Thursday, April 2, 2015

A Most Unusual Outing

I did not accumulate much material for a blogpost this past weekend, other than this ever-lovely Painted Redstart, but the paucity of weekend photos did not damage my calm, for an exciting an unorthodox WEEKDAY birding adventure beckoned.


I met up with Tommy Debardeleben and Josh Wallestad--who just couldn't resist the Phoenix bird scene as advertised by our blogs any more--on Wednesday evening at Coon Bluff for some seasonal owling. As temperatures warm, this mesquite-bosque and saguaro habitat becomes excellent for Elf, Western Screech, and Great-horned Owls, as well as Common Poorwill and Lesser Nighthawk.

When the sun goes down, the cacophony begins. Before 8pm we had multiple vocalizing Poorwills and WESO, although I unluckily had to leave before the super-crushy chance on WESO came later in the evening. Nocturnal birding, as one might expect, is a different beast from day birding. Vocalizations are not just important, they are essential, especially when one is trying to find tiny 6-inch Owls in dense mesquite scrub.


The calling WESOs led us on a goose chase for a while (which is not the right sort of chase to be on after dark) before we eventually moved to an area better for Elves. Nocturnal birding is also aided by numbers of people, which we had, and good lighting equipment, which I do not have. Even so we eventually earned some nice looks at Elf Owls and the other fellas crushed WESO later in the evening, which came nicely after crushing hard on Whiskered Screech the day before.


There was also this mouse.


With Conn Bluff being a 25 minute drive from home, the weather being so mild, and the the Owls being so sweet, this might have to become a regular thing. Next time I'm coming with flash grenades.

21 comments:

  1. :) Night birding is fun and yet tricky. Glad you guys had fun. I get to enjoy this fun in May. Can't wait. I want to see the Flammer not just hear it. Congrats on the Elf!! Nice!

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    1. Yes indeed! It's nice to know we have several such months ahead!

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  2. I'd call it a draw with that Elf crush. I totally blew that one. Night birding has revolutionized my birding world. Next time I'm bringing a jeep with 1 million candlepower spotlights.

    25 minutes? Ouch, we should have called you back.

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    1. I suppose they'll be around for a while. The quest for crushing a WESO goes on...

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  3. I've never tried looking for owls at night but have seen a few by chance.Nice Owl photo!

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    1. Cheers Larry,

      Every once in a not-daytime Blue moon I come across a non-Great Horned or Burrowing Owl in the day, but at night it's seeing them in their element, wide-eyed and alert, calling acting as dominant factors in their respective food chains.

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  4. Wow that last photo of the Elf is great! Sadly that bird still eludes my lifer list. I guess I just haven't had the opportunity to. So how about the whiskereds?

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    1. Heh, I wasn't a part of the SE AZ trek, but Tommy got some crushing photos of the WHSO. Now's the time Caleb; make your way to the Salt River.

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    2. I was only 15 min away at a hotel in Green Valley. Had Tommy called I totally would have ditched the fam for those WHSO. Then again, I may have ridden the plane home in a casket.

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  5. Laurence it was a fun night of birding! Sorry that Western Screech turned up later in the night. We'll have to go out there and search again soon. I'm confident that if you give them more attempts, you'll find one and get great looks at it.

    And awesome shot of the Elf Owl! You crushed it, and yes, it's better than mine...

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    1. No way! (about the second thing).
      I'm hoping to go back this Saturday evening, gotta put this WESO thing to rest!
      Maybe a Poorwill will sit still too...the nocturnal possibilities boggle the mind, even if they don't illuminate it!

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  6. This post has reminded me why it's going to be worthwhile to juggle more than is humanly possible. I will manage both birding and bird studies. I will find time to find birds, particularly owls. Thank you!

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    1. Sometimes you just have to do it 'after hours' : )

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  7. Awesome owl shots, but really I am a huge fan of the mouse. Who EVER sees a mouse just out and about posing for photos? Damn adorable.

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    1. Thanks Jen,
      To your question, Owls.

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    2. Then that makes you an owl? Nifty!

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    3. Totes Obvi--you never noticed my enormous facial disks and lopsided earholes?

      You were probably just too polite to say anything.

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  8. We've seen 4 species of owl in Oregon so far, but have yet to hear a single one call. We've received the following advice: "Just go outside, pretty much anywhere, and you're bound to hear them". This is how I learned that we don't live pretty much anywhere. Until then, I'll look at this post and dream.

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    1. I seldom have had help with that myself.

      I swear, some people just intuit Owls, or have the smell, or some other sense...I dunno, but they just turn them up almost effortlessly, almost accidentally. I am not one of those people.
      Best recommendation I have received: unless it's endangered, in a protected area, etc. then play tape. Play tape like nobody's business.

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  9. Fun post, Laurence. Thanks for sharing. Owling at Coon Bluff has become a tradition for me when I visit my daughter in Maricopa County during the spring and summer. One of my favorite surprises, much like your mouse, was when I discovered a Sonoran Desert Toad, North America's largest toad species, hopping through the dark. I love the critters waiting to be discovered in the Sonoran Desert.

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