The Birders Report

Burrowing Owls Are Losing Habitat photo by Larry Jordan

The Panoche Valley is an Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA) hosting significant populations of Burrowing Owl, Grasshopper Sparrow, Short-eared Owl, Mountain Plover, and Tricolored Blackbird, among many others.  In addition the Panoche Valley is home to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species such as the San Joaquin kit fox, Giant Kangaroo Rat and Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard.

I am a total advocate of clean energy and progress on wind, solar and wave energy but this is definitely NOT the place to do it.  Read some of the reasons at the Saving Panoche Valley website, the Center for Biological Diversity and Audubon California Blog.  You may also want to read about the company ready to do the construction with foreign money here.

Please take the time to research this and sign the petition against this project at the Save Panoche Valley website.  It only takes a few minutes.  If you really want to make a difference, write or call you elected officials.  It’s important to do this before November 10th when the next Board of Supervisors meet in San Benito.  And please, tell all your friends.  We can’t afford to lose any more Burrowing Owl habitat!

Wood Duck Female photos by Larry Jordan

Last week at Lema Ranch, not only was I able to watch a Great Egret fishing (see previous post), but I watched Wood Ducks hunting damselflies!  Another behavior I had never seen before. Lema Pond was covered with hundreds of damselflies, many of them in tandem, and the ducks would assume this skimming pose trying to sneak up on the damselflies, then lunge at the insects.

I think these photos of the male Wood Duck show the stealth-like approach the ducks were using a little better

Over on the shore of one of the islands near the guest house, a Great Blue Heron was keeping its eye on the ducks in the shallows.

All the while Pied-billed Grebes were frolicking on Secluded Pond where I have seen them nesting in the past.

There is a small shallow area next to Lema Pond that turns into a mud flat when the water level is low and I found some Killdeer feeding there

As I was photographing this Killdeer, I heard something moving in the oak trees behind me.  It was a beautiful Red-breasted Sapsucker.  It was on the move but I managed to get one good shot of it as it gleaned the trees for insects.

I was happy to be able to do some scouting on this warm and sunny day before the Northern California Audubon Council meeting our chapter hosted here at the McConnell Foundation headquarters at Lema Ranch.  As it turned out, we had some precipitation yesterday morning for our 7:30 a.m. bird walk but a handful of birders braved the weather and counted thirty two species in the hour before the meeting began.

In contrast to the rain we are enjoying now, the day I scouted the ranch, just last week, the birds were gathering under the trees, at the drip irrigation emitters to take cooling baths.  Here is a video of a Spotted Towhee thoroughly enjoying itself in the water.

Enjoy more cool photos at Bird Photography Weekly, hosted by Birdfreak!

Great Egret Portrait photos by Larry Jordan

While scouting Lema Ranch for an upcoming bird walk to kick off the Northern California Audubon Chapter Council meeting, hosted by Wintu Audubon, October 23rd, I spotted a Great Egret (the organizational symbol of the National Audubon Society) fishing the channel between Lema Pond and Hidden Pond.  I slowly set up my camera near the bank and allowed the bird to make its way toward me.  The photo above was taken as the egret stepped into the open.

I took this shot through the various plants along the shore as the great fisher bird approached my location.  Notice that when you view the Great Egret from the front, the eyes are set to look partially forward and down similar to the Green Heron.

I watched this bird fish for about 45 minutes, using several different fishing styles.  It was a warm and calm day, the water, like glass.  The photo below was taken as he or she was using the “slow walk” foraging technique, where they peer down into the water as they slowly walk the shoreline.  I liked the way the sun shone through the bird’s eye.

It caught several fish and amphibians using this method

then stopped to do a bit of scratching.

This Great Egret also practiced the “stand and wait” fishing technique most bird watchers have probably seen being used by herons and other wading birds as well.  This tried and true fishing method was also a great success.

As it turned the fish around to go down head first

and then tilted its head up to swallow it

The foraging technique I had never seen before involved the Great Egret standing still but moving its outstretched neck back and forth in a rhythmic motion while keeping its head fairly still.  I don’t know if this allows them a better view of their prey or if it is used to lure the fish.  This is what the pose looks like with the bird’s head slightly tilted.

I recorded a video clip to show this technique, unknown to me before seeing this bird use it.  It’s not the greatest video but you can see the strange neck motion used, the head plunge into the water and voilà, another fish.

I have more photos of some of the other 36 species I observed yesterday at Lema Ranch coming up in future posts.  Until then, here is this beautiful bird in graceful flight.

Check out more cool photos at Bird Photography Weekly.