Juvenile American Dipper!

Last week I visited the Black Hills with a friend to see some of the old sights that were so familiar to me in the past. My summers during college at Iowa State University were spent monitoring the breeding birds of the Black Hills for Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. I did that for 5 straight summers enjoying what I now like to call my second home. There are great birds in the hills and we continually found new and exciting birds with every passing breeding season. Birds like Golden-winged Warbler, Alder Flycatcher, White-winged Crossbill, and loads of Hammond's Flycatchers were among some of our groups discoveries.

We spent a great deal of time observing Black-backed Woodpeckers and Three-toed Woodpeckers in their natural environment. Black-backs invaded burned landscapes for the five years after a major burn. This was a key habitat so becoming familiar with those birds became a must.

One familiar memory is the most beautiful spot in the Black Hills. This of course is Bridal Vail Falls located in Spearfish Canyon. We drove the canyon starting from Cheyenne Crossing (great food), from the south end and drove half-way up the canyon (~12 miles) to the falls. Gorgeous as ever, we ventured out onto the rocks of the stream and climbed a very short distance to the base of the falls. I have known American Dippers to build nests in the spray zone in years past, so I searched as hard as I could using my Nikon 7x42 EDG binoculars. These binoculars show a great degree of contrast which helps a bunch with a cryptically-colored bird like an American Dipper. Scanning every bit of rock before my eyes this little guy jumped down from the falls and to the base. EYE-LEVEL!

Holy cow!

I had my Nikon D200 and 18-70 ED Nikkor lens with me, but I needed a bit more magnification so as not to worry the little guy. I ran back to the car and reached for my 300mm Nikkor lens and snapped the shot you see here. Such a great bird.



The American Dipper is our only aquatic songbird diving and swimming for it's selective choice of invertebrates and insects. The water quality is very important to these birds and they need certain food items mentioned above to be successful breeders. Notice the light-colored legs and bill here indicating this bird has only been off the nest for a few days.

Dippers (when full grown) bob up and down on the rocks to gain a fuller depth perception while look into the stream for food. They love to sit in shady areas while resting on the river. This little guy didn't venture too far from the nest which is typical for dippers this age. They have a nictitating membrane like alligators (a third eye-lid) which they flip up right before they dive into the water. This helps them keep debris off their eye and helps them focus on their prey items. Dippers breed all through the Rocky Mountain chain, California, Utah, Idaho, the Cascades, Mexico, and Canada.

They are specialists in their food choice, but will nest under overpasses and bridges when available indicated that they can somewhat adapt to human disturbance so long as we don't pollute the water.

When in these areas in the future take a hard, long look at the shady rocks on these rapid rivers for one of North America's gems, the American Dipper. Thanks for reading and I will be sure to post again soon.

Into Thin Air!

Huffing and puffing all the way to the top of Colorado's highest peaks is no easy task. Yesterday, I started my journey from Denver at 2 am in order to get to the base of Mt. Bross (14,177 ft) at a decent hour. The trailhead is in the vicinity of Breckenridge, CO but very remote it is. Getting there early is a must since one needs to be off the mountain before noon (or thereabouts) to avoid potentially life-threatening lighting storms that are all too common on Colorado peaks during the early summer season. My head nodding from the lack of sleep, I finally role up to the trailhead at close to 5 am. I stepped outside of the car and temporarily jolted awake from the 40 degree temperature that slapped me cold in the face. I retreated to the car for a little cat-nap. Next time I hike a 14er I am camping, for sure. This driving business at 2 am is a total bummer.

Finally, at 5:45 am I commence my hike to the summit. The sun was just peeking over the hills and about to reign supreme on this kid's pasty, white skin. That is another advantage to getting off the mountain early is that you beat the midday sun which can be brutal....SUNSCREEN a necessity! The hike started at about 10,500 feet so I had a ways to go, but since I spend much time in the high country the elevation really doesn't hit me until 13,000 feet. It is at that point I hit the metaphorical wall and slow significantly. At that point I usually take 150 steps and take a quick breath-catch session and then do it again. I find this to be the best way to hike a 14er. I never go anywhere without binoculars, but hikes like this you need to evaluate the weight you carry. Every ounce is felt by your body (shoulders primarily). I decided to carry my Nikon Monarch 8x36 binocular given the combination of weight (19 ounces) and compact nature. It is like having a compact binocular with all the high-end amenities. The fully-multi coated lens' allow for supreme light absorption. Also, I always carry a Nikon micro-fiber lens cloth with me to do quick glass cleanings in the field. My bins get dirty often and need to be cleaned on the spot.

With my Nikon Monarch strapped to me and my pack weighing me down I continue the "hard march," up the big hill. I stopped to take a quick swig from my 100 ounce Camelbak at 13,100 feet and notice a familiar call off to my left. It was the call of a Brown-capped Rosy-Finch!!!! NIIIIICE! Their calls are loud, harsh and squeaky. In the form of a "CHEW." It is hard to explain otherwise, but at this elevation there aren't many choices for a call like that. The most common calls you will hear at this elevation sounds nothing like that of the finches. Birds that can be found here are American Pipit, Horned Lark, White-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrows, etc.


I glance to my left only to find a group of 18 Rosy-Finches right at my feet. I almost didn't even see them. There was a small snowfield to my left and they were feeding on the perimeter of the field. Pretty expected to see this, from this finch.

The Rosy-Finch was split into three distinct species' a number of years ago and the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch breeds only in southern Wyoming, Colorado Rockies and north New Mexico. It's cousins, the Black Rosy-Finch breeds in Utah and other sporadic spots west and north of there. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch breeds sporadically in California, Cascade region and parts of Canada through Alaska. However, they all migrate altitudinally mainly with a little southward movement. Colorado's Front range gets all three in winter at feeder stations. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch has the least migrational movement usually only decending to feeder territory in the winter.


Brown-capped Rosy-Finches breed on high ridges above 10,000 feet here in Colorado in the vicinity of year-round snow fields at which they feed on. They feed on seeds, grasses and insects when available. Notice the picture above with the grass in it's bill. These are all pictures of the males, but the females are a much more drab version. Juveniles hatch starting now for another two-three weeks and are very dirty-looking with streaks on the chest. Females do much of the brood rearing and nest building. The nest is a cup of grasses and moss that is built in a high crevice on a cliff. They usually appear in high numbers whether in winter or summer and they are common in the proper habitat. More often than not you need to hike majorly to get to them in summer so get your lungs expanded and good luck hiking up to these little buggers.

Thanks for reading and please join back! All photos were taken with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor lens.

Black Guillemot!

You may have been following me on my trip to Maine with Richard Crossley two weeks ago. Well, I am going to talk about it again, because the trip was absolutely amazing. After the Machias Seal Island, Richard and I began chasing photographable Black Guillemots on the Schoodic Peninsula which harbors a small portion of Acadia National Park. Certainly, one of the more aesthetically pleasing parks in North America. These birds are extremely hard to get close to, so we tried a bit of tape to see if they would come in. We used the tape sparingly, but did get a few to come inside of the break in these little harbors (which there are thousands of) on the peninsula.

I will have fond memories of this day envisioning laying on my stomach with my Nikon D200 and my Nikon 7x42 binoculars strapped around my shoulders trying to ignore the three hundred mosquitoes at any given time trying to suck my blood. Not to mention the rocks were jagged as all heck, but I had to persevere to get some decent shots.

What we have here with these two photos are two different adult Black Guillemots. Not too difficult to identify, but are really cool seabirds and fun to watch diving in and out of the surf.

These birds breed on rocky islands off of the North Atlantic. According to Kenn Kaufman, these lovelies usually forage within 30 feet on the surface looking for crustaceans and fish for their primary diet. As with most seabirds their legs are placed farther back on their bodies to help induce a stronger propelling action as they are swimming. They are very agile with the ocean waves and will dive into a wave like a surfer just before it breaks over them.

Winter adults turn to a snowy white head and neck which makes them look significantly different. Pigeon Guillemot of the west coast has dark underwing linings, a black bar on the white wing patch, and is slightly larger. These birds only overlap in the Bering Sea so most of us down here know the Black Guillemot to be the eastern bird while the Pigeon Guillemot is known as it's western counterpart.

Optics tip: While scanning the coastline Richard and I used Nikon EDG 65mm Fieldscopes with a 20-60 zoom eyepiece. It really dawned on me that the size of the ocular glass really made it so comfortable to view through. Other scopes out there have very small hole through which to view and sometimes is like looking through a pin-hole. Keep in mind how comfortable the eyepiece is when looking at scopes, because nobody wants to continuously pull their eye off the glass to gain comfort and possibly lose time looking for your target bird. Scopes are meant to be viewed through for extended periods! A Nikon EDG Fieldscope will give you that level of comfort.


Thanks for reading! Please comment if you wish to see some different things on the blog. I will always work to get certain photos for our followers if it is feasible. Good birding!

Ovenbird!

While walking on a trail at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Maine I fell on a bit of silence. I was scouting for a Nikon field trip the next day. I was on the trail in the middle of the day and outside of the zillions of skitters that were buzzing my ear there was not a peep to be heard. Until I felt something flutter underneath my feet. I got a bit startled and jumped back. I flipped up the Monarch X binoculars I was using at the time and noticed an Ovenbird perched thirty feet away from me. It appeared I inadvertently spooked the bird off of the nest. Ovenbirds seem to not mind much since they build their nests near trails and roads often, really liking to build with medium amounts of vegetation around. I stood there for only a few minutes, enough to grab some shots, but I wanted to get out of there immediately so as not to disturb the bird. This lady wouldn't move an inch indicating that she was probably stresses a little bit.

Ovenbird is named in reference to the family of Ovenbirds that exist in Central and South America. Although this Ovenbird and the ones down there have nothing in common except they all build dome-shaped nests on the ground that resemble, what? Can you guess? Yes, an oven! Our Ovenbird is placed in the family with warblers. They eat mostly insects and breed in hardwood deciduous forests with minimal understory. Look for trees like Maples and Oaks in the canopy.

What can you see on the bird that jumps out first? I notice a huge eye which the Catharus genus thrushes won't have. Ovenbirds have a large head, thick light-colored bill, and strong spots on the upper breast and flanks. Wings are blunt tipped more so than our North American thrushes as well as having a much shorter tail. Also, notice the plump body structure on this bird whereas our thrushes (i.e. Swainson's Thrush) would show a much slimmer profile.

Keep in mind that all Catharus thrushes, in flight, will have a cream-colored bar on the undersides of the wing. With a flight shot, you could easily separate an Ovenbird and a Catharus thrush in flight, as I just learned.

I hope you enjoy this little tidbit. I recently took a shot of a bird that was either an ovenbird or a thrush, so I consulted some other birders and they had some unique insight as to how to easily ID the birds in flight. Thought I would share this with you. Good Birding!

Machias Seal Island!

This Common Murre was one of many photographed by Mike Freiberg with a Nikon D200 and a 300 mm F4 Nikkor lens

Machias Seal Island it truly a magical place! Richard Crossley and I finished up our show at Kittery Trading Post and zoomed up to Jonesport, ME where we jumped on a boat called, "The Chief." This boat chartered us out there along with 15 others directly to the island for a delightful show of mainly, Atlantic Puffins and Razorbills.

We started the morning in a tired haze since Richard and I spent more time than anticipated, chatting the night before. Barely being able to open our eyes, we marched our way from Machias, ME (our lodging) to Jonesport at 5:30 am. Of course, I managed to forget a jacket on the trip which was a huge bummer since boat trips to the ocean in Maine are cold, even this time of year. Lucky for me it was incredibly foggy! Well that sounds weird, doesn't it? Actually, the fog helps hold the heat closer to the ground making it slightly less cold than say an open sky for example. Unfortunately for us, the fog lasted all the way out onto the island, but Richard and I kept snapping exposures the entire way. As soon as the island was within reach the sky opened up for us with perfect sun for about an hour and a half. Consider our boat lucky as all heck!

The Canadian managed island was under strict rules for our time on land, so we did nothing more that deboard the boat and head directly to the blinds. Once on the blinds the birds were plentiful. However, I visited the island about 13-14 years ago and remember there being almost an infinite amount of birds. Seemed quieter this year! I quickly came to notice that there were no Common or Arctic Terns to speak of. My last visit we actually needed to hold a stick above our heads to deter the thousands of terns trying to dive bomb us. Not the case this year! I was really disappointed because terns are so entertaining and dynamic.

A colleague and friend of mine noted that since the area was pressured heavily by the fishing industry, the terns were having to travel farther off shore to get food. Eventually, they left the island all together. Other surrounding islands have increased in tern breeding numbers, so I assume these birds that used to breed on the island are just breeding elsewhere in the area. Another problem is that since terns act as the guardians to the island, the larger gulls like Great Black-Backed Gulls are now preying on the nests of puffins and razorbills. One could only wonder if the Canadian Fish & Wildlife will choose to start eliminating gulls from the island to release pressure from the breeding Alcids. Who knows!


I was the only photographer in my blind so I was able to hog all the good shots including this Atlantic Puffin whom was on the way into the nest with some fresh fish for the little tykes.


These birds receive around the clock monitoring (i.e. the leg bands) while on the island. Notice the structure of the bird? What can you see? I would encourage each of you to notice the plump body, round head, and very thick bill. In flight, their profile is very front-heavy due to the large bill. This is very important since most of the time you will view these birds on the wing outside of breeding season unless you visit one of the islands they breed on.

Atlantic Puffins breed only on the north Atlantic from Maine through Newfoundland and over to the UK. Like other seabirds, the puffins are divers which means their legs are set farther back on their bodies to help propel themselves when in the water after a dive. They are small enough that they can stand upright whereas other divers like loons have trouble walking due to their extremely front-heavy weight distribution. Outside of breeding they are nomadic and can be seen through most of the eastern seaboard here in the US in winter. Common down through New Jersey and increasingly difficult the farther south you go from there.

Atlantic Puffins lose their vibrant colors in the winter leaving all but size and shape to ID them in the water.


Razorbills have similar breeding ranges, but are a little different in the fact that their bill is extremely diagnostic. Just look at it! Almost archaic in my mind!


The above photograph shows you how small these birds are in the water when you are close to them. Can you imagine what it is like when you are a far distance away. How many species can you identify in the photo?

Despite the terns being absent from the island a trip like this is a major adrenaline shot. By this time of the trip I was barely standing since I was getting almost no sleep. Nevertheless, this day I was awake like somebody shot caffeine directly into me. I always try to do everything on these trips, but I manage to get home every time. I end up comatosed the next day after a wicked birding trip!

Optics tip: Always to make sure to clean your binoculars after being at sea. The salt spray can be detrimental to the coatings and the glass. With my Nikon EDG binoculars I prefer to run them under a water faucet first (given the nitrogen-purged chambers/waterproofness) to get the excess off salt off then use a nice lens cleaning cloth to gently wipe off any smudges and such. I hope this helps for the future.

Maine is a killer birding state, so I would suggest everyone make their arrangements now and get your booties over there. Thanks for joining in for my Machias Seal Island experience!