[EBB Sightings] close encounters of the bird kind

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C50E85.72193120
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I had another stupendous day at Huck yesterday, but this time my binocs
came in handy.  Top of the list, a large (female?) golden eagle, perched
on the power tower, across-canyon in Sibley; from this perspective,
eagles are impossible to distinguish from power-tower struts by the
naked eye. Confirming their presence at this regular site is one reason
that I will lug my binocs along the trail. On an auditory note, wrentits
were singing their duets. They reminded me of my old friends the cranes,
who also have a male/female component to their "song". I had a long and
delightfully unimpeded look at a varied thrush, one of my favorite
birds, and normally quite shy. The quorking of ravens alerted me to
their presence nearby. When I searched, I discovered a glossy black bird
perched above and behind me in a madrone. When I glassed him, I saw him
perform a very interesting display: the raven had fluffed the feathers
of his mantle,  turning his head into a fuzzy black snowball. He was
crouched, with his neck extended, making a soft and steady stream of
clicks, and tossing his head while doing so, almost as if he was trying
to dislodge something from his throat. Bernd Heinrich ("Ravens in
Winter") calls it a "choking, fuzzy-headed display", and it is
apparently sexual in nature.
 
Since I had really gone into Huck to take some botany/mushroom photos
(and lugged in way too much equipment), these birds were deliciously
gratuitous. BTW, who knew that a Swainson's sighting here would be so
controversial? I hear them singing in Huck often (although not yet this
year) and I have also seen yellow-mouthed, ultra-tame fledges in there,
so it is a breeding site as well. 
 
On a brief botanical note, the rare Western Leatherwood is still
blooming in the Preserve, but now its slightly faded, pendulous yellow
flowers (they bloom at the tip of naked branches) are accompanied by
petite, green leaves. They look for all the world like tiny,
green-winged fairies.
 
Spring has sprung, so get out there and revel in the glory.
 
Debbie Viess

------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C50E85.72193120
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" =
xmlns:st1=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" =
xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">

charset=3Dus-ascii">


namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
 name=3D"PersonName"/>
 
  
 
 
  Clean
  Clean
  DocumentEmail
  
  MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
 
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
 /* Style Definitions */
 p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
	{mso-style-parent:"";
	margin:0in;
	margin-bottom:.0001pt;
	mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";
	mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
	{color:blue;
	text-decoration:underline;
	text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
	{color:purple;
	text-decoration:underline;
	text-underline:single;}
span.EmailStyle17
	{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
	mso-style-noshow:yes;
	mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
	mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;
	font-family:Arial;
	mso-ascii-font-family:Arial;
	mso-hansi-font-family:Arial;
	mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;
	color:navy;}
span.SpellE
	{mso-style-name:"";
	mso-spl-e:yes;}
span.GramE
	{mso-style-name:"";
	mso-gram-e:yes;}
 at page Section1
	{size:8.5in 11.0in;
	margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
	mso-header-margin:.5in;
	mso-footer-margin:.5in;
	mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
	{page:Section1;}
-->
 /* Style Definitions */=20
 table.MsoNormalTable
	{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
	mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
	mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
	mso-style-noshow:yes;
	mso-style-parent:"";
	mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
	mso-para-margin:0in;
	mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
	mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
	font-size:10.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";}

style=3D'tab-interval:.5in'>


style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I had another stupendous day at =
Huck
yesterday, but this time my binocs came in =
handy.  Top of the list, a large =
(female?) golden
eagle, perched on the power tower, across-canyon in Sibley; from this
perspective, eagles are impossible to distinguish from power-tower =
struts by
the naked eye. Confirming their presence at this regular site is one =
reason
that I will lug my binocs along the trail. =
On an
auditory note, wrentits were singing their =
duets. They
reminded me of my old friends the cranes, who also have a male/female =
component
to their “song”. I had a long and delightfully unimpeded =
look at a varied
thrush, one of my favorite birds, and normally quite shy. The quorking of ravens alerted me to their presence =
nearby.
When I searched, I discovered a glossy black bird perched above and =
behind me
in a madrone. When I glassed him, I saw him =
perform a
very interesting display: the raven had fluffed the feathers of his =
mantle,  turning his
head into a fuzzy black snowball. He was crouched, with his neck =
extended,
making a soft and steady stream of clicks, and tossing his head while =
doing so,
almost as if he was trying to dislodge something from his throat. Bernd =
Heinrich
(“Ravens in Winter”) calls it a =
“choking,
fuzzy-headed display”, and it is apparently sexual in =
nature.


style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> 


style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Since I had really gone into Huck =
to take
some botany/mushroom photos (and lugged in way too much equipment), =
these birds
were deliciously gratuitous. BTW, who knew that a Swainson’s
sighting here would be so controversial? I hear them singing in Huck =
often (although
not yet this year) and I have also seen yellow-mouthed, ultra-tame =
fledges in
there, so it is a breeding site as =
well. 


style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> 


style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>On a brief botanical note, the rare
Western Leatherwood is still blooming in the Preserve, but now its =
slightly
faded, pendulous yellow flowers (they bloom at the tip of naked =
branches) are
accompanied by petite, green leaves. They look for all the
world like tiny, green-winged fairies.


style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> 


style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Spring has sprung, so get out there =
and
revel in the glory.


style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> 


face=3DArial>Debbie =
Viess





------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C50E85.72193120--