Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
|
|
Redtail Hawk, San Luis Valley, southern CO.
|
|
little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
|
|
now migrating from Toronto to Texas
|
|
Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
|
|
Fun tonight in Boulder - BrassNuts was invited by the local travel store to give a birding in Mexico and Panama show. It was picked up by the paper and turnout was really amazing. SRO! The shop estimated 60 in attendance, many of whom were birders (and some of whom were climbers). Local celebrities such as Malcolm and Karen Daly came. :)
Anyway, it was a fantastic show that everyone enjoyed greatly! What's next BrassNuts?!?!
|
|
little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
|
|
Congrats BN. Would love to see your photos on the big screen. Must have been an awesome show.
Broad-winged Hawks are passing through on migration now, some stopping to spend the winter too. This flock forming up early in the morning while they are still down low. Later in the day they're up so high you can only see them with the aid of optics.
Plenty of other migrants here now too, like this Northern Waterthrush
Ruddy Ground-Dove, very common but still cute as a button
Long-tailed Tyrant on the lookout for a flying morsel
Black-cowled Oriole, a tail flcik away from disaster
bonus taxa, big male Green Iguana. Can you say dewlap?
|
|
BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
|
|
Thanks Z, the show was successful for sure, lots of enthusiastic folks in attendance to enjoy the birds :-)
Great new pics from your end, very cool! Keep up the good work :-)
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
Woot for BN!
S Lapwings make it up to Panama? How often?
From the Some People Have More Money Than Time, Or Something Like That desk:
The 2016 Big Year race has turned out to be a wild one, with four birders reaching 700 species in the ABA Area for the very first time. But it looks like it could get even wilder before the end of the year.
(At left, clockwise from upper left, John Weigel, Olaf Danielson, Christian Hagenlocher and Laura Keene)
John Weigel (currently 765 +2) and Olaf Danielson (764 +1) both passed Neil Hayward's 2013 total of 749 back in the middle of the summer, and both are pushing towards 770 with the better part of three months left to go. But our two additional Big Year birders are also creeping ever closer to Hayward's 2013 record, and are currently ahead of the pace set by both Hayward and previous record-holder Sandy Komito.
Both Laura Keene (733 +2) and Christian Hagenlocher (726 +2) sit close enough to Hayward that a decent run of fall vagrants could put them over, which would result in an unprecedented four record-breaking Big Years in 2016.
I'd love to see their airline ticket bills for the Big Year.
|
|
Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
|
|
Great photos above and sorry I missed Dave's show, I was up in Boulder working on the third edition of the Boulder Canyon guide.
Here is a stunning Prairie Falcon I saw on the way to Boulder in the San Luis Valley, actually saw three of them.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
ANOTHER Dusky Warbler, this time in Orange County!
I expect to see Dee ee's photos soon!
|
|
little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
|
|
crazy news about those four 2016 Big Years. Hard to believe those totals and it's only October. Will one of those folks set an unbeatable total (or at least one that stands up for a decade)?
Yellow-breasted Chat, pretty rare here at the southern extreme of their wintering range.
Black-cheeked Woodpecker. It was pecking away at a creosote soaked utility pole (yucko!).
Passerini's Tanager lighting up the garden
Passerini's Tanager lighting up the dining hall
|
|
dee ee
Mountain climber
Of THIS World (Planet Earth)
|
|
I wish I could have been there.
|
|
WyoRockMan
climber
Grizzlyville, WY
|
|
Everyone's photos are so amazing. I'm a bit embarrassed to post my low Q pics, but I am so excited!
I got to see my fourth ever Great Grey. He sized us up for a couple of minutes then went right back to work. After another couple more minutes he zeroed in on his vole and floated down with what seemed to be both lightning quickness and slow motion movement and snatched his prey. I'm still giddy.
|
|
Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
|
|
|
Oct 12, 2016 - 08:19pm PT
|
Wow, Gray Owl.
A few from northern NM.
|
|
little Z
Trad climber
un cafetal en Naranjo
|
|
|
Oct 13, 2016 - 09:18am PT
|
WyoRockMan - yes, a Great Gray Owl will make you giddy the first time you see one. Very cool you got to experience that.
Randisi - looks like good old Rock Pigeons are common there. Apparently these guys are also around. See any of them?
Red-billed Blue-Magpie
Long-tailed Shrike
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Oct 13, 2016 - 09:40am PT
|
That's cool how the primaries' leading edges are black while most of the outer part is white and
then there's a sharp line where they turn black.
|
|
Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
|
|
|
Oct 13, 2016 - 05:49pm PT
|
More from Taos, great photos above. Little Z is on a roll.
|
|
Tony
Trad climber
Pt. Richmond, CA
|
|
|
Oct 14, 2016 - 02:14pm PT
|
We managed to get out on a pelagic trip from Bodega Bay last weekend. The biggest find was a Thick-billed Murre (aka Brunnich’s Gullimot). There might have been another earlier. These are quite rare off California, although quite abundant in the Arctic
We saw 3 “Tuftless” Puffins. Not so commonly seen except during breeding season near the Farallons.
There were numerous of groups of hornless Rhinoceros Auklets, plus many Cassin’s Auklets
A cool sight was a juvenile Sabin's Gull and Black-legged Kittiwake right next to the boat.
The real stars of the show were the whales. The numbers recorded, 50+ Humpbacks and 25+ Blues, were pretty conservative. At a couple of locations you could see whales foraging and spouting in all directions. Blues and Humpbacks were intermixed. They were popping up all around the boat. The sounds and smell were quite evident. Quite the spectacle.
A few times the Blues showed their flukes which is not so common.
Here is a Blue Whale mother and calf feeding together.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Oct 15, 2016 - 09:38am PT
|
Wow! A Brunnich's? Dude was on a cruise, or what?
This month's Pasadena Audubon meeting will feature a talk by a reknowned birder on bird-friendly coffee growing practices.
Who knew birds liked a good cup o' joe?
|
|
Tony
Trad climber
Pt. Richmond, CA
|
|
|
Oct 15, 2016 - 12:28pm PT
|
Reilly,
I suspect some Brunnich's/Thick-billed Murres are missed. It's bit easier at this time of year when most of the Commons have white on their faces, but there were still a few with dark heads. They weren't on the radar for me. Good thing we had some excellent eyes, including Steve Howell, on the boat.
That must be John Sterling giving the Audubon talk. Worth hearing. By the way, John broke the California Big Year mark last year. 500 species (490 native)!
|
|
Bob D'A
Trad climber
Taos, NM
|
|
|
Oct 15, 2016 - 12:35pm PT
|
Great photos Tony.
Mountain Bluebird, northern NM.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!