So, it worked out better that Nancy, my long-time birding companion and former bicycle patrol partner downtown Palm Springs, called and said she needed a birdnerd fix. My son, Austin, is back from Jamaica where he spent some time in the Peace Corps, so he joined us.
We picked up Nancy at her home and drove up the hill to the high desert. This time I made sure the battery was charged and the lenses on my binos were clean. Once we got there and were properly nerdified, (hiking shorts, hiking boots, old baseball cap from the Long Beach jazz festival I attended with my oldest son, Taylor, binos on a harness over my shoulders, carrying a camera), we struck off on the trails.
On the way we kept seeing LBJ's, (Little Brown Jobbies, a term used by birders when they are not quite sure what just flitted by), and on the lower canyon trail watched a Prairie Falcon(Falco mexicanus) fly in a direct line up the canyon. I missed the shot of it, not even remembering I had the camera until it was too far gone. (So much for my career as a photographer!).
We continued our stroll with Nancy leading and regaling us with the current events from PSPD and her other adventures. We came to a small meadow and saw a beautiful butterfly. Not knowing anything about lepidoptery, I don't know which one this is, but it was pretty and it allowed me to take its photo.
We also saw a Black Throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata) giving us a good look.
When we looped around and came back toward Covington Park, we soon saw several Western Bluebirds(Sialia mexicana), and then the signature bird of that area for me, the Vermilion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus). It was in the area near the trees, which line one side of the tennis courts, that I have always seen it. It always keeps its distance, but goes about its business with little care for the number of people staring at it through binoculars, as well as the oohs and aaahs from those same people. Once you see this brilliant bird you wonder how in the world you could not see it. Then as you watch it disappears for a few minutes and reappears in all its brilliance.
We stopped in the park near the trees and followed the Vermilion and Bluebirds antics for a while, then Nancy jumped like she had been electrified, and pointed out into the field. I turned and saw the large blur of a Red Tailed Hawk leaping from the ground and heading toward a stand of trees. The Red Tail, (Buteo jamaicensis), is common, but impressive all the same. It is a good sized bird and a raptor, meaning it hunts and eats live creatures like squirrels, gophers, rabbits, even snakes. Nancy happened to have seen it dive down to the ground in an attempt to capture lunch, but it missed. The bird flew into the stand of trees and landed on a branch in the shade and all but disappeared. I ventured as close as I felt I could without disturbing it, (to be honest a barb-wire fence helped make the decision), and snapped a couple photos.
We finished our walk and found ourselves at the Dee and Betty Zeller home. They are the caretakers of the Big Morongo Preserve, and live in a trailer on the grounds. They have several feeders set up with a couple water features and chairs for better close up viewing of birds that dare to come near. Dee and Betty soon joined us and we caught up with some of the features of their lives, (their son is a chef, and will be soon opening a barbecue restaurant near the preserve), while calling out the kinds of birds we were watching. While sitting there we watched a Nuttal's Woodpecker (Picoides nuttalii) feed off the suet feeder, while a Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) drank from the dripping water feature. A Ruby Crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) flitted about the bushes nearby.
The most interesting event of the day was the spotting of two hawks that circled ever upward and farther away. They were a good sized bird, smaller than a Red Tail, but appeared to be larger than a Cooper's Hawk. The wings were broad and thick, with a short tail and relatively broad body. I couldn't get a picture as the bird and the camera were not cooperating. However, from every thing we saw and from pooring over the field guides, I feel rather confident in calling them a pair of Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis). This is something rarely seen in this area, but otherwise a rather common bird. The markings we saw were different than the Red Shouldered Hawk I originally thought it was as there was no red color on the breast and wings like the Red Shouldered, but there were busy stripings on the wings and streaking on the body, as well as a buff or white rump. While I am uncomfortable with making these kinds of claims without a more qualified person, or photograph as evidence, I am about 80% sure that is what these were. Fun stuff!
Dee told us about an Ovenbird they saw the day before on their walk, and where we were likely to find it, but when we went there, we didn't see it. So, my plan is to return with the group, and Austin, on this Wednesday in the hopes of finding it.
So, You might be a birdnerd if... you plan a vacation or an outting particularly to see a specific bird.
Nancy and I went one August, (yes, the hottest month of the year), to see Wood Storks (Mycteria americana). Now, as a defense, Wood Storks are not in our area except for the summer. So, we loaded up in Nancy's Honda Civic, and drove to the Salton Sea to try to find a very ugly bird in high triple digit heat. We drove down to Sonny Bono NWF and spoke to a ranger there, asking about the storks. They were very helpful in telling us where others, (see insanity is contagious), had seen them the day before. With a rough idea as to where we were looking and a fresh water, we took off. We drove Nancy's tiny car on farm roads of dirt and rock for over an hour and found a small irrigation pond attached to a long ditch. There in all its glory, stood a Wood Stork, wading amongst several other types of birds that I can't even remember. I will always remember the Wood Stork though, and break into a sweat just thinking about it.
