Tag Archives: Northeast Tennessee

Red-winged blackbird, other birds set to return in coming weeks

Leave a reply

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male red-winged blackbird sings to attract mates and ward off rivals.

February’s the shortest month, and it is more than halfway over. There are already signs that some birds are ready to embrace the shift in seasons as winter advances, albeit in fits and starts, toward spring.

On Feb.11, three mallards visited my fish pond. The presence of mallards at any pond is not all that surprising. The mallard is arguably the most recognized of North America’s native ducks. But these were wild birds, as indicated by their wary behavior and their ability to spring into strong flight when I surprised them quite by accident.

Spring migration begins as early as February and March. Eastern bluebirds, which for the most part are not migratory, are already checking out nesting boxes.

The months of March, April and May will bring an influx of migrants. Ruby-throated hummingbirds will soon make their annual crossing of the Gulf of Mexico. These tiny birds usually make landfall in the United States as early as February, but they don’t usually venture as far north as Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia until early April.

Bryan Stevens • On Feb.11, three mallards visited my fish pond. I am hoping they are the start of more migrating birds arriving in the coming weeks.

Warblers, orioles, thrushes, flycatchers, tanagers and many other migrants also return in April and May. A variety of waterfowl, raptors and shorebirds pass through the region during these months, as well.

March brings the early birds, including species such as brown thrasher, blue-gray gnatcatcher and red-winged blackbird.

Red-winged blackbirds return with a venegeance in early March or sometimes in late February.

I’m ready to hear their loud, familiar “kon-ke-ree” sounds again from the tops of the cypress trees at the fish pond. It’s always a fun moment to welcome these birds back.

Red-winged blackbirds return yearly in early spring and begin to seek out nesting habitat in local wetland areas, such as the cattail marshes near my fish pond.

My first returning male red-winged blackbird arrived on the evening of March 3 in 2022. The first red-winged blackbird arrived on the morning of March 6 the following year. I heard his unmistakable song from inside my house.

The showy and loud red-winged blackbird males soon take up residence at my fish pond and adjacent stands of cattails after their return.

Male blackbirds arrive ahead of the females. They immediately search out prominent perches and begin singing every day in anticipation of an intended audience. Female blackbirds lag a week or so behind the males in returning to their familiar territory.

Any wet field or marsh, especially those offering a stand of cattails, is almost certain to attract red-winged blackbirds at this time of year. I’d almost wager on that certainty.

The blackbirds arriving in spring behave much differently than the quiet, furtive flocks that often make brief visits to feeders during late winter snowstorms.

“The kon-ke-ree song of the male red-winged blackbird is a sure indication that spring is on the way,” according to a profile located at the Tennessee Watchable Wildlife website.

At this time of year, the male red-winged blackbirds seek elevated perches to display and vocalize. Their loud antics are not designed solely to attract mates. Male red-winged blackbirds also sing to warn rival males from intruding into their territories.

The male red-winged blackbird is a very aptly named bird. Glossy black males sport red wing patches that are often trimmed with a narrow band of yellow feathers. By contrast, female red-winged blackbirds are mostly brown birds that could easily be mistaken for large sparrows. Both sexes have sharply pointed bills.

Red-winged blackbirds are fond of wetlands. Any marsh or even a damp field or flooded pasture is likely to attract a few resident red-winged blackbirds. Females choose nesting locations in cattails or other marsh vegetation. She usually lays three or four eggs. Although she does receive some help from the male, most of the responsibility for raising the young is left to her.

There is a reason that male red-winged blackbirds are not always quite as engaged as females in feeding and tending their young. Males are often polygynous, which means that males will often court multiple mates. His time is often occupied defending females and their respective nests from the advances of other male red-winged blackbirds.

According to the website All About Birds, male red-winged blackbirds spend much of the breeding season sitting on a high perch over their territories and singing almost without ceasing from dawn to dusk.

The website also notes that female blackbirds shirk the high profile of the males. They tend to skulk in wetland vegetation as they collect food or nest material.

Bryan Stevens • Female red-winged blackbirds lack the showy plumage of males. They look more like an overgrown sparrow.

Both males and females defend nests from intruders and predators. They take this duty quite seriously, as I know personally from being dive-bombed by parent blackbirds when I have gotten a little too close to their nests.

Other relatives of the red-winged blackbird in the United States include the tricolored blackbird found along the Pacific Coast and the yellow-headed blackbird resident in wetlands west of the Great Lakes. Rusty blackbird, common grackle and brown-headed cowbird are other species of blackbirds found in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.

For birders, the weeks ahead are an exciting time. In spirit, I think others often join our excitement if for no other reason than to celebrate that spring is just around the corner. These “early bird” arrivals are merely the harbingers of the season.

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

Bryan Stevens • In fall, male red-winged blackbird are bereft of the striking glossy plumage of spring.

 

Birds make use of various strategies to attract and keep mates

Leave a reply

Shauna Fletche/Pixabay • Some birds, like waxwings, like to present tasty treats to their potential mates.

 

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s an opportune time to see how courtship is handled among our fine feathered friends. Most birds don’t bring a box of chocolates or a bouquet of roses when they take up courtship of a prospective mate, but birds have several equivalent behaviors that they employ to attract the attentions of the opposite sex. In honor of Valentine’s Day I thought a look at some of the more unusual courtship rituals of some of our feathered friends would be appropriate.

Aerial acrobatics designed to impress

In late winter and early spring, a true oddball begins courting. The American woodcock, also known by such whimsical names as “bog sucker” and “timberdoodle,” is a shorebird that has completely abandoned the shore in favor of woodlands and fields. Beginning as early as February, American woodcocks in the region conduct nightly courtship displays, starting at dusk, that combine aerial acrobatics with an assortment of unusual acoustical flourishes. Any wet field adjacent to a wooded area could offer a stage for these evening displays, but unless you know where to look and make an effort to do so, the American woodcock might as well remain a phantom of the night.

These mating rituals provide almost the only time of the year during which this bird makes itself available for observation. It’s only during this brief window that opens into their lives that we can be assured a glimpse. Even then, our peeks at woodcocks often consist of a fuzzy twilight escapade as the bird flings itself heavenward only to make a spiraling descent a few seconds later. The displays begin with a distinct vocalization, a type of “pent,” that also has the quality of sounding like some sort of mechanical buzzer.

Once the displays conclude for the season, the birds assume nesting duties, usually unobserved by humans. The rest of the year, almost nothing but blind, sheer luck would allow a birder to stumble across an American woodcock. It’s almost as if they disappear after these spring flights of fancy.

Birds bearing gifts

Many birds present small trinkets to a prospective mate. For instance, many male penguins make a present of a stone or pebble to female penguins. There could be more than a simple bribe behind this gift. Female penguins don’t build elaborate nests. In fact, a scrape on the bare ground, perhaps encircled by a collection of pebbles, marks the extent of their nest construction. So, the perfect pebble could be the way to winning a female penguin’s heart.

The way to the heart is through the stomach

Observant birders may have witnessed a male Northern cardinal slip a female a morsel of food, such as a peanut or a shelled sunflower kernel. It’s a marked change for this bird. During the winter months, a male cardinal is more likely to chase a female away from a feeder rather than share food with her. However, as spring approaches, his behavior undergoes a change and he becomes content to feed next to a female cardinal, often slipping her some choice tidbits.

Sabine van Erp/Pixabay • Bow to your partner: Grey-crowned cranes perform an elaborate dance designed to strengthen their bond.

May I have this dance?

Many species of birds perform elaborate and ritualistic dance displays. Among birds known for tripping the light fantastic are flamingoes, cranes, grouse and grebes. Cranes are one of the oldest families of birds on earth. They’re also some of the most accomplished dancers in the animal kingdom. Pairs perform very ritualistic dances that, if the performers were human, would no doubt require the services of an accomplished choreographer. Cranes mate for life and the ritual of dancing is a way to strengthen the bonds between a mated pair. The ability to dance is, apparently, not instinctive. Young cranes must practice their dance moves, a process that can take years before they master the elaborate dance.

Dave Menke/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • A pair of Clark’s Grebes displays in a courtship ritual known as “rushing” or “weed dance.” Birds use a variety of strategies to attract and keep mates.

Synchronized swimming

While many birds dance to impress a mate or strengthen pair bonds, grebes perform a dance that takes place completely on the surface of the water. A pair will engage in this intricate performance, perfectly mirroring the moves of the other as they literally race across the surface of the water. These dances by grebes are also known as “rushing” or “weed dance.” It’s called as a weed dance because at the culmination of the ritual, the birds usually hold some type of aquatic plants in their bills while racing swiftly over the surface of the water. Pairs that perform well together stay together, building a nest and raising young.

Good housekeeping seal of approval

The tropical family of bowerbirds are famous for complex nests built by males and then decorated with bright and colorful objects to catch the eye of a potential mate. The nests of these birds are actually referred to as a “bower.” Usually constructed on the ground, the male will line the approachs to the bower with items such as shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded garbage, including plastic scraps or bits of glass. Unusually odd items pressed into these decorative displays have included coins and spent rifle shells. This habit of male bowerbirds must rank as the ultimate in trying to impress a mate with shiny bling.

These are just a few of the inventive ways that birds go about attracting and keeping mates. Perhaps you can pick up some pointers from our feathered friends to ensure you have a great Valentine’s Day this year.

•••

If you have a question, wish to make a comment or share a sighting, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Birds have developed ways of dealing with cold

Leave a reply

David Ellis/USFWS • A common redpoll feasts on stiff goldenrod seed. These small finches can endure temperatures 100 degrees below freezing.

With the arrival of January, we can probably be assured of some cold weather. I’m not fond of the cold, but I can put on gloves and a thicker coat and I am good to go.

What about our feathered friends? How do birds cope when temperature plummet below freezing?

Birds actually employ a range of strategies and behaviors that keep them cozy even during the worst that winter can hurl at them.

Some birds avoid the necessity of coping with cold by migrating. All those tropical species that brighten the warmer seasons in the mountains of Southern Appalachia withdraw to warmer areas in Central and South America during the winter.

Those birds that elect not to put distance between themselves and cold temperatures must do something to stay warm. Feathers are one of a bird’s defining traits, and they can do a neat trick with their feathers to stay warm. You’ve probably seen them do this. They will fluff their feathers, trapping air between them to provide insulation. If you’ve ever noticed that some birds look “fatter” in extreme cold it’s likely because they have fluffed up to combat the cold.

Of course, feathers require good maintenance to help with the task of staying warm, and birds are diligent about such tasks. Preening feathers on a routine basis keeps them watertight and able to hold in heat. Some birds even grow extra feathers in autumn to prepare for cold temperatures. That’s similar to dogs or cats growing a denser coat of fur in anticipation of wintry temperatures.

Birds have different comfort levels when its comes to personal space, but many of the more sociable species will huddle together. You’ve probably seen nature documentaries of penguins in the Antarctic as they huddle together for weeks on end to endure the harsh conditions of the globe’s southernmost continent.

Larger species of birds, such as geese and grouse, eat more and gain weight, which is often achieved by the storage of body fat.

Other birds have also adopted the huddling strategy in a cozy cavity or nest box. My most vivid recollection of an observation of this strategy involved Eastern bluebirds. During a severe cold snap accompanied by snow and blustery winds, I watched multiple bluebirds enter one of my nesting boxes. I’m not sure how many entered the box, but it was likely about eight to 10 birds.

Necessity makes birds adaptable. The next day the aforementioned high winds took down the post that held the nest box. At dusk the bluebirds showed up again. They looked baffled to find the box had disappeared. Then I saw them fluttering into an old tire that I had used at the base of the pole to help anchor the box. Faced with oncoming darkness, they chose to huddle together inside the old tire.

Natural cavities in trees also provide cozy roosting spaces for birds. Chickadees and titmice, nuthatches and woodpeckers seek out such cavities ahead of time so they will always be ensured of a warm space during bouts of inclement weather.

The biological mechanism of torpor is one that’s probably familiar to fans of hummingbirds, but other small birds can also take steps to lower their body temperature. Chickadees and kinglets put this ability to good use. In these small birds, the adaptation being employed is known as controlled hypothermia. Chickadees can drop their body temperature by as much as 22 degrees below normal daytime body temperature.

Snakes and reptiles can enter a physical state called brumation, where they sleep more but still wake to eat, drink and enjoy the sun on warmer days, according to information on the Facebook page of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Since snakes are cold-blooded, they’re lethargic at these colder temperatures even when they’re on the move.

Hibernation, although a strategy widely used by mammals, is rare in birds. The common poorwill (a relative of whip-poor-will and chuck-will’s-widow – is the only bird known to go into torpor for extended periods that can range from weeks to months. On the southern edge of their range in the United States, poorwills spend much of the winter hibernating, usually concealed in rock piles.

There’s warmth in numbers. Crows, starlings, robins and other species will gather in communal roosts to use body warmth to stay warm overnight. Sometimes these roosts are quite large and can lead to conflict with nearby humans who may not want the noise and mess that comes with hosting a large flock of birds.

While warm socks and gloves protect human toes and fingers, birds don’t have to worry about frostbite. Quick circulation means that blood does not linger in their feet long enough to freeze. In addition, the legs and feet of birds are covered in scales. Like feathers, the scales provide excellent insulation.

Some birds will gather together in large stands of evergreens. I’ve observed house sparrows gathering in the holly trees outside the courthouse in downtown Erwin at dusk on cold evenings.

There are things we can do to help. Plant evergreen trees or construct a brush pile that will provide shelter from the elements, as well as a measure of safety from predators, for the birds that share our lawns and gardens.

Many people already feed birds. Try supplementing seeds with some food rich in fat. Birds, unlike us, will not be adversely affected by a high-fat diet. Their metabolism allows them to burn off the extra calories in an enviable amount of time. Some high-fat foods that birds will love include peanut butter and beef suet, as well as peanuts and other assorted nuts. While it’s relatively simple to render suet into a usable for for birds, most people cannot be blamed for turning to commercially made suet cakes. Many of these are also made even more appealing with a mix of peanuts or fruit into the suet cake. The extra calories derived from these foods will let birds better regulate their body temperature and tolerate the more frigid nights.

It’s also important to provide liquid water for birds. Outdoor heaters designed to fit into a birth bath can help prevent the water from freezing during cold snaps.

Birds will also appreciate a sunny spot. By basking in sunshine, they can also boost their internal temperature.

Some birds are just built for cold. For example, snowy owls have been observed in temperatures 80 degrees below zero. Species of redpolls, a type of finch, can endure temperatures 100 degrees below freezing.

Emperor penguins live and nest in some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. Those who have viewed the documentary film “March of the Penguins” will be familiar with the species. Their colonies on the ice in the Antarctic must endure temperatures than can plunge to -40 degrees Farenheit. They must also survive frigid winds that can reach 90 miles per hour.

Emperor penguins have several adaptation to help them survive such cold conditions, according to the World Wildlife Fund. These penguins have two layers of feathers, a reserve of fat and beaks and flippers that are proportionally smaller than those for other penguin species.

Lee Karney/USFWS • The common raven can live in a range of habitats, but these large and intelligent birds are especially adapted to cold.

The common raven is another bird that shrugs off cold and snow. They can survive and thrive in habitats as varied as Arctic tundra and scorching deserts. If temperatures drop below -4 degrees Farenheit, ravens can generate extra body heat.

All things considered, birds are simply better at coping with cold than we are.

•••

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

Kinglets are tiny birds with huge appeal

Leave a reply

Photo by Beth McPherson • A golden-crowned kinglet recovers in the photographer’s hand after striking a window.

With the recent cold weather, I’ve been seeing a few golden-crowned kinglets, as well as the closely related ruby-crowned kinglet, at my home.

Golden-crowned kinglets are fairly common winter birds. Ruby-crowned kinglets, although not always as common as their relative, also are found in the region during the winter season.

Both the golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets are members of a family of tiny birds known collectively as kinglets and firecrests. They’re such tiny, energetic birds that they absolutely excel with the “cuteness” factor.

All kinglets are very tiny birds, as well as extremely active ones. They are also the only members of this family of birds found in North America. Four other species, however, are native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. The remaining species include goldcrest, common firecrest, Madeira firecrest and flamecrest, which is also known as the Taiwan firecrest.

Kinglets, as their name suggests, are tiny birds. In fact, about the only North American birds smaller than kinglets are some of the hummingbirds. The kinglets belong to the family, Regulidae, and the genus, Regulus. The family and genus names are derived from a Latin word, regulus, which means “rex,” or “king.” The name was apparently inspired by the colorful crown patches, often red, orange or gold, that resemble the royal “crowns” of kings.

Although similar in size and overall coloration, the ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets are easily distinguished from each other. Side by side, the two species of North American kinglets are easy to identify. The golden-crowned kinglet has a striped facial pattern formed by bold black and white stripes. The ruby-crowned kinglet, on the other hand, has a bold white eye ring but no striping.

The golden-crowned kinglet has an orange crown patch, while the ruby-crowned kinglet has a red crown patch that is, more often than not, kept concealed. Both sexes of the golden-crowned kinglet possess an orange crown patch, but only the male ruby-crowned kinglet boasts a scarlet patch of feather atop the head.

Kinglets are active birds, foraging vigorously for small insects and spiders. When foraging, both kinglet species have a habit of flicking their wings over the backs. Even if you can’t get a good look at the birds, this behavior alone helps contrast them from other small birds, including some warblers and wrens.

Golden-crowned kinglets are widespread in the region during the winter. During the summer months, head to the slopes of some of the region’s higher mountains to look for these tiny birds that nest at the higher elevations of the Southern Appalachians.

Ruby-crowned kinglets can also be found in the region during the winter, but extreme cold weather will often force these less cold-hardy birds to eke out the winter months farther south.

Kinglets don’t typically visit feeders, but they do tend to join mixed flocks with membership consisting of such species as tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadee and white-breasted nuthatch. When traveling with such flocks, kinglets may visit the space around feeders but rarely take seeds or other fare offered at feeders.

In recent decades, perhaps assisted by the surge in the popularity of feeding birds, kinglets have been observed sampling such fare as suet cakes, peanut chips and scraps of sunflower seeds that have been shelled and dropped by other birds.

Normally, kinglets have a rather fleeting lifespan. These tiny birds 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.

Kinglets are surprisingly tame at time and often exhibit as much curiosity about us as we display toward them. They’re very active birds, however, constantly moving from perch to perch. These bursts of hyperactivity can make them difficult to observe with any satisfaction since they so rarely remain still for long.

•••

To learn more about birds and other topics from the natural world, friend me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler. I like to post about local birds, wildlife, flowers, insects and other aspects of the natural world.

Seasonal transitions raise profiles of flickers, other birds

Leave a reply

NatureLady/Pixabay • Northern flickers belong to the woodpecker family. Relatives living in the region include the pileated woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker and downy woodpecker. Unlike most woodpeckers, flickers spend an extensive amount of time foraging on the ground for various insects.

Robin Free, a resident of Scott County, Virginia, emailed me after reading a recent column about owls. She told me she was interested in attracting more owls to her property, which she noted boasts an abundance of ground squirrels and mice.

I congratulated her on the fact that with all those ground squirrels and mice her home should make for happy hunting grounds for any owls in the vicinity.

I suggested she could play a recording of a screech-owl call at dusk to see if she can get a real owl to respond. These small owls are very curious and will readily respond.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
An Eastern Screech-Owl at rest in a roosting hole in a large sycamore tree.

The owl that Robin and most os us are likely to attract is the Eastern screech-owls. Since screech-owls are cavity-nesters, people can offer a roosting/nesting box. Obviously, these boxes have to be a little larger than for songbirds. Simply do a Google search to find screech-owl boxes for purchase.

Here’s some info I found online about screech-owl boxes. Placement is crucial. Mount the box at least 10 feet high in a tree, on a pole or on the edge of woods, fields or wetlands. Keep it away from trees where squirrels can jump to it. Add a couple of inches of wood chips or saw dust for nesting material.

 

•••

In this transition from fall to winter, some birds have adopted higher profiles around my home. I hear and see ruby-crowned kinglets and white-throated sparrows almost every morning as I leave for work. I am also seeing and hearing Northern flickers.

Flickers are woodpeckers, but there are some differences between them and other members of this clan. While flickers can be found during all seasons in the region, this woodpecker is one of the migratory ones. I see the most Northern flickers during fall migration. This woodpecker is one of the few of its kind that usually migrates to warmer climates during the colder months, although the species is not completely absent from the region in the winter season.

This species also has many other common names, including yellow-hammer — a popular name in the Deep South — and harry-wicket, heigh-ho and gawker bird. The Northern flicker is also the only woodpecker to serve a state — Alabama — as an official bird. The flicker earned this distinction back in 1927. Alabama soldiers who fought for the Confederacy were nicknamed “yellowhammers” because of their grey-and-yellow uniforms, which matched the colors of the bird. Incidentally, Alabama was one of the first states to ever name an official state bird.

There are two races of Northern flicker — yellow-shafted and red-shafted — found in the United States. Eastern flickers show yellow feather shafts beneath the wings while western counterparts show red beneath the wings. A trip to Utah several years ago gave me a chance to also see the red-shafted race of this bird.

The Northern flicker is also not the only flicker in the United States. The gilded flicker inhabits many of the deserts — Sonoran, Yuma and Colorado — in the United States. Of course, trees are scarce in deserts, but that hasn’t proven an obstacle for this woodpecker. The bird is closely associated with saguaro cactus. Other desert dwellers depend on this woodpecker. Once the flickers are no longer making use of their nest and roost holes in the multi-armed cacti, other wildlife moved into the chambers.

The Northern flicker is an enthusiastic drummer, pounding loudly on the sides of trees with its stout bill. The purpose of the drumming is to communicate with mates and signal potential rivals that they’re intruding. Toward that objective, flickers sometimes substitute metal utility poles or the sides of buildings for the trunks of trees. In addition to drumming, the flicker also employs a variety of loud vocalizations that are fairly distinctive. A loud, repeated vocalization, often translated as “wicka-wicka-wicka,” is similar to the cluck-like call of the larger pileated woodpecker. The flicker is also known for emitting a sharp, loud “kleeer” call that can be heard from a considerable distance. It’s that call that I’ve been hearing most mornings in the woodlands around my home.

The adult flicker is a brown bird with black bars on the back and wings. A distinctive black patch occupies the upper breast, while the lower breast and belly are beige with black spots. Males can be identified by a black or red mustache stripe at the base of the beak. They also have a red stripe on the back of their gray heads. The flicker’s dark tail is set apart by a white rump patch that is conspicuous when the bird takes flight..

Look for Northern flickers in fields, orchards, city parks and well-planted suburban yards. These woodpeckers are usually not too shy around human observers and will sometimes allow for extended observation. If you’re even more fortunate, you could find one visiting your yard or garden. Just remember to scan the ground. This is one woodpecker that’s not a consistent tree-hugger like many of its kin.

•••

Bryan Stevens has written weekly about birds and birding since 1995. Email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to share sightings, ask questions or make comments.

 

 

Spotlight on dark-eyed junco launched weekly column 29 years ago

Leave a reply

Pixabay • A dark-eyed junco visits a deck for birdseed.

I wrote my first bird column on Sunday, Nov. 5, 1995, which means this weekly column is marking its 29th anniversary this week.

Looking back, it seems almost unbelievable that I’ve written anything on a regular weekly basis for almost 30 years. This column has appeared in a total of six different newspapers, which I regard as a personal achievement, as well as an accomplishment for our feathered friends. It’s on their behalf that I pen these weekly efforts to promote conservation and good will toward all birds. I have also posted the column as a weekly blog posting since February 2014 at http://www.ourfinefeatheredfriends.com.

I’ve played detective, helping people identify everything from “rain crows,” or cuckoos, to Muscovy ducks, rose-breasted grosbeaks and house finches. I’ve observed unusual birds, including white pelicans, brants and roseate spoonbills, in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina and spotlighted them in these columns.

Photo by Ken Thomas • A dark-eyed junco perches on some bare branches on a winter’s day.

While my vision challenges remain, I find that looking through binoculars works just fine, allowing me to spin the focus wheel and still take delight in the kaleidoscopic parade of colorful warblers that pass through the region each spring and fall as well as the fast-paced duels of ruby-throated hummingbirds. My main problem these days is the inability to spot movement, especially in treetops where many birds like to hang out.

At my home, I continue to provide sunflower seed and other supplemental food for the resident birds like Carolina chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, song sparrows and downy woodpeckers.

Even as I tweak my anniversary column for “Feathered Friends,” I’m looking forward to the winter bird feeding season. The prognostication of approaching winter weather is a perfect time to dust off this week’s column, which is a revision of the first bird column I ever wrote. This column focused on a common visitor to yards and feeders during the winter months. In fact, dark-eyed juncos should be returning to the region any day. Here, with some revisions I have made through the years, is that first column.

•••

Of all the birds associated with winter weather, few are as symbolic as the dark-eyed junco, or “snow bird.” The junco occurs in several geographic variations.

John V. Dennis, author of “A Complete Guide to Bird Feeding,” captures the essence of the junco in the following description: “Driving winds and swirling snow do not daunt this plucky bird. The coldest winter days see the junco as lively as ever and with a joie de vivre that bolsters our sagging spirits.” The dark-eyed junco’s scientific name, hyemalis, is New Latin for “wintry,” an apt description of this bird.

Most people look forward to the spring return of some of our brilliant birds — warblers, tanagers and orioles — and I must admit that I also enjoy the arrival of these birds. The junco, in comparison to some of these species, is not in the same league. Nevertheless, the junco is handsome in its slate gray and white plumage, giving rise to the old saying “dark skies above, snow below.”

Just as neotropical migrants make long distance journeys twice a year, the junco is also a migrating species. But in Appalachia, the junco is a special type of migrant. Most people think of birds as “going south for the winter.” In a basic sense this is true. But some juncos do not undertake a long horizontal (the scientific term) migration from north to south. Instead, these birds merely move from high elevations, such as the spruce fir peaks, to the lower elevations. This type of migration is known as vertical migration. Other juncos, such as those that spend their breeding season in northern locales, do make a southern migration and, at times, even mix with the vertical migrants.

During the summer months, a visit to higher elevations mountaintops is almost guaranteed to produce sightings of dark-eyed juncos. Juncos may nest as many as three times in a season. A female junco usually lays three to six eggs for each nest, which she constructs without any assistance from her mate.

Juncos are usually in residence around my home by early November. Once they make themselves at home I can expect to play host to them until at least late April or early May of the following year. So, for at least six months, the snow bird is one of the most common and delightful feeder visitors a bird enthusiast could want.

Juncos flock to feeders where they are rather mild-mannered — except among themselves. There are definite pecking orders in a junco flock, and females are usually on the lower tiers of the hierarchy. Females can sometimes be distinguished from males because of their paler gray or even brown upper plumage.

Since juncos are primarily ground feeders they tend to shun hanging feeders. But one winter I observed a junco that had mastered perching on a hanging “pine cone” feeder to enjoy a suet and peanut butter mixture.

Dark-eyed juncos often are content to glean the scraps other birds knock to the ground. Juncos are widespread. They visit feeders across North America. The junco is the most common species of bird to visit feeding stations. They will sample a variety of fare, but prefer such seeds as millet, cracked corn or black oil sunflower.

The juncos are a small branch of the sparrow clan. Some of the other juncos include the endangered Guadalupe junco, yellow-eyed junco, Baird’s junco and volcano junco. The last one on the list is endemic to the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and western Panama. Baird’s junco is named for Spencer Fullerton Baird, an American ornithologist and naturalist.

Baird served as secretary for the Smithsonian Institution from 1878 until his death in 1887. He greatly expanded the natural history collections of the Smithsonian from 6,000 specimens in 1850 to over two million by the time of his death.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this introduction to juncos. There’s something about winter that makes a junco’s dark and light garb an appropriate and even striking choice, particularly against a backdrop of newly fallen snow.

Of course, the real entertainment from juncos comes from their frequent visits to our backyard feeders. When these birds flock to a feeder and began a furious period of eating, I don’t even have to glance skyward or tune in the television weather forecast. I know what they know. Bad weather is on the way!

•••

I’ve already seen the first of the season’s white-throated sparrows, a reliable precursor to juncos. If you’d like to share your first sighting this season of dark-eyed juncos, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com. As always, the column is open as a line of communication with fellow bird enthusiasts. I’ve enjoyed sharing stories about birds with countless readers over the past 29 years. I can also be reached on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler.

 

Vocal screech owls are pint-sized predators

Leave a reply

Photo by Bryan Stevens • An Eastern screech owl perches on a hemlock branch. These owls are much smaller than such relatives as great horned owl and barred owl.

It’s been my pleasure to enjoy almost daily serenades by an Eastern screech owl residing in the woods around my home. The small owl’s shivery wailing calls usually start around dusk and can continue at intervals throughout the night.

Back in September while I watched almost daily for migrants from a lawn chair, I heard on a couple of occasions the “early bird” owls calling occasionally from shady wooded areas. The owls tended to call more often during the daytime when conditions were overcast.

I always pause and listen when I hear the wailing and haunting vocalizations of the screech-owls that make their home in the woodlands that surround my home. I’m glad to have this small owl as a neighbor, but I fully realize that owls have suffered from a dark reputation in certain corners. The fact is, unless you are a small rodent or some sort of insect-sized prey, the Eastern screech-owl makes an excellent addition to the neighborhood.

On the verge of Halloween, a closer look at this small owl is warranted. An adult Eastern screech owl is usually only between six and nine inches in length. Many people upon first seeing a screech-owl assume it’s a baby owl. During past trips to Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, I have enjoyed attending the daily educational programs conducted by the zoo staff at Brookgreen. These programs are designed to introduce visitors to various examples of native wildlife. The presenter usually introduced a couple of animals to the audience. On several occasions, the show featured birds of prey, including hawks and owls.

Photo by Irene K-s/Pixabay.com • An Eastern screech owl keeps an eye on its surroundings.

Two of the shows during my visit to Brookgreen back in 2019 featured Lucy, an Eastern screech-owl, and people in the audience invariably asked if she was a baby owl. To their astonishment, they learned that Lucy was an adult screech-owl and unlikely to grow any bigger.

There are larger owls in our region, including the great horned owl and barred owl. Lucy and her kin must avoid these much larger owls, which would not scruple at making a meal of the much smaller owl.

Because of their small size, screech-owls prey on some comparatively small creatures, including insects, small rodents, amphibians, songbirds and reptiles. The Eastern screech-owl is also a cavity-nesting bird and will accept bird boxes provided by humans so long as the box’s entrance hole is customized to their size.

The screech owl is the owl most likely to encounter human beings. It’s an adaptable little feathered predator, just as much at home in the backyard and garden as it is in parks and woodlands. In addition to nesting in cavities, this owl roosts in them during the daytime hours. Look for roosting screech-owls in knotholes of trees or in unoccupied wood duck boxes. Although they come in two color phases — red and gray — both variations are quite capable of camouflage. When perched or roosting, these small owls blend remarkably with their surroundings.

The Eastern screech owl also produces a variety of odd wails and other vocalizations including a distinctive, trembling “whinny” call that is often made when the owl feels curious or alarmed. It’s a wavering, haunting call that is made after dark, most often at the hours closer to dawn and dusk. Imitating the call of a screech-owl or playing a recording is also a trick for getting some shy songbirds to show themselves. Screech owls are not-so-welcome co-habitants among my yard’s songbirds, which will flock to this owl’s call and band together to “mob” the predator and try to convince it to depart the immediate area.

As small as the Eastern screech-owl is, the United States is home to several other pint-sized owls, including Western screech-owl, Northern pygmy-owl, Northern saw-whet owl, flammulated owl and elf owl, which at six inches tall and a weight of less than an ounce qualifies as the world’s smallest owl.

Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • The tiny Northern Saw-whet Owl nests on several of the region’s higher mountains.

Any time I finish listening to a calling owl and go back indoors for the evening, I reflect on the fact that screech-owls make good neighbors. Their prey preferences remove many nuisance insects and rodents from the habitat they share with humans as well as other wildlife. If you’re hearing an odd, winnowing call from the edge of the woods at your own home, there’s a good chance that you have one of these small owls as a neighbor.

Keep alert for these small owls and their larger kin as we observe this year’s Halloween holiday, as well as other days and nights throughout the year.

•••

To learn more about birds and other topics from the natural world, friend Bryan Stevens on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ahoodedwarbler. He enjoys posting about local birds, wildlife, flowers, insects and much more. If you have a question, wish to make a comment or share a sighting, email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

Holly Keepers/USFWS • A red Eastern screech owl peeks from a perch among some evergreen branches.

Mockingbird has been Tennessee state bird since 1933

Leave a reply

By George/Pixabay • The Northern mockingbird serves as the state bird for Tennessee, as well as four other states. These songbirds are renowned for having a spirited nature.

We know some birds by their colorful feathers and others by a distinctive song. The Northern mockingbird demands attention not so much from brilliant plumage or a unique song — this bird actually copies the songs of other birds — but from an indomitable spirit all out of proportion to its size.

The mockingbird is a relatively common bird in most of the region, but it has always been rather scarce bird at my home. This year has been no exception. I’ve observed gray catbirds and brown thrashers as summer transitioned into autumn, but there’s been no sign of any Northern mockingbirds.

Mockingbirds don’t usually visit my yard and gardens outside of late fall and early winter. Close relatives like the gray catbird and brown thrasher, however, are usually fairly common birds in spring, summer and fall. I’ve even had thrashers visit during the winter months, as well as an unexpected December sighting of a catbird in 2015.

These three species are lumped together in a family of birds known as the “mimic thrushes,” so named because of their talent for mimicry. The group provides a convenient umbrella for some related 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 varied repertoire of a mockingbird has always impressed human listeners. Laura C. Martin notes in her book, “The Folklore of Birds,” that the Choctaw Indians referred to the mockingbird as hushi balbaha, or “the bird that speaks a foreign language.”

Mockingbirds will break into song — their own and those of other birds — at almost any time of day or night. Both sexes sing. Biologists have speculated that there might not be a limit to the songs mockingbirds can learn to imitate, while other experts believe that the mockingbird’s mimicry might not be quite so extensive.

The Northern mockingbird is the only mockingbird found in North America, but Central America, South America and some of the Caribbean islands are also home to 16 other species of mockingbirds. Several endemic species of mockingbirds also inhabit some of the islands in the Galápagos archipelago.

Some of these other mockingbirds include brown-backed mockingbird, white-banded mockingbird, blue mockingbird, blue-and-white mockingbird, chalk-browed mockingbird, Bahama mockingbird and tropical mockingbird.

Anyone with much experience with mockingbirds would probably agree that these birds are bold, courageous and sometimes fiercely assertive.

The aggression of the mockingbird was on full display on an occasion when I observed a pair of these birds attempting to defend a berry-laden holly tree from a voracious flock of cedar waxwings. Badly outnumbered, the two mockingbirds would successfully chase off several waxwings only for another dozen or so waxwings to take the place of their vanquished flock mates. Although the flock of waxwings consisted of about 80 individual birds, the mockingbird pair put up a valiant struggle to defend the food represented by those holly berries.

Nesting mockingbirds are also very defensive of both their nest and young. They will attack anything that moves in the vicinity, including domestic cats and dogs, as well as humans.

I once observed a young red-tailed hawk perched in a tree while crows and blue jays were screaming in protest at the large raptor’s presence. The only bird to actually make contact with the hawk, however, was a single mockingbird that swiped the back of the hawk’s head in a persuasive effort to convince the raptor to move along.

Perhaps not surprisingly, these aggressive songbird can reach a ripe old age. According to the website All About Birds, the oldest Northern mockingbird on record was at least 14 years, 10 months old when it was found in Texas.

Early American naturalist and artist John James Audubon painted a famous depiction of mockingbirds attacking a rattlesnake. He painted the dramatic scene to demonstrate the fearless nature of the mockingbird in defending its young.

It’s that feisty attitude that impresses most people about mockingbirds. Even people who don’t like this bird — some consider it a bully — usually give grudging credit that the bird doesn’t lack in courage or spirit.

Perhaps that’s the reason five states — Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi — have made the mockingbird their official state bird. The southern makeup of these states reflects that the mockingbird has always been a bird of the southern United States even as it has expanded its range northward and westward.

The mockingbird was designated the state bird by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1933. The mockingbird’s designation had been decided earlier that same year in an election conducted by the Tennessee Ornithological Society. Florida and Texas both selected the mockingbird in 1927, Arkansas in 1929, and Mississippi in 1944. The mockingbird was once the official state bird of South Carolina but was replaced by the Carolina wren in 1948.

I find mockingbirds fascinating, partly because they remain a bit of a rarity at my home. I realize that the militant nature of this bird may distress those wanting peace and harmony among the feathered occupants of their yards and gardens.

If the mockingbird had a slogan, it might be something like “don’t mess with me.” The mockingbird in your yard or garden considers the territory its own little kingdom. Intruders beware.

•••

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

 

Unicoi County summer bird count finds 109 species

Leave a reply

Photo Hans Toom/ Pixabay • The aptly named yellow warbler was one of 18 warbler species found on this year’s Unicoi County Summer Bird Count.

The 11th annual Unicoi County summer bird count was held Saturday, June 8, with 19 observers in seven parties. The count has been conducted yearly since its inception by members of the Elizabethton Bird Club.

I have taken part on this count from the first one held, missing only once when I was out of town. It’s an enjoyable count and, for me, it’s very close to home. This count also provides a reliable snapshot of the birds present in Unicoi County in early summer. 

Counters tallied 109 species which is slightly above the average of 108 species. The all-time high was 112 species in 2016. 

Abundant birds included European starling (314), American robin (246), song sparrow (175), American crow (174), red-eyed vireo (172), Northern cardinal (128) and cliff swallow, 126. Eighteen species of warblers were found, the most abundant being hooded warbler with 84 individuals tallied. 

As always a few low-density or very localized species were missed, including yellow-billed cuckoo, bald eagle, great horned owl, American kestrel, grasshopper sparrow, golden-winged warbler and prairie warbler.

The list:

Canada goose, 18; wood duck, 3; mallard, 20; wild turkey, 7; and ruffed grouse, 1.

Rock pigeon, 61; mourning dove, 56; chuck-will’s-widow,1; Eastern whip-poor-will, 18; chimney swift, 29; and ruby-throated hummingbird, 8.

Killdeer, 8; great blue heron, 3; and green heron, 2.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A green heron elevates a shaggy crest of feathers, a behavior often initiated when the bird feels alarmed.

Black vulture, 1; turkey vulture 37; sharp-shinned hawk, 1;

Cooper’s hawk 3; red-shouldered hawk, 4; broad-winged hawk, 10; red-tailed hawk, 2; Eastern screech-owl, 5; barred owl, 4; and Northern saw-whet owl, 1.

Belted kingfisher, 5; red-bellied woodpecker, 15; yellow-bellied sapsucker, 9;

downy woodpecker, 8; hairy woodpecker, 5; Northern flicker, 10; and pileated woodpecker, 20.

Great crested flycatcher, 3; Eastern kingbird, 11; Eastern wood-pewee, 10; Acadian flycatcher, 32; least flycatcher, 5; and Eastern phoebe, 65.

White-eyed vireo, 3; yellow-throated vireo, 1; blue-headed vireo, 38; warbling vireo, 3; and red-eyed vireo, 172.

Blue jay, 61; American crow, 174; fish crow, 5; common raven, 8; Carolina chickadee, 71; and tufted titmouse, 60.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A tree swallow visits a nest box to check on young.

Tree swallow, 49; Northern rough-winged swallow, 20; purple martin, 25; barn swallow, 78; and cliff swallow, 126.

Golden-crowned kinglet, 2; cedar waxwing, 36; red-breasted nuthatch, 2; white-breasted nuthatch, 18; brown creeper, 4; and blue-gray gnatcatcher, 23.

Carolina wren, 84; house wren, 31; and winter wren, 3.

Gray catbird, 34; brown thrasher, 14; Northern mockingbird, 17; European starling, 314; Eastern bluebird, 59; veery, 12; hermit thrush, 2; wood thrush, 34; and American robin, 246.

House sparrow, 14; house finch, 33; American goldfinch, 56; chipping sparrow, 54; field sparrow, 6; dark-eyed junco, 20; song sparrow, 175; Eastern towhee, 6; and yellow-breasted chat, 1.

Eastern meadowlark, 14; orchard oriole, 4; Baltimore oriole, 1; red-winged blackbird, 60; brown-headed cowbird, 16; and common grackle, 63.

Ovenbird, 38; worm-eating warbler, 10; Louisiana waterthrush, 10; black-and-white warbler, 19; Swainson’s warbler, 16; Kentucky warbler, 1; common yellowthroat, 6; hooded warbler, 84; American redstart, 12; Northern parula, 41; magnolia warbler, 2; Blackburnian warbler, 10; yellow warbler, 3; chestnut-sided warbler, 17; black-throated blue warbler, 45; yellow-throated warbler, 17; black-throated green warbler, 45; and Canada warbler, 13.

Scarlet tanager, 20; Northern cardinal, 128; rose-breasted grosbeak, 4; blue grosbeak, 1; and indigo bunting, 77.

•••

Bryan Stevens has birded since the early 1990s and has written about birds and birding since 1995. To ask a question, make a comment or share a sighting, email him at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

 

Ruby-throated hummingbirds mark their spring return

Leave a reply

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male ruby-throated hummingbird surveys his surroundings.

I am still waiting (at the time this post was written) for the first ruby-throated hummingbird of spring. Every year I hope they will make an early appearance, but I am almost always disappointed. These tiny birds always arrive in their own good time and my home is apparently not located within their primary migratory path.

As a consolation prize, however, I have welcomed the first of the spring warblers. I had two black-and-white warblers singing at home on April 9. The black-and-white warbler sings a repetitive song that has been described as a “squeaky wheel” based on the rising pattern of the song’s notes.

Other recent arrivals have included brown thrasher and tree swallow.

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

While I cannot claim to have seen my first spring hummingbird – yet – I can report that hummingbirds are officially back. Some of my Facebook friends have reported their first sightings. Other readers have emailed me to share their sightings.

Nancy Light welcomed back a ruby-throated hummingbird on Sunday, April 7. “I have my sugar water feeders hanging off my fruit trees in the front yard,” Nancy wrote in an email. “I live in Kingsport, but this sighting was at my farm in Duffield, Virginia, in the Fairview community.”

•••

Patricia Faye Wagers in Kingsport saw her first hummingbird of spring on April 8.

“With one, I know more are on the way,” she wrote in a Facebook post announcing her sighting.

•••

Dianne Draper in Jonesborough reported her first hummingbird sighting of spring on April 9 in a Facebook post.

“Never did get a picture of the bird,” she wrote. “Also saw the first broad-winged hawk in the yard,” she added.

Broad-winged hawks, like ruby-throated hummingbirds, are migratory and return to the region in late March and early April.

•••

It’s in Central and South America where the world’s more than 300 species of hummingbirds reach their greatest diversity. In Eastern North America, the only hummingbird known to nest is the ruby-throated hummingbird.

The western half of the United States and Canada can claim about a dozen nesting species, including rufous hummingbird, Allen’s hummingbird, Anna’s hummingbird, broad-tailed hummingbird, black-chinned hummingbird, calliope hummingbird, buff-bellied hummingbird, broad-billed hummingbird and violet-crowned hummingbird.

Hummingbirds, regardless of species, occupy a tough spot in the food chain. A bird not much bigger than many large insects is going to be a target for opportunistic predators that will attempt to kill and consume anything small enough for them to make the effort.

To make matters worse for ruby-throated hummingbirds, some large spiders and mantids, as well as bigger dragonflies, have also been documented as hummingbird predators. When ruby-throated hummingbirds retreat to Central America for the winter months, they also face threats from lizards and snakes.

The list of predators that have been known to eat ruby-throated hummingbirds extends to bullfrogs, as well as many raptors, including kestrels, merlins and sharp-shinned hawks. Blue jays and other birds will raid hummingbird nests for eggs or young. Squirrels and chipmunks are also nest predators.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Every hummingbird that arrives at your feeder is a survivor.

In essence, every hummingbird visiting your feeders and gardens is a survivor.

And evading an assortment of predators is not their only obstacle. These tiny birds make an awesome yet grueling migratory flight – twice a year – across the Gulf of Mexico. This achievement is a grueling finale for such a tiny creature’s migration. This direct flight alone can take 18 to 22 hours of non-stop flying before reaching land on the other side of the Gulf in states like Mississippi and Texas.

Hummingbirds have fascinated for centuries. Early European explorers sent back reports of amazing little birds that seemed halfway between birds and insects.

In the 1550s, French explorer Jean de Léry published a journal of his travels in Brazil. His account provided the first written description of hummingbirds to reach readers back in the Old World.

This painting, “The Inspiration of Christopher Columbus” by José María Obregón, was painted in 1856 well after the explorer sailed the ocean blue. It’s a reminder that from the moment that European explorers arrived, they were amazed at many discoveries in the New World, including tiny birds that buzzed and hummed around their heads like insects.

Of course, the natives of North America also knew about hummingbirds. In fact, many native tribes held hummingbirds in high regard. Some regarded them as healers. An Aztec deity by the name of Huitzilopochtli had a physical form supposedly comprised of hummingbird feathers that fell from the sky. The Aztecs also believed that fallen warriors were reincarnated as hummingbirds, no doubt because of the feisty and often downright militant attitudes of these tiny birds. Anyone who has ever witnessed hummingbirds dueling at their feeders will know what I mean.

It won’t be long before we have these tiny flying jewels back with us. Once they return, their antics will entertain us for several months before it’s time for them to head south again this fall.

•••

Feel free to continue to share hummingbird sightings with me. Provide the time and date of their arrival. Email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com to share a sighting, ask a question or make a comment.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A ruby-throated hummingbird sips from a sugar water feeder.