Showing posts with label for the birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label for the birds. Show all posts

For the birds: April Fool's Day bird - whose egg are you?

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Male and female Brown-headed Cowbirds
Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz

By Christine Southwick

Scenario: within a warbler’s nest is a larger egg than all the others. It will most likely hatch before the native eggs, develop faster, and demand more food than the host mother / parents can likely supply to the whole brood.

Who claims responsibility for this brood parasitic behavior?

In our area, it is the Brown-headed Cowbird. It’s not really the cowbird’s fault. This species was a plains bird that followed the bison, eating the bugs and seeds disturbed by those large herbivores. To survive, the Brown-headed Cowbird evolved to laying eggs in other species' nests since they were not going to be around to brood / raise the eggs they laid. Good for the cowbirds, bad for the 144 (plus) species that fall prey to raising a bigger, hungrier, cowbird off-spring.

A female Brown-headed Cowbird watches birds making nests, waits until there is an egg in the nest, and then lays one egg. If there are several eggs already in the nest, she may remove one, often eating it to replenish her calcium so that she can continue to lay her up to 40 eggs per season that others will raise.
Brown-headed Cowbird being fed by Lazui Bunting
Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz

Small birds like warblers and kinglets are the most in danger. The eggs are too big for them to remove. Some, like the Yellow Warbler, recognize cowbird eggs, build a new nest over the top of their first nest, and hope the cowbird doesn’t return. Some larger species like jays, robins, and orioles, recognize cowbird eggs and eject them from their nests.

Brown-headed Cowbird being fed by Song Sparrow
Photo by John Riegsecker

But most, like Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, and juncos, raise them as one of their own. Cowbird nestlings, being bigger and more demanding, tax the host’s resources to the point that the host’s nestlings often starve. Endangered species can ill afford to lose a brood due to cowbird parasitism.

Cowbirds are one of the most important causes of songbird declines in North America.

Brown-headed Cowbird being fed by Junco
Photo by Kelly McAllister

Brown-headed Cowbirds are a relatively recent occurrence in Western Washington. Since they avoid forests, preferring feed-lots and brushy fields, they were not seen regularly here until 1955, after enough forests were cleared to create large open areas.

Song Sparrows and Yellow Warblers, two of our local birds, are the two most parasitized species in the US.

(Fun note: American Goldfinches, being totally vegetarian, don’t have to worry since cowbird nestlings starve without protein.)



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For the birds: St. Patrick’s Day — a green bird, for the luck of it

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Green Heron baiting for prey
Photo by Larry Engles
By Christine Southwick

What has green on its back and wings, short legs for its kind, and is one of the world’s few avian tool users?

If you said Green Heron, give yourself a pat on the back!

Green Heron about to strike prey
Photo by Mark Wangerin

Green Herons prefer to hunt from thick branches overhanging water where they often drop twigs, bark, feathers, bugs, berries, even bread into the water as bait to draw fish, frogs and other water creatures. With their bodies stretched out horizontally they quickly grasp or stab prey with their long dagger-like bills.

Because of their short legs, you won’t find these herons wading in deep water, but in shallow water near concealing vegetation. Matter of fact, unless you look closely, or come across a younger bird who doesn’t know better yet, you usually won’t find them out in the open at all. They prefer freshwater streams (Sammamish Slough has nesting Green Herons every year), ponds and marshes with woodland cover, and stay hidden within vegetation and thickets.

Green Heron with raised crest (alarm mode)
Photo by John Riegsecker

Being somewhat solitary, Green Herons don’t nest in colonies like their bigger relatives the Blue Herons. The male finds a secluded tree or bush with overhanging branches to conceal his often flimsy 8-12 inch wide nest, and after he pairs up, he delegates the rest of the construction to his mate. Whereas the nest is usually situated over water, it can be half a mile away and from the ground up to 30 feet above if habitat is poor.

Green Heron on preferred type of perch
Photo by Max Warner

Green Herons are considered moderate-distance migrators. Because they migrate in flocks late at night, and arrive here in late winter-early spring (and often unnoticed even when here), many people do not realize that most of our Green Herons leave in August after the breeding season to hunt in the coastal areas in southern Washington (with a few going as far as sunny Mexico), before returning to their breeding territory a few months later.

Three Green Heron juvies
Photo by Nancy J.Wagner Photography

Both parents brood their three to five eggs, and feed the nestling by regurgitating their catch. Their young start climbing out of the nest about 17 days after hatching, and start flying (fledging) at 21-23 days. The parents continue to feed their young usually for a month after they fledge.

So next time you are at a brushy stream, lake,  pond, or marshy area, look along the edges for a smallish slow moving Green Heron.



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For the Birds: Presidents' Day bird - Lincoln's Sparrow

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Lincoln's Sparrow on alert
Photo by Blair Bernson
By Christine Southwick

Never heard of a Lincoln’s Sparrow?

Perhaps that is because most Lincoln’s Sparrows only pass through our neighborhoods on their migration routes to and from their preferred shrubby and marshy fields, preferably located 3,000 feet and above. Since these anti-flocking sparrows are often found walking or hopping in tall grass and thick brush in damp areas searching for their food, they are not as visible as some other species.

They usually forage singly or with another or two Lincoln’s Sparrow , but during winter migration they may join other species of sparrows. They most certainly stop in damp grassy or brushy areas around here, but many people misidentify them as a variant of our local Song Sparrows.

A Lincoln’s Sparrow looks to me, a first glance, like a smallish Song Sparrow with gray instead of brown overtones, buffier breast and darker stripes than our better known dark Song Sparrows, plus a buffy eye-ring. I usually notice the buffier breast first, then I start looking more closely.

Lincoln's Sparrow using blackberries
Photo by Scott Ramos

Lincoln’s Sparrows eat spiders, beetles, larvae, leafhoppers, flies, etc. They add small seeds to their diet in the wintertime. They only occasionally visit feeders, most often suet.

Some Lincoln’s Sparrows have started wintering here rather than migrating to neo-tropical areas. Lincoln’s Sparrows are spotted every winter in Magnuson Park where parts of the park satisfy their needs. This is another species that uses blackberry brambles for winter shelter and feeding.

These birds require edges of wetlands for breeding. The female prefers building her well-concealed ground nest in boggy sites within short willow or birch shrubs, the denser the better. Since even hidden nests have a high danger quotient, the 3-5 newly hatched young leave the nest in 10-11 days, about a week before they can fly. This is a common survival tactic for ground-nesting birds, with the parents feeding these young for about three to four weeks after they leave the nest.

Lincoln's Sparrow
Photo by Blair Bernson

Conservation of their sub-alpine wetland breeding habitat, and also their wintering areas is of vital importance for their continued populations. And because these habitats are not deemed valuable by most people, many Lincoln’s Sparrows have been affected by herbicide application.

Males attract mates and defend their territory with a loud cheery jumble of notes, very different than Song Sparrows, perhaps the best clue, but usually not in the wintertime.



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For the Birds: Valentine’s Day Bird –The bird with the heart face

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Female Barn Owl
Photo by Max Warner

By Christine Southwick

The Barn Owl has a distinctive heart-shaped face, unlike any other owl, which makes it perfect for representing Valentine’s Day. Matter of fact, Barn Owls are so different from other owls that they belong to a separate family from all other owls, and are found in temperate zones on all continents.

Did you know that Barn Owls don’t hoot, or that they have such definitive hearing that they can hunt in total darkness? Scientists believe that their large heart-shaped faces condense sound and, added to their asymmetric ears, these owls can triangulate the source of scurrying little feet, and this allows Barn Owls to hunt in a deep darkness other owls cannot.

Barn owl flying
Stock photo

Barn Owls are medium owls with long legs and toes, and are the only owl that tolerates humans. Barn Owls have found that where there are open fields for farming there are many of their night-moving favorite vermin, rats, mice, voles, and other rodents, including rabbits.

According to research, a family of Barn Owls can kill about 1,300 rats a year — truly a farmer/rancher’s best friend.

Barn Owls fly low over large open areas of marsh, grass, or farm land with slow, buoyant wing beats, making their flight distinctive, although not usually seen since these are strictly nocturnal hunters.

Northwest barn with resident owl
Photo by Samantha Robinson

During the day they sleep (and nest) in cavities — holes in large trees, barns, church steeples, silos, hay piles, basalt cliffs, even nest boxes. Their eerie, raspy calls at night, or when startled by an unsuspecting human, has led to many a fright, and stories of haunted abandoned buildings.

Barn Owls mate for life, but will replace a deceased partner. Barn Owls will defend the area around their nests, but are willing to share their hunting territories, which is one reason there are not many confrontations between Barn Owls and humans.

Male barn owl
Stock photo


The females are slightly larger than the males, are usually redder, and have more spots on their chests than the males.

The greatest danger for these owls is habitat loss, especially since open flat areas are great for parking lots and other development. And as habitat dwindles and car traffic increases, many Barn Owls are hit by cars, since they fly low over fields (hedgerows next to roads help elevate their flight).

Old open buildings and large trees with openings near open areas would welcome these vermin-controlling owls. Nest boxes help too.



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For the Birds: Why don't bird feet freeze?

Tuesday, February 2, 2016


Black-capped Chickadee fluffing feathers to keep warm layer of air next to body
Photo by Craig Kerns

By Christine  Southwick

Have you ever wondered how songbirds stay warm in cold weather, or why their feet don’t freeze to cold metal?

Songbirds have such a high metabolism that the small amount of blood which circulates thru their feet doesn’t remain long enough to freeze. And their feet are  mainly tendons and bones, not skin, so they don’t stick.

Songbirds have had a long time to evolve, and one of their adaptations has been how to deal with cold weather.

Bushtits flock to suet, and huddle together to stay warm on cold nights
Photo by Lyn Topinka

Some birds migrate to warmer areas which have bugs and other nourishing foods.

A few, like Golden-crowned Kinglets, have adapted to being able to raise their metabolism which increases their core temperature while slowly processing their evening meal throughout the night.

Still others, like the Anna’s Hummingbird and a few songbirds can slow their heart-beat to a semi-hibernating, level, a process called torpor.

By far, the most universal method employed by songbirds is the fluffing of feathers to trap air close to their bodies, and thereby keeping a layer of insulated warmth.  [Note: goose bumps when you are cold would raise feathers if humans had them]. Down, a type of feather closest to a bird’s body, has the highest density, and is considered the best insulator in nature.

Having enough food during cold winter days is one of the most vital necessities. Calories equal heat, and a big meal before a cold night of roosting, and filling meals throughout the day can make the difference between survival and death.

Brown Creeper using crevice in large wildlife tree
 for storm protection and nesting  Photo by Scott Carpenter

Rains and winds are actually more dangerous than cold temperatures. To survive the chill from these, birds need to find protective shelter.

Keeping wildlife trees with holes for birds to rest in from wind, rain, fog, and snow can be as important as food. Evergreen trees like cedars, pines, and firs (the larger the better), plus evergreen shrubs like rhodys and huckleberries, will protect large numbers of birds. Brush piles, and even Himalayan blackberries provide areas free from most of the wind, and from frost.

Nectar in hummingbird feeders is often enjoyed by chickadees and Townsend’s Warblers when quick energy is needed (I leave a couple of the bee guards off during the cold for their access).

You can help your wintering birds survive by offering suet, black oil sunflower seeds, high-energy shelled seed, liquid water. Provide as many evergreen trees and dense vegetation as possible to offer life-saving shelter.



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For the birds: Kinglets, Kingbirds, Kingfishers

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Golden-crowned Kinglet male (note orange in center of gold)
by Louis Kreemer. Kinglets have cute yellow feet

By Christine Southwick

Martin Luther King Day is the eighteenth of January this year, so I thought that I would write about birds in Washington that have the word “king” as part of their names.

Washington has Golden-crowned Kinglets, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Western Kingbirds, Eastern Kingbirds, and Belted Kingfishers.

                   [World-wide there are 115 birds with “king” in their names;
                     zero birds have “queen” in their names….just sayin’]


Female Kingfisher by Max Warner
(male does not have rufus on breast)

I decided on Golden-crowned Kinglets since they can frequently be seen all year in Washington, especially here in the winter-time. The Belted Kingfisher also is here year round, but few backyards have large enough streams to support a Kingfisher.

Golden-crowned Kinglets are nimble-moving, wing-flicking little birds that, in the summertime, stay up in the tops of heavily canopied spruce and fir coniferous forests, making them hard to see, and their high thin call-notes and song can be hard to hear. They often hover while plucking tiny insects from conifer needle clusters.

Male Ruby-crowned Kinglet  by Kellie Sagen
(female does not have the ruby center)


Their nests, with up to eleven eggs, are usually 50 feet up, and hidden under overhanging branches near the trunk. Most breed in the boreal forests of Canada, but suitably dense and high forests here in Washington will have breeding kinglets. Golden-crowned Kinglets can be found from 10,000 feet elevation down to sea level in the right habitat. They have been known to survive -40F degree nights, sometimes huddling together for warmth.

Some Golden-crowned Kinglets migrate as far as Mexico; some are local residents, and some go further north than others, so the kinglets that you see in the winter may not be the same ones you see in the summer.

Eastern Kingbird by Jane Hadley
 (note white edge on tail)

In the wintertime Golden-crowned Kinglets are easier to see when they hunt low in the trees moving within mixed flocks while searching for the many tiny insects, spiders, and insect eggs found nearer the ground during cold temperatures. Sometimes these kinglets will even land on the ground.

Winter-time is when we most often notice Golden-crowned Kinglets.

Updated to correct photographer name to Louis Kreemer 01-11-2016

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For the birds: Which Bird Will Be Your 2016 Special Bird?

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Varied Thrush, male, winter visitor

Text and Photos by Christine Southwick

The first bird that you see, or hear, the morning of the New Year is your special bird for 2016.

Wintertime will present some birds like the vivid Varied Thrush and the camouflaged Fox Sparrow, and eliminate the summer birds like most of our warblers and finches.

So, what will it be?

male Spotted Towhee surveying his territory

Will it be a glorious male Spotted Towhee surveying your backyard?

It could be a local woodpecker— Downy, Hairy, Pileated,  Northern Flicker, or  even a Red-breasted Sapsucker;

Or a Red-breasted Nuthatch with its miniature tin-horn calls and its headfirst seed-snatchings.

 Maybe it will be a large Barred-Owl, or a small eight-inch Saw-whet Owl, swooping almost silently low above the ground?

Or perhaps even a majestic, impressive, Bald-Eagle flying high over your head?

Hairy Woodpecker, male (red on back of head)

You might see a bird that is far adrift from its normal habitat, like the southern-based Yellow-throated Warbler that has flown from eastern Texas and beyond, which has recently been seen on the Washington coast,  or a shorter-distance traveler like the  Common Redpoll from the Canadian boreal forests.

Of course it could be an everyday bird like our resident Song Sparrow, and chickadees. These birds are true northwest birds.

Is your bird a wanderer or a homebody? Is it a social and demonstrative bird like the American Crow? Does it mingle with other species like Downy Woodpeckers in the winter?  Does it stick with its own species only like Bushtits, or is it solitary, like Common Raven? Does it mate for life; is it seasonally monogamous, or poly-amorous?

Red-breasted Nuthatch getting seed its way

Whichever bird it is, become familiar with its habits.  Think of it as your guiding bird-familiar for the year.

What could that mean for you for 2016?  Maybe you’ll be standing on your head much of 2016…

Birding can be as fun as you make it.



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For the Birds: Which bird is your Christmas bird?

Monday, December 21, 2015

Male Pileated Woodpecker
Photo by Lyn Topinka
By Christine Southwick

A Christmas Bird should be something special and distinct, or have bright Christmas colors.

For many people, the Northern Cardinal epitomizes Christmas. Not for me. Northern Cardinals are not found in Washington. I want a local bird for my Christmas Bird.

Dark-eyed Juncos, called Snowbirds in colder areas, seem too staid for my tastes, although the white flash of their tails as they dart away is pleasing to my eyes. Wintering Fox Sparrows and Varied Thrushes are strong contenders. Chickadees, with their cute up-side down antics, winning stares, and “deedeedees saying, “I see you”, are on my list, but become runners-up when compared to the elegant Pileated Woodpecker.

Female Pileated Woodpecker on snag
Photo by Forrest Gamble

A local resident, the Pileated Woodpecker is about the size of a crow, and one of the largest and most striking forest birds in North America. The bright red moustachial stripe indicates a male; the females have a black stripe there.

These woodpeckers make unique rectangular holes in dead or partially-dead trees, snags, and fallen logs searching for carpenter ants and other tasty bugs. They will forage, roost,  and often nest in stands of mature forest which have larger snags and older dying trees. Their old nest holes provide critical shelter for owls, ducks, bats, swifts, and small woodland mammals.

Unlike other local woodpeckers, the sound of their loud drumming is irregular, and often low to the ground. A breeding pair in my neighborhood uses a specific telephone pole each year to call to each other, and when the juveniles start flying around, to call them back home. Somehow that seems to be more effective than their loud rolling calls.

Male Pileated Woodpecker
Photo by Craig Kerns

With pileated-friendly surrounding habitat, these red-topped birds will come to bird feeders, especially suet, and will readily drink at bird baths. If you are lucky enough to have breeding Pileated Woodpeckers in your area, you might get to see the punk-orange-topped youngsters being taught to come to your suet.

Even though Pileated Woodpeckers are pretty adaptable, their habitat is dwindling so fast that the species is currently on the watch-list for threatened bird species.

Their preferred housing is hard to find. So, next time you think about cutting down dead or dying trees, leave them, or if you feel too unsafe, create 20 foot snags. You will be rewarded with woodpeckers, nuthatches, sapsuckers and other cavity dwelling birds.



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For the Birds: Who Says, "Pigs Can’t Fly?”

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Pine Siskin are gregarious.
This group gathers at the bath.
Photo by Christine Southwick

By Christine Southwick

Do you have birds that are brown with yellow patches fighting and darting around each other for spaces at your feeders? Are you filling your feeders twice a day because of their vociferous appetites? If so, you know why Pine Siskin are often called Pig Siskin.

These noisy, flashy little finches often appear in our winters in flocks from four to eighty-four, although during irruptive years some areas get flocks in the thousands. You might have Pine Siskin at other seasons too because these finches are nomadic, meaning that they don’t have a set migration. Instead they follow their food sources, and in years that their preferred food of evergreen cone seeds is low, they fly searching until they find suitable substitutes— other evergreens with cones, shrubby thickets with seeds or berries, un-mowed grassy fields, and especially bird feeders. Their bills have evolved to a narrow pointy shape that enables them to extract cone seeds and other small seeds.

Pine Siskin close up
Photo by Christine Southwick

Pine Siskin are usually observed upside down extracting their favorite food from cones in the tip-tops of evergreen trees. They also eat alder seeds, and when they travel in search of food, often settle in our mixed forests. These feisty birds keep trees healthy by gleaning spiders, insects and grubs found on branches, and on/in leaves. During the winter, they will often be found on the ground looking for these delicacies.

Pine Siskin are gregarious finches that stay in flocks continually making contact calls. They usually nest close to each other in loose colonies, high up in trees, in the boreal forests in Canada. Females build the highly insulated nests, and hide them under an overhanging branch. The females keep the eggs warm continuously while being fed by their monogamous mates.

Pine Siskin on left, House Finch on right for comparison
Photo by Christine Southwick

Pine Siskin can stay warm in extreme cold by raising their metabolic rate, something that few other birds can do. And when they store seeds in their crop (pouch area all birds have in front of their throat) they can eat a few seeds at a time, and have enough fuel for five to six hours of heat during sub-zero nights.

They gladly eat black-oil sunflower seeds, and other shelled seeds, and in cold winter will crowd suet feeders. Add water kept in liquid form for their drinking and bathing needs, and you will have a delightful show of assertive feeder jockeying.


           

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For the Birds: Feed the birds and keep their roosting places

Monday, September 21, 2015

Chickadee using smaller snag
Photo by Doug Parrott

By Christine Southwick

Now is the time to be thinking about feeding wintering birds and helping them find dry places to rest and sleep at night.

Many of you have trees which had the tops blown off. SAVE THESE TREES—DON’T CUT THEM TO THE GROUND! You can safely save the bottom 15-30 feet and make Snags out of them. You may not think that these trees are good looking, but to our local wildlife, these broken/dead trees are Gold!

Pileated Woodpecker finding bugs on snag
Photo by John Riegsecker

They are what the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife call “Wildlife Trees”. Snags provide roosting and sleeping places for our woodpeckers (We have five in our area: Downy, Hairy, Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, and Red-breasted Sapsucker). Additionally, our Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches will hunker down in snag cavities during wet and windy weather. In the spring these same snags will offer nesting sites for cavity nesting birds, owls, squirrels, and raccoons to name some of the wildlife you will be helping.

Black-oil sunflower seeds provide some of the best energy-per-pound and attract the most species of birds.

I buy the unshelled for use in the back feeders, and I buy a more expensive shelled no-mess blend for my front feeder (“Patio Mix” at Audubon is my choice). Some people offer peanuts in the shell, but squirrels will take and plant peanuts in all sorts of places, including yards of neighbors who want nothing to do with peanuts (or squirrels for that matter). I also do not serve Niger seed — it molds quickly and is too expensive in our damp climate. I offer suet year round. Suet “dough” goes uneaten at my feeders, so I only use pre-packaged suet.

Feeder set-up with baffle
Photo by Christine Southwick

I have two hummingbird feeders that I fill year round—I make my own nectar—1/4 cup of sugar (sugar cane only—those little devils won’t drink nectar made with beet sugar) to 1 cup of water—no dye required. When temperatures start freezing, I wrap non-LED Christmas lights, red of course, around the feeder near my kitchen window. I hang the back feeder next to a 75w light under the eaves.

Spotted Towhee using water with bird bath heater
Photo by Christine Southwick

Offer clean water all year long, and keep it from freezing with a bird bath heater that comes on automatically at 35 degrees and below. Our local Wild Birds Unlimited in Lake Forest Park Center is one of the places that carries them.



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For the Birds: Bird Migration is a happening thing

Monday, September 7, 2015

Black-headed Grosbeak male eating black-oil seed

Photos and Text by Christine Southwick

Gone are the Willow and the Olive-sided Flycatchers. Gone are the Orange-crowned and the Yellow-rumped Warblers. Most all of the warblers except for our hardy Townsend’s Warblers have also left for their wintering grounds further south.

Did you know that most songbirds migrate during the night, and find perches in the mornings? If you are an early-riser, like I am, you may hear bird calls, different from the calls of our backyard birds.

Swainson's Thrush

Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and Swainson’s Thrushes are some of the migrating birds that I heard just this morning. I know that Wilson’s Warblers are on their way south though I didn’t hear them. There were probably others, and certainly there were others that flew earlier in darkness.

Why fly in the dark? Flocks of songbirds would be great targets for all sorts of raptors—Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Merlin and Peregrine Falcons. Even Red-tailed Hawks might find flocks too tempting to ignore. By flying at night, birds eliminate that danger. By flying high at night, they don’t have to worry about owls either. Sun and heat raising from the ground taxes their energy faster than cold, so flying at night saves energy. If it is too cold, birds will wait, rest, and feed at stops along their migration route.

Wilson's Warbler near rock in dripping bird bath

This month is the changing of the guard — Dark-eyed Juncos will increase in numbers, and stay in our yards through the winter until about April or May. Varied Thrushes and Fox Sparrows will start appearing in yards with leaves on the ground and in brushy areas. Himalayan blackberries are a favorite with these two species, both for protection from the elements and predators, and for food sources—spiders and other delectables.

Yellow-rumped Warbler at bird bath

The longer the migration, the more fat (fat equals energy and stamina) they need. Just before a long migration, some birds will double their weight, and then fly straight through the whole night. Amazing feats of distance have been logged now that there are newer ways of measuring individual bird flight.

You can help these migrants, and our wintering birds, by keeping food in your feeders. Water is just as important, and will bring many travelers down into your yard. Several of my pictures show migrants as they bathed, drank, and probably partook for the smorgasbord offered by my feeders.



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For the Birds: Osprey, the other Sea Hawk

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Osprey profile
Photo by Mark Zimmerman

By Christine Southwick

Osprey are large birds of prey (wingspan approximately 6 feet) who eat fish almost exclusively. They are unique in that there is only one species of Osprey found world-wide. Their backs are usually dark brown; the head has a distinctive white crest with an impressive dark eye-stripe. The adults have yellow eyes, while the young have orange-ish eyes, the opposite of most raptors.

When flying, Ospreys look more like large gulls than raptors, with their arched wings and bent wrists. When resting on a piling, branch, or open nest, their body profile is more horizontal than other raptors. They have white feet with black talons that are adapted to carry fish while flying — they can use two talons forward and two in back, rather than the more normal arrangement of three in front and one in back, which they use when grabbing sticks to add to their nest.

Osprey open wings
Photo by M.R. Cassidy

They can hover over water, and will plunge feet first to catch their preferred 5-16 inch fish. Osprey have been observed flying a mile or more with a fish dangling head forward as they fly back to their nests. Bald Eagles will sometimes steal fish from Osprey, which will drop the fish, if they can't out-maneuver the eagle. Then they have to hunt all over again.

Osprey fishing
Photo by Doug Parrott


Osprey generally mate for life, with both partners building the nest, and incubating the two-four eggs. Once the young have hatched, the female stays with the nestlings and the male brings the food.

The nests themselves, always near some form of fish-bearing water, are reused yearly and may get as big as seven feet across and five feet deep. Every spring the returning Osprey will renovate their nests, and some huge nests have been used for 70 years. If a storm takes down a nest the Osprey will either rebuild, or start a new nest at a nearby suitable nest site. Their fish-eating practice allows Ospreys to nest on tree tops and open platforms without fear of harassment from crows and hawks.

Osprey feeding a juvie
Photo by Mark Hamilton

Osprey become sexually mature and may start breeding at three to four years, unless there are not enough nesting sites, in which case they may have to wait five to seven seasons. Man-made nesting platforms have been proven to make up for the lack of natural habitat.

Osprey in this area migrate, with some returning in late March while others don’t arrive until late April or early May.

Updated 08-03-2015 12:51pm

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For the Birds: Merlins - high flying nesters

Friday, July 17, 2015

Merlin in tree top
Photo by Barbara Diehl

By Christine Southwick

Have you seen, or heard (Kee-Keee-Kee) a fast-moving bird that reminded you of a pigeon, but was flying too fast and purposefully? If so, you have probably seen one of our locally nesting Merlins.

Merlins have dark, sharply pointed wings (hence the nickname “Pigeon Hawk”) a broad chest, and a long striped tail. Strong fliers, they have quick wingbeats and rarely glide. Merlins have streaky breasts — the males are gray, the females and juvies are brown. They are monogamous during each breeding season.

Photo by Barbara Deihl

Merlins are falcons that are heavier than American Kestrels, but smaller than Peregrines. Their typical flight speed is about 30mph, but they can move faster during a chase. They often chase their prey upward until it tires, or speed horizontally after small songbirds or shorebirds. They also eat dragonflies, which requires great maneuverability. Merlins will often work in hunting pairs, with one scattering and the other taking the bird.

Northwest Merlins prefer open to semi-open areas, and often breed near water. These fierce little raptors spend long periods of time perched in open areas, scanning for their prey.

As suitable habitat has dwindled, Merlins have started nesting in cities, using tall conifers with dead tops for their hunting perches. Merlins first started nesting in Seattle about 2009, and have since expanded to several sites in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park.

Merlins prefer dead tree tops
Photo by Barbara Deihl

Merlins don't make their own nests, but use the old nests of crows or other raptors. They prefer conifers at least 18 feet high with open tops, which make tall trees with dead tops prime real estate.

If you have such a tree in your yard, or your neighborhood, there are ways to make it a safe SNAG. The Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife call these trees “WildlifeTrees” 

“All trees of all sizes are potential snags. Unfortunately, many wildlife trees are cut down without much thought to their wildlife value or of the potential management options that can safely prolong the existence of the tree. Wildlife trees offer a one-stop, natural habitat feature. In short, snags “live on” as excellent wildlife trees for all to enjoy!"
Merlins in tree top
Photo by Barbara Deihl

Shoreline is a Community Wildlife Habitat, certified by the National Wildlife Federation. The NWF also has information on how to help wildlife by keeping dead or partially dead trees.

If you see a group of people in your neighborhood with scopes and binoculars looking up, they are probably watching the newly fledged Echo Lake Merlins. Pull safely to the side of the street, and quietly go up and talk to these Merlin enthusiasts. You'll be glad you did.



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For the Birds: Birds camouflage to increase survival

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Juvie Spotted Towhee with adult Spotted Towhee

Photos and text by Christine Southwick

Have you been seeing little brown birds that you can't identify, that don't seem to be in your bird book?

Great news! Those aren't strange out-of-area birds, nor do you require new binoculars. Those are baby birds still clothed in their nestling camouflage.

Juvie Spotted Towhee, just learning to eat seed.
Note: gape color around mouth

The most dangerous time in most birds’ lives is while they are in their nest. Predators of all types go after them: raccoons, coyotes, and crows love eggs and nestlings; hawks, owls, cats, and loose dogs, will eat young birds, and the defending parents.

In fact, each day in the nest increases the chance of being discovered. Many ground bird nestlings, like White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Spotted Towhees, leave their nests as soon as they can walk, a couple of weeks before they can fly.

Dark-eyed Junco
Can you see the white outer-tail feathers?

Spotted Towhees and Dark-eyed Juncos start out striped and in various degrees of brown, so that they can blend in with the ground and dried grasses. Most all local nestling sparrows are all browns, with the white highlights coming later. Fortunately for those of us who watch birds in our backyards Black-capped and Chestnut-backed chickadees come out looking like their parents (their nests are in trees).

Sunday I was lucky enough to watch a fledgling* Chestnut-backed Chickadee take its first bath. It was on the edge of my three-tier bird bath, fluttering its wings. It then flew up, and back to a different position. It looked like it wanted to get its feet wet, lifting first one foot, and then the other, but quickly grasping the rim. It flew around  several times, even repeatedly landing on the crook of the dripper, trying to figure out how to take that first bath.

Juvie American Robin

It was so exhausted that a parent fed it twice during this time of trepidation: Flutter, flutter, pace, fly off, hover a little, land, shift feet, flutter some more. It finally jumped into the water and jumped back out holding its dripping wings akimbo as if to say, “Ick, is this what getting wet feels like? I don't like it.” (Forgive the animalism—who knows what the bird really thought, but that’s how I interpreted the whole scene.)

At any rate, maybe it decided a cool dip wasn't so bad … I saw a couple of fledglings bathing later that same day.

*fledgling-  one that has left the nest, but is still being fed by the parents



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