Showing posts sorted by relevance for query for the birds. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query for the birds. Sort by date Show all posts

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: Missing birds—usually a temporary situation

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Yellow Warbler, Photo by Tony Varela


By Christine Southwick

Several people have asked “Where have their birds gone?”

Evening Grosbeak,
Photo by Christine Southwick
The last week of Aug thru the first couple of weeks of September adult birds that had successful broods are finally replacing their feathers -- a process called molting.

The energy to replace each-and-every feather each year is high; too high to take place while a bird is actively feeding four to six babies.

Right now many resident adults are currently missing important flight feathers.

Purple Finch, male by Christine Southwick

Therefore, many of these birds will stay under cover in bushes and trees to save energy and keep safe. 

These adults are mainly eating bugs and fruits in place.

So they are not being seen at most feeders.

This includes our local Anna’s Hummingbird. The juveniles, this year's new birds, will come to the feeders, but there will still be fewer birds at your feeders.

Additionally, some of the birds that are at your feeders are migrants -- like Evening Grosbeaks and Purple Finches. Some of them have already left, and most will soon.

Black headed Grosbeak
Photo by Christine Southwick

Consistently keeping your feeders stocked with good quality food will give long-distance migrants like Black-headed Grosbeaks going to Mexico and warblers, like Yellow Warblers going as far as South America a good start by supplying the protein-loading needed to survive their long-distance migration. 

Especially this year with all the forest fires, many rest stops and roosts may have been eliminated, making a strong start imperative.

So yes, there are less birds at your feeders right now, but the resident adults will be back in another week or two.

Additionally, the smoke made even more birds to hunker down, and our rain will help them return.

Keep food in your feeders, your resident adult birds will return.

[For the visually impaired: the Yellow Warbler at the top is a fat little yellow bird, firmly attached to a small branch. His head is thrown back and his beak is wide open. He is in full song. The Evening Grosbeak and the Black-headed Grosbeak are very similar. They have sturdy looking bodies with orange throat and chest shading to vanilla on their lower body. Seen from the front, the Black-Headed Grosbeak has a mostly black head with shades of orange and white. His wings and tail are black with splotches of white. The beak is light colored, very thick and bends down. The Evening Grosbeak has more distinct markings which we can see in profile. His long feathers are black and the feathers in the middle of his back are brilliant white. The Purple Finch is a mottled red-purple color. He has the same strong beak.]



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For the Birds: Black-capped Chickadees—The Up-side Down feisty Ones

Wednesday, October 23, 2013



By Christine Southwick
Photos by Christine Southwick

Ask anyone to list their favorite birds, and Black-capped Chickadee will be included.

These acrobatic, feisty little birds with their pleasant calls and dee-dee-dee alarms, have distinct black and white faces, and often seem to look at you with intelligence, weighing whether it is necessary, or not, to fly away before finding the heaviest seed available. 

Black-capped Chickadees have the most complex social order of all our local feeder birds. The dominant bird eats first, making it fun to watch as flock members dart out singly from a branch, snatch the best seed, and then fly back to the cover of a nearby branch to open it. While they are pounding on their prizes, others dart, one after another. If you are lucky enough to watch a feeder where color-banded chickadees feed, you can see that they take turns in order.

Inquisitive and friendly, chickadees will be the first to find your new feeder, and announce their find to the other neighborhood birds. In the winter, nuthatches, kinglets, and Downy Woodpeckers often tag along with chickadees because they know these non-migrating bundles of energy will find all the winter specials.

Chickadees are the local watch birds. They are the first to sound the alarm "Predator!" The more loud "dee-dee-dees" there are at the end of their call, the more danger. Humans nearby rate an extra dee-dee. A Sharp-shinned Hawk gets four or five extra dee-dees, and every bird around hits the bushes, no questions asked.

Want these up-side-down bug seekers in your yard? Serve black oil sunflower seeds—shelled or unshelled. Have another feeder of high quality seeds, and/or suet, and you will have chickadee visitors. If you add flowering current shrubs, trees like serviceberries, dogwood, or small crabapples, and some evergreen trees, plus year-round water, and you will have resident black-capped chickadees.

Chickadees will readily use nest boxes with 1 1/8 inch holes and some wood chips within. The male feeds the female while she sits on her four to five eggs, and he helps feed the fledglings. While the young will fly away, the bonded pair will stay in your yard, and usually will raise a brood year after year.

Welcome birds, like these cute Black-capped Chickadees to control your bugs. You will be pleased and entertained at the same time, while helping to make the earth healthier by not using manufactured pesticides.

For previous For the Birds columns, click the link under the Features section on the main webpage.


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For the Birds: What Birds Need

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Spotted Towhee taking grub to nestling
Photo by Christine Southwick
By Christine Southwick

Birds have four basic needs to survive:
  • Food;
  • Water;
  • Safe spaces to hang out; and
  • Places to successfully raise their young.

Food is fairly easy to provide. Plant, or keep, native trees, especially evergreens—the bigger the better. Plant native fruiting trees and bushes. Dogwood, Crabapple, Hawthorne, Serviceberry, Snowberry, Twinberry, Elderberry, Nine Bark, Quince, berry crops, and even many of the maples are good sources of food. 

Many birds eat the bugs that come to the flowers, some even nibble the flower buds; eat the fruit once it is ripe; and find bugs in the leaf litter in the winter. 

Juvenile Hairy Woodpecker on dripper
Photo by Christine Southwick
Don’t use pesticides: you will kill or starve the bug-eating wildlife. Bird feeders with black-oil sunflower seeds, and suet feeders will make your yard even more inviting.

Water can be hard for birds to find during our dry August’s and our cold spells. Free running water is a great magnet, and can be as simple as a dripper into a garbage can lid, or as complex as a recycling stream. As long as standing water is changed once a week, there is no danger from mosquitoes. In the winter, invest in a birdbath heater to keep the water liquid and drinkable during freezing spells

Safe spaces to hang out can be provided by trees, bushes and shrubs of varying sizes and densities, and minimum amounts of grass. Birds have evolved by being able to locate food: some find it on branches, others on trunks. Some find it using trees and shrubs as launching posts-others find their food in the leaves and bark beneath trees and bushes.

Dead snag in park
Photo by Christine Southwick
Places to successfully raise their young can require a little more planning. 

Dead trees can provide more places for birds to raise their young than live trees. If you have a dead or dying tree, make it into a snag. Leaving logs and branches on the ground will provide hiding places for ground nesters. 

Placing nest boxes, with the correct sized holes for native species will benefit local birds, and bring you the wonder of watching babies grow and thrive. Leave a small, controlled area of blackberries, or add a brush pile in a back corner. Leave some tall grass or weeds from March until Labor Day.

And build an indoor-outdoor run for your cats — belling them isn’t enough — they hunt by stealth.

Give birds what they need, and they will come.


Christine Southwick will be a speaker at the upcoming Puget Sound Bird Fest in Edmonds on September 10, 2011. Her topic is "20 Birds You Wish Were in Your Yard," The entire event covers September 9-11, with more speakers, guided walks and field trips, exhibits, and kids activities. See the detailed schedule on the website.



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For the Birds: The Birds and the Trees

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Barred Owl
Photo by John Riegsecker

By Christine Southwick

As early as December, Barred Owls and Anna’s Hummingbirds start making their nests. Owls use large holes in trees, first created by a Pileated or Hairy Woodpecker; Anna’s may find a small forked branch under a weather-protecting cedar or fir branch.

Brown Creepers spiral up, and Red-breasted Nuthatches climb downward on pines searching out little hidden bugs and spiders, while Red-breasted Sapsuckers tap shallow holes in nearby large Douglas Firs to access sap.

Deciduous trees supply perches for both resident and migrating birds. These trees offer bugs, fruits, nesting sites and shelter from summer rains and strong sunlight for migrating warblers, Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Red-tailed Hawks, and Cedar Waxwings to name a few.

Brown Creeper (5 inch bird)
Photo by Doug Parrott

Coniferous trees offer food, nesting opportunities, and year-round protection from the elements. Evergreens, even more than deciduous trees, provide protection from predators. Western Screech Owls and Northern Saw-whet Owls are particularly fond of local cedars.

Conifers attract a different set of birds— fewer migrating birds and more resident birds such as Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Merlins, and our local woodpeckers— Downy, Hairy, Pileated, and Northern Flickers.

There are birds found in forests and yards with mixed types: Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, American Robins, and flycatchers for example. Alders and black cottonwoods are great trees for cavity nesters.

Female Pileated Woodpecker creating nest
Photo by Doug Parrott

Some birds use barren tree-tops on tall trees— Olive-sided Flycatchers, Merlins, Bald Eagles  use these trees as hunting perches to locate and capture flying prey— bugs, or other birds. Band-tailed Pigeons need tall trees for easy take-offs and landings.

Did you know that 71% of Shoreline’s canopy is located on private property (per 2011 Shoreline canopy assessment)? Trees enhance people’s yards and give character to local neighborhoods.

Female Merlin on top leader of tall tree
Photo by Barbara Deihl

Have you noticed that most of Shoreline’s streets have less than five feet of planting space between sidewalk and streets? That means that the evergreens that so many of us take for granted have to be grown on private property, not on city street right-of-ways (ROW).  Even the smaller Shore Pine grows to ten feet wide, and would obscure line-of-sight needed by drivers.

It really is up to each homeowner to keep our city green and healthy for ourselves, the birds and the other wildlife that depend on trees for roosting, eating, nesting, and shelter.

Be green, plant a tree, keep the tall ones, and help many species of birds.


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For the Birds: Wanted - 99-year Leases for Rest Stops

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Trees provide food and shelter to raise young Western Wood-Peewee
Photo by Elaine Chuang


By Christine Southwick

You are driving from your “snowbird” condo, to your summer abode. Your gas tank is almost empty. The station you always use is out of gas. You have enough to get to the next station, but when you get there, the land has changed, and development fills that space. Now what?

If you were a bird with this scenario, you would probably fall to the ground, too exhausted and too hungry to travel on.

Black-necked Stilts stopping at the Potholes in Eastern WA
Photo by Elaine Chuang


If you were lucky, you might find enough water, food, and shelter to recover and travel to your breeding or wintering grounds. If not, you, and possibly your whole flock, would die, never to fly again.

This is frequently happening throughout the US. Many migrating birds are finding familiar rest stops and watering holes on their bi-yearly flyways being poisoned by pesticides and fertilizers, drained and plowed for crops, or made into half-filled strip malls.

Habitat loss is the number one cause of bird deaths.

There are fewer and fewer places for birds to rest, feed, raise their young, and find good water.

Distances between resting and refueling stops are often becoming so great that many birds traveling thousand-year-old migration routes will die from exhaustion, not being able to reach the next safe stop-over.

Snags, used first by woodpeckers, provide places for nesting, resting, storing food
Photo by Elaine Chuang


How can you help?

Have a sick tree, or one you fear in your yard?

Make a snag out of the bottom fifteen-twenty feet. Snags are safe, and dead trees shelter local birds from winter storms, offer nesting sites, and provide food. Besides, snags make excellent backdrops to watch the birds that use them.

Trees are the lungs of the earth, so plant a tree or fruiting bush to replace any you take away. (Note: 71% of Shoreline’s tree canopy is in private yards)

Weeds, including dandelions are eaten by many birds Am. Goldfinches
Phoro by Terry Dunning


Don’t make your gardens so clean that they become sterile for wildlife.

Gardens that don’t have bugs, can’t feed birds, salamanders, frogs, or any other wildlife. Make a small brush pile for birds to hide, escape, and find shelter from winter cold. Leaves and weeds are loved by many birds.

If you clear a wild area, don’t do it between March and August. Wait until Labor Day, by then the young have left their ground nests.

If you must cover a ditch, offer water and shelter to replace that which you have eliminated.

When you change the landscape to suit your tastes, ask yourself who and what you are depriving of water, food, and the shelter needed to raise their young.



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For the Birds: Help the Birds by Using Leaves

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Bewick's Wren in leaves
Photo by John Riegsecker

By Christine Southwick

Before the advent of leaf-blowers, most home owners allowed leaves to stay around plants, at least until spring. People would rake them off their lawns and pathways, but it was a lot of trouble to get around the base of bushes, and sometimes the rake would hurt the plants.

Then, garden experts started advocating cleanliness around plants to prevent diseases and eliminate slugs and snails (not that anything really eliminates slugs).

Now, after years of these practices, scientists have found that leaves have more beneficial benefits than people suspected, including preventing soil-borne diseases caused by rain splashing onto plants.

Bluebird with caterpillars for nestlings
Photo by Tania Morris

In early spring, when birds start nesting, the breeding birds depend upon caterpillars for fuel. One of the most nutritious meals for nestlings is caterpillars. Where do these caterpillars come from? Moths and butterfly pupae overwinter in leaf litter. Eliminate leaves in your yard, and you are literally killing the butterfly and moth caterpillars that nesting birds need in the spring for successful rearing of their young.

Varied Thrush, wintering thrush
Photo by Christine Southwick

Additionally, leaves provide shelter from cold and winter food for under-noticed wildlife such as toads, salamanders, shrews, earthworms, and many beneficial insects including beetles, centipedes, and spiders. These insects improve the soil, and are eaten by our local Varied Thrushes, Spotted Towhees, Bewick’s Wrens, Robins, and Song Sparrows to name a few.

Leaves are a natural much, suppressing weeds, fertilizing the soil as they break down, keeping the soil warmer, and helping perennials grow stronger roots systems. Leaves keep the soil from compacting, and return nitrogen and phosphorus to the soils, thereby making the soil healthier for plants, trees, water, and wildlife living in areas where leaves stay.

Spotted Towhee searching through leaves and wood chips
Photo by Christine Southwick

Leaves can be put directly onto flowerbeds, and around plants. Larger leaves will break down faster if you run the lawnmower over them, but it is by no means a requirement. Madrone, laurel, and magnolia leaves take a long time to decompose, and should be shredded if you use them.

I beg neighbors for their small maple leaves. Most neighbors only think I am a little weird. I would rather that they used the leaves in their yards, but it takes a while for healthy change to catch on. These smaller leaves work well as mulch for my shrubs and flowers, and I love watching “my” wintering birds dig in the leaves searching for delectable tidbits.


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Shoreline Area Wildlife: Pigeons, Starlings and Sparrows

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

PAWS provides regular posts about wild animals commonly found in the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park area. Each post gives facts on the species’ natural behavior, as well as how to avoid and resolve common problems with the animals.

Songbird Sparrow. Photo courtesy PAWS.

The most common roosting birds in cities and suburbs are pigeons, European Starlings, and English House Sparrows. All are highly adaptable, and very capable of finding shelter and roosting sites on and in buildings. They eat food from garbage cans and bird feeders, and in parks where people offer them handouts.

Wild pigeons

Pigeons, also known as Rock Pigeons, were introduced into North America in 1606. They nest under bridges, inside barns, and on building ledges, rafters, and beams. They lay eggs throughout the year and raise several broods of one or two young, who can fly about 35 days after hatching.

Rock Pigeons were the first birds domesticated by humans, raised for food and used later as message carriers. Wild, city pigeons are feral descendants of domesticated Rock Pigeons.

Starlings

The European Starling was introduced in New York in 1890 and has since spread across the continent. In spring, the starling's plumage is black with iridescent tints of green and purple, and the bill is yellow. In winter, the bill is dark and the plumage is lighter and speckled.

Starlings often roost in large numbers, and during fall and winter they flock to and from their communal night roosts. They nest in cavities, including holes in freeway signposts, and they compete aggressively for nest holes in trees with native birds such as flickers and bluebirds.

Starlings raise two to three broods per season, each with four to six young who usually leave the nest 21 days after hatching. Known for their diverse vocalizations, starlings can imitate the sounds of other birds and animals.

House Sparrows

The House Sparrow was introduced to North America in the mid-19th century and now lives throughout the United States. The male has a brown back and wings, pale gray underparts, and a black bib. The female has a solid grayish-brown breast and no black markings.

House Sparrows always live close to humans, and are frequently seen in large flocks in city trees and hedges, or under the eaves of buildings, where they build their nests. They raise two or three broods during the spring and summer, each with three to seven young. The youngsters leave the nest at about 17 days after hatching.

Solving and preventing conflicts

Roosting birds, like pigeons, starlings and sparrows, rarely cause damage, but when they gather in large numbers their droppings can get messy and unsanitary. Habitat modification can keep birds out of areas where they are not welcome.

Bird-proofing with netting

Bird netting made of weather resistant material is available in a variety of sizes and is a versatile tool for bird-proofing. To prevent birds from roosting on window ledges, anchor the netting to the roofline, stretch it across the front of the building, and secure it at the bottom and sides.

You can overlap large panels of netting and hang them in front of a garage or other open door. Netting can also be used inside buildings to prevent perching on rafters and other horizontal surfaces.

Physical barriers

  • To keep pigeons off flat surfaces, such as ledges, you can modify the surface. Make a false ledge by fastening wood, stone, or metal over the surface, angled, at least 60 degrees. The birds will slide off when they land.
  • Use parallel lines of monofilament line or stainless steel wire to make a barrier. String the lines through eyelet screws a few inches above the roosting surface. Keep the lines taut by placing the eyelets no more than 18 inches apart.
  • To prevent starlings and sparrows from nesting in buildings, seal holes under eaves and in outside walls and replace loose shingles and siding. If the birds have already nested and are caring for babies, wait until the young have fledged and left the nest, then remove all nesting materials and close openings.
  • If you put up nesting boxes in your yard, choose ones with small openings that accommodate chickadees, nuthatches, and wrens. Boxes with holes larger than 1 inch in diameter fit starlings and sparrows, therefore you should avoid them if you do not want to attract these birds.

If you or a neighbor have questions or a current problem with wildlife, please call the staff at PAWS Wildlife Center at 425-412-4040. PAWS helps resolve conflicts with wild animals and also rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife found by the public.

--PAWS Wildlife Center Staff | wildlife@paws.org

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Nature Speaks: The Delights of Mabon - Welcome Autumn

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Golden Yellow Daisies Still Blooming in October and Feeding the Honey Bees

Article and Photos by Jennifer Rotermund

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall.”  
- F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

I was a sun-lover when I moved to Seattle 15 years ago. Growing up in Upstate NY, I experienced Summers that were warm and humid. The sun was life-giving, and life outdoors was vibrant and verdant. My Summer vacations were filled with hours of napping on our soft green lawn, long days running and climbing through the woods and nearby mountains, or on family road trips searching for the best forest creek full of rocks on which to explore and climb. So, it was with this youthful enthusiasm that I approached my new life, all those years ago, as a newly transplanted north westerner, only to discover Summer in the northwest is our dry season. Our lawns go dormant and look dead, humidity levels remain low, and nature retracts, seeking refuge from the sun, awaiting the return of life-giving rain. I was a sun-lover when I moved to Seattle. Now, I love rain. In Seattle, rain is life. Rain is countless kernels of liquid life gifted to us free of charge, landing directly on our trees and in our gardens. Its a soothing balm that heals a dry crust of soil made angry by the Summer sun. Rain is cleansing and refreshing. I love feeling its return in September - and the return of Autumn.

Echinacea seed heads beginning to be eaten by birds

The Great Medicine Wheel turns to the Western Gate as we welcome Autumn’s return. Mabon, an ancient term for the Autumnal Equinox, marks the brief time in September when the Sun aligns with the Earth’s equator, and the length of day and night are roughly equal. However, the days are shortening quickly now. And as we spend more time indoors, so too - if we allow it - do we find ourselves turning inward, slowing down and reflecting. Our ancestors would spend the coming few weeks pulling in their final harvests (just as we do now in our p-patches and vegetable gardens) and collecting seed for next year’s crop. In fact, similar to Spring, Autumn is a time when we often feel compelled to take stock of what we have and clear out what is no longer needed. This is a natural process we feel, perhaps now encoded into our DNA after so many generations. This drive, I believe, is what gave us the phrase I hear every Fall called, “putting the garden to bed.” I love that phrase. It’s perfect for this time of year, but I think the value and true meaning held within the wisdom of that phrase has been somewhat altered over the years. 

Nigella and Calendula seed heads are full of nutrition

Typically, when clients call me in to “put the garden to bed” in the Fall, they include requests to cut everything to the ground, rake up and throw away all of the leaves and fallen debris, and generally make everything look very neat and tidy. But when I think from the perspective of the soil life - from the beneficial fungi to the beloved earthworms - or when I think about the neighborhood birds over-wintering outdoors, and then I think about “putting the garden to bed,” I imagine a thick, warm blanket of leaves and fallen-over perennial stalks keeping Winter’s eventual frost from touching the soil. I picture layers of old fern fronds, bowing down to the ground, providing shelter to small birds through a cold Winter storm. I think about my Summer flowers, turned into mini food banks in seed pod form, delivering necessary sustenance to our wildlife through Winter’s time of scarcity. When I think about “putting the garden to bed” (and I do, just like everyone else), I remind myself that Spring cleaning is my time to clean-up and clear-out the garden. Once Winter’s cold hands have released their grip, when both the air and the soil temperatures are lifting new growth back up from the garden bed, that is when I prune and clip and rake and prepare for the new growing season. But in Autumn, I remember that just because I’m spending more time indoors, does’t mean that the wildlife outdoors has that luxury.

Fall Color taking hold at Ronald Bog

Of course, there are a few exceptions to this light-handed approach to the Fall clean-up, and a balance of the practical can be weighed here. Pathways need to be maintained, if regularly traveled, for safety purposes - composted leaves can be slippery. Rake fallen leaves directly into garden beds as mulch, being careful not to smother small plants. Also, invasive plants that may have taken hold while everyone was away on Summer vacation still need to be pulled out, or else Spring cleaning could feel unnecessarily disheartening as these weeds take hold at a fresh new pace in March. Then, a few rare trees, such as Black Walnut and Eucalyptus, through a process called allelopathy, suppress the growth of any plant covered in the tree's leaves. Don't use those leaves for mulch. Finally, it's best to rake up the leaves and any fallen fruit from fruit trees - pests and fungi can over-winter in the fallen leaves and reinfect the tree the following year if not cleaned-up.

True, our gardens are ours. We can't help but feel a sense of ownership over something we tend and manage so carefully. Yet, it's not just us and the plants in the garden. There's a rich diversity of life out there - much of it also tending and caring for the garden. And, it's so easy to do our part to care for it. Now, at the beginning of Autumn, with the return of the rains, is the time to begin again.

~~~~
Jennifer Rotermund is the owner of Gaiaceous Gardens (an urban farming and wildlife gardening business with a teaching garden/urban farm and certified wildlife habitat/ sacred sanctuary located in Shoreline). She is a Permaculture Designer, is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Habitat Steward and serves as a Docent at the Kruckeberg Garden. She is also an ordained minister with a particular focus on earth-based forms of spirituality.



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For the Birds: A Winter Warbler, if you plant for them

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Yellow-rumped Warbler in winter plumage.
Photo by Peggy Bartleson
By Christine Southwick

Hearing an unfamiliar “chip” from several birds, I stopped what I was doing and looked around. 

Imagine my surprise and delight to spot several Yellow-rumped Warblers flying out for bugs and using my suet feeders. 

Hocking for bugs, these little somewhat winter-drab warblers were moving around from tree branch to bush branch, and back, occasionally catching a bug on the wing. 

What a show, after I finally focused my binoculars on a couple. 

I also used the Merlin app to ID their chipping calls to confirm my identification.

Our area has two forms of the Yellow-rumped Warbler: the mostly year-round Audubon Yellow-rumped Warbler, and the mostly passing-through in the winter-time Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler. 

Photo by Yukari Yoshioka at Grace Cole Park
in Lake Forest Park
The Audubon form has a yellow throat, and the Myrtle form has a white throat (easiest distinguisher)

Warblers have two distinct plumages, called “alternate plumage”. 

This adaptation provides them with bright breeding plumage in the spring, and a duller easier-to-hide winter plumage when there is less foliage in which to conceal their yellow markings.

In the spring these brownish warblers with their colored throats and some white on their wings (Audubons usually have more than Myrtles), turn into smart-looking black, charcoal gray with white patches, and bright yellow rumps (which are often hard to see in the winter plumage).

Photo by Yukari Yoshioka at Grace Cole Park
 in Lake Forest Park
Because of their ability to feast on a wide variety of food, these yellow-rumped seem to be holding their own, population-wise, if we humans don’t poison all the bugs they eat.

They eat spruce budworm, bark beetles, weevils, aphids, caterpillars and other larvae. 

In the winter they eat bugs, fruits and berries like juniper and dogwood berries, including being the only birds that can digest wax myrtle berries. 

This is one of the reasons these warblers can stay so much farther north than most other warblers.

Bird baths during the summer
Photo by Chris Southwick
During winter times they also eat weed seeds, and come to feeders that have sunflower seeds, small fruits like raisins and blueberries, peanut butter, and suet.

Pesticides and herbicides are bad for the earth, our own breathing, and for all the birds and amphibians that rely on bugs to survive. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird Trends has found a sharp decline in American Robins, which rely on ground bugs and worms.
 
Plant native shrubs for the birds, especially warblers like these yellow-rumped, and put out suet and seeds. Add some liquid water, and your yard will be a welcome oasis year round.



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Help Count Birds for Science during Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count

Monday, December 14, 2015


The National Audubon Society invites birdwatchers and people with backyard bird feeders to participate in the longest-running citizen science survey - the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

On Saturday, December 19, birders and nature enthusiasts will take part in this tradition, many rising before dawn to participate.

“This year Pilchuck Audubon is making a special effort to count birds visiting yard bird feeders,” says Rick Taylor, a volunteer with Pilchuck Audubon.   “Recent research has highlighted the importance of suburban habitats and the surprising diversity of bird species that make use of our suburban yards and greenbelts.”

Birders of all ages are welcome to contribute to this fun, nationwide citizen science project, which provides ornithologists with a crucial snapshot of our native bird populations during the winter months.

The Edmonds / South Snohomish County CBC is performed in a count circle with a diameter of 15 miles that is centered near Martha Lake in Lynnwood.  This circle covers South Everett, Mukilteo, Mill Creek, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Kenmore, Maltby, much of Bothell, and the northern portion of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, fall within the 15 mile diameter count circle. Last year, 87 volunteers formed small parties and covered assigned areas, counting every bird they saw.

In addition, 40 people counted the birds seen at their home bird feeders.

To participate by counting birds in your yard and feeders, first confirm that you live within the Edmonds count circle, using this map. Click on the link and when the map is displayed, enter Edmonds in the search box in the upper-right-hand corner of the page. Then zoom out until you see the whole circle. Verify that your home is located within it. (or see map above)

You will also need to follow specific counting directions which, along with additional general information about the Edmonds CBC, can be found on Pilchuck Audubon’s website at: Detailed Instructions for Home Counters. You can also contact Rick Taylor  425-418-8211 or Bob Schmidt 425-273-1579.

Each year, the National Audubon Christmas Bird Count mobilizes over 72,000 volunteer bird counters in more than 2,400 locations across the Western Hemisphere. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count utilizes the power of volunteers to track the health of bird populations at a scale that scientists could never accomplish alone. Data compiled in Mill Creek will record every individual bird and bird species seen in a specified area, contributing to a vast citizen science network that continues a tradition stretching back more than 100 years.

To date over 200 peer-reviewed articles have resulted from analysis done with Christmas Bird Count data. Bird related citizen science efforts are also critical to understanding how birds are responding to a changing climate. This documentation is what enabled Audubon scientists to discover that 314 species of North American birds are threatened by global warming as reported in Audubon’s groundbreaking Birds and Climate Change Study. The tradition of counting birds combined with modern technology and mapping is enabling researchers to make discoveries that were not possible in earlier decades.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count began in 1900 when Dr. Frank Chapman, founder of Bird‐Lore – which evolved into Audubon magazine – suggested an alternative to the holiday “side hunt,” in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds. This program brings out the best in people and they tend to stay involved for the long run. And so the tradition continues.

The National Audubon Society saves birds and their habitats throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on‐the‐ground conservation. Audubon's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization.



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For the Birds: Do Bird Feeders Really Cause Dependency?

Monday, February 7, 2011

Evening Grosbeak. Photo by Christine Southwick
by Christine Southwick

There’s an urban myth that feeding birds will cause them to become dependent and keep them from migrating when they should. This is only a myth!

Bird migration is driven by the amount and degree of sunlight. Food does not change this drive. In fact, good food will help increase the odds that the bird’s migration will be successful.

Successful bird species have evolved by continuously searching for and sampling new and different food varieties in diverse locations. Proof of their programmed vigilance and continued search for new food sources is the fact that birds find new feeders in places where there were none before.

Studies have found that feeding wild birds improves their survival rate, and increases breeding success and clutch sizes. Feeders are treated like a mother lode of fast food—what scientists term a “resource patch,” meaning food is plentiful and easily accessible, like a ripe berry patch or a fruit tree laden with fruit.

Birds need up to 10,000 calories a day—they must find good food for nourishment, and eat it quickly for safety from predation. Feeders can provide both, if they are set up correctly and offer quality seed.

MacGillivray's Warbler. Photo by Christine Southwick
Here in the Puget Sound area, unshelled black-oil sunflowers are a much appreciated food. Mess-free shelled mixes are good too, as long as they don’t have any red millet, and very little white. Saffron seeds are not well received here either. Watch the birds at your feeders. Do they throw a lot of the seed on the ground? If so, change what you are offering. Uneaten seed on the ground will invite guests you would rather not have. Suet, water, and native plantings will draw birds to your feeders. Remember to keep them clean.

One study found that feeders only provide 25% of a bird’s daily intake. With wild habitats shrinking by the day, that 25% of high-energy food, especially during harsh weather, helps even the score, and will often make the difference between their surviving or perishing.

So, enjoy feeding the birds. Besides, it is so fun to watch your regular birds darting back and forth, their bright colors and cute antics bringing cheer to a dreary winter day.

And don’t be surprised when an unexpected avian explorer lands at your feeder to see if your seed should become a part of its food route.

Christine Southwick is on the Board of the Puget Sound Bird Observatory and is their Winter Urban Color-banding Project Manager.  She is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat Steward, having completed their forty hour class. We're happy that she's sharing her expertise with us about the birds in our backyards.

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For the Birds: Spring Really Is Coming….

Friday, March 2, 2018

Bewick’s Wren with ant by Elaine Chuang
By Christine Southwick

Snow, hail, and freezing weather may still be around, but our resident birds have started their breeding processes in response to increased sunlight hours.

Local Anna's Hummingbirds have been starting to build nests for the last two months. I have two females collecting cotton fibers from the nesting material I hang out for that reason.

The males are still fending off other males, but are now feeding at the same time as the females.

The Bewick’s Wrens are now doing pairing rituals. Their lively buzzes and bubbly songs bring such joy to my ears. Plus, these happy notes and little contact sounds help me find the two or three brown little birds with the bright white eyeliner.

Bewick’s Wren singing by Elaine Chuang
Since they are usually climbing low among the bushes and trees, they can be hard to find unless they are making their presence known by their bubbly happy songs, or their scolding “You-are–too-close-to-me” sounds.

The male Bewick’s Wren sings to protect his territory, and to attract a mate. This a full-time effort that he must endeavor to win by excelling melodiously.

And once he has won the affection of this year’s mate, then he has to fashion three to four foundation nests for the female’s approval. Once the female has selected the preferred nest, she will finish it with feathers, hair, leaves and mosses.

Who Me? Bewick’s Wren at successful nestbox
Photo by Elaine Chuang
While the female sits on her 4-6 eggs the male brings food to her, and then stays and helps feed their offspring. Often the female has a second brood, usually with the same male.

These spunky little birds, usually with their tails cocked over their backs, can be found climbing on branches and in the leaves on the ground, looking for their buggy delicacies, especially those tasty spiders and ants.

Anna’s Hummingbird nesting locally
Photo by Doug Parrott
Offering water, and keeping it liquid during freezing weather, is the best way to bring in Bewick’s Wrens and other birds.

Suet is a fast energy boost, and will bring even more birds such as Northern Flickers, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, maybe even a Pileated Woodpecker. Bushtits will flock to a suet feeder, since finding bugs during freezes becomes quite hard.

The nickname Jenny Wren was used in older English nursery rhymes and was even mentioned in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. (FYI: Bewick’s is pronounced like the car - Buick.)




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Huge win for Shorewood football breaks 17 year losing streak

Sunday, September 9, 2018

TBird and Cheer celebrate the team

WesCo South 3A Football
9-7-18 at Shoreline Stadium
Shorewood 38 - Meadowdale 7

As the student section began to count down the final seconds of the game – 5.4.3.2.1 – a momentary silence fell across Shoreline Stadium as heads turned to look at the scoreboard and the reality of the night sunk in.

The final score was not a mirage and it was not the expected outcome – the 17-year losing streak was over – Shorewood Thunderbirds 38 – Meadowdale Mavericks 7.

Shorewood dominated the game and secured their first WesCo league victory since 2014 and now sat 2-0 for the first time since 1998. Suffice to say – with two solid outings to start the 2018 season, optimism is running high for the remainder of the year.

#3 Robert Banks piles up the yards
Senior Robert Banks led an explosive running attack – slicing and dicing through the Maverick defensive for three touchdowns. Banks ran with an intensity and hunger seldom seen on the turf at Shoreline Stadium. Each time he touched the ball – it had the potential for a score.

The T-bird offensive line, even though outmatched upfront size wise – battled on each play – showing a level of grit and desire to ensure the T-bird spread running and passing attack had the time and the creases to play to the running backs' slashing and quick cutting running style.

#15 Kody Carpenter wraps Meadowdale ball carrier

Further, the offensive effort was led by a mature and poised Senior David Snell at QB. In situations where Snell might have panicked last year, he stood tall in the pocket and made focused and accurate passes to a very sure handed T-bird receiving corp. With the addition of Senior Jaro Rouse - who is an absolute rocket on a pair of cleats – Shorewood finally has a consistent deep threat which will give opposing defenses pause.

On the defensive side of the ball the T-birds showed mental toughness and a bend but don’t break attitude, holding the Mavericks to zero points in the red-zone three times. Employing a new 3-3-5 defense, the T-birds swarmed to the point of attack and played sideline to sideline.

#5 Joseph Williamson returns a kick for a big gain
 
Even in situations where the Mavericks found success on the ground – attacking the center of the defense, the T-birds rallied to the cause and demonstrated a resiliency not seen by the Shorewood Green and Blue in ages. Hard hits were the name of the game and at the end of the night Meadowdale knew the effort put forth was not a fluke.

Said Head Coach Brandon Torrey: "I'm proud of the way the team played together and for one another."

Shorewood (1-0/2-0) plays Snohomish (0-0/0-2) next Friday 7pm, September 14, 2018 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Snohomish.

#2 Jaro Rouse breaks up the pass


Scores

Senior Kevin Hirohata and the team
celebrate with fans
Scoring summary

SHW -- Robert Banks 88-yard run (Alex Lim Kick), 1st.
SHW -- Robert Banks 6-yard run, 2nd.
SHW -- 27-yard field goal (Alex Lim Kick), 2nd.
MEA -- Nate Hebert 5-yard run(Carlos Abad Kick), 2nd.
SHW -- Jaro Rouse 52-yard pass from David Snell, 2nd.
SHW -- Robert Banks 11-yard run, 3rd.
SHW -- Ibrahim Benzina 44-yard run, 3rd.


--Text by Aaron Burt
--Photos by Lisa Hirohata



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