MoMs - Day 1

MoMs (Molt Over Migration Stopover Ecology Project) began this morning with Peter Pyle (co-author and field director) and 5 enthusiastic and experienced bird conservationists assisting with setting up mist nets and banding birds. Arriving mid-morning, Tony and I approached the main station set up for weighing, banding and noting feather molt, etc. of the birds to hear that all was going well. "20 birds", Peter exclaimed, "We had only expected 6 or 7!" For all of you just tuning in, please refer to my post on July 1 for a summary of the project. In short, this study is aimed at finding out what a molting migrating bird requires for habitat (food, shelter, etc.) in order to ensure he/she arrives at their winter home base healthy to start the cycle of migration and reproduction for next season. Molt demands a great deal of energy second only to reproduction. Since very little has been documented about these habitat requirements, we are thrilled to be helping in the process of discovering what's needed. A 3 to 4 person team will return to the ranch for a total of 12 or 13 more times to band and document their findings. Please stay tuned!

MoMs Project - July 1, 2007

On a lazy, hot Saturday afternoon, Tony and I met with Peter Pyle of the Institute of Bird Populations and Gabe David, biologist, to hear the outline of Pyle's proposal affectionately titled, 'MoMs'. No, this has nothing to do with my mom or anyone else's for that matter, but roughly translates into the Molt Migration Stopover Ecology Project. The thumbnail sketch of the project is several western North American species of birds leave their breeding grounds and migrate to the 'Mexican monsoon' region of the southwestern deserts to molt before embarking on their winter migration. Molting demands a tremendous amount of energy of the bird and virtually nothing is known of what happens to these birds during this critical time. Peter Pyle and David DeSante, principal investigators of the MoMs project, reason by identifying sites within this specific region of the country and conducting extensive bird surveys will lead to a better understanding of the ecology needs of these birds during molt-migration and development of improved management and conservation strategies.

To date, species known to undergo 'molt migration' include: Bullock's Oriole, Lazuli Bunting, western populations of Warbling Vireo, and Western Tanager (Rohwer et al. 2004), while other species suspected of undergoing molt migration based on museum specimens, migration timing, and/or field work in Arizona include Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Bell’s Vireo, Gray Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo, Cassin's Vireo, Nashville Warbler, Virginia’s Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Grace’s Warbler, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Hepatic Tanager, Summer Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, Black-chinned Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Sage Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel, Black-headed Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole, Hooded Oriole, and Lesser Goldfinch.

After hearing the gist of the project and refreshing our guests with cappuccino ice and green tea, we set out to show prospective field sites to Peter. He was pleased with a few and he'll pick out the spot in a few days as Gabe (primary biologist for MoMs) and crew will return in 2 weeks to set up mist nets to band the birds. We look forward to helping Peter and Gabe in every way possible to ensure the success of this project. Stay tuned for more project updates!

Cappuccino Ice

3 cups prepared strong coffee made at least partially with dark-roast espresso coffee
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup granulated sugar

1. Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and set over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is about to boil and all the sugar is dissolved.
2. Cool to room temperature, pour into a shallow pan (an 8 inch square or round cake pan is ideal), and freeze.
3. The mixture will take 3 to 6 hours to freeze and because of its relatively low sugar content will be very solid. To serve, set in refrigerator for 30 minutes to temper the texture slightly.
1 quart, at least 6 portions

Dust Devils and Dive Bombing Bluebirds

After my close encounter with the avian bluebird kind (see #4), I was headed to my next station. Suddenly, without any warning, I heard a banging sound. The sound a hydraulic lift door makes on a truck when lowered to the ground quickly and not too delicately! Turning, I see a whirling dervish of dust, funnel shaped, moving fast and headed straight towards me. Jumping to one side and moving into the forest, the swirling dust devil cleared a path and hit the nest box I was about to check. Moving it considerably from side to side, the box withstood the shaking and the dust dancer continued on into the forest losing its oomph when it hit a few large oak trees. The box happened to be the empty bluebird nest (see # 9), or else I figure the nestlings may have experienced an ear and eyeful of dust. Never a dull moment on this nest box trail!

The curve-billed thrasher and ladder-backed woodpecker pairs have 2 fledglings, each seen learning foraging and flying techniques from their parents. The thrashers have a particular preoccupation with our Arizona gray squirrel pair. If they see the squirrels anywhere close to their prospective nest locations or seed and mealworm feeder sites ,it provokes a response of chasing and pecking at their hind quarters to shoo them away. Quite a comical sight to behold! The squirrels are never too upset or injured by all these antics, nor do they retaliate. In time they merely move on to a less hectic haven.

Field Notes: 12/31/06 - 5/2/07

The following are my entries for 12/31/06 through 5/2/07. After this each entry will be separate.

January 18, 2007 - Scott’s Oriole, male, sighted at suet feeder. This is the 5th year we have noted a Scott’s oriole overwintering with us. Signs of global warming?

January 19, 2007 - Tony’s Birthday, 55, but who’s counting? Back to birds, juvenile Audubon’s warbler foraging in oak tree.

February 18, 2007 - Coyote, female, found deceased from gunshot wounds behind the stucco wall of the outdoor kitchen. We tracked bloodstains through the front yard to outside our bedroom window. She had attempted to lie down there, but it was too small an area. We buried her on a small knoll marked with a lichen covered purple rock. Please see http://birdlandranch.org/coyote.3-07.htm for more information.

February 17, 2007 - Sharp-shinned Hawk sitting in oak tree by my medicine wheel garden.

March 11, 2007 - Broad-tailed, male and Rufous Hummingbirds, male and female, at nectar feeder. Spring Migration has begun!

March 12, 2007 - Painted Redstart, male, flying from branch to branch in the oak trees in his acrobatic style of fanning and flicking wings and tail to show off bright white patches.

March 13, 2007 - Vermillion Flycatcher, male, briefly sited in oak tree by the backyard “pond” caused by watering the fruit trees.

March 16, 2007 - Elf Owl, male, heard in the canyon announcing his arrival to the nocturnal audience with his raucous laughing chuckles. The chuckles are so loud its hard to believe the smallest owl in the world with the approximate weight and size of an Eastern Bluebird can make such a disturbance! 2 male Scott’s Orioles.

March 17, 2007 - Black-chinned Hummingbird, male, 3 Rufous Hummingbirds, 2 male, 1 female arrive at 6pm in time for supper! The last remaining Slate-colored Junco and White-crowned Sparrow noted before they migrated to cooler climates.

March 18, 2007 - Audubon’s Warbler, aka Yellow-rumped Warbler, female. Black-chinned Hummingbird, female, gathering my organic cotton batting (scrunched up cotton and put in circular fixture suspended in oak tree) for nesting material.

March 19, 2007 - Magnificent Hummingbird, male, aka Rivoli’s Hummingbird at 5.25” is the second largest hummingbird in North America. His arrival at the feeder makes you stand up and take note! Elf Owl seen pecking at wooden plug we banged into utility pole blocking the cavity. Please see “Nest-cam Project” for reasons why.

March 20, 2007 - 6 Scott’s Orioles, all males, whistling, calling, and singing to each other, while flying from orange halves to nectar feeders. Their songs would cause jazz musicians (especially tenor sax players) to grab pencil and music paper to notate the musical sequence. John Coltrane’s kind of bird.

March 23, 2007 - .85” of liquid sunshine! We Arizonans need to tell one and all about any moisture received.

March 29, 2007 - 6 Lucy’s Warblers fly over my head while at work in the medicine wheel garden.

April 3, 2007 - Cassin’s Kingbird’s “come-ear” heard up in Algerita Canyon. Ash-throated Flycatcher’s police whistle call in the pine-oak woodlands.

April 7, 2007 - Green-tailed Towhee mewing in the tangle of roses and forsythia.

April 8, 2007 - Lucifer’s Hummingbird, male, unmistakable with his deeply forked tail and decurved bill. Also of note is the sound his wings make similar to that of a well tuned Jag.

April 9, 2007 - Lark sparrow, male, singing or one might say tuning in as the song sounds like a short wave radio going in and out of its frequency.

April 8, 2007 - Myrtle’s Warbler, female, a new species!

April 10, 2007 - Lazuli Bunting, 2 females, Orange-crowned Warbler, male and female.

April 21, 2007 - Brown-headed Cowbirds, 2 females, 1 male.

April 29, 2007 - Plumbeous Vireo in pecan tree gleaning insect life.

April 30, 2007 - Western Tanager, male, flies through the bright orange head brilliant in the sun.

May 1, 2007 - Pair of Northern Mockingbirds foraging on the ground enjoying the newly mowed grassy area by the outdoor kitchen. With the full moon the Elf Owls (pair?) are heard calling back and forth to each other. Soft Western Screech Owl and Whiskered Screech Owl calls sift through the Elf Owl chuckling (barely).

May 2, 2007 - Lazuli Bunting, female, Wilson’s Warbler, male, Black-throated Gray Warbler, male, Townsend’s Warbler, male, 2 Brown-headed Cowbirds, female and a pair of White-winged Doves. Up to 6 Black-headed Grosbeaks.