G and S Travels

Land of the Great Grey Ghost

2011-01-16T03:34:00.026+05:30

The boreal forests, or the taiga, form a wreath on the world's land mass. They constitute 30% of the forests on the planet, and ensconced in snow and frost for 200 days in a year. In the winter, boreal forests are synonymous with bleakness and a harsh environment that few animals can tolerate. This blog recounts our encounters - in photos - with the boreal forests and some of its denizens in northern Minnesota (Jan 12-14 2011).

Stunted Black Spruce, deciduous Tamarack pine trees with most of their needles dropped, birches and various other deciduous species stood shrouded in fresh snow as we entered Sax Zim bog. Photographs taken in colour mode came out in black-and-white as the dry snow floated down sprinkling everything with fresh flakes.

Boughs bereft of leaves bowed under the weight of piled up fresh snow and ice stood silhouetted against the dull grey skies.

The sun attempted weakly at breaking through the clouds and snow, and lit up in ghostly light cattle farms and snow-covered hay meadows. Desolate was a word that sprang to mind, yet there was human activity almost everywhere.

A deer carcass on the roadside was flagged by dozens of ravens. And one Bald Eagle that laboriously took off and landed on a snag beside our vehicle.

Our hosts were residents of Hibbing - Linda and Larry Schmelzer - parents of our friend Sara (wife of Scott Loss - birder extraordinaire!), were wonderful hosts. Larry is an engineer at the Hull Rust mines - one of the largest open-pit iron ore mines in the world. This photo with a car and a person (if you can spot him), and drills, shows the extent of the mine.

Hibbing is also where the famous Greyhound buses started, but ironically do not stop there anymore. This sign at the mine overlook tries to lure visitors into the Greyhound museum.

The mine site itself had several birds including a large flock of Common Redpolls that foraged noisily on dry seeds.

But back to the boreal forests! We birded at the Sax Zim bog for two wonderful days. The snow did not stop, but neither did we. Below are photos of bird species - boreal and otherwise - that we were able to photograph.

The ubiquitous yet compelling Black-capped Chickadee barely left prints on the snow.

The more restricted northern Boreal Chickadee was much rarer, and frequently bullied by the previous chickadee. It seemed much more at home in the snow.

The cold weather and the snow did not dissuade the woodpeckers from actively foraging. This Downy Woodpecker seemed comfortable and was rather common.

The slightly bigger Hairy Woodpecker was also frequently encountered.

The Black-backed Woodpecker provided a real treat when this male, with its lovely yellow forehead, decided to try out the tree beside our vehicle for grubs. This is a boreal woodpecker species - one that was high on our wish list on this trip.

Flocks of Pine Grosbeaks were relatively common much to our delight. Female Grosbeaks
(above) were almost as common as their much-more-colourful male counterparts (below).

This lone female Purple Finch aided in lengthening our list, but we saw no males during this trip.

Ruffed Grouse appeared in the evenings in flocks on trees feeding on buds, and were on the roads hypnotized by cars that nearly ran them over. When found during the day, they sat still seemingly unperturbed by our curiosity. Made us wonder how apt the synonym "fool-hen" was!

And finally, the owls! We saw one individual of the Northern Hawk Owl several times, always atop a tree making for not-so-good photos.

The big bonus was the Great Grey Owl - called the great grey ghost with good reason. We were fortunate to see two individuals of this magnificent hunter. One of the owls set up a grand performance hunting a couple of voles in a snowed-up meadow as the sun disappeared over the horizon and as it began to snow again. Here are two photos of the ghost - this bird is truly a symbol of the untamed winterland that the Taiga is!

Our sincere gratitude to the Schmelzers for hosting us, to Scott for driving long hours sometimes in treacherous snow fall, and to Chih-Ming for allowing the use of this vehicle for this trip!

Visiting Chakrata

2009-06-19T21:59:00.046+05:30

Summers in Delhi are enough to drive anyone crazy, or to the hills. After trying the former, we decided to do the latter for a weekend. Teaming up with our friend Payal Narain, we spent Jun 12-14 (2009) at Hotel Himalayan Paradise 6 km off the town of Chakrata in the lower Himalayas (6500 ft amsl). This blog recounts some of our memories, along the usual photos of the natural denizens we were able to take.

Hotel H.P. is a quaint, small hotel quite perfect for weekend getaways – far from the madding crowd, peaceful, with very small groups of other tourists, and with trees all around! It is located quite literally on the hillside framed by impressive cliffs and plum trees. (Yes! This is our pitch for the place.)

Hotel Himalayan Paradise

Gorgeous Orange Oakleaf butterflies sunned themselves beside the plum trees, doing their disappearance act by just closing up their wings and resembling a leaf.

The Orange oakleaf - with its wings closed and open

The trees around the hotel bustle with warblers, woodpeckers, scimitar-babblers, green pigeons, flycatchers and bulbuls each morning and evening.

Grey hooded warbler

Wedge-tailed pigeons

Looking from over the terrace, we added nearly 25 species to our list. This included lovely views of the usually skulking Streaked Laughing Thrush!

Streaked laughing thrush

Walking above the down the road from the hotel is an exceedingly rewarding experience for the bird and butterfly watcher. The roadside thistle bristled with flowers bedecked with butterflies of various sizes and colours. Blackveins dominated, though the Arguses and pansies tried their best to fit in.

Great blackvein

Ringed Argus

Chocolate pansy

A resplendent Common Peacock flitted around for a long while distracting us from all else for a while.

Common peacock

Small butterflies that rapidly flitted around – called Skippers – also briefly stayed on these flowers.

Marbled flat

Blooming asters bordered the roads, many with butterflies and bees busily feeding and pollinating. These included smallies collectively called “the blues” despite several having lots of orange on them. How something so small can have so much colour is quite incredible!

Common copper

Sorrel sapphire

Puddles on the road housed territorial blues and skipper butterflies. Pretty flowers bloomed in anticipation of being pollinated.

White-bordered argus

The shrubbery and trees beside the road came alive occasionally with mixed hunting parties of tits, canary-flycatchers, woodpeckers and other birdies.

Black-throated tit

The cliffs across the road had several young Himalayan Griffon vultures, while their parents soared over us seeking carcasses to feed on. It was quite lovely to see three young in a small ledge – Diclofenac had clearly not reached these heights yet.

An adult griffon vulture (light colour) with its
juvenile (dark colour) near their nest on a cliff

An adult griffon vulture looking out for food

One morning, we succumbed to the adventurers in us and decided to take the trek through the forest to the famed Tiger Falls. This required a fairly early start to avoid being baked in the afternoon sun. The forest was mixed with bamboo, oak, rhododendron (that had completed their flowering for the season), pines and other evergreen species. We trekked along a stream on a path that was steep in parts, but was rather pleasant and quite beautiful to walk on. It helped greatly that much of the route was downhill. Small but picturesque waterfalls broke the monotony at frequent intervals.

We passed Jaunsari villages with their characteristic two-storied houses, and women busily planted young rice saplings in anticipation of the rains.

A Jaunsari house

A partial view of a Jaunsari village

Jaunsari women in rice fields

Bird calls broke the morning silence as treepie young called out to parents, quails and the Black Partridge sounded their presence, with a distant Indian Cuckoo providing a perfect bass background. Blackvein butterflies fluttered about almost everywhere. Woodpeckers called noisily from the trees.

lesser yellow-nape woodpecker

Brown-fronted woodpecker

In some parts, black tadpoles stood out on the pale rocks as the water shimmered over them. A Great Crested Kingfisher flashed by offering us a brief but good look. Wonder why kingfishers never eat tadpoles – they appear to be easy pickings just sitting in the water as they were!

Tadpoles in a clear stream

Black Bulbuls called raucously as they veered about in the trees picking up insects and probably some berries.

Black bulbul

The “browns” also made their presence felt – with names like three-ring, five-ring, and wall!

The large three-ring

Himalayan five-ring

Common wall

Several patches of sun-shine streaming through the trees were “taken over” by the Common Punch (photo below). It rose suddenly from its perch if another punch came into its sun-patch, both swirled around for a while until there was a winner that came back to claim the perch.

Common punch

When we reached Tiger Falls, an amazing amount of water still remained despite it being the peak of summer. Damselflies of incredible colour and form perched on vantage points waiting for prey, and to chase away competitors.

A pair of Plumbeous Redstarts - the male brighter than the female - visited their nest on the side of the cliff feeding hungry chicks. We escaped before a large crowd of tourists arrived.

Plumbeous redstart (male)

Plumbeous redstart (female)

We spent much of the left-over time walking the road to and from the hotel. Afternoon rains ensured that the day was never too hot, and that we got our afternoon siesta! More butterflies and many more birds later, it was time to go. All in all, a most refreshing and relaxing vacation!

White-bordered copper

Himalayan bulbul

Warblers in Spring Splendour

2008-08-05T11:16:00.012+05:30

Being in the American mid-west has several distinct attractions for bird-brains. We have previously described one such attraction – experiencing the lekking behaviour of Prairie Chickens. This blog entry describes another – warblers in breeding plumage. The mid-west experiences two annual deluges of warblers. The fall migration occurs during September and October when warblers have completed their breeding in the northern climes, and are headed to their wintering areas in the warm south. At this time, bird-watchers are challenged by the similar plumages of several species. This blog is about the second deluge – the spring migration in April and May. We focus on warblers we were able to photograph in their breeding finery in the spring of 2008. Being birders from Asia, where the word “warbler” means “dull green or brown bird”, we have been completely captivated by the New World warblers. This is our modest attempt at celebrating these incredible birds.

We sorted out the warblers into three major forms based on the dominant colouration: the greens-and-grays, the yellows (with black, gray and green), and oh-those-astoundingly-coloured-ones. We were able to watch and photograph representatives of all these forms in and around our home in the Commonwealth Terrace Co-operative (CTC), the student housing area of the University of Minnesota (UMN). The CTC has excellent flowering trees planted by residents and the management (see photos below).

CTC abuts the Sarita Wetland, which is maintained by various groups at the UMN, and has many more native trees, shrubs, and of course, a wetland (photo below).

A small walk toward the UMN on Cleveland avenue brings us to the “Trolley Way” or the Lauderdale Nature Area, a beautiful small patch of wilderness amid an otherwise buildings-dominated area (photo below).

Together, these three spots have a large variety of habitats and food sources within a relatively small area, and attract an incredible number of bird species. The best part of this set-up for us was the ease with which we added new species to our list; we only needed to step outside our apartment!

Warblers are mostly insectivorous with few species also eating nectar. As a consequence they are most active on sunny days and on foliage or flowering plants that are warmed by the sun. In spring most male warblers assert themselves vocally, and mornings in wooded areas are filled with their cheery trills, chirps, and bzzzes. The first few warm days after winter are the best for warblering (we know that is not a real word, but strongly feel that it should be!). The trees are just regaining their leaves then allowing excellent views of the birds as they jump, sally, chase and dangle acrobatically from leaves, branches and tree bark chasing caterpillars and invertebrates. Tree canopies literally quiver with hungry warblers during the peak of the migration! Waves of individual species are apparent. In 2008, the Yellow-rumped Warblers got to CTC first as soon as the last snows melted, with the rest of the species following behind nearly a week later. Females of many species have very similar colouring to males, but few are starkly boring compared to their stunning male counterparts. We saw more females of most species later in the migration season, and wonder if females take another route, or if they come through later and in smaller, less conspicuous parties.

Golden-winged Warbler

We saw only two individuals of this species at the Trolley Way. This is a species of Federal Concern that requires habitats of medium openness. It forages mostly on the upper canopy making photography difficult as is evidenced by the not-so-good photos we were able to get. We first heard the low but distinctive bzzz calls (thanks to the sharp ears of our friend Derric) before we saw it.

Tennessee Warbler

On May 15-17, this was the commonest warbler at CTC and Sarita. Calls of this bird could be heard from nearly every tree and bush. It is not very bright, but the green back, dark wings, the gray head with a prominent white eye-brow (or supercilium in bird lingo), and a dull gray band over the breast standing out on an otherwise white neck and belly make it very easy to identify. Females have much duller wings.

Small parties foraged high in the canopy for insects, while several birds fed on nectar on flowers below. Plum trees planted by CTC residents and the chestnut trees planted by UMN were in flower, and Tennessee Warblers getting at the nectar was a regular sight. The Bird Guide of the Cornell University describes this species as a “nectar thief” avoiding pollinating flowers by making a hole at the base of flowers to get at the nectar avoiding pollinating the flower. At least on the Plum and chestnut trees, this was not true. Birds feeding on nectar on these flowers took nectar without making a hole at the base, and carried pollen at the base of their beaks (see photo above) indicating that they were pollinating the flowers. CTC residents likely owe many of their Plums to this bird!

Orange-crowned Warbler

We saw this species only thrice at Sarita; they seemed to favor the Elm trees that were in flower. Despite its name, very few males apparently have the orange crown, but the rest of the features – eye ring, grey neck and belly, yellow wash on breast and belly, and no prominent markings on wings or the back – distinguishes this warbler from other species despite its overall dullness. This species was more like the warblers we were used to in India.

Nashville Warbler

This is a classic example of a gleaning bird! It was common at CTC and Sarita. Individuals were clearly territorial and sightings were certain on some Elm trees. The white eye ring, dull-green on the back, yellowish-green on the belly and throat on a gray-headed bird made it easy to identify.

Northern Parula

We saw this bird in small numbers in the Trolley Way. Views were invariably of individuals very high up feeding in the middle-level branches of tall oaks, and we were unable to get good pictures of this bird. We did not see this species at CTC or at Sarita during our stay.

Yellow Warbler

This was a common warbler, among the first to appear along with the Yellow-rumped Warbler in mid-April. It was never in very large numbers, but individuals could always be seen well spaced out at CTC, Sarita and the Trolley Way during every visit. We observed this species catching insects mostly by gleaning, but a few times by sallying. It frequented the higher branches apparently favouring the top-most leaves rarely making forays into the lower branches. The all-yellow bird has chestnut streaks on the breast making it impossible to misidentify.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Clearly our favourite warbler in the New World! In coloration, this species fits into our classification of being a oh-those-astoundingly-coloured warbler. This was one of the species that followed the initial wave of Yellow-rumped, Yellow and Tennesse Warblers. This species was never seen in large numbers. We saw several singing males at Trolley Way and Sarita, but never saw signs of nesting. This species appeared to prefer lower and middle-storey branches, and systematically searched all leaves, buds and flowers along a branch before flying to the next branch. We saw it feed with vireos, flycatchers and other warblers.

Magnolia Warbler

Female of Magnolia Warbler

Another member of the yellows, the Magnolia Warbler was, to our delight, a common warbler at CTC and Sarita. We also always saw it at the Trolley Way and in different locations on the University campus. Again, though never in large numbers, few were always present throughout the spring and early summer. These also seemed to use the middle-storey branches once the leaves were out, though foraged just about anywhere on the tree when the leaves were just buds.

Cape May Warbler

Female of Cape May Warbler

Despite being markedly yellow, the gorgeous combination of brick-red and yellow on the cheeks and ash-black on the head on the male combined with the distinctly streaked bright-yellow neck and belly had us classifying this species as one of the oh-those-astoundingly-coloured-ones. It is unique among warblers in having a tubular tongue that is used to collect nectar during winter. We saw this species only once at CTC (photographs) and a couple of other times on flowering bushes on Como Avenue, always with Tennessee Warblers.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Female of Yellow-rumped Warbler

The warbler migration of 2008 was heralded by large flocks of the Yellow-rumped Warblers. The strategically placed yellow markings on this otherwise dull-grey and black bird convert it into an attractive warbler. The female is very similar to the male, but is markedly duller.

Black-throated Green Warbler

The name describes this species nearly in entirety missing out only on the bright white belly and sides streaked with thick black markings. This species arrived in the second wave along with the Tennessess and Nashvilles, and shared much of the same habitats and habits of the latter. This species was an ace gleaner jumping, diving and flying to catch ants and other invertebrates below leaves and on buds. We seldom saw this species in the lower branches or on the outermost leaves. Singing males were not uncommon at CTC and Sarita in late May and early June, but we could find no evidence of nesting.

Blackburnian Warbler

Being the only warbler in North America with an orange throat, a male in full breeding plumage is impossible to mistake. We saw only two males in CTC, and managed to photograph one.

Palm Warbler

The tail wagging combined with the rust-coloured cap gave away the identity of this warbler. We saw this species foraging in a variety of conditions that included pine trees, tree canopies, mowed grass, and low shrubs. This was an uncommon warbler at CTC and Sarita, and we saw several more on the University campus especially on The Hill.

Black-and-white Warbler

The first individual of this species we saw was during the second wave, but then it became one of the most regularly sighted species of warblers at CTC and Sarita. This species feeds almost entirely on invertebrates on the bark of trees using a nuthatch-like behaviour of creeping along tree-trunks and branches. The male and female are very similar.

American Redstart

Female of American Redstart

Rather different from the Redstarts we were used to in Asia, this incredibly active warbler was one of the first species to arrive with the Yellow-rumped Warbler. However, it was never seen in large numbers. Males arrived first and appeared to be setting up territories in which they displayed using song and displays (see photograph). Females arrived nearly a fortnight later at CTC and Sarita. These warblers were the hardest to photograph since they are reluctant to waste anytime sitting still. Most of the time, the fan-like tail was the only thing that was visible in the canopy. Individuals were very curious and approached us when we began watching them, then quickly lost interest and disappeared into the canopy looking for food. Males are marked with orange on the shoulders and on their tail that is replaced by yellow in the females. We suspect a pair to be nesting in Sarita but never did see any confirmed sign.

Common Yellowthroat

Female of Common Yellowthroat

It is hard to be certain when this species arrived. We saw few individuals during every outing at CTC, Sarita and the Trolley Way. Males were much easier to see compared to the duller females that lack the black-and-ash mask of the male. We saw two males displaying and singing in Sarita but never managed to find a nest if there was one. This species rarely, if ever, climbed onto trees and most of the foraging appeared to be done in the undergrowth and on litter. It was also the most shy of the warblers we watched.

Wilson’s Warbler

Next to the Orange-crowned Warbler, this was the rarest warbler at CTC and Sarita. It appeared to have arrived in the second wave of migration. Individuals favoured the upper canopy and rarely came out to the outermost leaves to feed making photography and observations difficult. We never saw it on trees and shrubs that flowered in profusion. The species is all yellow except for the black cap and grey wing-tips and tail. It ranked among the top acrobatic warblers we observed in the mid-west.

At CTC & Sarita, and outings to other warbler locations while in the mid-west, we enjoyed the company, food, birding skills and knowledge of John & Cathy Ley, Scott Loss, Derric & Kelly Pennington, and Jon & Karen Slaght. CTC & Sarita wetlands together constitute a superb urban hotspot for birds, along with several other small patches of woodlands and wetlands in the vicinity. These are managed by a very large number of people including professors and student groups from CTC and UMN. Recent discussions to initiate a birding e-group and monitor the birds here are very encouraging, but alas – come a little too late for us as we are moving back to India soon.

Bibliography:

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology: All About Birds. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/

Some useful websites for warblering:
http://www.trmichels.com/NatureToursMNBirdsList.htm
http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/Warblers.html

ICF Bird-a-thon: Team Twin Cities

2008-05-17T04:53:00.000+05:30

Team: (from left) John Ley, Mike Dixon, Cathy Ley, Scott Loss, S, Chih-Ming Hung, G, and Brandon Breen.

Date: May 10, 2008; 515 am to 500 pm.

Places visited:
Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge (MVWR): Old Cedar Avenue Bridge and Bass Ponds
Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve
Eloise Butler Wild flower garden and bird sanctuary

Each year, friends and members of the International Crane Foundation (ICF) across the United States form teams, plan routes, and participate in the Annual ICF Bird-a-thon. Each teams aims to see as many species of birds as possible in a 24-hour period. Before the actual birding, teams reach out to potential supporters, and request people to pledge support for their team with amounts starting from as small as $0.25 per bird species seen. Total amounts raised go toward ICF’s activities. The fund raising event is great fun, helps birders meet other birders, and teams enjoy a full day of birding in the locations of their choice, and to help ICF.

Being very close to ICF, we knew of the Annual Bird-a-thon but opportunities to participate had been lacking due to our living in New Delhi. As yet, ICF’s bird-a-thon does not occur outside of the border of the United States. But this year was different. After nearly 1.5 years of residence in the US, we had picked up some basic skills in identifying the fantastic birds here, and more importantly had been fortunate to be-friend some students with incredible birding skills. Also, Cathy & John Ley – our indomitable unofficial guardians from Hudson, Wisconsin – organized bird-a-thons each year. So, it was quite natural to begin talking about getting a Team St. Paul together, which Cathy would “lead”. In February 2008, we began planning. Emails, phone discussions and personal meetings began as we started to line up sponsors for the bird-a-thon. And a fantastic team formed (see Team Photo above). Mike, Scott, Brandon and Chih-Ming are students at the Conservation Biology Program at the University of Minnesota with G and are aggressive outdoors people. Scott and Brandon are PhD students working on birds in the US and the Falkland Islands respectively, while Mike studies bats, and Chih-Ming is studying to be an evolutionary biologist. United with the common mission of enjoying birds when we could, Team St. Paul decided on May 10 as our bird-a-thon day, come rain, snow, sleet or exams.

On May 10, at 430 am we assembled outside our student quarters, and started off the day with hot chocolate, muffins and doughnuts that Cathy provided. Loud calls of American Robins, White-throated Sparrows, and Chipping Sparrows greeted us as we sipped the beverage starting us off on our bird list.

American Robin

MVWR is an extensive reserve that is conveniently close to the Twin Cities, and spreads for nearly 20 miles along the mighty Mississippi. We headed for the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge which was surrounded by a Typha Marsh and faced the Mississippi River. Another couple had beaten us to it – they were conducting the bird-a-thon for the Minnesota chapter of the Audubon Society! As we stood on the wooden board-walk, calls of many species filled the air as birds began the dawn chorus. Marsh Wrens called from inside the reeds, and as the morning light increased, we caught great views of several individuals as they jumped around the vegetation. Scott – our birder extraordinaire – started to list the birds he was picking up the calls for. One particularly good one was the Virginia Rail that called a few times. The Sora started to call, and to our delight, one bird came out of the vegetation to forage in a shallow patch giving excellent views in the early morning light.

Sunrise at Old Cedar Avenue Bridge (MVWR)

Board walk at MVWR

Woodpeckers, Warblers, Flycatchers, and Finches quickly added to the list. S picked out a Common Yellowthroat – the only one for the day! A lone Green Heron was ardently focused on getting breakfast in a pool formed by a beaver that swam about as we watched. Brandon picked up a couple of Pine Siskins, as G photographed the heron getting a fish. Then the whole group was delighted by a gorgeous Scarlet Tanager who decided that the people were harmless, and came out of the canopy sitting out in the open on a bare tree. Stunning! The sunrise began as a spectacular sight, but quickly the clouds took over dampening the light. The list however was already over 30 species: not a bad start for a cloudy morning!

Green Heron

Our next stop was the Bass Ponds, also part of the immense MVWR. G spotted a raptor in the trees, and as he took off, the tail bands helped Scott to identify it as a Broad-winged Hawk. Several new warblers later, we reached the ponds.

The trail at Bass Ponds, MVWR

On the path, two thrushes foraged, each clearly different. Excellent views to 8 people through binoculars and scopes convinced us that they were one individual each of the Grey-cheeked and Swainson’s Thrush. These birds are usually skulkers in woodlands and hard to get good looks of. But these two birds were enjoying the creepy-crawlies on the path and afforded us with several minutes of excellent views, and walked up ahead of us for a while as we traversed the path.

Swainson's Thrush

Our next stop was the Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve – an excellent area with woodlands, lakes and glorious, extensive grasslands. It was past noon, raindrops were beginning to fall, and the woods did not yield many species though Brandon did manage a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Scott got a couple of additional birds, and we were off to the lake and the grasslands. The grasslands had been recently burnt, but there were large patches still unburnt.

Grasslands at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve

As we stood and listened, Scott pointed out the insect-like chirp of the Henslow’s Sparrow and we saw a couple of individuals as they dove into the grass. A Field Sparrow called out, and we walked along the grasslands to get to a wetland where our friends had marked out as the location for Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Clouds of bugs greeted us as we walked across the burnt grasslands, and swallows and swifts flew about joyously with their mouths open literally catching mouthfuls of bugs. A small tree beside the grass suddenly burst with warblers and we got excellent views of the Blackpoll and Chestnut-sided Warblers among a large flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers. The Yellow-headed Blackbird was present where it was supposed to be – absolutely gorgeous! Ring-necked and Lesser Scaup ducks foraged in the pond with American Coots, and Pied-billed Grebes called out as they swam about near the shore.

American Coot

Scott decided to scan the hordes of swallows, and we quickly added Cliff, Bank, and the Barn Swallow with the Chimney Swift to our list. Large flocks of Brown-headed Cowbirds and the Red-winged Blackbirds foraged in the burnt grasslands, and Scott picked out a female Yellow-headed Blackbird among the lot. Mike found a White-crowned Sparrow – the only one for the day, and we saw several Field Sparrows as we walked toward a lake where a nesting pair of Common Loons awaited us. Once again, Scott spotted the loon as it incubated eggs on the nest, and the mate emerged out of the water in front of the camouflaged nest. More field sparrows greeted as we walked back to the cars. Suddenly Scott and I heard hoots – unmistakable (to Scott that is) calls of a Barred Owlet! Then the rain started in earnest, and we decided to head out to locations where Brandon had seen large numbers and species of warblers during the fall migration.

As the rain came down, we started birding at the Eloise Butler Wild flower garden and bird sanctuary where a group of children and their instructors yelled out names of birds that they had cut out and hung on the trees. We on the other hand, went down the path to get glorious views of the Magnolia Warbler among other birds. A tree full of Cedar Waxwings, another bunch of passerines, and the downpour began signaling the end of our day. In all, considering the dismal weather the 103 species was not a bad haul at all!

Thanks to the donors for their pledges, and to the great team that resulted in a fantastic day of birding!

Photo credits: Chih-Ming Hung, G & S.

The Prairie Chicken adventure.

2008-05-10T05:20:00.000+05:30

A male Prairie Chicken surveys his territory in the prairies of central Wisconsin

Date: April 27, 2008; location: central Wisconsin; wake up time: 230 am. Yes, you have it correct – an unearthly hour. We had been preparing for this day nearly 8 months in advance thanks to the foresight of our dear friends Cathy & John Ley. They had booked two hides/ blinds to watch the Greater Prairie Chickens at the Buena Vista Grasslands Area in central Wisconsin. Having heard, read and seen so much about Prairie Chickens as students of wildlife in India, we could hardly wait! But before we proceed to describe our experience, some background lessons on the chickens’ biology are provided for the interested reader.

Prairie Chicken is a kind of grouse, or pheasant. They live in prairies – a kind of grassland – in the United States. Thanks to urbanization, conversion of prairies to agriculture, increased predation, and hunting by people their population was precariously low for a while. This necessitated focused conservation efforts that included reintroduction, careful habitat management, and control of numbers hunted.

Prairie Chickens are one of a very few number of bird species in which males congregate during the breeding season in pre-selected sites to display. Males defend territories from other males in these display sites, or leks, or booming grounds. The idea of lekking is for males to show-off to females who can then, based on males’ performance in the leks, choose the best man, as it were. Leks are therefore the site of much action and fighting that can sometimes be fatal. Males engage in face-off displays when they expand and contract special feathers (pinnae) behind their eyes (see Photos below).

Neighbouring Prairie Chicken males face off displaying with their tail opened into a fan, and with the pinnae spread out for maximal effect.

The most unique part of lekking behaviour of Prairie Chicken that has made them the subject of much study, Native American folklore, and conservation interest is their drumming and booming displays. In the midst of fighting with neighbours, males extend their pinnae, fill out air sacs that have brightly coloured skins, rapidly “drum” the ground with their feet, and utter low-frequency booming calls. The boom has been onomatopoeically described as whooo-doo-doooh, or zoooo… wooo… youooo, or whur-ru-rrr – it is rather difficult to translate the sound into words!

Females use the drumming displays, the quality of the booms, the capability of males to defend their part of the lek, and goodness knows what else to decide which male to mate with. After the mating, however, the males job is over. The females are responsible for finding a safe nest site, incubating the eggs, and also raising the chicks. Not a bad deal for the males overall!

Now for the adventure! Cathy and John drove up to our student housing in St. Paul from Hudson, and dropped us off at the International Crane Foundation’s Baraboo site. There, we were picked up by Anne Burke, our colleague from the International Crane Foundation, and her partner Tim. They were accompanied by ICF’s brand new addition Jane Fanke – a veterinary student from Germany who was beginning her course work at the University of Wisconsin. Anne and Tim are aggressively social people! They had fixed up with their friends Anne and Larry Graham who own a farm in Stevens Point for all of us to stay for the night. The trick to ensure that you will see the Prairie Chicken do their thing is to get into hides/ blinds – that are located carefully by reserve staff – well before sunrise. If the chickens see you getting into the hide, you are unlikely to see them perform. So, getting to Stevens Point the night before was to ensure that we were able to get into the hides very early the next morning.

Ann and Larry were delightful hosts and avid birders. We watched Chipping Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, House Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Yellow-shafted Flickers, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, House Finches, American Goldfinches, and American Nuthatches gorge on the seeds in the feeders that the Grahams had set out. It was early spring, and free and plentiful seeds were obviously very welcome to the returning birds. An American Nuthatch picked up seeds and carefully cached them into the bark of a nearby tree. The woodpeckers were having nothing to do with storage – they perched upright with the seeds in their legs, hammered them open, and down the throat went the white seed! But we had a date very early in the morning, and we retired early into the very comfortable settings of the Grahams’ lovingly maintained home.

A Chipping Sparrow pauses between seeds on the seed feeder behind the Graham residence.

We met at a pre-determined site at 4am the next day where a cheerful volunteer drove up in the chilly darkness, and cheerily asked us to follow her. We were dropped off near the hides, and walked about half-a-mile in pitch darkness to the hides. Tim was as resourceful as ever, and using his handy flashlight, we reached the two hides, and split into two groups. Jane, Anne, Tim and S crammed into one, and the others fitted into the other. Now, all we had to do was wait, and be very very silent. Being silent is a skill that requires many long years of arduous practice. Going by the giggles and whispering from the hides, we clearly needed to work on our skills!

At about 530 am we heard flutters, cackles, and other calls. The chickens had arrived! As the morning lit up slowly, the males began calling – their loud cackles were interspersed by the booming. As we waited for the sun to rise to our right, we recorded the eerie beautiful calls. It was silent yet strong, clear yet thrumming, low yet distinct, and filled the air all around us with a nearly physical quality. The cackles that interrupted the booms were proof that there were birds, and not unearthly beings, on the grass outside. We were numb with cold, cramped from the two hours of sitting without space to stretch, but very excited to be in the hides experiencing our very first Prairie Chicken performance!

The first booming male became barely visible in the faint morning light, the air-sac resplendent amid the frost-laden grass and despite a chilling wind.

As the morning lit up, we got our first dim but fantastic glimpses of the males lekking. Nearly a dozen males were running, drumming, booming, and doing spectacular leaps just in front of our hides. A yellow-red circle of colour suddenly stood out from the wet grass, and attached to it was a beautifully camouflaged bird with its tail spread into a fan, and its pinnae straight up like horns on an antelope. The boom reached us just an instant later.

As the sun continued to climb, we noted that it was not teeming with males as we first thought. There were nine males, but no females. Maybe the cold kept them away. (Smart move if you asked us – we were completely frozen!) But that did not dissuade the males from continuing to lek, and drumming and booming like there was no tomorrow. Patterns of behaviour became clearer as we continued watching. A male charged over to another that had crossed an invisible line – pinnae stretched out as if they were weapons. Both crouched, stood up slowly, walked parallel to each other, all the while being completely silent. The aggression and the tension was very obvious. As one crouched, the other looked away for an instant. There was a sudden blur of brown-and-black as the crouched male charged. The other male leaped up high to avoid the attacker, and fell back on the grass. The attacker then calmly walked away, keeping a keen eye out on the other males. The second male had clearly crossed back over the invisible line. There did not appear to be another interloper just then. He then fanned out his tail, puffed out his feathers with wings held out, filled his air sac making the yellow patch appear as if like magic, beat his feet rapidly on the grass, bowed, and boomed!

Two males face off - one booms with his pinnae extended, and the other crouches and watches.

Leks explode intermittently with Prairie Chickens leaping out of harm's way as aggressors attack.

If there ever could be an instant when one could be completely satisfied, that was it for us. The cold was forgotten, the whispers were long gone, and we watched mesmerized as an ancient ritual played itself out again and again on the short grass that became golden-green as it caught the early morning sun. The chickens also blazed with the magical light, the yellow-red throat skin flashing an instant before the booms. Another male leaped as it was attacked, and then another. Two others crouched in front of each other pinnae held straight out, and charged back and forth. And so it went on for hours.

Males boomed in the lek as their neighbours watch warily and the sun rose above the horizon. Talk about being fit - displays and calling continued for hours without a pause! Unfortunately, no females turned up that morning.

As we watched, there was a loud and familiar call just above us, and to our delight and astonishment, three Sandhill Cranes landed on the lek. Though standing tall over the chickens, they had very little effect on the male Prairie Chickens full with testosterone, and with a clear agenda to mate. One displayed and boomed to one of the Sandhills which walked up slowly and deliberately to the displaying chicken. The Sandhill Cranes paint themselves with mud just before the breeding season, and the ferric oxides in the mud react with the feathers making them rusty-coloured. The three cranes had different amounts of rust-coloured feathers and provided an unexpected and welcome spectacle. They stared at the hides, maybe saw us inside through the tiny windows, called to each other, and took off gracefully making swishing noises with their feathers over their loud bugling.

A Prairie Chicken displays to the much larger Sandhill Crane - but took off as the crane walked over very deliberately.

As the morning went on, the activity began to die down, no females turned up, it was time for us to leave. We packed up our things, found out that our feet no longer had any feeling, tottered about trying to get the blood and warmth back, and emerged from the hides feeling like explorers who had discovered something radically new. Small birds took hurriedly to the air as a Northern Harrier swooped low over the grass. One of the chickens took a quick look at the flying harrier, largely unperturbed. The prairie all around us had exploded with bird calls, and it was a glorious beginning to another spring day.

A passing Northern Harrier briefly interrupts this Prairie Chicken - it glances up at the sky, but resumed displaying soon afterwards.

The explorers showing huge smiles, successfully hiding their frozen limbs, emerge from the wooden blinds after many happy hours of Prairie Chicken viewing in the Buena Vista Grasslands.

The Chickens continue to be threatened, but carefully planned conservation intervention has improved their numbers, and many leks are occupied each year. Scientists and governments work carefully each year to ensure that the chickens and the prairies are safe and increasing. It is a tribute to these people that we were able to experience one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth.

The lek we enjoyed is surrounded by farms, barns, and roads. The Prairie Chickens' existence is precarious and we owe much to the active and continuous conservation efforts of many people that ensures leks are occupied each year.

We are beholden to Cathy and John for including us in their chicken outing, to Anne and Tim for their meticulous planning and for new friends, to Anne and Larry Graham for welcoming complete strangers - us - into their fabulous farm & home, to ICF for providing the photography equipment, to Sahastra for donating the sound-recording equipment, and to the conservationists for being such wonderful stewards of the prairies in Wisconsin and elsewhere. Video was taken using the Lumix-Panasonic DMC FZ-18; photographs were taken with the Canon 40d/ 100-400 mm EF IS lens combination.

Video: Prairie Chicken Display.

Bibliography:
Schroeder MA & LA Robb. 1993. Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu.floyd.lib.umn.edu/bna/species/036;doi:10.2173/bna.36.