Kate's Field Notes

New Era Begins!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:37:00 +0000

In case you all were wondering if I was ever going to update my blog site, the answer is Yes!

Has it really been since July of 2007? Well, let's not dwell on the past. I began a new career path. My new path is as a veterinary technician or as I like to be called, animal nurse. Being on the front lines, so to speak, at our ranch, we have witnessed many wildlife emergencies over the years. It became apparent to me that I wanted to do more than just shuttle them off to hopefully more competent hands. I wanted to be the hands!

So with one semester left to complete, I am on my way to being a national and state certified animal nurse. The work is challenging and very rewarding. My day work will be working at an area companion animal hospital (if all goes as planned!) with weekends devoted to wildlife conservation, education,research, rescue, and rehabilitation at our ranch. How does one accomplish this? Planning and great volunteers! My husband and I are in the process of establishing our organization with all the initial infrastructure set up by Spring 2010. Challenging, rewarding adventures ahead!

Our website is going through an early, early Spring "molt" here, so keep watching! Full speed ahead!

Nest Box Check - July 19, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 02:28:00 +0000

We have three nest boxes with Eastern Bluebird clutches remaining out of our 21 box trail.

Box #1 - 5 eggs
Box #4 - 4 recently hatched bluebirds with one egg remaining.
Box #7 - 5 eggs
Box #9 - nest box found down on the ground with roof destroyed, all 5 eggs gone. All the evidence indicates bear predation.

We are winding down cavity nest box trail activity here, but the onset of the monsoon rains are catalyzing our grassland bird species. One of my favorites are the Montezuma quail who can be heard singing to each other every morning, evening and before each storm. The quail are a species of concern due to loss of habitat to overgrazing and excessive hunting. One of our ongoing ranch projects has been reseeding the areas around two wildlife water ponds we established in 2001. The ground was so severely overgrazed during the years it was a working cattle ranch that each summer rainy season we battle to re-establish vegetation for our grassland birds. We have decided to try a technique used to seed steep eroded areas along highways. Straw mixed with seed are rolled into 25ft long sections, which are staked into the ground. This keeps the seed where you want it, not running off the hillside with the first really strong storm. Later this Fall, we plan on submitting a grant proposal for these "seed rolls" of native grass seed and mulch.

MoMs - Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 20:30:00 +0000

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!

Nest Box Check - July 13, 85 degrees and cloudy

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 19:56:00 +0000

Female Eastern Bluebird on top of box with nest material. Male singing encouragement nearby.
Ash-throated Flycatcher in oak near nest box, but no new nest material present.
No new activity.
Mother Eastern Bluebird flushed from nest. 5 eggs present.
No new activity.
No new activity.
5 Eastern Bluebird eggs present.
No new activity.
5 Eastern Bluebird eggs present.
No new activity.

Box #11-13 and 15 -21 no new activity.
Box #14 has one Elf Owl nestling remaining to fledge in next day or so.

Mom, Dad and Monsoon Magic

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:42:00 +0000

Summer is always a time of surprises at Birdland Ranch in the high desert region of southeastern Arizona. This summer however, has already been a chart topper. All time high record heat, 6 black-tailed rattlesnakes in the first week and the arrival of my parents! My parents do indeed deserve special recognition for timing their trip to Birdland during the latter days of June. Most locals even flee to far off regions, if possible, to beat the heat. While those of us who stay and bake would like to deny them access upon their return to the county! So what does one do in this kind of heat? Everything relating to any outside physical activity is done as early in the day as possible, relying on reading your favorite books and other low perspiration projects for the midday hours. Oh, I forgot to mention we tough stock mountain desert folk don't rely on air conditioners. Cooling the house is accomplished by keeping all the windows and doors open at night and closing up at first light. By the time the sun has left us, we run to the house to open all the doors and windows and dance in the cool evening air and I mean dance!

But then it rains. With the arrival of the monsoon everything changes, the earth, scaled, feathered and furred join in with the two-leggeds to breathe in the sweet cool air and rejoice. Mom and Dad are witness to a brilliant Double Rainbow. Yes, it requires capitalization. So near and clear, you can actually see where it collides with Mother Earth. The pot of gold being the tears in my mother's eyes at the sight. The feathered clan decides its a good time to start another family, as their first offspring are happily investigating every nook and cranny of our house and garden. Scaled are also on the move looking for mates and taking in the sights. We hold these friends as dear as our avian neighbors and respect their comings and goings on our land. No, snakes do not come after you, they want to stay away from you. We are startled, yes, but when you come upon them, merely step back, call to your children and friends, visiting parents (!) and tell them of there whereabouts. Move to watch respectfully from a distance or inside with your pets. If this doesn't suit you or the situation requires more, call the fire department and they will relocate them quickly and safely a couple of hundred yards away. To watch a rattlesnake move through his or her habitat though is an amazing experience. They move so slowly and deliberately taking everything in, something I need to remind myself to do. You know, take time to smell the roses? Which brings me to what my mother and I planted at probably the absolute wrong time of year...roses! We rescued 7 pretty dehydrated climbers from the clutches of a corporate nursery wrangling with an overworked sales assistant for an additional price reduction. He gave it to us I think, just to get us out of his hair and the heat. At this writing, all are happy and healthy and on their way to clinging to my chain link fence.

Summer southeastern Arizona time and the living is easy in the land of extremes in beauty and biodiversity.

MoMs Project - July 1, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:46:00 +0000

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

Nest Box Check - 95 degrees, thunder clouds, no wind

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 23:50:00 +0000

Elf owls fledged.
4 partially feathered Ash-throated flycatchers.
Dusky flycatchers, 5 fledged.
Eastern bluebirds, 6 fledged.
Dusky-capped flycatcher, 4 fledged, 1 dead nestling.
Dusky-capped flycatcher, 5 fledged.
Eastern bluebird, 5 fledged. New nest, 3 inches in depth with one bluebird egg.
Ash-throated flycatcher, 2 dead nestlings, 3 fledged.
New bluebird nest material, 2 inches in depth.
Ash-throated flycatcher, 2 dead nestlings, 3 fledged.
No activity.
Dusky-capped flycatcher, 5 fledged.
5 partially feathered Eastern bluebirds. Mother noted leaving nest box after feeding youngsters.
2 partially feathered Elf owls. Mother looks up sleepy eyed not bothered.

Stations 15 - 21 no activity noted.

Dust Devils and Dive Bombing Bluebirds

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:13:00 +0000

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.

Nest-box Check: June 14, 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:22:00 +0000

Elf owl resting peacefully on eggs.
4 eggs, Ash-throated flycatcher pair noted foraging for insects.
5 fully feathered young of Dusky-capped flycatcher.
6 partially feathered young of Eastern bluebird. Mother flies directly at me in an angle of descent that forces me to duck!
5 fully feathered Dusky-capped flycatcher nestlings.
5 fully feathered Dusky-capped flycatcher nestlings.
5 partially feathered nestlings of Eastern bluebird.
5 fully feathered young of Ash-throated flycatcher.
Flattened empty nest, all 5 Eastern bluebird nestlings fledged.
5 fully feathered young of Ash-throated flycatcher.
Empty flattened nest, no activity.
5 partially feathered young of Dusky-capped flycatcher.
5 Eastern bluebird eggs.
Elf owl looks up bleary eyed from bottom of box. Eggs out of view.
Cornell nest cam. Acorn woodpecker not in sight or box.
No activity.
No activity.
No activity.
No activity.
No activity.
Bewick's wren nest empty. 3 fledged. To date the Bewick's Wren pair have successfully fledged 6 youngsters.

Western Screech Owl Debut

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 00:23:00 +0000

10:30am, 75 degrees, few small clouds with little wind

2 eggs under a sleepy Elf Owl mother.
A new nest attempt by unknown Flycatcher. To be determined if Dusky-capped or Ash-throated.
1 egg, 4 hatching downy young of Dusky-capped Flycatcher. Mother watching in nearby oak.
4 eggs, 2 hatching downy young of the Eastern Bluebird. Mother watching from nearby oak.
2 eggs, 3 downy hatching young of the Dusky-capped Flycatcher.
5 eggs, no parents present of the Dusky-capped Flycatcher.
1 egg, 4 hatching downy young of the finally noted nest activity of the I-stay-on-my-nest-no-matter-what female Eastern Bluebird.
5 downy hatching young of the Ash-throated Flycatcher.
5 partially feathered Eastern Bluebird nestlings sleeping peacefully. Father bluebird singing softly in nearby oak.
1 egg, 4 downy hatching young of the Ash-throated Flycatcher. Mother noted flying after ciccada for the next meal offering.
No activity.
5 eggs, mother Dusky-capped Flycatcher flushed from nest.
5 eggs, female Eastern Bluebird flushed from nest.
2 eggs showing from underneath wide awake and looking straight at you Elf Owl.
Cornell Lab nest cam. Acorn woodpecker on nearby food storage pole.
No activity of this year's new nest box station.
No activity of this year's new nest box station.
No activity of this year's new nest box location.
No activity of this year's new nest box location.
Removed 2 Eastern Bluebird eggs of failed nest attempt. Note # 13 as this is their new nest site.

As I was preparing to go to town at 1pm (Mountain Standard Time) the Curve-billed Thrasher was making what we know around the ranch as her snake and/or owl present call. Sure enough, I look up into the very large, old Gambel's Oak tree to the west of our back porch and there partially out of his/her cavity entrance is the Western Screech Owl. Every year that we have been monitoring our nest box trail we have enjoyed a family of Western Screech Owls in this tree. Present only for about 20 minutes today, while I loaded my car and not in the least bothered by my comings and goings. Of course, I was being dutifully quiet and respectful. This confirmed the location for the songs and calls I have been hearing for some time.

Mexican Jays were building a nest when last noted, but today a pair was feeding two fledglings. Mexican Jays of the same family group will share feeding and looking after the young. They are quite cooperative in fact, in so far as they will forego mate selection if there are already senior members of the family to mate and not enough territory or food for the other members. They do not want to have to move and find new habitat, so will wait their turn and work together. You will always hear their arrival much like a carful of your noisiest relatives, singing songs and honking the horn as they drive up. Mexican Jay songs sound like very squeaky, loud car brakes being repeatedly stomped on and off. The fledglings songs are the same, but held out on one long pitch with a very earnest quality to it. Always fun to watch and chuckle at their clumsy antics.

Bewick's wren pair has chosen a decorative, but functional (everything has to be around here and this one is fine, but not what I'd choose with all we have to offer) nest box on my front door! Why I haven't noted this in my last two blog posts is beyond me. Guess, I was concentrating on my 'official' nest stations. To catch you all up, there are three partially feathered young resting peacefully with parents heard calling in the fields surrounding the ranch.

Eastern Meadowlark and Cicada Trail Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Wed, 30 May 2007 02:23:00 +0000

Elf Owl sleeping on the nest completely covering the eggs.
No activity.
5 eggs, flushed female Dusky-capped Flycatcher from nest.
6 eggs, flushed female Eastern Bluebird from nest.
5 eggs, flushed female Dusky-capped Flycatcher from nest.
5 eggs, flushed female Dusky-capped Flycatcher from nest.
Female Eastern Bluebird remained on nest, unknown number of eggs.
5 eggs, flushed female Ash-throated Fycatcher from nest.
5 downy covered Eastern Bluebird nestlings. No adults present at nest.
5 eggs, female Ash-throated Flycatcher noted leaving the nest prior to opening the nest box.
No activity.
Dusky-capped Flycatcher nest. Unable to check nest box due to broken ladder!
Complete nest, Eastern Bluebird pair seen at nest site.
Elf Owl sleeping on eggs covering them completely.
Cornell Lab nest-cam currently unoccupied. Acorn Woodpeckers previously carved out nest box interior in preparation for nesting activity. Female Acorn Woodpecker seen roosting in box for three consecutive nights.
No activity.
No activity.
3 White-breasted Nuthatch fledglings noted in the area of their natural oak tree cavity.
No activity.
Abandoned Eastern Bluebird nest with 2 eggs. Refer to nest box station #13 as this is the same pair beginning a new nest attempt.

Cicadas sing me along our nest box trail with their unexpected buzzing causing me to laugh out loud at their antics. This is a good sign for all our hard-working bird mothers, food for the table! Eastern Meadowlark not to be left out adds his beautiful lilting song of perfect intervals atop a mesquite tree.

Montezuma Quail female explored our front porch this morning, but unfortunately flew into one of our porch chairs. Good news, folks, she recovered completely and flew successfully after a brief snooze to the fields beyond our house.

Tuesday May 22, 2007 - Cavity and Cup-nesters

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Wed, 30 May 2007 02:16:00 +0000

Elf Owl asleep on 2 or more eggs.
No activity.
5 eggs, no adults seen. Unknown if Dusky-capped or Ash-throated Flycatcher nest.
6 eggs, Female Eastern Bluebird flushed from nest. Male calling alarm song from nearby oak tree.
5 eggs, female Dusky-capped Flycatcher flushed from nest.
4 eggs, female Dusky-capped Flycatcher flushed from nest.
Female Eastern Bluebird remained on nest, unknown number of eggs.
5 eggs, female Ash-throated Flycatcher flushed from nest.
5 eggs, no adult bluebirds present.
5 eggs, female Ash-throated Flycatcher flushed from nest.
No activity.
Incomplete Dusky-capped Flycatcher nest.
Complete bluebird nest, no activity.
Elf Owl sleeping, with no signs of eggs.
Cornell Lab nest-cam. Acorn woodpeckers seen roosting in box. No eggs present.
No activity.
No activity.
Natural cavity in oak tree. White-breasted Nuthatch brood within days of fledging the nest.
No activity.
2 bluebird eggs, no adults present.

Cup-nesting species activity:

Curve-billed Thrasher remained on nest. Unknown number of eggs.
Canyon Towhee abandoned nest in oak tree for unknown new nest site. Noted feeding 1 fledgling on front porch.
Say's Phoebe singing at nest shelf locations on front porch and south side of garden shed.
Hepatic Tanager pair investigating last year's nest location on oak tree branch by back porch.
Mexican Jay bringing nest material to juniper tree located near water trough.
Female, Black-chinned Hummingbird collecting tufts of organic cotton from circular dispenser hung in oak tree.

Mother's Day Nest-box Check

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Sun, 13 May 2007 22:57:00 +0000

Complete nest, Eastern Bluebird. Elf Owl found sleeping and has taken over as new occupant.
Complete nest, flycatcher, unknown if Ash-throated or Dusky-capped.
Complete nest, flycatcher, unknown if Ash-throated or Dusky-capped.
Complete nest, Eastern Bluebird.
Complete nest, flycatcher, unknown if Ash-throated or Dusky-capped.
Complete nest, flycatcher, unknown if Ash-throated or Dusky-capped.
Complete nest, Eastern Bluebird.
Complete nest, Ash-throated Flycatcher seen by nest site.
Complete nest, Eastern Bluebird, 5 sky blue eggs in nest.
Complete nest, flycatcher, unknown if Ash-throated or Dusky-capped.
Empty nest, 5 Bridled Titmice fledged. 3 on May 11, 2 on May 13.
Incomplete nest, Dusky-capped Flycatchers at site, both adults bringing nest material to nest box.
Complete nest, Eastern Bluebird
No nest material, Elf Owl sleeping.
Nest cam, unoccupied, Acorn Woodpeckers in the vicinity.
Unoccupied Bewick's Wren nest. 3 fledged May 8.
Unoccupied, no nest material.
Natural cavity in oak tree occupied by White-breasted Nuthatch.
Unoccupied, no activity.
Complete nest, 2 Eastern Bluebird eggs, no adults present.

Additional nesting activity noted:

Curve-billed Thrasher, female, began sitting on nest located on shelf installed under the eaves of the garden shed. No eggs present.
Canyon Towhee's nest in oak tree. No eggs present.

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

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Scott) — Sun, 13 May 2007 21:58:00 +0000

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.