USA - 2015

15 - 26 Nov 15

Just back from what was mainly an aircraft enthusiast’s tour in the US from Las Vegas in Nevada, via Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona; across to Los Angeles and back to Las Vegas. Airports in the US can provide many opportunities to photograph bird that we don’t see in the UK – as well as some of man’s introductions. Here is selection of images that I managed to ‘snap’ while the aircraft action was not too consuming

A Say's Phoebe: this flycatcher winters in the south-western states. At Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.

A Mockingbird: this common North American is, like all insect eaters, a migrant leaving the northern states for warmer areas. Occasionally sings in the winter. Properly this is Northern Mockingbird to distinguish it from its many tropical relatives. It is also unusual in that, like our Robin, both sexes sing in winter to mark their feeding territory. Also at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.

Peregrine Falcon over Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport. This is an almost world-wide species and can be seen more or less anywhere. How many species are involved is hard to say, birds varying in size and colour from region to region and with some birds, necessarily migrants, and others sedentary.

A Western Meadowlark: separation from Eastern Meadowlark is best done by song – not available at this time of year. On range and date this bird has to be a Western Meadowlark. Also at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.

Mourning Dove in close-up, but here we do not see the distinctive long tail – pointed in flight; diamond shapes when flared to land.

The same Mourning Dove and here we can see the long tail. Again at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.

Red-tailed Hawk over Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport: rather distant but the reddish-tone to the tail is evident. The red is more noticeable on the upper-side.

A fine American Kestrel – smaller, neater and more brightly marked than ours. This is outside Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix in Arizona.

A Northern Harrier exposing its ring-tail – the US equivalent of Hen Harrier and occurs very occasionally in the UK. Also outside Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix.

A well-marked dark morph Red-tailed Hawk – if you look carefully the upper-tail is indeed reddish. This bird was found sitting on the tail of an aircraft stored at Goodyear airport, also near Phoenix.

A female Great-tailed Grackle: brown plumage instead of the glossy black of the male. At Williams-Gateway airport near Phoenix.

A Lark Sparrow: North American sparrows are a nightmare for the outsider with many confusingly similar species. Luckily many have very small ranges and specific habitat requirements and only a few are 'common'. A species that is retreating SW despite global warming. Seen here at a small airfield used by skydivers near Tucson, Arizona.

A Western Kingbird. This bird shows an unusually bright and extensive yellow belly. Photographed at the huge US military storage are at Davis-Monthan near Tucson.

A Cactus Wren – as big as our Blackbird. Always in arid habitats and roosts and breeds in the very spiky Cholla cactus sp., a plant you do not wish to tangle with. Just outside Davis-Monthan.

And here is that Cholla cactus.

Another Say's Phoebe enhanced by the warm evening light also outside Davis-Monthan

Out-of-breeding-plumaged hummingbirds are hard: the length of this bill suggests a Costa's Hummingbird rather than the more common Anna's Hummingbird. Same location.

A male Gila Woodpecker. These are the birds that make their nest-holes in the Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) plants – the tall branched cactus of old Western films. Only male Gila Woodpeckers have the red cap. Same location.

Familiar bird, unfamiliar location. Our (Common) Starlings, another species that someone decided they could not live without and like so many introductions has had an impact on the resident birds – it out-competes them for nest holes. Same location.

This a female House Finch – lacks any red pigmentation. At the US Marines base at Yuma, on the Arizona / California border.

Not my best shot: this is a Black-tail Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) - a hare, basically. Looking to get through the fence to trespass on the US Marines base at Yuma.

A desert sunset.

Typical behaviour by these male Great-tailed Grackles – sky-pointing. The purpose is not clear but likely some type of display – only the glossy-black males do it. Once rare north of the Mexican border this species is now well-distributed in all southern states. Here on a lamp at Yuma AFB in Arizona.

Collared Doves: when I went to the US 30 years ago all the small doves were Mourning Doves but Collared Doves were introduced in to the Bahamas in 1978 and made it to Florida in the 1980s and there are now as many as 5 million in the US. Also at Yuma AFB.

Another introduction to the US: it was the Pilgrim Fathers that brought the House Sparrow to America and it has now reached as far as southern Chile and Argentina. This female at El Centro Naval Air Station in California.

A Killdeer. This plover is a very frequently encountered on and around airfields and parking lots all across the US and many aircraft enthusiasts are familiar with its call. Somewhat like 'our' Ringed Plover but with two breast bands.

Quite unmistakeable: a (Greater) Roadrunner – beep! beep! (there is another smaller species in Mexico, the Lesser Roadrunner). This was in a car park at Palm Springs airport in California, alongside a main road and with a housing estate opposite.

Here we see a glossy blue tone in the tail as the bird strides off. A species of cuckoo. It surprised many people to learn that very few species of cuckoo are brood-parasites; and that other quite unrelated species have evolved this strategy.

Another House Finch: this male is perched on the tail of one of the exhibits at the March Field Air Museum also in California.

American Crow: rather similar to our Carrion Crow but the call is very different. Note the slight gloss on the plumage – our ‘crows’ are always 'matt' apart from the Rook which has a grey and pointed bill with bare skin at the base. Here near LAX – Los Angeles International Airport.

'Yellow-rumped Warbler': a very common American warbler in parks etc. in southern states in the winter. This is the 'western' form with a yellow-tinge to the throat, now known as Audubon's Warbler. Also at LAX.

This is an American Herring Gull flying over LAX – sometimes considered to be a separate species from 'our' (rather variable) Herring Gull. Differences are subtle but on the US west coast we hardly need to bother: on range if has to be the American species / race. The bill tends to be longer giving the bird a 'snooty' look, Here there is no red on the bill and it seems to be a 3rd winter bird.

Another Red-tailed Hawk also over LAX. Again note the red tail is not apparent on the underside.

Another American Crow: the early morning sun accentuates the gloss but makes the point. On a lamp near the small US Army base in the backwoods of California.

A House Finch I think: separation from Purple Finch can be tricky, but the bill seems too small for the latter species. This at the small airfield at Jean in Arizona, right on the California border and hence home to dozens of casinos exploiting the different State Laws in Arizona.

This is a White-crowned Sparrow. The USA has many 'sparrows', none of them related to our House and Tree Sparrows (which are really 'weavers' anyway); or Hedge Sparrows (which are Accentors), This is one of the more widespread sparrows and visits the south-west of the US as a winter visitor from its boreal breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska. Also at Jean in Arizona.

(Ed Wilson)