Tag Archives: Virginia

Sighting a Siberian Superstar: Local birder secures rare red-flanked bluetail for life list

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Photo by Tom McNeil • This red-flanked bluetail created quite a stir when it showed up in Fairfax County, Virginia, along the Potomac River.

Here’s confirmation that birds have wings and know how to use them to travel to some totally unexpected places. A good birding friend, fellow member of the Elizabethton Birding Club and, like me, an alumni of Hampton High School, has added a new bird – a species that I’d never even heard of – to his life list.

Tom McNeil posted on his Facebook page on Jan. 4 that he departed Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at 3 a.m. and drove to the Washington, D.C., Metro Area for a chance at seeing a little 5-inch-long bird.

From long acquaintance with Tom, I know he doesn’t hesitate to go after these “rare birds.” This particular bird – a red-flanked bluetail – had been generating a lot of excitement, Tom noted, since making its unlikely appearance in Fairfax County, Virginia.

The bird had already been present for four days when McNeil made his scramble to get binoculars on the bird.

I got the chance to discuss his sighting after he returned home just ahead of Winter Storm Fern after he had gone on another quick trip to add one of the common ground doves spotted in Sampson County to his North Carolina list.

“I came home to make sure the pipes didn’t freeze,” Tom said.

His wife, Cathy, works as a travel nurse and was working in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for the weekend. “Unfortunately she is probably going to have to stay overnight at the hospital,” Tom said, explaining that the storm was expected to be really bad there.

North American Rarity

The rarity of the red-flanked bluetail is mind-boggling. Most sightings of this bird in North America have taken place in Alaska, but there are also 2023 records from California and New Jersey.

“This is only the second record in the eastern United States,” Tom said. “The first was in New Jersey, two years ago.”

He added, “I heard some people speculating that it was the same bird that was in New Jersey. I can’t even begin to speculate how it wound up here.”

This Eurasian species, according to Tom, should be hanging out around China, not just outside the capital of the United States. Tom noted that the bird represents only the second record of this species in the eastern United States.

That’s more than I knew. Thank goodness for Google. A little research and I soon learned that the red-flanked bluetail belongs to a group of insect-eating birds known as chats. Formerly, chats were thought to be thrushes. Genetic analysis has proven, however, that they are in fact a type of Old World flycatcher.

Photo by Andrew Poynton/Pixabay.com • The European robin is actually an Old World flycatcher and a relative of the red-flanked bluetail.

The fact that chats resemble Old World thrushes can be attributed to convergent evolution, which is the independent evolution of similar features and appearances in species of different lineages. Flycatchers and thrushes are birds, but that’s where the similarities end.

The red-flanked bluetail, known by the scientific name (Tarsiger cyanurus) is a small bird that breeds in mixed coniferous forests in northern Asia, parts of central Asia and northeastern Europe. It is migratory, nesting in Siberia and wintering mainly in southeast Asia, in the Indian subcontinent, the Himalayas, Taiwan and northern Indochina. In other words, it’s not supposed to be close to Washington. D.C.

What’s in a Name

You have to love this bird’s extremely descriptive common name. It was previously known as the orange-flanked bush-robin, which is also quite descriptive. Considering the bird is a flycatcher, however, calling it a bush-robin would not be accurate.

Tom added the bird to his life list with relative ease. His wife, Cathy, is a travel nurse and was working in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when Tom learned that the bird was present in Great Falls Park in Virginia.

“From Winston-Salem, that is about 5.5 hours,” he said. “I left at 3 a.m. and got there about 8:30 a.m.,” he explained. “I only had to walk less than a quarter-mile to the area where it had been seen the most.”

He soon discovered that 75 or more people were already gathered and looking for the bird.

“They were spread out over a distance of about 200 yards,” he said. “After about an hour, someone spotted it and everyone converged on it. It was pretty exciting and humorous to watch.”

While the bird shows a blue tail and rump, it lacks the bright blue upperparts of an adult male red-flanked bluetail.

Based on the bird’s appearance, Tom said most observers have identified the bird as a female. “But it could be an immature male,” he added.

Birding Surprises

“Needless to say, it was a lifer,” he noted.

A “lifer” is birder slang for a species a birder has observed for the first time and added to a cumulative life list of species seen.

The bird has spent much of its time close to the Potomac River since its arrival in Fairfax County in Virginia.

“Apparently the Maryland state line passes very close to the shore,” Tom said. “Some folks were standing out in the river trying to add the bird to their Maryland lists.”

The red-flanked bluetail has certainly been his best bird so far in 2027.

“Back in December I picked up Swainson’s hawk, MacGillivray’s warbler and Brewer’s blackbird for my North Carolina life list,” Tom said.

“Cathy and I both went down to Chattanooga and got a great cormorant and Franklin’s gull for Tennessee,” he added.

He posted on Facebook that his biggest personal milestone for 2025 was getting his American Birding Association area 600th bird – a Townsend’s warbler – in a backyard in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Cathy had to work and didn’t get to go with Tom on the trip to get the bluetail.

“So if it’s still around in the next few days, we will probably go up and try for it together,” Tom said.

Here’s a recording someone made of a red-flanked bluetail in California in 2023.

Winging It

Birds have wings, as I’ve pointed out many times, and they know how to use them. It’s just more evidence that one never knows when an unexpected bird might make an appearance. This is the magic that keeps birding exciting.

•••

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

Chasing Zunzun: Bahamas cruise resulted in sightings of flying gems

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Photo by Pixabay • A Cuban emerald, a species of hummingbird native to Cuba and the Bahamas, perches and surveys its surroundings.

Continuing to bring you some vintage columns, I dug deep into my archives. I’ve traveled outside the United States on only one occasion from Jan. 22-24, 1999, during a family vacation. Sightseeing and shopping took a backseat to birding during a three-day cruise in the Bahamas. I fully documented my sightings in a “Feathered Friends” column published Feb. 14, 1999.

Two scheduled shore excursions during the cruise gave me opportunities to search for birds.

Two hummingbird species can be found in the Bahamas. The Cuban emerald, as its name suggests, is found in Cuba. It’s also found on several islands in the Bahamas. These dazzling birds are found in thickets and woodlands, as well as parks and gardens.

Another hummingbird species, the Bahama woodstar, is found nowhere else in the world.

Without much difficulty, I observed both species during my visit to the Bahamas. My observation of Cuban emeralds took place on Castaway Cay, a small island owned by Disney and reserved for use by those traveling aboard its cruise ships. Much of the island had been kept in a natural state with walking trails perfect for looking for birds. While others enjoyed the beach, I set off with my binoculars on the trails.

My mother and I observed a pair of Cuban emeralds that appeared to be a mother and her male offspring. On two occasions, we watched the female approach the young male for a feeding session. The young bird opened his bill in a wide gape and the female plunged her own long bill into his throat. The spectacle looked rather fearsome, but that’s how hummingbirds feed their young. I’ve observed one of our native ruby-throated hummingbird feeding her young in the same manner. Experts who have researched hummers insist there’s no danger that a mother hummingbird will skewer her offspring.

Photo by Daniel Stuhlpfarrer/Pixabay • The Cuban emerald is a vibrant hummingbird of the Caribbean.

The young male being fed put on quite a show. He appeared almost completely lacking in fear and allowed me to approach within inches of his perch. At times, he also exhibited his own curiosity and buzzed around my head and face for a better look of his own.

His mother, not quite as confiding, kept her distance. She perched on branches about 15 feet off the ground. She observed us, but she never descended to feed the young male unless we withdrew to a comfortable distance.

I learned later that my brother and sister-in-law saw some Cuban emeralds at another location on the island, leading me to suspect that the Cuban emerald may be quite common on Castaway Cay in the Bahamas.

Male Cuban emeralds sport an iridescent green throat and breast with a long forked tail, white undertail feathers, and a long thin bill that is black on top and reddish-pink on the underside. Females look similar to males except with green upperparts along with a grayish throat and breast, and a slightly shorter and less forked tail.

The term “emerald” describes many different species of hummingbirds. In the Caribbean, this family includes Hispaniolan emerald and Puerto Rican emerald. These hummingbirds belong to the genus Chlorostilbon, which is Greek for “green glitter,” a perfect description of the metallic green appearance of their feathers. Since my writing of the original column, experts have reconsidered the classification of the Cuban emerald. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 and a 2017 publication, the North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society moved the species to the resurrected genus Riccordia. The Cuban emerald’s scientific name is now Riccordia ricordii.

Prior to seeing the Cuban emeralds I got a brief but close look at a male Bahama woodstar visiting hibiscus and other flowers in a garden surrounding a swimming pool at a resort in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas located on New Providence Island.

The Bahama woodstar bears a resemblance to our own ruby-throated hummingbird. Male Bahama wood stars boast a reddish-purple throat, green upperparts and a white breast bordered by a tinge of rufous. The bird’s forked tail feathers are also trimmed with rufous color. Males and females have a white spot behind each eye. They also have black bills that curved downward slightly at the tip.

The Bahama woodstar, which is roughly the same size as a ruby-throated hummingbird, is a member of the genus Calliphlox, which is Greek for “beautiful flame.” Since my original writing of this column, the classification of the Bahama woodstar changed after a 2014 study.

A former subspecies of the Bahama woodstar has been made its own species. The Bahama woodstar itself was moved into a new genus and given the scientific name Nesophlox evelynae. That former subspecies was upgraded to full species status and is known as the Inagua woodstar (Nesophlox lyrura), also called the lyre-tailed hummingbird. The species is endemic to the two islands of the Inagua district of the Bahamas.

It’s the Bahama woodstar that occurs in Nassau, so the species I saw in 1999 was truly the Bahama woodstar. The good news is that if I ever travel to the Great or Little Inagua islands in the Bahama archipelago I will have a chance to add a third species of Bahama hummingbird to my life list.

There are many other species of woodstars, including the little woodstar of South America, the purple-throated woodstar restricted to the west slope of the Andes in Colombia and Ecuador, and the endangered Chilean woodstar.

There are about 360 species of hummingbirds, all found in the New World and reaching their greatest diversity in Central and South America.

Both Cuban emeralds and Bahama Woodstars have strayed into nearby Florida, so it is possible to observe these two species outside of the Bahamas. Experts have speculated that the Inagua woodstar had very likely also strayed into Florida.

I’ll always remember my trip to the Bahamas and the opportunity to chase after zunzún, which is a Spanish word, particularly used in the Caribbean, for hummingbird. I greatly enjoyed my observations of the two hummingbird species I observed in the Bahamas. These sightings remain among my most memorable in my nearly four decades of birding.

•••

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

 

Remember the po’ouli in fight to conserve our birds

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Photo by Jack Jeffrey/USFWS • A po’ouli relative, an ‘I’iwi forages in the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii. The bird’s long, downcurved, orange bill is specialized for sipping nectar from tubular flowers.

I’m celebrating 30 years of writing my weekly “Feathered Friends” column by occasionally showcasing some vintage compositions from throughout that time period. I published this column on Jan. 2, 2005. I’ve made some revisions and edits to this version. I’m more saddened now than at the time I wrote the original column, but I still think there is some cause for optimism that we’ll be able to share the planet without causing any more tragic stories for our birds. I think that message is just as important as ever.

•••

A tiny bird called the po’ouli, no bigger than some of the sparrows that visit bird feeders here in East Tennessee, failed to move forward into the year 2005.

A bird native to the Hawaiian island of Maui, the po’ouli went undiscovered by modern science until 1973. Barely three decades later, what may very well have been the last po’ouli in the world died Nov. 26, 2004.

The exact date of the demise of both the species and this last survivor can be known because the individual bird had been living in captivity in a research center on Maui. The hope had been to secure two other individuals known to exist in the wild in order to initiate a last-ditch attempt to save the po’ouli through a captive breeding program.

Nature moved faster than man. The other two po’ouli living in the wild hadn’t been seen in several months when the search launched. The lives of all small birds are fleeting and precarious. In all likelihood, these two individuals were gone even before the search commenced. With their demise, another thread had simply been snipped from nature’s tapestry.

The irony is that we knew this small bird, seen in the wild by a relatively small number of people, for only a blink in the overall scope of the universe. We did manage to learn a few things about the po’ouli in the span of time from 1973 to its extinction in late 2004.

According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release, the po’ouli’s name in Hawaiian meant “black head,” a reference to the bird’s black mask and its other common name of black-faced honeycreeper. Its scientific name was Melamprosops phaeosoma. A Po’ouli’s most distinctive feature was a large black face mask accented by white cheeks, throat and underparts with brown wings and back; no other Hawaiian forest bird was similarly colored. Females were similar in appearance, displaying a grayish throat and breast.

The po’ouli belonged to a family known as the Hawaiian honeycreepers. Unlike other forest birds in Hawaii, the po’ouli’s diet included many native tree snails. The fact that many Hawaiian tree snails are endangered or threatened may have played a role in the rapid decline of the po’ouli.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to look for a silver lining in the wake of this tragedy.

“Our goal of saving the po’ouli is now very difficult and may not be achievable,” said Gina Shultz, acting field supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Islands office, in a remark that can be fairly described as classic understatement.

She added, “But we must continue to try to save the species we have left.”

At that time, Hawaii had 31 other endangered bird species threatened by loss of habitat, introduced predators and disease.

In the years since 2004, eight more species have been lost, including the Maui ʻakepa, Maui nukupuʻu, Kauai ʻŌʻō, Kauai akialoa, large Kauai thrush, Kauai nukupuʻu and Molokai creeper, also known as Kākāwahie. Some of these species had not been seen for decades when officially declared extinct in 2023.

The demise of the little-known po’ouli probably didn’t mean much to many people. It’s hard to get excited about a small, drab bird that once lived on an island thousands of miles away.

We should, however, learn a lesson from its story. When it comes to the rapid decline in birds, we’re a major part of the problem. We’re going to need to be a part of the solution, too.

Photo by Alan Schmierer • The ‘I’iwi, a relative of the po’ouli, is another of the Hawaiian honeycreeper species. These birds evolved in the forests of Hawai’i and are found nowhere else in the world. Unlike ‘the po’ouli, a few thousand I’iwi still survive but face existential threats that have intensified in recent years.

What will we do? Will we wait until another bird species dwindles to a mere three individuals in the entire world and take desperate, unsuccessful measures?

We are more than a quarter way through this new century. These problems require new thinking. The issues are too complex to be more than hinted at in one column. But perhaps we can adopt a slogan: “Remember the po’ouli.” Keep this lost little bird in mind to help us in this constant battle to see to it that no other birds follow the po’ouli into the darkness of extinction.

•••

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

Waterfowl numbers help increase Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count total

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Photo by Krista-269/Pixabay.com • Common loons in summer breeding plumage are strikingly handsome birds that show much grace and agility in the water.

The 83rd consecutive Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count was held Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. Twenty-four observers participated in seven parties found a total of 73 species, plus an additional species found during count week.

Compiler Rick Knight noted that the annual survey benefitted from good weather with a temperature range from 23 to 66 degrees coupled with clear and calm conditions.
The species total is right on the recent 30-year average for this CBC. The all-time high for the Elizabethton CBC was 85 species in 2017.

The list:
Canada goose, 372; mallard, 81; redhead, 3; ring-necked duck, 17; greater scaup, 2; lesser scaup, 1; bufflehead, 109; and hooded merganser, 26.

Wild turkey, 18; pied-billed grebe, 10; horned grebe, 14; rock pigeon, 208; mourning dove, 72; killdeer, 3; Wilson’s snipe, 7; ring-billed gull, 3; common loon, 1; and great blue heron, 11.

Black vulture, 26; turkey vulture, 131; sharp-shinned hawk, 1; Cooper’s hawk, 2; bald eagle, 4; red-shouldered hawk, 1; red-tailed hawk, 14; Eastern screech owl, 5; and great horned owl, 2.

Photo by Bryan Stevens
A flock of Wild Turkeys make their way across a snowy field.

Belted kingfisher, 17; red-bellied woodpecker, 28; yellow-bellied sapsucker, 19; downy woodpecker, 15; hairy woodpecker, 4; Northern flicker, 27; pileated woodpecker, 15; American kestrel, 14; and Eastern phoebe, 13.

White-eyed vireo, 1; blue jay, 130; American crow, 343; common raven, 9; Carolina chickadee, 101; tufted titmouse, 66; ruby-crowned kinglet, 11; golden-crowned Kinglet, 24; and cedar waxwing, 18.

White-breasted nuthatch, 29; brown creeper, 1; Carolina wren, 74; and winter wren, 11.

Brown thrasher, 1; Northern mockingbird, 58; Eurasian starling, 1058; Eastern bluebird, 117; hermit thrush, 8; and American robin, 236.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A white-breasted nuthatch grabs a sunflower seed.

House sparrow, 28; house finch, 135; purple finch, 4; American goldfinch, 74; and pine siskin. The siskin was listed as a count week find. Birds seen within the same count circle but outside of the specific count day are noted as “count week” birds and still tallied with the species found on the actual count day.

Chipping sparrow, 1; field sparrow, 20; fox sparrow, 1; dark-eyed junco, 24; white-throated sparrow, 87; Savannah sparrow, 1; song sparrow, 83; Swamp Sparrow, 3; and
Eastern towhee, 14.

Eastern meadowlark, 67; common grackle, 1; pine warbler, 3; yellow-rumped warbler, 55; and Northern cardinal, 102.

Knight singled out the white-eyed vireo as a species worthy of elaboration. The vireo was seen in Hampton at the watershed trail among a stand of pines. It was the third instance for this species on this particular CBC; white-eyed vireos were also seen in 1997 and 2001.

Notable misses, according to Knight, included barred owl, red-breasted nuthatch and white-crowned sparrow.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male Northern cardinal visits a feeder on a snowy afternoon.

 

Roan Mountain Christmas Bird Count finds 43 species plus another during ‘count week’

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GYRLI1981/Pixabay • With its high elevation and unique habitats, Roan Mountain often produces good birds, such as red crossbills, for Christmas Bird Counts. Many of the species are difficult to find in other locations.

Unpredictable December weather makes the Roan Mountain Christmas Bird Count one of Tennessee’s most challenging surveys. This year was no exception, and the count had to postponed to a later date when a winter storm impacted the region.

The 73rd Roan Mountain Christmas Bird Count was eventually held Tuesday, Dec. 16, with six observers in two parties.

Count compiler Rick Knight noted that weather for this count was generally favorable (clear conditions and a temperature range from 17 to 46 degrees), but it was quite windy on top of the mountain making bird-finding difficult. At lower elevations, the winds were light. One to four inches of snow covered the ground, but roads were clear.

Participants tallied 43 species, plus one species added during the count week.

The list:

Canada goose, 30; American black duck, 17; wild turkey, 11; mourning dove, 17.

Sharp-shinned hawk, 1; Cooper’s hawk, 1; red-shouldered hawk, 2; and red-tailed hawk, 2.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Two red-tailed hawks made this year’s Roan Mountain CBC. 

Red-bellied woodpecker, 6; yellow-bellied sapsucker, 1; downy woodpecker, 4; hairy woodpecker,1; Northern flicker, 1: and pileated woodpecker, 3.

Eastern phoebe, 1; blue jay, 25; American crow, 120; and common raven, 8.

Carolina chickadee, 21; tufted titmouse, 24; golden-crowned kinglet, 6; red-breasted nuthatch, 3; white-breasted nuthatch, 14; brown creeper, 1; Carolina wren, 5; and winter wren, 2.

Northern mockingbird, 7; Eurasian starling, 23; Eastern bluebird, 8; and American robin, 2.

House sparrow, 5; house finch, 5; red crossbill, 2; pine siskin, 2; and American goldfinch, 119.

Field sparrow, 7; fox sparrow, 4; dark-eyed junco, 25, white-throated sparrow, 5; song sparrow, 35; Eastern towhee, 5; yellow-rumped warbler, 1; and Northern cardinal, 22.

In addition, a purple finch was found during the count week. CBC circles do accept birds seen during “Count Week, which is defined as the three days before and after the official count day, but they are recorded separately as count week birds and do not count towards the official count day totals. Their inclusion still provides important data.

The first Christmas Bird Counts were conducted on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) in 1900. The annual census arose from a proposal made by famed ornithologist Frank M. Chapman. According to Audubon.org, these yearly counts, conducted throughout the country, have provided a wealth of data over the past century.

Observations made due to CBCs have helped Audubon researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife agencies and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, the data provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.

Frank W. Chapman

The concept of the Christmas Bird Count, according to the website for the National Audubon Society, arose from a less than bird-friendly custom prevalent at the turn of the 20th century. So-called sportsmen would conduct a “Side Hunt,” a rather blood-thirsty Christmas custom that saw hunters competing to see who could score the largest amount of feathered and furred corpses.

The annual holiday bird survey may even have arisen from an earlier custom with roots in Europe that came to the United States of America with early colonists. The “Side Hunt” has some similarity to a peculiar celebration in Ireland and other European countries known as “Wren Day” or “Hunt the Wren Day.” The event was conducted the day after Christmas, the date of Dec. 26 being consigned as Saint Stephen’s Day. By the 20th century, the hunt consisted of tracking down a fake wren carried atop a decorated pole. Crowds would parade through towns in masks and colorful attire. These groups were referred to as “wren boys.”

Whether or not the “Side Hunt and “Wren Hunt” shared any connections, it was a huge step forward for conservation when Chapman, the preeminent ornithologist of his day, proposed a new holiday tradition. His radical idea was to count birds during the Christmas season rather than hunting and killing them.

I will report on the total for the Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count in next week’s column.

•••

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

Christmas Bird Count produces grebes, other finds

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Photo by Bryan Stevens
The pied-billed grebe paddles through the water after it was rescued after a stranding on a lawn.

I took part in the Elizabethton Bird Club’s 83rd annual Elizabethton Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 20.

The count focuses on a circle within Carter County with Elizabethton serving as the center. Consider the circle as a pie sliced into six pieces. Different groups bird within those “slices” of terrain. The groups rotate each year to vary the participation. As a result, it had been six years since I last led the count effort for the Butler/Little Milligan area that includes a great deal of Watauga Lake.

Donna Dewhurst/USFWS • A horned grebe parent tends chicks.

One of my favorite reasons for taking part in this particular count is the great mid-day lunch break at the Dry Run General Store and Deli in Butler. This marked my third time over the last 18 years having lunch at this great spot. The lunch break also gives the participants a chance to study the list of birds seen and calculate what other species can be added and where to best look for those species.

The counts conducted in areas with access to water have the potential for the most species, so it’s always a little more fun to bird around Watauga Lake or Wilbur Lake. The Watauga River in Elizabethton is also good.

We had good weather for this most recent count, but it was a slow effort to add birds to our list. Without a doubt, spring and fall bird counts are much more exciting than a Christmas Bird Count.

Below is the list for my group, which included Rob Armistead, Brookie and Jean Potter, David and Connie Irick and Chris Soto. This is only the list for Little Milligan and Butler. I hope to provide the complete list at a later date.

We found a total of 46 species:

Canada goose, 32; mallard, 7; greater scaup, 2; hooded Merganser, 4; wild turkey, 18; pied-billed grebe, 8; horned grebe, 14; rock pigeon, 52; mourning dove,1; ring-billed gull, 1; common loon, 1; and great blue heron, 2.

Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Common loons are quite at home in the air and on the water, but these birds are awkward if weather forces them to set down on land.

Red-tailed hawk, 3; belted kingfisher, 3; red-bellied woodpecker, 3; downy woodpecker, 2; Northern flicker, 1; pileated woodpecker, 3; American kestrel, 2; and Eastern phoebe, 1.

Blue jay: 14; American crow, 68; common raven, 2; Carolina chickadee, 2; tufted titmouse, 11; white-breasted nuthatch, 4; winter wren, 1; Carolina wren, 5; golden-crowned kinglet, 1; and ruby-crowned kinglet, 1.

Eastern bluebird, 14; hermit thrush, 1; American robin, 5; brown thrasher, 1; Northern mockingbird, 3; European starling, 43; and cedar waxwing, 2.

House finch, 2; American goldfinch, 25; dark-eyed junco, 5; white-throated sparrow, 8; song sparrow, 3; Eastern towhee, 3; Eastern meadowlark, 1; pine warbler, 1; and Northern cardinal, 7.

While birding in Little Milligan and Butler, we had plenty of views of Watauga Lake and opportunities for spotting birds often affiliated with water. The umbrella term of waterfowl can include such birds as ducks, geese, loons and grebes. We had representatives from all of these groups on our list. I was pleased to finally see some ducks and grebes this winter.

The grebes are a grouping of birds lumped together as waterfowl. Worldwide, there are 22 grebe species. This family also includes three extinct species — Alaotra grebe, Atitlán grebe and Colombian grebe.

Many people are unaware of the grebes. After all, they are oddball birds with not a lot in common with other waterfowl such as loons and ducks. In eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina, the pied-billed grebe is the member of the grebe family most likely to come into contact with humans.

The pied-billed grebe’s scientific name, Podilymbus podiceps, can be roughly translated as “rear-footed diver.” The reference is to the fact that this grebe, as well as others of its kind, have their feet positioned so far back on their bodies that movement on land is difficult and awkward.

In winter, however, horned grebes can be somewhat abundant on area lakes. The common name of horned grebe refers to a yellow crest of feathers located above and behind the eyes, reminiscent of “horns” in the eyes of an imaginative observer. In winter these horns are absent and the colorful horned grebe of the nesting season is replaced by a bird in a dull white and dark gray plumage.

Grebes range in size from the least grebe, which weighs only about six ounces, to the great grebe, which can tip the scales at four pounds. North American grebes include red-necked grebe, horned grebe, eared grebe, Clark’s grebe and Western grebe. In extreme southern Texas, birders can find least grebes in suitable wetland habitats.

Other grebes found around the world include birds with such descriptive names as the great crested grebe, hooded grebe and silvery grebe.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Brookie Potter spots a “bumble,” otherwise known as an abominable snowman, near Watauga Lake during the Christmas Bird Count.

With the exception of the least grebe, I’ve seen all of North America’s grebes. During visits to Utah in 2003 and 2006, I observed the sleek, long-necked Clark’s grebe and Western grebe. On a 2006 trip to Utah, I visited Antelope Island State Park and observed tens of thousands of eared grebes gathered on the Great Salt Lake for the nesting season. In Tennessee, one of the most reliable locations to find eared grebes is from viewing areas at Musick’s Campground on South Holston Lake, where a small number of these grebes have wintered for many years.

My Christmas Bird Count excursion proved a fun time with friends. We didn’t find a lot of birds, but we enjoyed finding the ones that we did see. Happy New Year to readers. I hope everyone finds some good birds in 2026.

•••

Bryan Stevens has written about birds, birding and birders since 1995.

 

 

Impossible to overlook the beauty of cardinals at Christmas

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Photo by Nature Lady/Pixabay • A male Northern cardinal is always a welcome splash of brightness on wintry days.

Christmas Eve is upon us. I hope the hustle and bustle has died down and everyone can take delight in an enjoyable holiday. My own sincere wish to readers is that everyone gets to celebrate a great holiday that just might also include an interlude for watching some birds.

Often, when we think of winter birds, our thoughts focus on some of the less-than-colorful feeder visitors — the brown sparrows and wrens, the black and white chickadees, the drab American goldfinches that look so unlike their summer appearance.

There’s one bird, however, that makes an impression in any season. The Northern cardinal, especially the brilliant red male, stands out against a winter backdrop of snow white, deep green or drab gray.

Over the years, the Northern cardinal has also become associated with the Christmas season. How many Christmas cards have you received this holiday season with a cardinal featured in the artwork? I’d wager that at least a few cards in any assortment of holiday greetings will feature the likeness of a bright red cardinal.

Cardinals, also known by such common names as redbird and Virginia nightingale, are easily recognized backyard birds. I never tire of observing these colorful birds. Cardinals are easily lured to any backyard with plentiful cover to provide a sense of security and a generous buffet of sunflower seed.

Cardinals accept a wide variety of food at feeders. Sunflower seed is probably their favorite, but they will also sample cracked corn, peanuts, millet, bakery scraps and even suet. The cardinal is also one of only a few birds that I have noticed will consistently feed on safflower seed.

While we may get the idea that cardinals feed largely on seed, that is a misconception based on our observation of the birds at our feeders. When away from our feeders, cardinals feed on insects and fruit, including the berries of mulberry, holly, pokeberry, elderberry, Russian olive, dogwood and sumac.

Kevin Tipton/Pixabay • Female cardinals, more subdued than males, are still a sure means of providing some joy when glimpsed in wintry settings.

There’s no difficulty in identifying a cardinal. The male boasts crimson plumage, a crest, a black face and an orange bill. The female, although less colorful, is also crested. Female cardinals are soft brown in color, with varying degrees of a reddish tinge in their feathers, particularly in their wings. Immature cardinals resemble females except young cardinals have dark bills.

Cardinals are a widespread species, ranging westward to the Dakotas and south to the Gulf Coast and Texas. The southeastern United States was once the stronghold of the cardinal population. In the past century, however, cardinals have expanded their range into New England and Canada. These birds have even been introduced to Hawaii.

At feeders, cardinals mingle with a variety of other birds. Their preference for dense, tangled habitat is one they share with such birds as brown thrashers, Eastern towhees, Carolina wrens and song sparrows. In general, however, cardinals directly associate only with their own kind. Cardinals will form loose flocks during the winter, but these flocks are never as cohesive as those of such flocking birds as American goldfinches. Cardinals are more often observed in pairs. For such a bright bird, the male cardinal can be surprisingly difficult to detect as he hides in thick brush that conceals his presence. Cardinals are nervous birds, however, and usually betray their presence with easily recognized chip notes.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • A male Northern cardinal visits a feeder on a snowy afternoon.

It’s not surprising that such a popular bird has also become associated with many trappings of the Christmas season.

“You see cardinals on greeting cards, stationery, paper plates, paper napkins and tablecloths, doormats, light switch plates, candles, candle holders, coffee mugs, plates, glasses, Christmas tree ornaments and lights, bookmarks, mailboxes, Christmas jewelry,” writes June Osborne in her book “The Cardinal.”

Osborne asserts that cardinals have become an integral part of the way that many people celebrate the holiday season. I can be included among such people. My Christmas decorations include an assortment of cardinal figurines and ornaments. There are other birds — doves and penguins for example — associated with the holiday season, but for me the holidays magnify the importance of one of my favorite birds. The cardinal, in its festive red plumage, appears made to order for a symbol of the holiday season.

There’s additional evidence to put forward as testimony to the popularity of the Northern cardinal. It’s the official state bird of seven states: Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Only the Northern mockingbird, which represents five states as official state bird, even comes close to the Northern cardinal in this respect.

Even once the holidays are past, there’s nothing like a glimpse of a Northern cardinal to add some cheer to a bleak winter day.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Northern cardinals are a favorite for makers of Christmas ornaments.

Christmas gift ideas that are strictly for the birds

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BRYAN STEVENS/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Photo by Bryan Stevens • A flock of purple finches visits a feeder. Bird feeders, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, make great Christmas gifts for bird enthusiasts.

It’s been a tradition of mine to offer a column of last-minute gift suggestions for bird enthusiasts in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

This year I thought I’d share some discoveries I made while browsing for ideas to provide to family members for the requisite wish list of suggestions for Christmas gifts for yours truly. Needless to say, all of these finds made it to the top of my 2025 list.

Photo by karosieben/Pixabay Gift ideas for the bird lover on your Christmas list are abundant.

BOOKS

Two book titles caught my eye: “The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America” and “Human Watching: A Field Guide to Humans for Birds — By Birds.”

From the titles alone, you may have guessed these are offerings leaning heavily on the humor interwoven into the pastime of birding.

Author Matt Kracht, the writer behind “The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America,” is also the man behind related titled such as “The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World” and “A Dumb Birds Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever.”

“Human Watching: A Field Guide to Humans for Birds — By Birds” puts things into perspective for birders.

His latest title received 4.6 out of 5 stars at Amazon. According to a summary at the Amazon website, Kracht’s latest book is perfect for “those who have a disdain for birds, or for bird lovers with a sense of humor.” The book is further described as “a snarky illustrated handbook” that is “equal parts profane, funny, and — let’s face it — true.”

As for “Human Watching,” the cover alone sparks curiosity. The book features the following:

• 20 vibrant full-color images: Full-page color portraits of the adorable (and judgmental) googly-eyed clay birds

• 20 Witty Observations: Short, hilarious “field notes” that can be enjoyed in a single sitting or flipped through casually

• Glossy cover: A shiny, durable finish that looks great on a coffee table or bookshelf

• A “To/From” Dedication Page: Integrated directly into the front to make this an instant gift, no separate card required.

BIRD CAMS

For some time I’ve been aware of smart bird feeders/cameras that people can purchase for their own backyard. There are also types that monitor bird boxes with an attached camera feed. Barbara Lake, a friend and longtime reader, introduced me to this concept many years ago with a camera feed that brought the secrets of the interiors of her bluebird boxes to her own television. I don’t know if these are new, but there are also apparently now hummingbird feeders that come with a camera. Many of these offerings are operated on solar power. Some can capture photos as well as video. I found several that are available for about $40.

MAGICAL MUGS

I actually got one of these a few years ago for Christmas. An ordinary coffee mug decorated with silhouettes of birds becomes emblazoned with full-color images of different birds as soon as the mug is filled with hot coffee — or some other hot beverage of choice. It’s a novelty gift, but a clever one that’s also available for under $20.

APPAREL & ATTIRE

Pithy slogans about birds, birders and birding can adorn anything from T-shirts and socks to oven mitts and towels, as well as baseball caps, tote bags and throw pillows. Many of these are affordable enough to be treated as stocking stuffers. Some of the slogans that really nailed the essence of birders included “I Watch Birds And I Know Things,” “Not All Who Wander Are Lost: Some Are Just Looking For Cool Birds” and “The Fellowship of the Wing.”

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On a more serious note, there are many helpful and useful birding gifts available if that’s more your style.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Add a bag of sunflower seed to a gift of a bird feeder and the recipients are set to start enjoying birds immediately.

BIRD FEEDERS

One of the best ways to bring birds closer is to put up a feeder. For that reason, a Christmas present of a bird feeder will never be remiss. Whether shopping online or in garden centers or department stores, there’s no shortage of feeders for purchase. Bird feeding brings hours of entertainment to human hosts for only the cost of a sack of sunflower seed.

The most successful feeder that I’ve used in recent years is a type of hanging tray manufactured by such brands as Woodlink and PerkyPet and available on Amazon.com and other retail outlets for about $20. The one at my home is made from recycled plastic. Cardinals, sparrows, finches, and even the shy Eastern towhees love this open-air feeder. The mesh bottom of the feeder allows for good drainage.

There are so many designs, from extremely practical to awesomely whimsical, that choosing a feeder as a gift isn’t at all difficult. The birds and that friend on your list will thank you for the gift of a feeder. If you’re feeling in the giving spirit, throw in a bag of black oil sunflower seed to help get the recipient’s feeder off to a great start.

365 DAYS OF BIRDS

The Lee and Lois Herndon Chapter of Tennessee Ornithological Society (Elizabethton Bird Club) produces a calendar as part of a long-standing holiday fund-raising effort. The 2026 calendar’s cover features a stunning photograph of a black-throated blue warbler. The inside pages feature dozens more full-color photographs and an informative and educational grid. These calendars sell for $15 plus $2.50 if shipping is needed. All sales help the club fund birding programs, public park feeders, conservation efforts and other activities in upper Northeast Tennessee. To obtain a calendar, email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com.

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

Eastern screech-owls are ‘beautiful little hunters’

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Courtesy of Carl Peters • An Eastern screech owl perches on a shepherd’s hook holding bird feeders in an Erwin yard.

I received an email from Susan Peters, an Elizabethton resident, along with a photo taken of a small owl by her brother, Erwin resident Carl Peters.

The photo was taken at a friend’s home in Erwin when the owl perched on a shepherd’s hook used for holding a hanging bird feeder.

Photo by Bryan Stevens • Lucy, a rehabilitated owl living in captivity at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, educates the public about her fellow owls.

“It’s a beautiful little hunter,” Susan remarked in her email, adding that she would love to have the owl identified. She speculated that the visitor might be a Northern saw-whet owl or boreal owl. The latter would have been far out of range. Saw-whet owl was a possibility considering these tiny owls are known to reside on Unaka Mountain, but a closer study pointed to the identity of the visitor being an Eastern screech-owl.

As Susan pointed out in her email, no ear tufts are prominently visible on the bird in the photo. But any number of reasons could explain the absence of the ear tufts. These tufts, which are actually feathers that the ow can control, help with camouflage or to signal an individual owl’s mood. They can raise their tufts if they want to appear larger and more intimidating or flatten them to blend in with a tree trunk, and they may also flatten them when agitated or in a state of attentiveness.

There’s not a lot in the photo for a size comparison with the bird, but it seemed more the size of a screech-owl than the slightly smaller saw-whet owl. I’ve seen both owls and the saw-whet always strikes me as more dainty than a screech-owl.

An adult Eastern screech-owl is about 10 inches long, which is about the same size as an American robin. The owl, however, is much more sturdily built than the robin. This owl’s wingspan is usually between 18 and 24 inches. Weight varies, but a heavy screech owl weighs only 6 to 8 ounces. That’s equivalent to a cup of water.

Eastern screech-owls come in two color variations, sometimes referred to as “morphs.” These are red or rufous and gray. There is a rare brown variation that may be a hybrid of a red owl and a gray owl. The highest percentage of red screech owls occurs in Tennessee, of all places, with an estimated 79 percent of owls in the Volunteer State being of the red variety. I’ve actually not seen a red morph in many years. My recent sightings have been of gray individuals. The owl in Carl’s photo appears to be a red morph.

Eastern screech-owls are effective predators, or as Susan described them, “beautiful little hunters,” but they mostly tackle small prey, such as house sparrows, mice and large insects.

Owls are more common than we think; we simply don’t encounter them often because of their nocturnal lifestyle. The Eastern screech-owl has proven very adaptable to living in close proximity to human beings.

Many myths have taken root about owls. Some of these are more grounded in reality than others.

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

A prevalent belief is that owls are wise. Of course, that’s a relative term. Is it meant they are wiser than other birds or wiser than human beings. According to the website for the International Owl Center, owls are probably seen as wise due to their large eyes, resolute posture and relatively silent behavior. The website acknowledges that owls are good at being owls, but they are stubborn birds when people attempt to train captive specimens to perform tasks.

Not all owls, despite persistent claims, are nocturnal. It’s true, according to the International Owl Center, that a large proportion of owls are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night.

But there are always exceptions. According to the International Owl Center, a few owls are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, and some others are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk.

There are approximately 230 to 250 species of owls. There’s some debate among the experts about the exact number. Here are some interesting common names for some of those species: Golden masked owl, ashy-faced owl, white-fronted scops owl, black-capped screech-owl, cinnamon screech owl, snowy owl, Eurasian eagle owl, spectacled owl, mottled wood owl, great grey owl, pearl-spotted owlet, little owl, barking owl, powerful owl, Tasmanian boobook, chocolate boobook, laughing owl, long-eared owl and short-eared owl.

I’ve been hearing two species of owl – Eastern screech-owl and great horned owl – at home this fall. That’s the other thing. You’re much more likely to hear an owl than see one. I don’t mind. It makes this little bird a bit more mysterious, and there’s something to be said to being able to put on an air of mystery.

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

Photo by Bryan Stevens
An Eastern Screech-Owl perches in the branches of an Eastern hemlock.

White-throated sparrows stand apart from their kin

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Photo by Indigo Bunting/Pixabay                                                                                                                                 A perched white-throated sparrow display the yellow lores and white throat that helps contrast it from other sparrows.

Recent wild winds and an accompanying cold snap have claimed the last vestiges of fall color. We’ve already had the first snow of the season.

We’re quickly advancing toward winter, a season painted in muted shades of gray. Or brown, in the case of some of the “little brown birds” known as sparrows that enliven our yards and gardens during the colder months.

A brief snippet of song from a hidden location in a brushy corner of the yard caught my attention recently. The singer revealed the return of white-throated sparrows for the season. Although they call much more frequently in the spring, this particular white-throated sparrow must have wanted to announce his arrival.

Pixabay The blunt beak of a white-throated sparrow is useful for hulling seeds at feeders.

A few of this family of “little brown birds,” like the song sparrow, reside near us through all the seasons, but most of the sparrows are visitors only during the colder months of the year. This diverse family includes such birds as dark-eyed junco, chipping sparrow, white-throated sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, field sparrow, fox sparrow and Eastern towhee.

I host many of these sparrows every winter, but one of the most reliable visitors is the white-throated sparrow. The white-throated sparrow and the closely related white-crowned sparrow both belong to a genus of American sparrows known as Zonotrichia, which includes three other species. The other three — golden-crowned sparrow, rufous-collared sparrow, and Harris’s sparrow — range mostly outside the continental United States.

The genus name, Zonotrichia, refers to two ancient Greek words for zone and hair, which refers to the pattern of streaks on the backs of these five sparrow species. The Zonotrichia sparrows belong to a large group of birds known as Passerellidae, or American sparrows, which also includes birds such as juncos, towhees and brush finches. Some of the more descriptive names for American sparrows include orange-billed sparrow, white-eared ground sparrow, green-backed sparrow, olive sparrow, cinnamon-tailed sparrow, five-striped sparrow and golden-winged sparrow.

Photo by Skeeze/Pixabay • A white-throated sparrow perches on a branch to sing its easily recognizable song. Many Americans translate the sparrow’s song as “Ol’ Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.”

Many sparrows, including the white-throated sparrow, prefer to forage for food on the ground. It’s often helpful to purchase a supply of millet seed. When filling feeders with sunflower seeds, scatter a couple of handfuls of millet seed on the ground beneath the feeders or at the edge of a brushy area. Sparrows like to have quick access to dense cover, so they will feed more securely if the scattered seeds are within quick reach of shelter.

In fact, food and shelter are probably the two most compelling factors sparrows take note of when selecting a yard for their winter residence. There are easy means of providing the shelter that gives these small birds peace of mind. Leave an edge or corner of your yard in a unkempt manner. Don’t cut down grass, weeds, and saplings. Even if human neighbors look askance, your feathered friends will be grateful. An alternative is to create a brush pile with discarded trimmings taken during periodic spruce-ups of the yard and garden. Sparrows, as well as other birds, will use the brushy cover as a shelter from the elements and as protection from visiting raptors such as sharp-shinned hawks.

The white-throated sparrow is so named for the patch of white feathers on the throat. While this field mark help with identification, there are other distinct features of this particular sparrow that helps contrast it from members of the “little brown bird” gang. For starters, adults have a bold face pattern of black and white crown stripes. The most obvious field mark for attentive observers is the yellow spot between the eye and the bill. It’s a vivid splash of color not commonly found in the plumage of most of its kin.

Most songbirds live a precarious life that can be measured in only a few years. However, an occasional individual defies the odds. According to the website allaboutbirds.com, the oldest recorded white-throated sparrow was at least 14 years, 11 months old, when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Alberta, Canada.

Although they are fairly common winter visitors in the region, the white-throated sparrow makes its presence known most strongly each spring when the birds begin to sing a familiar refrain that has been transcribed in a couple of different ways. Many Americans render the song of the white-throated sparrow as “Ol’ Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.” For those living north of the border, the white-throated sparrow sings “O’Canada, O’Canada, O’Canada.” No matter how you translate this sparrow’s song, it’s a sweet and welcome addition to the spring aural landscape.

Most white-throated sparrows depart the region by late April to reach their summer nesting grounds throughout the forests across Canada, the northeastern U.S. and the northern Midwest. In the influx of more showy birds each spring, their absence sometimes goes unnoticed. Nevertheless, it always feels good to welcome them when they return in late October and early November as winter begins extending its grip for the season.

Share your own sightings. Email me at ahoodedwarbler@aol.com with observations, comments or questions.

Photo by Skeeze/Pixabay • A white-throated sparrow perches on a branch to sing its easily recognizable song. Many Americans translate the sparrow’s song as “Ol’ Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody.”