Birds

Most Parulidae warblers do not linger long in the lower 48 and head straight for the boreal forests of Canada. American birders spend every spring in migrant traps like High Island, Point Pelee and even Central Park to capture the little jewels in their binoculars’ crosshairs. Why do these birds move so quickly north? Is it because they remember the fate of Bachman’s Warbler? Do they wish for better healthcare? Interestingly, birds on migration commonly have two distinct travel strategies. In autumn they leisurely travel south, following the advice to stop regularly and rest before getting behind the wheel again, sorry, taking wing. In spring it is completely different. No stopping and going as fast north as possible. The reason? Well, the birds are what in common parlance starts with an “H”, but since we are polite and scientific we must call this condition “the breeding imperative”. These little birds want to procreate! More than 50 species of warbler, each numbering in the millions, all feeding families, will need a lot of bugs. And the northern parts of the Nearctic have bugs, loads of them. Tennessee Warblers go to Canada, Virginia Warblers go to Canada, Cape May Warblers go to Canada, and so forth: all for the insects (OK, they’re not all going to Canada but the northern USA is quite Canada-ish in terms of bugginess). Once the breeding is done, the warblers head south, but they travel more easily since they only have one mouth to feed, their own. Unfortunately for the birders, they have changed their plumage to the duller non-breeding version. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, exchange north for south and south for north. All photos from the archive.

When planning any of our vacations I always try to pick a destination that has birds for me and interesting sightseeing for my husband (non-birder and good sport). For our late-summer trip to the Monterey Bay area in California, I hired a bird guide. He took us all over Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Grove in search of birds. To my husband’s amusement we even visited a dairy farm, where we saw a Tricolored Blackbird. At the end of the day I had added 19 species to my life list. My main target bird was Yellow-billed Magpie and I had good looks at three! Other birds of note that we saw were Wandering Tattler, Surfbird, Long-billed Curlew, and Acorn Woodpecker. California Quail He also suggested we take the Elkhorn Slough pontoon-boat ride. The slough is a tidal salt marsh which provides habitat for plants, animals, and birds. It was a two-hour trip with a naturalist on board, who talked about the area and pointed out sea otters, California sea lions and harbour seals. The captain will point out birds if you tell him that is your interest. Monterey’s best weather is September to November, which is their dry season. We were there from the end of August to September 7. Unfortunately, we experienced the coolest, foggiest weather that the locals had seen in a long time. The weather made us decide against going on a pelagic trip or a whale-watching cruise. This time period is generally good for both those activities. Staying on land meant we could enjoy the spectacular scenery. One of our favourite drives was south on Highway 1 to the Big Sur area. We visited Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to marvel at the redwoods and to hike out to view the beautiful McWay Falls. I enjoyed watching some Steller’s Jays (pictured at beginning of article) trying to share in a visitor’s picnic lunch. This is a good spot to look for California Condors. We saw a family of three birds soaring over a ridge. Magnificent! Greater Roadrunner While at the park we spoke to two interns who were involved in the monitoring of the condors. They mentioned that some of the birds can be found at Pinnacles National Monument. This park is a little more than an hour’s drive east of Monterey. Being inland, it was sunny and a hot 32° C. The area is the spectacular remains of an extinct volcano and there are incredible rock formations. There are a variety of hiking trails for every fitness level. We didn’t see any condors, but we did find Oak Titmouse, Greater Roadrunner, California Quail and a Prairie Falcon (which breed there). A fellow birder took us to Natural Bridges State Beach where I got to see a flock of foraging Pygmy Nuthatches. Then he took us to Antonelli Pond where I saw a beautiful male Black-throated Gray Warbler. He also told us to visit the U.C. Santa Cruz Arboretum. This is a hummingbird paradise with many flowers to attract these birds. We enjoyed watching aggressive Rufous Hummingbirds chasing Anna’s Hummingbirds away from all the blooms. Rufous Hummingbird On our last day in Monterey we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We were very impressed with this facility. The exhibits were incredible and our favourites were the displays on jellyfish, sea otters and seahorses. There was even a small aviary with rescued shorebirds. The staff and volunteers were friendly and knowledgeable. Besides being entertaining, the aquarium promotes conservation and protection of the ocean and its creatures. If you’re going to visit the aquarium, I would recommend buying your tickets online and avoiding weekends and holidays when it is quite busy. If you are California dreaming, the Monterey Bay Area may be the place for your next vacation. Note: All photos are from Pexels.com, an online source of copyright-free photos.    

What is your favorite bird species? 3 Ground Warblers of the Philippines Bicol Ground-warbler What is your name, and where do you live? Irene Dy. I live in Manila. What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide? I guide throughout all the birding areas of the Philippines. How long have you been a bird guide? I’ve been guiding professionally since 2016. But have been guiding people non professionally since 2013 How did you get into bird guiding? Accidental bird guide. People have noticed that I’ve been seeing difficult-to-spot birds, such as the wild Whiskered Pitta, Fruit Doves, and Ground Warblers, among others. As a result, people often asked me to take them to see their target bird as a favor. Eventually, I received referrals, and in 2016, when my good friend Mark Wallbank, who is also running a tour company, fell ill and couldn’t guide, asked me to cover for him. The rest is history! Whiskered Pitta What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most? The main aspect I love most is being able to show people around the world my home country’s beautiful endemic species! As a Filipino, it is an honour to be able to showcase our beautiful endemic species in situ, not just birds, but also reptiles, flora species, mammals, and our beautiful landscape, culture. It is like showing the world our natural art in situ! What I dislike most is when people do not respect our culture and the Filipinos. There have been a few instances when guests were extremely rude to our locals and to me! What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that are the most interesting for visiting birders? Top 10 birds of the Philippines ( not as a region as I guide around the whole country): Whiskered Pitta ( wild one, not in a feeding station! I specialize in Wild Pitta!) Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher Blue-capped Kingfisher Philippine Eagle Philippine Eagle Owl Flame-breasted Fruitdove Palawan Peacock Pheasant  Mindanao and Visayan Wattled Broadbill Yellow-faced Flameback Negros Bleeding Heart Blue-capped Kingfisher Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area? Please briefly describe the locations, the key birds, and the approximate duration of such a trip A typical 3-day trip would be 1 to 2 locations in Luzon/ Mindanao/ Visayas without camping / hiking trails/boat rides to shorebirds during migration season. We are a hotspot for Asian Dowitcher among many other shorebirds in EAAF. A typical 1-week trip can be 1 to 3 sites in Luzon / and/or Mindanao A typical 2 to 3 week trip can be 3 to 5 sites among 3 big Islands with hiking. The islands to visit depend on the key targets of the birder. What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area? Birding in the Philippines is actually year-round as we do not have winter. What you need to consider is the typhoon / Monsoon season affecting certain parts of the country. Essentials in Philippine birding are a wide-brimmed hat, umbrella, rain jacket, and a good pair of waterproof boots! If any readers of 10,000 Birds are interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you? Contact email is happyowl.images@gmail.com Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds? The Philippines is not only rich in endemic birds, mammals, snakes, frogs, moths and butterflies, flowers, but we are also rich in migratory shorebirds!

When we stepped out of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, a wave of stifling air hit us. The rental car registered the temperature at 115°F. Why would anyone choose to visit southeast Arizona during the summer? Birds, of course! Each August, Tucson Bird Alliance hosts the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. Much like every other festival, there are field trips, speakers, educational opportunities, and a vendor area. This was our second time leading field trips to various places around Tucson, and I was excited to be back and hoped to see a few lifers, albeit a little nervous about the extreme heat. The goal is to stick to the canyons and mountains that are higher up and therefore have cooler conditions. Couple that with wake-up calls set to 4 am and you have the tools to beat the heat. Our first night was spent at Santa Rita Lodge, which is in the middle of Madera Canyon. The lodge has numerous warnings about the lack of cell phone service and emergency services. Still, we stayed here several years ago and knew what an incredible location it is, despite the remoteness. The evenings and mornings are cool and full of interesting species that are specific to the areas, including the Elegant Trogon. However, the one night we were staying there, we were searching for a Buff-collared Nightjar that was frequently heard calling in the nearby Box Canyon. Lesser Nighthawk We checked into our cabin and headed towards the hotspot just before sunset to see if the nightjar was around. Upon arriving, there were dozens of Lesser Nighthawks flying overhead towards the east and a few sparrows calling. Just after nightfall, when it was a bit too late for photos, we saw a different nightjar flapping fancifully over the short trees along the one road cutting through the canyon. I got binos on it and easily spotted the tan band around its neck and lack of white windows in its wings – Buff-collared Nightjar! The next morning, we headed further into the canyon after sunrise in hopes of seeing an Elegant Trogon. eBird lists were not much help in pinpointing specific locations, but we tried the top parking lot, Mt. Wrightson Picnic Area, where four had been seen the day before. Hiking up towards the ridgeline along the wash, we heard it calling faintly further up the trail. I jauntily moved towards the sound and saw nothing—a rare “heard-only” lifer. We soothed our egos by watching the feeders at Santa Rita Lodge, full of Mexican Jays, Bridled Titmouse, and Acorn Woodpeckers. Acord Woodpecker While still early in the morning, we headed to the other side of the mountains to the famed Paton Center for Hummingbirds. It is aptly named, as the hummingbirds at the feeders are plentiful, zipping around and arguing over feeders. Black-chinned, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Anna’s, and Rufous Hummingbirds dominate the feeders with Gray Hawks calling overhead and Canyon Towhees, Common Ground, and Inca Doves plodding along the edges of the feeding area. A wander through the Richard Grand Memorial Meadow resulted in several different ages of Phainopepla. The adjacent Sonoita Creek had a trickle of water, attracting Lesser Goldfinches, Yellow-breasted Chats, and Varied Buntings trying to cool off in the extreme heat. Adult Phainopepla Fledgling Phainopepla Rufous Hummingbird We had one last place to scout before the festival: Harshaw Canyon. A nesting Rose-throated Becard has attracted a lot of attention, so we targeted that site. Fortunately, someone at Paton had warned us that there was a roadside delineator with a white cloth that marked the Becard nest. After meandering next to Harshaw Creek and watching Dusky-capped Flycatchers play around, we found the delineator and the messy nest that looked like the result of flood debris – but too high up in the tree. It was later in the morning, so most of the birds were past their morning feeding and more in a lounge-about state. But it was hawk o’clock! A couple of Gray Hawk chicks were still hanging around the nest, not quite ready to launch, but the parents were tempting them by soaring against the ridgeline. Also, a Zone-tailed Hawk tried to fool us into thinking it was a Turkey Vulture. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo quietly cop-cop-copped above the stream. But no sign of the Becards that morning. Yellow-billed Cuckoo Zone-tailed Hawk Southeast Arizona might not seem like the optimum birding spot in the heat of the summer, but there are still plenty of birds to see – make sure to get out early and be prepared for the heat! A few things to remember while birding in hot places: bring more water than you think you will need, pace yourself, start early, listen to your body, and do not overdo it!

Kithulgala is where I decided to give back to society, donating copious amounts of blood to the starving local leech population. While I did not receive a Nobel Prize for my efforts, I like to think it was appreciated nevertheless. And it was worth it, given the number of interesting bird species in the area. Many of these are Sri Lanka endemics, and my favorite among these is the Serendib Scops Owl, which was also a protagonist in a recent collaborative post on scops owls. It is listed as Endangered and has a very small range – according to one estimate, the population is only about 150–700 individuals. The owl is the first newly discovered bird species in more than a century – it was only seen in 2001 and scientifically described in 2004. To celebrate, the Sri Lankan government even put the Serendib Scops Owl on a banknote. I just wish it were a bigger denomination than 20 Rupees – a value less than 7 US cents does not really do the bird justice. The other thing not so cool about this species is its scientific name, Otus thilohoffmanni, apparently honoring Thilo Walter Hoffmann (1922-2014), a Swiss agricultural scientist, long resident in Sri Lanka, and an ornithologist. Some of Elon Musk’s children probably have better names than this owl. The Chestnut-backed Owlet is “only” listed as Near Threatened, with a population estimated at 15,000 to 30,000. Given that this is a small owl with only a short entry in the HBW, it is surprising that said entry was authored by a total of 10 authors – maybe each of them contributed one sentence? Strangely, the Peregrine Fund states that “Though the Chestnut-backed Owlet lives far away from Boise, Idaho, you can still learn a lot about owls with a visit to our Velma Morrison Interpretive Center at The Peregrine Fund headquarters.” And about how to direct Google Searches to your own website. Taking photos of the Chestnut-backed Owlet got me into a sweat – after all, it lives in a humid and tropically hot environment. I was therefore surprised to read the Greenverz statement that the feathers of the owl “are soft and downy, providing excellent insulation against the cool, damp forests where it lives.” A website of the “Zoologists Association of University of Sri Jayewardenepura” has additional confusing information on the owl: “The species is often observed during the day, especially at night”. Coming back to the topic of banknotes (“Learning about finance and economics with 10,000 Birds”, a course providing essential financial literacy for otherwise clueless birders), the Orange-billed Babbler seems to rank higher in the Sri Lankan financial food chain, gracing the 100 Rupee note. But the babbler still ranks below the Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, at least from the perspective of banknotes – the parrot is on the 1000 Rupee note. Sorry, that was too fast. We were not done with the Orange-billed Babbler yet. When looking up a species for the first time, I am always hoping for an interesting scientific name. Maybe after a person? Did that person have slaves? Rape midgets? Sell fentanyl? So, the scientific name of the Orange-billed Babbler, Argya rufescens, is quite a disappointment. Just stating that the bird is reddish (rufescens) does not give me anything to write about. So I have to start the tedious process of trying to find some research paper with interesting facts on the species – not boring details such as their size (25 cm) or clutch size (2-3 eggs). If I were to be reincarnated as an Orange-billed Babbler, I probably would not do too well, as the species is generally described as gregarious (which I am not). However, this makes it an ideal candidate as the leading species of mixed-species flocks in Sri Lanka (source). Ok, back to the 1000 Rupees bird, the Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot. Does the banknote shown above really have a berylline color, that is, a light blue-green shade? At least that is what the scientific name of the species, Loriculus beryllinus, implies. There are 15 species of Hanging Parrots (genus Loriculus) – their main claim to fame is the ability to sleep upside down. Sometimes it does not take much to be famous, as I recently discovered myself. The Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot is also featured in an interesting article on the rarity (or non-rarity) of species. The title gives a summary of the article: “Most Species Are Rare (But Not Very Rare)“. And if you have approximately 40 USD to spare, you may consider buying a work of art showing a Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot. And no, we do not get a commission. Enough with the money – there are several endemics not featured on Sri Lankan banknotes, maybe because their color does not match the targeted banknote colors (Andy Warhol: “You’d be surprised how many people want to hang an electric chair on their living-room wall. Specially if the background color matches the drapes”). But there is a consolation prize for Sri Lankan endemics – being featured on a Sri Lanka stamp. Like the Spot-winged Thrush. It is highly range-restricted, and listed as Near Threatened. And it looks better in reality than on a stamp. There seem to be quite many Sri Lankan stamps with bird motives – see here for an overview. I have to admit they make for more attractive stamps than the Kithulgala leeches. While the Spot-winged Thrush prefers to forage close to forest trails rather than in the forest interior, it does this less if there are disturbances on the trails (i.e., tourists). And these are not even the noisiest of tourists, the Chinese … Sri Lanka also has its endemic coucal, which for some reason is not called Sri Lanka Coucal but Green-billed Coucal. It is now listed as Vulnerable (previously: Endangered) – according to the HBW, it is a “rare, local and declining species, endangered by the continued loss of its forest habitat to agriculture.” Frighteningly, its total population is estimated at no…