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These migratory birds are true champions

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ANNE AND SATURNINO MIRANDA/PIXABAY • The common crane holds a record achieved by the feat of flying over the Himalayans at a height of 37,000 feet. However, this is not a typical flight. They usually fly below 3,280 feet.

As it does every year, September’s arrival puts fall migration into sharp focus. The birds that returned this past spring — the warblers, vireos, tanagers, grosbeaks, flycatchers, hawks, hummingbirds and many more — have begun or are beginning to make their way back to the locations where they will spend the winter months far from the cold, bleak conditions over most of North America.

On recent mornings as I leave for work I have heard the buzz of hummingbird wings, as well as the scolding calls of red-eyed vireos from the woodlands around my home.

Some of these birds migrate out of the tropics every spring to avoid competition. Others find North America a land of abundant, albeit temporary, resources. This land of plenty offers a wealth of insects, seeds, fruit and other nourishing, nutritious food to help parent birds keep their strength while they work to ensure their young thrive. Of course, once the bountiful period concludes, they return to the tropics of Central and South America to winter. Those that do so successfully will make the journey back to the United States and Canada in the spring. It’s an ongoing cycle, repeating year after year, season after season.

The phenomenon of migration isn’t exclusive to the neotropical migrants of the New World. Birds in other parts of the world migrate, too. Waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors are among some of the families of birds that stage impressive migrations.

Here are some migration achievements of some of our feathered friends:

Elevation Champ
The Himalayas represent a mountainous challenge for many migratory birds. Some birds, however, shrug off the astonishing heights of the world’s tallest mountains. The common crane holds a record achieved by the feat of flying over the Himalayans at a height of 37,000 feet. However, this is not a typical flight for these cranes. In fact, they usually avoid flying over mountains. They usually fly below 3,280 feet. The regular migrant that does fly at loft heights is the bar-headed goose, recording reaching 29,000 feet. These geese regularly fly over the peaks of the Himalayas when migrating.

Long-distance Champ
The Arctic tern truly takes migration to extremes. This small seabird travels each year from its Arctic nesting grounds to the Antarctic region, where it spends the winter months. Put into terms of mileage, the Arctic tern can travel about 50,000 miles in a single year. For a bird with a body length of about 15 inches and a wingspan of about 28 inches, this incredible migration is an astonishing feat. These statistics permit the Arctic tern to easily lay claim to the title of champion migrant among our feathered friends.

Tiny Champ
The ruby-throated hummingbird, a favorite of many bird enthusiasts living in the eastern United States, makes an impressive migration each year. Just to reach the United States, these tiny birds undertake a strenuous journey. They leave their wintering grounds in Central America to return to the United States and Canada for the nesting season. Most of these tiny birds, which are barely four inches long, make a non-stop flight of more than 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico. The journey can take almost an entire day. With the end of summer, the entire population of ruby-throated hummingbirds, increased by a new generation of young birds, makes the Gulf crossing for a second time in a year to return to the American tropics for the winter months.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A ruby-throated hummingbird perches at a feeder for a sip of sugar water.

Dedicated Champ
Among North America’s buteo hawks, which includes raptors such as red-shouldered hawk and red-tailed hawk, the broad-winged hawk stands out as a dedicated migrant. These hawks form flocks that at times number in the hundreds or thousands as they sail and glide on thermals rising over various mountain ranges. These hawks and other raptors are well-known in the region for migrating past the Mendota Fire Tower in Southwest Virginia every September and early October. The broad-winged hawk’s counterpart in the western United States is Swainson’s hawk, which shares the broad-winged hawk’s inclination for migrating in large flocks. Swainson’s hawk is named for William Swainson, the famous 19th century English naturalist for which Swainson’s thrush is also named.

Warbler Champs
My favorite family of birds, the warblers, are seasonal migrants. The Northern parula, a warbler species that regular spends the spring and summer months in the woods around my home, winters in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and southern Florida. The Northern parula breeds across the eastern half of the United States and southeastern Canada. It’s not a migration of an incredible distance, but it’s still quite an accomplishment for a bird less than five inches long and weighing less than half an ounce.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • The Northern parula, like most warblers, is a medium- to long-distance migrant.

Another warbler is a true migratory champion. Few warblers make as great a journey as the blackpoll warbler. Instead of migrating over land, this five-inch-long warbler undertakes a two-stage migration. The first half of the migration is a non-stop flight of about 1,500 miles. Every fall, these tiny birds fly over the Atlantic Ocean during this part of their migration, departing from Canada or the northern United States and not stopping until they reach various locations in the Caribbean. There they will spend some time recovering from the exhausting first half of their journey before they continue their way to such South American countries as Colombia and Venezuela. Once again, during the time they spend flying over open ocean, these tiny warblers do not feed.

Fall’s a great time to witness the variety of avian life. Look for some of these migrants passing through your yards, gardens or favorite birding spots.

For those wanting suggestions for seeking out migrating birds, the linear trail in Erwin, Rocky Fork State Park in Flag Pond and Limestone Cove Recreation Area are some good bets.

Too short a season: Hummingbirds’ stay coming to a close

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Photo by Katy Jefferson/Pixabay • A male ruby-throated hummingbird perches on a sugar water feeder.

September’s right around the corner. Then comes fall, then winter, and the cycle of the seasons continues to advance.

Always there as signals to herald the imminent approach of a new season are the birds. Our feathered friends are quite remarkable in that regard.

I heard from Elizabethton resident Susan Peters recently via email about my recent columns on catbirds.

She reported that she has noticed that catbirds return almost exactly at the same time as the hummingbirds every year. She described the catbirds as very chatty for awhile when they first come back.

“I just assumed they were letting everyone else know they were back,” she wrote.

I agree with her. I think the constant vocalizing of the catbirds is an announcement to human neighbors as well as their fellow feathered kin that they are back in the vicinity.

Catbirds appear to stage different high profile periods during their yearly stay. My own catbirds are always at their most chatty when they first return in the spring, in later summer after the nesting season when they “reappear,” and again in fall just before they depart for their wintering grounds.

Photo by Bryan Stevens A curious Gray Catbird peeks from dense cover. Attendees at the fall rally can look for catbirds and other species at any of the offered bird hikes.

It was the other “feathered friend” mentioned in Susan’s message that I thought I’d riff on this week.

The ruby-throated hummingbird activity is rising at my home. Of course, that’s true for a lot of the wildlife. I’ve seen plenty of white-tailed deer, along with this summer’s fawns, as well as rabbits, groundhogs and raccoons during recent lazy late summer days. I think many of these visitors are trying to dry out from the frequent rainstorms.

If anything, the abundant rain has propelled an explosion of blooms, including jewelweed, a definite hummingbird favorite. Before the jewelweed burst into bloom a healthy crop of tiny red crocosmia blooms kept the hummingbirds coming back for more. I’ve also got some trumpet vines clinging to the wall of the family garage that also serve as a hummingbird attractant.

We’ve got six or seven more weeks to enjoy their company, and then come the inevitable winter months forcing us to await their return next spring as everything goes green once again.

It’s bittersweet when I flip the calendar page from August to September, but there are some good things to anticipate. Every season brings some of its own birds. Fall and winter mean migrating waterfowl, hermit thrushes and crowded bird feeders.

I don’t have anything against fall – it’s my favorite season. But I know that our ruby-throated hummingbirds, which returned only five months ago in early April, will soon be departing.

It won’t be only the hummingbirds. Warblers, orioles, tanagers and other migrants will also fly south to spend the winter season somewhere more hospitable.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Late summer usually brings a spike in visiting hummingbirds.

Most of the hummingbirds that visited our gardens over the summer are getting ready to migrate back to their winter homes in Central America. The one that returned this spring and successfully nested are being joined at our sugar water feeders by the season’s offspring. That’s the reason there’s a spike in numbers in late summer and early fall.

The New World is home to about 360 species of hummingbirds. In addition to the ruby-throated hummingbird, I’ve seen eight other hummingbird species.

We’ve expended many adjectives in finding names of them all. Sometimes, words fail. Mere adjectives are somewhat inadequate in providing common names for many of the world’s hummingbirds, but that doesn’t keep us from trying to give descriptive names to each hummingbird species. For instance, we have the beautiful hummingbird of Mexico; the charming hummingbird of Costa Rica and Panama; the festive coquette of northwestern South America; and the magnificent hummingbird of the southwestern United States.

Other names are even more elaborate and occasionally outlandish, such as the white-tufted sunbeam of Peru; the violet-throated metaltail of Ecuador; the violet-throated starfrontlet of Peru and Bolivia; the hyacinth visorbearer of Brazil; and the rainbow-bearded thornbill of Colombia and Ecuador.

And in East Tennessee and across the entire eastern half of the North American continent, we have the ruby-throated hummingbird. It’s the single representative of this huge family of birds in this part of the world.

For the young birds, this will be their first epic crossing of the Gulf of Mexico, something the species must do twice a year to get to and from their summer home in eastern North America. We use the word “epic” far too often to describe achievements, but it applies to the feat of this tiny bird.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A ruby-throated hummingbird visits a feeder for a sip of sugar water.

These tiny birds are about 3.5 inches in length and weigh two to six grams. That’s the weight of a penny.

Think about it. Something so small is able to fly 500 miles across open water between the U.S. Gulf Coast and the Yucatán Peninsula or Mexico.

This journey takes these tiny birds 18 to 24 hours of non-stop flying, with success depending greatly on the wind and weather conditions.

They can’t feed while flying over the ocean, so they tank up and double their body weight by eating heavy amounts of nectar and insects before the flight.

Some members of the species have chosen a safer coastal route around the edge of the Gulf through Texas instead of direct flight across. This turns a 500-mile journey into one that stretches to 1,000 to 2,000 miles. Regardless, that’s still a truly epic undertaking.

Keep your feeders filled with sugar water and add some extra flowers to your garden this fall seasons. You’ll earn the gratitude of visiting hummers. And, when they return next spring, consider yourself repaid in full.

•••

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

Cuckoo column strikes a chord with readers

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Painting by Nick Blosser • Local artist Nick Blosser transformed a tragic ending for a yellow-billed cuckoo into a reflective and even beautiful work of art.

I got some feedback from readers after I wrote my recent column focused on yellow-billed cuckoos.

In that column, I happened to mention that I’ve probably seen almost as many cuckoos killed in window strikes as I have seen live individuals. That seemed to resonate. Although it is a sad way to get introduced to a species of bird, that appears to happen regularly with cuckoos.

“My husband and I loved your story on the yellow-billed cuckoo,” Mindy Blosser wrote in an email. “Several years ago we witnessed a tragic window strike of a yellow-billed cuckoo at our house in south Johnson City.”

She added, “It is such a beautiful bird.”

She said that her husband, Nick, is an artist and that he completed a watercolor painting to memorialize the bird.

“We thought you might like to see the watercolor,” she said.

They also agreed to let me share Nick’s painting with readers.

The painting, although obviously tragic in nature, manages to transform the moment into something reflective and even beautiful.

I also heard from Susan Peters, an Elizabethton resident, in response to the column on cuckoos.

“I really enjoyed your column on the cuckoo,” Susan wrote in an email. “You mentioned callers who had a bird strike into a window, and I wondered if you remembered the one I called you about. It was years ago at my parents’ home on K Street.”

She reminded me that the cuckoo at her parents’ home hit a big picture window and probably broke its neck.

Like the Blossers, Susan admired the beauty of the cuckoo.

“Such a beautiful bird,” she wrote.

Susan and I have corresponded for years through this column. And her timely email reminded me that I did indeed make arrangements to meet her and collect the cuckoo that died after the window strike. I transported the cuckoo to the biology department at Milligan University, at the time still Milligan College. It was probably one of the last specimens ever added to the collection of freeze-dried specimens maintained by biology professor Gary Wallace. He is now retired and has moved back to his boyhood home in Dover, Tennessee, in Stewart County.

When I gave some of my early programs on birding to local civic organizations, Wallace sent me out well prepared with some fine specimens from the collection. I recall that he loaned me everything from a blue-winged teal to a tiny ruby-throated hummingbird. The specimens were always a big hit with audiences. There’s just something about holding a bird in the hand, even if it is dead and preserved as a freeze-dried skin, that connects people with the long-expired bird and its kin.

Photo by Patricia White/USFWS • The black-throated gray warbler normally ranges across the western half of North America and Mexico. Its migration route is usually west of the Great Plains, but half a century ago an individual reached Tennessee only to die in a fatal fallout of migrating birds that collided with a communications tower on Holston Mountain Oct. 2, 1972.

When the Elizabethton Bird Club still met on the Milligan campus, Wallace often opened the biology collection to our meetings for programs that basically consisted of our members getting to marvel at the array of birds preserved by the college’s biology department. Some unique specimens included the first black-throated gray warbler ever found in Tennessee. Unfortunately that bird died in a fatal fallout of birds that collided with a communications tower on Holston Mountain on Oct. 2, 1972.

Although housed for many years at Milligan, the black-throated gray warbler was eventually transferred in the summer of 2011 to the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science after Milligan’s biology department phased out its own collection.

The black-throated gray warbler normally ranges across the western half of North America and Mexico. The species migrates primarily through the Pacific and Central Flyways, staying strictly west of the Great Plains. Well, usually staying west of the Great Plains! The specimen found on Holston Mountain more than half a century ago proves that even this species has occasionally wandered far beyond its usual range.

USFWS • A yellow-billed cuckoo perches in the open.

All too often, birds meet with accidents during migration or simply while living their daily lives. According to the ABA Rare Bird Alert network, an injured spotted rail was found and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center earlier this month. Because the bird was immediately transferred into rehabilitation, its exact initial discovery location has not been publicized, making this mega-rarity not chaseable for Tennessee birders. “Chaseable” simply refers to the fact that many birders would have traveled a great distance to see such an unexpected discovery in order to add it to their life lists.

The spotted rail is a native to the freshwater marshes of Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. In other words, its discovery in Tennessee was extremely surprising.

Experts consider injured rails notoriously difficult to rehabilitate, but if this individual survives the first few stressful days, its chances of recovery should improve.

Birds have wings, and those wings can transport them to some unusual places. Their flights also occasionally take them into danger. It’s all part of the natural cycle. It’s also just one fascinating aspect of the lives of birds that keeps birders coming back for more.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • The waxy tips to the wing feathers are evident in this photograph of a cedar waxwing.

The seasons are beginning to shift. In recent weeks I’ve glimpsed young wild turkeys crossing local roadways. Cedar waxwings are beginning to flock at my home, no doubt lured by the ripening wild cherries in trees around my home. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are still visiting. An Eastern screech-owl has become a reliable serenader in the early evening hours.

Keep watching for unexpected visitors. As always, feel free to email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to share sightings, ask questions or make comments.

 

Make an effort to win over gray catbirds

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Veronika Andrews from Pixabay • If all else fails, bribery works well on gray catbirds. Provide these birds with a treat and their confidence is more quickly given.

The gray catbird is a baffling bird with a personality that runs the gamut from introverted to extroverted, sometimes depending on the season and at other times seemingly just on a whim. With some gentle persuasion, however, people can gain a catbird’s trust and develop a fun friendship with these clever songbirds.

Bribery also works. One summer, I only needed to offer some less-than-perfect strawberries and blueberries. A few blemishes on the fruit didn’t bother the resident catbirds at all, and they soon became accustomed to receiving such treats.

Your first introduction to the catbird is likely going to occur when you hear what sounds like an irritable feline hiding in a hedge, thicket or dense shrub. Upon closer examination, you may get a glimpse of a charcoal gray bird roughly the shape of a Northern mockingbird but smaller. A black cap and a patch of rusty-red feathers under the tail are the only exceptions to this bird’s overall gray plumage.

Photo by Bryan Stevens A curious Gray Catbird peeks from dense cover. Attendees at the fall rally can look for catbirds and other species at any of the offered bird hikes.

I’m pleased to note that catbirds are doing well. A profile on the website All About Birds confirms that the species is common and has benefitted from stable populations from 1966 to 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. An estimate from Partners in Flight gives the species a breeding population of 29 million individuals spread out across North America. In a time when many bird species are declining, this is welcome news.

Catbirds are experts at concealing themselves from prying eyes. The gray plumage blends into the shadowy sections of the tangles and thickets where the bird likes to hide itself. However, even when gray catbirds are reluctant to be seen, they’re almost eager to be heard. The catbird is extremely vocal, with several calls and songs in its repertoire, including the rather faithful rendering of a fussy cat’s meow that provides this bird its common name.

They’re part of a family related to thrushes that are known as “mimic thrushes.” Besides its surprisingly accurate rendition of a feline, the catbird has several other common vocalizations. Despite their shy nature, they’re extremely curious. Imitating their calls or simply producing a squeaky sound will usually persuade the bird to move out of cover and search for the source of the noise.

Catbirds are part of the parade of returning birds each spring that includes species like rose-breasted grosbeaks, scarlet tanagers, Baltimore orioles and indigo buntings, but because they lack the brilliant plumages of these other birds their arrival would probably go unnoticed if not for the fact they are extremely noisy for the first few weeks they are back. Then they go silent again and remain quieter as they take up the serious business of raising young.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A gray catbird hides within the branches of a dense shrub.

However, in a mood that appears to swing with the seasons, gray catbirds emerge again in late summer and early fall when they feast on such fruit as elderberries and wild cherries while making their whiny cacophony of calls from any tangle or thicket where they happen to be.

The catbird belongs to the genus Dumetella. The name is based upon the Latin term dūmus, which roughly translated means “thorny thicket.” Dumetella, in turn, means “dweller in the thornbushes” or “small bird of the thornbushes.” It’s a rather apt description for a bird fond of habitats often dominated by thorny vegetation. Older common names for the gray catbird included cat thrush and slate-colored mockingbird.

They are related to thrashers and mockingbirds, but scientists find them just different enough to warrant placing the gray catbird in its own genus. A relative known as the black catbird, which ranges throughout the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, as well as northern Guatemala and northern Belize, also belongs to a genus of its own. Both catbirds are classified as “mimic thrushes,” or Mimidae, of which there are about 30 species in the New World. There is a totally unrelated family of catbirds that ranges through Australia, Asia and parts of Africa.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Gray catbird have a rusty-red patch beneath their tail, occasionally seen as they dive for cover.

The gray catbird is not as an accomplished mimic as some of its relatives, such as the Northern mockingbird. Males have motivation to constantly expand their repertoire, however, as doing so increases the likelihood of attracting a mate. They imitate other birds, but some have been recorded imitating frogs and other non-avian singers.

While not generally considered a bird to visit feeders, people have succeeded in attracting catbirds to feeders designed to offer grape jelly or orange slices. Planting fruit-bearing shrubs and trees is the best means of attracting these fascinating birds to your yard and garden. Leave a few untidy edges to your yard. Gray catbirds will thank you.

•••

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

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.

•••

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.