Monthly Archives: May 2024

Annual spring bird count finds 151 species

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Photo by Hans Toom/Pixabay • A male common yellowthroat, a species of warbler, is resident in the region spring through fall. The black mask of the males makes this bird quite distinctive.

The 81st consecutive Elizabethton Spring Bird Count was held on Saturday, May 4, with 40 observers in 16 parties.

Participants covered Carter County plus parts of adjacent Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties. Temperatures were mild with little wind;

however, light rain just before sunrise and light to moderate rain during much of the afternoon hampered birding to some degree. Despite these conditions, good numbers were counted.

This year’s count tallied 151 species, including 28 species of warblers. The average number of

species over the last 20 years was 153 species. The all-time high was 166 species in 2016.

These yearly spring counts provide an amazing snapshot of the birds that can be found living in or migrating through the region. Some exceptional finds for this year’s count included Virginia rail, green-winged teal, grasshopper sparrow, golden-winged warbler and dickcissel.

The most abundant birds included cliff swallow (790), American robisparrown (742), European starling (500), Canada goose (391), red-eyed vireo (343), song sparrow (338), Northern Cardinal (321), Common Grackle (315), Red-winged Blackbird (282), American Crow (280), American Goldfinch (279), Hooded warbler (231) and Mourning Dove (223).

The list:

Canada goose, 391; wood duck, 35; blue-winged teal, 4; mallard, 96; green-winged teal,1; and common merganser, 2. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp-CrM–HSU

Wild turkey, 23; ruffed grouse, 1; pied-billed grebe, 1; rock pigeon, 117; Eurasian collared-dove, 1; mourning dove, 223; yellow-billed cuckoo, 4; chuck-will’s-widow, 8; Eastern whip-poor-will, 28; chimney swift, 168; and ruby-throated hummingbird, 9.

Virginia rail, 1; killdeer, 29; least sandpiper, 27; pectoral sandpiper, 2; semipalmated sandpiper, 3; spotted sandpiper, 49; solitary sandpiper, 27; lesser yellowlegs 5; and greater yellowlegs, 1.

Double-crested cormorant, 80; great blue heron, 76; great egret, 2; green heron, 21; and yellow-crowned night-heron, 4.

Black vulture, 111; turkey vulture, 96; osprey, 13;

Cooper’s hawk, 3; bald eagle, 7; red-shouldered hawk, 6; broad-winged hawk, 8; red-tailed hawk, 14; Eastern screech-owl, 11; great horned owl,1; and barred owl, 8.

Belted kingfisher, 25; red-headed woodpecker, 16; red-bellied woodpecker, 87; yellow-bellied sapsucker, 9; downy woodpecker, 31; hairy woodpecker, 8; Northern flicker, 52; and pileated woodpecker, 46.

American kestrel, 9; great crested flycatcher, 30; Eastern kingbird, 66; Eastern wood-pewee, 31; Acadian flycatcher, 16; least flycatcher, 15; and Eastern phoebe, 96.

White-eyed vireo, 18; yellow-throated vireo, 12; blue-headed vireo, 49; warbling vireo, 15; and red-eyed vireo, 343.

Blue jay, 151; American crow, 280; fish crow, 12;  common raven, 13. Carolina chickadee, 143; tufted titmouse, 158; tree swallow, 154; Northern rough-winged swallow, 49; purple martin, 68; barn swallow, 213; and cliff swallow, 780.

Ruby-crowned kinglet, 3; golden-crowned kinglet, 2; cedar waxwing, 64; red-breasted nuthatch, 8; white-breasted nuthatch, 27; brown creeper, 2; blue-gray gnatcatcher, 77; Carolina wren, 203; house wren, 50; winter wren, 5; and marsh wren, 1.

Gray catbird, 54; brown thrasher, 64; Northern nockingbird, 94; European starling, 500; Eastern bluebird, 134; veery, 14; gray-cheeked thrush, 2; Swainson’s thrush, 9; Hermit thrush, 1; Wood thrush, 118; and American robin, 742.

House sparrow 30; house finch, 79; pine siskin, 1; American goldfinch, 279; grasshopper sparrow, 1; chipping sparrow, 123; field sparrow, 43;

dark-eyed junco, 48; white-crowned sparrow, 1;

White-throated sparrow, 5; Savannah sparrow, 6; song sparrow, 338; swamp sparrow, 1; and Eastern towhee, 179.

Yellow-breasted chat, 11; Eastern meadowlark, 81; orchard oriole, 24; Baltimore oriole, 18; red-winged blackbird, 282; brown-headed cowbird, 61; and common grackle, 315.

Ovenbird, 162; worm-eating warbler, 28; Louisiana waterthrush, 34; Northern waterthrush, 4; golden-winged warbler, 1; black-and-white warbler, 103; Swainson’s warbler,15; Tennessee warbler, 15; Kentucky warbler, 7; common yellowthroat, 48; hooded warbler, 231; American redstart, 33; Cape May warbler, 9; Northern parula, 89; magnolia warbler, 4; bay-breasted warbler, 7; Blackburnian warbler, 24; yellow warbler, 15; chestnut-sided warbler, 30; blackpoll warbler, 8; black-throated blue warbler, 89; palm warbler, 3; pine warbler, 8; yellow-rumped warbler, 21; yellow-throated warbler, 54; prairie warbler, 1; black-throated green warbler, 81; and Canada warbler, 37.

Summer tanager, 1; scarlet tanager, 97; Northern cardinal, 321; rose-breasted grosbeak, 30; blue grosbeak, 10; indigo bunting, 184; and dickcissel, 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI3pZ3t2i4E

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To share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com. 

Fish crow is the new bird in town at locations across region

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Fish crows painted by John James Audubon.

Sharp-eared birders may be detecting some unfamiliar crow calls in downtown Erwin during strolls around town.

While the caws of American crows are rather harsh and raucous to the ear, the smaller and related fish crow has a caw with a higher, more nasal tone that is just different enough to stand out.

Fish crows have been expanding their presence in the region for several years, joining some other newcomers such as common mergansers and Eurasian collared doves.

The fish crow is a native species of the southeastern United States that has been pushing its range farther north and west.

I first got to know fish crows on visits to coastal South Carolina starting in the 1990s. These small crows can be quite abundant along the coastline of the Palmetto State.

It’s only been in the last six years that I’ve added fish crow to my list of birds observed in my home state.

I began to hear fish crows around the campus of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City during daily strolls while teaching in the literature and language department at ETSU back in late fall of 2018.

For months before that sighting, I’d begun to notice postings about the presence of fish crows on the campus of the Mountain Home Veterans Administration adjacent to the ETSU campus. I’d heard about the fish crows from some of my birding friends, too. I had not stirred myself to look for these slightly smaller relatives of the American crow. So, when I heard a familiar “caw” that was a bit too nasal for an American crow, I stopped for a closer look.

Photo by Pixabay • The American crow, pictured, is larger than the related fish crow and has a more raucous caw.

I heard the vocalizations again and found a couple of fish crows perched atop the parking garage behind the Carnegie Hotel, which is located between ETSU and the VA campus. With some surprise and delight, I realized that the birds were fish crows.

Fast-forward six years. In recent weeks I’ve been hearing fish crows in downtown Erwin on a fairly regular basis. This past week I heard the nasally caw of this crow as I approached the back door of the offices of The Erwin Record. I looked up and spotted a fish crow perched in one of the trees bordering the parking lot. I wonder how long before I get one of these small crows paying a visit to the fish pond at my home.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m familiar with fish crows from trips to coastal South Carolina, where these members of the corvid family are quite common. Fish crows have expanded inland away from coastal areas in recent decades. Fish crows showing up here in Northeast Tennessee originated from that expansion, which likely followed river systems like the Tennessee River.

The easiest way to detect a fish crow’s presence is to keep your ears open. Fish crows make a distinctive vocalization that is quite different from the typical “caw” of an American crow or the harsh croak of a common raven. The website All About Birds describes the call as a “distinctive caw that is short, nasal and quite different-sounding from an American crow.”

The website also makes note of the fact that the call is sometimes doubled-up with an inflection similar to someone saying “uh-uh.”

Although their name suggests a fondness for fish, they’re not finicky about their food and will eat about anything they can swallow. Fish crows are also known for raiding nests to steal the eggs of other birds. They will also dig up sea turtle eggs, which are buried in sand dunes by female turtles.

Fish crows don’t scruple at stealing food from other birds and have been observed harassing birds ranging from gulls to ospreys. Fish crows also harass American crows and, if they are successful, don’t hesitate to skedaddle with any morsel that they’re able to “persuade” their slightly larger relative to surrender.

The fish crow ranges in various coastal and wetland habitats along the eastern seaboard from Rhode Island south to Key West, and west along the northern coastline of the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s been fun to find these birds closer to home in Erwin and Johnson City.

It’s not been easy for crows in recent years. The West Nile virus has been particularly hard on American crows, which seem to have very little immunity to this mosquito-spread disease.

According to the research I’ve conduced, the fish crow, however, is more resistant to the virus, with close to half the birds exposed to the disease able to shake off the effects and fully recover.

According to the website Tennessee Watchable Wildlife, the first recorded sighting of a fish crow in Tennessee took place in 1931. Half a century later, the first nest record was documented in 1980. Both of these records took place in Shelby County.

The oldest known fish crow in the wild reached an age of 14 years 6 months old. Visit tnwatchablewildlife.com for more information about fish crows and other state birds.

Fish crows and other crows around the world are sometimes regarded more darkly than is usual for our fine feathered friends. We invent lore and superstition, mostly inspired by the crow’s dark plumage and some rather unsavory eating habits. Some people even consider crows a bad omen.

I’ve never been concerned personally with keeping crows, or any bird for that matter, at a distance. I always try to stay alert for any surprise these winged creatures bring my way.

Worldwide, there are about 50 species of crows in the Corvus genus. Some other crows include carrion crow, hooded crow, rook, small crow, white-necked crow, Eastern jungle crow, large-billed crow, violet crow and white-billed crow.

Why have fish crows expanded their range in recent decades? The answer is not clear, but it’s good to have them here. I’m glad to welcome them to the Valley Beautiful.

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To share a sighting, make a comment or ask a question, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com. 

No shortage of contenders to vie for most beautiful bird status

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Karen Burke/Pixabay • A Baltimore oriole feeds from a dish of grape jelly. Male orioles show off vibrant feathers during the spring season.

Last week’s column focused on rose-breasted grosbeaks. Males of this species are a stunning sight every spring. People seeing them for the first time are always blown away.

After a link to last week’s column was posted to Facebook, Daisy Scism in Damascus, Virginia, commented that she had a visit from a rose-breasted grosbeak at her feeder recently.

The arrival of rose-breasted grosbeaks got me to thinking of other colorful birds that spend the summer months in Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia.

Here’s my list of must-see birds sure to knock your socks off with their dramatic appearance.

Scarlet Tanager

In late April and early May, once the oaks, the maples, the poplars and other tall deciduous trees begin spreading out new green leaves to create a concealing woodland canopy, a familiar song can be heard coming from the treetops. Upon first hearing it, listeners might mistake the hidden singer for an American robin. Listen a little closer, however, and the song sounds as if it is being delivered by a hoarse robin with a sore throat.

Photo Courtesy of Jean Potter
A male scarlet tanager brightens shadowy woodlands with a flash of tropical colors yet remains mostly inconspicuous in the forest canopy.

The producer of the hoarse but melodic song is a scarlet tanager, one of the most showy birds of Eastern woodlands from April to early October. The scarlet tanager also has an easily recognized call note, best described as a distinctive “chip-burr” or “chip-churr.”

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Despite the brilliant scarlet and black feathers, tanagers are more often heard than seen,

The male scarlet tanager boasts a brilliant plumage of crimson red paired with black wings and tail. Of course, this describes only the male. The female tanager makes no real claim to the common name with her comparatively drab greenish plumage. However, the scientific name, Piranga olivacea, gives a nod to the olive-green plumage of females, young males and even adult males when molting their feathers.

Baltimore Oriole

The Baltimore oriole would stand out among North American birds even without its colorful plumage and its long association with the city of Baltimore and its affiliated Major League Baseball team.

For instance, few other birds can match the Baltimore oriole for the sheer elaborate nature of the woven nest these birds construct for the purpose of sheltering eggs and young. The nests resemble hanging baskets that the female oriole weaves from a variety of collected strips of grass. The lining inside is even more elaborate and features soft materials such as plant down, feathers or even wool that can insulate and cushion the eggs. The nest itself is anchored securely in the fork of a tree branch.

Again, credit for being on a list of stunning regional birds goes to the males. The adult male Baltimore oriole is orange on the underparts, shoulder patch and rump, with some individual birds appearing a very deep flaming orange and others appearing yellowish orange. All of the rest of the male’s plumage is black. Adult female are yellow brown on the upper parts with darker wings and dull orange yellow on the breast and belly. The juvenile oriole is similar looking to the female, with males taking until the fall of their second year to reach adult plumage.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • The male indigo bunting is a resplendent bird.

Indigo Bunting

The indigo bunting is one of the reasons I love to pay attention to the clientele visiting my feeders. This small songbird likes to reside in the boundary region where forests and woodlands meet fields and pastures. Personally, the indigo bunting has always been a bird that is suggestive of the long, hot days of summer.

One of my earliest and still quite vivid birding memories is a recollection of a shockingly blue bird atop a blue spruce tree in my yard. Several decades later, the tree is no longer standing, but these beautiful birds — I now know those long-ago summer visitors were indigo buntings — still return each year to my yard and gardens.

The male indigo bunting is the only solid blue bird in the eastern United States, but it’s all an illusion — literally a trick of the light. The indigo bunting’s feathers are not really blue; the male’s brilliant azure plumage is caused by the process of ;right diffraction around the structure of the bird’s feathers. This process scatters all but the blue light, and the resulting color shifts from black to blue to turquoise as the angle of reflected light changes. In bright light, it can even look unnaturally vivid blue. In poor light, however, an indigo bunting male can appear black.

Indigo buntings usually arrive in the region in late April, and I’ve seen them linger until late October, although most indigo buntings have left the region by late September.

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Do you have your own candidates for most beautiful birds. Feel free to email me your choice at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com. Share sightings, ask questions or make comments as well.

d

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Male rose-breasted grosbeaks are always a stunning sight

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Photo by Edbo23/Pixabay • A male rose-breasted grosbeak is arguably one of the most impressive of the migrating birds making spring stops at lucky households offering feeders stocked with an ample supply of sunflower and other seeds.

Susan Westall emailed me on Sunday, April 21, for help identifying a new bird at her feeders.

Susan wrote, “We spotted this bird today (April 21) around 2:45 p.m. This bird has never been to visit that we’re aware of. We didn’t find the identity.”

Susan, who noted that she resides in Marion, North Carolina, asked if I could help identify the bird. She helpfully enclosed three photographs.

Photo provided by Susan Westall • A male rose-breasted grosbeak at a feeder at the Westall home.

One glimpse at her snapshots of the feathered visitor showed me that her mystery bird was none other than a rose-breasted grosbeak, one of the many splashy and impressive migrants that travel through Northeast Tennessee, Southwestern Virginia and Western North Carolina every spring.

Other than ruby-throated hummingbirds, the one bird whose return in the spring is guaranteed to generate excitement is the rose-breasted grosbeak. Every spring, I get phone calls and emails from people wanting to share the thrill of seeing these vibrant birds in their back yards.

A few people, like Susan, are completely stumped that such a flamboyant feathered visitor has landed in their own yard like an out-of-place inhabitant of a tropical jungle.

For most of us, these spring visits by rose-breasted grosbeaks is a fleeting and temporary stay. After finding the local arrangements, which can consist of well-stocked feeders and perhaps a convenient water source, to their liking, these migrants may linger for several days.

However, rose-treated grosbeaks nest at higher elevations and are usually impatient to continue the journey to where they will spend the summer months tending to their young.

Single birds are occasionally the first to arrive, but rose-breasted grosbeaks do form flocks when migrating. Even if a scout shows up alone at your feeders, he will often soon be joined by other grosbeaks.

Photo provided by Byron Tucker • A male rose-breasted grosbeak has a showdown with a red-bellied woodpecker for access to a feeder.

Plenty of rose-breasted grosbeaks pass through the area, and a few even decide to make the region’s mountains their summer home. Rose-breasted grosbeaks spread out widely across the eastern half of the North American continent, ranging from northeastern British Columbia to Quebec and Nova Scotia in Canada. They also range south from New Jersey to Georgia. The rose-breasted grosbeak also reaches Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas.

Farther west, the rose-breasted grosbeak is replaced by the closely related black-headed grosbeak. I saw black-headed grosbeaks on a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2006.

In many bird species males and females differ considerably. This is certainly true of male and female rose-breasted grosbeaks. The genders in this species are considered dimorphic, which is a scientific term which means that certain male and female birds of the same species may vary widely in size, plumage coloration, song or other secondary sexual traits.

They also have some things in common. Both sexes have a massive bill, which they use to hull sunflower seeds at feeders or glean insects from leaves and branches. It’s the heavy, blunt bill for which the term “grosbeak” is derived. “Gros” is a German term for large or big, so grosbeak simply means a large-beaked bird.

People who band birds to further the study of them will tell you that rose-breasted grosbeaks have a wicked bite and are capable of delivering quite a nip. Bird banders frequently encounter rose-breasted grosbeaks in their mist nets — and bear the scars to prove it.

Only the male rose-breasted grosbeak displays the namesake splash of rosy-red feathers across a white breast. The rest of the male’s plumage consists of a dramatic contrast of black and white feathers. The female grosbeak, however, doesn’t stand out in the same way. She is much less colorful than the male. With her brown and white plumage, she is often mistaken for a large sparrow or finch.

At our feeders, this bird’s extremely fond of sunflower seeds. Away from our feeders, grosbeaks feed on insects, seeds, fruit and even some leaf buds and flowers. I’ve seen these birds satisfying a sweet tooth — or should that be sweet beak? — by feeding on jewelweed flowers and apple blossoms. If sugar’s good for hummingbirds, I am sure it is a valuable energy source for rose-breasted grosbeaks, too.

The rose-breasted grosbeak is a cherished spring visitor that never fails to impress by bringing a hint of the tropics to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee. If you are disappointed in hopes of seeing the species this spring, take heart. The rose-breasted grosbeak migrates through the region again in the fall, often from mid-September to late October. The males sometimes look less vibrant by autumn, but it’s always a treat to see this bird.

I’m hoping many readers are also enjoying their own opportunities for hosting this delightful songbird.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male rose-breasted grosbeak perched in a tree on Holston Mountain in Tennessee.

Other songbirds are also on the move. Warblers, vireos, tanager, flycatchers, orioles and more are migrating through the region. Some will stay and make a home in the region for the summer. Others will push on beyond the Southern Appalachians. Keep your eyes open for what may show up next.

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Mark this on your schedule: Bristol Bird Club will host a presentation by Kera and George Brewster of Wild Birds Unlimited in Johnson City on Tuesday, May 21.

They couple had been scheduled to give a program at the club’s January meeting, but a snowstorm prevented it.

The club meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at The Summit at 1227 Volunteer Parkway in Bristol, Tennessee. Attendees can also join the meeting and view the program on Zoom. For a Zoom invite, email Larry McDaniel at bristolbirdclub2022@gmail.com.

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Share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment by emailing me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo by Pixabay.com • A well-stocked feeder is a first step toward attracting more birds to your yard.