Birding while travelling at freeway speeds is an interesting experience. There is no way to slow down for a better look, get the binoculars out much less focused on anything, and then there is the issue of being in unfamiliar territory. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify common and/or familiar species based on range, appearance (as best you can tell), habitat, behavior (on the ground versus soaring, for instance), and how common the bird is in the region. Big birds are also easier to identify.
Here are the birds we've seen in the past three days, in no particular order:
Red-tailed hawk
Swainson's hawk
Ferruginous hawk
American Kestrel
Turkey Vulture
Ring-necked pheasant
Roadrunner (hotel parking lot)
Canada geese
Coot
Cattle egret
Great egret
Great blue heron
White-faced ibis
Mourning dove
Western kingbird
American crow
Chihuahuan raven
Common raven
Barn swallow
American robin
Yellow-rumped warbler (rest area)
European starling
Meadowlark
Red-winged blackbird
Great-tackled grackle
Common grackle
House sparrow
We've also seen a pronghorn antelope and lots of domestic animals.
For those of you with a morbid bent, we've seen quite a lot of roadkill as well. Skunk, opossum, raccoon, deer (herd spread over 1/2 mile), hawk, and something we're not sure of, maybe a groundhog.
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6 comments:
The roadkill sounds a bit like the lyrics to Chicken Man.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/i/indigo+girls/chickenman_20067255.html
One advantage to going at freeway speeds is that the roadkill smells pass much faster than they would at 6-10 mph. Ask me how familiar I am with the smell of skunk roadkill.
I saw bats on my ride home tonight. They sounded like ducks.
Tameson - checked it out. You're right!
Beany - ewww! Definitely an advantage for us. Your bats were quacking? ;-)
Love it! Isn't amazing how much life is there if you take the time to itemize it? Otherwise you might not realize how much you are seeing. Now I feel like I'm along on your road trip ...
For those of you with a morbid bent, we've seen quite a lot of roadkill as well. Skunk, opossum, raccoon, deer (herd spread over 1/2 mile), hawk, and something we're not sure of, maybe a groundhog. Why, Chile- You didn't get out of the car and scoop up the roadkill for dinner? I am surprised at you!
Cheap Like Me - you don't wanna be with us when Angel gets gas in the car...
Rob - no, but I used to scoop it up (not skunks) for hawks in rehab.
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