March 2005

Euphagus carolinus and Vulpes vulpes

Monday, March 21, 2005

After an unsuccessful search for a Louisiana Waterthrush in the creek near Tower Grove Park’s Cypress Circle, I drove over to the west side to check out the creek near the stables. There was no waterthrush there either, but a blackbird flying south along the creek caught my attention—it had no hint of red on its wing. A look through the binoculars at the bird after it perched confirmed that it was either a Rusty or a Brewer’s. It flew down to the creek, and I got a better look. It had little, if any, gloss, and some rust-colored edges on its back that were only visible in good light.

No waterthrush, but a Rusty Blackbird—I was happy, and it was time to go to work. I had just started the car when I saw a long-nosed, bushy tailed shape run from the creek toward the oak grove. Binoculars weren’t necessary, but it’s a reflex now. I had to get a magnified look. A Red Fox was loping across the lawn in Tower Grove Park, my first fox seen in the wild.

Vernal Equinox 2005

Sunday, March 20, 2005

I celebrated Spring this morning with a walk along a good portion of the waterways in Forest Park. As usual, there were many Song Sparrows (one missing its tail feathers), but only around a half dozen juncos, and no Swamp Sparrows.

Other birds in Forest Park included 7 Gadwalls, a couple of grackles, many Wood Ducks, some Mallards, Canada Geese, and one of the Red-tailed Hawks. I neither saw nor heard the kingfisher. I forgot to mention in yesterday’s entry the 2 kingfishers I saw in the park on Friday, near where the bridge crosses Grand. They were interacting—courtship?

The tree the car crashed into on Friday is barely scraped.

A quick stroll through Lafayette Park yielded 3 male Eastern Towhees, my first of the year. There were several Song Sparrows in a couple of spots, 2 to 3 Fox Sparrows, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

I should have explored the area around the Cypress Circle in Tower Grove Park yesterday. The Saturday WGNSS group found a Louisiana Waterthrush in the creek.

Bird of the day: Fox Sparrow

Saturday, March 19, 2005

I broke my Fox Sparrow record—8 in one flock—twice today, first in Lafayette Park, where I found a flock of 10, and then a few minutes later in Tower Grove Park, where I found a flock of 15!

It was a good birding day. I started at Eagle Marsh and then went on to the 111 side of Horseshoe Lake, where I added American Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal, Horned Grebe, Tree Swallow, and Harlan’s Hawk to my year list. The Harlan’s was soaring with two Red-taileds above fields across the road from Horseshoe. I missed Rusty Blackbirds, either because there were none in the mixed flock of starlings, Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Red-winged Blackbirds in the farm fields on the other side of Hwy. 111 or because I overlooked one lurking amongst the other icterids. While I was peering through my binoculars at a blackbird flock, two Savannah Sparrows caught my eye at the edge of Bruns Rd., near the plantation house.

I didn’t see the Eared Grebe that was reported on Thursday.

I had planned to swing by Forest Park to see whether a Lincoln’s Sparrow had turned up, but it was nearly 1:30 by the time I left TGP.

There was a ghastly crash yesterday in Forest Park where I had seen the Hairy Woodpecker on Thursday. The driver of a car sped down Union, crossed Lindell, and managed to steer into the park past the equestrian statue and demolish the car against a tree. Those brief moments of insanity resulted in the death of an adult passenger and severe injuries to the driver and a five-year-old child who was also in the car. When I walked that way and saw the police cars with their flashing lights and the yellow tape surrounding the area and what remained of the car, I decided that that probably wasn’t the best place to bird at the moment.

A young woman who was walking with her son through the park told me she had heard there was a fatality. We speculated about teen drivers (perhaps remembering our own early years of driving), a stolen car, lack of judgment… Today’s paper, though, gave the age of the driver, a woman, as 46 and the age of the adult passenger, also a woman, as 69 and made no mention of a stolen car. The lack of judgment does seem to apply—why the high speed? Tragic.

St. Pat’s and yesterday’s birds

Thursday, March 17, 2005

This morning in Forest Park, Wood Ducks everywhere—in the water, in the trees. The big treat of the day, though, was a Hairy Woodpecker, a male, out in the open near the equestrian statue, giving me good looks at him.

Yesterday, also in Forest Park, a Red-breasted Nuthatch in a tree near the lake bordered by Hwy. 40/64 was an unexpected sight. I rarely walk along that section of the park, but had been wanting to take a closer look at the pines. Such a big park and so little time to bird.

Complicity

Thursday, March 17, 2005

It was disheartening to come home yesterday from just having heard the bad news about the Senate vote to see an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on the men behind The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession. The three men collectively traveled more than 300,000 miles in 1998 in pursuit of their big year. The article can be found at STLtoday.com.

I haven’t read the book and don’t know where the men stand on conservation. I do know that too many of us who care about environmental protection and conservation squander fuel in the course of our birding. In the March/April edition of Birding, one of the birding-related expenses listed in the evolution of one birder couple’s hobby was the purchase of an SUV. The primary reason I quit using public transportation to get to work most days was that I wanted the freedom driving gave me to go directly to birding spots when I left the office. We are part of the problem and need to reconsider how we participate in our hobby. More thoughts on this another time.

Such a parcel of rogues in a nation

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Today the U.S. Senate voted 51 to 49 against the Cantwell amendment to strike drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the 2006 budget. Although this vote does not mean it is certain that drilling in it will occur, the refuge is clearly in peril.

Most of those voting against the amendment were Republicans and most of those for it, Democrats. The list of rogues is too long for each of those on it to be dishonored by name, but the following 3 Democrats deserve mention:

While googling this afternoon to find reports on the vote, I came across a cynical utterance that could have come straight from the satire of The Onion but instead came from our disgraceful Interior Secretary Gale Norton. She said yesterday:

People have said if you go into ANWR there are going to be drilling rigs right off the beaches of Florida. That is clearly not the case. The president has ordered a moratorium that will protect Florida waters.

So, do we laugh or do we weep?

It’s always good to be reminded of the dangers of demonizing folks simply on the basis of political affiliation (especially after reading a gem like the one above). During my online search, I also came across REP America, the national grassroots organization of Republicans for Environmental Protection, which issued a press release on today’s vote. REP America is worth a visit.

By the way, the following 7 Republicans voted for the amendment (against including drilling in the budget)—they deserve appreciation:

Hawk family

Monday, March 14, 2005

Over the past two months, I’ve been watching the progress of the Forest Park Red-tailed Hawks. On March 3, I saw one of the hawks flying with nesting materials. A day or two later I ran into a person in the park who knew where the nest was being built. Luckily for us hawk watchers, the nest can be viewed with binoculars from a distance.

On March 10, I saw a Red-tail sitting on the nest. And today, as I was leaving work (early, with a cold), I saw one of them fly to and land on the nest.

Friday birds

Friday, March 11, 2005

Forest Park

A Red-tailed Hawk was flying south from the nesting site this morning in Forest Park. In Forest Park there were around a dozen Song Sparrows on the slope behind the river.

Tower Grove Park

There were some scattered pellets beneath the Great Horned Owl roost, but I didn’t see the owl.

Lafayette Park

In addition to juncos and White-throated and Song Sparrows, there were 8 Fox Sparrows in Lafayette Park. That’s the most I’ve seen in a flock. I don’t know whether there are more of them in St. Louis this year or whether I’m just paying closer attention.