In Rapture with Raptors: Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk and White-tailed Kite

[California. March 2016]

Having profiled the Peregrine Falcon in our last post, we continue our rapturous gallop further into raptor territory by profiling an outstanding quartet of birds of prey -- three of which are exclusive to the West Coast:

• Golden Eagle
• Ferruginous Hawk
• White-tailed Kite
• Red-shouldered Hawk

 We start with the Golden Eagle:

The fabled Golden Eagle is just slightly smaller than the Bald Eagle. However, it is much grander in every other trait -- indeed, there is considerable reason this global raptor was used as a symbol of Imperial Rome and continues to feature on the national coat of arms of several countries today.

By reputation, this eagle is probably the most formidable and fearless hunter in the world; capable of bringing down deer and wolves and reported to carry off prey weighing up to 10 lbs. Astonishingly, Golden Eagles have been documented to attack and kill prey like reindeer weighing 150 lbs! No other raptor extant today has these kind of killing credentials. 
 

The Golden Eagle is found in North Africa, Eurasia and North America. In the US, it is found in the West and while it will prey on large animals such as Pronghorn and livestock, its staple diet is small mammals such as hares and ground squirrels. The individual profiled here was observed at Ramona Grasslands near San Diego hunting for ground squirrels [note said rodent in the above image just above the watermark].

If the Golden Eagle exudes majesty, the next raptor is literally named for its regality -- Buteo Regalis:

Ferruginous Hawk seen at Ramona Grasslands

And Buteo Regalis is none other than Ferruginous Hawk -- the largest Hawk in North America and the second largest hawk in the world. It has a wingspan up to 5 feet across and weighs more than twice as much as the Red-shouldered Hawk.

From a regal raptor, we move to a bird of prey that in looks and build has the appearance of being crafted from the finest porcelain: the White-tailed Kite:

This hawk is found in North and South America. Although now relatively common in the Western US, it is easy to forget that it was brought to the point of extinction just 80 years ago in this country by indiscriminate shooting.

This elegant raptor was observed in San Diego at Los Pensaquitos. 

We conclude with a hawk that is found in both the East and the West -- the Red-shouldered Hawk:

Red-shouldered Hawk seen at Santa Teresa

Note that the California race of Red-shouldered Hawk is of bright orange-red coloration (especially on the head and face) -- compare to the much paler Florida race.

If warblers are the butterflies, surely raptors are the Lions of the Avian world. And, there is no better place to see the true "Lion of the Air", the Golden Eagle, with its ferocity and power, than in the Western US.

Bolivar Flats: The World's Fastest Animal

[Bolivar Peninsula, TX. Dec 2015]

It should come as no surprise that we are so immensely proud of all our technological achievements. And rightly so -- without technology, we are easily outrun, outswum, and outpowered -- our ability to survive in the wild without the fruits of technology would be very severely limited indeed.  

In sharp contrast to the human race, our fellow animals on earth seem perfectly capable of thriving in the raw environment of their habitat -- with nothing more than their god-given appendages and faculties. 

Consider, for example, the Peregrine Falcon. Its explosive combination of speed and power makes this falcon one of the deadliest hunters in the animal kingdom. The Peregrine brings down its prey by air-diving in excess of 240 mph and, what is effortlessly accomplished by the sheer natural prowess of this raptor, can only be matched by us through our clever inventions.

The inspiration, therefore, for this post is precisely "the world's fastest animal" -- the Peregrine Falcon -- which was observed on a recent excursion to Galveston County, TX. Driving south from Houston, through Galveston and then by the Port Bolivar-Galveston Ferry to Bolivar Peninsula, we return to the Bolivar Flats Sanctuary; where, in addition to the the highlighted species, this blogger was witness to an eclectic mix of species including:

• Crested Caracara
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Great Blue Heron
• Savannah Sparrow
• Forster's Tern

We start with the falcon:

The Peregrine was observed having seagull for lunch. This falcon is an avid bird hunter and its speed and power is rightfully legendary.

The Peregrine is a global raptor and found on every human-inhabited continent. 

Three Caracara were also observed at this venue -- unlike the Peregrine, these raptors are known mainly to scavenge.

Loggerhead Shrike is also a hunter but, unlike the Caracara and the Peregrine, it is a predatory songbird and not a member of the raptor family.

Also observed were:

Eastern Meadowlark:

And closer to the water, a Great Blue Heron:

The grasslands nearby harbor sparrows such as this Savannah Sparrow:

We conclude with a Forster's Tern:

The animal kingdom harbors creatures that truly personify the Olympics motto of "Citius - Altius - Fortius" [Latin for Faster - Higher - Stronger]. From the Bar-headed Goose that flies at almost 30,000 feet over the Himalayas to the Peregrine Falcon that is the world's fastest animal at over 240 mph, we share this planet with species that inspire our imagination and earn our respect for the superlative powers they possess so effortlessly and naturally.

Estero Llano: Green Kingfisher, White-tipped Dove and Common Pauraque

[Weslaco, TX. Dec 2015]

We have already sung paeans to the spectacular birdlife of Texas. Yet, it will take another blogful of content to cover all the amazing species that were encountered on a recent winter trip to Weslaco.  

Powerless to resist the avian charms that the Lonestar state has to offer, we succumb again to profiling another installment of specialty species from the RGV (Rio Grande Valley) region (observed at Estero Llano Grande SP) -- species such as: 

• Green Kingfisher
• Common Pauraque 
• White-tipped Dove
• Sapsucker
• White-eyed Vireo
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Wilson's Warbler
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Black-and-white Warbler

Kingfishers are notoriously skittish and the best way to get good views is luck:

This stunning male flew in to land on a snag just as this blogger was calling it quits at Estero Llano Grande SP. 

Pursuit is futile in the case of kingfishers and having one come to you, as was the case here, is the good fortune that occasionally will favor the patiently persistent observer.

The next species, however, far from evading the observer, doesn't even move an inch:
 

This is the Common Pauraque -- a Mexican goatsucker (or nightjar) that is also found across Mexico's Northern border into Southern Texas.

And while the Pauraque doesn't evade observation through movement, its highly cryptic plumage means it could very well be evading observation by hiding in plain sight.
 
More conspicuous species included the White-tipped Dove:

This pigeon is a terrestrial forager and its pink legs and delicate beige coloring contrast with the similar sounding, and much more widespread, White-winged Dove.

Other species observed included Yellow-bellied Sapsucker:

White-eyed Vireo:

Estero Llano Grande also harbored a handful of wintering warblers:

Orange-crowned Warbler showed well. Memorably, its namesake feature was captured in the following photo:

Wilson's Warbler:

Black-and-white Warbler:

And finally, Yellow-rumped Warbler:

A kingfisher that takes flight on the slightest pretext and a nightjar that sits stoically motionless seemingly oblivious to its surroundings -- every species in the birding world offers a study in contrasts. And, perhaps, there are few places better to observe these wonders than the RGV region of Southern Texas.

Shorebirds of the Bolivar Peninsula: Long-billed Curlew, American Avocet and Marbled Godwit

[Bolivar Peninsula, TX. Dec 2015]

The US is blessed with 4 coasts -- the Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf and Arctic coasts in descending length of coastline. However, in winter, richness of shorebird life favors the Pacific and Gulf coasts over the Arctic and Atlantic coasts. 

On the Gulf Coast, Florida and Texas are both highly sought-after for their spectacular shorebirds and waders. In this post, we profile a recent trip to Bolivar Flats Sanctuary on the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County, TX, which illustrates precisely why this hotspot is so renowned for world-class shorebirding.

We start with the largest and most imposing of all our shorebirds -- the incomparable Long-billed Curlew:

"Long-billed" is an adjective mostly applied in a relative sense: Long-billed Thrasher has a bill longer than the Brown Thrasher; similarly, Long-billed Dowitcher exceeds Short-billed Dowitcher in bill dimension. Thus, Long-billed Curlew, while obviously accurate in an absolute sense, must also refer to bill superiority in comparison to the other curlews that were once observed in its company, namely the Eskimo Curlew and the Hudsonian Curlew. The Eskimo Curlew, once one of our most abundant shorebirds has long been shot to extinction and the Hudsonian Curlew, while still around, is no longer recognized as a full species and is now classified as a subspecies of Whimbrel. And, compared to their more modestly sized bills, the Long-billed Curlew's bill, which can be more than 8.5" in length, is awesomely massive.

Sadly, the carnage visited on the Eskimo Curlew has not been restricted to it alone. The Long-billed Curlew which in the mid 1800's was still relatively common on the Atlantic Coast in migration has now been extirpated from its former range. It is now best seen on the West Coast as well as the the Gulf Coast but in thinner numbers.    
 

A cursory glance at eBird records over the last 10 years shows that checklists on the Florida coast show sightings of one or two individuals. Compare to Texas, in similar fashion to California, where checklists show high counts of up to 30.

Another large shorebird with a similar plumage pattern:

This is the Marbled Godwit -- immediately recognizable from the curlews due its upturned bill.

Also seen were -- American Avocet:

Wintering plovers such as the threatened Piping Plover:

And Snowy Plover:

As well as common sandpipers such as Dunlin:

Western Sandpiper:

And the ubiquitous Sanderling:

Shorebirds face a dual threat -- conversion of their grassland breeding sites to agriculture and disturbance from beachgoers and their pets at their wintering grounds. Thankfully the menace of market hunting which annihilated shorebird populations in the late 1800's is now largely behind us but new threats abound including environmental degradation (eg., Oil Spills) and food depletion (eg., harvesting of horseshoe crab eggs for bait). Yet, sanctuaries like Bolivar Flats still harbor several signature species, including the incomparable Long-billed Curlew, that offer a glimpse of the former abundance of our shorebirds.