Bird Sense: A Birding Blog

The Magic Of Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:19:00 +0000

Click into photos to open them.

Short-billed Dowitcher, Evans Road

Red Knot, Evans Road

Black-crowned Night Heron (Immature) @ Sparrow Pond

Osprey Nestling @ Belle Haven Marina

Bald Eagle (Composite), George Washington Memorial Parkway

Black-bellied Plover, Fowler Beach Road

"The world acquired a new interest when birds appeared for the presence of birds at any time is magical in effect, They are magicians that transform every scene; make every desert a garden of delights." Charles Abbott, Medical doctor, American naturalist, nature writer, and archaeologist, date unknown.

Still snowed in, mostly. Another winter storm on the way. Nothing much to do but process some old 2009 captures for the first time.

Reference:

Terres. "Things Precious & Wild." Fulcrum Publishing, 1991; P.5.

Northern Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:14:00 +0000

Red-shouldered Hawk @ Occoquan Bay NWR

Northern Flicker @ Occoquan Bay NWR

Spent the last few days bombing around some of my favorite Northern Virginia venues, including George Washington Memorial Parkway, Fort Belvoir, Pohick Bay Regional Park, and Occoquan Bay NWR.

A great assortment of water birds continues on Northern Virginia watercourses, including Tundra Swan, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, and Ruddy Duck.

I have been following a small gaggle of male and female Common Merganser, waiting for one of these ducks to drift inside the reach of my camera lens. Struggling to find an exposure that might work for me, I blow a great opportunity to photograph these ducks. Otherwise, the Common Merganser spend most of their time "loafing" just outside the reach of my lens.

At Pohick Bay Regional Park, I do a lot of birding from a chair, waiting for an opportunity to photograph Bald Eagles. I see ten or more Bald Eagles from the park's parking lot, but I have no opportunity to point my lens at an Eagle, much less photograph one.

At Occoquan Bay NWR (OBNWR), a snowcap concentrates lots of sparrows on the edges of the refuge's entrance road and parking lot. I spend a couple of hours photographing these foraging birds, using my car as a blind. Sparrows I see include: American Tree, Field, Vesper, Savannah, Song, Swamp, White-throated, and Dark-eyed Junco.

I miss a nice opportunity to photograph an American Tree Sparrow perched on a snow bank. No card in my camera, again! LOL! I settle for some "cheesey" captures of a Tree Sparrow foraging on the parking lot's asphalt surface. I have mouth-watering views of a couple of Vesper Sparrows, but I have no opportunity to photograph these birds. (I want the Vesper Sparrows up off the ground on a low perch of some kind since there is not much point in photographing a little brown bird on the ground against a dark background.)

An Accipiter (Sharp-shinned Hawk, I thought), a Red-shouldered Hawk, and a Northern Harrier are all hunting refuge edges. The Accipiter dives on a bunch of Savannah Sparrows that I am photographing, putting these birds up.

I have great opportunities to photograph Northern Flickers doing some ground foraging on snow covered refuge fields. I hope to photograph Eastern Meadowlark in these same fields. I see lots of Eastern Meadowlark, but none of these birds manage to get inside the reach of my camera lens.

OBNWR is a beautiful place, especially with a couple of inches of snow on the ground. Another winter snowstorm is almost upon us. This storm is likely to bury Northern Virginia in a couple of feet of snow.

With only a couple of inches of snow on the ground, the sparrows I am photographing at OBNWR are clearly expending a lot of energy trying to meet basic needs. I spend a few minutes thinking about the birds that will not survive the coming storm. My restless mind drifts, and I think about the King and Virginia Rails at nearby Huntley Meadows. How, I wonder, will these magnificent birds fare in a couple of feet of snow?

Forget about mortality associated with a simple winter storm. 176 avian species in the continental U.S. need immediate conservation help (Audubon 2007 Watch List). Science Daily reports that by 2100 as many as 14% of all bird species could be extinct, and as many as one in four species may be functionally extinct. (Science Daily, February 5, 2010. See the article entitled "Global Bird Populations Face Dramatic Decline In Coming Decades.") But, hey, by all means. Let's continue playing silly birding games: "I bet I see more birds than you do. My list tops your list!" LOL!

Without winter storms and changing global weather patterns, birds, daily, struggle just to survive. And, we make a sport out of who can see the most birds. Again, I am painfully reminded that birding is not much of a game. And, for a few moments, I have nothing but contempt for those who manage to reduce birding too little more than a game. ("Today, I got Vesper Sparrow for my 2010 year list." "Jesus, BFD!")

In Virginia's Coastal Plain, Red-shouldered Hawk (RSH) is a common permanent resident. RSH has two different plumages (adult and juvenile).

In Virginia's Coastal Plain, Northern Flicker is a common permanent resident. Northern Flicker commonly forages on the ground, one of only a few woodpecker species to do this. Pairs normally mate for life and often return to the same breeding ground year after year. Significant population declines have occurred over much of the North American continent. Another small reminder that birding is not some silly game.

References:

Wheeler & Clark. "A Photographic Guide To North American Raptors." Princeton University Press, 2003; P. 49.

Alderfer, ed. "Complete Birds of North America." National Geographic Society, 2006; P. 378.

Stokes. "A Guide To Bird Behavior." Little Brown & Company, 1979; 1:95-103

Hooded Merganser

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:35:00 +0000

Male

Female

Hanging out at Ben Brenman Park for a couple of days looking for opportunities to photograph Hooded Merganser. Recently, as many as 34 Hooded Mergansers have been recorded at the park.

Mostly, I hope to photograph displaying males, with crests prominently raised and spread; though to date, I have not seen many courtship or reaffirmation of pair bonding displays taking place at Ben Brenman Park.

Here in Virginia's Coastal Plain, Hooded Merganser is a common transient and winter resident. Hooded Merganser is the smallest of three native North American Merganser species. Mergansers are the only ducks that specialize in eating fish.

Reference:

Kaufman. "Lives Of North American Birds." Houghton Mifflin, 1996; P. 166-167

American Oystercatcher

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:59:00 +0000

(Composite)

Photographed from the causeway leading into Chincoteague NWR, Summer 09.

Tim Birkhead's "The Wisdom Of Birds" is my new favorite history of Ornithology. At $45, this book is pricey. But, this morning, turning the last page of this captivating book, I said to myself, "Wow. What a read."

Reference

Birkhead. "The Wisdom Of Birds." Bloomsbury, 2008.

Some Old Captures

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:45:00 +0000

Clapper Rail

Hatch-year Clapper Rail

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Composite)

Snowing here today, or is supposed to snow anyway. Had planned to do some coastal birding in Delaware today, but forgetting to set the alarm clock is one of the best ways I know to kill a birding day trip.

Awakened too late to leave for the coast and to early to do any local birding, so I spend a couple of hours looking for old captures to process for the first time. Pictured above are a couple of Clapper Rails, including a hatch-year bird, and a Semipalmated Sandpiper.

There is something about photographing Rails that is just to cool for words. Sitting on the edge of a marsh, listening to a Rail(s) vocalize nearby, seeing some movement, getting a fleeting or a better view desired look at a Rail, waiting for a Rail to drift inside the reach of my camera lens; doing some birding (think raptors, shorebirds, and sparrows) and waiting for an opportunity to photograph a Rail. Great fun. Lots of things to see and learn.

For me, getting a nice Rail photograph gets down to appropriate habitat, quiet edges, wet mud, an acceptable prey base (fiddler crabs, frogs, and the like), a chair to get lower to the ground, "shootable" light, and the patience required to let a Rail drift inside the reach of my lens.

"Taping" Rails on longer enters into this equation. And, for the uninformed, the misinformed, the careless, the lazy, the slow afoot, the terminally stupid, and all those birders running around creation with a "taping" platform in their birding "tool boxes," it is actually possible to see and photograph Rails without having to "tape" them. It is called bird watching, or if you prefer, birding, not bird "taping."

Anytime I hear a birder talking about their birding "tool box," I get a little worried. The visual is too much for me; really it is. I often wonder what else besides a "taping" platform might be found inside these toolboxes. And, try as I might, I just can't recall the last time that I saw a birder in the field carrying a "tool box."

This I do know. I have seen, "taped," and photographed more Rails by accident than some running around with birding "toolboxes" are ever likely to see, "tape," or photograph on purpose. Birding toolboxes! LOL! Too rich for words, really. Show me a birder that uses the phrase "birding toolbox" and "taping" in the same sentence, and I will show you someone who has no idea what they are talking about. No idea, whatsoever!

"Taping" without benefit of a special use/research permit, within the construct of a legitimate and well designed scientific inquiry, is an unethical birding practice. End of the story. I learned this lesson the hard way. And, carrying a birding "toolbox" all over creation hardly amounts to some "taping" rationale.

In Virginia, the Virginia Society Of Ornithology (VSO) has adopted a Code of Birding Ethics that does not endorse "taping." However, the VSO continues to be unwilling or unable to tell its membership and others that "taping" without benefit of a permit is often prohibited at many public land venues. This continuing lack of intellectual honesty is telling and says quite a bit about the VSO, so far as I am concerned.

Clapper Rail courtship displays are pretty cool to see. A male will approach a female with an uplifted tail and its bill pointed to the ground. In what I suppose is an effort to get noticed, the male, with its bill pointed to the ground, begins swinging its bill from side to side. (Least Tern and other species do this bill-swinging thing too.) In what I believe is another attempt to get noticed, a male will approach a female with its bill open and neck outstretched as it walks back and forth in front of a female.

Clapper Rail disputes (territorial & otherwise) are pretty cool too. A lot of staring, neck stretching, jumping, and tail chasing goes on. These are all examples of "manly displays." Clapper Rails will charge each other too, sometimes getting into extended, drop-dead, stone-cold knockout fights.

I put a specialty blur into the Semipalmated Sandpiper, making this photograph a composite instead of a true nature photograph. I believe this bird may also be a hatch-year bird, though I am unsure about this.

A hatch-year bird is a term that usually describes a bird born in the current calendar year. For instance, a bird born between the spring and December 31 can be described as being a hatch-year bird.

A link to a basic birding glossary appears on the sidebar of Bird Sense's front page. Birding has its own language. New birders and others can read "The Ardent Birder" by Todd Newberry & Gene Holtan and National Geographic's "Birding Essentials." Learning more about good birding practices and the language of birding will improve your bird watching skills in surprising ways.

Reference

Ehrlich et al. "The Birders Handbook." Simon & Shuster, 1988; P. 98.

Breeding Red-shouldered Hawks

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:45:00 +0000

Having our car serviced yesterday. Instead of hanging around the dealership, I visit a nearby neighborhood park, where I find a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks building/refurbishing a nest.

Here in Virginia, Red-shouldered Hawks (RSH) begin breeding in late January. This nest is not located in the main crotch of a deciduous tree, as is often the case with RSH. The nest looks to be mostly complete. Both male and female are performing nest maintenance, and I have a couple of great opportunities to watch both sexes gathering and carrying nesting material to the nest.

Reference

Wheeler. "Raptors of Eastern North America." Princeton University Press, 2003; p. 200.

Gadwall

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:18:00 +0000

Out today, trolling for opportunities to photograph waterbirds along the Potomac River. Pictured here is a pretty poor picture of a pair of Gadwall. Nevertheless, I published this photo to my blog because I kind of like it; proof, I suppose, that photographs need not be perfect to have meaning.

Here in Virginia, Gadwall is a mostly common transient and winter resident. Gadwall breed on ponds, lakes, and marshes, most often in the Dakotas and prairie states and provinces. In the last century, Gadwall populations in the eastern U.S. have expanded rapidly. Consequently, Gadwall is a confirmed breeder in Virginia.

Reference

"Complete Birds Of North America." Edited by Jonathan Alderfer. National Geographic Society, 2006; p. 18.

Dyke Marsh Nature Preserve

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:04:00 +0000

Redhead

Today, waterbirds at Dyke Marsh Nature Preserve include: American Black Duck, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, and Ruddy Duck.

I also have great looks at a Red-shouldered hawk, Red-tailed Hawk and a Merlin.

Ken Kaufman's "Lives of North American Birds" states that ducks often use the nests of others to lay eggs. For instance, Female Redhead's often parasitize each other's nests and the nests of at east 10 other duck species. Redheads also have used the nests of American Bittern and Northern Harrier.

Reference:

Kaufman. "Lives of North American Birds." Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996; p.92.

Red-headed Woodpecker

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 05:05:00 +0000

(Composite)

Yesterday, I visited Sky Meadows State Park to spend a couple hours photographing Red-headed Woodpecker. Driving to the park, I see one Bald Eagle, two Red-shouldered Hawks, sixteen Red-tailed Hawks, and three American Kestrels perched along Interstate 66.

While photographing these delightful Woodpeckers in the park's Walnut Grove, a couple of Common Ravens are soaring above me.

Arriving at Sky Meadows, I find the park's front gate locked. Walking the park's entrance road, I hear the familiar rattle of a RHWP behind me. I grab my camera, returning to the area where I was hearing RHWP. This bird is still vocalizing, and I am standing right in front of it.

Try as I might, I cannot located the RHWP, this in spite of the fact that the bird is right in front of me. I am thinking: "How cool is this. I am here to photograph RHWP, and I cannot seem to find the one bird that I should be able to reach out and touch."

Walking into the park's Walnut Grove, the first bird I see is a RHWP chasing a Yellow-billed Sapsucker like a bat out of hell. The next two birds I see also are Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. I am thinking the way things are going RHWP will be chasing Sapsuckers all day long.

For a while, I am photographing nothing but RHWP hanging around treetops. I am waiting for one of these birds to drop down quite a bit so that it will be comfortably inside the reach of my lens. A few moments later, a RHWP does just this. I swing around to get on this bird. My line is good. The early mourning light is unbelievable. Things are going just fine, except for the fact that I cannot seem to find an exposure that works for me. My "shots" are all over-exposed, and I am blowing highlights, big-time.

Try as I might, I continue blowing highlights. I am thinking: "Come on, get a clue. Work the problem. This bird is not going to hang out inside the reach of my lens all day long." Nothing doing. Eventually, I give up trying to find some exposure (any exposure) that will work for me. I am standing in the Walnut Grove "spinning" my camera's wheel, thinking how great things would be if only I could actually "shoot" my camera and lens. Finally, I do figure this problem out. And, I am finally getting captures that I think will work for me.

While photographing these birds, I spend a lot of time watching RHWP doing RHWP stuff: chasing other woodpeckers, foraging (including ground foraging), caching acorns, and the like. RHWP is one of only a couple of woodpecker species that forage on the ground. The Walnut Grove is filled with rattling RHWP, and I am having a great time.

Birding is not nearly as easy as some would have others believe. I have invested a lot of time to become a credible, veteran birder. My own field craft and birding skills are the product of time in the field, patience, and good birding practices and habits of mind. I am hardly a veteran bird photographer. But, I do enjoy photographing birds quite a bit. I figure the bird photography formula looks something like this: time in the field, patience, and good habits.

RHWP, great birds to see and photograph. Sky Meadows Park, a neat birding venue.

Reference

Dunne. "Essential Field Guide Companion." Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006; p. 373.

Thinking About 2009 & Some Teachable Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 04:40:00 +0000

Eastern Kingbird @ Bombay Hook NWR, Summer 09

Killdeer @ Swan Harbor Farm, Summer 09

Tricolored Heron @ Chincoteague NWR, Summer 09

Black-crowned Night Heron @ Chincoteague NWR, Summer 09

American Oystercatcher @ Chincoteague NWR, Summer 09

Spotted Sandpiper Along Port Mahon Road, Fall 09

Ruddy Turnstone Along Port Mahon Road, Spring 09

Red Knot along Evans Road, Spring 09.

Semipalmated Sandpiper @ Fowler Beach, Spring 09

Short-billed Dowitcher @ Taylor's Gut, Spring 09

Short-billed Dowitcher Along Fowler Beach Road, Spring 09

Seaside Sparrow Along Lighthouse Road, Summer 09

Every January, I spend some time thinking about my birding world. I want to know what it is that I have learned about birds, birding, and birders in the past year. I put a lot of emphasis on the birding and birders parts of this equation because birding involves much more than simply learning how to identify birds in the field.

Birding is all about learning and teachable moments, both in and out of the field. For instance, simply learning more about the history of birding in America has been enormously helpful to me. In 2009, I spent a lot of time reading and thinking about this topic.

Often, this kind of independent study has nothing whatsoever to do with learning how to identify individual birds in the field. But, inevitably, the lessons learned from this study prove invaluable. I know many veteran birders who can often call most every bird they see and or hear in the field, but who cannot tell me anything of consequence about the history of birding in America.

I have been blogging for more than a year now. Keeping up with Bird Sense is a lot of work, more work than I imagined it would be. I am not a gifted writer, and I continue to struggle with simple things like verb tense. Nevertheless, in 2009, "Bird Sense" was selected to be listed in the birding blog category for the Best Of The Web Directory.

I publish Bird Sense for a couple of reasons. First, Bird Sense is a personal birding journal of sorts. I share my birding blog with family, friends, and others to help them learn more about my own fascination with birds, birding, and birders. More importantly, Bird Sense affords me the chance to write about birds, birding, and birders for a wider audience, especially veteran birders. This is my way of encouraging others to begin thinking about birding in new ways.

Finally, Bird Sense allows me to discuss ethical birding and good birding practices with others, especially new birders and those who are curious about birding. Ethical birding and good birding practices matter, especially if one understands that birding is a state mind that demands good habits.

For instance, anyone following this blog knows how I feel about "taping." "Taping" without benefit of a special use/research permit outside the construct of a legitimate and well-defined scientific inquiry is an unethical birding practice. End of the story. The pro-taping crowd has held sway in the larger birding community for far to long. Bird Sense provides me with a platform to discuss ethical birding and good birding practices for the benefit of others in ways that I hope will endlessly annoy the "combat birding" crowd with a near reckless abandon.

Bird Sense continues to be a work in progress. In 2010, I will be discussing birding themes and other concerns that matter to me. Also, I am fooling around with the idea of tying a Bird Sense podcast.

Follow Bird Sense long enough, and my now near total contempt for listing (and other birding artifacts) is obvious. Why some use a list or lists as some kind of birding yardstick is a mystery to me.

[Actually, within some historical construct, listing is easily understood. The truth is this: today we raise birders to be listers on an almost institutional scale, so much so that we find authors like John Sill and others actually publishing essays that remind birders to "linger" with the birds they list.

More than three decades after Ken Kaufman was involved in the "biggest burst" in listing in this modern birding era, Kaufman calls listing a "strangely two-hearted activity" and a "slippery slope." Referring to listing, Kaufman says, "It doesn't quite add up. But we keep doing it anyway."

I gave up keeping a life list some years ago. I have no idea how many species I have seen. In my birding world, I measure whatever progress I am making as a birder by what it is that I have actually learned about birds, birding, and birders in any given year. Taking the time to think about my biding world every January helps me do this.

So far as I am concerned, listing is mostly a private matter. A life list says nothing much about a birder. A life list most certainly does not suggest some level of birding skill. Nor is a life list some kind of conservation credential. These are all lessons that I learned the hard way, and I spent all of 2009 trying to learn and practice more useful birding habits of mind.

I know lots of great birders who are listing big-time. Some of these birders are friends of mine. I am often asked why it is that listing is such a problem, especially if listing is indeed mostly a private concern. I answer this question this way.

The reality today is that listing is anything but a mostly private affair with private goals. Popular birding publications discuss listing all the time, often in unseemly and unnecessary ways; so much so that it is now obvious that listing defines this modern birding era in ways that all too often confers public status and in some instances notoriety. Some birders simply worship their life lists in ways that are just too silly for words. And, far to many bird clubs spend way to much time discussing listing at the expense of more important areas of concern with its membership and others. Today, the net result of this misplaced attention is that listing is anything but the mostly private affair it should be.

For instance, here in Virginia, it is easy to see the emphasis that the Virginia Society Of Ornithology (VSO) continues to devote to listing in its various incarnations. I have in the past commented on this problem in Bird Sense. Today, we are drowning in avian-related conservation challenges while the VSO continues to prattle on about listing in often silly, ridiculous, and sometimes childish ways. One would think that a statewide ornithology group populated with veteran birders would have something more important than listing and birding by game to discuss with its membership and others. But no, here in Virginia, listing is as popular as ever, thanks, in part to the VSO's continuing fascination with listing.

Birding is simply not a game. And, let us be honest about listing. Listing amounts to playing a birding game. The American Birding Association (ABA) did not invent listing, but it sure as hell institutionalized this practice in this modern birding era. Until the VSO grows up, so far as I am concerned, this crew should follow the ABA lead and rename itself the Virginia Birding Association.

Thinking about 2009, I guess the only new species I managed to see is White Pelican. Late in the year, I tripped across a White Pelican at Blackwater NWR. Was I thrilled to finally see White Pelican? Sure, I was. Am I a more complete birder because I have finally seen White Pelican? No, I am not! Do I know any more about birding today, having finally "notched" White Pelican, than I did the day before I saw this species? No, not really.

In 1947, one finds Roger Tory Peterson referring to biding as "a most absorbing game."

Fast-forward four decades, and Peterson is telling the Daily Reflector that: "Birding is just a game. Getting beyond that is what is important." I have often wondered what Peterson learned about birding between 1947 and 1988, when he is clearly suggesting that birding is supposed to be about something more than a game?

Six decades after Peterson referred to birding as an "absorbing game," Scott Weidensaul in Of A Feather wonders whether change is on the horizon. Weidensaul describes birding as something that has become "decidedly more superficial." He wonders whether birding will change philosophically.

According to Weidensaul, birders can continue down a path that emphasizes birding as a game, competition, or sport (listing), or birders can return to birding's roots, "to bird watching in the original sense of the word, where the bird exists not as a symbol or a tick mark or a challenge, not as a state record or a can-you-top-this vagrant..." Weidensaul says that he sees some evidence that the birding pendulum may be swinging away from birding as a game.

Study the early history of the ABA to learn that there was actually a time when only those with a pedigreed life list were allowed to join the ABA. The ABA actually began life as the American Bird-watchers Association. Wanting to avoid the "stigma" associated with bird-watching, the ABA soon changed its name to the American Birding Association.

Put me in the camp with birders who have happily returned to birding's historical roots. I recognize no stigma associated with being a mere bird watcher. I reject the silly theory that birding represents some higher form of bird watching. Those responsible for inventing this silly birding calculus were truly clueless. Today, those who perpetuate this birding buffoonery really need to learn to get over themselves. Decidedly, one does not need to have some minimum number of species on a silly list to be a credible, much less a veteran birder. Those who continue to believe that this is not so usually need professional help.

Take another look at the Red Knot pictured above. Today, I am perfectly happy to spend a couple of hours watching Red Knots instead of running all over creation to see a hundred or more species in a day. I take this change in my birding life to be a sign of personal growth, for I would much prefer to have a more intimate relationship with fewer species than a mere casual relationship with many more species. In general, anything that slows the pace of birding down to a point where a bird or birds can truly be watched and studied is a good thing. The ABA style of birding hardly lends itself to this kind of purposeful birding, much less what Gibbons & Storm have called "contemplative study."

In 2009, I spent a ton of time trying to learn how to photograph birds, something that I plan to continue doing in 2010 and beyond. I am a hardly some big-deal nature photographer, but I do enjoy bird photography quite a bit. Among other things, bird photography slows down the pace of birding. I often struggle to find exposures that will work for me, a problem I hope to overcome with more time in the field. My processing skills are improving, and I am grateful to those who have helped me with this.

Throughout 2009, I spent quite a bit of time with nature photographers who enjoy bird photography but who do not consider themselves birders. I enjoy hanging out with this crowd quite a bit. I spend a lot of time trying to convince these folks that they are indeed birding whenever they are photographing birds. Nevertheless, it is very clear to me that many nature photographers, including those specializing in bird photography, do not think much of birding and birders. Today, I have a much clearer understanding of why it is that so many of these talented photographers feel the way they do. Reluctantly, I have come to believe that a lot of the blame for this problem lies with the larger birding community. We are simply not doing enough to be the kind of inclusive community that we claim we want to be.

References:

Adams. "Bird-Witched." University of Texas Press, 2005; p.p. 10-11

Peterson. "A Field Guide To The Birds." Houghton Mifflin, 1947; p.p. xvii-xviii.

Peterson. As quoted in the Daily Reflector, 1988.

Sill. "Linger Even After You Have Listed A Bird,"published in "Good Birders Don't Wear White." Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007; p.p. 99-101.

Kaufman. "Kingbird Highway." Houghton Mifflin, 1977; p. 313.

Weidensaul. "Of A Feather." Harcourt, Inc., 2007; p.p. 270-273.

Gibbons & Storm. "Neighbors to the Birds." W.W. Norton & Company, 1988; p.321

Belted Kingfisher

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:21:00 +0000

Click into photo to open it.

Belter Kingfisher @ Ben Brenman Park.

Hanging out at Ben Brenman Park hoping to photograph Hooded Mergansers when this Belted Kingfisher dropped in.

Just Fooling Around

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:10:00 +0000

Dunlin (processed)

Dunlin (out of my camera)

Under Construction!

King Rail @ Huntley Meadows Park

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:09:00 +0000

(Composite)

The day before yesterday, I visited Huntley Meadows Park hoping to photograph Rails. From the boardwalk, I have no trouble locating three King Rails and two Virginia Rails. While trying to decide which of these Rails to photograph first, a Sora pops out of the marsh grass. This is an an embarrassment of riches, especially since Sora on Virginia's coastal plain during winter months is uncommon to rare.

I decide to photograph the Sora first, even though one of the King Rails is carrying a frog of some kind around. I get the Sora inside my lens and get my photo. Well, that was the plan anyway. Turns out one has to have a compact flash card in a Canon camera to actually take photographs. Who Knew? This nifty piece of fieldwork qualifies me for this blogs first 2010 "dumb as a stump" citation.

Returned to the park today with camera and flash card in hand. King Rails and Virginia Rails are still bombing around together. Got a couple of King Rail photos while waiting to see if the Sora would make another appearance.

Brunton Binoculars

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:24:00 +0000

Recently, I returned my 7.5 X 43 Epoch binoculars to Brunton to be cleaned and tuned up.

Of all the binoculars I own (Bushnell, Leica, Swarovski, and Zeiss), hands down, my favorite "glass" is the Epoch 7.5 X 43. And, why not? Pioneering variable speed focus; 36" close focus; SF premium glass; state-of-the-art phase coating; flat light multi-coating; Nitrogen purged, waterproof and fog-proof; 20 mm long-eye relief; locking diopter; armored, magnesium alloy frame; 26 ounces; 5.7 mm exit pupil, 370 foot field of view at 1000 yards, and an unlimited lifetime, Halo warranty.

Because of my "Halo" warranty, Brunton kindly sent me a brand new pair of Epoch's, no questions asked. Thanks, Brunton.

Conowingo Dam

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:43:00 +0000

Note the broken primary flight feather of the Eagle carrying the fish (bottom photo). This Eagle is also banded. A gold band suggests that this bird was banded in Massachusetts.

The February 2010 edition of Birder's World magazine is out with a list of North America's best 25 Bald Eagle viewing venues. Conowongo Dam makes this list, coming in at # 19. Here in the mid-atlantic, the magazine has Cape May (#5) and the Delaware Water Gap (#8) listed ahead of Conowingo Dam, which, of course, is total nonsense. Nevertheless, the dam makes the Birder's World list.

I was at Conowingo Dam yesterday. Arriving at the dam, I noticed the temperature was a balmy 16 degrees. Throughout the day, the usual assortment of "dam rats" put in an appearance to photograph Bald Eagles that are at the dam annually, between the months of October and January.

Yesterday, Bald Eagle numbers at the dam were down quite a bit, as these birds are beginning to return to breeding territories. Nevertheless, the remaining Bald Eagles put on a pretty nice clinic as they went about their usual business, perching, soaring, fishing, poaching, tail chasing, and the like.

Conowingo Dam and the nearby Susquehanna State Park easily makes my list of great mid-atlantic birding venues. And, hanging out with the dam's "dam rats" every winter has become an important part of my birding year.

Reference(s):

Birder's World. "Where the Eagles Are." Kalmbach Publishing Company, 24(1), February 2010

American Wigeon

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:33:00 +0000

American Wigeon, Winter 2010

Cooper's Hawk

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Immature Cooper's Hawk, Winter 2010

Some Recently Processed Captures

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:42:00 +0000

American Pipit

Immature Bald Eagle

An immature Bald Eagle (a second-year bird, I think) inbound on a watercourse to do a little fishing. The bird flew by me on its way down to the river.

Another snowstorm Pipit. To cool for words, really.

"Bringing Nature Home"

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:10:00 +0000

A friend told me today that the Birding Community E-Bulletin has favorably reviewed Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy (2007, Timber Press). As it happens, I turned the last page of this interesting book just last night.

A good book. A great read. If you are birding and can read, Bringing Nature Home is a book to be read. Before I even finished reading this book, I bought five more copies to give to others.

Ring-billed Gull

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:18:00 +0000

Winter 09

Hanging out at the Cambridge Yacht Basin Marina waiting to photograph some waterfowl. Killed time photographing these Ring-billed Gulls.

Grassland Habitat & Grassland Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:57:00 +0000

I am a bird watcher, or a birder, if you like. Actually, truth be told, I am at heart a grassland birder. Grassland birds float my birding boat, big time. Much of this article is devoted to discussing grasslands at Manassas National Battlefield Park, hereafter MNBP or the Battlefield. MNBP is a unit of the National Park Service (NPS).

I wish to begin with this. My grassland concerns aside, I believe the NPS is doing a pretty good job at MNBP. In my opinion, the wildlife biologist assigned to MNBP is doing a good job too. A small area in the MNBP visitor center is devoted to telling the MNBP bird story. MNBP (and the NPS) publish a brochure entitled Grassland Conservation. These are nice touches; all the proof that I require to know that the Battlefield is trying to go in the right direction. MNBP's 2006 selection as an Audubon Important Bird Area earned the Battlefield an honorable mention in that year's NPS annual report. I am grateful for much of the good work being done at the Battlefield, and I agree that on balance MNBP is doing a good job of telling its natural resource story. But, from a grassland perspective, MNBP is an unfinished piece of work, and it would be helpful if all concerned would stop acting like the Battlefield is some kind of grassland showcase.

Much of the following criticism has nothing much to do with MNBP or the NPS. No, instead, my criticism is directed at a birding and conservation community that continues whistling in the wind while MNBP grassland fields are burning.

Grassland is a term that usually describes a treeless area comprised of herbaceous vegetation with no more than a minor shrub component (Heaton 2000). Grassland birds can be defined as species that are wholly or mostly dependent upon grasslands for their survival. (McCraken 2005).

It is not hard to find researchers who have commented on the deplorable state of North American grasslands and apparent declining grassland bird populations. Here is a mosaic of quotes that (taken together) paint a pretty grim picture of challenges ahead.

"Since the mid 1800s, it has been estimated that loss of grassland ecosystems in most areas North America has exceeded 80% (Brennan & Kuvlesky 2005). These authors cite Knoph (1994) and Noss et al. (1995).

Brennan & Kuvlesky (2005) insist that "there is no question that vast areas of the North American continent are suffering from a chronic ecological malaise," and that the "stabilization and increase of grassland bird populations will require healing sick landscapes." Paraphrasing Vickery & Heskert (1999), Brennan & Kuvlesky further write: "The loss of native grassland habitat has been so extensive over such a large area that restoration of grasslands throughout the United States probably is the most effective way of stabilizing grassland bird populations for many species."

"Native grassland habitats are the largest and most threatened habitats in North America" (McCraken 2005) McCracken cites Murphy (2003).

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (1999), "Many North American grassland species have experienced marked population declines in recent decades," resulting in "increased awareness for the need to preserve, manage, and restore grassland habitat in order to recover and maintain viable grassland nesting bird populations."

Grassland habitat is found throughout the United States. Eastern grasslands are found from Maine to Florida and westward to parts of Texas. This grassland habitat evolved over time mostly because of natural and early Native-American induced fires. With the passage of time, human activities, woody encroachment (think fire suppression), and afforestation resulted in the loss of significant eastern grassland habitat. Today, remaining eastern grassland habitat is often fragmented, isolated, and in some instances, terribly degraded. Western grassland habitats are in tough shape too.

Thanks to research that has already been done, the habitat requirements of many grassland species are well understood. And, a couple of decades of Breeding Bird Survey data points to some real problems with certain grassland bird populations. Problems that may well be unprecedented in scale.

Some of the newer grassland research is focused on learning more about the winter distribution and winter ecology of North American grassland birds, many of whom are short distance, temperate migrants. Others are moving away from plant ecology, thinking about the best way integrate grassland conservation with soil conservation, agricultural practices, and the role that wildlife plays in the maintenance of working grassland habitats. Today, the race is on to figure out the best way to create, restore, enhance, and monitor dysfunctional grassland habitats in something approaching a cost effective way. These are all tough tasks.

First, western and eastern grassland habitats face different challenges and will require varying types of prescriptive relief. In the public arena, we have to do a better job managing public land grassland habitats, and time is not on our side. With respect to private lands, we have to find the resources (money) to significantly expand programs like the Conservation Reserve Program. Ultimately, someone will have to figure out how to make modern farming and agricultural practices more grassland bird friendly. Understand! We are on a very slippery slope, and the climb ahead will be steep.

Chartered in 1940, MNBP memorializes the sites of the First and Second Battles of Manassas. By any definition, the Battlefield is a special place. The park is 5,073 acres in size, of which 1,500 acres are considered to be managed grasslands.

Here in Virginia, we sometimes adhere to a kind of Disneyland birding and conservation model, following the adage that is it better to print wishful thinking rather than actual fact. This is an annoying habit of mind. Looking good in print or on the web is a heck of lot more appealing to some than is reality. Why bother to fight certain battles when it is easier to declare victory and pose for the victory photo? And, with respect to the management of grassland habitat, this defective philosophy (in all its glory) is on display, in the bright light of daylight, at Manassas National Battlefield Park for all but the blind to see.

Buy, hey, if those little brown birds and other grassland birds are encountering some tough sledding at MBNP, well these birds are just going to have to work a little harder because everyone knows that MNBP, from an avian perspective, is in fine working order.

After all, MNBP has been declared an Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA). And, hey, how cool is this? The Battlefield actually features "quality" grasslands, including native grasslands that are "carefully sustained." To this end, "cutting regimes" have been "devised to fulfill the varied habitat requirements of important bird populations." And, of course, not surprisingly MNBP supports "healthy" populations of grassland birds, including state species of concern (NPS Grassland Conservation brochure).

But wait, there is more. At certain times of the year, species like Northern Bobwhite, Grasshopper Sparrow, and other grassland birds might be "common" at the MNBP. Wow! And, to this embarrassment of riches, why, Long-eared Owls might even be seen foraging over pastoral Battlefield fields in winter months. Could the news be any finer?

What a powerful and engaging story. Comforting to know that while the rest of North America is struggling to keep up with more grassland habitat and management challenges than can be imagined, much less counted and met, MNBP is standing tall. Seems to me that I ought to pack up my Battlefield concerns and call it a day. Maybe get my eyes checked too. Suspend my disbelief (Drinking some of the Battlefield and Audubon IBA Kool-Aide might be helpful here. Do you all drink this stuff straight or should this elixir be chilled and served with crushed ice?). On the other hand, since I actually know something about MNBP, perhaps I should try dismantling some of the Battlefield myths that others find so comforting, while trying to "light a candle in the darkness" (Neil Young rules).

Within the context of the following discussion, it is important to remember that MNBP is not simply protected open space or a National Wildlife Refuge, but is instead a Civil War Park. This means that there may be some barriers to managing this park's grassland component optimally, though by in large, these objectives are not as mutually exclusive as some would have others believe.

MNBP fields are mostly used for agricultural purposes. To preserve the park's historic character and to help manage the Battlefield's grassland component (think succession), MNBP devotes most of its grassland inventory to hay production.

MNBP features both warm and cool season grasses. In general, warm season grasses are native, while cool season grasses are non-native. (Supposedly, cool season grasses were introduced in much of the northeastern and eastern U.S. for some agricultural purpose.) Battlefield cool season grasses are heavily involved in hay production. These cool season grasses require fertilization, lime, and perhaps other chemical treatments that ultimately makes the maintenance of these grasses more labor intensive than their warm season counterparts. Because of budgetary constraints, including the costs associated with maintaining cool season grasses, MNBP uses agricultural leases with local farmers to maintain much of its grassland.

Warm season grasses comprise about 600 acres of the Battlefield's grassland inventory. Besides being native, warm season grasses require no fertilizer or lime, are drought resistant, and have a deep root system that helps with soil erosion, the filtration of nitrates, and provides a desirable riparian buffer.

[The optimal size for a truly functioning grassland habitat is difficult to know. Small, linear grassland habitats (less than 10 ha) appear to be of little help to grassland birds that are of conservation concern (McCaracken 2005), though other grassland species that are less area sensitive and are not necessarily species of conservation concern will use smaller grassland habitats (Heaton, 2000; Also, Herkert 1993). Vickery et al. (1994) suggest that grasslands should be at least 100 ha in size to support a diverse suite of grassland birds, while Heskert et al. (2003) suggest that optimal grassland size be something on the order of 1000 ha. Regardless, it is well understood that large monocultures that dominate some of today's grassland habitats are of little benefit to grassland birds (McCracken, 2005; Also, Best 1986). Nevertheless, by any definition, MNBP grassland acreage is indeed a candidate for active management.]

Grassland conservation efforts should have a regional nexus, and local grassland sites should manage grassland habitat for targeted grassland species, instead of trying to manage local grassland habitats for a broader suite of grassland birds. Among other reasons, this is because grassland species in general have varied habitat requirements and different area-sensitivities. Regional soil differences and other factors figure into this equation too. I do not see any evidence that MNBP grassland is actually being managed for a targeted subset of grassland species.

For a variety of reasons, prescriptive grazing and burning management techniques are not likely to be employed at MNBP. However, the Battlefield claims to be following some kind of mowing regime, one that continues to confound me. This program has been explained to me a number of times over the years, and with apologies to no one, I still do not understand it. More importantly, I see a disconnect between the mowing program that is often discussed in print and elsewhere and actual conditions on the ground.

So far as I know, the central feature of MNBP's mowing program appears to be that grasses will not be cut during the breeding bird season. It is unclear (to me) if this policy applies to the cool season grasses used for MNBP hay production since it is well known that hay crops are often cut and harvested early to yield a higher quality crop, an agricultural trend that has developed in recent decades. I do believe that the MNBP mowing policy applies to warm season grasses.

Regardless, of how this policy is applied, over the years, I have, on more than one occasion, found scores of Battlefield fields clear-cut well inside the breeding bird season. And, I am hardly the only veteran birder to have made this observation.

A couple of years ago, I birded MNBP with a couple of Virginia Society of Ornithology (VSO) officials. For about two hours we walked Battlefield trails looking at hundreds of acres of contiguous, interior fields that had been clear-cut (cut-to-the-quick). After some discussion about the Battlefield's defective mowing practices, one of these VSO officials told me that the VSO would have no trouble straightening out this problem. (LOL! God bless the VSO. Too rich for words, really.)

Reaching further into the past, I remember the time that a veteran Virginia birder wrote Fairfax Audubon and a bevy of other veteran birders. He wanted to put together some folks who might be willing to discuss Battlefield mowing concerns with MNBP. Fairfax Audubon, as I recall, responded saying this crew was busy with other priorities. I never learned how many of the veteran birders that were contacted actually responded to this appeal. I know that I responded and that a couple of others did too. But, nothing came of this. Fast-forward to the present, and the list of local Virginia veteran birders who know something is wrong with MNBP's mowing regime is as long as ever.

Rotational mowing schemes are well understood, and all claims to the contrary, I do not see a lot of evidence that suggests MBNP grassland is actually being cut in an organized rotation schedule that makes sense to me.

Furthermore, I do not see the Battlefield doing much to actively manage the height of grasses. I see a lot of "clean edges" on perimeter Battlefield fields. Nor do I see much in the way of smaller (linear) grassland buffers (strips or subplots) being employed at MNBP. MNBP fields are not being mowed from the center out to allow birds to escape to edges. And, I have never seen a flushing bar used during MNBP grassland mowing operations. (Many grassland species are ground nesters and mowing from the center out and utilizing a flushing bar when mowing seems only fair, especially if you happen to be one of those little brown birds trying to breed in a MBNP hayfield, at a venue that claims to be actively managing its grassland inventory for grassland birds.)

Finally, I have a strong suspicion that MNBP has a big problem with grassland monoculture(s). I do not understand the cause(s) for this, but I have often wondered if this might not be related to the repeated application of chemicals in certain MBNP fields over a long period of time. I have been in these fields often enough over the years to know that it is difficult to beg, borrow, buy, or steal (much less see) a grassland bird in some of these fields. Recall that grassland birds do not have much use for monoculture.

My point being: While MNBP may feature some of the largest remaining grassland habitat in Northern Virginia, it is a little early to be describing this habitat as "quality" grasslands or grasslands that are actively managed, much less monitored, in some meaningful way.

And, no, the Battlefield's Virginia Birding & Wildlife Trail and IBA citations are incorrect. Northern Bobwhite and Grasshopper Sparrow are not "commonly" seen at any time of the year at MNBP. And, who knows what the meaning of the phrase "healthy" populations conveys. It is more accurate to say that the Battlefield supports a diverse assortment of grassland birds without commenting on the quality of the habitat, relative abundance, or the supposed health of MNBP grassland populations. (BTW, where is the list of unhealthy MNBP bird populations?)

Let me set the table. North American has an unfolding grassland crisis. Grassland species appear to be declining on a continental scale. MNBP has 1,500 acres of grassland habitat that it wishes to actively manage. More than 700,000 people from all over the United States (perhaps the world) visit the Battlefield annually. MNBP has a powerful grassland story waiting to be told, and here in Virginia, I cannot think of a better place to begin telling this story to a wider audience.

Conservation partnerships are all the rage. I look at the Virginia Important Bird Area web site, and I see that the Virginia Society of Ornithology, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, and the Center for Conservation Biology have partnered with Virginia's Important Bird Area program. Good to know!

But, I have a question. It is my understanding that the purpose of an Important Bird Area (IBA) program is not just to recognize important bird areas, but to begin mobilizing the resources that will be required to protect these areas. I hear a lot of chatter regarding the supposed protected status that IBA designations confer, but, truthfully, I do not get the whole IBA protected status thing. It is not clear to me that IBA status actually conveys some kind of protected legal status. I do, however, understand the whole resource mobilization thing.

So, my question is this. MNBP was recognized as an Audubon IBA in 2006. It is now 2010, so I am wondering what resources Audubon and others have mobilized to help protect MNBP? Surely, with a grassland crisis that is already in full bloom, Audubon, the Virginia Society of Ornithology, and others can gin up the enthusiasm to get more involved at MNBP, especially since the Battlefield is an IBA. Or, are we back to the whole Disneyland birding and conservation thing again?

If I were in charge of this charade, the following would happen:

MNBP would establish a Battlefield grassland demonstration area, complete with interpretive signing. (What is wrong with sending 700,000 people (or as many of these people as is possible) home to community's around the United States with a better understanding of grassland habitat and grassland birds?) MNBP conservation partners would underwrite the expense associated with this signing. This can be accomplished without compromising the Battlefield's primary mission. Recall that grassland management and MNBP's primary mission are not mutually exclusive objectives.

I would sit down with MNBP and figure out which grassland species the Battlefield wants to manage for.

I would take a long, hard, and honest look at MNBP's mowing regime. Among other things, I would figure out a way to make sure that large tracts of contiguous fields (especially interior fields) are cut in rotation to each other. Fields would be cut from the center outward. Night time mowing would be prohibited since roosting and breeding birds are less likely to flush at night. Flushing bars would be the order of the day. Here is a surprise: Grassland birds are actually grassland specialists. (Who knew?) They require appropriate grassland habitat year-round, not just during the breeding season. Based on the total number of grassland acres under management, the amended MNBP mowing regime would ensure that some percentage of appropriate grassland habitat is available to grassland birds year-round. I would publish MNBP's amended mowing schedule.

I would be scheduling grassland bird walks at the Battlefield, both for local birders and the benefit of MNBP visitors. (Of course, some MNBP visitors will take advantage of this opportunity.)

Hey, I probably ought to put the glue away because MNBP is not going to do any these things. Absolutely. I can prattle on from now until doomsday (which for grassland birds is on the horizon), and MNBP is not going to do anything more than yawn before getting back to the serious work of mowing down grassland habitat with near reckless abandon.

However, supposedly, MNBP has conservation partners. These are the folks who can make a real difference at MNBP. 1,500 acres, 700,000 visitors, and a great story waiting to be told. If Audubon, the VSO, and others will make the right pitch to MNBP, I have no doubt that the Battlefield will respond affirmatively. But, hey, what do I know?

Winding Up:

Based on their understanding of some historical perspective of a North American wildlife management model, Brennan & Kuvlesky (2005) predict that great progress with grassland birds can be achieved after this current generation of resource managers retires. (LOL!) (ROFL!) I bet North American grassland birds are just giddy at this news.

Frankly, I do not share this optimism. To begin with, the costs associated with restoring grassland habitat on a continental scale will likely be staggering, perhaps even prohibitive. For instance, think about the long-term costs associated with simply preventing woody encroachment in restored grassland habitat, especially eastern grasslands. (Today, MNBP cannot even afford to maintain its own grassland.) Furthermore, it is unlikely that the large-scale changes required to make modern farming and agricultural practices more grassland bird friendly will ever be achieved, notwithstanding initiatives like the Conservation Reserve Program. And, the truth of this matter, so far as I am concerned, is that we have simply run out of time to heal sick landscapes on some grand scale. Our best hope is that the Breeding Bird Survey data that today reflects decades long declines in grassland bird populations will somehow turn out to be wrong.

My own outlook for grassland birds hardly means that we should concede this grassland fight. Yes, as usual, we come to this fight late, without either the resources or the best science to tell us how create, restore, and/or enhance grassland habitats, much less manage and monitor them on anything approaching a cost effective basis. Is it any surprise then that we find ourselves in such a precarious position with respect to the quantity and quality of native North American grassland habitat, much less struggling to understand what is actually going on with certain grassland bird populations? This grassland fight has begun in earnest, and we should leave no stone unturned in this fight, beginning with some understanding of how difficult, long-suffering, and challenging this grassland struggle will be.

As for MNBP, it would be helpful if we shelved the conservation rhetoric, parked the parade floats, and rescheduled the grassland habitat and grassland bird victory march. I can think of some organizations that should be more involved at MNBP, beginning with the Virginia Society of Ornithology (which - in my opinion- is often busy, doing not much of anything) and Audubon.

Straightening out MNBP's mowing regime and telling the right Battlefield grassland story to a wider audience are things worth doing. This in no way conflicts with MNBP's primary mission. The proof of this is as obvious as daylight, but for the slow afoot, here is one last Battlefield story.

MNBP visitors can see a short film about the Civil War battles fought there. Every frame of this film shows Battlefield grasslands in a condition that is entirely consistent good grassland management practices. This film was produced at MNBP. Prior to filming, MNBP did two things.

First, the Battlefield built a small demonstration house to be used as a prop in its film in an interior park field. Second, MNBP waited for the grass to grow before doing any filming. Obviously, MNBP wanted its film to be realistic because clearly The First and Second Battles of Manassas were not fought on tightly manicured, chemically enhanced, and aggressively mowed landscapes.

Look closely at MNBP's grassland brochure, and one can easily see that this same pattern is repeated. Photographs used in this publication were carefully selected to show Battlefield fields in a herbaceous condition. This is no accident.

MNBP makes a big deal about wanting to maintain Battlefield landscapes in some historical context, but the disconnect between this goal and some of the Battlefield's actual grassland management techniques (aggressive mowing) along the Route 29 and 234 corridors (and interior fields) could not be any more striking.

The lesson here. Grasslands that look so good in the MNBP demonstration film and grassland brochure work for grassland birds too; proof (so far as I am concerned) that there are no real conflicts between effective grassland management and the historical character of MNBP grassland fields.

References:

Brennan and Kuvlesky. "North American Grassland Birds: An Unfolding Conservation Crisis,"Journal of Wildlife Management, 69(1): 1-13, 2005.
Knopf. "Avian Assemblages on Altered Grasslands," Studies in Avian Biology, 15:247-257.
Noss, et al.. "Endangered Ecosystems of the United States: A Preliminary Assessment of Loss and Degradation." Report No 0611-R-01, National Biological Service, 1995.
Heaton. "Conserving Local Grassland Habitat for Declining Grassland Birds," Bird Conservation Network, 2000.
McCraken. "Where the Bobolinks Roam: The Plight of North America's Grassland Birds," Biodiversity, 6(3): 20-29.
Vickery & Heskert. "Ecology and Conservation of Grassland Birds of the Western Hemisphere,"Studies in Avian Biology No 19, Cooper Ornithological Society.
Murphy. "Avian Population Trends Within The Evolving Agricultural Landscape of Eastern and Central United States," Auk, 120:20-34, 2003.
"Grassland Birds." Natural Resources Conservation Service, No 8: 1-12, 1999
Askins. "Restoring North American Birds. Lessons From Landscape Ecology," Yale University Press, 2000.
Vickery, Hestert, et al. "Grassland Birds: An Overview of Threats & Recommended Management Techniques,"

Vickery & Hestert. "Recent Advances in Grassland Bird Research: Where Do We Go From Here? Auk, 118(1), 2001

"Grassland Management: Your Land, Your Legacy. A Management Guide For Landowners,"Williston Conservation Trust, date unknown.

"Grasslands Conservation." National Park Service and the National Capital Region Inventory and Urban Ecology Research Learning Alliance, date unknown.

"Conservation Tilleage; Ecological Traps for Nesting Birds?" Wildlife Society Bulletin, 14:308-317.

Heskert et al. "Habitat Establishment, Enhancement, and Management for Forest and Grassland Birds in Illinois." Technical Publication #1, Division of Natural Heritage, Illinois Department of Conservation, 1993.

American Wigeon

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:32:00 +0000

American Pipit

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:45:00 +0000

One of my favorite birds, an American Pipit. A winter resident here in the mid-atlantic. According to Lives of North American Birds, American Pipit breeds on the tundra, both in the far North and in high mountains above the treeline, in areas with very low growth.

During a recent Virginia snowstorm, I spend the better part of a day trying to photograph American Pipit and Wilson Snipe between Blackwater NWR and Chincoteague NWR. Finding these birds is not the problem. Getting one of them to sit-up inside the reach of my camera lens is a big problem. American Pipits are out foraging in flocks along the edges of roads and farm fields, doing the whole tail wagging thing. Walking these edges, every now and again I am flushing Wilson Snipe, Sparrows, and Eastern Meadowlark from edges as I try to catch up with a Pipit. One big exercise in futility, especially since so many birds are out foraging on edges due to the winter storm. Eventually, I give up.

Later in the day, near Chincoteague NWR, I am sitting on a watercourse waiting to see if a Common Goldeneye will drift inside the reach of my camera lens when a single American Pipit flies in and lands well within the reach of my lens. I do not have an opportunity to photograph the Goldeneye, but the Pipit hangs out for quite awhile. Great bird to see, much less photograph.

Christmas 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:11:00 +0000

Hatch-year Pied-billed Grebe, Fishing Bay WMA

Canvasback, Choptank River

Redhead, Choptank River

Bald Eagle, Conowingo Dam

Horned Lark, Kent County, MD

Savannah Sparrow, Swan Harbor Farm

Over the Christmas holiday I bird a number of Delaware and Maryland venues, including Blackwater NWR, Bombay Hook NWR, Conowingo Dam, Fishing Bay WMA, Henlopen State Park, Prime Hook NWR, Swan Harbor Farm, the Choptank River, and a number of local venues in Kent County, MD.

Highlights include: Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Snow Goose, Tundra Swan, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Wild Turkey, American Coot, Lesser Yellowlegs, Western Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Wilson's Snipe, Belted Kingfisher, American Pipit, Savannah Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, and Eastern Meadowlark.

Favorite Moments:

Hanging out with the "dam rats" at Conowingo Dam. Watching a Red-tail Hawk trying to poach prey from Bald Eagles at the dam. [Another great dam story: A Golden Eagle has been hanging around the dam. I ask one of the "dam rats" if the Eagle has been photographed recently. This photographer tells me that he thinks this bird may still be around, but that it has not been photographed lately. The photographer tells me that some birders were at the dam recently. "Look, there's the Golden Eagle." And, hey, there are three more of them," a birder says.] The photographer looks at me, shakes his head, smiles, and says, "birders." LOL! Priceless.

Photographing Horned Larks at various venues in Kent County, MD. Finding a couple of Lapland Longspur mixed in with a flock of American Pipits. In a stunning piece of hapless birding, I try to turn a couple of American Pipits into late Palm Warblers near Prime Hook NWR. LOL! Photographing three hatch-year Pied-billed Grebe out bombing around together at the Fishing Bay WMA.

George Washington Memorial Parkway

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Kane) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:37:00 +0000

Female

Male

A pair of resident Bald Eagles along George Washington Memorial Parkway. Note relative size difference between female & male, along with staining on the male's middle deck tail feathers. This pair is beginning to spend more time inside the immediate natal envelope and is preforming reaffirmation of pair bonding and routine nest maintenance.

Looks like another breeding effort at this nest may be in the offing this year. Last year's breeding attempt was unsuccessful.