Species old and new

This Mourning Dove was in my back yard. 



    This Eurasian Collared Dove was on the southern

            coast of North Carolina.

Bird species can come and go with time.

           I thought of that when I saw two Mourning Doves sitting peacefully at my bird bath this morning. No, Mourning Doves are not endangered. They are protected.

Mourning Doves are game birds, but they are the most abundant of the dove species in the U.S. They come to feeders most anywhere. Their swift flight makes them a challenge for hunters. The rules hunters follow, and the licensing fees they pay, help maintain game lands and help account for the Mourning Dove's abundance.

            You see, we learned a painful lesson a more than a century ago when Passenger Pigeons were hunted to extinction. In the 1800s few people considered the possibility of the Passenger Pigeon becoming extinct. The birds flocked in such huge numbers that they were a good source of food. So they were killed regularly. People netted them and shot them. Then came habitat destruction. It all added up to a once-abundant species that vanished in just a few decades.

On the flip side, is the case of the Eurasian Collared Dove. These birds were introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970s, quickly expanded their range to the Gulf and Atlantic Seaboard, and can now be seen almost everywhere but in the Northeast. Since they like being around human habitats, they show up at bird feeders. I have not seen one at my feeding station, though. I’m right at the border on the latest range map.

           The collared dove is still a bit of a mystery. While its range has expanded – mostly toward the northwest - its actual population is still being studied. And experts are debating the possibility that the Eurasian Collared Dove may displace the Mourning Dove in some areas.

But the collared dove will continued to be monitored. And when a dove lights at your feeding station, you might take a second look.

Here's what I saw at the feeder today:

AM, partly cloudy, 80 degrees, 30 minutes

Northern Cardinal

Mourning Dove

American Robin

Common Grackle

Blue Jay

Brown Thrasher

Tufted Titmouse

House Finch

Fish Crow

 

The fallout effect

          A tropical-storm system is moving up the east coast this weekend. For most people in these areas, this can mean disaster. For bird-watchers it can mean opportunity.
          That's because of a thing called fallout. And no, not the nuclear kind. Fallout is when a weather system throws birds off course. It is particularly effective during migration when large numbers of birds are in the air. And in winter, when a system brings snow, it can provide a - dare I cliché - perfect storm for folks with bird feeders. The birds are not only hungry and tired from battling the elements; they also have a tougher time finding food because of the snow cover.
        We're not exactly in migration season anymore. But there's a chance you'll have a wandering bird at your feeder this weekend, if you're along the Eastern Seaboard. It may even be a bird that you'll never see again.

So feed up, batten down and keep a lookout.

Here’s what I saw at my feeding area today:

PM, showers, 75 degrees, 15 minutes

Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Mourning Dove
Tufted Titmouse
Common Grackle
Blue Jay

A joyous reunion

      I have trapped three more squirrels and moved them to that beautiful pecan grove far, far away. They are now with friends and loved ones who "made the trip" last week. And oh, what a wonderful reunion it must have been. They're probably roasting nuts by the fire right now, chattering on about the good ol’ days, when humans were stupid and bird feeders were cheap and easy.

    Two more of the little critters are still around my yard – a population I can tolerate.
  
    I have curtailed the feeding, however. I have just one tube feeder hanging, and I put just a couple of handfuls of sunflower seeds a day at each of the three platform feeders. This is mostly because I don't want any more wood rats. I haven't trapped one of those, yet.
  
    Meanwhile, I have devised a cunning plan to discourage the whole scavenging lot of them. More on that later.
    
Here are the birds that I saw in the feeding area today:

AM, rain, 75 degrees, 20 minutes

Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Flicker
Blue Jay
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird

All God's creatures

   


A Red-tailed Hawk helps keep the
squirrel population under control.

  
       It's like Wild Kingdom around here! First my neighbor kills a big blacksnake in the yard. Then I find out why the snake was here; Mr. Wood Rat comes snooping around under the hanging feeders. The squirrels are jockeying for position. The rabbit is taking interest in the garden.
         Heck, the birds are just a sidelight to the goings on. The only creature I haven't seen - and the one I wish I would - is a good ol' raptor to help maintain order. Where is the Red-tailed Hawk when I need him most?
          The good news is that my traps have done good work. Three squirrels have become former residents of the neighborhood. They are now frolicking happily in a beautiful pecan grove way away from here. Their friends will soon join them. And I have a lovely meadow picked out for the rat.
           The hummingbirds have become regulars again, two at a time at the feeder.

Here is the avian portion of what I saw here today:

PM, sunny, 82 degrees, 20 minutes

Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
House Finch
American Crow
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Brown Thrasher

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Our little chickadees



Here's a Carolina Chickadee in my yard. It looks alot like its cousin, the

Black-capped Chickadee. 

 

Getting to know chickadees isn't so hard. They're bold and curious birds that don't mind getting near people. Heck, you can get them to eat out of your hand if you have the patience.

              But do you really know your chickadees? When we folks in the South see them, we pretty much know they are Carolina Chickadees. You in the Northeast have Black-capped Chickadees. But there are areas where the two species overlap, namely a strip of territory that starts east in Maryland and stretches west into the Ohio Valley to the Mississippi River and into middle Missouri. Since the chickadee species look so similar, if you live in these areas, you may have a tough time deciding whether the chickadee at your feeder is a Black-capped or Carolina.

           They look very similar. The Black-capped is just a little larger. Their songs are similar, too. Chickadees are named for their calls, which go something like "chickadee-dee-dee." And to make matters more confusing for folks in that strip of territory, chickadees there have hybridized and picked up each others’ looks, songs and calls.

               Feeders in the West have Black-capped and Mountain chickadees, and in the northern Great Lakes and northern Minnesota, Black-capped and Boreal chickadees mix it up. The Chestnut-backed Chickadee ranges along the northern Pacific Coast. It’s the easiest of the chickadees to pick out; check the name.

               So chickadees can be tricky. If you're confused about which you have, go to the Cornell site, allaboutbirds.org, and compare.

              Or stop scratching your head and just be happy to have these bright little birds darting to and from your feeder.

Trappin' time!

         The squirrels have gotten out of control around here. Today I had two feeders down and one chewed up (why do I use plastic?).

Where are my Have-A-Hearts? Ahm a goin' trappin'.

Here’s what else I saw in the yard today:

AM, partly cloudy, 80 degrees, 20 minutes

Northern Cardinal

Mourning Dove

Crow  (Common or Fish; not sure)

Brown Thrasher

Tufted Titmouse

House Finch

Carolina Wren

Blue Jay



A 'cover bird'

              The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are in town. They usually drop by for a few days this time of year, munch on my sunflower seeds, then move on to cooler climes. Didn't see one today; maybe they've already headed north.
               But I had two males at the feeder yesterday. I had never seen more than one at a time here.
               I don't have a picture of one here (birds just don't cooperate with my camera). But you'll know one when it shows up, at least a male. He is among the prettiest birds to appear at a feeder; so pretty, he’s a “cover bird” for the Peterson guide. Ooo, baby! His name reflects his appearance; a bright red patch on the breast, and a big, thick beak. The female isn't as brightly colored. She looks more like an oversized sparrow (sorry, sparrows) - brown back and streaks on her breast. Up north and in the Southern Appalachians, you'll have these birds all summer, so be on the lookout.
               Out west you have the Black-headed Grosbeak in the summer. The male looks kind of like an oriole, and the female is similar to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak female.
               Here in the southern tier of states, we get the Blue Grosbeak during the summer. Its name reflects appearance, too. I've never had one at my feeder, though. I know some folks nearby who have, and of course I'm jealous.

Here are the birds I saw today:

PM, sunny, 85 degrees, 20 minutes

Carolina Chickadee
Northern Cardinal
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Finch
Red-winged Blackbird
Tufted Titmouse
Northern Mockingbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Gray Catbird
Common Grackle

A trusty guide

Sparrows blend in to the background pretty well.
Here's a White-throated Sparrow

I get stumped by sparrows. There, I've said it. After years of birding, I still come across these little birds with similar colors and markings, and I often can't tell one species from the other.

               I look - for a key identifying feature.

               I listen - the song can be a dead give-away.

               Then I turn to my trusty bird guide.

   Identifying birds can be tricky. If you are new to the birding scene, it can be downright confounding.  So it is good to have some sort of guide handy. This may be a book, particularly if you are out in the field. If you're simply around the house, a website can be just as good.

               When I first started birding, Roger Tory Peterson was my guide. I say that because I picked up a Peterson's "Field Guide to the Birds." At the time, Peterson's guide was the birder's bible. His first guide was published in the 1930s, when optics had been refined enough to popularize bird-watching. 

               The Peterson guide has detailed illustrations with pointers to key markings, and notes on identification and songs. It also has maps with ranges of each species.

               Then David Allen Sibley came along and expounded on Peterson's work. The Sibley guide has even more illustrations, because it points out the differences in plumage in younger birds. It also has the handy notes and migration maps.

               Audubon has a guide with photographs and more extensive details of behavior.

               If you are new to birding or simply want a guide for your back yard or deck, there are plenty of publications that feature the 30 or so species you're most likely to see around the house. There are lots of regional and state guides - "Birds of the Carolinas", "Birds of Texas", etc. And, yes, there is a "Bird-Watching for Dummies" out there. Why not?

Most likely, though, you'll be stumped by sparrows. They are all about the same size and have brown backs and wings. But the slight differences in their more-specific markings will tell you whether you have a House Sparrow, Field Sparrow or Chipping Sparrow.

               If you're near a computer with Internet, here's a good place to start when trying to ID a bird: 

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse        

           Otherwise, just shop around and find a guide such as my old friend Peterson.

Even without a guide, I ID'd these in my yard today:

AM, sunny, 66 degrees, 10 minutes

Northern Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse

House Finch

Brown Thrasher

Brown-headed Nuthatch