In Pursuit of Damsels!

Damselflies that is! And, of course, their cousins - the Dragonflies - are also included in this passion of mine. For the past 5-6 weeks, I have been derelict in keeping up with this blogging routine. Great summer weather here in Montana is the primary reason for that. These beautiful insects like warmth and sun and we didn't get much of that here until late June. So there have been very few days since then that I have not been out pursuing these "bugs".

In the previous several years that I have been active in this pursuit, I have concentrated on dragonflies, which are larger and more easily identified. But this year, I decided to spend more time catching and photographing damsels. And the rewards of this decision will become obvious when you see their great colors and beauty in the following images.

This Rainbow Bluet is well named, with a great variety of colors. And an Emerald Spreadwing sports sports a front of beautiful green.The Powdered Dancer was first discovered in Montana last summer by Odonate expert and friend Nate Kohler.Sedge Sprites are the tiniest of Montana's damselflies but still quite colorful.American Rubyspots are fairly common on Eastern Montana prairie streams. And that really is a ruby red at the wing base.My favorite species of damsel, and one that I viewed in Montana for the first time this year, are the River Jewelwings. That green iridescence is is really something.If you look closely at the "mouth" area of this one, you can see the remaining parts of a very small Mayfly that it is chowing down on. Please remember that you can click on each photo to enlarge it.

First Day Dragonfly Success!

When my interest in dragonflies materialized and intensified in July 2008, there was one large darner-type species - Common Green Darner - that was one of the few of this group easily identified on the wing. The powder blue coloration on the anterior half of the abdomen of males was unique for darners found in Montana. And it is a very good thing that this coloration made ID easy because my attempts at capturing this species were frustratingly futile, often amusingly so! They are exceedingly fast fliers and have reaction times that are likely measured in milliseconds. A conservative estimate is that I have taken hundreds of swings with my net with nary a single successful one. The only exception to this was a recently emerged one I caught last October, only because it could not yet fly very well.

Our weather has finally warmed up here in Montana, so last Wednesday, I embarked on my first dragonfly day of the year at locality where I had seen many green darners in past years. This species is migratory and is probably the first large dragonfly to appear in Montana. And they were there in numbers when I arrived at the selected pond. Single males patrolling the shoreline were fairly common and I also noted several pairs looking for appropriate sites to lay eggs. And again, my efforts to net these "jet helicopters" were met with much frustration. Close but no cigar!

One of the keys in capturing these bugs seemed to be finding a location along the shoreline where one could hide behind some vegetation to meld into the background. I located such a site on the other side of the pond and settled in for a while, missing the first several opportunities I had. But there were several coupled pairs that I decided to concentrate on because they don't seem to be quite as skittish when they are looking for an appropriate place to deposit eggs on emergent or floating vegetation. And then FINALLY!! A pair came swooping past me and I caught them! Three years of frustration had finally come to an end! Here is a male in hand.After the capture, I placed the male and female separately on some nearby vegetation and they cooperated long enough for me to get some pictures. The females are not quite as colorful as the males, but they are still a handsome creature. And who is complaining? Certainly not me!

As luck would have it, shortly after I finished photographing this couple, another pair landed nearby and I was able to carefully approach within five or so feet on them. But rather than try to capture them, I decided to take some pictures instead. There was no good reason to push my luck!

Camouflage in Birds

The plumage patterns and colors of many bird species certainly do not seem to have evolved to camouflage their presence. Indeed, these aspects of many seem to do just the opposite and flaunt their presence. On a trip to Freezout Lake near Fairfield, MT yesterday, I photographed a species that I don't see too often, and perhaps that is at least partially due to the camouflage pattern of its plumage that very closely mimics the habitat in which it is usually found. The species is the American Bittern. When I first sighted this bird, it was standing with its neck outstretched so that it was not especially difficult to find. But after several minutes, it crouched down in the vegetation and I had to use my binoculars to spot it again, even though it was still in the open. When I drove by the same area several hours later, I could not find the bird again, but a Great Egret with mostly pure white plumage was easily seen.

New "Kid" on the Block

On my morning neighborhood walk yesterday, I encountered a single Eurasian Collared-Dove near my house. This may not sound like much but it is another chapter in the story of the amazing spread of a non-native bird species in the US, and indeed, around the world. In the 19th Century, this dove species was apparently confined mostly to its native range in sub-tropical Asia. In the early 20th Century, it began dispersing into and colonizing Europe and perhaps northern Africa. It reached Germany in the mid-1940's and Great Britain by the mid-1950's. It the mid-1970's it was apparently introduced into the Bahama Islands as part of the pet trade, and escaped into the wild there. By 1982, it was first sighted in Florida. It rapidly progressed across North America and was first reported in Montana in 1997.
On a recent trip to Nebraska and then into the SW States, I was pretty amazed to see these Eurasian Collared-Doves in essentially every small to medium-sized town we passed through. And they were easy to find. In my home stomping grounds, Helena, MT, I first observed this species in 2007, although they certainly could have been present prior to that time. And now for the first time, they are present in my neighborhood.
In the US and perhaps other areas that these doves have colonized, they are almost always associated with human habitation, needing abundant food and trees for nesting. The key to their fast spread may be their prolific breeding habits. Although they usually only lay 2 eggs per nest, they may nest 3 to 4 times per year in northern climates and up to 6 times in warmer areas. It will be interesting to see if they become established as breeders in my neighborhood. These birds have now reached Alaska and will likely spread into South America, if they are not already doing so. It is not known at this time whether or not they compete with native species, but they seem to be filling a niche not occupied by other species.

A Few More Scenery Images

Although the Grand Canyon is obviously my favorite, there are certainly other Arizona locations, and many in Utah, with great scenery. We visited the red rock formations surrounding Sedona, AZ on our way north from the Phoenix Area. One can certainly not quibble with the scenic grandeur of this area. But in spite of the beauty, I was disappointed at the intrusion of housing developments into the scenic views available in much of the countryside.After leaving the Grand Canyon, our next stop on the way north was Marble Canyon and the Vermilion Cliffs. The Colorado River in this canyon is much larger than it appears in this image. Numerous shades of reds dominate the rock formations comprising the Vermilion Cliffs.Our last scenic destination on the trip back to Montana was Bryce Canyon National Park. It had been perhaps 20 years since we last visited this area and it was high on our list for a return visit. We arrived there late in the afternoon, and by the time we found a motel and reached the park, it was approaching sunset. This is a high elevation area and there was lots of snow remaining and little in the way of young vegetation emerging from winter dormancy. But the scenery was as beautiful as ever. Too bad we did not have time to do some hiking among the "voodoos".
There are several other exquisite National Parks on our list of places to visit in Utah, but they will have to wait for another day.

More Arizona Birds

While the scenery in much of Arizona is some of my favorite in the US, the Avifauna there is also hard to beat. Here are more examples of some pretty neat birds I encountered in Arizona in April!

These Gambel's Quail are probably my favorites! Only rarely can you find them sitting still or perched at a close enough distance for reasonable photo opportunities. At Lost Dutchman State Park east of Apache Junction, AZ, they are on the tame side likely because they are used to many people around. I found a bench out along a desert trail there and sat quietly for a while until these birds hopped up on nearby vegetation and posed for me.
Cactus wrens are usually fairly tame, but this double was an unusual opportunity.
As were these mourning doves sitting on an Ocotilla stem!
Costa's Hummingbirds were pretty common at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.
Cardinals were more accommodating than usual at the same location.
Scott's Orioles had just begun to arrive in AZ while we were there in early April.
Broad-billed Hummers were hitting the feeders frequently at a number of locations.
Black-throated Sparrows are one of my favorites of this group. This was posed for me at the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area.
Vermilion Flycatcher's are always an eye-catcher. There is something about those birds species with all of that red plumage!!
These Mexican Ducks are actually a sub-species of the Mallard where the male does not get the fancy breeding plumage.
Bird photography sure does add to my enjoyment of being outdoors!

Portal & Cave Creek, AZ: I Love This Place!

Every birder likely has their favorite or at least a list of favorite birding location(s). In my case, the criteria for selecting these areas is often a bit fuzzy. But in the lower 48 states outside of Montana, one particular area usually always rises to the top of the list for me - the Chircahua Mountains of SE Arizona and more specifically Cave Creek and the area around the small berg of Portal. The lower portions of this area are quite dry, but as elevation increases - to over 9,000' - vegetation in the form of trees becomes prevalent. There were still patches of snow visible when we visited in early April. The mid-elevation portions are mostly an oak/conifer/grassland type. The riparian areas along Cave Creek and its South Fork are dominated by sycamore trees. Their splotchy white and gray bark mimics in tone the aspen and birch we have in northern climes, but their growth pattern is quite different.The rock formations in the highlands are especially colorful at sunrise and sunset. The small town of Portal, with perhaps several hundred residents, has lodging and eating facilities available which Kathy and I utilized this year.Excellent birding is available on a morning walk in town and on adjacent roads. This phainopepla male was eying me from the river bridge.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are always fun to watch as they flit through the trees gleaning insects from branches.
And then there are the abundant Cactus Wrens. They are always verbose in their efforts to assert territorial boundaries and attract mates.
Hutton's Vireos are a species I don't have much experience with but this one managed to pose a few seconds for me.
Acorn woodpeckers were quite abundant among the sycamore trees in town.
Mexican Jays seemed to be everywhere from low to at least mid-elevations.
Curve-billed Thrashers were perched up on shrubs early in the morning singing their melodious songs . There are literally hundreds of other species to be viewed and photographed in this wonderful portion of SE Arizona. Rest assured, I shall return!