I has been a very long time since I was “birded out”. After three solid weeks of birding through the southeast, I have to admit I’m probably there. I’ve walked nearly a third of the miles I usually run in a month and that is saying A LOT. Was it worth it…well, I was sitting at 240 for the Average Year when we embarked on the migration trek and thanks to some unexpected good fortune before we even made it to Dauphin Island, the count now sits at 292. For those that have been following along, yes, that is a mere 8 little birdies away from the initial goal – and only 4 months in. Unfortunately, The Beast developed a glitch and my rotator on my previously repaired shoulder feels like a knife stab on every training run stride.
Gear can be fixed and pain eventually subsides, you’re really here to see the incredible feathered feature of the day!
Eh, to be honest, this one is not that incredible and thanks to an unexpected surprise, it isn’t even a new bird to the blog. At least it has a cute crest. Could be worse, there were a few little brown jobbers in the queue ha.
The intent was to focus on the background for this rather drab looking birdy per the norm with new checks on the life list. Processed all the pics, added them to the new post, went to add the tags and “what is this..the Juniper Titmouse tag is already in my history” Sure enough, Juni made its appearance back in August 2014 (from a trip back in Nov 2012) – link here.
Hit the jump to see more of this bird that will NEVER make it into Linda’s tin. She has a strict policy of only tinning the colorful ones.
I really need to keep better tabs on my bird tracker. Double checked and there it was, found at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area located in Las Vegas, NV. Not even that far from where this series was taken. Admittedly, better execution this time.
Maybe 10 minutes further out on NV-159 is a place called Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. Technically in Blue Diamond. Yes, this happens to be the exact same place and the exact same visit we finally found the Acorn Woodpecker (link here). Now that was an incredible bird, but it does NOT have a cute fluffy crest.
Spring Mountain Ranch SP is a fun place to bird. There is a “screw the out-of-towner” entrance fee that puts pressure on me to get something worthwhile in the tin. Goal is to keep my per-bird check costs under 5 bucks. There are allowances, of course, for seeing some new behavior, offspring or interesting sightings sans feathers. At $15 for out of state plates (only $10 for locals) that would put a target count of at least 3. Per my Acorn post you are probably asking yourself, doesn’t the repeat visit mean you are $30 invested…sigh, yes.
The Acorn was worth a solid 2 tins due to the rarity and I did catch a few additional birds beyond Tits here. I’m not ready to ruin the surprise on those others yet (stay tuned), but the final tally for this monochrome bird comes in ~$7. Did I mention it has a very cute crest…Let’s give the readers a peek or should that be a peak ..thank you, here all week.
For the record, with the local variety, Tufted (link here), and the Black-Crested (link here), I am now only missing the Oak species. That will be on the list if we ever make it to California unless I can get Jet to mail me one (link here). In case you are wondering, the rear isn’t any more interesting – grey layered on grey complete with grey highlights and a nice splash of grey to round out the grey. Have I mentioned it has a cute crest!?!
Will leave you with some quick comments on Spring Mountain Ranch. This was once a working ranch and an elite resort once owned by Howard Hughes and some German actress name Vera Krupp. Did some intense research (as in a quick DuckDuckGo search) and found out she was the victim of a famous theft back in 1959 (link here). There are several buildings preserved for viewing with volunteers ready to answer any questions you might have… as long as it has nothing to do with birds in which case the answer you get back is “I like birds”. I looked at Linda to see if I missed something in translation…nope, we just nodded and moved on. There is a large picnic area complete with grills and several walking trails. The northern trails takes you past a small pond, a large fenced off lake due to the endangered Pahrump Poolfish (link here) and then up to a nice viewing area. I did wonder how the flock of Ducks and Coots on the lake were enjoying their Pahrump delicacies. The southern trail takes you through the grove of Ash trees and the spring that led to the name – that particular hike was covered in the Acorn Woodpecker post.
We enjoyed our time there although we could have done without the chilly 70mph wind gusts coming out of the mountains. Definitely gave some extra height to the Juniper’s cute crest…wait, did I mention the crest ha.
Brad is currently out on assignment so you’ll be with me at least until he gets back. Promise I’ll find a more “colorful” bird for the next one.
Wildlife Intrigued 
I hear this one has a cute crest? Just like it’s Midwest cousin. I’ll cross this one off my homework list for Red Rocks later this year.
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That’s what I hear as well ha. At least our Midwest variety has some colorful accents on the sides. I would still try to find one when you are out at Red Rocks (or Spring Mountain Ranch) for your own tick, it will just not be a required component of your annual performance review.
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Ooh, just had a shudder hearing that phrase again, annual…too scarey to repeat it.
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Ran with a buddy from work (Ryan) Sat and he was commenting on the eye-opening process of going through his first performance reviews as a first time people-manager. Just hammers home how great retirement is right!
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Precisely! And the annual review process and software changed…again. Don’t miss that at all. Wait, what is Intrigued’s process?
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Very complicated and involves very expensive software that never works.
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Been there, done that. I’ll take the “3” and 1.00 STIP please.
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Ah, the seasoned worker – take the middle ground because anything higher isn’t worth the effort. I still remember one year in my organization where they asked everyone to come up with a new technology idea and submit for a prize.. the prize ended up being if you were selected you had to spend the next 4 months holding meetings, writing up papers, doing cost analysis then pitching the idea to upper management only to have more meetings etc. if they liked it. Justification was this allowed individuals to get exposure to upper management (obviously thought the staff was motivated by that)…next year.. ZERO submissions hehehe.
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I remember one of those, sponsored by the Dept. heads, and then when the presentations were complete, they rejected it, saying none of them ever asked for it. I was proud of myself because I bit my tongue at the time. Then I commented vociferously to the project sponsor afterwards, whom suggested it in the first place.
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Not surprising AT ALL … how I don’t miss those days
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Forgot to mention that I presume the “oak” will be added to my assignment for CA this fall?
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Yes, yes it is along with some more shots of the Acorn Woodpecker.
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Hopefully we can scare one up where we are visiting. How do I expense memory cards again?
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Umm, well, hmmm, look at the time ha.
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What a cute little bird. Birded out eh? It happens to the best of you all.
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Hoping it is just momentary and passes soon, there’s is still some migrating birds I need to snap before they make it through the area. More concerned about The Beast – has been a workhorse over the many years, but I think all the beach time has resulted in some sand infiltration. Hoping a good professional cleaning will dislodge it (can actually hear it grinding in the focus ring). If not, might be time for a manufacturing refurbish. Fingers crossed it isn’t something serious, those babies are a bit pricey.
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Sand sucks. We have lots of dust and sand out here. All beach no water. I get weather sealed lenses that have really held up well against the elements.
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All our glass is sealed as well – nice not having to worry when we get caught in the rain.. unfortunately I’ve been in some nasty sandstorms in Texas as of late and somehow it made it into the outer manual focus ring – has a slight grind if I quickly move it back and forth. The autofocus wave motor is having problems with unexpected resistance. Will be taking a quick trip to Chicago when we get back to get it some needed care and tenderness – fingers crossed.
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The dust and sand out here are major problems with everything.
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Still finding sand in unexpected places from our recent Florida trip ha.
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We have a permanent layer of dust and sand in everything out here.
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I bet you do…may contribute to your wonderful sunrises and sunsets.
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Absolutely.
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What a lovely little thing! 🐦
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Thank you Luisella – not the most colorful bird I’ve featured (unless you are fond of grey ha), but the prominent crest does give it a lot of character. Should have mentioned in the post they tend to hang out deep in the Juniper trees making it rather difficult to actually get a shot – this one made it easy on me and popped down on the ground in front of me. Glad you enjoyed and appreciate you dropping in!
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Little grey job, cute crest though.
52 new year ticks, that’s enough to keep you posting for, oh, several years 😉
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That crest is about all it has going for it ha. 52 divided by 6 (carry the one, create a new math matrix, solve for ‘x’, invert and divide by zero), looks like at least 9 months of solid dedication …yeah, you are right, thinking at least 2 to 3 years ha. To my credit, my last two posts were only from a month ago so there is some definite improvement. I’m committed to doing my best to get all the interesting finds out early, we will see how that goes. Oh, and Brad’s queue is filling up nicely as well so maybe 3 to 4 years. Take care B.! Hope the weather improves for you over there.
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Careful, sometimes that pain doesn’t really go away 😳. I always wait for it to subside, but… I have about 10 days before my swamp days are over for most of this year. With luck to return quickly after a new back is screwed in. Might actually switch to lighter gear 😂😁😂.
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True, still hoping this isn’t serious enough to cause too many worries – I knew when the shoulder had to be repaired the first time and this is definitely not at that level of intense pain. Good luck on that back – that is the one area I hope I never have trouble with – critical for everything I do – ultras, gym time, countering The Beast weight. Now lighter gear is an excellent thought – the latest version of my glass is significantly lighter (and has a built in 1.4 tele). Depending on what is wrong with The Beast I might find myself looking into that – dreading the cost of that thing eeeesh. Take care and don’t rush the recovery, you need time to get that healed up correctly.
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Thanks. No rush on this one for sure.
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The titmice we see here in SW FL have darker and lighter gray and white markings. This one is cute, though! Hope you feel better, Brian. On the bright side, you are way ahead of schedule in the number of birds you have already photographed this year. Take care of yourself! ❤
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Pretty sure you have the Tufted variety down there (same as us here in the Midwest). They definitely have a lot more coloring that the Juniper – if you even look close you will notice some pretty orange tinging on the sides of their breast which make them even cuter – I also like the little black patch right above their bill that often goes unnoticed). I think I just need a bit of rest (from carrying around The Beast) and everything will be fine – unfortunately, the training must go on so that wont help. Thanks for dropping in!
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I personally have a week spot for the understated beauty of the gray, white, and black birds, whether or not they have a crest. 😊
Nice crisp images of this cutie.
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Thank you Tanja. The Grey’s of the world appreciate your fondness! You have to admit, the crest makes this bird hehehe. Appreciate you dropping in – I promise I’ll be bringing you more color in future posts.
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I meant to write “weak” spot, of course, not “week spot,” but the spellcheck didn’t see a problem with my statement. 🙂
I look forward to more of your birds, be they gray or more colorful!
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No worries, I translated – my spell/syntax checker has been missing a lot lately – thankfully Brad catches most of my mistakes pretty early and I can get those fixed before too many people see it. I brought some more color as of late, but the current plans are to close out the month with a bit more gray. It is Warbler season so hopefully I’ll have some bursts of color to bring you in May.
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Looking forward to spring migrants, regardless in what color they come. 😊
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I like this little guy! That deeply divided chest just looking to be filled up with juicy berries, that silvery bib that glistens subtly in the diffuse lighting, that buffy-gray wing that perfectly emulates a dead leaf… this little guy makes gray look good!
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Another fan of Mr. (or Mrs.) Grey! Not sure if it was berries or simply puffing itself up from the surprisingly cold day – the 70mph wind gusts were likely the reason it was staying on the ground for me. Admittedly, I didn’t notice the chest crease until you pointed it out – paired nicely with the crest ha. I’ll be bringing you more color in upcoming posts. Take care and have a great week of birding.
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What a very cute little bird, and also a new titmouse to me!
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Glad I could introduce you to this new Titmouse Donna. Not the most visually stunning of the mice (guessing you have the Tufted variety out there), but as you noted, quite cute. Apparently the Oak Titmouse is equally washed in grey – I now have that on my list of must haves the next time we make it to their region. As always, appreciate you stopping by and joining the conversation.
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And congrats on your 292 count four months into this year, WOWZA! Keep on going!!
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Thank you Donna, a little shocked knowing how much I had to work to get to this point last year – think it was in December before I crested over 290. Things are slowing down a bit as you would expect, but the Warblers are still on their way up here to the Midwest and I still need a few of those checks. Also have some regular summer birds here I just need to get out and get. Appreciate the encouragement.
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I like when you say Brad is out on assignment, he is the roving reporter. 🙂 Well, I think I am birded out as well. The last week we were there, we said we are going to just stay home for the week and not go walking anymore. Well, then we went out again and again and still saw new birds. Have you photographed a Bobolink? I had never heard of this one and saw it one day back by fort Gaines. I took a horrible photo of it and wasn’t sure how I was going to find the name of it. But husband is becoming an expert with the Merlin app and can find just about anything. He is officially a birder now. 🙂
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Sort of a roving reporter. I try to capture whatever wildlife we find during family vacations. We just happen to vacation in some very photogenic places.
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Love it and I do love looking at other people’s photos from their adventures like yours and David’s. Get some great ideas of where to go. Well, your photos I just admire. I am not much for traveling to other countries. That is why you are called the roving reporter, take us to places far far away. 😊
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Sort of like the old Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom show. Marlin Perkins would send out Jim Fowler to all the dangerous places and he’d sit back in the studio, feet propped up and say a few words to the camera taking credit for the capture. I have photographed a Bobolink before. We head up to a place in Spring Grove, IL called Glacial Park that seems to attract a few every year. We didn’t see one on Dauphin while we were there, that was a good find. Sounds like your husband is becoming quite the birder as well – a fellow birder calls them SOBs…Spouse of a Birder. I heavily rely on Linda to get me to the right place and now has become an expert eBird user telling me each morning over breakfast what the latest finds are in the area. Like your husband, I think she has become a true birder ha. Thanks for dropping by Sandra and sharing your Dauphin experiences.
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