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kiwifoto.com https://kiwifoto.com/blog "Adventures of a wandering widlife photographer" Tue, 21 Jun 2016 20:08:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.13 Lake Tahoe https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/21/lake-tahoe/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/21/lake-tahoe/#respond Tue, 21 Jun 2016 20:08:43 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1096 Just returned from a relaxing trip to Lake Tahoe. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid but it was just as magnificent as I remembered. The first day in Tahoe I hiked up to Page Meadows. I’m really not sure if it is supposed to be spelled Page or Paige – half the signs, books and maps spell it Page and the other half spell it Paige… Who knows. But it was a beautiful hike nonetheless.

Page Meadows, Lake Tahoe

Page Meadows, Lake Tahoe

Page Meadows, Lake Tahoe

Page Meadows, Lake Tahoe

I was immediately greeted by many Western Tanagers, Western Wood-Pewees, Hairy Woodpeckers and many beautiful wildflowers.

Western Tanager

Western Tanager

Western Wood-Pewee

Western Wood-Pewee

Snowplant (Sarcodes sanguinea)

Snowplant (Sarcodes sanguinea)

I also checked out Tahoe Meadows and hiked the loop trail up to Mt. Rose Campground and back to the Tahoe Rim Trail. There were many nesting Wilson’s Warblers, Fox Sparrows, Lincoln’s Sparrows and Clark’s Nutcrackers calling in the distance – although none ever came near enough to photograph.

Wilson's Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

]]> https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/21/lake-tahoe/feed/ 0 Tufted Flycatcher https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/11/tufted-flycatcher/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/11/tufted-flycatcher/#respond Sun, 12 Jun 2016 00:12:15 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1085

Tufted Flycatcher

Probably one of the more difficult birds I have photographed. This pair of Tufted Flycatchers are nesting in Upper Ramsey Canyon – which means it is a 2.5 mile hike uphill from the Ramsey Canyon Visitor center, or a milder 3.5 mile hike from Carr Canyon. I chose to hit it head-on and hike up Ramsey Canyon.

Tufted Flycatcher location

Now I am in pretty good shape, but carrying my camera gear, 2 liters of water, rain gear and food makes it a bit more challenging. Additionally, the location of the birds was around 6,500′ elevation and my body is accustomed to sea level. Temperatures were also around 85F, even at that elevation!

But I made it, and I got great photos and video of both the male and female Flycatcher on the nest!

Tufted Flycatcher

Ramsey Canyon

A much needed break along the creek. This was around 6,000′. Some other critters came out to play and a close-up of Alligator Juniper bark.

Caterpillar

Alligator Juniper

]]> https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/11/tufted-flycatcher/feed/ 0 Slate-throated Redstart https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/10/slate-throated-redstart/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/10/slate-throated-redstart/#respond Sat, 11 Jun 2016 00:08:54 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1084 Slate-throated Redstart

After seeing the Pine Flyatcher in the Santa Rita Mountains, we zipped on over to Pinery Canyon in the Chiricahuas for the Slate-throated Redstart that has been nesting there for the past month. We drove right up to it being observed by friends Mark and Lori Conrad. However, it quickly worked its way up the canyon and out of view. While we were waiting for the bird to come back down the canyon it started thunderstorming pretty bad. I ended up getting soaking wet…but was well worth the discomfort as the Redstart popped back out of it’s nest when the rain started to subside and I was able to get excellent shots!

Birders watching the Slate-throated Redstart

]]> https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/10/slate-throated-redstart/feed/ 0 Pine Flycatcher https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/10/pine-flycatcher/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/10/pine-flycatcher/#respond Fri, 10 Jun 2016 23:55:47 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1073 Wow, it has been ages since I’ve made a post on my blog. So what better to update it with than a potential 1st US record of Pine Flycatcher!! This bird is normally found in Mexico and Guatemala and has never been recorded or documented in the US before.

Pine Flycatcher

The bird was first found by Dave Stejskal near Aliso Spring (in Sawmill Canyon) of the Santa Rita Mountains in SE Arizona. I made the trek out their this past weekend and came back with great photos and video of the (female) bird nest building.

Pine Flycatcher Location

The road to the bird is not for the faint of heart either. A high-clearance 4×4 vehicle is an absolute necessity. I was able to procure one from Dollar Rental Car in Tucson for $55/day. Although I specifically reserved a 4×4, they initially gave me a non-4×4 version of a Jeep Compass. I went back in and asked very politely if I could get the 4×4 version right next to it in the parking lot. They hemmed and hawed a bit but finally gave in. It even had GPS nav and XM radio – which i didn’t have to pay any extra for!

Jeep Compass 4x4

It was a pretty birdy spot and I took the opportunity to photograph other birds coming down to the water drip. Of particular interest was a nesting Black-chinned Hummingbird and the “Brown-throated” race of House Wren.


House Wren
House Wren

Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird

Some other photos of the surrounding area, including a Fungus Beetle that came out to play.

Aliso Spring, Sawmill Canyon

Aliso Spring, Sawmill Canyon

Fungus Beetle

]]> https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2016/06/10/pine-flycatcher/feed/ 0 Santa Barbara CBC https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2013/01/05/santa-barbara-cbc/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2013/01/05/santa-barbara-cbc/#respond Sun, 06 Jan 2013 07:02:22 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1006 So I decided to participate in the Santa Barbara Christmas Bird Count this year. Normally being out of town during this time of year, I thought it would be fun to drive up to Santa Barbara and participate with some friends. We started the day off with a Western Screech Owl just before sunrise in the foothills about Santa Barbara. I also got some great opportunities to work on photos of chaparral species like Wrentits, California Thrashers and some nice shots of a well displaying Anna’s Hummingbird.

Western Screech-Owl
Western Screech-Owl

Anna's Hummingbird
Anna’s Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird
Anna’s Hummingbird

Wrentit
Wrentit

Hutton's Vireo
Hutton’s Vireo

California Thrasher
California Thrasher

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White Wagtail (M.a. ocularis) https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/12/10/white-wagtail-m-a-ocularis/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/12/10/white-wagtail-m-a-ocularis/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2012 06:57:36 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1005 So keeping up with the theme of California rarities, a White Wagtail was found by Bernardo Alps at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro by Bernardo Alps while we were in Sacramento. Another bird that should probably be somewhere in Japan at this time of year. In fact, I was photographing them two years ago around this exact same time at a park in Tokyo. I kept my fingers crossed the bird would stick around a few days for me to get home from Sacramento to go look for the bird and as you can see, that it did.

White Wagtail
White Wagtail

White Wagtail
White Wagtail

White Wagtail
White Wagtail

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Falcated Duck returns to Colusa NWR near Sacramento https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/12/09/falcated-duck-returns-to-colusa-nwr-near-sacramento/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/12/09/falcated-duck-returns-to-colusa-nwr-near-sacramento/#respond Mon, 10 Dec 2012 06:46:21 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1004 For a second winter in a row, the Falcated Duck showed up at Colusa NWR – presumably the same bird since what are the chances of a bird this rare showing up at the exact same location at almost the exact same time? This is a bird that should be in Japan or China at this time of year.

This one has somehow taken a liking to Colusa NWR 45 miles north of Sacramento. Since I didn’t get a chance to go after the bird last year (was in the UK), I decided to make a trek up there with some friends. Lucky for us, the bird showed up after 1 or 2 hours after sunrise at a brisk 30F and light winds.

Falcated Duck
Falcated Duck

Falcated Duck
Falcated Duck

Since this is the Central Valley during winter, it also provided great opportunities to photograph Tundra Swans, Greater White-fronted Geese and many other waterfowl that are quite ubiquitous at this time of year. Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, American Wigeon and other waterfowl by the thousands.

Greater White-fronted Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose

Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan

It is also a great place to photograph raptors and I couldn’t resist photographing a silhouette shot of a Great Horned Owl at sunset!

Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier

Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl

Belted Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher

Loggerhead Shrike
Loggerhead Shrike

American Kestrel
American Kestrel

Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk

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Gray Hawk (juv) in Santa Barbara County! https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/11/28/gray-hawk-juv-in-santa-barbara-county/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/11/28/gray-hawk-juv-in-santa-barbara-county/#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2012 06:33:21 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1003 Just a day after we returned from New Mexico, a juvenile Gray Hawk was discovered by Eric Culbertson in Carpinteria, CA – not only a first Santa Barbara County record but first record ever in California. To give you an idea of how improbable this is, this is a bird that is normally found in South and Central America. It’s range barely extends into the extreme Southeastern corner of Arizona. I’ve photographed them many times in Patagonia, AZ – just 25 or so miles from the Mexico border. The even cooler part is the bird decided to stick around the entire winter!


Range map:

I decided to take my chances waiting for morning rush hour to end and rush up the 160 or so round-trip miles to Carpinteria to photograph the bird. Lucky for me, the bird was perched in a cypress tree right on the side of the highway as I drove up. I almost felt guilty spending 5 minutes photographing the bird (before it flew off) and then getting back in my car to drive home. Total time invested: 3 hours.

Gray Hawk
Gray Hawk

Gray Hawk
Gray Hawk

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Santa Fe, New Mexico https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/11/25/santa-fe-new-mexico/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/11/25/santa-fe-new-mexico/#comments Mon, 26 Nov 2012 06:24:07 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=1002 So aside from Santa Fe being one of my favorite places in the country for a mini-vacation (especially around the holidays), it is also a very enjoyable place to photograph montane species of birds. One particular spot I like to spend time photographing at is the Randall Davey Audubon Center. The following photos were all taken there during our most recent trip:

Mountain Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee

Townsend's Solitaire
Townsend’s Solitaire

Curve-billed Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher

Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee

Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey

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Space Shuttle Endeavour – The Final Flight https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/09/21/space-shuttle-endeavour-the-final-flight/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/09/21/space-shuttle-endeavour-the-final-flight/#respond Fri, 21 Sep 2012 23:33:11 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=997 Today, those of us in the Los Angeles and San Francisco area were treated a spectacular final display (or parade if you will) of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. It took off from Edwards AFB in Palmdale bound for the Bay Area where it toured around the Golden Gate Bridge and the Silicon Valley before heading back to Southern California.

Endeavour Space Shuttle
Endeavour Space Shuttle

It approached Los Angeles from Malibu, flying over the Getty Center, Santa Monica, Venice Beach heading east past the Hollywood sign, over Griffith Park and onward to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena where it made a massive arcing turn and headed south toward Orange County. It did fly by’s over Disneyland, Boeing in Seal Beach, over Huntington Beach and back toward LA where it came to the end of its final flight at LAX.

Endeavour Space Shuttle
Endeavour Space Shuttle

It will soon be moved to the California Science Center in Downtown Los Angeles where it will be put on display (vertically) for everyone to enjoy.

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Yellow-footed Gulls, Salton Sea and Earthquakes https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/08/26/yellow-footed-gulls-salton-sea-and-earthquakes/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/08/26/yellow-footed-gulls-salton-sea-and-earthquakes/#respond Mon, 27 Aug 2012 03:45:54 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=994
Osprey
Osprey

Whilst photographing this Osprey, a 3.8 earthquake in Brawley hit. I first thought someone had rear-ended my car. Checked my mirror, nope wasn’t that. Maybe a gust of wind? Looked at nearby trees, just a slight breeze. Finally concluded it must have been an earthquake. I shrugged it off and went back to photographing the Osprey…nevermind, he took off flying. Guess they aren’t ones for earthquakes either!

On the way home my wife called to tell me that everyone was talking about all the earthquakes in Brawley! I checked on my earthquake app and realized there was an earthquake swarm happening the entire day I was there. I only felt the 3.8 earthquake and must have been driving when the others struck. There were over 300+ earthquakes that day ranging from 5.5, 5.3, 5.0, 4.8 and below.

Burrowing Owl
Burrowing Owl

One of the many joys of visiting the Salton Sea, are the over abundance of Burrowing Owls…everywhere! Lots of juvenile birds this time of year as well.

I finally achieved my gull of photographing different cycle/year Yellow-footed Gulls. Each summer I visit the sea in hopes of getting better 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle birds but usually only find close adult birds. Today I managed to get very close to a 1st cycle and 3rd cycle Yellow-footed Gull, along with the ubiquitous adult birds all around the southern end of the Salton Sea.

Yellow-footed Gull
Yellow-footed Gull

Yellow-footed Gull (3rd cycle)
Yellow-footed Gull (2nd cycle)

Yellow-footed Gull (1st cycle)
Yellow-footed Gull (1st cycle)

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San Joaquin Marsh, Ballona Creek https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/07/15/san-joaquin-marsh-ballona-creek/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/07/15/san-joaquin-marsh-ballona-creek/#respond Sun, 15 Jul 2012 23:57:53 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=989 Did some birding in Orange County and Ballona Creek with visiting birders, Paul Dodd and Ruth Woodrow from Melbourne, Australia. Uber cute Clark’s Grebe with chick on back at San Joaquin Marsh. We later ticked 3 California Gnatchers at Newport Back Bay. Reddish Egret and many other specialties at Bolsa Chica.

Clark's Grebe
Clark’s Grebe

We concluded the day at Ballona Creek to finish off some missed species – Black Oystercatcher, Brandt’s Comorant and Pelagic Cormorant. A super nice treat were TEN (10) Wilson’s Phalaropes on the Ballona Salt Panne! A couple females were still showing a lot of alternate plumage color.

Wilson's Phalarope
Wilson’s Phalarope

Recently fledged Barn Swallows were perched nearby begging for food from their parents.

Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow

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Barrow, Alaska – Top of the World https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/06/08/barrow-alaska-top-of-the-world/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/06/08/barrow-alaska-top-of-the-world/#respond Fri, 08 Jun 2012 23:42:11 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=985 And our Alaska trip is concluded with Barrow. Target species? Spectacled Eider, King Eider and Steller’s Eider of course!!

Spectacled Eider
Spectacled Eider

King Eider
King Eider

Steller's Eider
Steller’s Eider

Of course, this also the best place in the world to photograph breeding plumage Red Phalaropes.

Red Phalarope
Red Phalarope

What would a trip to Barrow be without Snowy Owls?

Barrow, Alaska
Barrow, Alaska

Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

Crippling adult Glaucous Gulls! Snow Buntings! Dunlin! Long-billed Dowitcher!

Glaucous Gull
Glaucous Gull

Snow Bunting
Snow Bunting

Dunlin
Dunlin

Long-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher

Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan

Sanderling
Sanderling

Pectoral Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper

Sara on the edge of the Arctic ice shelf. Yep, still completely frozen in June!

Sara in Barrow
Sara in Barrow

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Nome, Alaska – Kougarok Road https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/06/05/nome-alaska-kougarok-road/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/06/05/nome-alaska-kougarok-road/#comments Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:35:38 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=983 Pretty much only one target species. Bristle-thighed Curlew. 75 miles from Nome, in the thick of Grizzly Bear country. Fortunately, 0 Bears and 2 Bristle-thighed Curlew.

Bristle-thighed Curlew
Bristle-thighed Curlew

Muskox, Caribou were quite abundant. Had a Red Fox being foxy as well.

Red Fox
Red Fox

Muskox
Muskox

A Long-tailed Jaeger and Rough-legged Hawk quarreling. Managed to capture shots of the Rough-legged Hawk flipping around mid-air while the Jaeger was diving and harassing him.

Rough-legged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk

Can you spot the Willow Ptarmigan? How about our rental car? I took this with my iPhone…about 2 feet from the Ptarmigan!

Ptarmigan Car
Ptarmigan Car

Other Nome specialties, Northern Wheatear, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, gorgeous alt. plumaged Black-bellied Plovers and the rest of the usual suspects!

Northern Wheatear
Northern Wheatear

Black-bellied Plover
Black-bellied Plover

Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Long-tailed Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger

Long-tailed Duck
Long-tailed Duck

Rock Ptarmigan
Rock Ptarmigan

Common Snipe
Common Snipe

Common Redpoll
Common Redpoll

Western Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper

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Nome, Alaska – Teller Road https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/06/04/nome-alaska-teller-road-2/ https://kiwifoto.com/blog/2012/06/04/nome-alaska-teller-road-2/#respond Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:31:54 +0000 http://www.kiwifoto.com/blog/?p=981 Second day in Nome, woke up a bit late – around 10AM – but didn’t really matter with nearly 24 hours of daylight. Decided to head out Teller Road. Started off with some close up looks of Muskox. Other highlights included singing Bluethroat and quite a treat to see Northern Waterthrush at the tops of Willows, singing away!

Crippling photos of Red-throated Loons picking out ponds to build their nests on. Rock and Willow Ptarmigans, Parasitic, Pomarine and Long-tailed Jaegers all in the same field of view. Love Nome!!

Red-throated Loon
Red-throated Loon

Rock Ptarmigan
Rock Ptarmigan

Willow Ptarmigan
Willow Ptarmigan

Muskox
Muskox

Parasitic Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger

Long-tailed Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger

Pacific Golden-Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover

Northern Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush

Gray-cheeked Thrush
Gray-cheeked Thrush

Bluethroat
Bluethroat

Fox Sparrow
Fox Sparrow

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