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Post by Chromiusdomius on May 31, 2004 23:59:28 GMT -5
Howdy Y'all,
I had a fairly good weekend. I had a few good sightings this weekend. Here is my bird portion of sightings.
I had the opportunity to trek into the Shangri La area with the AZGFD crew (Jason and Carl) at Roosevelt Lake (excuse me, I mean Ted's Lake) and check out some video pole action. I was able to see how excited they were after discovering a new Flycatcher nest and a resight. I was also allowed to view three eggs in a Flycatcher nest via the video pole. That was really cool! Thanks guys! Also in the Shangri La area, I had seen 2 Yellow Warblers. ( Stinger, they were Warblers. I did my identification at E-Nature.)
All in all, it was a great birding experience! ;D
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Jun 3, 2004 19:36:12 GMT -5
Man, thats awesome you used the videopole! And those are some damn rare eggs you saw! When Sparrowhawk and I were down at Roosevelt we heard a bunch of those WIFL's too. We also saw a Double-crested Comorant, Phyruloxia, many Phainopeplas, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cactus Wren, Curve-billed Thrasher, Canyon Towhees, Northern Mockingbords, Yellow-breasted Chats, Blue Grosbeak and a great up-closes and personal sighting of a Bald Eagle perched on a cliff near the Old Salt area.
In Oak Creek near Grasshopper Point the other day when we were doing some prliminary site finding for our summer job we got to see two Common Blackhawks mating there, as well as two juveniles flying in the area, so this must be their second nesting attempt.
And today in Verde Valley we saw another Common Black Hawk and many, many Summer Tanagers in the area.
....I think thats about it.... Oh, one more actually, in our backyard we have a pretty friendly Bullock's Oriloe coming to drink out of our hummingbird feeders most everyday.
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Post by Chromiusdomius on Jun 7, 2004 23:24:26 GMT -5
Sunday at Jason's house, I seen a Kestrel cruising around. It was pretty cool. I am actually starting to recognize the birds that I see now. It is definitely a lot of fun trying to identify them, but there are so many.
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Post by eaglewoman on Jun 9, 2004 12:21:18 GMT -5
Hey GUYS! I was down at the Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery about a week ago, and I saw a Black Hawk perched on some railing just above a trout show pond. Then, the coolest thing happened! It jumped down, and yanked a trout from the pond....but instead of bringing it out on the bank...it's talon got caught in the marshy pond grass, and it was stuck their trying to get out. It was so cool to watch it cut itself free. After it left, I checked out the area, and it left some pretty neat markings in the dirt. Anyway...Have a good one ya'll! Eaglegirl
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Stinger
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Cowboy Up!!
Posts: 183
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Post by Stinger on Jun 19, 2004 10:58:21 GMT -5
Of course I have seen many a WIFL down at the place I am now beginning to call Hell!! That is Teddy's Lake! It is pretty cool though, we are beginning to see some nestlings and maybe by my next days off there will be some fledgling sightings as well! But I have to wonder how much stress we are causing these little birds? I mean every time we go into to mirror/vidoe pole a nest or for that matter even monitor a nest the females get pretty pissed, and I have seen a few ditch existing nests days after we mirroed poled her nest, seems awfully coincidental to me! I am seeing tons of Mourning Doves, Gambel's quail, Common Ravens, Turkey Vultures. Many Nighthawks and have even heard the occasional owl or two.
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Jun 19, 2004 14:14:01 GMT -5
I know what you mean Stinger. Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourself how intrusive our supposedly goood deeds are. And the weird dicotomy with any endangered anmal is that humans have put it in that state in the first place, yet we who are picking up the reigns and trying to help it along now might be hindering them again on some level. In the end, I know its worth it and the data gathered will help protect them in the future, but for know we are forsaking the concern for the present population on some levels and I wish we would could somehow be more careful, but it doesn't seem likely. Man, I commend you for bringing up these thoughts though, because things like that are what your and everyone elses supervisors should be constantly thinking about, but I am afraid that they sometimes ignore it.
On the Yellow-billed Cuckoo front, we have been seeing quite a few. Well, quite a few on the cuckoo standards anyway. Total we have seen about 12, and man, they are amazing and beautiful little birds to say the least. Very secretive and sneaky too, so its hard to see them, but when you do it is breath taking. Also been seeing Common Blackhawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks raiding nests, Northern Cardinals, Summer Tanagers, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Belted Kingfishers, Black-crowned Night Herons, Canyon Wrens, Abert's Towhees, Bridled Titmice, Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, and about 50 other fairly common summer birds. Man, I can say for once in my life that I truley love my job.
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Post by eaglewoman on Jun 21, 2004 13:03:06 GMT -5
That's great Crow! I love my job too! Just wanted to tell you all about the flock of Turkeys I have been watching down by Tonto Creek. It's so great to see them...such a rare thing for me!
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Jun 24, 2004 23:09:17 GMT -5
Along the Verde and Oak Creek we have seen Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Western Tanagers, Hooded Orioles, Lucy's Warblers, Common Yellowthroats and the rarest of the rare...a beautiful Black and White Warbler. Plenty of Yellow-billed Cuckoos too! So we aren't getting paid for nothing!
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Aug 20, 2004 18:35:24 GMT -5
Wondering around West Clear Creek I heard what sounded like a Monkey screeching in the depths of the riparian forest. Eager to see a another member of my Neanderthal family I took off after it. It turns out it was a juvenile Common Blackhawk that was making the noise. It was unafraid of me and let me take some great photos. The mother Blackhawk came flying in with half of a snake to feed it, so that quited it down for a little while. We've been seeing a lot of Blackhawks out in the field this Summer, so hopefully there once dwindling populations are making a comeback .
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Post by eaglewoman on Aug 23, 2004 10:32:24 GMT -5
That's great Crow! I have also been seeing a few Black hawks this summer. There are a couple that live right near our trailer in the feild. I've seen so many birds this summer, I just can't think of them all right now. Cheers, Eagle
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Post by eaglewoman on Sept 16, 2004 8:48:36 GMT -5
Saw me a Painted Redstart yesterday off of Hunter Creek about 15 miles outside of Payson...Those birdies are sure perdy!
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Sept 16, 2004 13:56:25 GMT -5
And Nature trained him tenderly to know The rain of melodies in coverts heard. Let him but catch the cadences that flow From hollybush or lilac, elm or sloe, And he would mate the music with the bird. The faintest song a redstart ever sang Was redstart’s piping, and the whitethroat knew No cunning trill, no mazy shake that rang Doubtful on ears unaided by the view. - Norman Gale
The Painted Redstart has impacted me with its beauty to a point where I have commited to memory cheesey poems about it! Nice sighting! While a bunch of us were up in Colorado, we got to see hordes of one of my favorite birds (all though if pressed I would have to admit that all birds are my favorite). The Black-billed Magpie was everywhere in Colorado, and we'd see at least one each mile on some of the roads we took to various places. There were also Clark's Nutcrackers, Pygmy and White-breasted Nuthatches, a lone Broad-tailed Hawk, Bushtits, and I accidently flushed a Common Poorwill off the ground during an early morning walk at one of our campsites near Chimmney Rock.
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Sept 18, 2004 7:47:26 GMT -5
Driving down the road from Camp Verde to Cottonwood, Sparrowhawk and I got to see a rare and elusive bird.....a Peacock!. Probably an escapee form some yard or ranch, but you'd never tell by the looks of it, it strutted across the road like it owned that entire part of the high desert!
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Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
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Post by Kitfox on Sept 18, 2004 14:01:51 GMT -5
Back at my home in Phoenix, where I am now actually, we have lots of peacocks. They sure are cool birds to have around. One of them, whom we've named Angel, seems to be rather intelligent and curious. He follows people around, always staying just out of arms reach, to see what they're doing. When I drive off I often look into my rearview mirror to see him chasing the car. It's pretty funny.
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Sept 19, 2004 21:54:24 GMT -5
Thats great Kit Fox. My family, when I was young, had two Peacocks as well. In fact, in an odd way, one of them kind of protected me at one point. I grew up in a very rural area, completley of the grid, and after school I used to go for long walks around the forest and high desert with my dogs. Occasionally the female Peacock would come along too, if only for a short distance befor it retunred home. Anyway, one day while I was on a walk, not paying too much attention to what was around me, the Peacock jumped up and flapped in front of me with its huge wings close to my face and body, causing me to back up. Then, with a quick jab from its beak it lunged to the ground and pecked a Rattlesnake that was coiled up directly in front of my path. The snake took off (with the dogs barking wildly and following it), and the Peacock just kind of walked off, leaving me there breathless and thankful. ______________ Saw a Williamson's Sapsucker today too by the way, out in the Ponderosas.
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