Lory State Park!

This weekend was so gorgeous here in Colorado, but of course as I write this on Monday morning it is snowing here in Denver. Go Figure! I took a nice seven-mile hike through Lory State Park to see what kind of migrants were around, on Saturday. Most of the migrants I found were local breeders, but I was able to locate an Orange-crowned Warbler (check mine out and then look at this photo taken by Bill Schmoker) in the American Plum at the base of the mountains. They do breed in Colorado, but not in the park so I was pleasantly surprised.


Notice the difference between Bill's and mine. My bird (subspecies lutescens) is much brighter indicating a west coast subspecies whereas the drabbest Orange-crowned Warblers breed up north. Bill's bird (possible orestera) is more typical of the type we see here in Colorado whereas my bird may have a good distance to travel still to the northwest coast, I presume! One possibility is the age/sex. If Bill's bird is a female or immature that that would explain extreme lack of color.



Above, this Canyon Wren gave me a heck of a show flipping from side to side trying to investigate my presence. It isn't often that one can encounter a Canyon Wren like this. Most often you will first hear a metallic buzzy, "Chink," which is the call of the bird. Furthermore, given the habitat that these birds breed in (Canyon/rocky areas) you can often hear their resonating song of whistles to-to-to-to--to--to---too----too---tooo-----tooooo. Falling off at the end! This one was collecting nest material in which it will use in between the large boulders that hosts the nest. Not a real mind-boggler in terms of ID, but notice the white throat, barred tail, and rufous shading all over. No other wren looks like this.


The close focus of 7.5 feet that my Nikon EDG binoculars gave me enhanced my enjoyment of this Morning Cloak which comes out of hibernation earlier that most butterflies. I always feel we should focus on all of our surroundings and not just the birds. If you look hard enough you can find beauty all over the place. Along with this common breeder (most of the USA) there were an assortment of Sulphurs and Blues flying as well. As I am just barely an amateur butterflier, so I will try to ID more butterfly species as the spring and summer passes.



Bushtits can be found commonly in the foothills most often heard with their ringing ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti over and over again. Feel free to check out a former post I did on July 14th, 2008 highlighting the inner workings of Bushtits! This bird was in a group of four Bushtits which is odd considering they travel in groups, but as they set up for breeding it is more likely to find them in smaller groups or pairs.


I snapped this shot because Townsend's Solitaires can be difficult to photograph sometimes even though they are common in Colorado. Song that is given is like that of a high-energy American Robin (much faster). These guys are gray all over with a noticeable eye-ring and and orange patch on the wings. In breeding they will sit high atop a Ponderosa Pine and sing his heart out.

Thanks for reading about my latest adventures in Colorado. I encourage all to come and enjoy the Rocky Mountains, because the birding and scenery are stunning in all seasons! All bird photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor Lens. I shot the Morning Cloak with a Nikon Coopix P5100 using the macro-lens function.

Godwit Days Festival!

My field trip participants at Castle Rock right after we found our breeding Tufted Puffins. Mike Freiberg used a Nikon Coolpix 5100 for this shot

Northern California amazes me everytime I visit! Birding anomalies seem to occur with fair regularity and the exciting part is, you never know what species and how many it might be. I recently spent a week up there for the Godwit Days Festival. This festival always seems to produce great birds plus the normal birding is exciting for anyone not from northern California!

Western and Least Sandpipers are quite common along with migrating Surfbirds! Coastal birding is what this place is all about. While driving the along the coast you will find yourself immersed in towering Redwoods with Varied Thrush's and Winter Wrens (like the one below) singing all over the place. Of course, you can reasonably expect that a pair of Spotted Owls are staring down at you, but finding them is the trick.

This adult Winter Wren was photographed by Mike Freiberg using a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor lens

This Winter Wren above was photographed in Mendocino County on a trail that follows the Big River north to Legget, CA starting from Mendocino itself. This bird along with Pacific-Slope Flycatchers are among the most common birds along the trail. I spent twenty minutes waiting for this guy to pop out and even when he did the light was so poor that getting a good shot was tough. I had Nikon 7x42 EDG binoculars with me to aid in absorbing some of that light. My EDG bins helped immensely, but photography is a whole different story. With this Winter Wren, notice the barring below (can be variable), thick supercilium (eyebrow), and pudgy shape. These birds look tailess and have one of the most beautiful avian songs in this country. It is said that if you can hear the last three notes of a Winter Wren song then your hearing is still in good shape. I always test myself and this time I was pleased with the results. Okay, so that Aerosmith concert in college didn't do as much damage as I thought! Wheew!

Winter Wrens nest in dark, moist patches of northern coniferous forests and can be difficult to track down. Good thing they sing often! They are almost always associated with water nearby. This bird above was under a canopy of a bunch of Redwoods! So cool!

These California Sea-Lions were digiscoped with a Nikon 82mm Fieldscope, Coolpix 5100, FSB-6 bracket in Crescent City, CA by Mike Freiberg

Being an outdoor enthusiast and a biologist I cannot pass up the opportunity to watch some California Sea-Lions basking in the sun. These guys can make a ton of noise and are entertaining to watch. These animals are native to the northwest United States coast and have been experiencing huge population increases the past few years. They can adapt well to human surroundings which helps their ability to survive.

Interestingly enough, these social creatures are used in military assignments where the Sea-Lion can sneak up on an enemy in the water to attach clamp to their leg. I assume to stop them from proceeding to the ship. This comes from their ability to swim silently! Isn't that crazy?

This First-year Yellow-billed Loon was digiscoped with a Nikon 82mm Fieldscope, Coolpix 5100, FSB-6 bracket in Crescent City, CA by Mike Freiberg

I spent some time with some friends from Mendocino before the Godwit Days Festival. We work with these friends at Out of This World. They sell a variety of optical equipment and books. This is a really neat store and you can look out onto the rocky Pacific coast right from their store front. I would recommend visiting!

After that I left for Humboldt county where I was tipped off to a likely first-year Yellow-billed Loon at Elk River Slough in Eureka, CA. I rushed over there immediately since I had only seen one of these guys before in my life.....in Iowa ironically! The bird was swimming the channel at ridiculously close distances. It was real easy to study this bird that breeds in the high Alaskan/Canadian arctic and rarely comes down to the lower 48. Most commonly found in winter on west coast. The farther north on the coast the more likely you are to encounter one. Notice the large yellowish bill with a pronounced gonydeal angle. This loon holds its head tilted up when in the water. The spot on the auriculars actually is attached to the crown of the bird which contrasts with the lighter colored neck. Overall, this is our largest loon and is not easily mistaken (except with Common Loon at a distance). Judging by the amount of Flounder this bird was eating it may end up staying around a while.

One more quick thing to notice is the white edging on the coverts of the bird. This signifies a first-year bird whereas non-breeding adults would have some black and white edging on the tertials alone!

This first-year Yellow-billed Loon was photographed with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor lens in Crescent City, CA by Mike Freiberg

Almost The Lost Coast of California!

This time of year becomes the favorite of many! Spring is on the horizon and excitement races through the birding community like a stock car at Daytona. Nevertheless, I always find myself in a forgotten part of the United States. That is northern California! Godwit Days birding festival takes place in Arcata, California each April and can offer some of the best birding many of us have ever experienced. I certainly fit in that category! Nikon Sport Optics sends me up here to work the show where I spend time at the exhibitor area and leading field trips.

Coming to a place like this warrants some more added attention and time. I chose to spend some time in a little visited place called Mendocino County. Mendocino is the capital of this fine county but to get to it you need to have a purpose. Most people driving through northern California pass on highway 101 and blow by Mendocino. You need to head west to get to this historic community. My first glimpse at this town was inspiring. The beauty here is unparalleled! Rocky coastline, towering Redwoods, relaxed culture, private bungalows, warm hospitality, and solitude are just a few of the many positive attributes this place offers. Oh yes, but of course good birding exists. The people of Mendocino have made sure that much of their land is protected for the better of our children's future.

One of the more common species in winter going into early spring are Glaucous-winged Gulls. This first-winter Glaucous-wing I photographed earlier today was flying around Mendocino Headlands State Park amidst all of the outdoor enthusiasts enjoying the glistening sun. This bird being bulky (4-year gull) with a large bill can be found commonly in most parking lots here. Western Gull can be most tough to deal with when identifying this bird, but the field marks are straight forward. Glaucous-winged is much lighter overall in color and the biggest key are the extremely pale wingtips compared to the blackish wingtips of the Western Gull. Western Gull would also have a much darker body with larger chevrons on the dorsal side. Hybrids exists between these two species very commonly, but are easy to differentiate. Look for a meeting of the two birds concerning their morphology. Hybrids are darker bodied than the bird above with dark gray wingtips as opposed to black.


One of the most mysterious birds in out country is the Wrentit. This bird is in a monotypic genus, Chamaea. These beauties are endemic to the west coast United States coastal Chaparral habitat which is characterized by dozens of dense and flammable (oils in the plant leaves cause the shrubs to be flammable) shrubs. Most often heard, these birds can be very difficult to see. The northern populations exhibit a strong reddish overall tone compared to the principally gray appearance of the southern races. Armed with my 82 mm Nikon Fieldscope and my Nikon EDG binoculars I was set to experience something I never have before. I was privileged enough to have my most exciting experience with these birds yet. I actually saw the whole body of two birds in full view at one time. Singing their heads off they were! Notice the curved maxilla and pale eyes. Nothing else looks like a Wrentit! You could make a case for Bushtits, but Wrentits are about three times larger and much more secretive.

I never thought I would get a good photo of a Wrentit, so I wanted to share my success with you all. Thanks for reading and come back for more!

White Chickens!

White-tailed Ptarmigans in Colorado are notoriously difficult to find. Now, I am of the opinion that if ample time is given to the searcher and with knowledge of the habitat the birds live in, then one can find these birds with a little more frequency than the average. A friend, Bill Schmoker, tipped me off about where exactly to find some of these birds. I have never found Ptarmigan in winter plumage, so I wanted to make sure to ask around first.

I woke up around 6am on Saturday morning with the intention of going to Guanella Pass to look for White-tailed Ptarmigans. The road is usually closed from both ends of the summit this time of year, but some of this springtime sun may have melted off the road, so I thought. I took my 4Runner up to about 1.75 miles from the summit. From there I walked using my Crescent Moon snow shoes to get up the last bit of the mountain. It was a nice day meaning the wind was merciful, but no sun! I made my way up to the summit and found the trail that Bill had been talking about when I asked him earlier.

I walked out about 300 yards and found some tracks in the snow. Chicken tracks are identifiable by the long toes and small pads on the feet. There are no other chickens with furry feet at 11,700 feet, so I knew they were close. But how close? Usually, (since it snows daily up there) if you see tracks or scat they are probably right under your nose. I heard a little gargle to my right and then saw a bit of movement. Yes indeed, I had just found a group of Ptarmigan. Funny thing was I actually walked by a couple before realizing I was in the middle of the group not to mention the completely still bird that was two feet from me not making a peep. I found these birds with relative ease, but still had to snow-shoe it a couple miles up the mountain to get there.



These birds will give you an extensive study should you need one, but in order to not disturb the birds I spent only twenty minutes with them. Usually you don't need binoculars with you, but I still had my Nikon EDG binoculars with me so I could stay a few feet away without bothering them. Notice the photo above, the large feet! These feet act as mini snow shoes for the birds to keep them afloat the snow even though the average bird weighs around a pound. Notice the how the feathering extends all the way down the toes! Helps keep thermal regulation as the birds spend the whole winter in one of the harshest climates in the world. They even have hair bristles near the nostrils to help warm the air before it gets to the nose. Not much can live up here consistently.



Often enough, you will find these guys grouped up near a stunted spruce with the local willow species around (their food source). When escaping a predator they will fly short distances, but do prefer to run when they can. Of course, their number one defense mechanism is cryptic coloration. Look at the pictures! Tuck in the beak and close the eyes and they look no different than a patch of snow especially from above. They molt their feathers into a conglomeration of browns and blacks in the summer that makes them appear as rocks. It is really amazing!

Once, I was laying on my stomach on the tundra (three years ago) photographing a Ptarmigan for fifteen minutes. Real cooperative! It wasn't until fifteen minutes later I noticed a male Ptarmigan three feet from my face in my peripherals. I actually just stared at it for a while in amazement that I hadn't noticed the bird. How can Prairie Falcons see them?

Coming off the mountain wasn't as easy as going up, ironically! A blizzard had moved in and the wind really picked up. After about ten minutes hiking down I looked at my Nikon EDG binoculars and noticed that the eye cups had filled with snow (I don't usually use eye cup covers). Not that I was worried. Especially with the nitrogen-purged barrels keeping everything dry on the inside. I blew off the snow and wiped them down with a micro-fiber lens cloth and I was good to go!


Here is a little shot for everyone of myself looking like the Abominable Snowman!
I took the shots of the Ptarmigan with a Nikon D200 and a 300 mm F4 Nikkor lens. The last picture of me was taken by a Nikon Coolpix P5100 using the 10-second self-timer.

New Nikon Ecobins hit the stores!

I am very proud to announce that Nikon has introduced an environmentally-friendly binocular called the Nikon Eco-bins. Nikon birding has always prided itself in doing it's share of work to help out our conservation causes. From Denver Holt's Owl Research Institute to the Great Texas Birding Classic, Nikon strives to become the leader in birding conservation.

This new binocular comes in one compact version for the outdoor enthusiast in a 10x25 model size. The lens and prisms that are used in this binocular is lead and arsenic-free. Furthermore, the rubber-coating includes a chloride-free composite without the use of degrading inks and dyes. This type of glass has been revolutionized by Nikon sensing the need for a less harmful substance in our binoculars. Personally, this is one of the most durable compact binoculars I have ever seen.

I'm not done, yet! The Nikon Ecobins comes equipped with a carrying case and a strap that are made with a fully biodegradable TENCEL® Lenzing fiber. This material comes from Eucalyptus trees which are endemic to the Australia/New Zealand area, but can be grown on farms around the world due to their rapid-growth capacity. All the packaging comes from TREE-FREE materials on recyclable FiberStone®.

Knowing Nikon Sport Optics, I bet this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to revolutionizing new ideas within the sport optics market. This binocular will fair well for everyone, but for the hard-core to gentle backpacker out there, you can't beat the quality and weight that this binocular gives you.

Come try us out! Thanks for reading and stop back for more birding and optics updates and tips! Check out the Nikon Birding website for more. Good Birding!

More Red-tailed "Harlan's," Hawk!

Yesterday, I was jogging myself through Cherry Creek State Park in Denver, CO to see what migration has brought to the table thus far. I wasn't expecting much but the American-White Pelicans and Western Grebes are back on the front range along with many other waterbirds and songbirds. Cherry Creek is a neatly placed reservoir on Denver's southeast side surrounded by many Cottonwoods and a few marshes. Many birds are attracted to this type of environment for a quick pick-me-up while on their way to their breeding grounds.

I always have many different types of equipment in my car since you never know what you might need. I found that the Nikon Monarch X was real helpful in chasing down the bird you see in the pictures in this post. The hawk flew out of the tree and away from me, so there was a bit of hustling going on to position myself for a photo. The Monarch X only weighs 24 ounces which is extremely light when compared to other binoculars in the $600 price range. The light wasn't very good but I could really see the difference in using a binocular with the dielectric coating, such as the Monarch X.

What is a dielectric coating, you might ask? Glass has a natural tendency of reflect light. Obviously, we (as birders) want that light to make it to our eyes so we can have the brightest and sharpest image out there. A dielectric coating is a coating made from magnesium and calcium fluorides along with other elements as well. Nikon's engineers have figured out the perfect amount of these coatings to place on the sub-prism of the binocular to allow more light through (10% more to be exact) and lose less light through refracting and reflecting.

The combination of lightweight and light transmission was key in trying to identify this hawk. Given the habitat, this hawk was quickly identified as a Red-tailed Hawk. Red-tailed Hawks often like open areas with the edge consisting of some riparian sections. Other hawks that would fit the Buteo mold would be Rough-legged Hawk and the Ferruginous Hawk this time of year, but there are factors going against them. Ferruginous Hawk would be much blockier in shape and also have a large gape extending from the mouth. Even a dark-morphed Ferruginous Hawk would not have the streaking throughout the body and would have a white tail. Rough-legged Hawks would have shoulders that appear more hunched up as well as distinctive dark carpal areas under the wings. The juvenile dark Rough-legged Hawks would also have a clean black breast to go along with a multi-colored tail developing.

Want more pictures of Harlan's Hawks? Check out Bill Schmoker's website! Hits shots are killer!

While I had my Monarch X's on this bird it started doing some kind of figure-8 type of flight in mid-air. Holy crap! I couldn't believe it. I never expected to see something like that out of a Harlan's Hawk. I guess I am still learning things everyday.

As I look at the photos here I can clearly see a light-colored eye which automatically tells me that this is a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. Red-tails are such a common sight around North America that most could look at this bird and see something is odd. Red-tailed Hawks come all different variations and subspecies. So which one is this?

What we are looking at here is a juvenile "Intermediate" Harlan's Hawk as described by Brian Wheeler in, "Raptors of Western North America." Look at the banded tail! The bands are all of even width (except for the thicker sub-terminal band which is normal) along with the banded vent and undertail coverts. These things are very indicative of the Harlan's race of the Red-tailed Hawk. The whitish band across the breast along with the dark throat also act as clues to this identification.

The Harlan's Hawk breeds in Alaska and northern Canada but makes it's way down to the midwest United States for the winter time. Harlan's Hawks can be just as variable within themselves as Red-tailed Hawks are within their species. So the lesson here is that every Red-tailed Hawk can be different, so look closely for the differences in each. One of our prized Nikon Birding ProStaff members, Shawneen Finnegan, is a professional artist and has illustrated many species of birds. I will have to ask her on her opinion on Harlan's Hawk variability, because artists always see the minute details.

We are in the process of building a website for Nikon Birding! Please come check it out when you can. Nikon Sport Optics are proud supporters of tundra and taiga management to help protect birds like the Harlan's Hawk and others from habitat loss. Nikon sponsors the Owl Research Institute out of Charlo, Montana which is run by Denver Holt. You might remember a National Geographic cover years ago with a beautiful Snowy Owl on the cover??? Well, that was Denver's project they were interviewing. Please visit the ORI's website for more information.

Thanks for reading and as always, GOOD BIRDING!