Shipman's field notes, Aug 2015

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2015-08-08: NM: Socorro County
Notable: Wood Duck
2015-08-12: NM: Socorro County
Notable: Wood Duck; Willet
2015-08-15: NM: Socorro County
Notable: Solitary Sandpiper
2015-08-16: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch
2015-08-22: NM: Socorro County
Notable: Ring-necked Pheasant; Solitary Sandpiper; Baird's Sandpiper; Olive-sided Flycatcher
2015-08-28: NM: Socorro County

2015-08-08: NM: Socorro County

Notable: Wood Duck

@BdA: Bosque del Apache NWR

@FMRd: Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

@SAnt: San Antonio area

@Seas: Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

@SocCo: Socorro County

@sito: San Antonio: 11th St, Miera Road, San Antonito Road

Route

1105, Luis Lopez.

1135, San Antonio.

1200, Bosque del Apache.

1220, afoot on the Seasonal Road.

1330, rolling.

1535, San Antonito loop.

Duck, Wood 1♀ @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

By the Seasonal Road, in the large east-west channel just a short hop north of the pump house.

Mallard # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Teal, Cinnamon # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Quail, Gambel's # @San Antonio area

Turkey, Wild 10 @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Grebe, Pied-billed # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Egret, Great # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Snowy # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Heron, Green 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Night-Heron, Black-crowned 1a @Bosque del Apache NWR

In the Old Rookery, in the reeds on the west side.

Vulture, Turkey # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Hawk, Swainson's

1 @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

1 @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Kestrel, American

2♀ @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

1♂ @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Sora # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Coot, American # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Killdeer

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

# @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Sandpiper, Spotted 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

The sandpiper is just behind the duck.

Collared-Dove, Eurasian # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Roadrunner, Greater

# @San Antonio area

# @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Phoebe, Black 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Phoebe, Say's # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

I saw at least four different individuals that all had the same oddly forked tail. Perhaps their rectrix molts are all happening at the same time.

Kingbird, Western # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

raven sp. # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Swallow, Cliff # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Swallow, Barn

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

# @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Robin, American # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Mockingbird, Northern # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Starling, European # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Yellowthroat, Common

# @Bosque del Apache NWR

# @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

In addition to the many birds I heard singing, I actually found this one by looking at the reeds near the pump house on the Seasonal Road. I rarely see this species; I felt lucky.

Towhee, Spotted # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Sparrow, Lark 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Sparrow, Black-throated # @San Antonio: 11th St, Miera Road, San Antonito Road

Grosbeak, Blue

1 @San Antonio area

1 @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Blackbird, Red-winged # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

The first two photos show the bird holding a tiny yellow spider.

Meadowlark, Western # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Vocalizations: 'hey keed wyko-wykit'

Grackle, Great-tailed # @Bosque del Apache NWR: Seasonal Road

Finch, House # @San Antonio: 11th St, Miera Road, San Antonito Road

Sparrow, House # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

2015-08-12: NM: Socorro County

Notable: Wood Duck; Willet

@BdA: Bosque del Apache NWR

@FMRd: Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

@SocCo: Socorro County

Route

1745, Luis Lopez.

1820, Bosque del Apache.

Battle of the Antiques: I bought my 900mm rig (actually 600m with the DX multiplier) in 1980; my Questar 700mm f/8 mirror is even older, 1978. The latter has been a disappointment: it is sharp enough, but quite slow (more like f/11 due to the central obstruction), and does not deliver a lot of contrast.

Today's contest was between the 900mm rig with a D300 at 12Mpx, and the Questar which is effectively 1050mm with the DX multiplier, on a 24Mpx (D7200) body. There are a number of direct comparison sets, shots of the same bird from the same position. Mouse over the thumbnails: frame numbers in the 2015-08-12-0xxx series are the 1050mm rig and the -7xxx series are the 900mm rig. Does the extra 17% focal length on twice as many pixels give a better image? You be the judge.

Duck, Wood 2♀ @Bosque del Apache NWR

Where the North Loop changes from one-way to two-way, at the near end of the channel that extends eastward from there. Same place I saw one female on 2015-08-08.

Mallard # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Grebe, Pied-billed # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Great # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Snowy # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Cattle # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Night-Heron, Black-crowned 1a @Bosque del Apache NWR

Southwest corner of the Display Pond, close to the entrance booth.

Ibis, White-faced 5 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Hawk, Red-tailed 1a @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

First three photos, 1050mm rig; rest, 900mm rig.

Kestrel, American

1♂ @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

1♀ @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Killdeer

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

A nearly full-frame, backlit shot from the 1050mm rig. Note the classic mirror-lens donuts.

# @Bosque del Apache NWR

Avocet, American 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sandpiper, Spotted 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Willet 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Southwest corner of the Display Pond, close to the entrance booth.

First two shots, 1050mm; rest 900mm.

Yellowlegs, Lesser 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Southwest corner of the Display Pond, close to the entrance booth.

First four shots 1050mm, rest 900mm.

Collared-Dove, Eurasian # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Roadrunner, Greater # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Phoebe, Say's # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Kingbird, Western

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

# @Bosque del Apache NWR

First three shots 1050mm, rest 900mm. I'm not convinced on this bird's ID. It's awfully yellow below and the bill seemed large for a Western. The tail doesn't seem to have the classic white outer rectrices, but the flight shot shows one feather that might be white but it might be a trick of the light.

Sparrow, Lark # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Grosbeak, Blue # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Blackbird, Red-winged # @Bosque del Apache NWR

I belive this is a juvenile Red-winged Blackbird based on its habitat (cattails) and the generally streaky plumage. The bill is still growing.

2015-08-15: NM: Socorro County

Notable: Solitary Sandpiper

@BdA: Bosque del Apache NWR

@SocCo: Socorro County

Duck, Wood 5 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Today they were on the west side of the North Loop right where it goes from one-way to two-way.

Mallard # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Turkey, Wild 4 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Heron, Great Blue # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Great # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Snowy # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Cattle # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Heron, Green 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Night-Heron, Black-crowned

The Old Rookery.

2a @Bosque del Apache NWR

The Old Rookery.

4i @Bosque del Apache NWR

The Old Rookery.

Ibis, White-faced # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Harrier, Northern 1ϕ @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sora # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Killdeer # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Avocet, American 2 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sandpiper, Spotted 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sandpiper, Solitary 1-2 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Yellowlegs, Lesser 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sandpiper, Western 3 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Dove, Mourning # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Roadrunner, Greater # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Phoebe, Black # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Chat, Yellow-breasted # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Actually saw one bird, in addition to hearing many more calling.

Sparrow, Lark # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Grosbeak, Blue # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Blackbird, Red-winged # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Grackle, Great-tailed # @Bosque del Apache NWR

2015-08-16: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch

Thrasher, Curve-billed 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch

2015-08-22: NM: Socorro County

Notable: Ring-necked Pheasant; Solitary Sandpiper; Baird's Sandpiper; Olive-sided Flycatcher

@BdA: Bosque del Apache NWR

@FMRd: Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

@SAnt: San Antonio area

@SocCo: Socorro County

@WC: Magdalenas: Water Canyon

@WCRd: Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

@road1: US-60^W: Socorro to Water Canyon Road

@road2: US-60^E: Water Canyon to Socorro

Route

1020, leave Socorro.

1040, Water Canyon Road.

1115, Water Canyon.

1130, walked to Trail 13 parking lot and back.

1305, rolling out.

1330, Water Canyon Road.

1420, US-60^E.

1450, Luis Lopez and Farm-Market Road.

1510, San Antonio.

1520, Bosque del Apache NWR. South loop, using the “South Seasonal Road” which we used to call “the northbound part of the South Loop.” Almost all the shorebird action was here, except for a bit in the southwest corner of the Display Pond.

Mallard # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Teal, Cinnamon # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Quail, Gambel's # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Pheasant, Ring-necked 1♂ @Bosque del Apache NWR

Near the Flight Deck.

Not rare thirty years ago, but pretty hard to find in the last ten.

Turkey, Wild # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Grebe, Pied-billed 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Heron, Great Blue # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Great # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Snowy # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Cattle 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Vulture, Turkey # @US-60^E: Water Canyon to Socorro

Hawk, Swainson's 2 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Kestrel, American 1 @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Sora # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Vocalizations: Whinny call heard all over, but a lot less frequently than last week.

Coot, American # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Killdeer # @Bosque del Apache NWR

The first photo shows a size comparison with Baird's Sandpiper. In the third shot, the Baird's in the top right corner and a Least Sandpiper on the bottom left.

Sandpiper, Solitary 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sandpiper, Western # @Bosque del Apache NWR

In the fifth shot, the bird at the lower right is a Least Sandpiper. In the last frame, a Baird's Sandpiper is on the right.

Sandpiper, Least 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

In the fifth photo, Baird's Sandpiper in the top right corner, Killdeer center. In the sixth photo, Western Sandpiper in the top left corner.

Sandpiper, Baird's 2 @Bosque del Apache NWR

The first frame shows a size comparison with Killdeer; in the second, Killdeer in the center and Least Sandpiper in the lower left corner; and in the third, compare to the Western Sandpiper on the left.

Since it is about Western-sized, what alerted me to its rarity? The rich golden ground color of the breast made me look more closely. The sharply defined black and white diamond pattern in the center of the upper back is characteristic. I'd decided on Baird's even before I noticed that the folded wings extended beyond the tail; this character shows most clearly in the third, fourth, sixth, and penultimate photos.

Collared-Dove, Eurasian # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Dove, White-winged 1 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

Getting to be regular around the houses at the canyon mouth.

Dove, Mourning

# @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

The new 600mm rig is delivering a lot of shots like this one, with drop-dead gorgeous detail and color. The image beyond the thumbnail is scaled down 1:3 from a 2045 x 2259 crop of the original.

1 @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Woodpecker, Acorn 2 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

Flycatcher, Olive-sided 1 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

I'm still working out whether it is worth the effort to carry my heavy old 900mm rig. All the shots of this obliging and patient flycatcher were taken from the same two positions. The ones with frame numbers in the 1xxx series are the new 600mm rig, and the 7xxx series is the old 900mm with the old (D300) body. I know which one I think delivered the sharper images; what do you think?

Wood-Pewee, Western # @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

Phoebe, Black # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Phoebe, Say's

1 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

I noted earlier how all the Say's Phoebes around the Luis Lopez – Bosque del Apache orbit seemed to have deeply forked tails. This bird near the mouth of Water Canyon shows it too.

1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Kingbird, Western

# @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Five birds in one stretch of wire looks to me like migration.

1 @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Shrike, Loggerhead 2 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Scrub-Jay, Western 5 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

raven sp. 1 @US-60^W: Socorro to Water Canyon Road

Raven, Chihuahuan # @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Swallow, Barn # @US-60^W: Socorro to Water Canyon Road

Nuthatch, White-breasted # @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

Bluebird, Western # @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Robin, American # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

This immature bird was sitting on a fence in the east-west section of Farm-Market Road; its parent was nervously flitting around nearby. Looks like a pretty local bird to me. This is scaled way down; the original shows feather hairs in those white-striped feathers at the shoulder. I love a bird that isn't old enough to fear humans yet.

Warbler, Yellow 1 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

Another demonstration of the new 600mm rig's great utility as a warbler machine. The range is about 15-20 yards, up in the middle of a tree. I couldn't see the bird all that well; I just shot whenever it seemed to be in focus. The results clearly show the yellow undertail and the pale eyering of this female bird.

Sparrow, Chipping

# @Magdalenas: Water Canyon

The plumage in the first three photos always throws me. There's not much to go by in the underparts; just a gray background and thin dark streaks. The third shot shows the crown; is that a light median line, or is it just the way he combed his feathers this morning? I'm going with Chipping because it seems to have a dark eyeline both anterior and posterior to the eye (although not so much in the second shot), and because the bill looks long for a Brewer's.

# @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

The crown of the bird in the first photo seems to be in transition.

Sparrow, Lark # @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

In the first photo, the Lark Sparrow is on the middle strand of barbed wire, first bird on the left.

Bunting, Lark 100 @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Big flocks of these on the road not far from US-60. Six days later I traveled the length of Water Canyon Road and found zero buntings, zero Spizella, and only three Lark Sparrows.

Grosbeak, Blue # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Blackbird, Red-winged # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Grackle, Great-tailed 1 @San Antonio area

2015-08-28: NM: Socorro County

@BdA: Bosque del Apache NWR

@FMRd: Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

@SAnt: San Antonio area

@Soc: Socorro

@SocCo: Socorro County

@WCRd: Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Route

0940, leave Socorro.

0950, Luis Lopez, Farm-Market Road.

1025, San Antonio.

1105, Bosque del Apache NWR.

1315, Farm-Market Road northbound.

1500, Water Canyon Road.

First field test of my old lens (300mm x 2) on the new D7200 body. Very frustrating as I couldn't find many subjects, even at the refuge!

Quail, Gambel's # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Heron, Great Blue # @Bosque del Apache NWR

I haven't noticed the odd periodic pattern on the back of this bird's neck. Late immature?

Egret, Great # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Vulture, Turkey # @Socorro

Kestrel, American

1 @Socorro

2♀ @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

2♂ @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

1u @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

2♀ @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

2♂ @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Sora # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Vocalizations: Heard calling.

Coot, American # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sandpiper, Western 6 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sandpiper, Least 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Collared-Dove, Eurasian

# @Socorro

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Dove, Mourning

1 @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

# @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Roadrunner, Greater # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Phoebe, Black # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Phoebe, Say's # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Kingbird, Western

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

# @Bosque del Apache NWR

raven sp. # @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Raven, Chihuahuan

1 @Socorro

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Swallow, Cliff # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Swallow, Barn

# @Socorro

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

# @San Antonio area

Mockingbird, Northern

1 @Socorro

1 @San Antonio area

Starling, European # @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

Chat, Yellow-breasted # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sparrow, Brewer's # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sparrow, Lark

# @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

# @Magdalenas: Water Canyon Road

Sparrow, Black-throated 1 @San Antonio area

Grosbeak, Blue

1 @Luis Lopez: Farm-Market Road

1♀ @Bosque del Apache NWR

I had time for only one shot, but what a shot.

Blackbird, Red-winged # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Finch, House

# @San Antonio area

1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sparrow, House 2 @San Antonio area