gas prices keep rising at the present rate, I may not be able to make it home. If my reports cease without warning, send out a search party with the instruction "look for a Blue Trogon stranded along the highway". Driver will be holding a sign that reads "will bird for gas".

Sunday, June 29, 2008
Road trip Day 13: MT-WY; Trip List: 174 (+10)
Today I traveled from Miles City, MT to Sundance, WY. Although this is only a drive of about 200 miles, I didn't get much birding done. When I pulled into my place of lodging in Sundance in the early afternoon, I noticed that I had a flat tire. Unfortunately, the only place in town where I could get it fixed was closed today. Knowing my luck, I didn't want to risk much more travel without a spare so I only did a little birding close to town.

According to the birdfinding guide for Montana, Red-headed Woodpeckers are common in the Miles City area. I checked a couple places this morning hoping for a photo opportunity but I came up empty at both. Spotted Eagle Recreation Area is very close to town and I arrived at 5:30am (a little after sunrise) then had to kill time until the gate opened at 6:00am. Time to gas up, get my morning coffee and check out the CHIMNEY SWIFTS in town.

Spotted Eagle didn't really have enough big trees for the woodpecker so I gave it short shrift. I recorded 20 species in 45 minutes including SPOTTED SANDPIPER, RING-NECKED PHEASANT, LEAST FLYCATCHER, EASTERN KINGBIRD, BROWN THRASHER, lots of YELLOW WARBLERS and several calling YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS. I enjoyed close up views of nesting YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS.

A few miles across town I checked the rather grandiosely named Pirogue Island State Park on the Missouri River. No trails that I could find, just a parking lot and a few picnic tables. Perhaps I'm giving it a bum rap. Plenty of big trees that looked good for woodpeckers but I didn't see nor hear any. Species here were similar to Spotted Eagle. The approach road that drops down to the river from Hwy 489, with its grass and sage habitat, was much more interesting. Here I found several flavors of sparrows -- FIELD, LARK and GRASSHOPPER plus a rather comically perched UPLAND SANDPIPER. I was way too far away from the bird so the image is included for its novelty value only. I've always thought that this species seems badly proportioned, something that seems to be emphasized in this image. The bird let me set up the camera and shoot a few images then disappeared as I tried to step a little closer.

Now came the drive south. As I drove into Montana from North Dakota yesterday, I noticed that the gentle undulations in the landscape of western North Dakota became much more pronounced in Montana with buttes being a conspicuous feature. Cuts in the land were deeper than the less dramatic coulees of North Dakota, The habitat on today's drive (highways 59 and 212) was high grassland with sandy buttes and upland (low) sagebrush. Pines became visible on the ridges the further south that I traveled. The highway wasn't particularly birdy but it was certainly easy on the eye and traffic was almost non existent. Unfortunately, the views were marred by a dreadful haze (from the fires in CA so I was told). Plenty of pines near the city of Broadus (roughly my halfway point) and then they petered out further south as did the buttes and sagebrush. Marshes and ponds became numerous as I approached the Wyoming line. Of course, once in Wyoming, the Black Hills came into view. I'm talking Black Hills of Wyoming, not South Dakota. I know that it doesn't have the same ring to it but there are far less tourists here (mostly visiting Devil's Tower).

WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were the most conspicuous birds along the route. I also saw a few LARK BUNTINGS and UPLAND SANDPIPERS. In Wyoming, a short detour along the Little Missouri Road produced EASTERN & MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and a couple of DICKCISSELS.

In the early evening I drove up to Warren Peak in the Bear Lodge Mountains, about 11 miles from Sundance. RED CROSSBILLS were calling as I left the motel. While not very high at 6500+ feet, Warren Peak Lookout is 2000 feet above Sundance and offers some very nice views. It's also far higher than I have been in last couple of weeks! Birds along the highway (FR 838) included VESPER SPARROW and BULLOCK'S ORIOLE in the lower meadows, COMMON NIGHTHAWK in the pines; RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and WARBLING VIREO in mixed pine-aspen habitat; and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS in the lower meadows. I normally find White-winged Juncos on this road but not today.

Monday, June 30, 2008
Road trip Day 14: Wyoming; Trip List: 183 (+9)
My birding was a little fragmented this morning. I headed out early for a session southeast of Sundance then returned to town to get my flat tire fixed. I felt mighty relieved to have a spare tire again when I left town for the second time. It seems that on at least 50% of the occasions that I get a flat, the tire can't be repaired. Thankfully, that wasn't the case this time. Ten dollars worth of tire repair buys priceless peace of mind. After a pleasantly cool start, it was a warm (but not AZ warm) sunny day. It was also hazy. You'll note that the birds now have a distinctly western flavor with just a few easterners hanging in there.

I started by working forest roads 872 and 876 that run west from the Moskee Road (east of Sundance) to Hwy 585 (the road from Sundance to Newcastle). This is one of my favorite birding routes in the area. Although there aren't any special birds to be found here, it's a very pleasant 7 miles drive through pines, meadows and a little bit of riparian habitat. I've birded these roads in multiple years (always in June) since I first "discovered" the area. The "Moskee Road and Bluebird Trail" route is described on page 122 of the well-outdated-but-still-useful Birder's Guide to Wyoming. For those who might try this route, note that the starting point (7.5 miles south of I-90 exit 191 on the Moskee Road) is no longer marked with a #872 sign. It's now marked Reynolds Road (this is FR 872). The right angle turn after 1.8 miles is now marked Clark Road (this is FR 876).The road surface is also improved along most of the route (not that it was really bad). Now would I go on a bad road?

I've always hoped to see EASTERN BLUEBIRD using the bluebird boxes on these roads (of which there are many). However, before today I've only seen MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS in this location and there were certainly plenty of those around today, too. Eastern is quite rare in Wyoming and I only have a few records from the northeast part of the state (including one yesterday). I spent 45 frustrating minutes trying to photograph a male Eastern and didn't come up with much. This would be a new photo species but I can take care of this in Arizona where they are fairly common, right? Well, I haven't managed to do it so far!

While the bluebird was messing with me, a flock of RED CROSSBILLS came my way. I always find it amazing that I can hear their sound as they fly across a clear blue sky, yet I can't lay eyes on them (even when they are at close range). This happens to me time and time again and there's perhaps a term for the phenomena (other than "can't see for shit").

I found most of the species that I normally see here (almost all singing) including many WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, 2 DUSKY FLYCATCHERS, HORNED LARK, 5+ PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, PINE SISKIN, 10+ WESTERN TANAGERS, scads of HOUSE WRENS, SPOTTED TOWHEES and VESPER SPARROWS; 2 DICKCISSELS and BOBOLINK. 30 species in all. Grasshopper Sparrow was a miss.

Prior to 2006, I hadn't seen Dickcissel in my Wyoming meanderings. That year was an "invasion year" and they were all over the northeastern part of the state. Not so this year. I had a couple yesterday and again today.

RED CROSSBILLS were calling in Sundance as I left town for my second outing of the morning. I again traveled east, this time a little further to Sand Creek not far from the South Dakota line. My otherwise pleasant birding along this canyon road (with its riparian vegetation and rocky bluffs) was marred by clouds of dust kicked up by constant truck traffic. I managed a save on GRASSHOPPER SPARROW and added a few more new species for the day including WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, EASTERN KINGBIRD, 2 calling CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHERS, 2 singing ROCK-WRENS; RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, uncountable OVENBIRDS, slightly less numbers of AMERICAN REDSTARTS, WHITE-WINGED JUNCO and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (also numerous).

In the heat of the afternoon, I sought some relief in the Bear Lodge Mountains and went as far as Cook Lake. The route is along FR 838 that continues past Warren Peak (mentioned yesterday). Not much was stirring along the drive or at the lake. Nevertheless, I still managed a few more birds as well as many of the same species that I'd seen in the morning. COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were calling as I ate lunch at Rueter Campground. RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS sang from multiple locations along the road. BELTED KINGFISHER and CEDAR WAXWINGS were at the lake.

My time in Wyoming is quite limited on this trip so I had to make some cuts. Sadly, the Beartooth Highway (my favorite place in the state) got the axe. Just too far away, especially with the price of gas and holiday price of motel rooms in Red Lodge. Ditto for the Grand Tetons (although I certainly won't miss the Cody and Yellowstone mess as July 4 approaches). Tomorrow I head for Laramie for a couple of nights. I'm looking forward to some snow in the mountains (Snowy Range). I'm still undecided about the last few days.

This log is in chronological order and the most recent entries are at the bottom of the page.
The last update was on Monday, June 30, 2008

June Species Seen

Stuart Healy Journal - June, 2008 If you use the contents of my journal for commercial purposes, please acknowledge the source to your clients - thanks.

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