UT, Colorado Plateau, 20060423
Robber's Roost, flowers and birds etc.
Short road off to SW few miles shy of Hans Flat which has a "Wilderness Study Area" sign on it. Overlooks a tributary to French Spgs Fork of Happy Canyon on either side of a beautiful pinyon-juniper covered ridge. Windy. Great bird-watching in lea of ridge at top of cliff.
Or Streptanthus need fruit to be sure.
| | GEN | | 1-few erect sts from lfy rosette, ann? |
| | ST | | glauc, glab, solid, erect, straight |
| | LF | | glauc, sess, v aur-clasp, not much reduced ab, marg folded down, oblong-ov ab, spat bel, rounded tip, tip to whole lf toothed near base of st, ~20x10+0mm |
| | INFL | | term rac, opening in fl, internodes to ~10mm, pedicels 3-4mm, fls spread to 40-50deg |
| | SEP | | yell base and dk bluish-purple tip, 8mm, enlarged base, glab, erect, scar marg, 2 sl longer by 1mm than other 2 |
| | PET | | excl by ~3mm, strap to narrower ab claw, lt yell base and dk bluish-purple tip, sl wavy marg, scar tip, erect to spread 45deg |
| | STAM | | 3 pairs, all free except maybe very base |
| | STYLE | | 1, sess, stig v sl 2-lipped? |
| | GEN | | sev sts, not woody, probably peren, all greyish due to 3-br stell bristles |
| | LF | | | basal | | spat to oblance-lin, 20x6+0mm |
| caul | | lance, lower clasp, erect, 22x3.5+0mm, well-spaced |
stell |
| | INFL | | sparsely stell, internodes to 10mm, pedicel 1.3mm and spread 45deg |
| | SEP | | 4, free, erect, 3.5-4x1.2mm, stell, scar marg, oblong, obtuse |
| | PET | | 4, free, lilac, blade 5x3.2mm, claw 5mm, white claw and around throat |
| | FR | | erect, glab, sl flat, 15x0.5mm, lin, not fully devel, no st, no beak, 1 row seeds/chamb? |
Cercocarpus intricatus [voucher]
| | GEN | | small shrub, v br'd, st ends thorn-like |
| | LF | | lin-oblong-ellip, shiny due to non-sticky exudate, dk green ab, golden-green bel, short sp tom, marg rolled under tightly, 10x1.5+0mm, clust on short spurs |
| | HYP | | urn-cyl, strig-tom, 3-4x1mm |
| | SEP | | 5-lobed, cup, lobes rolled out, red outside, white to pinkish inside, tom cil, 4x2mm total, lobes ~1x1mm |
| | OV | | 1, sup, hairy (v d long straight strig) |
| | LF | | opp, lin=lance, 6x1+0mm, acute, ascend, short apic (prickly), sheathing and somewhat cil at base, green w thin scar marg |
| | SEP | | 5, free? (maybe joined by v thin delicate membrane about halfway), identical to lvs but more cil |
| | PET | | 5, join, salverform, glowing white w yell in throat, tube 11x1.5mm |
| | STAM | | incl, 5, att unequally |
| | OV | | 1, sup, glab, tiny, 3 chamb, 1 ovule per chamb? |
| | STYLE | | < stam, 3 forked to lin (probably just hasn't deployed yet) |
Perisoreus canadensis?
| | APP | | medium-size, nearly solid grey, reddish white small cheek stripes, dark eyes and beak, sl lter bel |
| | VOICE | | soft nasal low almost crow-like "caw" |
| | BEHAVE | | solit or mixed in with flock of Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus, perch in tops of or more often inside pinyons and junipers, flies long distances w powerful wing strokes |
This seems improbable, and for a long time I didn't realize there were two types of birds here, but in the end there is no question at least one bird is grey with the characteristic cheek splotch, while the others are unmistakable blue creatures.
Polioptila caerulea
| | APP | | distinctly bluish grey overall, dark head esp eye and beak, dark tail |
| | BEHAVE | | flits about actively in branches of junipers |
Falco peregrinus
| | APP | | small hawk, wing tips sharp, mostly white and brown-spotted underneath |
Seems to be only plausible falcon in the area.
Salpinctes obsoletus
| | APP | | mostly grey, short tail usually erect... |
| | BEHAVE | | solitary, flitting among rocks |
Thryomanes bewickii
| | APP | | plain greyish brownish ab, lighter off-white bel, dark feet, dark eye and sl curved beak, thin sharp white eyebrow |
| | VOICE | | series of sev buzzes and musical ringing trills ending in a particularly striking musical trill, rather variable |
| | BEHAVE | | perches for long periods high in pinyons singing, usually one returning call in distance |
Aeronautes saxatilis
| | APP | | sharp wings and tail, black ab except for white spots on sides at base of tail, white strip down most of underside from throat to base of tail, white line along trailing edge of wings but not near tips |
| | BEHAVE | | acrobatic swift flight through open spaces near cliffs |
Dendroica nigrescens
| | APP | | large chickadee-like, grey ab, white bel, black cap w two distinct white stripes ab and bel eye, throat black trailing into black streaks on breast, subtle white and dark marks on leading edge of wings near body |
| | VOICE | | chattery phrases but not at all chickadee-like |
| | BEHAVE | | flitting among branches of junipers but not as actively as gnat-catchers |
Archilochus alexandri
| | APP | | green ab, grey to off-white bel, dark apparently uncolored hood over entire head |
Not a clear ID until I see the purple throat in the right angle of light.
Corvus corax
| | APP | | black, large, wedge tail, sharp wings |
Other birds I'm still working on: flicker, sparrow with trills ending on buzz, blue bird.
I took pictures of these two, as well.
Boraginaceae
Psora decipiens
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