Birdwalk at Living Desert

This is the year for new things. Today I got to do something I did not even know we could do, at least until a couple weeks ago. The Living Desert, a local small zoo that specializes in desert flora and fauna, hosts a morning birdwalk on the third Thursday of each month. They don't hold the walks during the summer, June, July, August and September, as it is too hot for both birds and people. I got to go on this month's walk. Since I started volunteering there at the beginning of this month I have found out several fun things that are going on. The birdwalk was just one event the Living Desert holds, including the upcoming Brew at the Zoo event that features music, dancing, tours, and of course beer and wine. There are campouts called Starry Safari, tours of all kinds, dinner events, concerts and interpretive tours of the park for all ages.

I remember some of the events from when the kids were younger such as the Starry Safari, but that has been some time ago, and they have made many improvements to the park since then. If you haven't been in a while, it is worthwhile checking out.

I looked into volunteering at the Living Desert earlier in the year, but they only have so many training days for their volunteers and the last one for this season was in late March. I attended that and had my interview the following week. Judy Greene is the coordinator for the 500 or so volunteers at the Living Desert, and my interview was with her. At that interview, Ms. Greene told me she only had an opening at the Hummingbird and Butterfly exhibit and would that be ok. For a birdnerd? You kidding?!! Anyway, I told her that would be fine and started the following Saturday.

I walked inside the exhibit and it took my breath away. You have to go through a double door system to get in or out of the exhibit, which helps keep the creatures in while the people come and go. As I entered the second door butterflies of all sizes and colors were floating around a full garden of flowers, small trees, water fountains, and more. Hummingbirds zipped about inside the enclosure. As I walked around inside, there were several small nests, some with eggs, at least one with small birds beaks sticking out. In short, a heavenly place of solitude and life.

I have had a terrific time watching families come into the enclosure. While the kids try to get butterflies to climb onto their fingers and show off to anyone who will look their prizes, the parents marvel at the surroundings and numbers and colors of the floating butterflies. Everyone smiles. You can't help it.

Today though, we met with Judy Greene and Don Hay at the front gates to the zoo, where they introduced themselves and began the walk. They led the way through the park looking and listening to the birds that have come from the wild to visit or make their home in the park. (Don Hay is the guy in the blue shirt and he was our leader with Judy Greene)
(More of our group)

As we wandered around we saw Gambel's Quail, (Callipepla gambelii), Phainopepla, (Phainopepla intense), Lesser Goldfinch, (Carduelis psaltria), and Verdin, (Auriparus flaviceps). They were all busy foraging in the relative peace of the as yet unopened park, (at least to the public). The quail were moving through the large model train exhibit the park has. The model trains are all built and maintained by volunteers and each day there is something new in the elaborate recreations of old towns, mountainsides, lakes and streams they build. As the quail made its way through the small town with wooden buildings, it reminded me of Godzilla in those bad movies terrorizing "cities" in Japan. So I named this one the Godzilla quail, (Callipepla godzillii). We will see if it sticks and makes it to the textbooks. (Quail-zilla terrorizing the small town at the train exhibit)

The thrill of the day for me was by the Bighorn exhibit. There are some good sized Palo Verde trees there, and in those trees, (across from the Hummingbird/Butterfly exhibit), was a Nashville Warbler, (Vermivora ruficapilla). The Sibley guide describes the call as a metallic spink, and this is what we heard while he flitted busily in the thickest portions of the trees, always just out of clear sight. The guides say to look for a white eye-ring, and red on the blue-grey head. I didn't see either one of these markings, but did see the yellow body, grey head and greenish back and wings. I heard the spink as well. This was a lifer for me, so it was exciting and worth the walk. (This was the best shot of the Nashville Warbler)

As we wandered and looked inside the exhibits as well as the gardens between, a Double crested Cormorant, (Phalacrocorax azurites) flew almost directly over us. Later, a pair of Hooded Orioles, (Icterus cucullatus) flew over us as well. They were a male and female pair making their way back north in a leisurely fashion. (One of the "wild" Costa's Hummingbirds spending time at the zoo)
(A female Phainopepla feeding on these beans in one of the gardens between the exhibits)

As we walked we listened to coyotes howling from their pen, recordings of various birds and animals of the world, including the famous Kookaburra bird that makes it way to all the jungle movies from the early Tarzan to modern times. The funny thing is Kookaburra's are Australian and don't live in their jungles either. They are more like a Jay in that they will take your picnic lunch from you while you are still sitting at the table if you are not careful. Don shared some information I thought was interesting, many of the names we associate today with the various birds, Nuttall's woodpecker, Say's Phoebe, and more are names of military leaders that were amateur naturalists as well. He said many would collect samples of flora and fauna and send them to professional naturalists, like John James Audubon whose namesake is the famous society dedicated to saving birds. Mr. Audubon would then honor them by naming the creature after the first person that supplied him with a specimen that hadn't been identified before. Lewis' Woodpecker was "discovered" by Mr. Lewis from the Lewis and Clarke expedition. While many of the birds' names are a description of the bird or habitat it can be found in, like the Orchard Oriole or Spot-Breasted Oriole, many are named after the people who discovered them, and many of them, according to Don Hay, were high ranking military men of the time.

So all in all, it was a very satisfying two hours or so. I got to get into the park again, saw a life bird, saw some old friends in the bird world and got outside early in the morning, a good day.

I don't like posting on the blog without at least one decent picture, so there hasn't been a post for a while. But I have to tell a story to show I haven't been idle. I have gotten onto an email list that keeps me updated on all the birds that have been seen all over Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Many are at least an hours drive from my home. However, stories like seeing 20+ Swainson's Hawks in a tree during a heavy rainstorm, and several Bald Eagles huddled together during a heavy wind are fun to hear.

One story of an unusual bird caught my attention. Someone saw a Dusky Capped Flycatcher, (Myiarchus tuberculifer) in Demuth Park, Palm Springs. The thing that is exciting about this is I can walk to this park. So I did. I stopped by twice going to and from different appointments and looked carrying camera and bins past tennis players, kids playing, and lovers in the park. Didn't see it.

I go onto my patio to do something and hear a call I haven't heard before. I look up and see the Dusky Capped Flycatcher sitting on the wire that brings my cable t.v. to my house. I ran inside to grab my camera and by the time I came out it was gone. I don't know why I work so hard at birding, hiking and all, I should sit on my patio and let them come to me.

You might be a birdnerd if...you wander around a zoo looking at the "wild" birds that aren't in cages. And enjoyed it immensely.