Tag Archives: Hummingbirds

Late summer offers interesting birding opportunities for birders

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Photo by Steven Arnold/Pixabay • A great blue heron attempts to get a handle on a snake in preparation for swallowing its serpentine prey.

A pair of Carolina wrens has taken advantage of what was meant to be the temporary storage of some boxes on the front porch to claim the interior of one of the cardboard containers as a nesting location.

In the latter days of summer, usually a lackluster period for birdwatching, there are still some interesting behaviors or actions on the part of our feathered friends to provide some points of interest.

Wrens already have a reputation for nesting in some unusual locations. My introduction to the Carolina wren took place in my childhood when a pair of these wrens nested in an old apron my grandmother used as a bag for her clothespins. Other unusual locations for wren nests that I have found over the years included the interior of a plastic shopping bag hanging from a nail in my garage and an attempt to nest in the exhaust vent for my clothes dryer. I’ve also seen them nest in hanging flower baskets.

Photo by Jean Potter • A Carolina wren creeps along a fence.

The world’s 88 species of wrens are, for the most part, the quintessential “little brown birds,” but that hasn’t kept them from acquiring some interesting and descriptive common names. Some examples include the tooth-billed wren, flutist wren, riverside wren, whiskered wren, happy wren, musician wren, timberline wren, speckle-breasted wren, white-breasted wood wren and giant wren. The last species on the list resides in Mexico and is indeed a “giant” among a family of tiny birds, reaching a length of almost nine inches and weighing all of 1.8 ounces.

I’ve also been monitoring a great blue heron lurking along the creek that flows past my home. A collapsed foot bridge (thanks to Helene) still spans the creek and provided, at least from the heron’s perspective, a means of concealment from my prying eyes when I stepped onto the front porch. The heron ducked under the bridge and slowly stepped downstream, out of sight and presumably what the bird thought would be out of mind. But I tricked the heron, stepping back inside the house and waiting for It to reappear. I stepped into view again and the heron, instead of taking flight, repeated its earlier actions, skirting beneath the bridge and wading downstream. I could probably have continued this game of peek-a-boo, but I felt that I had imposed on the heron long enough. The bird evidently desired to try its luck fishing upstream beneath a shady overhang of branches from trees growing along the creek banks. I stepped back inside, peeked out a window and watched the heron move in a slow, stately manner, but this time the bird headed up the creek.

All herons are skillful anglers, so I am confident that the bird probably managed to catch an unwary frog or fish. As the tallest heron in North America, the great blue heron boasts a diverse diet. These birds, armed with a dagger-shaped bill, excellent vision and quick reflexed, prey on rodents, amphibians, snakes, fish and even small alligators. Basically, a great blue heron will eat anything it can swallow.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A great blue heron’s quick reflexed and dagger-like bill make it a formidable predator.

Other herons around the world with descriptive names include purple heron, white-bellied heron, black-headed heron, great-billed heron, whistling heron, pied heron and Goliath heron. The latter, as its name suggests, is a giant among herons.

There’s more to report on the birding front. Hummingbird numbers are on the rise again. After the usual summer lull, the resident ruby-throated hummingbirds have raised their profile, visiting daily at feeders as well as blooming flowers. Female hummingbirds have had time to raise their young. In fact, many of the hummingbirds visiting your yards and gardens at this time of year are probably birds born earlier in the season. In a couple of months these young birds will make their inaugural migration across the Gulf of Mexico to reach winter grounds in Central America. Until that time, hang a sugar water feeder, grab a lawn chain and enjoy the hours of no-cost entertainment provided by these feisty, flying gems.

So, although the summer doldrums do make birds scarce at times, just know that they’re still out there. In the meantime, nature offers plenty of other engaing wildlife. During the day, it’s fun to look for butterflies and dragonflies. After dark, there’s always moths and lightning bugs.

Keep in mind, it’s not always the visuals. For instance, the past couple of nights I’ve enjoyed listening to an Eastern screech-owl’s nocturnal serenade with its trembling wailing call that gives this small owl its name.

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

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

 

Carter County Summer Bird Count tallies 117 species

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Hans Toom/Pixabay • A couple of Canada warbler got tallied with this year’s Carter County Summer Bird Count.

The Lee and Lois Herndon Chapter of Tennessee Ornithological Society, also known as the Elizabethton Bird Club, held its 32nd annual Carter County Summer Bird Count on Saturday, June 7 with 20 observers in nine parties.

Participants tallied 117 species, which is slightly above the average of 114 species.

Most unusual was a Mississippi kite seen for the first time on one of the chapter’s summer bird count. The kite was seen in the Toll Branch vicinity, according to the count’s longtime compiler Rick Knight. He also indicated that other notable finds included common merganser and red crossbill. In addition, counter found 18 species of warblers.

The list:

Canada goose, 90; wood duck, 8; mallard, 56; and common merganser, 2.

Wild turkey, 13; rock Pigeon, 36; Eurasian collared-dove, 3; mourning dove, 142; yellow-billed cuckoo, 5; chuck-will’s-widow, 4; Eastern whip-poor-will, 8; chimney swift, 55; and ruby-throated hummingbird, 20.

Killdeer, 8; double-crested cormorant, 5; green heron, 2; great blue heron, 10; black vulture, 14; and turkey vulture, 46.

Osprey, 3; sharp-shinned hawk, 1; Cooper’s hawk, 3.

Bald eagle, 2; Mississippi kite, 1; red-shouldered hawk, 4; broad-winged hawk, 5; red-tailed hawk, 14; Eastern screech owl, 3; great horned owl, 1; and barred owl, 1.

Belted kingfisher, 9; red-bellied woodpecker, 18; downy woodpecker, 10; hairy woodpecker, 1; Northern flicker, 24; and pileated woodpecker, 16.

Simard Francois/Pixabay • A great crested flycatcher perches on a horizontal branch.

American kestrel, 2; great crested flycatcher, 8; Eastern kingbird, 16; Eastern wood-pewee, 26; Acadian flycatcher, 23; alder flycatcher, 1; least flycatcher, 9; and Eastern phoebe, 46.

White-eyed vireo, 11; yellow-throated vireo, 1; blue-headed vireo, 20; warbling vireo, 4; red-eyed vireo, 130; blue jay, 104; American crow, 180; fish crow, 4; and common raven, 2.

Carolina chickadee, 57; tufted titmouse, 78; tree swallow, 101; Northern rough-winged swallow, 58; purple martin, 23; barn swallow, 106; and cliff swallow, 127.

Golden-crowned kinglet, 2; cedar waxwing, 69; red-breasted nuthatch, 3; white-breasted nuthatch, 13; blue-gray gnatcatcher, 13; Carolina wren, 78; house wren, 23; and winter wren, 1.

Gray catbird, 34; brown thrasher, 31; Northern mockingbird, 83; European starling, 660; Eastern bluebird, 102; veery, 10; hermit thrush, 1; wood thrush, 35; and American robin, 417.

House sparrow, 27; house finch, 84; red crossbill, 3; pine siskin, 5; American goldfinch, 117; chipping sparrow, 91; field sparrow, 26; dark-eyed junco, 34; song sparrow, 204; and Eastern towhee, 105.

Yellow-breasted chat, 4; Eastern meadowlark, 11; orrchard oriole, 8; Baltimore oriole, 6; red-winged blackbird, 88; brown-headed cowbird, 43; and common grackle, 109.

Ovenbird, 65; worm-eating warbler, 5; Louisiana waterthrush, 15; golden-winged warbler, 3; black-and-white warbler, 34; Swainson’s warbler, 9; common yellowthroat, 19; hooded warbler, 104; American redstart, 24; Northern parula, 65; Blackburnian warbler, 6; Yellow warbler, 9; chestnut-sided warbler, 31; black-throated blue warbler, 33; pine warbler, 3; yellow-throated warbler, 20; black-throated green warbler, 27; and Canada warbler, 2.

Scarlet tanager, 34; Northern cardinal, 160; rose-breasted grosbeak, 7; blue grosbeak, 6; and indigo bunting, 154.

Knight noted that it seems like a few species are often missed on a one-day count. He explained that these misses are usually low-density or localized species. Weather or other circumstances may contribute to these misses, as well.

Several species of herons were found for this year’s Summer  Bird Count, but yell0w crowned night-heron was missed. 

Missed species this year included ruffed grouse, common nighthawk, America woodcock, yellow-crowned night-heron, yellow-bellied sapsucker, brown creeper, Kentucky warbler and magnolia warbler.

The chapter will resume meeting in September for its 2025-2026 calendar year. Meetings are usually held the first Tuesday of each month on the Elizabethton campus of Northeast State Community College. Meetings are accompanied by a program on birds, birding and other nature-related topics and begin at 7 p.m. For details, or to share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

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Bryan Stevens has written about birds and birding since 1995. His weekly “Feathered Friends” column will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year.

Cedar waxwings provide entertainment as they feast on mulberries

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Photo by Jack Bulmer/Pixabay • A cedar waxwings strikes a stately pose on a branch.

Spring turned out to be a rainy season in Northeast Tennessee. As we move into the official summer season as of Friday, June 20, summer’s also looking like it might be wetter than usual.

Rainfall hasn’t stopped the rhythms of the seasons. For instance, two mulberry trees at home have produced a bonanza of ripening berries for our fruit-loving feathered friends.

So far, the main beneficiaries of all this bounty has been the local cedar waxwings. These sleek and distinctive birds have a brown and gray silky plumage, a black mask and a perky crest. Some of the wing feathers show red tips. The similarity of these wing tips to melted drops of wax gives these birds the common name of waxwing.

There’s no absolute explanation of the purpose for these waxy tips. Experts have theorized that the colorful wingtips might help attract mates.

Other birds have competed for access to the berries, including American robins, gray catbirds and at least one scarlet tanager.

Cedar waxwings love their fruit. They’re not quite a frugivore, which is a scientific term for animals that depend mostly on raw fruits for sustenance. The website All About Bird recommends planting native trees and shrubs that bear small fruits, including such species as mulberry, dogwood, serviceberry, cedar, juniper, hawthorn and winterberry, to attract cedar waxwings.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A cedar waxwing perches in the upper branches of a tree.

The cedar waxwing has few relatives. Worldwide, there are only two other species: the Bohemian waxwing, of the northern forests of Eurasia and North America; and the Japanese waxwing, found in such northeast Asian countries as Japan, Korea and China.

Although it’s classified as a songbird, the cedar waxwing does’t truly produce a vocalization that anyone would contend qualifies as a song. They are, however, very vocal birds, producing shrill, high-pitched notes as they pass through the upper branches of tall trees.

Early American naturalist and artist John James Audubon painted this pair of cedar waxwings.

As much as the waxwing has a fondness for fruit, it’s also a bird that would have made an excellent flycatcher. Flocks of these birds will often congregate in trees near the edge of a pond, garden or yard — anywhere winged insects might be found in good numbers — in order to hawk insects on the wing. A waxwing will sally forth from a branch, snatch its prey in mid-air, and return to its perch for a quick snack. Dragonflies often feed on mayflies and dragonflies but they will also forage on a wide array of other winged insects.

Waxwings are rather nomadic, coming and going with a maddening unpredictability. They often follow the available sources of food, whether that’s the multitude of flying insects attracted by pond and rivers or a particularly bountiful crop of fruit.

They can form large flocks. I once observed a flock that probably consisted of 100 individuals as they stripped berries in early winter from a holly tree. Adding some comic relief to the scene were two Northern mockingbirds making a futile attempt to disperse the waxwings and thus claim all the berries for themselves. The mockingbirds would chase off a dozen or so birds only for twice that number to descend on the vacated spot in the tree’s branches. It was a losing battle, but I am confident that once they settled down, the mockingbirds managed to enjoy the supply of berries alongside the overwhelming numbers of waxwings.

I’ve enjoyed the friendly flock of waxwings as they’ve feasted on mulberries. The only drawback has been that I am usually observing their antics in late evening when the sun is behind these birds. Fortunately, even a waxwing’s sleek silhouette is still a sight to behold and enjoy.

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

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A pair of cedar waxwings hawk for insects near a pond.

Joyas voladoras: Hummingbirds welcomed back to region

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Michele Spark • Female ruby-throated hummingbirds lack the red throat patch, known as a gorget, that is present on adult males.

Readers continue to welcome back hummingbirds and share their first spring sightings of these tiny birds.

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“My husband Marvin and I saw our first hummingbird March 31 in Rogersville, Tennessee,” Mary Powers wrote in an email.

“We’ve been seeing them most days since then,” she added.

Mary said she put the feeder up a week before her sighting.

“Of course I change the syrup every week and clean it,” she noted.

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Kenneth Oakes commented on my Facebook page about his first sighting.

“I’ve just seen my first this year about 30 minutes ago on April 6 in an area near Sunshine, North Carolina,” Kenneth wrote.

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Dianne Rebmann emailed me to share her first spring hummingbird sighting.

“I saw my first hummingbird April 8,” she wrote. “There were actually two of them, and I caught them on Trailcam.”

Dianne lives in the Willowbrook community in Kingsport near the Meadowview Convention Center.

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Annie Morton and Pete Fredrick emailed me information about their first spring sighting.

“We wanted to share the news that we saw our first ruby-throated hummingbird (male) at home on April 9,” they wrote. “We live off Dry Creek Road in Unicoi County.”

They added that they hung a feeder last week after reading my article in The Erwin Record about the pending arrival time for hummingbirds.

“What a thrill to see the first one at the feeder while eating our breakfast yesterday morning,” they added to the end of their email.

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Diane Graham, a Jonesborough resident, spotted her first little one Wednesday morning (April 9) at her feeder.

“I think he was passing through,” she wrote in her email.

Diane also recorded two other visiting hummingbirds, one each on April 10 and April 11.

“None are yet making multiple visits during the day,” she added.

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April Kerns Fain commented on my Facebook page about her first sighting. “I saw the first one on April 9,” commented April, who lives in Unicoi.

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Sue Schreiner posted on my Facebook page about her first spring sighting.

“Just spotted my first hummingbird today (April 11) in Bluff City. Yay!” Sue wrote.

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Felicia Mitchell in Meadowview, Virginia, shared her first spring hummingbird sighing via a Facebook message. Felicia saw her first hummingbird on Sunday, April 13.

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In a Facebook comment on April 13, Flag Pond resident Regina Ray reported that she has seen her first spring hummingbird.

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Paula Elam Booher commented on my Facebook page that she saw her first hummingbird of spring in Bristol on April 13.

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Gina Kinney emailed to let me know that her mom Ginger Brackins saw her first hummingbird on April 14 at 6:25 p.m. in Erwin.

“She wanted me to email you right away,” Gina wrote.

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“I’ve had my hummingbird feeders up for a few weeks, but finally this afternoon (April 14) at 4 p.m. a female hummer had one all to herself,” Michelle Sparks, a resident of Bluff City, wrote to me by email.

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“Yesterday (April 14) I saw a hummingbird check out our feeder,” Donald Beck emailed me.

“It did not drink and I have not seen it any time since,” Donald, a resident of Bray Road in Stanley Valley in Rogersville, reported.

“Was it just on its way north?” Donald also asked.

It’s true, I noted in my response to his question, that many of these first hummingbird sightings are not the birds that will spend the summer months with us. Many of these “early” hummingbirds will continue migrating farther north, but others will arrive, like what they see and decide to stick around.

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Diane Hensley Silvers posted on April 16 in a Facebook comment that hummingbird numbers have only increased since the first one arrived.

“I have several now,” Diane wrote. “They arrived at my house in Washington County about 10 days ago.”

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • Ruby-throated hummingbirds such as this male are returning to the region.

Tennessee’s Watchable Wildlife offers an online profile for the ruby-throated hummingbird, including interesting information about how such a tiny bird makes its phenomenal crossing of the Gulf of Mexico each spring to return to the eastern United States.

To accomplish this tremendous migratory crossing, a hummingbird will double its body mass by fattening on nectar and insects in the weeks prior to departure.

No hummingbird species other than ruby-throated hummingbird breeds in Tennessee, but several Western species have been found in the state during the non-breeding season. They arrive anytime after late August and usually depart in April. At least seven western species of hummingbird has been recorded in the Volunteer State, including rufous, black-chinned, Allen’s, Anna’s, calliope and broad-tailed hummingbirds.

There’s also a couple of reports of a green violet-ear, a species that is usually found in forested regions of Mexico and Nicaragua. The species has ventured into Tennessee twice, being documented in Memphis in September of 2007 and in Montgomery County in July of 2020.

I’ve seen several of these western “visitors” throughout the years, but my greatest affection is still attached to the ruby-throated hummingbird.

Most hummingbirds impress with their size, or rather the lack of it. It’s that tiny size that has prompted people to describe them as “miracles” from the time the first European explorers sailed to the New World in the late 1400s. When Spanish explorers first encountered them, they had no equivalent birds in Europe to use as a reference. They referred to hummingbirds as “joyas voladoras,” or flying jewels.

If your yard offers some trees and shrubs, necessary for perching, you can attract ruby-throated hummingbirds. It pays to have a feeder available with a fresh mixture of one part sugar to four parts water. This is the formula that closely matches the sweetness of nectar available from flowers. In warm conditions, you’ll need to change out the mixture every few days. Give the feeders a scrubbing and rinse while changing out the sugar water. Then sit back and enjoy the antics of these pint-sized delights.

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

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Despite a perceived disadvantage of size, ruby-throated hummingbirds are quite capable of thriving in a giant world.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds stage their spring return to region

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Bryan Stevens • A male ruby-throated hummingbird perches on a sugar water feeder.

In an article posted on March 27, Journey North, an organization and website that tracks migrating hummingbirds, announced that so far this spring, bird-watchers in 12 states had reported ruby-throated hummingbirds, but it’s still early in the season.

“So far, we have one sighting each in Kentucky and Tennessee and two in Arkansas, but we’re expecting more in the coming weeks,” noted the blog post by Journey North.

One week later, hummingbirds arrived in locations in Unicoi County, Carter County and Washington County in Northeast Tennessee.

Journey North is a citizen science project that engages citizen scientists in a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. It’s a fun way to track the migration of everything from hummingbirds to butterflies like monarchs.

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“Hummingbirds are here!” Beverly King, a resident on Marbleton Road in Unicoi, wrote in an email. “We saw our first hummingbird today, Saturday, April 5.”

Beverly noted that she was excited to see hummingbirds slightly early this year.

“We usually see them about the 15th of the month,” she added. “Well, my feeders are now up. We could not tell if it was a female or a male.”

Bryan Stevens • A female ruby-throated hummingbird perches on a feeder.

 

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Erwin resident Amy Tipton sent me a Facebook message announcing that her parents had enjoyed a visit from a returning hummingbird.

“My parents, Edison and Emma Jean Wallin, had their first hummingbird of the season visit today, Saturday, April 5 at 4:30,” Amy wrote. “They live about a mile up Limestone Cove in Unicoi.”

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Dianne Draper in Jonesborough shared on my Facebook page about her first hummingbirds of the season.

“Our first ones showed up on April 5,” she noted. “We had two.”

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I’ve already seen my first hummingbird, as well. I have a bed of tulips blooming at my home. I planted them last fall and have been thrilled with their performance. I was outdoors admiring the tulips when I heard a brief but tantalizing buzzing noise. Although I scanned all around me, I failed to confirm that I’d heard a hummingbird.

A half hour later, however, while reading on my front porch, I saw my first hummingbird of 2025 when a male zipped up to one of my sugar water feeders. He returned twice while I stayed outdoors reading on a misty afternoon. He arrived at 4:14 p.m. on Sunday, April 6.

In 2024, I saw my first hummingbird on April 17 at 7:15 p.m. This year’s bird is certainly arriving earlier than is typical, but I was thrilled to see him.

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Gayle Riddervold, who lives only a few miles from my home on Simerly Creek Road in Hampton, reported that she and Becky Kinder saw their first spring hummingbird on April 8.

“We just saw our first hummingbird today,” Gayle wrote in a Facebook message. “Yesterday we saw a belted kingfisher on our road.”

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Brookie and Jean Potter, residents at Wilbur Lake in Elizabethton, sent me a text about the arrival of their first spring hummingbird on Wednesday, April 9, at 5:45 p.m.

They added, “It came back to feed again around 7 p.m.”

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Technically, TD, a follower of my “Our Fine Feathered Friends” blog, provided the earliest report of a hummingbird this spring. Of course, TD has the benefit of living in Texas, close to the Gulf of Mexico that these tiny birds must cross to return to the United States each spring.

The bird TD spotted arrived on Wednesday March 26, at 2:34 p.m. central time.

“A ruby-throated hummingbird male stopped at my feeder on my front porch a mile from Corpus Christi Bay after an hour of a rain shower,” TD wrote in a comment.

TD also reported that Corpus Christi has been in a drought so severe that residents have not been allowed to water outside since last fall.

TD’s hummingbird arrived with the first rainfall in more than two months.

“So I was watching the lovely rain when this hummingbird perched onto my hummingbird feeder,” TD wrote. “I have a very large window and hang four hummingbird feeders along the front porch.”

TD noted that the male’s iridescent ruby red around his neck resembled a scarf. “I named him Texas Tuxedo,” TD shared.

TD also saw a female hummingbird on Wednesday, April 2, at 7:15 a.m.

TD said the female hummer acted shy and fluttered around the feeder before feeling safe to perch for feeding.

It’s usually the case that females lag behind males in their annual migration back to the United States.

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

The hummingbirds are an amazing family of birds. There are an estimated 330 species of hummingbirds, all of which are found in the New World. Consider that these dazzling little birds have been given vividly descriptive names, such as cinnamon-throated hermit, red-tailed comet, blue-chinned sapphire, lazuline sabrewing, sparkling violetear, fiery topaz, green-tailed goldenthroat, bronze-tailed plumeleteer, amethyst-throated mountain-gem, peacock coquette, red-billed emerald, empress brilliant, purple-backed sunbeam, green-backed hillstar, orange-throated sunangel, black metaltail, marvelous spatuletail and blue-tufted starthroat.

The only hummingbird species to inhabit the eastern United States from spring to fall each year is the ruby-throated hummingbird, which is currently arriving at various points from Florida to Maine and westward to states like Illinois, Minnesota and Oklahoma and north into Canada.

To return each year, ruby-throated hummingbirds make an awe-inspiring and non-stop crossing of the Gulf of Mexico. Even more incredible, they make the trip again in the fall when they return to warmer locations in Central America to spend the winter months.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds lead relatively brief lives. The oldest known ruby-throated hummingbird was a female, according to the website All About Birds. She was at least 9 years, 2 months old when she was recaptured and rereleased in 2014 during banding operations in West Virginia.

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These shared sightings represent some of the “early bird” sightings of hummingbirds. I welcome more reports as other people continue to observe returning hummingbirds. Email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com or find me on Facebook to share your sightings. Provide a date and time, if possible. Good luck with the hummingbird watching.

Here are a few birds to look for this spring

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male hooded warbler perches in a cluster of branches.

Has it been a slow spring? I have felt that it’s been one step forward, two steps back. But April has finally arrived. Although we’re now two days into the month, I’m still waiting on some of my first arrivals among our fine feathered friends.

That’s not an unusual situation. I think the birds like to drag out their springtime arrivals. They know that being tardy is sure to aggravate me as I’m not known for patience.

The first male red-winged blackbird returned to the fish pond in mid-March and has been singing persistently from the tops of the bald cypress trees bordering the pond. I haven’t seen a female red-winged blackbird yet, but they tend to arrive later than males.

Of course, and I don’t think I’m alone in this hope, I’m also eager to welcome back ruby-throated hummingbirds. These tiny flying gems should be back any day now. My sugar water feeders are waiting for them.

I hope readers will once again share the first arrival dates of hummingbirds at their own feeders. Jot down the date and time, as well as any other details you’d like to share, and email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com or message me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler/

With those preliminary thoughts shared, what else will I look for as the spring advances? Longtime readers will know of my enthusiasm for warblers, also known as New World warblers or wood-warblers.

They’re a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds that make up the family Parulidae. The family, which occurs only in the New World, contains 120 species. They are not closely related to Old World warblers or Australian warblers.

About half of the 120 species reside in Central and South America, but the others migrate north each spring to nest in the United States and Canada. In Northeast Tennessee, we have about two dozen nesting species that make their home with us from April to October.

The warbler I look forward most to seeing is the hooded warbler, partly due to individuals belonging to this species nesting in the woodlands around my home.

Photo by USFWS/A female hooded warbler stays put on her nest.

So, from the time my favorite warbler returns in April until the last individual departs in October, I enjoy regular glimpses of this colorful and interesting bird. Like all warblers, the hooded warbler is quite energetic, dashing after tiny insects in the branches of shrubs and trees. Hooded warblers often forage close to the ground, which makes observing them easier.

Of course, birds are free to break the rules. One of my most memorable sightings of a hooded warbler involved a male singing from the upper branches of a dead pine tree. I’d estimate that the bird was at least 40 feet off the ground, singing his little heart out to attract a mate. I was standing on an elevated rise of land while the tree providing the warbler its perch was lower in a gully that actually placed bird and observer on a roughly level playing field.

That sighting took place 25 years ago, but the image of that male hooded warbler singing so enthusiastically has remained emblazoned in my memory.

This particular bird sang for several moments, which is not always the case with warblers. These birds tend to dash for cover at the slightest disturbance, but this enthusiastic male didn’t seem to pay any heed to the fact that most of its kin prefer to skulk in shrubs and dense rhododendron thickets no more than a few feet off the ground.

It’s one bird unlikely to be mistaken for any other. Every time I behold a hooded warbler, I marvel at the bird’s exquisite appearance. The gold and green feathers seem to glow brightly in the dim light of the shadowy thickets of rhododendron they prefer to inhabit. The black hood and bib surrounding the male’s yellow face stands out by virtue of its stark contrast from the brighter feathers. Large coal-black eyes complete the effect. The appearance of the male bird provides this species with its common name.

The female hooded warbler has an identical yellow-green coloration as the male, although she is slightly more drab. She lacks the black hood and bib, although older females may acquire some dark plumage on the head and around the face. Both sexes also show white tail feathers that they constantly fan and flick as they move about in thick vegetation and shrubbery.

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

In addition to warblers, I also look forward to the return of scarlet tanagers. Males are unmistakable in their bright red plumage accented by black wings. This is one bird that is truly breathtaking when lured into the open for an observation through a pair of binoculars.

During their summer stay in the region, scarlet tanagers largely prey on insects. Although renowned as a fruit-eating bird, the scarlet tanager primarily feeds on fruit during its migration flights and on its wintering range in the tropics. This tanager breeds in deciduous and mixed deciduous-evergreen woodlands across the eastern half of North America. It’s my understanding that oaks are a favorite tree for this woodland dweller.

It’s unlikely that you’ll run across the nest of a scarlet tanager. These birds nest high in trees, often locating their nests 50 feet or more above the ground. After building a nest, a female tanager will incubate her three to five eggs for about two weeks. It’s during this time that her inconspicuous appearance is a plus, helping her blend well with her surroundings.

So, as I wait for warblers, hummingbirds and tanagers, I’ll just have to be a little more patient. I’m also hopeful that the fish pond will attract some nesting birds such as tree swallows and wood ducks. Fingers crossed!

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Remember to let me know about your first hummingbird sightings. Email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to notify me of a sighting, ask a question or share a comment.

Smallest of birds lead the spring migration charge

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • Welcoming back hummingbirds also involves making sure that they remain healthy and safe while spending the next six months in our yards and gardens. Readers are also invited to share the time and date of their first spring hummingbird arrivals.

 

We’ve reached the middle of March. Some of our favorite birds are on their way back to spend the warmer months with us. I’ve always been impressed that our smallest birds — ruby-throated hummingbird, blue-grey gnatcatcher and ruby-crowned kinglets — lead the charge in returning to the region after an absence of several months.

Of course, a few larger birds also tend to arrive early. The most prominent of these is probably the broad-winged hawk. These medium-sized raptors usually arrive in late March and early April.

But it’s the noisy and bold brigade of tiny birds that will capture our attention. By the end of March, the blue-grey gnatcatcher will be back, buzzing its zee-zee notes as it flits about branches budding with new green leaves. These tiny birds seem to time their arrival to coincide with the emergence of some of the first greenery of the season.

In the first days of April, ruby-throated hummingbirds will return, checking to see whether the feeders or a stand of early spring flowers are still in place.

Ruby-crowned kinglets, which make a similar passage in the fall, will transit through the region again in the spring as they make their way north to breeding grounds in spruce-fir forests in the northern regions of the United States and Canada.

These are not the only small “early birds.” Some other pint-sized songbirds that arrive in early spring include Louisiana waterthrush and yellow-throated warbler.

There are 17 species of gnatcatchers. Most of these species reside in Central and South America. Some of the other species found in North America include California gnatcatcher and black-capped gnatcatcher.

Kinglets are very active birds. If warblers can be described as energetic, the kinglets are downright frenetic in their activities. The kinglets almost never pause for long, flitting from branch to branch in trees and shrubs as they constantly flick their wings over their backs. These bursts of hyperactivity can make them difficult to observe. Although small in size, these birds more than compensate for it with a feisty spirit that does them well through the harsh winter months.

Gnatcatchers are also constantly on the move, flicking their tails and darting through the branches of trees just starting to put out new green leaves. They glean caterpillars and small insects from the undersides of leaves to help fuel a demanding metabolism.

Photo Courtesy of Jean Potter • Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are tiny, energetic bundles of feathers.

Kinglets and gnatcatchers often join mixed flocks comprised of other species of birds, some of which are regular feeder visitors. Perhaps by observing their flock counterparts, some kinglets have learned to accept feeder fare such as suet, meal worms and chopped nuts. Away from feeders, kinglets mostly feed on a range of small insects and arachnids. Gnatcatchers are strictly eaters of insects, but while a feeder holds no attraction for them, their curious nature often makes these tiny birds quite approachable.

Normally, kinglets have a rather fleeting lifespan. They pay a price for their frantic, fast-paced lifestyles and can be considered old if they live three or four years. There are always exceptions. The oldest golden-crowned kinglet on record was six years and four months old. That individual, a male, was documented by a bird bander in 1976, according to the website All About Birds.

Likewise, gnatcatchers live brief lives. The oldest known blue-gray gnatcatcher was a male, and at least four years, two months old, when it was recaptured at a banding station in Pennsylvania and rereleased, according to the All About Birds website.

Of course, the smallest of the small is the ruby-throated hummingbird, which is officially the most diminutive of all birds found in the Eastern United States. This hummingbird is only 2.8 to 3.5 inches in length and weighs less than half an ounce.

The oldest known ruby-throated hummingbird, according to All About Birds, was a female, and at least 9 years, 2 months old when she was recaptured and rereleased in 2014 during banding operations in West Virginia.

The effort these tiny birds expend to return each year to entertain us during the warmer months is nothing short of extraordinary.

Information on the website for Perky Pet, which markets hummingbird feeders and other items for birds, describes the stages of spring migration. Once they respond to the urge to head north, most ruby-throated hummingbirds have reached Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula by February.

The jungles of the Yucatan are rich with food and these tiny birds begin to feast on insects as they prepare for one of the toughest migrations for any bird. The majority of these hummingbirds will make a nonstop crossing of the Gulf of Mexico. This epic journey can take them 18 to 22 hours to complete. Some individuals cross the Gulf as early as February, but most of these little birds will wait to cross in March. A month or so later, the first wave of these migrants have usually reached Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina.

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As always, I like to track the arrival dates of ruby-throated hummingbirds and appreciate readers sharing this information with me every spring. To share your first hummingbird sighting of spring, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com. Please provide the date and time of the bird’s arrival. Other details, such as whether the bird is a male or female, is also appreciated.

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

Brown thrasher is a bird with a bold personality

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Photo by Bryan Stevens
A pair of Brown Thrashers forage for food on the ground below a feeder.

I’ve been enjoying fall migration, but I’ve not seen as many species of birds as I would like. So far, I’ve observed a few warblers, including black-and-white warbler, common yellowthroat, magnolia warbler, Tennessee warbler and American redstart. Other interesting sightings have included wood thrush, several ruby-throated hummingbirds and a gray catbird. I’ve also observed brown thrashers after going most of the spring and summer without seeing any.

Brown thrashers are by nature both bold and reclusive. I was reminded of that fact during some recent lawn chair birding at home. I heard a quarrelsome thrasher calling from a thicket. I produced some squeaks to get the bird’s attention. As a result, the thrasher soon materialized like a feathered ghost deep in the branches of a shrub. I got a brief look in my binoculars at the bird and saw one baleful pale yellow eye staring back at me.

Photo by Ken Thomas
The Brown Thrasher is an alert, sharp-eyed observer of its surroundings.

A few years ago, quite by accident, I experienced a similar sighting when I came across a brown thrasher nest. I hadn’t gone looking for it. The nest, expertly woven into a thicket of honeysuckle vines, was tucked beneath a sheltering eave of an outdoor storage building. I don’t think anything but a fortunate accident could have ever revealed the nest. I still remember peeking into that tangle of vines and seeing a golden eye staring back. The bird didn’t look in the least pleased that I had accidentally stumbled across her nest.

The otherwise extroverted brown thrasher, which prefers to nest in difficult-to-access, tangled messes, found the cluster of vines a perfect location. For those not familiar with brown thrashers — relatives of the Northern mockingbird — they are known for their feisty and fearless protection of their nest and young. I’m probably fortunate the thrasher on her nest decided to choose stealth instead of attack. Sometimes, discretion is truly the better part of valor and the bird probably decided that, if she remained motionless, she would blend in well with her surroundings.

I was probably fortunate to escape with no more than a stern, unhappy glare from the nesting thrasher. According to th website All About Birds, brown thrashers are aggressive in defense of their nest. The birds are known to strike people and dogs hard enough to draw blood.

Brown Thrashers are accomplished songsters that may sing more than 1,100 different song types and include imitations of other birds, including chuck-will’s-widows, wood thrushes and Northern flickers.

The brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) belongs to the family of “mimic thrushes,” which provides a label for a group of songbirds capable of imitating the songs of other birds. Mimidae, the Latin root for “mimic,” provides the scientific name for the family, which includes mockingbirds and the New World catbirds, as well as thrashers. The Northern mockingbird is best known for the ability to mimic, but relatives like the gray catbird and brown thrasher are also talented mimics.

The thrasher is a fairly large songbird about 11.5 inches long with a wingspan of 13 inches. Much of the body length comes from the bird’s long tail feathers. A thrasher weighs, however, only about 2.5 ounces.

Early American naturalist and artist John James Audubon painted a dramatic scene of Brown Thrashers defending their nest from an attacking snake.

The brown thrasher is not a picky eater. It’s known to eat everything from berries and nuts to insects and small lizards. It’s also aggressive in defending its nest and young. John James Audubon, a French-American ornithologist, naturalist and painter, painted quite a dramatic scene of a group of brown thrashers valiantly defending a nest from an attacking snake. The painting is so detailed that one must imagine Audubon based his work on a real-life experience. His work, originally painted in the early decades of the 1800s, still holds up today. The scene comes almost alive to the viewer and confirms Audubon’s skill at capturing extremely accurate moment in the lives of the birds he painted.

Incidentally, Audubon knew the brown thrasher as the “ferruginous thrush.” Another former common name for this species was “brown thrush.”

The thrashers are familiar birds in southern gardens. In fact, the brown thrasher is the official state bird of Georgia and also provided the name for Atlanta’s National Hockey League team, the Atlanta Thrashers. The thrasher became Georgia’s state bird due to passage of a Joint Resolution of the Georgia General Assembly in 1970.

Returning to the expressive nature of brown thrashers, I think it’s the bird’s golden eyes that make them seem so alert and attentive. Once they feel secure in a lawn or garden, they become less shy. As one might expect from a large songbird, thrashers have voracious appetites. Among the feeder fare I offer, thrashers seem to prefer suet cakes. They’re not woodpeckers, however, so the awkward attempts of these long-tailed birds to access the suet offer some comic antics for observers.

As a larger songbird, brown thrashers also tend to live a little longer than smaller birds. The oldest brown thrasher on record was at least 10 years, 11 months old, according to All About Birds. This individual was found in Florida in 1978 where it was banded in 1967.

The brown thrasher is the only thrasher that ranges east of the Mississippi River. Other species occur in the western half of the nation, including sage thrasher, long-billed thrasher, California thrasher, Crissal thrasher, LeConte’s thrasher, curve-billed thrasher and Bendire’s thrasher.

As autumn progress, I wish everyone luck with their own birding.

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

Photo by Bryan Stevens
Brown Thrasher perched in a mimosa tree.

Elizabethton Bird Club announces speakers for fall programs

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Brayden Paulk will speak to the Elizabethton Bird Club on Sept. 3 on the topic of microfishing.

The Lee and Lois Herndon Chapter of Tennessee Ornithological Society, also known as the Elizabethton Bird Club, will soon begin its schedule of monthly meetings for 2024-25.

The brief business meetings are always accompanied by an informative and entertaining program on birds, birding or other subjects from the natural world.

These programs are a great way to learn more about our feathered friends as well as other related subjects from the natural world. They are free, open to the public and hosted by a welcoming group of people.

Here’s the schedule for Fall 2024:

September

Brayden Paulk, a young naturalist with family ties in Unicoi County, will present the first program on Tuesday, Sept. 3, with a talk on “Microfishing,” which involves anglers focusing on a diverse array of tiny species of fish.

Paulk has also been working as a naturalist with Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park this summer and fall. He gave a program a couple of years ago for the club on “Trash Fishing,” which explored other angling options other than the typical gamefish species. As both fishing and birding are among his interests, he will no doubt find a way to work something into his program about birds.

October

The guest speaker for the meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 1, will be Mark Stevens. A former publisher for The Erwin Record, he will present a program titled “Building a Birding Festival” that will focus on his development of the Hammock Coast Birding Festival in South Carolina. Stevens, who works as tourism director for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, will be giving the program remotely from his home in South Carolina, but the hybrid meeting also offers a chance to attend in-person with other birding enthusiasts. The festival is organized by the South Carolina Hammock Coast, the marketing arm for the Georgetown County Chamber. The third annual Hammock Coast Birding Festival is scheduled for Feb. 6-9, 2025.

November

Vern Maddux, the treasurer for the club, will be the speaker on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Maddux is a world traveler when it comes to seeing birds and will present a program on one of his recent international birding adventures to South Georgia and Falklands. South Georgia is a mountainous barren island in the South Atlantic Ocean, 800 miles east-southeast of the remote South Atlantic archipelago that makes up the Falkland Islands. With rugged terrain and cliff-lined coasts, the hundreds of islands and islets in the Falklands are home to sheep farms and abundant birdlife.

December

In the busy month of December, yours truly will give the program. I will present a powerpoint presentation titled “What’s in a Name?” on North American birds named after people. Among our native birds, we have quail, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches, warblers, hawks and other birds are known by names of historical figures ranging from John James Audubon to William Clark and Meriwether Lewis.

My program will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 3. I will discuss the American Ornithological Society’s decision in 2023 to end what are known as eponyms, in which species names honor people. The renaming of dozens of species will be a gradual process.

The club’s 2025 schedule has not been completed, but will include a program by local naturalist Lewis Tester in the spring on dragonflies.

The public is always welcome to attend these programs. Programs begin at 7 p.m.

The club meets at the Elizabethton campus of Northeast State Community College in Room 135 when the school’s schedule permits. When school is not in session, meetings are held on Zoom or at other announced locations. To receive updates on the club’s schedule, events and activities, email elizabethtonbirtdingclub@gmail.com and ask to be placed on a free mailing list.

The Elizabethton Bird Club holds seasonal birds count in spring, summer, fall and winter. The club also organizes and sponsors regular field trips to destinations through Northeast Tennessee. These activities are also open to interested members of the public.

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

Native wading birds wander widely in late summer

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Photo by Bryan Stevens • A great egret captures a frog from a pond’s edge in South Carolina.

The fish pond at my home has attracted a stalker. Amid the cattails and beneath the drooping branches of tall bald cypress trees, a lurking great blue heron has patiently been stalking fish, frogs and anything else that comes within striking reach of the bird’s sturdy dagger-shaped beak.

The heron’s visits have prompted me to dig into my archived columns this week. Please enjoy this column, which was previously published in July of 2019, about summer’s wading birds.

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North America’s stately wading birds — egrets, herons, bitterns, ibises and their kin — are well-known wanderers in late summer. As with all birds capable of flight, a pair of strong wings cannot be underestimated. Birds can show up in the most likely places.

Take for instance the first confirmed sighting of an American flamingo in Tennessee. This particular flamingo — an almost unthinkable bird for the Volunteer State — showed up along Highway 78 in Lake County on July 13, 2019.

Ruben Stoll and Alan Troyer found the flamingo, backing up their discovery with photographs of the large pink bird associating with great egrets and other wading birds. The flamingo created considerable buzz on rare bird alerts in several nearby states. Many birders rushed to add this exceptional visitor to their state and life lists.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • White ibises occasionally meander away from the coast in late summer. Immature birds will be brown instead of white.

In summers past, other exciting wading birds ranging from little blue herons to wood storks have excited the region’s birders. I recently celebrated my own sighting of one of these wanderers that made a stop at my fish pond on July 10.

I had stepped outside my house and let the door slam a little too loudly behind me, causing a stately great egret near my fish pond to take flight and fly over the roof of my house. I regretted instantly not having a camera with me.

Two days later, I got another chance. The great egret made another appearance. Unfortunately for the tall bird, he attracted the ire of the resident red-winged blackbirds. In a most inhospitable manner, the blackbirds attacked and dived at the egret, which made some awkward attempts to evade the angry blackbirds. Blackbirds are protective of their territory and have swooped at me several times when I’ve ventured too close to their favored cattails.

More prepared on this occasion, I had my camera with me and managed to get a few photographs of the egret.

The next day, only a few miles from my home, Lauri Sneyd Vance took a photograph of a great egret that stopped at her home in Limestone Cove in Unicoi County, Tennessee. Having seen my Facebook post, she notified me that she had also received a visit from an egret. Was it the same bird? Perhaps.

Oddly enough, the bird is actually the second great egret to visit my fish pond. The first one made an unseasonable stop several years ago on a snowy December afternoon — hardly a time of year I might have expected a visit from an egret in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee.

The great egret stands 3.3 feet tall. With an all-white plumage, a long yellow bill and dark legs, this egret is often described as graceful and elegant. Its likeness was incorporated into the logo for the National Audubon Society, an organization formed to protect egrets and other wading birds from a wanton slaughter in the late 1800s when millions of the birds were killed so their feathers could be used in women’s fashions.

During the breeding season, adult great egrets sprout long plumes on their back. These frilly feathers are known as aigrettes, which are used to attract the attention of prospective mates in elaborate mating displays.

According to the All About Birds website, great egrets feed mostly on fish, but they also eat amphibians, reptiles, rodents, songbirds and crustaceans. On visits to the South Carolina coast, I’ve observed great egrets dining on frogs and small fish. In prime habitat, flocks of great egrets will gather to forage together in wetlands or around ponds. More sociable than some herons, great egrets also nest and roost communally.

The other North American egrets include snowy egret, reddish egret and cattle egret. Other egrets found around the world include the intermediate egret, little egret, slaty egret, black egret,dimorphic egret and Chinese egret.

As summer advances, keep your eye on area rivers, lakes and ponds. It’s the best time of year to see egrets, herons and other long-legged wading birds. In the case of the American flamingo, I realize that lightning rarely strikes twice, but if you do happen to see a gangly pink bird, let me know.

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Share sightings, ask questions or make comments by emailing me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A Great Blue Heron moves stealthily through a wetland.