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Alan's (atdahl) Big Year 2016


Atdahl

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#132 - Osprey, Yellowstone NP

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#133 - Blue Grouse, Yellowstone NP

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#134 - Dark-eyed Junco, Yellowstone NP

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#135 - William's Sapsucker, Yellowstone NP

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#136 - Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellowstone NP

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#137 - American Robin, Yellowstone NP

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#138 - Bald Eagle, Yellowstone NP

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#139 - Three-toed Woodpecker, Yellowstone NP

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#140 - Cliff Swallow's, Yellowstone NP

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#141 - Caspian Tern, Yellowstone NP (I sure didn't expect to see this bird in YNP)

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#142 - Pine Siskin, Idaho

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#143 - Cassin's Finch, Idaho

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#144 - Great Blue Heron, Idaho

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#145 - White Pelicans, Idaho (Having a bit of a feeding frenzy)

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And that wraps up May. Unfortunately, I deleted a bunch of bird photos from Yellowstone because they weren't as good as past ones I had taken...Oh well.

 

 

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A lot of beauties again @@Atdahl, and a great variety!

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I realized over the weekend that I never deleted pictures off my memory cards from the Yellowstone trip. So, here are a few salvaged pictures from May:

 

#146 - Ruddy Duck, Yellowstone National Park

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#147 - Sandhill Crane, Yellowstone National Park

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#148 - Lesser Scaup, Yellowstone National Park

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#149 - Common Merganser, Yellowstone National Park

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#150 - Canada Goose, Idaho

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#151 - Black-capped Chickadee, Idaho

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Now on to June photos...

 

Alan

 

 

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Here are some shots from June. The high temperatures coupled with a business trip didn't allow much time to get out and about. So, luckily most of the June birds came to me...

 

#152 - Curve-billed Thrasher, Catalina, AZ

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#153 - Ash-throated Flycatcher, Catalina, AZ

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#154 - Brown-crested Flycatcher, Catalina, AZ

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#155 - Northern Flicker, Catalina, AZ

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#156 - Turkey Vulture, Catalina, AZ

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#157 - Mourning Dove, Catalina, AZ

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#158 - White-winged Dove, Catalina, AZ

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#159 - Bell's Vireo, Catalina, AZ

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And, for only the second time ever we had a Blue Grosbeak show up at the house. It stayed for maybe two minutes and then was gone again...

 

#160 - Blue Grosbeak, Catalina, AZ

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@@Atdahl, a stunning collection from home and abroad, the colours and variety is staggering. Interestingly the national bird, the Clay Coloured Robin, is the dullest of all, perhaps he has some other redeeming features. The Coopers Hawk is a beauty too. Now that cactus in AZ flower is beautiful, I imagine Cactus attract some special birds too. Is May/June a good time to see flowering Cacti?

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@@elefromoz, thanks for the kind words. You know, I thought the same thing about the Clay-colored Robin (Thrush officially now I guess). But, then I learned that their mating season calls in the spring were taken by farmers as a sign of the beginning of the rainy season. So, they held the bird in high regard because of that. Plus, it's call is quite pretty.

 

Yes, cactus attract tons of wildlife and many birds. Roadrunners, Thrashers, and Cactus Wren all nest in the chollo cactus. Gila Woodpeckers, Flickers, Elf Owls and more nest in the large Saguaro Cactus. Different types of cactus bloom at different times. So, anytime between April and September you are bound to see them bloom. There are some cactus that bloom for only one night a year. We have one in our garden that I managed to photograph last year at last light before it fully bloomed (Sorry for the non-bird picture :) )

 

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@@Atdahl

Well done for rescuing those other pictures! I am really enjoying seeing the variety of birds you are seeing, especially locally, and also enjoying your excellent photos.

The Blue Grosbeak is a real star - and that beak is certainly very large for the size of the bird!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, July has been a bit sparse when it comes to new birds photographed. It doesn't help that I've been trying to play more golf lately on weekends which cuts into our hiking time. I just can't get enough of golfing with Quail, coyote, bunnies, Vermillion Flycatchers, Roadrunners, and more wandering around the course. Anyway, I have managed to get a few new birds that have come to me.

 

#161 - House Sparrow, Catalina, AZ

 

I bet if someone collated all our Big Year threads this might be the bird that is most common among them.

 

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#162 - Green-tailed Towhee, Catalina, AZ

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#163 - Common Raven, Catalina, AZ (It seems that many birds like the Saguaro Cactus fruit including Ravens)

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#164 - American Kestrel, Catalina, AZ

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I have found American Kestrels to be really hard to photograph. They just don't stay still for long. But, to prove I can get better photos here is one from last December

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#165 - Verdin, Catalina, AZ (We have a pair nesting in our yard again this year)

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Nice kestrel from December! I haven't been able to photograph one.

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Hi Patty. Yes, the are real tough for me since they never seem to stay still (Kingfishers too for that matter).

 

I just realized I made a mistake. #162 is actually a Canyon Towhee which is a repeat. I should have known that Green-tailed Towhee's aren't around here in the summer. I will make the # correction in my next post.

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  • 3 weeks later...

OK, I actually have enough new birds to do a post...

 

#165 - Western Scrub Jay, Catalina, AZ:

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#166 - Pyrrhuloxia, Catalina, AZ (Who came up with that name anyway..?):

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#167 - Red-tailed Hawk, Catalina, AZ:

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Here's a lifer for us that showed up in our yard this week. It's the 61st species of bird we have seen in our yard in about a year and a half which isn't bad. We had less than 20 after 15 years at our last house in California.

 

#168 -Lark Bunting, Catalina, AZ:

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Yesterday we went on a half day field trip with the Tucson Audubon Society to Las Cienagas NCA. It's a high altitude (3500 ft) desert grassland area. We managed to pick up quite a few more during this trip but the pictures aren't great since most of the birds were pretty far away:

 

#169 - Loggedhead Shrike, Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#170 - Hooden Oriole (Female), Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#171 - Eastern Meadlowlark, Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#172 - Botteri's Sparrow, Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#173 - Lesser Nighthawk, Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#174 - Western Kingbird, Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#175 - Red-winged Blackbird (Female), Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#176 - Black Phoebe, Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#177 - Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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#178 - Cassin's Kingbird, Las Cienagas NCA, Arizona

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One thing I am happy to report is that my protests about being a "birder" seem more legitimate now. Yesterday's trip was nice but we sure didn't enjoy standing in one place for a 1/2 hour at a time looking at birds. Especially when most of those birds are sparrows. We just can't get that excited about sparrows. The best part of the trip was hanging out at the Black-tailed Prairie Dog town (that's where the Burrowing Owl was). Those guys were fun to watch... :) .

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@@Atdahl, the Pyrrhuloxia #166 might have a name that sounds like an nasty infectious disease, but it's a beauty. Love the Red Tailed Hawk, when we were in New York a few years back, we enjoyed seeing "Pale-male" and chicks on the 5th Av nest. 60 plus species in your garden....wow, are you on some acreage or a regular garden lot? What attracts so many birds to your property? Sorry for the interrogation.

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@@elefromoz, thanks. I have heard that Peregrins have nested successfully in New York too. I think there was some sort of controversy around them or the hawks a few years back but I can't remember any details.

 

Regarding our land, we have 1 acre. But, we are surrounded by state and national open land. That, coupled with the fact the SE Arizona is a major migration path for birds, really ups the species that we can see. A large state park a mile away has close to 200 species on their list. Of course many are rare but I think it might be possible to get close to 100 at our house. But, we would have to get better at identification. I really only count birds I photograph because I want to be positive of the ID. Same goes for mammals and herps for that matter. Heck we have had 10 different snake species in our yard as well so the over all diversity of this area is great. That's a big reason why we moved here and we haven't been disappointed.

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@@elefromoz, thanks. I have heard that Peregrins have nested successfully in New York too. I think there was some sort of controversy around them or the hawks a few years back but I can't remember any details.

 

Regarding our land, we have 1 acre. But, we are surrounded by state and national open land. That, coupled with the fact the SE Arizona is a major migration path for birds, really ups the species that we can see. A large state park a mile away has close to 200 species on their list. Of course many are rare but I think it might be possible to get close to 100 at our house. But, we would have to get better at identification. I really only count birds I photograph because I want to be positive of the ID. Same goes for mammals and herps for that matter. Heck we have had 10 different snake species in our yard as well so the over all diversity of this area is great. That's a big reason why we moved here and we haven't been disappointed.

 

That sure sounds like a great place to live @@Atdahl!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Here are a few more pictures from some recent sightings. We are headed to the Pantanal soon so I hope to greatly increase my totals on that trip. Although, I would trade a Jaguar, Tapir, Giant Anteater, and Anaconda picture for lots of bird pictures. :) There are some birds I am looking forward to seeing on the trip as well of course.

 

#179 - Black-chinned Hummingbird, Catalina AZ

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#180 - Great Egret, Coachline Gravel Pit, Marana AZ

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#181 - Yellow-breasted Chat, Catalina AZ. This guy hung out in our yard for a few days and this is the best shot I got. we saw it once last year too. It's a migrant that does not hang out long.

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#182 - Phainopepla, Catalina AZ

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Have a great trip to the Pantanal - you will definitely love it. As I recall you've been planning to get there for quite some time, glad it finally worked out for you.

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@@Atdahl what a wonderful collection of Costa Rican and North American birds. I particularly liked the colourful tanagers, trogons, motmots and hummingbirds. The Mountain bluebirds, Northern Cardinal, Bridled Titmouse, Lazuli Bunting and Yellow warblers were stand-outs for me.

 

Have a great time in the Pantanal - who did you end up booking with?

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@@Atdahl I must admit this is the 1st time I've looked at your 'Big Year' thread. An impressive number of species and some very nice images too.

 

Wow, that Red-legged Honeycreeper is a wild looking bird.

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Thanks @@michael-ibk. Yes, after a couple false starts, looks like all is a go now.

 

@@Treepol, thanks for the kind words. It's hard to beat Costa Rica when it comes to new world birds. My Pantanal trip is 7 nights with Julinho from Pantanal Trackers and then 4 nights at Barranco Alto with a Private guide. So, I have got really solid guiding all lined up. Now, the wildlife just needs to cooperate :) .

 

@@Geoff, thank you. I agree, the Red-legged Honeycreeper is one of my favorites.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, we are back from the Pantanal and all I can saw is WOW! Talk about wildlife overload. What an amazing place. It's undoubtedly our best wildlife trip yet and that is saying something. More to come on that...

 

Prior to adding new Pantanal birds I went back and reconciled my list. I found two duplicates (Imagine my chagrin :) )!

 

- 51 & 104 are both the Black-throated Trogon

- 110 & 154 are both the Brown-crested Flycatcher

 

So, the first group of Pantanal birds will start with 180 instead of 182.

 

I must say that taking a trip to the Pantanal during a Big Photo Year was excellent timing :D .

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Welcome back from the Pantanal, and glad to hear you enjoyed it that much - it is a spectacular place. Bring on the photos! :)

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@@Atdahl

The Pantanal is wonderful - I look forward to seeing your bird photos!

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I think the best way to break up the Pantanal birds is to do it by location. So, this is part 1 of all the birds that we saw during our 2 nights at Pouso Alegre and while traveling along the Transpantaneira. I have tried to be diligent about the identifications so please let me know if I have any incorrect.

 

#180 - White-back Stilt, Transpantaneira, Pantanal, Brazil

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#181 - Little Blue Heron, Transpantaneira, Pantanal, Brazil

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#182 - Black-backed Water Tyrant, Transpantaneira, Pantanal, Brazil

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#183 - Wood Stork, Transpantaneira, Pantanal, Brazil

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#184 - Plain-breasted Ground Dove, Transpantaneira, Pantanal, Brazil

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#185 - Yellow-billed Cardinal, Transpantaneira, Pantanal, Brazil

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#186 - Bat Falcon, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#187 - Sunbittern, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#188 - Campo Flicker, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#189 - Rufous Hornero (mid call), Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#190 - Toco Toucan (dang I love toucans...), Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#191 - Chestnut-eared Aracari, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#192 - Crested Caracara, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#193 - Greater Rhea, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#194 - Baywing, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#195 - Chestnut-bellied Guan, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#196 - Capped Heron, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#197 - Black-collared Hawk, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#198 - Roadside Hawk, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#199 - Boat-billed Heron, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#200 - Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#201 - Epaulet Oriole, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#202 - Silver-beaked Tanager, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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#203 - Red-bellied Scythebill, Pouso Alegre Lodge, Pantanal, Brazil

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Great first batch! Congratulations on surpassing #200, well done!

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