None Greater–The Story of Our Sage Grouse Lifer (The Prologue)

Two-and-a-half years ago the birding stories were welling up inside me and bursting to get out–stories of a passion for birds shared between my dad and Evan, stories of Evan’s remarkable eye and identification skills as a then 5-year-old, and the story of how a Chestnut-sided Warbler instantly transformed me into a birder and completed the three-generation team of birders.  Thus the blog was born.  At the time I had no idea that bird blogging was even a thing, let alone a popular and prolific thing at that; I simply wanted a platform on which I could share these stories.  A blog made sense. I never could have imagined the adventures and people that this hobby would bring into my life.  Those initial stories gave way to more and more and more stories.  Many of those old posts I cherish; some I regret as I look back.  One story, though, that has and will stand the test of time is one that I did very early on well before my life list cracked 100.  It is an interview piece I did with my dad, the eldest of this generational birding team, who has long had a fascination with birds and wildlife as he was a research biologist for the Montana Department of Fish and Game in the 1970s.  The interview focused largely on my dad’s extensive research of the Greater Sage Grouse.

The impact of the piece was profound.  First, I learned a lot about my dad’s work which is something I wanted to preserve for myself and my kids by doing the blog post.  Second, it was one of the most popular posts ever on this blog as people from every stage of my dad’s life connected with the piece, expressing their sentiments via comments, email, etc.  I was shocked by the outpouring of peoples’ memories and feelings.  In fact, one person that reached out became instrumental in setting up our biggest adventure.  Finally, the interview gave me an epiphany.  As an emerging birder I realized that someday, I, too, would want to see this bird my dad worked with so closely, this Greater Sage Grouse.  Instantly I had a vision of myself making it out west some day far in the future to see this bird, perhaps long after my dad’s days are done.  It was an unbearable thought.

I knew what I had to do–I had to see the Greater Sage Grouse with my dad.  Moreover, I had to see the males doing their mating display on the lek, something my dad has talked about and described for years. Plans were initially set to do so that very spring, in April of 2013.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), the plan was postponed a year because a frenetic, last-minute, cross-state trip to get our Great Gray Owl lifer usurped the Sage Grouse plans.  Plans for 2014 were put off because my parents had recently transitioned to the snowbird life, wintering in Arizona, and we just weren’t able to squeeze it in with their new migration schedule.  Finally, though, we were deliberate for the spring of 2015 and made it happen this year.  Coming up will be what I am billing as the pinnacle post of the blog detailing the story of the recent trip Evan and I took to central Montana to watch displaying Greater Sage Grouse with my dad.  It is an exciting post that gets back to the heart and soul of this blog. Until that post comes out, here is the very interview that generated the idea for the adventure of a lifetime.  Many new readers have joined the fold since the inception of ABWCH, so this will be a fresh read.  But even if it’s not, I’m sure you’ll find the re-read just as entertaining as the first time, especially knowing what is to come…

Meet My Dad-The Biologist and Birder

In this blog post I have interviewed my dad, Rick Wallestad, about his history with birds – both official work as a wildlife biologist for the Montana Department of Fish and Game in the 1970s and his unofficial work as an emerging birder like Evan and me. Whether you know him or he’s a complete stranger to you, I think you will find the following interview with my dad to be a fascinating read. If you are a pure birder and have no connection to us personally, there is some great “bird stuff” in here. If you’ve known him in any capacity, then you will now have a more in-depth knowledge of his story. I was familiar with several of his answers, but I also learned a lot of new things in doing this project. It was important for me to document and preserve this information for Evan’s sake. A secondary goal would be that you would find this to be an enjoyable read.

How did your interest in birds begin?

As a young boy in Rolette, North Dakota, my buddy Joey Fox and I would scout out any nest we found to see what kind of eggs were there, and how many. It’s just something we did often.

What are the facts of your education and employment history with the Montana Department of Fish and Game? Editor’s Note: This state department is now called the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

I got my B.S. in Wildlife Management from the University of Minnesota in 1966. While there I worked one year for the Fisheries Department, reading fish scales to determine the age of the fish. Then I spent one quarter at the Cloquet Research Center assisting a research student trapping and radio-tagging snowshoe hares. I spent another summer at Cloquet assisting a PhD student researching Ruffed Grouse broods using radio telemetry, also. These telemetry projects were some of the first in the country. My adviser, Dr. William Marshall, was a pioneer in the development of radio telemetry. As a result of this experience in telemetry, it paved the way to get a job in Montana studying the effects of DDT on Blue Grouse in western Montana.

I attended graduate school at Montana State University, studying habitat requirements and movements of Sage Grouse hens and their broods. Upon completion of my M.S. degree in Wildlife Management in 1970, I went to work for the Montana Fish and Game Department as a research biologist studying effects of sagebrush removal on the Sage Grouse. Editor’s Note: “Sage Grouse” in Rick’s responses refer to the Greater Sage Grouse. In the 1990s it was determined that sage grouse found in the Gunnison Basin of southwest Colorado were a distinct species. Nearly identical looking but 2/3 the size of the Greater, it is called the Gunnison Sage Grouse. During that three-year period that I was a research biologist, I published five articles on Sage Grouse in the Journal of Wildlife Management and one technical bulletin titled “Life History and Habitat Requirements of Sage Grouse in Central Montana” published in 1975 (pictured at right). I also worked as a management biologist in Broadus, Montana for three years and managed four Wildlife Management Areas around Sidney, Montana for three years.

You mentioned working in Cloquet, Minnesota studying the Ruffed Grouse. Did you work with Gordon Gullion, arguably the foremost authority on the Ruffed Grouse?

He was there and I visited with him a lot, but I was working for Geoff Godfrey who was a graduate student of Bill Marshall. Gordy was permanent staff and also worked under Bill Marshall because Cloquet was a year-round research station for the University.

How did you capture Ruffed Grouse?

We captured them with a clover-leaf trap. It was chicken wire arranged like a 4-leaf clover. Each circle of the clover was about 4-feet in diameter. There were two leads of 18-inch high chicken wire, each 100-feet long stretched out into the swamps. Since Ruffed Grouse broods travel by walking, the hen would walk up to the this 100-foot section of chicken wire and being blocked, would lead her brood along it until they walked right around one of the clover circles at the end and were then funneled into the trap.

What are some fun or interesting facts you can tell us about the Greater Sage Grouse?

It’s one of the few birds that is totally dependent on sage brush for survival. Without sage brush there would be no Sage Grouse. The entire overall 10-year study, a cooperative study with the Bureau of Land Management, was instrumental in stopping the practice of spraying sage brush.

On the strutting ground (breeding ground) with 20 or more males, only one or two males will do the breeding. The average clutch size for a yearling bird is 5-6 eggs, and for 2+ years is 7-8 eggs. Most Sage Grouse hens nest within 1-2 miles of the strutting ground.

Editor’s Note: All photos of Greater Sage-Grouse and Sharp-Tailed Grouse on this post, with the exception of the photo of the radio-tagged Greater Sage Grouse taken from Rick’s aforementioned technical bulletin, are courtesy of Bob Martinka, a former colleague of Rick at the Montana Department of Fish and Game. Bob has graciously allowed me to use these photos. He has his own bird blog at BirdManBob, and his amazing bird photography can be viewed at his Flickr Photo Site. Thanks, Bob!

Describe how you captured Greater Sage Grouse.

We would catch them on the strutting ground using cannon nets which were set with explosive charges. The two 100-foot cannon nets running parallel were set about 40 feet apart. These would cover the main part of the strutting ground, which was identified by the droppings and feathers. When a big group of males assembled and were strutting, a cluster of hens would come onto the ground. The net charges would be deployed and the nets would spread out overlapping each other, floating down on the grouse, holding them to the ground. (Google cannon nets to see some pictures. You can also Google clover-leaf traps to get an idea, even though the ones we found were fish traps.)

 

Another method of catching Sage Grouse hens was to drive through sage brush areas. When we saw a hen with a brood, Dr. Bob Eng would get out and whistle like a chick which would draw the hen in. Then with a telescoping noose pole, which would extend from 6 feet to 20 feet with a noose on the end, the noose would be slipped over the hen’s head and tightened just enough to bring the hen in so it could be fixed with a leg band and a radio tracking device.

What kind of expert advice do you have in locating and viewing Greater Sage Grouse?

They can be located by driving through sagebrush country, but they are hard to see because they are brown and blend in to the surroundings. Bob Eng would spot them by looking for the eye. They can also be found by listening for the sound of the birds as they are strutting in the early morning, often for a distance of about a half mile.

The distribution of Sage Grouse is found only where there is sage brush. It would be in the west…Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, Wyoming, eastern Colorado, parts of Nevada and New Mexico.

 

 

How do you locate a strutting ground for Sage Grouse?

Contact a biologist in any of those states’ fish and wildlife departments to ask the location of a strutting ground.

 

Besides your extensive studies of the Greater Sage Grouse, what other official duties did you have to perform regarding birds?

We did roadside crowing counts for Ring-Necked Pheasants, strutting ground surveys for Sage Grouse, and dancing ground surveys for Sharp-Tailed Grouse.

 

What fun or interesting facts can you tell us about the Sharp-Tailed Grouse?

I’ve had very little experience with “sharptails.” Their grounds are called “dancing grounds” compared to “strutting grounds” for Sage Grouse. They are usually located on the top of a hill. I experienced seeing some of these in grassland areas like Kenny Simonsen’s ranch near Sidney, Montana. There are generally not as many males on the dancing grounds, maybe 6 to 15 per ground.

 

Do you have any fun or interesting bird stories you can share from your days with the Montana Department of Fish and Game?

I was contacted by some birders one spring who had never seen Sage Grouse, and I took them out to a strutting ground. I was able to drive into the middle of the strutting ground with Sage Grouse strutting on all sides of the truck. They were very thrilled because it was another bird on their life list.

We referred to birds in two ways: game birds and “dickie” birds – small songbirds.

What is your favorite bird of all time? Why?

The Western Meadowlark because of the beautiful song, and it reminds me of the prairie where I grew up.

What is the “best” bird you have ever seen? Why?

The Trumpeter Swan because of the rarity of it. As I recall, the only place I’ve ever seen one is in Saunders Bay on Pelican Lake near Orr, Minnesota.

What are your target birds in 2013 that you want to add to your life list?

I’d like to identify all the warblers on our farm in northern Minnesota.

Give us an update on your birding in Arizona. Seeing other snowbirds does not count.

We saw a Red-Tailed Hawk near Maricopa and Common Egrets near Gila Bend. In Oak Creek we saw a large blue bird that we haven’t identified yet. We also saw a bird high up in a tree that had an incredibly beautiful song, but we also haven’t identified it.

What are your impressions of Evan’s birding abilities, and what lasting birding advice can you give him?

Evan’s abilities are amazing in the way he can pick out minor differences in birds. It has been impressive to see his powers of observation. His enthusiasm is contagious. As far as giving him advice, I’d say I’ve learned a lot from this 5-year-old, and it has encouraged my interest in birding.

To see what Rick is talking about regarding Evan’s “powers of observation” read More Than Just a Name.

If you want to see an amazing Ruffed Grouse video that I shot that includes male grouse on display and Evan as a 2-year old birder with Grandpa Rick, click here. I couldn’t believe this video that I shot six years ago and how it foretells the adventures we’re having today!

The story of our Montana Greater Sage-Grouse Lifer with Rick Wallestad is made up of four parts: 1) The Prologue–The Impetus, 2) Part 1, 3) Part 2, and 4) The Epilogue–Bonus Lifers.

Arizona 2015: The Rise and Fall of Evan’s Unlikely Arizona Nemesis

Nemesis Bird.  All serious birders are familiar with this concept, which is a bird, uncommon yet not rare, that eludes, evades, and generally thwarts all of a birder’s attempts to see it.  Another qualification is that the bird in question seemingly mocks the pursuer by flaunting itself in front of anybody and everybody but the one person who wants to see it.  Adding to this aggravation is that it often disappears at just the last minute after many repeated trips of many miles. Such former nemesis birds of mine have included the Golden-crowned Kinglet and Blue-headed Vireo.  Nothing is more frustrating than hunting a nemesis; nothing is sweeter than finally laying waste to that bird.

So what is Evan’s nemesis bird? It is none other than the same nemesis of Wiley E. Coyote–the Roadrunner.  No bird is more iconic of Arizona to outsiders, birders and otherwise, than the Greater Roadrunner.  It’s on postcards, t-shirts, and on all kinds of overpriced and dust-collecting shlock.  Who knows how this bird rose to such fame.  Perhaps it’s because of Looney Tunes.  Perhaps it’s because it is so readily identifiable. Perhaps it’s because EVERYONE who goes to Arizona sees one.

When we traveled to Arizona in 2014, we expected this bird. We counted on it like the Republicans count on Arizona to be a red state. It was a sure thing.  Well, in this case, Arizona turned blue and so did we because we left the state that year completely missing on the Roadrunner.  Like a typical nemesis bird, it did show itself to at least one person in our birding party.  Laurence Butler was leading our single-file procession through the desert and called out that he spotted one.  Though we were just a few yards behind Laurence, it gave all of us the slip.  The loss was all the more agonizing because Laurence told us it had a lizard in its bill.

Anyhow, we were in a new year and on a new trip back to Arizona.  In between trips, my parents would tell us here and there about how they’d see a Roadrunner in their yard or neighborhood. Figures. Our first day in Arizona this year, Evan and I decided to go looking for this bird.  I was literally walking into the back yard to get Evan for this jaunt when I spied the Roadrunner for a second on top of the fence!  We hustled up and over the fence to look for it, but it was gone.  My parents’ back fence as well as the back fence of the entire neighborhood is bordered by a dike.  In between the dike and the wall is ditch that is landscaped in a desert fashion–perfect habitat for a roadrunner.  On the other side of the dike is a large run-off basin on the edge of an agricultural field.  Evan and I took several walks along the dike to look for the Roadrunner.  Success continued to elude us.

Evan

During the SE AZ odyssey, the Roadrunner’s nemesis-status rose to new heights.  While I was birding up on Mt. Lemmon, Evan was back at Grandma and Grandpa’s. My died spied the neighborhood Roadrunner out the window in the front yard, but it disappeared before Evan could get on it.  Then, while traveling home from our getaway to Green Valley, my dad was driving and hollered that a Roadrunner crossed the highway right in front of the van! After many, many times of calling out wildlife sightings while driving and sending Evan into a frantic state to see the wildlife and then have him burst into tears when he missed his split-second opportunity, I have learned to keep my mouth shut.  My wife has helped me learn this lesson.  My dad has not learned this lesson.  The waterworks started up.  I had to remind Evan how super lucky he has been to see a Great Gray, a Garganey, and an Elegant Trogon–three highly coveted birds that not many grown birders have seen; I told him it really was okay if other people saw the Roadrunner and he didn’t.

We had one last chance to find a Greater Roadrunner.  Nothing was scheduled for our last day of vacation on April 2nd, so it was a day to hang out around the house.  Evan and I took one more walk.  Almost immediately, I saw the bugger squirt across the dike and disappear into…nothing.  Evan again missed.  I didn’t understand where it could have gone. Then, at the same time we both saw it as it popped up again across the street and hopped up on top of a wall! Evan finally got his bird.  And I got my photo of a Roadrunner classically posed on a fence with a lizard!!

Greater Roadrunner

Greater Roadrunner

Then, as is the case with all nemesis birds, once they are finally found, they become easy, showing themselves often and/or in great numbers.  Evan had more fun hunting this bird and spotting it after it would disappear over walls, across empty lots, in the landscaping, etc.

IMG_3057

I was content to let the Roadrunner find me.

Greater Roadrunner

Evan loved the Roadrunner, even calling it his favorite bird of the trip if you can believe that.  A couple hours after the outing above, he begged me to go looking for it again. I obliged. And, according to the law of former nemesis birds, we had no problem finding it (it’s on the very right edge of the dike in front of the white tree trunk). Note the erect, confident posture of the man-child who has now seen the Trogon and the Roadrunner.

Evan

Evan’s excitement came from literally chasing after this bird as he would try to continually refind it after it would do its Houdini thing.

Evan

Evan was remarkable at spotting it and helping me get more opportunities to photograph it.

Greater Roadrunner

Conquering this nemesis and seeing Evan have so much fun and excitement with a bird was the best possible way to close our 2015 Arizona trip.  It was a back-to-origins outing where I caught a glimpse of the same excitement he showed so many years ago when he would see our feeder filled with American Goldfinches. You are right Evan, this was your best bird of the trip.

The 2015 Arizona series has eight chapters: 1) Maricopa Birds, 2) Mt. Lemmon, 3) Florida Canyon, 4) Madera Canyon Part 1, 5) Madera Canyon Part 2, 6) Evan’s Big Discovery, 7) Owling at Coon Bluff on the Salt River, and 8) Evan’s Nemesis.

Going off on a Tangent–er, Tanager Hunt

No, this is not Evan’s nemesis–the final AZ piece will be out soon. Until then, here’s a distraction.  Life is full of distractions.  Some of those distractions happen to be of the Tanager variety.  They are worth the time they steal–

Western Tanager

–because there are never enough Western Tanagers on this blog;

Western Tanager

–because my Minnesota list included precisely 0 WETA.

IMG_3382

Today I remedied one of those problems.

Western Tanager

Lots of fun stuff will be coming at you on this blog in the upcoming weeks. In addition to putting the lid on Arizona, Evan and I recently went on the most important and rewarding birding expedition we’ve ever done or will ever do.  The post from our Montana adventure of a lifetime will be the pinnacle post of this blog.

Arizona 2015: NIGHT Owling at the Coon Bluff Recreation Site on the Salt River

Though the SE AZ adventure took me an inordinate amount of time to write about and you multiple posts to slog through, the reality is that all of these experiences AND the adventure I’m about to lay before you all transpired in less than 48 hours time.  Intense doesn’t even begin to describe it.  Typical stories have rising action reaching a climax and then giving way to falling action.  That’s not what happened–we redefined the plot diagram. Each thrill one-upped its predecessor.  So without further adieu, here is the exciting and jaw-dropping finish to the day that began with an Elegant Trogon lifer.

After a leisurely, sight-seeing drive from Green Valley on April 1st, my family and I made it back to Maricopa around 4:00.  Since Evan, Dad, and I were going owling late that evening with Tommy DeBardeleben, the girls of the group (Melissa, Marin, Mom) decided to make it a girls night and see some princess-something-or-other movie.  Perfect.  Once back at the Maricopa house, the gender-segregated groups went to their respective destinations immediately.

I wanted to get to the Coon Bluff Recreation Site on the Salt River before dark anyhow as I was hoping to pull out a couple more lifers.  Mainly I had a gaping Phoebe-hole in my list–the Black Phoebe, which is best Phoebe of all.  As we waited for Tommy near the Coon Bluff entrance, we soaked up the last rays and views of an incredible day that began in Madera Canyon.

Coon Bluff

Cactus Wrens, despite sounding like a motor that won’t start, have motors that are always running as they could be constantly heard throughout the desert.

Cactus WrenBut no bird dominates the desert habitat near Coon Bluff like the Phainopepla.  Try to not see one if you go to Coon Bluff.

PhainopeplaOnce Tommy arrived, we all went down to the mesquite-bosque near the river to look for some of our pre-dusk targets.

Coon Bluff mesquite bosque

Right away we saw some Vermilion Flycatchers and encountered two Ladder-backed Woodpeckers.  The Ladder-backed was a lifer for Evan.  The Woodpeckers of Arizona were generally an unfriendly lot to us, snubbing photo attempts and giving poor looks in general.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Once we got next to the Salt River itself, Tommy found us a couple of our Black Phoebe targets.  The tail-bobbing and water’s-edge perching behavior was gratifyingly reminiscent of our lone Phoebe species back East.

Black Phoebe

Shortly after this, Tommy found Evan a Lucy’s Warbler lifer.

Lucy's Warbler

But after that tidy-lifering, it was time to head out to the entrance road and wait for darkness to fall.

Tommy EvannnnnDarkness and owl hoots weren’t the only thing we were waiting for–bird blogger Laurence Butler of the famed Butler’s Birds was set to join us for some nighttime owl escapades.  Whenever a herd of bird nerds gathers, especially of the blogging variety, there is bound to be magic.  Tonight was no exception.  In fact, once we were all together and started walking the road pictured above in the twilight, Laurence got the night off to the right start by spotting a Great Horned Owl atop a Saguaro.

Great Horned Owl Cactus

As we walked along, the nighttime sounds were immediate, omnipresent, and subtle to the untrained owler {me}.  Common Poorwills could be heard, and one gave us our life look as it buzzed our heads.  Western Screech-Owls proved to be a frustrating lot as we would hear one and head in its direction only to have it mock us by suddenly shutting up.  We’d give up and walk away and later hear it back in the same location.  This scene replayed many times with different Western Screech-Owls.

Giving up on WESO, Tommy was now hunting Elf Owls.  It didn’t take him long to hear one of the tiny guys barking.  The hunt was on.  Tommy had the Elf confined to a large mesquite tree.  Flashlights were immediately bathing the tree from all directions.  Then, Tommy called out that he spotted it! As I was heading toward him, Laurence called out that he too had it from the other side with an unobstructed view!  So I headed over to Laurence.  Nice guy that he is, he waited to take his own pictures and held up the light so I could get my life look and photograph of the Elf Owl.  Too bad I was a nighttime-owling novice and blew this gift by not using flash!  I distinctly remember watching the yellow blur of the eyes through the viewfinder as it swiveled its head at the last second.  And then it flushed further into the tree disappearing altogether.

Elf Owl

So now the hunt was on again for the 6 in. owl in the large tree.  I may have thrown away an incredible photographic opportunity, but I somewhat made up for it by making my only contribution to the owl efforts that night as I refound the sparrow-sized Elf buried deep in the branches.

Elf Owl

Elf Owl

This Elf Owl never did give us any more good lucks, though Laurence found and crushed a second bird in a different location.  At least Evan was with him and got good looks at that bird.  With crush in hand, the punctual Laurence departed from us at his preordained time.  This decision was both foolish and sacrificial, for whenever one leaves a birding party prematurely, it all but guarantees that greatness will happen for those who persevere.  And indeed, that is exactly what happened.

Dad and Evan decided to rest back at the van in the parking lot while Tommy and I were going to take one more crack at the owls.  With just the two of us, we could haul and cover a lot of ground quickly.  It turns out that covering lots of ground was not necessary since we once again had a calling Western Screech-Owl.  We set after it immediately.  The sound was subtle and quiet to me, so I was baffled when Tommy said it was really close.  I thought for sure it was a long way off.  However, we heard it in front of us, walked a short distance, and then heard it behind us!  We now had the Screech confined to one tree!  We shined our lights on the tree and in seconds Tommy hollered, “Josh! I got it!”

There, there on a branch in the middle of the tree with nothing blocking our view was the amazing Western Screech-Owl!  It was stunning.

Western Screech-Owl

Western Screech-Owl

Western Screech-Owl

After we each got several nice photographs, it dawned on me that this Owl was very content.  So I left Tommy to go back and get Dad and Evan so they could see this cool bird too.  Though in my excitement and in the darkness, I ran up to the wrong van.  Thankful to not be shot by the camping inhabitants or see the goings-on behind the blanket curtain that hung from the open lift-gate, I collected myself enough to find the correct van.  After startling my dad awake and hopping in, we punched it to get back to Tommy.

I needn’t have hurried because the Screech was exactly as I left him, and Evan and Dad got great looks at their lifer too.  Then, inspired by Tommy, the only birder I’ve heard of taking selfies with birds, hilarity ensued as we each found ourselves posing with the Owl.  Intoxicated with some good owling luck as well the thrill that comes from good, clean fun selfie antics, we could not stop laughing.Josh owl selfieObviously, Tommy is much more experienced at this, and therefore much better at the bird selfies than I.  One thing I have learned from Tommy is the importance of having fun while doing this hobby.  It is clear that I still have much to learn this owl Jedi.

Tommy selfie owl

By this point we had completely lost our minds and were attempting the GREATEST OWL SELFIE OF ALL TIME–both of us posing together directly underneath the bird.  Maybe it was the giggles, maybe it was that we didn’t have a mint, or maybe it was that the owl was just fed up with the freak show because it left just as we were almost in position.  Oh well. It was still the coolest and most hilarious owling I’ve ever experienced.  And I’ve owled a LOT.

Finally it was time to go.  We said our goodbyes to Tommy until we have a frosty reunion Up North next winter.  Then we headed back to my parents’ place in Maricopa for a much-needed night of sleep after an Elegant Trogon lifer at dawn and wild Western-Screech party well after dusk.

Evan sleeping

I long to return to the desert for more nightime owling.  Next time, though, I’ll be prepared with a better flashlight, a well-rehearsed selfie pose, and my leather boots…

shoe

It was an unforgettable night with Evan, Dad, Laurence, and Tommy.   We padded the life list with a few more birds which pushed Evan up and over the big 300.  More importantly we had a lot of fun doing it.  Oh, and if you’re feeling sorry for Laurence for missing the big party at the end, don’t.  Our WESO shots gnawed at him enough to get him back out there for a second and very successful photo shoot.

The 2015 Arizona series has eight chapters: 1) Maricopa Birds, 2) Mt. Lemmon, 3) Florida Canyon, 4) Madera Canyon Part 1, 5) Madera Canyon Part 2, 6) Evan’s Big Discovery, 7) Owling at Coon Bluff on the Salt River, and 8) Evan’s Nemesis.

Arizona 2015: Evan’s Big Discovery at Green Valley

The birding on March 31st was like drinking water from a fire hose.  Not to belabor a point, but I was also super sick and just wanted to rest after lifering 23 times earlier in the day with Tommy DeBardeleben and Gordon Karre.  As I was resting in the hotel room, Evan jolted me back into birding mode when he hollered, “Dad, I see a Barn Owl!”  I was skeptical but his voice was rising, “Yeah, yeah, I do!”  I went over to the window he was looking through and saw the distant silhouette on another roof of the hotel complex a couple hundred yards away.  Zooming in with the camera I saw that Evan indeed saw an owl, but it was the Great Horned variety.

Great Horned Owl

Any owl is a fun find, even a GHOW in SE AZ.  No, it wasn’t our Barn Owl lifer, but it was still a great sighting.  At least Evan was cognizant that we were in the right country for Barn Owl as it’s not a bird we are likely to ever get back home. We saw the owl fly a short distance into a third-story alcove, so Evan and I raced out the door to see if we could get closer looks at the owl.  We realized that we could actually ride an elevator to the third floor and look out a window right by where the owl landed.  Excitement stirred as we crept up to the window, expecting to look down at the owl just a couple feet away on the roof below.  Somehow the owl gave us the slip, but look what we found!  The figure in the background is a very fresh owlet–you can see its tiny gray beak by the stucco wall.  The other white blob may be an owlet or part of the food cache.

GHOW nest

We finally located the adult perched on a light pole in the middle of the parking lot in the middle of the day, giving us our best ever views of a Great Horned Owl.

Great Horned OwlWhenever owls are involved, one should always give credit where credit is due.  Here is the discoverer admiring his prize.

Evan Great Horned Owl

What a gorgeous creature this was and a cherry on top of one heck of a day of birding in SE AZ.

Great Horned Owl

It surprised me to see a Great Horned Owl in the day like this and so unafraid.  Putting up with tourists is just one of the prices you pay for choosing such a posh and scenic home.

Great Horned Owl hotel

Having a resident owl at our accommodations always made going out to the parking lot enjoyable as you could play ‘Where’s Waldo?’ each time.  One time we found it in a palm tree.  Look at those talons!

Great Horned Owl

It was really windy that night. Can you tell?

Great Horned OwlThe Great Horned Owl wasn’t the only great bird at the hotel.  I managed to find a Black-throated Sparrow, Cactus Wren, and even a lifer Hooded Oriole or three for Evan!

Hooded Oriole

Hooded Oriole female

The Hooded Orioles were that much sweeter as we enjoyed them poolside while enjoying  other sweet views.

Green Valley

After our grand Elegant Trogon adventure on the morning of April 1st, Tommy and Gordon dropped us off at the hotel but took some time to look for Evan’s owls.  Unfortunately, Tommy and Gordon just could not get on the owl.

Tommy Gordon Great Horned Owl

They had been so obsessed with the fact that my bird photo-list on the blog is missing a Rock Pigeon picture, that they could focus on nothing but finding me Pigeons and failed to see the owl.  I was told that in this photo, Tommy had sighted a tidy group of four Pigeons.

The truth is, Tommy and Gordon just weren’t used to owling VIP-style. We brought them to the elevator that took us up three flights.  Then the doors opened, giving them this immediate and direct view:

Great Horned Owl

 

Great Horned OwlTommy and Gordon actually contributed to the owl discovery as they found the male tucked up into a palm tree!  We now had two adults in view!

Great Horned Owl

It was fun to watch these Arizona birders, who by all rights should be jaded to all common birds, enjoy this pair of nationally common GHOWs along with us.  Perhaps, after now having seen such birds as the Painted Redstart and Elegant Trogon, Evan is the one who’s jaded…

Josh Evan Great Horned Owl

The only cure for such a hardened-heart toward the owls would be an infusion of multiple owl lifers on one of the most thrilling owl-prowls we’ve ever had.  Coming up next is some exciting NIGHT owling we had that very night back in the Phoenix area along the Salt River.  Stay tuned.

The 2015 Arizona series has eight chapters: 1) Maricopa Birds, 2) Mt. Lemmon, 3) Florida Canyon, 4) Madera Canyon Part 1, 5) Madera Canyon Part 2, 6) Evan’s Big Discovery, 7) Owling at Coon Bluff on the Salt River, and 8) Evan’s Nemesis.