great report Jennifer-
i checked out your blog too. excellent reports and wonderful photographs.
i'd encourage others to look at her blog to gain some valuable
information about nature and the places she has visited.
danny
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 Bewickâs 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 donât watch the news here, so I didnât 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 80âs 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. Didnât 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 oneâs 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. Itâs quiet calls reminded me
of a squirrel.
1 American Robin
1 Curve-billed Thrasher -- Saw earlier (around 6pm) and heard its âwhet
whetâ 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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