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Calling cuckoo brings back some birding memories

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Photo by Peter Pearsall/USFWS • A yellow-billed cuckoo perches horizontally along a bare tree branch. The species feeds prodigiously on a variety of caterpillars.

I heard the low, gulping call of a yellow-billed cuckoo concealed by a dense curtain of green on the ridge behind my home on Sunday, July 26.

The hidden caller reminded me that this bird has acquired the nickname “rain crow” for consistently calling prior to summer downpours.

The yellow-billed cuckoo migrates a great distance to spend the summer months hidden in the dense green canopy of our local woodlands. Cuckoos spend the summer months in southern Canada and across most of the United States, but the bird’s winter range extends as far south as Venezuela and Argentina. They make a roundtrip journey of about 5,000 miles every spring and fall.

In pursuit of their favorite food – caterpillars – the yellow-billed cuckoo provides a public service, removing hairy tent caterpillars and their unsightly silk tents from the branches of various trees. I certainly applaud these efforts. Only a handful of birds feed on these caterpillars, with the yellow-billed cuckoo being the first and foremost consumer of these pests. The cuckoo has a voracious appetite for these caterpillars.

Photo by USFWS • A yellow-billed cuckoo selects a surprising open perch for a bird known for its reclusive nature.

Staking out tent caterpillar nests would seem a good way to increase the chances of seeing these elusive birds. Personally, it’s never quite worked out that way. My best – and first – sighting of a yellow-billed cuckoo is now buried 30 years back among my birding memories. I saw the bird perched in a gnarled peach tree that once stood only a few yards from my home.

Another memorable sighting took place on Fripp Island, South Carolina. That bird, observed from a golf cart, shared a tree with a scolding blue-gray gnatcatcher. The discrepancy in the sizes of the tiny gnatcatcher and the large cuckoo was striking. I genuinely feared that the cuckoo might attempt to snack on the smaller bird.
Other sightings have taken place at Roan Mountain State Park, Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton and Douglas Lake in Cocke County.

In addition to sightings of live birds, some readers have reported window strikes to me, usually because they’re unable to identify the bird that suffered a sad demise after impacting a window.

The yellow-billed cuckoo is a large bird, which an observation in close quarters emphasizes. This bird can reach a length of nearly 12 inches, but much of that length is composed of its long tail. It easily matches the size of such familiar birds as blue jay and American robins.

The yellow-billed cuckoo has a long, streamlined body and a brown and white plumage. The underside of the tail features large white dots and the wings show some rusty-red feathers. The bird also has a large, curved beak that gives the species its common name.

I hear these birds every summer, but my sightings amount to perhaps a couple every decade. I’m sure I could see more cuckoos with extra effort, but this bird would still present a challenge.

Europe’s common cuckoo is famous in folklore and fairy tales for slipping its eggs into the nests of other birds. While the yellow-billed cuckoo does this on occasion, it is not in the same league as nest parasites such as brown-headed cowbirds.

Two other cuckoos spend time in the United States. The black-billed cuckoo is also found in Northeast Tennessee, but this species is even more difficult to locate than its yellow-billed cousin.

I’ve only seen black-billed cuckoos on a few occasions. My best and first sighting involved a bird that briefly perched on a snag along a hiking trail at Johnson City’s Winged Deer Park. I managed to get my binoculars on the bird long enough for a memorable look. I’ve also seen this species at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park and at Hampton Creek Cove in Roan Mountain.

Another species is the mangrove cuckoo, a bird that in the United States resides only in southern Florida while also ranging the Caribbean, both coasts of Mexico and Central America, and the Atlantic coast of South America as far south as the mouth of the Amazon River. It’s no surprise that this specialist species is found primarily in mangrove swamps.

The yellow-billed cuckoo is known by the scientific name, Coccyzus americanus. Other cuckoos in the genus Coccyzus, which includes about a dozen species, are pearly breasted cuckoo, dark-billed cuckoo, chestnut-bellied cuckoo, grey-capped cuckoo, bay-breasted cuckoo and the great lizard cuckoo.

Although I haven’t seen one for a few years, I’m still glad to know that the yellow-billed cuckoo remains a lurker in the woodlands around my home. If you manage to lay eyes on this elusive bird, consider yourself fortunate.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995. To share a sighing, ask a question or make a comment, email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Birds of summer offer exciting observations

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Bryan Stevens • A great egret catches a small fish.

Summer birding is not always productive. Recent sweltering days have reminded me of that fact. There are a few birds, however, that seem to increase their profiles in summer instead of wilting and retreating to the shade until the season begins to cool off.

Here’s a look at some of my summer favorites and the reasons behind their inclusion on this list.

Belted kingfisher
Although this member of the widespread kingfisher clan can be found in the region all year, the belted kingfisher definitely keeps a high profile in late summer when a visit to any pond, creek, river or lake is likely to result in hearing this kingfisher’s rattling vocalization, often made when the bird feels alarmed or disturbed.

In her book “The Folklore of Birds,” Laura C. Martin writes that in some accounts the kingfisher, not the dove, was the second bird Noah released from the ark after the Biblical flood. Instead of looking for land, the kingfisher flew too high and the sun scorched the bird’s feathers. After his setback with the raven and now the kingfisher, Noah made the kingfisher remain on the ark’s deck to catch its food from the water.

Halcyon days, a term meaning a period of peaceful quiet, is derived from Greek legend. According to the legend, the god Zeus restrained the storms during the period when the kingfishers nest. The scientific name for the belted kingfisher is Megaceryle alcyon, a variation on the term “halcyon.”

Photo by Bryan Stevens • The scientific name for the belted kingfisher is Megaceryle alcyon, a variation on the term “halcyon.”

Martin writes in her book about a Cherokee legend about how the kingfisher acquired its angling lifestyle. The poor bird wanted to be a waterbird, but lacked the equipment to make a living at fishing. The other animals convened a council and, in pity for the kingfisher’s plight, endowed the bird with its spear-like bill. Since that time, the bird has been known as “king of the fishers.”

The “king of the fishers” is indeed to be envied by human anglers. Although not successful in every attempt, the belted kingfisher is certainly exceptional in its pursuit of fish. According to John Eastman in his book, “Birds of Lake, Pond and Marsh,” the belted kingfisher typically captures about 10 fish per day. Some human anglers would envy a success rate like that.

Great egret
Many long-legged wading birds, as a general rule, like to wander in late summer after the nesting season’s finished. Many of these birds are common in coastal areas, but in late summer they often show up far inland.

Some of the waders to look for in the region include wood stork, roseate spoonbill, tricolored heron and snowy egret. The wading bird most likely to actually put in an appearance at local ponds or rivers is the great egret.

The great egret became a motivational symbol for conservation with the foundation of the National Audubon Society in 1905. The National Audubon Society spearheaded efforts to end the mass slaughter of various bird species. Some birds were killed for food, but millions were also killed for their showy feathers that were destined to decorate stylish attire worn as a symbol of high fashion. As early as 1910, some states began passing legislation to abolish trade in bird plumes. The federal government also passed the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which was a law first enacted in 1916 to implement measures to protect and conserve migratory birds.

In 1953, a great egret in flight was chosen as the symbol for the official logo of the National Audubon Society, which was formed in part to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers. Birds like great egrets, snowy egrets, roseate spoonbills and other long-legged waders had been decimated before people responded to the wanton destruction being visited upon these beautiful and awe-inspiring creatures.

The great egret belongs to the genus Ardea, which includes various egrets and herons. Other members of this genus include Goliath heron, black-headed heron, purple heron and pied heron.

Photo by Jean Potter • A common nighthawk rests on a metal railing.

Common nighthawk
This insect-eating bird is a member of the nightjar family, which includes such familiar nocturnal serenaders as chuck-will’s widow and whip-poor-will.

The name common nighthawk is a misnomer. The species is not strictly nocturnal and it is certainly not a hawk. The nighthawk doesn’t offer a serenade like whip-poor-wills, but it does produce a “pent” call that sounds much like an electric buzzer. It’s often the first indication of one of these birds swooping overhead.

Nighthawks form impressive flocks, often numbering in the dozens or even hundreds. They are often active in evening hours, but I’ve seen large flocks of these migrating birds in mid-afternoon. August and September are the best time to look skyward to enjoy the spectacle of a large flock of swooping nighthawks as they pass overhead.

Swallow-tailed Kite
This is not exactly a common summer bird, but like the wandering wading birds, late summer is a likely time to catch a glimpse of this aerodynamic, unmistakable raptor. Several years ago I got the thrill of adding a swallow-tailed kite to my life list in some agricultural fields in southwestern Washington County. I’ve also seen swallow-tailed kites in Florida. I also observed my first-ever Mississippi kite in Elizabethon in 2020 during a Spring Bird Count.

The swallow-tailed kite is a large, streamlined raptor with long, narrow, pointed wings, slender bodies and a long, deeply forked tail that gives the bird its common name. The small, sharply hooked beak is used to catch insect prey, as well as amphibians, snakes and bats.

Bryan Stevens • A male American goldfinch looks its best in spring and summer. By fall, the bright colors are replaced with the drab winter plumage.

American goldfinch
Goldfinch males still look sharp in late summer, but they do start losing that bold pattern of black and white against a backdrop of golden-yellow feathers. These birds also form fussy but sociable flocks that congregate at bird feeders or bird baths in many a backyard.

A sighting of a goldfinch can be memorable. I still retain vivid imagery of these birds from childhood, long before I could identify them by name. They would always appear in late summer, perching atop the three blue spruces in our yard. The trees are no longer standing, but the memories of those colorful yellow and black birds endure.

Summer is the season of plenty for American goldfinches. Roadside ditches are choked with chicory, evening primrose and other seed-producing plants often dismissed as “weeds.” Simply driving local roads can, and often does, produce sightings of flocks of American goldfinches as they forage for seeds. These small songbirds will readily visit feeders for sunflower and thistle seeds.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birders and birding since 1995. Email him with questions, comments or sightings at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A great egret resting on a spit of land in a lake at Murphy Candler Park in Brookhaven, Ga.

Eastern kingbirds deserve their billing as tyrant flycatchers

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • An Eastern kingbird perches on a chain-link fence on the campus of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.

On Saturday, June 27, I spotted two Eastern kingbirds perched on utility lines that extend over the fish pond at my home.

Eastern kingbirds are fairly common summer residents in the region, but they’ve not been at all common birds at my home. In fact, this recent sighting is only the second I’ve ever made of the species at my home in 30 years of birding. As best I can recall, the first time I saw this species at home was in the late 1990s. I’ve seen Eastern kingbirds in many other areas in the region, as well as on trips to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.

It didn’t take long to discover what had attracted the kingbirds to the fish pond. Using the utility lines as convenient perches, the birds continually swooped down over the waterlily-choked pond and returned to the lines with their catches. They were hunting dragonflies, an abundant insect at my fish pond. Based on my observations, they were quite skilled at capturing the dragonflies.

Kingbirds belong to an extensive family of birds known as tyrant flycatchers, or Tyrannidae. The family’s members are exclusively found in the New World. It is the world’s largest family of birds, with more than 400 species.

Tanagers, with 384 species, and hummingbirds, with 363 species, are close rival families when it comes to number of species. So are the pigeons and doves with 353 species, and Old World flycatchers with 345 species.

The Eastern kingbird is easy to recognize and identify. The bird’s plumage is a study in contrast, being black above and white below. In addition, there’s a noticeable white edge to the tip of the bird’s otherwise all-black tail. There is a red patch of feathers on top of the bird’s head, which gives this pint-sized tyrant a “crown,” but most birders, myself included, will tell you that this colorful patch is rarely seen and is instead kept concealed at most times.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • An Eastern kingbird perches on a fence post in the Limestone Cove community of Unicoi, Tennessee.

The scientific name of the Eastern kingbird is Tyrannus tyrannus, a good clue to the bird’s militant nature. Kingbirds, which are about the size of an American robin, are famous for displaying aggressive behavior against much larger birds such as crows and hawks, as well as vultures and herons.

While some birds are all bluff, the Eastern kingbird often follows through with its attacks. According to the website All About Birds, kingbirds have been known to knock blue jays right out of a tree.

I’ve observed kingbirds tormenting such large birds as red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures. I once watched a kingbird get so close to a red-tailed hawk that it almost looked like the smaller bird was hitching a ride on the hawk’s back. I suspect the hawk lost a feather or two in the encounter, not to mention suffering a blow to its dignity.

Other North American kingbirds include Western kingbird, tropical kingbird, Couch’s kingbird, Cassin’s kingbird and the thick-billed kingbird. On a trip to Salt Lake City in Utah many years back, I got the chance to see a Western kingbird, the counterpart to the Eastern kingbird in that part of the country.

Look for the Eastern kingbird in open terrain that offers plenty of perches. These birds spend most of their time chasing and catching flying insects, which provide the bulk of the bird’s food during the summer months.

While the kingbird is probably to be lauded for helping control populations of insect pests, they are not discriminating in their choice of prey. As a result, kingbirds feed on beneficial insects, such as dragonflies and bees, as well as pests like flies.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A glimpse through the vegetation reveals one of the pond’s most voracious predators. Dragonflies consume many other species of insects, including some that are considered pests. Pictured is a female Blue Dasher. In turn, many birds, including Eastern kingbirds, feed on dragonflies. Kingbirds are skilled at snatching winged insects right out of the air.

Other flycatchers that are relatively common in the region include Eastern phoebe and Eastern wood-pewee. The region is also home to some pint-sized flycatchers during the warmer months, including least flycatcher, Acadian flycatcher, willow flycatcher and alder flycatcher.

Don’t judge the tyrannical kingbird too harshly. These birds are motivated to show aggression to other species due to an inordinate need to protect mates, young and territory. It’s not their fault that they are quite masterful at fulfilling this task.

Kingbirds are not the only birds to exhibit bold, brash behavior. Mockingbirds, brown thrashers and red-winged blackbirds are also quite pugnacious. At home, the male red-winged blackbirds have made numerous attacks on the resident red-shouldered hawks whenever these larger raptors venture too close to the cattail domain of the blackbirds.

Although the species faces potential habitat loss in both its summer range and tropical wintering grounds, the Eastern kingbird remains a prevalent bird across much of North America. It’s just not a common bird at my house, but perhaps my recent sighing of two kingbirds is a signal that’s about to change. Or it could mean that it will be another couple of decades before I see this species again at my home.

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

Bullock’s oriole stands out among birds seen during 2006 Utah visit

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Photo by Dave Menke/USFWS • A Bullock’s oriole perches on a branch. This species is found in the western United States.

I’m celebrating 30 years of writing “Feathered Friends” by looking back at some older columns. This week I’ve combined columns first written in 2006 and 2016 into a new feature focused on orioles.

In May of 2006, I made my second trip to the Utah, also known as the “Beehive State.” I’d made my first visit in October of 2003. The contrast between the two visits could not have been more extreme. My 2003 visit took place when Salt Lake City and the surrounding area had been in the grip of an extensive drought. Mountainsides looked dull brown and gray and reservoirs had almost dried up. When I returned in the spring of 2006, green greeted me everywhere I looked. The drought had broken and Salt Lake City didn’t look quite so bleak.

I saw many species of blackbirds and their close kin, including Brewer’s blackbird, Western meadowlark, yellow-headed blackbird, red-winged blackbird, common grackle and Bullock’s oriole. Most of these birds were extremely abundant and surprisingly tame. I didn’t know it at the time, but birds in the western United States are generally tamer and more approachable than birds in the eastern half of the country. There are various factors to explain this difference in behavior, including the rugged terrain and the fact that many western areas have only been settled for a couple of centuries compared to nearly 500 years of settlement in the eastern United States.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A Bullock’s oriole forages in shrubbery along a walking trail near the Jordan River in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Bullock’s oriole proved one of the tamest of all the new birds that I saw on my trip. Trees and shrubs bordering walking and biking trails along the Jordan River popped with small flocks of these colorful, noisy orioles. As my visit took place in May, it’s quite possible these orioles comprised a “fallout” of migrants so occupied with feeding after a long flight that my presence didn’t rank high in their priorities.

Regardless, I found the Bullock’s orioles gregarious and sometimes comical as they chirped from willows and other shrubs close to the river. Close to home, I count myself lucky to see a single Baltimore oriole at a time. Even when I do succeed in sighting one, the Baltimore oriole is often high in the treetops and not easily observed. Such fleeting and infrequent observations of Baltimore orioles are a sharp contrast to seeing flocks of the equally colorful Bullock’s oriole in Utah.

The bird is named for William Bullock, an English traveler, collector of natural history specimens and a bit of a showman. In 1822 and 1827, he visited Mexico, which is perhaps where he first encountered the oriole named for him. He also visited the United States in 1827. He established some museums, including one he called Piccadilly Egyptian Hall, that featured some unusual artifacts. Among the collections was Napoleon’s carriage that had been captured at the Battle of Waterloo.

Photo by Jake Bonello/USFWS • A Bullock’s oriole’s bright coloration is broken up by foliage.

Bullock’s oriole and Baltimore oriole were, for a time, considered a single species. The American Ornithologists’ Union lumped the two birds together from 1973 to 1995 as a species known as the “Northern oriole.” It’s easy to see similarities. Both the Bullock’s oriole and the Baltimore oriole sport vibrant orange plumage accented by white and black in the case of Bullock’s oriole and black in the case of the Baltimore oriole.

Despite their bright plumage , they are related to blackbirds such as red-winged blackbird and common grackles. Icterids, or New World blackbirds, make up a family known as the icteridae that consists of small to medium-sized songbirds. In his book titled “Birds of Forest, Yard, and Thicket,” John Eastman notes that there are 26 species in the genus, eight of which nest in the United States. In the eastern United States, there are only two orioles — the Baltimore oriole and its smaller relative, the orchard oriole. The western half of the nation is home to a half dozen orioles, including Bullock’s oriole, Scott’s oriole, Audubon’s oriole, hooded oriole and Altamira oriole.

In Northeast Tennessee, tall trees are an essential part of the Baltimore oriole’s favored habitat. Baltimore orioles are well-known for their colorful appearance, but their fame also rests with a sack-like nest that Eastman describes as a “durable marvel of tight-woven plant fibers” in his informational book. The Bullock’s oriole is also known for building these impressive sack nests.

Orioles are present in the United States from April to October, generally retreating to the American tropics for the cold months of winter. There they may live on plantations that produce such much-coveted crops as bananas, coffee and cacao, which is the essential ingredient for chocolate.

A painting by John James Audubon depcits the intricate nest crafted by Baltimore orioles.

Those who are fortunate enough to have a Bullock’s oriole or a Baltimore oriole as a neighbor should know that it isn’t only the bright coloration and elaborate nest building that recommend these birds. They’re also some of the few birds willing to eat the hairy tent caterpillars that are often a blight on the landscape. Back in the late 1990s, I observed a male Baltimore oriole visiting a large caterpillar tent in the branches of a cherry tree. The bird methodically plucked the caterpillars from the silken tent, eating them one after the other. While many birds avoid some of the spiny and hairy caterpillars, these two orioles actively seek them out and do a great service of reducing the damage these hungry caterpillars can inflict on the environment. They will also apparently eat Gypsy moth caterpillars and fall webworms.

On a handful of occasions, Bullock’s orioles have strayed into the Volunteer State. Some documented recent vagrant Bullock’s oriole visits have occurred near Nashville and Chattanooga.

I will always count myself fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time to enjoy my “fallout” of Bullock’s oriole near the Jordan River in 2003 during my Utah trip. The moment remains one of my most memorable birding experiences.

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

Eastern phoebes make good neighbors

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • An Eastern phoebe perches in a mimosa tree.

We’ve reached June, and I can hardly believe it. After a May that veered from cold to unseasonably hot, I’m hoping June can find a happy balance.

The birds haven’t ruffled their feathers about temperature variances, as best as I can tell. Migration is, for the most part, concluded. Some birds have already completed a first nesting, including some Eurasian starlings in downtown Erwin. During a stroll on the Union Street sidewalk, I flustered a fledgling and its parents. I gave them some space as I passed, and it looked like things got back to normal.

Nesting is the main focus of most birds during the spring and summer months, and the process can stretch out until August and early September for species like cedar waxwing and American goldfinches.

Photo by Megan Zopf/Pixabay • An Eastern phoebe perches on a branch.

Other birds, such as various sparrows, American robin and Eastern bluebird, may attempt to nest multiple times in zealous bids to propagate their species.

I’ve noticed that the old nest on the blades of the porch fan at my house has gotten a bit greener as the Eastern phoebes have done some refurbishment to what has been a popular nest location for this species at my home in recent years.

Actually, it’s probably only the resident female phoebe involved in bringing new moss to the structure and working the material into the foundation of the previous nest. According to the website All About Birds, the female phoebe works solo on all nest-building tasks, although the male may accompany her, perhaps offering the avian equivalent of moral support.

She uses various materials, including mud, moss and leaves, along with grass stems and animal hair, during her construction process. Once she is done with her refurbishment and the nest meets her standards, she will lay two to six eggs. She’ll incubate them for 15 to 16 days. Once hatched, the nestlings will reside in the nest for up to 20 days. Even after the young fledge from the nest, the parents remain attentive as they introduce their brood to the wider world.

John James Audubon, an early naturalist and famed painter of North America’s birds, conducted an experiment with some young phoebes that represents the first-ever bird banding in the United States of America. His novel experiment, which he carried out in 1803, involved tying some silver thread to the legs of the phoebes he captured near his home in Pennsylvania. He wanted to answer a question he had about whether birds are faithful to home locations from year to year.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A young Eastern phoebe awaits a food delivery from a parent.

The following year, Audubon again captured two phoebes and found the silver thread had remained attached to their legs. Today, ornithologists still conduct bird banding to gather information on birds and the mystery of their migrations. So, that pair of phoebes that returned to your backyard this spring — they just might be the same ones that have spent past summer seasons providing you with an enlightening glimpse into their lives. I’ve wondered myself if the phoebes that nest on my porch ceiling fan are the same two birds that have done so in previous years. I’ve suspected they are or, perhaps, they are related to the original nesting pair.

The Eastern phoebe, known by the scientific name of Sayornis phoebe, has two relatives in the genus Sayornis. The genus is named after Thomas Say, an American naturalist. The Eastern phoebe’s close relatives include the black phoebe and Say’s phoebe. The black phoebe ranges throughout Oregon, Washington and California and as far south as Central and South America. As its name suggests, this bird has mostly black feathers instead of the gray plumage of its relatives. The Say’s phoebe, also named for the man who gave the genus its name, is the western counterpart to the Eastern phoebe.

The phoebes belong to the world’s largest family of birds, which is known collectively as the “tyrant flycatchers.” With more than 400 species, this family of birds consists of species known as tyrannulets, elaenias, pygmy tyrants, tody-flycatchers, spadebills, flatbills, attilas, kingbirds and kiskadees.

Since they belong to the vast family of New World flycatchers, it’s probably no surprise that these phoebes feed largely on insects. The birds will often perch patiently until an insect’s flight brings it within easy range. A quick flight from its perch usually allows the skillful bird to return with a morsel snatched on the wing. In the winter months, the Eastern phoebe also eats berries and other small fruit. Phoebes can even feed on poison ivy berries without risk of ill effects.

The Eastern phoebe is not a colorful bird, but it makes a good neighbor. I’d encourage everyone to welcome this bird whenever they get the chance.

To make a comment, ask a question or share a sighting, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com. I’ve written about birds, birding and birded for 30 years and love hearing from fellow enthusiasts.

Region’s 83rd Spring Bird Count tallies 155 species

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Hans Toom • A yellow warbler perches on a tree branch.

The 83rd consecutive Elizabethton Spring Bird Count was held Saturday, May 9, with 44 observers in 16 parties. The counters tallied 155 species, which is slightly above the average of 152 species in the most recent 20 years of this annual survey. The all-time high on this count took place in 2016 with 166 species tallied.

Although the day began on a slightly chilly note, temperatures soon warmed and skies remained clear and sunny most of the day. I counted near Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park and along the Watauga River in Elizabethton with Mary Anna Wheat and Chris Soto. We counted ourselves lucky to get some good birds on our list, including Northern waterthrush, blackpoll warbler and Kentucky warbler.

A total of 28 species of warblers made the list, as well as good sightings such as Northern saw-whet owl, sora, blue grosbeak, summer tanager and dickcissel.

Compiler Rick Knight noted that, as always, a few species got missed on count day, notably ruffed grouse, great horned owl, Virginia rail and prairie warbler.

The count group’s total list follows:

Canada goose, 391; wood duck, 71; American wigeon, 13; mallard, 69; common merganser, 11; red-breasted merganser, 1; and wild turkey, 25.

Mourning dove, 181; Eurasian collared-dove, 2; rock pigeon, 78; yellow-billed cuckoo, 2; common nighthawk, 2; chuck-will’s-widow, 8; Eastern whip-poor-will, 19; chimney swift, 101; and ruby-throated hummingbird, 15.

Sora, 1; killdeer, 32; semipalmated plover, 24; least sandpiper, 37; semipalmated sandpiper, 5; spotted sandpiper, 71; solitary sandpiper, 22; lesser yellowlegs, 8; greater yellowlegs, 5; common tern, 2; and Forster’s tern, 3.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A tree swallow checks out a nesting box soon after making its spring return. 

Double-crested cormorant, 136; yellow-crowned night-heron, 6; green heron, 8; great egret, 1; great blue heron, 61; black vulture, 86; and turkey vulture, 94.

Osprey, 16; sharp-shinned hawk, 1; Cooper’s hawk, 3; bald eagle, 8; red-shouldered hawk, 8; broad-winged hawk, 4; red-tailed hawk, 20; American barn owl, 1; Eastern screech owl, 7; barred owl, 3; and Northern saw-whet owl, 1.

Belted kingfisher, 17; Red-headed woodpecker, 6; Red-bellied woodpecker, 66; yellow-bellied sapsucker, 2; downy woodpecker, 39; hairy woodpecker, 8; Northern flicker, 35; and pileated woodpecker, 31.

American kestrel, 9; great crested flycatcher, 27; Eastern kingbird, 112; Eastern wood-pewee, 30; Acadian flycatcher, 47; willow flycatcher, 2; least flycatcher, 15; and Eastern phoebe, 59.

White-eyed vireo, 15; yellow-throated vireo, 6; blue-headed vireo, 72; Eastern warbling vireo, 19; red-eyed vireo, 310; and loggerhead shrike, 1.

Blue jay, 167; American crow, 291; fish crow, 15; common raven, 15; Carolina chickadee, 136; and tufted titmouse, 154.

Bank swallow, 4; tree swallow, 124; Northern rough-winged swallow, 90; purple martin, 42; barn swallow, 165; and cliff swallow, 785.

Ruby-crowned kinglet, 1; Golden-crowned kinglet, 1; cedar waxwing, 225; red-breasted nuthatch, 10; white-breasted nuthatch, 25; brown creeper, 3; and blue-gray gnatcatcher, 63.

Carolina Wren, 187; Northern House Wren, 35; Winter Wren, 5; Gray Catbird, 78; Brown Thrasher, 46, Northern Mockingbird, 131; Eurasian Starling, 630; and Eastern Bluebird 140

Veery, 18; Swainson’s thrush, 8; hermit thrush, 2; wood thrush, 70; and American robin, 717.

House sparrow, 55; house finch, 129; pine siskin, 2; and American goldfinch, 226.

Bryan Stevens • A male American goldfinch visits a thistle seed feeder.

Grasshopper sparrow, 4; chipping sparrow, 101; field sparrow, 41; dark-eyed junco, 45; white-crowned sparrow 1; white-throated sparrow, 5; Savannah sparrow, 1; song sparrow, 268; swamp sparrow, 1; and Eastern towhee, 142.

Yellow-breasted chat, 5; Eastern meadowlark, 48; orchard oriole, 43; Baltimore oriole, 28; red-winged blackbird, 272; brown-headed cowbird, 64; and common grackle, 280.

Ovenbird, 132; worm-eating warbler, 27; Louisiana waterthrush, 29; Northern waterthrush, 6; golden-winged warbler, 5; blue-winged warbler, 1; black-and-white warbler, 58; Swainson’s warbler, 23; Tennessee warbler, 10; Kentucky warbler, 11; common yellowthroat, 45; hooded warbler, 198; American redstart, 26; Cape May warbler, 12; Northern parula, 73; magnolia warbler, 4; bay-breasted warbler, 11; Blackburnian warbler, 12; yellow warbler, 19; chestnut-sided warbler, 40; blackpoll warbler, 12; black-throated blue warbler, 76; palm warbler, 2; pine warbler, 14; yellow-rumped warbler, 26; yellow-throated warbler, 42; black-throated green warbler, 104; and Canada warbler, 32.

Summer tanager, 1; scarlet tanager, 81; Northern cardinal, 239; rose-breasted grosbeak, 35; blue grosbeak, 9; indigo bunting, 152; and dickcissel, 2.

 

American dipper highlight of 2003 Utah trip

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Daniel Roberts/Pixabay • The American dipper is North America’s only aquatic songbird.

I am observing 30 years of writing my weekly “Feathered Friends” column in 2026. To help celebrate this personal milestones, I’ve been visiting my archives to republish some memorable columns.

This week, I’m sharing an account of a visit in October 2003 to Utah and Idaho. The story involves homemade raspberry ice cream, a songbird that thinks it’s a fish and a bonus sighting of a species named for American naturalist and ornithologist John Kirk Townsend.

I did some homework in advance of my two-week trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, to come up with a list of target birds. The American dipper made the list as a species that I had high hopes of seeing. I learned from a friend that American dippers inhabit many of the streams in canyons, some in the immediate vicinity of Salt Lake City. Another friend, David Thometz, and I searched City Creek Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Salt Lake metropolitan area without success.

We saw other birds, including lazuli bunting, Western kingbird, black-billed magpie, so this early disappointment didn’t sting too much, and we got a second chance near the end of my visit.

The American dipper, also known by the common named “water ouzel,” is a songbird with incredible adaptations allowing the bird to take advantage of a special niche in its environment, namely rushing waters of clear mountain streams. Dippers are eight-inch songbirds with stubby gray bodies. They range from Alaska through the mountains of the American western states and into Mexico. These birds are named for particular “dipping” motions that they display walking along stream edges.

These birds forage for food, primarily aquatic insect larvae, both above and beneath the surface of rushing streams.

I finally found my American dipper while traveling Logan Canyon on a trip back to Salt Lake City after visiting Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho. David and I stopped at Card Picnic Area in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest to enjoy a local treat we picked up in Garden City, Utah.

We saw some good birds, including cinnamon teal and trumpeter swan, at Bear Lake, which is famous for its raspberries. The locals often stage an annual Raspberry Festival. We were too late for the festival in 2003, but we purchased two small plastic containers of homemade raspberry ice cream at a shop.

The ice cream was frozen solid, so we made plans to let the ice cream thaw and then made a stop at some point along Logan Canyon to enjoy the frozen treat. We took a scenic drive along Highway 89, enjoying the mile-high limestone cliffs easily viewed from the roadway. The route takes in forest terrain, the Logan River and plenty of opportunities to view native wildlife. Prior to stopping to eat our ice cream, we made stops and saw two different races – Oregon and slate-colored – of the dark-eyed junco, as well as black-capped and mountain chickadees and least chipmunks. We also saw sleek trout in Logan River, which is dotted by various beaver dams. We could not positively identify the trout, but the local streams are inhabited by brook, cutthroat and rainbow trout.

The Card Picnic Area is a beautiful streamside site featuring picnic tables beneath huge trees. There was a beautiful wide pool in Logan River adjacent to the tables. The only bird we saw upon arrival was a junco that disappeared into the brush too quickly for me to identify.

After enjoying our ice cream, a delicious treat that anyone visiting Bear Lake should not miss, we walked to the side of the stream to snap some photographs. As we approached the stream, a small bird flushed and flew somewhat awkwardly to the opposite stream bank.

I felt my pulse quicken as I realized that one of target birds had materialized. “David, I think we’ve found a dipper!” I whispered excitedly as I lifted my binoculars. As the bird came into focus, I immediately recognized the small grayish bird as it walked nervously over some damp gravel on the other side of the stream. As we watched, the dipper produced a loud, bubbling song, easily heard even over the noise of the rushing water.

The dipper also blinked conspicuously, showing white eyelids. Those eyelids are a special adaptation for life spent below rushing water. The eyelids protect the bird’s eyes while it is beneath the water. Some of my guide books mention that the dipper will blink and show the eyelids most often when alarmed. Dippers have a thin white line of feathers on each eyelid, according to All About Birds. That thin line of feathers creates a white flash as the bird blinks.

The birds appear to fearlessly take to the frigid water of mountain streams, but there’s a good reason for that. Dippers also have a thick coat of down and more feathers than most songbirds. Some estimates place the number at between 4,200 to 6,000 feathers. By comparison, an American robin has 3,000 feathers. This dense coat of feathers helps insulate the birds from the cold water. A dipper’s blood also carries a higher oxygen capacity, helping these small birds stay under water for up to 30 seconds.

We remained calm and as still as possible so we could put the bird at ease. Our actions must have worked because the bird returned to its routine, turning over fallen leaves in the shallows to look for scurrying insect larvae. Then, the dipper hopped onto a large rock in the rushing water, and I held my breath. I wanted so badly to see this small bird dive and swim beneath the water. I wasn’t disappointed. The bird soon plunged into the stream, swimming against the current, using its wings as paddles. Watching this tiny songbird provided an exciting observation, but not as much as when the dipper fearlessly plunged completely beneath the water, spent a few seconds submerged and then popped back to the surface. This show was repeated several times for our benefit.

A family picnicking at the site even got to enjoy the show when we pointed out the dipper. The family lived in the local area, but the father expressed surprise to learn dippers lived in Utah, although he had seen them in Washington. It’s surprising what we sometimes fail to notice in our own backyards.

Tom Koerner/USFWS • The Townsend’s solitaire is related to thrushes.

Sighting the American dipper would have been more than enough, but when birding, surprises are always welcome. So, imagine my astonishment when, while watching the dipper, three additional birds dropped down from some overhanging trees and drank at the stream side.

Although unprepared for these new birds, my prior research helped me recognize them as Townsend’s solitaires, a member of the thrush family. The Townsend’s solitaire is a grayish bird with a superficial resemblance to the Northern mockingbird. The Townsend’s solitaire is the only member of its family of mountain-forest thrushes, or solitaires, to range into the United States.

This species is named for John Kirk Townsend, a 19th-century naturalist who traveled across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast in 1833 to collect bird and mammal specimens with veteran botanist Thomas Nuttall. Only 24 at the time, Townsend accompanied Nuttall, 48 years old at the time, from Philadelphia to the Pacific Northwest. They focused their search along the Columbia River.

As for dippers, there are five different species found around the world. In addition to the American dipper, there is a white-throated dipper, or European dipper, as well as the brown dipper of Asia, the white-capped dipper of South America and the rufous-throated dipper, also of South America.

I think it’s a shame that the American dipper’s range doesn’t extend into the eastern half of the nation. Based on my observation, I think the bird would be right at home along Indian Creek in Unicoi County.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995. Contact him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com. 

 

 

 

Nature’s showstoppers: Rose-breasted grosbeaks bring the wow factor

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Photo by Cheri Miller • A male rose-breasted grosbeak visits a feeder at the photographer’s home.

Cheri Miller posted on my Facebook page to share a sighting and a photo of a male rose-breasted grosbeak visiting a feeder at her home in Hampton. The bird arrived on May 1.

The bird’s arrival is right on schedule. Plenty of rose-breasted grosbeaks pass through northeast Tennessee, southwest Virginia and western North Carolina in late April and early May every spring. A sighting of a male in his best spring plumage is always a breathtaking sight.

Kaylynn Sanford Wilster, who lives in Piney Flats near Boone Lake, sought me out May 7 on Facebook for my help identifying a bird that turned out to be a male rose-breasted grosbeak.

She had taken some video and photos of the bird through her bedroom window with her phone and said the bird was eating sunflower seeds at her feeder. Grosbeaks love sunflower seeds, so keep those feeders stocked!

A few of these migrating grosbeaks will even decide to make their summer home on local mountains. However, these birds 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.

For the most part, however, the rose-breasted grosbeak is replaced in the western United States by the closely related black-headed grosbeak.

As fall approaches, the rose-breasted grosbeak migrates south to a winter range that spans central Mexico, Central America and northern South America. As they depart, many of these migrating birds will make autumn visits to again partake of offerings of sunflower seeds at backyard feeders. So, if you don’t get to see these showy birds in the spring, you do get another chance to see them in September and October.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male rose-breasted grosbeaks stays in the treetops on Roan Mountain in Tennessee.

The male rose-breasted grosbeak gives this species its common name. Males are the epitome of the birds that make their home for part of the year in the American tropics. The contrasting black and white plumage is emphasized by a triangular slash of rosy-red color on the breast. Put all those elements together and the male rose-breasted grosbeak is not a bird that would be mistaken for any other.

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.

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 scientific study will tell you that rose-breasted grosbeaks can inflict a wicked nip. In Northeast Tennessee, bird banders frequently encounter rose-breasted grosbeaks in their mist nets — and some bear the scars to prove it.

With some birds, males play only a minor role in the nesting process. That’s not the case with the rose-breasted grosbeak male. The males help with nest-building chores and share responsibility with the female for incubating the eggs.

The female lays three to five eggs in a cup-shaped nest. It’s not easy to locate the nests since the birds usually place them in trees at least 20 feet above the ground. Within two weeks, the eggs have hatched and the parents are kept extremely busy finding enough food to satisfy the voracious nestlings. Well fed by both parents, the young grow quickly and usually are ready to leave the nest within 12 days. Often, when a first brood of young departs the nest, the male will care for the rowdy group of fledglings as the female starts a second nest to capitalize on the long days of summer.

Photo by Jean Potter • Male rose-breasted grosbeaks always look stunning.

Away from our feeders, rose-breasted 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.

Other grosbeaks that range the United States and Canada include the blue grosbeak, pine grosbeak, evening grosbeak and black-headed grosbeak.

The rose-breasted grosbeak is a cherished spring visitor that never disappoints observers. The handsome male brings a hint of the tropics to the mountains of Northeast Tennessee and beyond,

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995. Share a sighting, make a comment or ask a question by emailing him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo Courtesy of Byron Tucker
A Rose-breasted Grosbeak joins a Red-bellied Woodpecker at a feeder in Atlanta.

Some birds make us shift focus from the showy to the subtle

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USFWS • Male summer tanagers are a rosy-red bird that pale somewhat in comparison to male scarlet tanagers.

Many of our summer birds have already returned for another nesting season. In the past week or so I have welcomed back chimney swift, common yellowthroat and red-eyed vireo.

I’m still receiving hummingbird arrival reports. April Kerns Fain had her first hummingbird of the year on April 13 at her home in Unicoi.
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Tom Brake in Abingdon, Virginia, reported his first hummingbird on April 16.
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Phyllis Moore in Bristol, Virginia, noted that her first spring hummingbird sighting involved two of these birds returning to her home.
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Anita Clemmer in Boone, North Carolina, saw her first spring hummingbird on April 17.
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Pam Seely saw her first hummingbirds of spring on April 18 at her home near The Laurels.
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Sue Schreiner saw her first hummingbird of spring on April 19 at her Bluff City home.

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Amy Tipton in Erwin reported her first spring hummingbird on at 7:30 p.m. on April 21.

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Spring is a great time to enjoy some truly vibrant birds that catch the eye, including scarlet tanager, Baltimore oriole, chipping sparrow, rose-breasted grosbeak, indigo bunting and more. Of course, some of our summer birds keep a low profile. Without showy feathers, they are more than able to fade into the background. They’re worth seeking out, but they do lack the “wow” factor of some of their more spectacular kin.

Here’s are some profiles on a handful of birds that live in the shadows of some much better-known relatives.

USFWS • The warbling vireo is a “plain Jane” among the region’s birds.

Warbling Vireo
The warbling vireo is one of the true “Plain Janes” of the world of birds. In the vireo family, which is known mostly for species that are largely “little green birds,” the warbling vireo lacks even that color. These are small, plain birds with gray-olive upperparts and white underparts occasionally tinged with faint yellow. They have a mild face pattern with a whitish stripe over the eye. It would never be described as colorful. They remain high in the treetops foraging for caterpillars and other prey. This habit makes observation of this bird difficult. Compared to the red-eyed vireo, blue-headed vireo and white-eyed vireo, it’s easy to see why the warbling vireo is named for its song, not its appearance.

Summer tanager
If not for the fact that the related scarlet tanager boasts an appearance that screams tropical beauty, this is a bird that cannot fairly be described as subdued in appearance. But male summer tanagers have a rosy-red plumage and lack the brilliant crimson feathers of the male scarlet tanager. Females of both species are dull birds with yellow-green plumage. These birds are more common in the southeastern United States. They’re not rare, but it isn’t easy to see them due to their tendency to remain in the upper branches of tall trees, especially oaks.

USFWS • The orchard oriole is the smallest member of the oriole family. This species is also notably less showy than some relatives.

Orchard oriole
The Baltimore oriole is an unmistakable bird. The bright orange and black plumage of the male reminded early North American settlers of the livery colors of Cecil Calvert, or Lord Baltimore, an important founder of Maryland and the namesake of the Baltimore oriole. The smaller orchard oriole is a charming bird, but its burnt orange and black plumage lacks the intensity of its better-known relative. The smallest of the orioles, it is outclassed in that regard by its more showy relatives, which include Bullock’s oriole, hooded oriole and Altimara oriole. The orchard oriole can be tempted to feeders that offer sugar water, orange slices or grape jelly, as can many other oriole species.

Ryan Dziedzic USFWS • Great crested flycatcher perches on a branch. Despite a grandiose name, this bird is not particularly showy, but it’s definitely an interesting species.

Great crested flycatcher
The largest family of birds, the tyrant flycatchers, consists of about 400 species. Most are drab birds in appearance, but some stand out. The great kiskadee, scissor-tailed flycatcher and vermilion flycatcher offer some “oomph” to a family of birds with plumages dominated by gray, black and white. In appearance, the great crested flycatcher has a shaggy brown crest and yellow and warm brown coloration in its plumage. It’s mostly the expectations of a name like great crested flycatcher that tends to fall flat when people see this attractive but not showy bird. This bird is different than other flycatchers in one respect – a cavity-nester, pairs of great crested flycatchers claim tree cavities or nesting boxes when it comes time build a nest and raise young.

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

Unseen wood thrushes still make lovely music

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Photo by Jake Bonello/USFWS • A wood thrush sings at dusk from dense woodland cover.

The wood thrush, one of the most talented avian songsters in North America, returned this past week. I guess it’s now safe to plant corn. I’ve heard that many area gardeners hesitate to plant their corn until this native bird has given the “all clear” to signal that danger of a late freeze is past.

I haven’t seen a wood thrush yet, but I know that several of these birds have taken up residence in the woods around my home. I know because I’ve been hearing them singing mornings and evenings.

The wood thrush has a well-developed organ called a syrinx, which is the human equivalent of a larynx or voice box. For many songbirds, such as the thrushes, this specialized organ is more like a double voice box that permits a bird to produce two notes simultaneously while singing its song.

I think more people would take up the challenging pastime of birdwatching if not for the intimidation of trying to identify dozens of species that often demand attention to some specific details to contrast some birds from similar species.

But it is possible to enjoy birds even with looking at them. The wood thrush produces an elegant song that I never tire of hearing. Many other birds are vocal. They’re not all as musical as members of the thrush family, but its’s not necessary to ever lift a pair of binoculars to enjoy the birds in your own backyard. The sweet serenade of a wood thrush from woodland shadows is one of my favorite front porch evening activities every summer.

The wood thrush is one of the larger brown thrushes, which also includes such related birds as Swainson’s thrush, veery, gray-cheeked thrush and hermit thrush. Other less closely related members of the thrush family in North America include the American robin, Eastern bluebird and Townsend’s solitaire.

Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • The Wood Thrush often sings its flute-like song from deep under cover in dense woodlands.

The wood thrush is a fairly common bird in the region from April to October. Wood thrushes migrate south in the fall, dispersing to Mexico and Central America for the winter months, and then they reverse the route to return each spring.

The shy wood thrush does not usually venture too far from its preferred woodland habitat, but freshly disturbed soil in a garden will attract these birds as they seek out earthworms and insect larvae. Wood thrushes also feed on various fruits and berries, which means they can be attracted by plantings of suitable trees and shrubs.

The wood thrush, like many of its relatives, sings mainly in the early morning and again in the evening hours. They will also often sing after the tumult of an afternoon thunderstorm in the summer. I encourage anyone who lives near woods to pull up a comfortable seat outdoors and let the relaxing song of a wood thrust provide a great conclusion to the the day.

Naturalists often point to one of the wood thrush’s close kin — the hermit thrush — as the most gifted singer in this clan of gifted songsters. For discerning listeners, the hermit thrush’s flute-like notes are somewhat more melancholy, haunting and ethereal than even the incredibly enchanting notes of the wood thrush’s song.

The poet Walt Whitman employed a thrush as a symbol in his poem, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d,” a moving pastoral elegy in honor of the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A hermit thrush perches on a wooden fence rail. The bird’s rusty-red tail is evident in the photo.

Whitman evidently knew his birds, and it’s not difficult to identify that he referred to the hermit thrush when he wove this songbird as a symbol into his stanzas honoring Lincoln.

“Sing on there in the swamp,” Whitman wrote in his poem. “O singer bashful and tender, I hear your notes, I hear your call. I hear, I come presently, I understand you…”

Whitman and many other Americans have been made fans of this gifted songbird. In fact, the citizens of Vermont even proclaimed the hermit thrush as their official state bird.

In Northeast Tennessee, hermit thrushes are mostly a winter bird, but the wood thrush stays with us from spring to early fall. Enjoy the free music of resident wood thrushes this season. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
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To learn more about birds and other topics from the natural world, friend Stevens on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler. He often posts about local birds, wildlife, flowers, insects and much more. If you have a question, wish to make a comment or share a sighting, email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo by Jean Potter • The wood thrush is a common summer resident of woodlands in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina.