Sunday, December 1, 2013

Next five years


 
Poss upcoming trips:
1. Cote D Ivoire, about 8 species possible in Tai NP
2. Sula, plus Halmahara plus Sorong (can fly from Manado) about 7 sp
3. Seram/Buru plus Tanimbar about 6 sp
4 Taiwan in June plus Thailand or Okinawa/Hokkaido   about 9 sp
 
Cape Verde
Fredy Cardoso, a local passionate nature guide, experienced and with a big
knowledge of the island of Santiago (email
alecsoncardoso@gmail.com telephone nr +2389138349
 
 

1 PDX dep 1230pm 

2 arrive Rio 935am (United) fly Maceio for Spectacled and Alagoas screech

3 Spectacled and Alagoas screech

4 Spectacled and Alagoas screech

5 Maceio d 610am arrive 210 Maraba for Xingu screech owl

6 Maraba/Carajas for Xingu screech owl

7 Maraba 250am Azul flight to Boa Vista 

8 Boa Vista

9 Boa Vista 3am  arrive Rio 350pm Dep 955pm

10 Arrive 1219pm

 
Poss 2021 trips:

Florida:
Fly to Miami, stop and look for burrowing owl 
Then return flight to Puerto Rico for screech owl (and short eared owl). Look for site guide or a local bird guide.
Back at Miami fly to Curacao (need a covid test done at Miami-check can do)
Look for Curacao barn owl, then fly to Bonair. Would benefit from a guide on both Islands. Use a rental car to find owls. Would need up to date covid requirements, and test location so can return to USA.


 
South Africa
Fly to Johanasburg
Dullstroom cape eagle
Kgaswane cape eagle and scops
Mapungubwe     Pels, Spotted, Southern white faced, scops and African barred
Nearby is Nylsvley 162 spotted Eagle, white faced and scops and grass
Pafuri (north Kruger, has Cape, but not regular) and nearby Punda Maria (African scops, spotted eagle, southern white faced and african barred) and nearby Letaba (scops) Spotted Eagle also occurs on night drives, org by camp need to pre book
Satara south Kruger (camp has(African scops, spotted eagle, southern white faced and african barred) 
Elandsvlei grass owl (also southern white faced and spotted Eagle, but last two not regular), also Zonderwater
also Ndumo/Mkhuze has most species (but grass and cape eagle not reliable)

Head north to find; Grass, Pels, Cape, Spotted, Southern white faced, scops and African barred








Ethiopian stuff:


Measho Legesse haime2rs@yahoo.com
Abiy works as a free-lance guide for a number of different companies, and can also be contacted directly (abiybird@gmail.com)
Merid Gabremichael of Birding Abyssinia
Elias Bayou bayou_elias@yahoo.com (David's guide)

Melka Ghuba (Dawa River)

This site is on the way from Negele to Yabello and often visited shortly by visiting birders. We arrived somewhat late and had difficulties finding all targets. Hence we decided to spend an extra half day here. We camped in a backyard of one the shops in this small village. Again, the local people asked for entrance fee / tourist tax. Once arranged, people were most friendly and not obtrusive.

The stretch between Bulbul and Hudat offers some good acacia birding, but we concentrated on the area near Melka Ghuba. Next to a communication tower there is a dirt track (4.87067916617, 39.3172396084) that leads to the river (where people get their water). This area was very rewarding.

We also explored the classic site, being on the other side of the bridge. Just past the bridge there is a dirt track to the right (4.864287, 39.317107). We followed this to the end and wandered around in that area. Later on we tried our luck on the other side of the main road (left at the bridge) which worked out fine with a Pel's Fishing Owl as the surprise of the trip!

Highlights: Juba Weaver (2 birds near the river - 4.8698026, 39.307501), White-winged Collared Dove (easily heard and seen in the morning and evening, rather quiet during the heat of the day; later on we also found one bird in the next village), Yellow-vented Eremomela (after some searching we found up to 5 birds in the acacia scrub), Black-bellied Sunbird (on both days a few seen, 6 in total), Pel's Fishing Owl (a nice surprise! a single bird flushed from its day roost near the river - 4.8640351, 39.320298), Black-faced Sandgrouse (50+ flying overhead near the river), Magpie Starling (on both days, 7 birds in total),Shelley's Starling (daily good numbers), Somali Crombec (a single bird), Acacia Tit (a few).

Bishangari Lodge has African scops and wood owls



Palau and Philippines
Apr Palau owl, Mindoro Scops and Mindanao boobook

Japan and Palau for the endangered Blakiston's (while they have a regular location) and Palau owls. Philippines and either Taiwan or Malaysia/Thailand to pursue the missed Philippine owls.








African scops, Spotted eagle and southern white-faced owl are also possible. (All occur at Tsavo East for example)

*Public Transportation (8 hours):

Buses leave from the Mercato bus station where you are advised to purchase your tickets the day before you plan to travel. Tickets can be purchased from the ticket windows located behind the bus parking lot. To locate the specific ticket window, listen for people calling for either Goba or Robe. Buses are divided into three levels, with Level 1 being the most comfortable, and Level 3 the least. Ticket prices reflect the level, but average around 150 Birr each way.

Buses are scheduled to leave at 6am although they don’t always leave on time. You are advised to arrive around an hour before departure. Buses stop for a brief lunch break. If your destination is Dinsho, you must call werage (rhymes with garage) once you have reached town, and the bus driver will stop to let you off. Dinsho is the first substantial town after passing through the mountains. The entrance to the park is at the top of the hill on the outer reaches of town.

Getting Around

Minibuses leave Dinsho from the center of the main road in town (unless it is a market day when larger buses pass through). There may be a wait, and a “broker” may put you on a list for when the minibus arrives to guarantee you a seat. They may ask for payment in return; 5 Birr is sufficient. Buses go to the Robe bus station, and from there other buses leave for Goba, Shashemene, Adaba, Agarfa, Dodola and further afield. Bus destinations are identified by attendants who call out names of towns and cities. Travel time between Robe and Dinsho is about 40 minutes, and between Robe and Goba only about 15 minutes.


If you are travelling with a lot of bags or large bags, they may be tied to the top of the vehicle and you may be charged a fee of 2-5 Birr per bag. When taking public transportation, it is strongly advised to start early in the day as schedules are highly unpredictable. Travel on large market days is usually much smoother as more buses are traveling between towns. Hitchhiking is not recommended.
** Little owl occurs between the campsite and the lodge
Madagascar and East Africa
1. PDX-Nairobi
2. Nairobi-Thompson Falls, 185km, (Mackinder's Eagle owl)
3. Thompson Falls-Lake Baringo, 157km,  (African scops owl and Spotted eagle owl)
4. Lake Baringo-Kakamega, 231km, (African wood owl, red-chested owlet and African grass owl)
5. Kakamega
6. Kakamega-Nairobi, 348km, Midday flight to Malindi, taxi to Sokoke (Sokoke scops, African wood owl, African barred owlet)
7. Sokoke
8. Malindi-Mombasa (2 hours by bus)
9. Mombasa-Tanga 4 hours by bus
10. Tanga-Pemba fly $95 (daily afternoon) (Pemba scops owl)
11. Pemba-Tanga-Amani NR 4 hours by bus (Usumbara eagle owl, Sokoke scops and African wood owl)
12. Amani-Nairobi, 698km
13-14Nairobi-PDX


Blakinson's fish owl
Mindoro Scops
Mindanao hawk-owl
Japanese scops owl
Oriental scops
Rykuyu Scops owl

.Pryer's scops
Rykuyu hawk owl
Northern boobook

Togakushi has Oriental and Japanese scops and northern boobook. To get there take a shinkasen (1 1/2 hr) from Tokoyo to Nagano, and then a frequent hourly bus to Togakushi.
Okinawa has Rykuyu scops, Pryer's scops and Rykuyu hawk owl. the two scops occur at Kin reservoir in the center of the island and the hawk owl and Pryer's scops occur at Kijoka in the north of the island. A rental car would be the best way to get around. Good info on Okinawa http://www.japanbirdwatching.com/regions/overview/Amami_and_Okinawa
Mt Halcon is the location for Mindoro scops.
PICOP is the location for Mindanao hawk owl.
Possibly could add Taiwan for Lanyu scops, himalayan wood owl, collared scops and Oriental scops (Dasyueshan Forest)

  1 PDX-MNL
2 MNL-Mt H
3 Mt H
4 Mt H-MNL-DAV
5 DAV-PICOP
6 PICOP
7 PICOP-DAV-MNL
8 MNL-TP-OK
9 OK
10 OK
11 OK-TOK-JAP ALP
12 JAP ALP
13 JAP ALP
14 JAP ALP-TOK-HOK
15 HOK
16 HOK-TOK-PDX

1 PDX-TPE
2 Tawny fish-owl
3 Mountain scops and Himalayan Tawny
4 Collared scops
5 Lanyu Scops
6 Lanyu Scops
7 TP-OK
8 OK
9 OK
10 OK-TOK-JAP ALP
11 JAP ALP
12 JAP ALP
13 JAP ALP-TOK-HOK
14 HOK
15 HOK-TOK-PDX

Highway 18 runs past Alishan up to the visitors centre (with increasing km markers). At the visitorscentre the road changes to Highway 21 (with decreasing km markers thereafter) as it winds its waydown into the Toroko Gorge. We had Mikado Pheasant (male) at km 94 on Highway 18 on twoconsecutive days (at 1600hrs) and we had two Chinese (Taiwan) Tawny Owls between km 91.5 and93.5 also on Highway 18 (bathing in puddles). We also had Chinese (Taiwan) Tawny Owls around thevisitors centre. 
 Asia in Jan or Feb 2015

Japanese scops owl
Blakinson's fish-owl
Singapore scops
Reddish Scops
White-fronted scops
Oriental bay owl
Collared scops
Brown fish owl
Oriental scops
Tawny fish owl

Rausu in NE Hokkaido has reliable Blakinson's fish owl. Best to fly from Tokyo to Kushiro, then rent a car and drive 4 hours to Rausu. (Or take a bus).

Panti forest reserve Oriental bay owl and reddish scops owl, near southern Malaysia. 21KM N of Kota Tinggni, which is 41 km north of Johor Bahru-about 2 hours from Singapore. From Johor Bahru it's possible to fly affordably via KL to BKK.

Krabi occasionally has brown fish owl
Kaeng Krachan (West Thailand) has bay owl, white-fronted scops, oriental scops, collared scops. Also has brown fish owl-but probably not easy. Hourly buses to Phetchaburi (2hours), from Bangkok then 52km to park, takes about 2 hours.
Khao Yai has brown fish owl and collared scops
Nam Nao national park (Central Thailand) brown fish owl. Three daily flights from Bankok to Khon Kaen, or 6-7 hour by bus or 8 hours by train. Hours buses to the park (2 1/2 hours).
Preng Veng, Cambodia has brown fish owl and collared scops owl
Nam Bai Cat Tien national park, just north of Saigon has brown fish owl. Best to reserve accommodation and avoid weekends and holidays. Take a Dalat bound bus and get off at Park entrance, then 24km by bike. Total time from HCMC c 4hours. A visa is required to enter Vietnam.



Note fly into Tokyo. Fly from Tokyo return to Hokkaido. Then fly Tokyo to Singapore, travel overland to Saigon, then fly from Saigon to Tokyo. This trip works best if can purchase discount tickets between Tokyo and SE Asia.







Tuesday, May 7, 2013

2013 Oaxaca and Chiapas Trip Report

In search of the tecolote. Part One

In the indigenous language of Nahautl, the word for owl, tecolote, translates as stone bird.

In 2013 I went to southern Mexico to find some owls. Here's what happened.

April 12th Tui drops me off at PDX mid-afternoon. I had been feeling a bit nervous about the trip for a few days, so it is good to finally start. I fly on Alaska Air down to LAX, which is a zoo as usual. I have plenty of time to figure things out. The automated check in machines are broke, and there is a good deal of confusion at the Aeromexico desk. The plane however is brand new, and real plush.

April 13th. I arrive in Benito Juarez airport in Mexico City, which is calm and urban. After a three hour wait I catch a short flight to Oaxaca City.  It is just as a remembered. Clean, old and beautiful. I eat a traditional Oaxacan breakfast at a cafe next to the bus terminal, then email Tui and buy water.

An hour later I catch a decently fast bus to Tehuantepec. The bus crosses a lot of rugged cactus covered limestone mountains. Tehuantepec, is hot and busy. I eat a couple of cabeza tacos. The counter of the cafe has an entire bull's head on it, from which the cook carves meat. I catch a share taxi to Puente Tejas. The driver tells me a great story about walking for 10 days to cross the US border. He then made his way to Idaho, where he worked as a gardener for three years, then bought a Silverado and returned home with his prized truck. From Puente Tejas, its a 7km walk to the right to the Guingola ruins. I hike down the gravel road for about 2km, where I take an obvious track to my left which leads to a dry canyon originating from the huge limestone escarpment above. The forest here is deciduous thorn forest with a few cacti. I arrive well before dusk, and am covered with sweat bees as I wait. Soon the bees attract half a dozen lizards which perch on and around me, and eat the bees! A Ridgeway's pygmy owl starts calling near by, and I am able call it in by whistling and get excellent views. I see its streaked crown  bold white spotting on it's scapulars and long pale-banded tail which it pumps side to side as it sings. What a great start! I play my collection of Oaxacan screech owl recordings to find the best one, when I hear a Oaxacan screech owl respond. A rough "bouncing ball" song! I walk up to a gully and flush a screech owl in daylight. Amazing! I decide to wait for night to see if I could get a better view. I doze in the early evening listening to the sound of two or three pygmy owls singing. At dusk I play the recording again. A big screech owl flies into an adjacent tree. I see it's indistinctly marked brown back. Each time I play the tape, the owl moves, so I eventually get to see its yellow eyes, and faintly marked breast.  On my way back to the main road I tape again, and with in two seconds a Oaxacan Screech flies in to the tree. This time I see the bushy, lightly marked eye-brows, a gray bill with a greenish gray tip and bristly feathered toes. Like the first bird it is brownish gray. Another nearby Oaxacan screech owl calls. In the distance, on the mountain side I hear a loud "kow kow kow" . I can't assign it to an owl so perhaps it is a mammal?

It is a short happy hike to Puente Tejas, where I easily catch a share taxi to Tehuantepec. I buy a bus ticket to Tuxtla. I eat some good street food and catch the 2315pm bus to Tuxtla and fall sound asleep soon after boarding.

April 14th I arrive at Tuxtla at 4am. Too tired to do anything I find the nearest hotel and crash until noon. It is great to shower and change into clean clothes. I catch a combi to the plaza, which I recognize from nineteen years ago. I email Tui and Jose Luis (the guy who is helping me organize a trip to El Triunfo). I then set off for El Sumidero-the hilltop reserve that overlooks a flooded canyon. After a couple of false starts I figure the route out. On board the combi up the hill, I sit next to a Mexican rocker, with a heavily pierced face and long hair. He wants me to translate a Metallica song, which I couldn't do. He has the hardest time believing that I love punk music, and keeps commenting on my short gray hair. I get dropped off at the top of Tuxtla, and from there it is a pretty grueling climb to the top of the plateau. I have my back pack on, which is heavy with water bottles, and the sun is relentless. At the top of the climb I stash my bag under some trees, then walk along the now level road. Pretty soon a guy in a truck offers to give me a ride to the end of the road. He warns me that it isn't safe here after dark. This is a bit awkward as he kindly offers to take me back to town. I slip away from him and find a nice shady place to wait for dark. My waiting place is right next to the cliff that overlooks the flooded canyon almost 1000m below. It is an incredible view, made all the better by a dirty red sunset. While I wait I hear a Ridgeway's pygmy-owl, but it doesn't come in to my tape.

I prep my iPod and speakers, then set out along the road back towards Tuxtla. The first time I play for Guatemalan screech owl, I get a response! I try to get close to the owl, but as I noisily advance on it through the dry forest, it recedes. Eventually I give up and try for a more aggressive bird. Still this is a good start. At my next stop which is adjacent to the turn off for the penultimate mirador, a medium sized owl flew in. I am able to spotlight it right away, and to my surprise I have misjudged the size and it is a screech owl. It has a brownish back, whitish eye-brows, yellow eyes and a gray-horn bill. It is not strongly streaked below, but a little more strongly marked than last night's Oaxacan screech.The owl then flies into a thicket and commences singing a 3-8 second toad-like trill, which gradually became louder. Wow a Guatemalan screech owl. Brilliant! (There are no references to the species occurring at this site online; only an old reference from Howell's book). I spend 15 minutes trying top obtain a better view, and despite getting very close to me, it behaves like a typical vermiculated-type and remains artfully out of view.

About 1-2 km down the road, where there is an exposed cliff on the left side of the road, I tape in a Mexican Mottled Owl. I have lovely close up views of this gorgeous owl. It's so much more beautiful in the feather than on paper. After turning off my light, I watch the owl calling in silhouette. It's dark body pumps rhythmically. In the vicinity I hear whiskered screech owls, this is a surprisingly low elevation, but the call sounds spot on. I hear another Guatemalan screech, and then two more near the turn off for Coyota Mirador. Finally by the deer crossing sign, I encounter a singing Ridgeway's, and get brief views. I also find several buff-colored nightjars in the area, hear a potoo and a lesser nighthawk.

I find my back pack easily and dust off the invading ants. Nearby I find a side road that leads to a flat area of grass and rocks that overlook Tuxtla. Above me the cloudy sky is saturated orange by the city's sodium lights.  The air hums from overhead power lines. After such a brilliant night it takes a while to calm down and sleep. I dream that I show my Mam a flooded graveyard, and she is frightened.

April 15th I wake by my alarm at four. It is good to get up as the ground beneath is rocky and I am cold. It is a brief steep rocky hike back to Tuxtla. I find an Oxxo and buy coffee and juice. Then I catch a combi down to the zocalo. At the zocalo, I sip my juice and watch the city awaken. At six, I catch a cab to the meeting point for the group that I am to accompany to El Triunfo. The trip is arranged by Jose Luis Rangel Salazar, jlrangel@ecosur.mx , a biologist from San Cristobal. A photographer named Sergio greets me. We chat in Spanish for a while while the rest of the group, mostly graduate students and photographers assembles. It is a surprisingly long drive to Finca Prusia interrupted by a tasty lunch and a flat tire.

It is quite a long wait at Finca Prusia, an old coffee estate, while our group and a second group of photographers are ferried up to the trail-head in a pick-up. At the trail-head our gear is loaded onto mules. Then we commence a long, hot 12 km hike to the camp. I arrive around 6pm. The camp at El Triunfo is absolutely beautiful. It is a collection small buildings, set in a clearing ringed by mountains covered in subtropical cloud forest. Our hardworking mules graze the pasture, no doubt as relieved as we are to be done with the hike. We are given blackberry juice and gorditas served with fiery chilies. It tastes perfect. At dusk we are served a good dinner. While eating Pedro, one of the owl guys, hears a fulvous owl. We shoot out of the dining hall and realize it is really close. It try spotlighting the bird, but it moves deeper into the forest. I bring out my player, and tape it, but that doesn't help. Then Pedro explains that tapes are banned in the reserve. Ah shit! The owl has fallen silent and I give up and finish my dinner.

After eating I leave alone and explore the trail that loops around the north side of the camp. I am able to get brief views of a flying fulvous owl! It looks magnificent in flight. It's huge, broad winged and utterly silent. This is a bird I really want to see in full color. To that end I work the entrance trail until midnight. Surprising fulvous owls are common here and I hear about eight birds. I see a couple of ringtails and lots of tall trees. At one point I get really close to a singing bird, but the tall trees make it impossible to see.

Back at the cabins the photographers are worried about me. They thought I was lost or eaten by pumas.

April 16th. I sleep until nine, by which time the camp is abandoned. I climb the ridge above camp, which leads through somewhat stunted cloud forest. Mostly I am killing time until the owls came out. Still it is a beautiful place. I am half expecting to track down a day roosting owl, like all the photos I had seen online. At the top of the ridge I am surprised that the haze prevents me from seeing the Pacific. It's been a dry spring and the air is dusty. At lunch we are served amazing tacos with sour cream and fiery hot sauce.

That afternoon I work the Bandera trail, which follows a small creek. Along the trail I get to see a horned guan. this is a near mythical and absolutely gigantic denizen of the mountain. No owls though. I return for more food and a hot shower. After dinner the guys arrange for me to assist with their research on the relationship between the hour, the moon and the frequency of fulvous owl song.

Pedro, Jose-Raul and I take a longish hike along the same ridge trail I had followed earlier today. We hear about eight fulvous owls. One is really close, but falls silent as we approach. We are all done by eleven, but I am too tired to go out on my own.

April 17th. My alarm awoke me at four, but sadly I ignore it. At dawn I get up with everyone and after breakfast, Jose-Raul and I set out on the ridge trail. We get great views of a pair of horned guans and chlorophonias, plus a hazy view of the Pacific. After lunch I laze around and read books. I sleep a bit, then bird the clearing. Best bird is a female black-crested coquette. After dinner we hear a fulvous owl. I try to find it, but despite getting close the tall trees made it impossible.

Just before dusk, Pedro and I depart on another fulvous owl survey along the Bandera trail. We hear many birds. (In contrast to a trip a few months ago when few were heard and none along this trail). Several birds call as pairs, the first call would be from a male, soon followed by a very similar, but slightly higher call of a female. We are done surveying at eleven. We indulge in quesadillas and hot chocolate before going to bed.

April 18th. This time, I get up when my alarm went off at four. I stealthily leave the camp and return to the Bandera trail. This trail passes several clearings, which I think would be helpful for seeing owls. I hear a short screech that sounds like the call of a female spotted owl. Immediately after I hear a pair of fulvous owls dueting.  The dueting builds to a crescendo of rapid and excited calling. Perhaps it's mating season for fulvous owls? I hear more fulvous owls along the creek. I also encounter a brilliantly pied skunk. It is very confident. It is disinterested in moving off the trail. I follow it cautiously for quite a ways before it moves aside and allows me to pass. Just before dawn I hear a crashing above me, which turns out to be a spider monkey. (Apparently they are quite rare, and this sighting generates a lot of interest back at the camp). As the skies lighten I hear another owl. I eventually see it fly across a clearing twice. The last view is good enough to see the markings on the flight feathers. I hike happily back to camp, and arrive as all are leaving. This is perfect, as I can sleep undisturbed all morning.

We eat excellent chicken empanadas for lunch. How many times could we revisit the same poor chicken? (Fried on Monday, tacos on Tuesday, made into soup on Wednesday and refried in empenadas on Thursday)! After lunch, I walk around the loop near the camp, and find a small snake and another horned guan. Back at the camp, Brenda invites me to watch a quetzal's nest. This turns out to be not as exciting as I would have imagined. For two hours we wait in a hide, bitten by many mosquitoes. All we see are a long tail feather protrude from the nest hole.

That night Pedro, Brenda and I survey for Fulvous owls. It's not that productive and we hear about three birds.

April 19th. Pedo and I leave at 5 am to check out a potential nest site. Unfortunately we see and hear nothing by dawn, when we give up and return for breakfast. After breakfast Nancy takes me to visit the remote sound recording devices used to record the calls of guans and owls at El Triunfo. We pass the quetzal nest, and get great views of the male bird looking out of the nest hole, with its tail held over its head like a squirrel.

The hike back to Finca Prusia is easy and uneventful. The drive back is hot and dusty. We stop again at Jaltenengo for a late lunch. I have time to email Tui. Just out of Jaltenengo one of the cars in our convoy dies. Eventually it's abandoned along with it's unlucky owner. It's a really long dusty drive to Tuxtla. Along the side of the road we pass many brush fires, whipped along by strong winds.

In Tuxtla there is a soccer match and traffic is truly terrible. Eventually we drop off most of the group, before driving up to San Cristobal with Jose-Luis. We arrive after ten in San Cris. Jose-Luis does not want me to visit Huitepec after dark, which is a bit frustrating for an owler. He suggest a good hotel for me.  I find a hotel to stash my backpack. I hide my gear under a jacket and walk out to the zocalo. I have to ask three different cabbies about Huitepec, before I find one who knows the reserve. Ten minutes later he drops me off at the entrance. He hovers, concerned that the entrance is locked. I grin at him and give a thumbs up, hop the locked gate and slip as quietly as possible into the oak forest without a light to give me away to unseen observers.

April 20th. Once I am deep in the forest and away from people, I start owling, My first target is bearded screech-owl. An apparently fairly tricky little owl. After an hour of working the oak forest I hear a barely audible reply. Amazingly I find the bird overhead and really close. It looks very small for a screech owl. It shows white eye-brows, yellow eyes, bare legs, its back is warm chestnut brown and it's chest is white with brown occelated crescents. The song is a very quiet trill, shorter and lower in pitch than the Guatemalan screech's. Excellent! A beautiful little owl. Reminds me of bare-shanked screech or cloud forest screech. Now for the others! I hike into a valley on the right side of the reserve, and from there up to a col, then left to a peak. From the peak I descend along the other side of the ridge. I play and listen regularly for unspotted saw-whet, but get no response. I do hear a Mexican Mottled owl close to the summit. I am anxious to see the saw-whet, having missed it in Costa Rica, it is my most wanted bird of the trip.

As I descend from the peak the trail became very indistinct, I have to hunt around at times to locate it. Eventually I return to a major trail, which leads me to a shelter. It is four in the morning, and I am really exhausted. I fall asleep for an hour, then wake freezing. I head back into San Cris. It is a long walk, about 10km, and I don't have change for a cab or combi. It takes a while for me to find my hotel, but once I do, I sleep beautifully 'till noon. Feeling restored I walk back to the reserve. Foolishly I had lost my hat, and had hoped to find one for sale on my long sunny walk to the reserve. Instead the sun beat down on me mercilessly. I also mistakenly thought I had seen a hotel near the reserve. Alas there is none, so I have to haul my gear all the way to the reserve. I very carefully bury my bag in the reserve, as it is frequently used as a route by local people between their farms and San Cris.

Once free of my gear, I work on Guatemalan pygmy-owl for a couple of hours. I then take a break to buy a tasty torta and have a coke, before returning to the reserve for two more hours of pygmy-owl searching.

Night falls, and I switch to searching for saw whet-owls. I try the main loop trail, which look excellent, with mature trees, laden with epiphytes. Alas no response. By 930pm I am feeling really tired. I unearth my gear and set up my tent.

April 21st I set my alarm for 230am. I hike up to the col and down the far side. Near the abandoned research station station I get a really weak response from a saw-whet. The bird is clearly near me, but is neither aggressive nor persistent in it's response. Soon it's fallen silent and I eventually give up.

I also work the loop trail, but get no response. Now it's 630am and I make my way to the road. I catch a combi to San Cris. I find a shit hotel, and drop off my gear. Behind the hotel the road is barricaded by protesters, demonstrating for the rights of indigenous people. Then I catch a cab to Moxviquil reserve on the other side of town. It's a pine covered hillside that apparently has Guatemalan Pygmy-owls. I rapidly climb the hill, then explore the fields and scrub covered hills beyond, before returning back to San Cris by mid morning.

Back in town I buy a hat at the market and find some coffee and hot tamales from a street vendor. Ah that's better. I return to the hotel to call a guy Javier, who was recommended as a guide and schedule an owling trip to Huitepec tonight. At the hotel an amazingly tired old whore argues with the desk clerk about room rates, then drags a remarkably youthful and somewhat unfortunate looking boy to her room.

After using the internet I catch a combi out to Occosingo Road. I miss Howell's site and instead explore a road to the right, 3km from the turn off. I work the area to the left of this road. I find lots of great habitat with a mosaic of pine forest and humid epiphyte rich humid oak forest. Jose-Raul had warned me that this is not a very safe area. The land is controlled by indigenous people, who were at war with the Mexican State in the 1990s, and bad feelings towards outsiders continue to this day. I do my best to dodge the indigenous people that I do see in their forest. The one group who sees me does not respond to my "hola". Soon after the heavens open, and I am soaked by a ninety minute rainstorm.

At four the rains let up and I am able to continue my pygmy-owl quest, but it is to no avail. I soon catch a combi back to San Cris. In town I eat a delicious burger and change to another combi and go out to Huitepec. The rain starts again, and continues for an hour. I am beginning to think that Javier is not going to show, when he arrives on his motor cycle just as the rain lets up. Javier turns out to be a park guard I had met yesterday. He is a nice guy, but definitely not a passionate bird guy. He takes me to the partially cleared valley on the right side of the reserve, where the owls held territory last year. Alas we get no response. After that he looks a little deflated and we wander the loop trail and tape for saw-whets, but get no response.  I am beginning to tire of Huitepec, it's a very small reserve and it's easy to lose hope when working the same trails. We call it a night and I catch a cab back to town and get some sleep.

April 22nd. I leave my hotel at six, walk across San Cris to the combi station, where I eat good tamales and drink hot coffee. I catch a combi to Howell's site on Occosingo road, and start birding at 7am. Dawn is misty, damp and absolutely beautiful. Above me are cliffs of limestone, bathed in yellow light. The forest smells wonderful and reminds me of the ponderosa forests of Northern Arizona. I work the road until it ends in fields, then climb the ridge, and work my way along, until I descend onto the road I worked yesterday. I see lots of good birds including pink-headed warblers. At one point I think I hear a distant pygmy-owl, and see a stocky small brown bird fly, but it's far too brief a view to know for sure. By 11am I give up and return to San Cris, collect my gear from the hotel. I try calling a guide at Volcan Tacana that Jose-Raul recommended to me, but just leave a message. I email Tui and change some dollars to pesos, then catch a direct bus to Tonala in the Pacific lowlands.

Tonala is really hot and humid. I slog up the main drag towards the combi stand, when a Mexican DEA agent gives me a ride. We chat about this and that. I take the combi to Puerto Arista and survey the scrubby fields along the way. Puerto Arista is a run down seaside tourist village. I am eager to leave without drawing attention to myself. After buying water I walk 1km east of town, then take a track on the north side of the road to a patch of decent looking scrubby woodland. It's late afternoon, and I take it easy under the shade of a palm and prepare for tonight. Above me a caracara protests my presence. I try my Pacific screech-owl tape, which is really quiet, and curse myself for not figuring this out earlier.

Dusk falls and a big bright moon rises. I eventually get a single response, but no follow up and fail to find that owl. I hear at least two Ridgeway's pygmy owls calling in the distance. My rechargeable speaker craps out, and I am forced to switch to a less powerful AAA-powered unit. Now the tape is really quiet. Despite this, across the road I locate a singing pair of Pacific screech-owls! I get a great view of both birds. The song is a gruff, (but softer than Oaxacan screech,) series of six bouncing ball notes. These big screech owls have yellow eyes, gray-brown upper parts, limited black encircling the facial disk, obvious loose ear tufts, their legs are covered in bristles, the chest shows few markings, just a few long thin lines, the plumage is noticeably loose. Brilliant! What a relief  It's a crap location with lots of barbed wire and only small patches of forest and lots of rough pasture.

Although it's 10pm, I am able to find a share taxi immediately  Along the way to Tonala I see a big dark-backed barn owl perched on a fence post. It was a beautiful night. The radio plays melancholy music and everything is perfect. At the bus depot I catch sight of my self in the bathroom mirror. The barbed wire fences of Puerto Arista had gotten the better of me, my shirt was really torn up and I have dried blood all over my arms. I ditch my shirt and find some empenadas and horchata to recharge. I catch an 1155pm bus to Tapachala on the Guatemalan frontier.

April 23rd. I have amazing dreams on the bus. I arrive at Tapachala at 3am. I sleep at the terminal for a couple of hours. I take a cab to the combi terminal, and then take a combi to Union Juarez.  Juarez is a hillside town set in shade coffee plantations. I ask around for a phone to call the guide at Volcan Tacana. Surprisingly there is no public phone, but I do get to stash my gear at a hotel by the plaza.  At the next village I ask around for the guide who apparently lives here.  A lady at the store calls his house but unfortunately he's not home, so I buy six liters of water and six packs of cookies and set off on foot to Chiquihuites.  Fortunately after a mile a couple of public health workers pick me up in their car and take me the rest of the way.  At Chiquihuites I find a small tienda. I ask if they could cook me breakfast. The owner kindly agrees, and memorably lights a fire with some sticks and a plastic Pepsi bottle. Acrid smoke from the burning bottle fills the tienda. I am served eggs, tortilla and beans. Sated, I set off up an obvious trail to Volcan Tacana.

According to Jose-Raul, unspotted saw-whet owl are easy at Papales, a refuge about halfway up the volcano.  I tape for Guatemalan pygmy owl along the way.  It takes about 3hrs to arrive at the signed refuge, where there is a small farm adjacent and I pay the farmer 10 pesos to use it.  On arrival I feel pretty unwell so I decide to sleep until dark.  I wake at 7pm and feel really rough, feverish and weak.  I take a very short walk to check the trail and then return to the refuge and fall asleep.  I briefly wake during a violent thunderstorm then again, later in the night to vomit copiously. The rest of the night is spent in a state of feverish sleep. The floor is hard and everything is sore and I feel terrible.

April 24th.  At 7am I awaken to an incredible orange glow through the gaps in the refuge's walls.  I open the shuttered window and see an amazing sunrise beneath me.  The whole land is brilliant green, above the sky is glowing orange.  I return to my sleeping bag, too sick to go out and look for pygmy-owls.  I sleep on and off until 4pm and finally get up and drink a lot of water, take some Tylenol and Advil and eat a few cookies.  As I come back to life, I take a few short walks on nearby trails.  I try for the pygmy-owls but get no response.  Pink-headed warblers are common here.  The weather is cloudy and nearby I hear thunder.  I'm concerned there will be another storm tonight that will ruin my chance at the saw-whets. I consider packing up and leaving, but decide to stay.

At dusk I begin climbing and taping for pygmy-owls.  By 8pm I'm about 400 meters past the first house above Papales and it's quite dark.  I start taping for the saw-whet.  No response so I descend 100 meters down the trail.  I think I hear something and descend another 100 meters and hear a clear song.  I sit down before an open tree and begin to tape again.  Nothing happens.  I play again, nothing, then again.  Something moves in the back of the tree and and I hear the sound of the owl's claws grasping a branch.  I aim my light and there it is.  My most wanted owl in Mexico!  Beautiful. It's so small and is almost completely uniform chocolate above and orange buff below, has a bold facial disk around yellow eyes.  It's hard to believe after those cold nights in Costa Rica and three nights of searching in Huitepec.

Now its time to go home.  I walk back to the refuge, pack and hike quickly off the mountain.  The trail is slick from the rain and I fall a lot.  At the last patch of forest before I enter Chiquihuites I hear a pair of fulvous owls calling. I try to tape them out but they don't respond. In the village there is no one to ask for a ride so I walk on towards Union Juarez.  3 kilometers below Chiquihuites I hear another pair of fulvous owls which again don't respond to tape.  Even though its a cloudy night a big moon makes for a bright hike.  I find the hotel and retrieve my left possessions.  I grab a room, wash my clothes and shower.

April 25th.  Its a little after midnight when I finally get to sleep and just after 4am when I wake to catch the first combi.  Its a fast ride down the mountain to Tapachula.  The first direct bus to Oaxaca doesn't depart for 21 hours so I take a bus to Aaringa.  From Aaringa I take a 2nd class bus to Juchitan.  This bus is really shit, its slow hot and barely limps across the isthmus of Tehuantepec.  It's mid-afternoon when I arrive in Juchitan, which is really hot and windy.  I pick up my last bus to Oaxaca.  Its a long winding ride through the mountains to Oaxaca.  The last hour is under a beautiful full moon.

At Oaxaca I eat Tlayadas, a meat and salad grilled quesadilla. I find a decent hotel near the zocalo, then walk around and drink a couple of beers. The city is old and beautiful. At the zocalo there is an encampment of demonstrators fighting for the rights of indigenous people. People of all classes mill about, the poorest sleeping on park benches, while the more comfortable imbibe. It's a perfect night with the full moon, and so many people on the street. It seems like such a waste to sleep, but it's getting late and I have a long journey ahead.

April 26th. I get up early and take a cab to the airport. It's a lovely clear morning. The flight to Mexico City is great. I spend a few hours at the airport, then catch a flight to LAX. From LAX I catch an earlier flight than the one I was booked on and make my way home to Portland. What a brilliant trip.
  

Monday, March 25, 2013

2013 Canada

Intro

In 2012 I tried to find all fifteen species of north western owls. I failed. I didn't see a boreal owl. with the same goal in mind I ventured to BC to look for boreal owls. The rest of my quest to see all the northwestern owls in 2013 can be found at http://iainsowls.blogspot.com/2012/11/2013-owling.html

3.23.13 I left Portland late morning and drove east through the Columbia gorge to Biggs, then north through Yakima, Soap Lake, Omak and then across the border. At Skaha lake I saw a forest fire burning in the twilight on the far side of the water. At Oakanagon Falls, just south of Penticton, I turned east along Weyerhaeuser Road, and climbed high into the plateau above town. As I climbed ponderosa pines gave way to lodgepoles pines and spruce.  Weyerhaeuser Rd eventually turns into Shuttleworth creek road. I parked the car at kilometer marker 22, adjacent to Rabbit Lake. At this time of year the forest is totally snowbound. The road however is plowed to allow year-round forestry in the area.

It was bloody freezing out, and despite layering a lot of clothes, I was immediately cold as soon as I started owling. I stratergized that I would tape every 300m for a minute, then wait three minutes. I also stopped every 100m and listened. Their was a three quarter moon, and mostly clear skies. The relatively flat terrain  cold and small pines, created a very boreal environment. For much of the walk I could hear coyotes, whose cries were amazingly vivid. The lakes was named for the snowshoe hares, that inhabit the area. Everywhere their tracks criss crossed the snowy road. I found one in an alder thicket. Perhaps because of the cold, and because this was my first serious attempt to find boreal owls in the spring I felt really excited. This was heightened by the hauntingly beautiful night and sense of being on a very difficult mission.

After a couple of hours an owl flew in a couple of minutes after I had done taping. In the spotlight I enjoyed great views of a beautiful barred owl. I assume it had flown in with the intention of eating the "boreal owl" that it had just heard. The gray stix owls are just absolutely beautiful, and barred are definitely one of my favorite owls.

As I walked down the road, and way from the hungry barred owl, I heard two barred owls dueting. I also heard Canada geese calling that night.

At kilometer 29.3 a minute after taping I heard a very distant song in response to my taping.  I approached closer and taped a little more, but it fell silent. A few minutes later I saw the silhouette of the owl fly by. Eager to see the bird properly I taped some more. A few minutes later I heard the bird's wings brush against the tree. Soon I found the bird about 20' away. I got absolutely fantastic views for several minutes as it flew between perches. He never sung again, but very actively bobbed and tilted it's head to get a view of the intruder. Amazing. It had been 11 long years since I have seen a boreal owl!

Just as I stopped enjoying the boreal, I heard a distant engine. A minute later I was able to hitch a ride back to the car with a local couple in a pick-up. The driver was really surprised to find me out here, after midnight, and really enthusiastic to help me, and share in my good fortune. I had to ride in the bed of the truck, which was fucking freezing. The driver said he would drive extra slow, which to me seemed really fast, I thought that my face was going to freeze off with the wind chill. The white civic was practically hidden against the snow, and my heart missed a beat as we slid to a stop to avoid hitting it.

3.24.13 I raced off the plateau down to Okanagon Falls, where I had reception and could text Tui about my good luck. I drove back into the States, until exhaustion took over at 2am. I pulled off the road just north of Omak. At my camp site I heard a family of great-horned owls calling across the valley. I set off on foot, the bright moon overhead, and frost underfoot, but failed to see them as they were high on a wooded cliff.

It was a short cold night and I slept only sporadically until first light around 6am. It was a long drive back to Portland, uneventful and made more so by the lack of good radio. Still what an amazing weekend!

Sun rise on the long drive home
Many thanks to Russell Cannings (russellcannings@shaw.ca or russellcannings.blogspot.com/) and Chris Charlesworth (c_charlesworth@avocettours.com or  www.avocettours.ca), both local birders for their excellent advice.




Monday, February 25, 2013

2013 Costa Rica Trip Report

In search of the cara de gato.

In Costa Rica the common word for owl is buho, but owls are also known by cara de gato, which translates to cat face.

In 2013 my Dad agreed to fly out to Portland to take care of our 2 year old, Charlie. My wife Tui and I took the opportunity to visit Costa Rica. I tried my best to squeeze in as much owling with out pissing off my wife. Here's what happened......

2/6 Dad and Charlie dropped us off at PDX at 6am. We caught an American flight to DFW and then on to San Jose. We took a van out to Thrifty, where we had to wait an age while dissatisfied customers argued and cursed at the feckless agents. Fortunately we were upgraded to a Diahatsu 4x4. Although Tui had mapped to route to our B and B; Vida Tropical, in Alajuela, we got turned around. Once I started asking around it quickly became apparent that Ticos don't really use street names. A nice guy called the B and B and drove us there. Vida Tropical was informal and friendly.

2/7 We awoke early from the street noise and bright sun. We had our first of many Gallo Pintos for breakfast, then set off on foot to explore Alajuela. The weather was cool, but the sun was brilliant. Soon we hit the road and made our way over the ridge above town, and then down the long descent to the Caribbean lowlands. Past Pital the road became rocky, and the Diahatsu's harsh ride made the rest of the drive tedious. The lodge-Laguna de Largato was recommended by the guide we would later use: Leo (costaricabirding@gmail.com), as a site for Central American Pygmy Owl.

The lodges resident guide, Zac cheerfully let me know that he had never seen the pygmy owl. A bit disheartened, we decided to while away the heat of the day on a nature walk with Zak. He pointed out lots of plants and a couple of strawberry poison arrow frogs. Eventually as the sun's heat waned, we broke away from the group and started owling. Tui eventually retired, but I continued. About ten minutes before it got dark, I got a response. (I was on the trail that bisected the main road 1km North of the lodge and about 75 m east of the main road). Soon an angry Central American Pygmy owl was criss-crossing in front of me in some dense second growth. I only saw the bird in flight, but was able to ID it by call. What a great start.

When I got back to the lodge, I told Zak-he was eager to go out an look for it tomorrow. He agreed to take us out to look for some resident black and white owls after diner. We soon got a response along the main trail, just 50m from the lodge. Much to my surprise a beautiful Mexican Mottled owl was the respondent. We enjoyed great views of a bird perched low above the trail. It was a mid sized owl, about 30cm long, with dark eyes, without ear tufts, with very dark upper parts and a streaked breast. It's call was a single note-a questioning, almost two part hoot, repeated at intervals.

Later that night I heard the resident black and white owls calling. I tried taping them from our balcony, but they immediately fell silent.

2/8 I got up before dawn  and took Zak to the pygmy owl site. The bird responded, but was more wary, and we never got to see it. Still Zak was pleased to have heard it. While waiting for breakfast one of the guys found a big fer de lance by the trail, right where we had found the mottled owl last night! After breakfast Tui and I returned to the same area and saw both species of macaw. About 300m east of the site, Tui's whistles drew in a calling Pygmy Owl. We were unable to locate it, and it soon stopped calling.

It was a long bumpy ride back to Pital. From there we went to Albergue de Socorro which is on the north slope of the ridge that separates the central valley from the Caribbean lowlands. This turned out to be a great home stay. The food was great, and our host really kind and interesting. After lunch we were taken down to the river, where we saw tapir tracks and puma scat. After dinner we drove up the road and looked for bare-shanked screech owl, however it was windy, and we soon gave up.

2/9 I was awakened at 5am, by howler monkeys. After breakfast our host took us to see some amazing waterfalls. On route we found a small group of howlers sunning themselves on top of a large tree. These were Tui's first monkeys.

We parted ways with our host and drove to Sarapiqui to visit a modest archaeological site and museum. We then hustled back over the mountain and met Leo at a MegaSuper near the airport.

Leo directed us across the dense traffic of San Jose and onto the Interamerican which led us into the Cordillera de Tallamanca. The drive through the mountains felt very familiar, having hardly changed since I was here in 1999. We drove straight to a site in Savegre, which was supposed to have nesting Costa Rican Pygmy Owls. We waited for over an hour, as the light fell. Leo tooted constantly, but to no avail. As a compensation, the oak forest was absolutely beautiful, and was highlighted by wonderful late afternoon light. As dusk descended we drove to a secret, (ask Leo), site for Unspotted saw-whet owl. Having no luck there, we returned to Miriam's Comidas Tipicas for a great diner. We stayed in a cabin, just below Miriam's restaurant.

Later Leo and I explored trail 1, at Miriam's, and found a silent Bare-shanked screech owl, near the first stream (about 200m from the cabins). The bird came in to a tape. At first we thought it was a Mottled Owl, because it looked huge. It had no obvious ear tufts, but prominent pale eye-brows and a white line that encircled it's nape. It had yellow eyes, and a pale breast that had a darker area in the upper chest. Each breast feather had a dark center shaft, creating streaks, and a dark tip, giving an occilated appearance. The feet were yellowish and bare. It held it's wings open when perched, and the tail was fanned, enhancing it's large appearance. Great. What a fantastic owl! At one point, it clung from a vertical vine, perfectly doing what a cloud-forest inhabiting owl should do!

2/10 I awoke at 230am and brewed a potent cup of coffee. After a drink, I found Leo and we drove to the secret saw whet site. We spent the rest of the night trawling for the owl, but to no avail. Leo used a lot of tape, and lights, and we didn't really penetrate the habitat.

We returned to Miriam's at 6am. While parking the car, Leo heard a Costa Rica Pygmy-owl call. After a few minutes of taping, it flew into another tree. I got brief flying views. Not the best, but still a new owl! Having secured all the owls, but the saw whet, I decided to ask Leo to leave today, rather than tomorrow as we had originally planned. His owling style was quite frustrating to me. It was a bit awkward explaining this to Leo, but we paid him for two day's work, and drove him to a truck stop on the Interamerican. Leo certainly wasn't thrilled about having to take a bus home!

Once we had dropped Leo off, we parked at the entrance to the new Los Quetzales national park, and hiked down the dirt road to La Providencia. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the sun was intense. At about 2km, where there is a strong right-hand bend, on a down hill section of the road we heard a Costa Rican pygmy-owl. The bird was high in a densely forested slope. I tried to get under the bird, by climbing the slope, and could twice deduce where it was from a cloud of mobbing humming birds that swarmed it perch. But no luck. Tui and I returned up the road a few hundred meters, and played the tape, It worked, the owl flew over the road. We got progressively better and better views of the bird as it eventually descended onto some small trees above the road.I saw yellow eyes, a finely streaked face, and rufous collar and occipital face. Head and upperparts were brown-clearly a brown morph bird. The tail was dark with 6 or 7 whitish bars. The breast had a center that was brown, and brown flanks, between them two white areas. Song was a rapid piping, vaguely paired, prolonged for about 30 seconds. Excellent. A beautiful bird.

We ate a great lunch at Miriam's veranda, surrounded by lots of common birds. After lunch we tried to organize a horseback ride, but failed. We did see a stunning pair of quetzales by the river. We lazed away much of the afternoon at Miriam's. We walked trail 1 in the afternoon, and then ate another delicious meal at Miriam's. After last night's exploits we went to bed early.

2/11 I awoke at 1am and returned to the saw-whet site. This time, I spent a lot of time listening for responses. I also probed the habitat. At one point I saw a pair of low, wide-set eyes in my light. Scared of a puma, I advanced, so as not to appear like prey. The eyes eventually raised to reveal themselves to be those of a cow! By 4am, it became quite windy, and the owling potential poor. It was also really cold-the grass was encrusted with frost. An hour later the wind relented, and I frantically tried to locate an owl, before the skies lightened. It was to no avail, and soon I was done for.

I heard a Costa Rican Pygmy owl near the cabin, but this time it flew away in response to the tape. Back at the cabin I dozed for a couple of hours. Tui and I then ate a great breakfast and said goodbye to Miriam. We drove to Fela's horseback riding down the hill and enjoyed an easy 90 minute ride along the valley bottom. Another first for Tui.

We then drove across Cerro de Muerte, which was beautiful-so bright and clear, and on to Bosque de Tollumuco above San Isidro. We ditched our bags at the room, and then drove on to Cloud Bridge Rainforest Reserve. Here we hiked up a rugged canyon past many waterfalls.

We ate late at a restaurant at km 119 on the interamerican. We had a perfect view of San Isidro, far below. At the edge of town a couple of brush fires burned spectacularly in the night.

Back at Tollomuco I found a very cooperative bare-shanked screech-owl, and enjoyed views down to 5'. Like the last bird, it held its wings open and fanned it's tail. Unlike the last bird, it called a lot. I also got to discern it's greenish-gray bill.

2.12 We ate another huge breakfast. Our host Lise showed us sequential pictures of the screech owl's ground nest. What am amazing find.

We drove down to the Pacific coast, where we visited Hacienda Baru. At the visitor's center we saw photos of spectacled owls, so we scanned the forest carefully, but came up short. We did get to see lots of white-faced capuchins. Tui also got bit by a swarm of ants. We found a sloth curled up on the ground, looking like it was dying. The Pacific was big, quiet and beautiful.

We drove North West along the pacific highway to Quepos, where we ate lunch and watched the tide come in. The drive back to Vida Tropical was easy, apart from some rush hour traffic in town. I had thoughts of venturing out that night to redeem myself and find a saw-whet. Instead I hatched a plan to travel to Chiapas to satisfy my quest.

2.13 Another beautiful morning. I am sorry to leave such a beautiful country, but excited to see Dad and Charlie. Surprisingly we were able to drop off the rental car with no hassles. Everything else went well on our flight home.






Saturday, January 5, 2013

2011 owling


Intro

Near the beginning of the year I hatched a plan to focus on world owling. This is something that very few people are doing. I was attracted to the idea of focusing on one group of birds. And owls, for me, are the best group. There is something wonderful and sometimes terrifying about going out into the forest at night looking for owls.

Once I had the germ of the idea I went to Portland Central library to pick up a copy of Konig's wonderful owl book to learn more. Then I consulted with my good friend John Fitchen over a couple of pints at the Yukon Tavern. The last thing I needed to do was to ask Tui, my pregnant wife if I could go to Peru in the fall, after our son, Charlie was born to chase owls. She said yes!

The below entry details my exploits in and around Portland Oregon. The Peru trip can be found at http://iainsowls.blogspot.com/2011/04/updated-peru.html

12.31.11 Taped out a pygmy owl near on the Metro property near Skyline School. First pygmy owl for Tui.
12.24.11 Returned to Stanwood, WA. Saw three snow owls on a dike including one very heavily marked bird, presumably a first year female. Also saw two short-eared owls, a male and female off of Eide rd.
12.17.11 returned to Wyatt road with Tui and flushed a barn owl from the same barn. Then revisited the same stand of small pines at Locust Grove and saw two great-horned owls. One was being mobbed by a cooper's hawk.
12.4.11 northern pygmy-owl seen 3 miles south of mp4 on Larch mountain. Did not respond to my tape. Car broken into!
12.3.11 Barn owl flushed from a barn on Wyatt Rd. A great horned owl and three long-eared owls flushed from a stand of small pines at Locust Grove. Female barn owl flushed from cotton woods in De Moss County Park.
11.25.11 Stanwood, WA, Tui, Vai and I twitch a snowy owl. Also at least 13 short-eared owls are hunting in the fields.
10.31.11 Tui and I were walking with Ziggy, when a great-horned owl landed on a street light next to the Mausoleum.
9.25.11 in an abandoned barn along Tygh Ridge Road, found a male great horned owl. Bird seen very well at close range.
9.24.11 Saw two great horned owls near eight mile road, SE of the Dalles. At the Dufur Gap campsite, heard a pair of great horned owls and elicited a response (heard only) from a western screech owl.
9.23.11 heard two barn owls at UCP. Tui saw one fly overhead.
9.17.11 went owling at Tideman-Johnson park. After 20 minutes heard a Western Screech. For the first time I heard the bird land-on a wet branch-with a splash of drops. Once heard it was easy to spotlight.
9.13.11 walking with Tui and Charlie at dusk. We heard several barn owl screams from the top of the mausoleum.
9.6.11 walked to the Mausoleum and down the steep bank to Oaks, then clockwise around Oaks and out of the south entrance. Saw one western screech in response to the tape. Heard 3 other birds.
8.31.11 Barn owl flew by the corral at Exit 18. Seen briefly at dusk. Tui was with me, but missed it.
7.18.11 recently fledged barn owl at exit 17.
7.13.11 pair of western screech at N end of oaks
7.12.11 three western screech, include 1 juv at N end of Oaks
7.6.11 one great horned near Tryon visitor's center, mobbed by crows
7.3.11 flammulated heard only at Metolious wildlife refuge
6.30.11 one barred owl by Tryon Ck, mobbed by robins.
6.27.11 one owl calling on west side of Lost lk. Two short notes, followed by a longer hoot. Strix-like.
4.11 roosting western screech at south end of Oaks. Seen twice. Then came in to tape at night.
4.11 northern pygmy heard briefly at mountain quail site in Washington County
3.11 great horned at south end of oaks. Seen at night.
3.11 western screech heard on Yukon and 20th.
2.11 western screech heard in Woodstock neighborhood.
1.11 short-eared at Broughton beach at dusk.
1.11 great horned owl seen and heard at the road to the South Jetty of the Columbia.

2012 owling


In 2012 I tried to find all fifteen species of north western owls. Here's what I saw that year around Portland and further afield in the Pacific Northwest.

12.30.12 The whole family explored the Willamette Valley. At Willamette Mission State Park, I heard a pygmy owl tooting. While approaching the calling bird I flushed a huge barred owl-presumably a female. Magnificent. We all enjoyed really close views of the bird perched in an open tree. Although the pygmy owl called intermittently  I was never able to get a a view of the bird, and it soon fell silent.

12.28.12 I walked around Reed Canyon on one of the first really cold nights of the winter. I got a response to a screech owl tape from across the canyon. Once on the other side I got a very loud, but only single response. I soon found the bird with a flashlight, and was able to view it from just a couple of feet away. I could see from it's upper parts that it was a brown phase. I eventually switched of the light, and watched the bird in silhouette, for some time against a moonlit sky. Periodically the bird would extend it's neck, and change shape dramatically. It was both peaceful and exciting to spend time with the owl this way, in the absence of artificial lights.

12.25.12 the whole family drove up to Ballad to check out a couple of snowy owls reported in a residential area above the bluff overlooking the sound. It was a rainy cold morning, so we chose to drive in ever-expanding circle and scan for the owls. Soon we found a darkly barred young bird, perched atop of a tiled roof. We enjoyed the bird for several minutes. Eventually a pair of crows mobbed the owl. At times I could see small ears on the owl-similar to pygmy owls, which are not normally eared, but can appear so when excited.

 12.22.12 The whole family walked along Reed Collage Place. I played a tape for Western Screech Owl. I never heard a response, but when we got back to the car, which was parked in front of Duniway school,  I saw a screech owl perched on an utility wire. We got good views of the owl, Charlie included.  I had brought an old incandescent surefire flashlight, which created a very different view of the owl from the LED Eagle tech  The incandescent bulb cast a much warmer light, and the owl looked like a brown morph. Using the bright LED, the owl looked extremely gray, appearing like a gray morph bird.

12.9.12 Ziggy and I took a short, snowy walk on Tumala Mountain Road, east of Estacada. I played a tape for Northern Pygmy Owl, and soon got a response. The owl came in really close, and soon changed its response from a tooting call, to a whinnying trill. Unfortunately my taping was drowned out by some nearby target shooting, and the owl fell silent before I could see it.

12.1.12 The whole family, dad include visited Tryon Creek for a later afternoon walk. We heard a singing great-horned owl. Dad and I hiked in to investigate.  Eventually the owl fell silent. A little later, after walking along the trail, we heard to bird singing again. This time, by crossing a steep gully, I was able to get below the owl and see it, and it's mate silhouetted against the sky. I was a fantastic view. The dueted for several minutes, perching almost horizontally, and cocking their tails as they sung. I returned with dad, who really enjoyed his first view of a great-horned owl.

11.12.12 I took Charlie and Ziggy to Broughton Beach. Ziggy flushed at least two short-eared owls-a male and female. We enjoyed great views as they floated overhead. A female was the first owl that Charlie saw-"lulu".

11.10.12 The family went to Windy Mountain on the Washington side of the gorge. The summit was really dramatic, with amazing Indian ruins, a fly by golden eagle (how symbolic), and a very cold snake. On the descent we heard a pygmy owl call in response to my tape. Soon we got great views of a pygmy owl, which descended well below the canopy to investigate the "intruder".

11.9.12 The family went to a cabin at Underwood, WA for the weekend.While walking Ziggy after dark I hear a barn owl screech. I tried taping the bird, but got no response.

11.4.12 Below the mausoleum at Oaks Bottom, I taped out a western screech owl.The bird responded from very low in the undergrowth.By crawling through some bushes I got great views of a gray morph bird.

10.12.12 Ziggy and I are walking at the Crooked River Ranch, when I hear a barn owl. The next day the whole family is at Cove Palisades State Park, and we find a puddle of long-eared owl feathers!

9.15.12 Another attempt at Boreal Owl! I hiked into Forest lake at Mount Rainier. I waited about an hour at the lake for darkness to descend. A snipe fed along the lake shore, as large bats hawked above. I hiked back to Sunrise, but had no responses. At the parking lot I had a flyby great-horned owl. (I also saw a great horned owl as I left the parking lot several hours later). I then walked down to the camp site by the small lake. On the return trail a small owl flew in to my tape. (I was alerted to its presence by the sound of its claws on the branch). I was elated for a moment, as I thought I had a Boreal. This bird was a screech owl however. Still I was able to get within three feet, and so enjoyed beautiful views.  This is my first screech owl in an alpine environment.

9.5.12 The gang of four went out to the Sandy river near Troutdale airport. We lit a small fire on the banks of the river. On our return to the car we found a great-horned owl perched on top of a light in the sewage treatment plant.

9.2.12 Tui, Charlie, Ziggy and I set off at MP4 on Larch Mountain. We hiked to the clearcut at the end of the dirt road. Immediately we heard an unsolicited pygmy owl call during the middle of the day. Unfortunately we were unable to get the bird to respond to a tape. When we returned to the civic, we were appalled to find both driver's side windows smashed. Fortunately we had removed everything of value from the car.

8.25.12 I set off at dusk to explore Oak Island Road on Sauvie Island. I parked around MP 2.25, and walked the rest of the way. At the end of the sealed road I heard a distant barn owl. As the gravel road crosses the dike, I heard a great-horned owl in response to my tape. I checked out the old farm buildings to the east of the parking lot at the end of the road. Surprisingly I could locate no barn owls there. (Prime nesting habitat). Walking along the east side of Oak Island loop, a male barn owl hovered briefly overhead in response to my screech-owl tape. Beautiful! A quarter of a mile up the trail, an unsolicited female barn owl floated past me. (The three quarters moon, made finding flying owls easy). Back on the west side of Oak Island trail I heard a distant barn owl scream, way off to the west. Walking back to the car, at the first sharp corner to the left, once on the sealed road, I saw a barn owl cross low over the road. I played a tape, and three barn owls (at least two were males), circled overhead!

On the return drive, I saw a great-horned owl, perched on a utility pole by Bybee Howell House.

8.18.12 Ziggy and I arrived at Barlow Pass. We followed the Pacific Crest Trail north for 4 miles, taping for Pygmy owl as dusk fell. We turned around at the Timberline trail, and headed back down. At 1.5 miles from Hwy 35, I saw two long-winged owls pass overhead, in response to a tape. The birds were silent. My first thought was that they were predatory barred owls. After scouting around for a few minutes, I caught a bird in flight in the flashlight-a long-eared owl! I played a recording of long-eared owl and the bird returned, hovering briefly above me.  In the distance a juvenile bird called. A little further down the trail, Ziggy bit a western toad, which caused him some distress, vomiting and gave him a terrific appetite.

8.12.12 Charlie, Ziggy and I walked along the dirt road that leaves Larch Mountain Road at MP 4. At the terminus of the road we heard a pygmy owl tooting rapidly in response to our tape. Despite our best efforts we were unable to get a view of the bird-perhaps due to the blazing sun and eighty degree temperatures.  We did get to enjoy at least three nighthawks over the clear-cut.

 8.11.12 I awoke to hear the scream of a barn owl, while camping near Friend Road.

8.10.12 Tui and I had just set up camp near Friend Road, south west of Dufor. We heard great horned owls calling in the distance. The next morning we found a large gray downy plume, which appeared to be from a large young owl.

8.9.12 At 1 am Tui awoke me. She head heard a great horned owl calling in the distance, through our open bedroom door. We listened to it calling a couple of times.

7.23.12 I visited Wapato Lake on Sauvie's Island. Almost as soon as I arrived I heard a singing great-horned owl, deep in the woods. I got close to the bird, then decided to try the tape. Despite have heard that great-horneds are not tape responsive, the bird flew in over me, perched near by, flared it's ear-tufts and sung vigorously at me. Great. A second great-horned also came in, but remained out of view.

Just south of the dog kennels I heard a faint screeching. Walking towards the noise, I flushed a barn owl. It was carry prey from it's long, hanging legs. The barn owl flew back to a distant barn, and was met by intense screeching of young barn owls.

I tried for screech owl in the riverside cotton woods, but to no avail. Near the small blind, I did get a soft response. Soon a screech owl flew over head and perched in dense thicket of hazel. I got great views of a singing screech owl.

7.14.12 While visiting Tui's family in Federal Way, I visited Sunrise, on the shoulder of Mount Rainer. I hiked around for four beautiful hours looking for boreal owl. Alas, nothing but shooting stars and snow. On the return, in light rain I found a beautiful female barn owl at Enumclaw, perch on a wire. Perhaps a young bird, it tolerated being spotlit, allowing great binocular views.

7.12.12 Ziggy and I drove over to Westmoreland Golf Course.We walked the side of the golf course, taping for screech owls.Eventually we ended up on Reed College Place and Lambert. I got an immediate response here. The elms here are very tall, and I only glimpsed one bird in flight. It sounded like their were about four birds responding to the tape-perhaps I was at the site here two territories met, or perhaps some juvenile birds were responding to the tape.

7.1.12 Ziggy and I drove out Estacada way to Shellrock campground. We arrived well before dark, to a beautiful rising moon. Lat time I had visited Shellrock, the creek was fast flowing and crossing it on a series of tangle of fallen logs was tricky. Tonight the water level was very low, and we crossed easily where the old bridge had been removed. We hiked to the end of the trail. Perhaps because of the full moon, common nighthawks were particularly noisy and active.  On the walk back we heard no owls. 

We continued up the road, looking for Highrock campground, which according to the Cascade Birding trail also has spotted owls. We never found the campground. Nonetheless we drove around and tried for spotted owls at any likely looking patch of forest. We did find a steep-sided narrow track, still muddy from last month's snow melt. Getting through the mud, and turning around on this very narrow road was touch and go. The mist and dampness only added to the air of expectancy and apprehensaion. 


1am looking sleepy


Returning back forest road 58, we passed quite a lot of decent habitat, so progress was slow as we stopped every third of a mile or so, to try for spotted owls. Before we reached Skyline road, we stopped. We heard a couple of snipe singing beautifully. And a barn-owl-like screech. Soon, three large owls flew across the road. I guessed that they were barred owls. A quick search revealed a very curious barred owl staring down at me. 

We found some flat, old growth forest, probably 4000' above sea level. Here I heard a similar barn (or barred) owl like call, as I had heard at the previous stop.  I had to get down on my hands and knees to crawl through he thicket of vine maple that lined the forest road. Once inside, the forest opened up, and I was able to make my way easily. The begging calls of the young owls, sounded a little quieter, more hollow and softer than the young barreds at the previous stop. After a couple of minutes spotlighting I got to see a juvenile spotted owl. It had a couple of patches of down, but otherwise was clearly a spotted owl, being smaller, darker, browner than the barred owl, with pale spots and no longitudinal streaking on the underside on the underside. I saw two other birds briefly. My best guess is there were at least two juveniles.

6.23.12 Ziggy and I drove through the night down towards Malheur in search of burrowing owls. On Highway 205, we saw two great horned owls and a great close up of a female barn owl along the road side. We arrived at Ruh-Red road around 2 am, and slept in the car for a couple of hours. We awoke around 430, cold and stiff. I took Ziggy out for a brief walk in the half light of dawn. When returning to the car, I heard a burrowing owl's alarm call. Ahead of me, right where Paul had suggested (on the 6th fence post), was a perched owl. We got in the car, and I pulled up closer to the owl, and waited for the light to improve. I soon enjoyed great views of this charismatic little owl. When a tractor drove by, it retreated into it's burrow, so just the crown was visible. By now it was 530am, and we had to get home. Despite the heavy rain we were back by 10:20.

6.22.12 Despite an ever deteriorating forecast Ziggy and I left town around 5pm and drove south-east to Bend on Highway 26. From Bend we took the Cascade Lakes Highway southwest to Virginia Messner Snow Park. We walk about 1/2 mile in before hearing a deep hooting at dusk. It was still quite light, and I initially thought I was hearing a long-eared owl calling. When I got a little closer, I could hear the double note quality that some flamm calls have. I started taping, and a few minutes later I had brief views of a flamm flying back and forth. Soon after it started raining heavily, and I moved on down the road. I tried for saw-whet and heard a brief screech response of an irritated saw-whet owl.  I tried a couple of spots off of the highway further down the mountain, but to no avail. Eager to get a better look at a flamm, I returned to the snow park, and birder the track, that follows the highway. I soon taped in a responsive flamm.  Unfortunately despite a lot of taping I could never get a decent view.


6.17.12 Fathers day. We returned to Portland. en route stopping at Umatilla Army depot to look for burrowing owls. We were never able to get near the depot and soon gave up.  A few mile down the freeway Charlie started to cry. We pulled out at the three Mile Canyon exit and stopped under the railroad bridge. Next to the car was a human turn and some shit stained panties. And also pellets. I searched the bridge and found two juvenile owls, one plainly darker than the other. a dead owlet and an adult. Wonderful!

6.16.15 Tui , Charlie and I birded the gully behind the campsite. At one point I heard three deep hoots which sounded like a great gray-deeper shorter and more forceful than a dusky grouse. Despite a lot of searching we could not locate an owl. We tried a couple of other territories.  At one point we heard a frantic yowling and I thought Ziggy was being attacked. I ran through the forest towards the calls, with Charlie strapped to my back,. I half expected to find a mountain lion killing Ziggy, but instead I found Ziggy intact. The calls were coyotes, which continues up the ridge for some time. We gave up around noon and headed for La Grande. Following Evanich's directions-from 1990 we checked out an area for burrowing owls, but came up short. Next we visited a bank swallow colony which supposedly housed an occasional barn owl. Equipped with a flash-light and sunglasses for protection I examined a large cavity, with pellets at the entrance. Sure enough, 2' away was a beautiful barn owl staring back at me.

We set up a new camp site, and then checked out an area off road 700. I found a day old fawn, but no owls. We then returned to our original campsite.While driving up a rough track, Tui spotted an adult bird in a tree. Sharp eyes! We got out of the car and enjoyed this amazing owl for a while. It preened and shook= it's feathers, then stretched it's wings before finally flying to a nearby tree. Down hill we could hear a young bird begging, and after a while were able to locate a 3/4 size juvenile cloaked in a mix of down and full feathers. Wow, what a great find.

6.15.12 Tui, Charlie and I drove out to Spring Creek. At dusk I saw a great horned owl perched on a utility pole from the Interstate 84 at mile marker 189. We camped 1/4 mile up road 050 (off of road 2155, which is off of road 21), shortly before midnight we heard a great horned owl calling from inside our very cold tent. This was a bit dispiriting because this was supposed to be a great-gray territory, and horneds predate grays.  

5.26.12 Tui, Charlie, Ziggy and I, went to the Sandy River delta. It was a sad morning, I had just called home and spoken to the nurse who was caring for mam. She explained that mam was dying. After a despondent beginning, we began having a good walk. Tui heard some robins scolding in a cottonwood tree. We went over to look for an owl. Tui found a dark, male (?) great horned owl. She was quite thrilled to be the first to see him. (Per a long-standing bet, she got a piece of cheese cake later in the day).

5.5.12 Whilst looking for spotted owl at McDonald state forest with Ziggy, I heard a great-horned owl calling persistently around 130am.

4.28.12 Tui and I heard a spotted owl call briefly at dusk, near Oakridge.

4.25.12 Tui and I head a barn owl from our bedroom around 11pm.

4.23.12, while looking for owls at Rippenbrook ranger station, I saw a barred owl standing on the lawn by the Ranger Station. It was 2am at the time, but the bird was illuminated by a street light. The owl appeared extremely long legged, and looked almost stone-curlew like.

4.16.12 While looking for spotted owls on Memloose road in Clackamas county. I heard a barred owl about 1/4 mile above the river.

4.9.12 Charlie, Tui and I were walking from Woodstock back home, when I heard a screech owl call one block east of Reed Parkway on Toleman. After briefly imitating it's call, the owl flew away from the top of a tall deciduous tree.

2.26.12 Charlie, Tui, Ziggy and I went owling along the side of Oaks Bottom. We found a screech owl that was very responsive, just north of the mausoleum. Simultaneously we heard a barn owl above us near the houses on the bluff.

2.11.12 a busy day. Charlie, Ziggy and I walked Broughton Beach. It was really busy, there was a polar bear plunge going on by the boat ramp. We walked out east of the Sea Scout base before we flushed a beautiful male short-eared owl. He flew out towards Washington, then returned back to Oregon. At one point he made contact with the river. It was unclear if he saw a food item or was trying to drink. (He was not forced into water by strong winds or mobbing birds).
We drove east to Wyatt Road. I checked the barn that had housed a barn owl last year, but no luck this time.
Up the road at Locust Grove Rd, Charlie and I slowly checked the pines. We flushed one or two barn owls an also heard a soft double hoot. Suspecting a long-eared or great horned, we went around again for a second round. Sure enough we had a brief but fabulous view of an amazingly skinny and upright long eared owl, with blazing orange eyes and rufous cheeks. Moments later he flushed along with a second bird that appeared larger.
Pressing my look, we drove to Cape Meares, looking for spotted owls. Alas no luck, the site was quite small, probably too small to support a permanent population.

2.10.12 Ziggy, Charlie and I walked around Oaks Bottom, on a mild damp night. I got a response to a tape of a western screech owl below the mausoleum. I saw one bird well and heard another near by.

2.3.12 I hiked through Tryon Creek State Park on a clear night with a bright moon. I got a response from three saw whet owls. The owls were calling from high in the canopy, and would not come close to my tape. I also heard one or two great-horned owls. Eventually on the North Horse Loop Trail, I got a a responsive bird that called and flew rapidly in a low canopy. I got decent illuminated view with the bins.

1.28.12 I hiked into MP 4 on Larch mountain. At the final clearing I soon found a pygmy owl. The bird was remarkably tame, and I was able to get to within 20' of it. The bird was very gray, with a hint of brown just below the false "eyes". The bird did not respond to a tape. Unfortunately, when I got back to the civic it had been broken into. A window was smashed and a diaper bag full of baby supplies stolen.  It was a cold drive home, made all the more bitter by flecks of broken glass being blown into our (Ziggy, Charlie and my faces).

1.16.12 Charlie, Ziggy and I went to Ramsey Lake. We checked the row of pines, between the lake and the railroad track. Almost immediately we flushed a great-horned owl-probably a male, it appeared relatively small. despite checking hundreds of trees no other owls were seen. We then returned to the same patch of forest as yesterday, but were unable to locate any pygmy owls.

1.15.12 Charlie, Ziggy and I returned to the valley between Cornelius Pass and McNamee Road to look for pygmy owls. We had a bird briefly respond to a tape, but were unable to see it.

1.14.12 the four of us drove out to Spokane County, WA, to chase a northern hawk owl. (We stayed the night at Kennewick, WA). Within a few minutes we had distant views of the owl, sat in the top of a pine, being mobbed by ravens. I hiked out to the trees, and after 45 minutes of searching, found the hawk owl, perched just above me. I had great views in the 'scope. I went back to get Tui. As we returned the owl flew to a distant locust tree. It's flight was direct, but buoyant, and reminded me of a Clarke's nutcracker. We were able to hike to withing 100yards of the bird, allowing Tui, reasonable scope views. Whilst looking for the hawk owl, I flushed a roosting barred owl from a thicket.

1.8.12 The four of us drove up from Long Beach WA, where we were spending the weekend at a beach hotel, up to Ocean shores. We spent a couple of blustery hours out on Damon Point watching six beautiful snowy owls. We were able to compare a smaller male with a much larger female. We also saw a couple of birds fly, and could observe their relatively pointed wings and rapid flight.

1.2.12 Tui and I followed up an a report of a barred owl roosting in Reed Canyon a coupe of days ago. After just a coupe of minutes Tui spotted a beautiful awake barred owl about sixty feet up in a Doug fir. The bird was not tape responsive, but would watch us as we walked around the tree.