Just Our Nature

Family and Birding in New England

Our vision for an extended driving trip to New England morphed, for various reasons, into a shorter trip this year. Southwest Airlines has had some great deals, and we found a direct flight into Manchester, NH so off we went.

An inviting wooded trail in Mine Falls Park in Nashua, NH

Colin Isotti jamming in Mike's cousin Dave and Maria's shop

Mike left a week before me and hung out with friends and family in southern New Hampshire, and had an especially notable time at his cousin's, featuring homebrew and home-grown live music in his cousin Dave's motorcycle shop. Next time I'm going, too!

I joined Mike the next week. We hiked around Mine Falls Park and checked out some other potential birding spots with our dear friend Steve in Nashua.

Lady's Slipper Orchid

The Massabesic Audubon Sanctuary and Horse Hill Nature Preserve bird walks were unproductive, save the Prairie Warbler and Lady's Slipper Orchids.

Prairie Warbler at Mine Falls Park

But the gem of our outings were Plum Island's Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and the Sandy Point State Reservation, where we saw our first Piping Plovers. These busy little guys' conservation status has improved to Near Threatened but the beach was still partially roped off to protect the nesting areas. We managed to see and photograph a handful of them.

Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) at Parker River NWR

Grandma with 3 of the 4 Cambridge grandsons

The next stop was Cambridge, Mass. to visit Susan's daughter Ginny and her family. We took our last walk together around Fresh Pond before they move back to Colorado this summer. This has to be our favorite urban birding area -- two years ago we observed a Red-tailed Hawk's nest on a nearby building.

This time Fresh Pond produced a nesting pair of Eastern Screech Owls which our grandsons were excited to point out. The birds have been nesting there for several years and we wondered how many times we walked that path with the owls looking down at us. This time we got to peek up at them! What a treat to see both a grey and rufous morph of this new bird.

Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) at Fresh Pond

We also finally got our first look at some Baltimore Orioles along the Fresh Pond trail. Plus one more new one for our list, the Gray Catbird. We knew nothing about the existence of this common eastern bird, so when we first saw one splashing in a puddle my first thought was an American Dipper. Impossible!

The next day we met Ginny and family at the Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary near Worcester, Mass. for a picnic lunch and bird walk.

Boys love frogs!

Broad Meadow Brook is a very nice sanctuary, complete with a brand new children's play area. The visitor center has a large deck with feeders and plenty of seating to relax and enjoy. Mike spotted a Northern Parula from here.

The bird of the day was the Scarlet Tanager, which we saw several times during the day. While watching a female through our big binoculars, I was fortunate to see a male fly in and mate with her! Green frogs were a hit with the boys, especially Paul who stopped at nothing to catch one.

Green Frogs

Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)

Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)

Onward to Connecticut to spend a long weekend with Mike's son Tony and his family. We met everybody at Jack's little league game and he was the starting pitcher. We got to see a second game and a soccer game before we left, too. Proud Grandpa Mike!

The next day while everyone was at school and work we drove out to Bluff Point State Park in Groton, CT. We heard warblers all around in the tall woods, but were only able to pick out a handful. We have so much to learn about birding!

At the end of Bluff Point is Sandy Beach, a long shell-covered spit where we saw more Piping Plovers (and eggs in fenced in nests), our first Least Terns and American Golden Plovers. And on our way out of Bluff Point we saw our first Eastern Towhee.

Piping Plover on its fenced-in nest

Piping Plover doing the "broken wing" act to distract us away from its nest

Eggs in the Piping Plover nest

Least Tern (Sternula antillarum)

Taking the grandkids bird-watching

We were thrilled that Tony's very active kids took an interest in our birdwatching, and so took them out to Pumpkin Hill Road, a heavily wooded local birding spot. The best show of the morning was hearing and then spotting a Red-bellied Woodpecker. We used our iBird phone app to call the bird, and everyone managed a good look at him before he tired of our game and flew off.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Our birding was about over for the trip and sadly the bird we had most hoped to see, the Pileated Woodpecker, had eluded us. We pulled in the Connecticut Molloy's driveway and just as we got out of the car, camera gear and binoculars still in hand, Mike called out "Pileated Woodpecker!" Unbelievably close, this shy forest bird was in full view drumming on a stump in the next door neighbor's front yard! What a great way to conclude our birding adventures.

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

On the plane ride home we worked on the count of our life birds and believe we are up to 262 in North America, 345 total.

Walden and Greater Sage-Grouse

Greater Sage-Grouse at the lek near Walden, Colorado

Ever since we starting birdwatching, Susan has been very keen to visit a lek, a location where several types of grouse and chickens perform mating dances to impress females during mating season.

We learned of what sounded like a very good Greater Sage-Grouse lek near Walden, Colorado from another birder/photographer friend (thanks Lyn!), so we decided to check it out.

We visited the lek site once in the evening and then on two very early mornings (arriving before first light and using our car as a blind). The grouse put on an excellent show! We saw as many as 47 total birds at once, with 3 or 4 females.

You can click on any picture to see a larger version.

Males trying to impress a female (right)

Male Greater Sage-Grouse showing off his air sacs

The male Great Sage-Grouse mating displays are very dramatic! Lots of strutting around, chasing away less dominant competitors, displaying their elegant tail feathers, puffing up their chests, and then inflating and noisily bouncing their fancy air sacs.

We also did some other birding in the Walden area at the Moose Visitor Center, Hebron Waterfowl Area, Arapaho NWR, and Walden Reservoir. We had a very productive few days!

We had a exceptionally good encounter with Peregrine Falcons (new on our life list) on the road to Delaney Butte. We watched them fly and hunt, interact, and even pose for us on a fence post as Susan shot from the car.

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon posing for Susan

Here's looking at YOU! (glad I'm not the prey)

Peregrine Falcon in flight

We also spent two very comfortable and affordable nights at the Antlers Inn in Walden. The food at the River Rock Cafe was excellent, too!

Upstairs parlor at the Antlers Inn in Walden

This was a great little trip and we'll be going back for more birding and maybe moose adventures this summer.

I'll end this post with a really fun picture Susan took of a sage-grouse in flight. It was a quick snapshot that turned into a very cool abstract!

February Road Trip - New Mexico and Arizona

Bitter Lake NWR near Roswell, NM

The morning of February 19th we had once again set our sights on going home. I was still a bit shaken from the mountain lion experience, neither of us had completely shaken the sinus cold, and we were feeling road weary. We would come back to Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe to hike in summer, and we could come back to Arizona this March.

But then I looked at the weather forecast back home - snow, cold and high winds. Hmmm.

We were pretty close to Alamogordo, where we could stay and rest up a few days, then decide if we were really ready to go home. Mike was on board with the idea immediately, so we got another 3 days at Holloman. Gotta love spontaneity!

Our room wouldn't be ready until 3PM and by luck I noticed the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge west of Roswell wasn't much out of our way. We saw a small group of Scaled Quail at the visitor center which was closed, unfortunately.

Scaled Quail at the Bitter Lake NWR visitor center

But we had a most memorable birding experience on the auto loop road. I spotted an American Bittern directly to Mike's left in full view! Rather than flush when we stopped the car, he continued his hunting. While Mike shot photos, I observed the bird catching and eating a fish through binoculars. We both marveled at the opportunity to see such an elusive bird at close range for so long.

American Bittern

Further down the road, we stopped at a boardwalk leading to a birding blind. We weren't seeing much through our binoculars, but when I put mine down for a minute, right under our noses was another bittern! This one was much closer at the edge of the tall grass. Like the first one, he didn't seem to mind us checking him out. This is a bird I particularly have been wanting to see ever since hearing them in New Zealand.

A family of Sandhill Cranes at Bitter Lake NWR

We drove on through Ruidoso because I had never been there, and had dinner at an unremarkable Irish Pub.

It was relaxing to check into our digs at familiar Holloman. We got caught up on laundry, ate at our favorite local BBQ spot, and picked up a new router at a discount price at the Exchange. We even hiked some more at White Sands. The R&R did us wonders. By the morning of Wednesday the 22nd we were gung ho about continuing our trip into Arizona.

Black and White study at White Sands

Ripples and Shadows on White Sands

Fortunately my Aunt Lois didn't mind the last minute notice of our visit. We met her rescue cat, Elfie (short for Elfin Owl) and went out for dinner with my cousin and his wife. We saw Lesser Goldfinches, Cactus Wrens and even picked up a new life bird, the Curve-billed Thrasher, birding in her back yard.

Cactus Wren

Curve-billed Thrasher

Mike loved the wool caps protecting cactus flowers

The next day Aunt Lois suggested a morning at Tohono Chul Park, including a lovely lunch at the Tea House. We were happy to see our first hummingbirds of the season here - the Black Chinned variety. I lived in Tucson years ago and somehow missed this delightful little desert garden, but we'll be sure to visit it again.

We took the scenic drive up to Mount Lemmon Ski Valley the next morning and had another delicious lunch up top at the Iron Door Restaurant. If you go, do not miss the fresh fruit cobbler or pie!

Susan and Aunt Lois on the way up to Mt Lemmon; Tucson in the background

New age Sedona

Next stop, Sedona. We had a blast hiking in red rock country in Feb/March '09 and were ready to for more. On our last trip we stayed in Oak Creek did most of our hiking was down there largely to avoid the main part of Sedona due to major road construction and awful traffic. This time we stayed in Uptown Sedona and walked to our first morning brunch at Wildflower Bread Company. It was delicious! Then we walked to the visitor info center and got tips on hiking from a forest service ranger.

Our first stop was the iconic Cathedral Rock formation at Red Rocks Crossing, but gosh darned it, we'll have to come back yet again to see it when there are leaves on the cottonwoods.

Cathedral Rock viewed from Red Rock Crossing

A stop most tourists miss, next we visited Bubbling Ponds, an Audubon Important Birding Area just west of town, and picked up our first Canvasback.

Canvasback male (left)

The day ended with sunset at a lookout along Airport Road. Actually while Mike took pictures, I lost track of time getting groceries and catching up with my daughter on the phone. I left him out there after dark, but it was a beautiful evening and he didn't seem to mind. What a sweetheart.

Evening light on the red rocks overlooking Sedona

Sunset from Airport Road, Sedona

The next morning we drove the 5 mile dirt (almost 4x4) road out to Vultee Arch hike, which we our Saab couldn't handle back in '09. It was fun, but I hope we rent a jeep next time!

Mike standing on Vultee Arch

That afternoon we did the easy hike into Fay Canyon. Don't believe the "end of trail" sign -- if you want the views scramble up the rocks to see what we saw (below).

Looking back from the end of Fay Canyon

Another day, another great new hike! Huckaby overlooks the town all the way up to Midgley Bridge, although we cut it short because the winds were picking up and we were under a high wind advisory.

The view along the Huckaby Trail

Tlaquepaque

Lunch was at the Oak Creek Brewery followed by a stroll around Tlaquepaque. Afterward we drove out to the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon, aka Call of the Canyon, and strolled around realizing that once again the beauty would be better appreciated at a different season - fall color or spring for blossoming fruit trees would both be good. But we did see our first Acorn Woodpeckers and Mike spotted our first Bridled Titmouse.

Orchard at the Call of the Canyon area

Bridled Titmouse

Acorn Woodpecker

Snow fell one morning and we drove around admiring it on the Red Rocks. We drove up to the exclusive gated community called The Aerie and were rewarded with a Cooper's Hawk perched on a branch quite close. For lunch, we drove up to historic and funky Jerome and ate at Bobby D's Bar-B-Q Pit at the English Kitchen, the oldest kitchen in northern Arizona.

A snowy morning on Sedona's red rocks

Cooper's Hawk

The day that started with snow ended with another beautiful sunset with awesome late evening light on the red rocks.

Another gorgeous Sedona red rocks evening

The third new hike on our last day was Bear Mountain, a relatively short hike with killer gain leading to killer views. Mike summited alone -- I turned back after the first hour. Next time...

Susan on the rough trail up to Bear Mountain

View from the Bear Mountain trail

Fay Canyon and Sedona, viewed from Bear Mountain trail

San Francisco Peaks as seen from Bear Mountain summit

Sedona, airport and even the parking lot for the Bear Mountain trailhead

On this visit, we both came to appreciate the area around Boynton Canyon Road, a world away from the new age hustle and bustle of Sedona.

We really were ready to head home now, satisfied with our sightseeing, birding and hiking. But once again, the weather back home looked awfully wintry, so we booked a room in Socorro, NM then headed east on I-40 going south via Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Very high winds made this a true windshield visit, but we had a fun lunch at the Route 66 themed restaurant and enjoyed seeing the original Painted Desert Inn.

Painted Desert overlook

Petrified wood litters the Petrified Forest landscape

At sunset we found ourselves passing by the Very Large Array so naturally we took a few photos.

Evening lineup at the Very Large Array

The sun sets behind a 230-ton VLA antenna

The next two days we relaxed in Socorro and lingered at Bosque del Apache NWR. A lone Sandhill greeted us right on in the road as we approached the Refuge! Later we learned he had a limp and thus may have been unable to make the migration. His family stayed behind with him - another reason to like Sandhills! We saw a total of just 6 cranes before we left.

We made a game out of trying to top our bird count from last January. Although we didn't see any new life birds, we had a fun encounter with a Greater Roadrunner and watched a pair of Northern Flickers doing their courtship ritual. Or it may have been two males battling for territory. Apparently the actions are the same.