I had a wonderful time birding Ransom Canyon this afternoon and evening. I went
specifically to see the Great Horned Owls and they did not disappoint. Other
highlights included both a Curved-billed and Brown Thrasher, a male Spotted
Towhee, a singing Bewick’s Wren, and both male and female Common Mergansers
(although all of the waterfowl liked to be on the opposite side of the water no
matter where I moved to).
On a non-bird note, watching a very large raccoon crawl out of a small hole in
the canyon wall was quite amusing.
I don’t watch the news here, so I didn’t know, but there was quite a bit of
commotion there today because a large house on top of the canyon burnt down
yesterday. There also appears to be construction going on somewhere because
heavy equipment was everywhere. Except for the waterfowl, most of my list was
gotten along the chapel trail from about 5:40pm to 6:30pm.
Lake Ransom Canyon and Chapel Garden
Jan 31, 2018
4:02 PM
Traveling
1.60 miles
157 Minutes
All birds reported? Yes
Comments: Sunny and in the low 80’s with occasionally strong breezes. Around
6:15pm, a very large raccoon crawled out of a hole on the far side of the
canyon. The hole was about 3 feet from the top of the canyon. It made 2 loud,
strange noises before and as it was crawling out. Sounded vocal. One noise
almost sounded like a grunt/bark. It crawled out head first and upwards,
awkwardly. Shook off and sniffed around a few times (had its mouth open quite a
bit). 2 more heads appeared in the main hole and a side hole just off to the
right. The one that climbed out left up the edge of the canyon and the other
two stayed in the den until the time I left around 6:36pm. The 2 in the den had
larger heads that looked adult size, but I had the feeling that they were
juveniles. Did not look far from leaving the den themselves. Stayed active and
curious inside the den holes. I have already adjusted the distance from 2.85
miles to account for back tracking.
Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.6.4 Build 31
345 Cackling/Canada Goose -- In flight. Still flying over at 6:36pm
4 Gadwall -- 2 Males and 2 females
6 American Wigeon -- Males and females
11 Mallard -- Male and female
16 Northern Pintail -- 9 Males,
1 Bufflehead -- Male
30 Common Merganser -- 6 males. Counted 2x
3 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Red-tailed Hawk
17 American Coot
2 Ring-billed Gull
3 Eurasian Collared-Dove
12 White-winged Dove -- Probably several more. Something crossed the road flew
into the trees in front of me. Was dove sized, maybe a little larger with a
dark body and tail. Didn’t seem like a dove. A few seconds later, at least 20
doves erupted out of the trees 20-30 feet behind me where I had just counted
all of these white-winged doves. Bet the bird that flew in front of me was a
small raptor.
2 Mourning Dove
2 Great Horned Owl -- Started calling to each other around 6:25pm. It may have
been the resonance of the canyon, but the 2nd one’s calls sounded higher
pitched and quicker than the one that I could see. One was calling from 1-2
feet from the top of the canyon and the other from what sounded like at least
mid-way down the wall. The first one I saw (the one that had been roosting in
the open and had the lower, slower call) flew off at 6:28pm. The 2nd one flew
up to the edge of the canyon at 6:29pm and flew off at 6:36pm. Again, possibly
just perspective, but the second one looked larger to me. It was also closer
and more in the open than the 1st one. 2nd was likely the female.
1 Belted Kingfisher -- Saw perched. Never heard.
3 Blue Jay
1 Bewick's Wren -- Sang a couple of times. It’s quiet calls reminded me of a
squirrel.
1 American Robin
1 Curve-billed Thrasher -- Saw earlier (around 6pm) and heard its “whet whet”
call a couple of times a little after 6:30pm. Sounded a little higher pitched
than a long-billed thrasher to me.
1 Brown Thrasher
1 Northern Mockingbird
1 Cedar Waxwing
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
4 Dark-eyed Junco
1 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
1 Song Sparrow
1 Spotted Towhee -- Male
2 Northern Cardinal -- Male and female
1 Red-winged Blackbird -- Heard
86 Great-tailed Grackle
6 House Finch
12 House Sparrow
Number of Taxa: 33
Jennifer
Jennifer Miller
Lubbock, TX
{o,o}
/)_)
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