Everyday Birding

I work as a Naturalist at the World Bird Sanctuary, in Valley Park, Missouri.  Each day as I drive to work, I observe birds and bird behavior, and I try to guess what I'll see based on the season and the weather conditions.

Have you noticed that the Starlings are no longer traveling by themselves or in their single family units of 3 to 6 birds? European Starlings are chalkboard-eraser sized birds, and are generally blackish as adults and brownish as juvenile birds. They have short tails relative to Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles.

Many Starlings have now joined other family groups, and the flocks are quite large--some as many as hundreds of birds. You may see them perched on wires, or in large groups foraging in the grass alongside the roadway. When the birds are startled, they take to the air. It looks like a big ball of birds, wheeling and turning in the sky, seeming never to touch, yet inches or less from one hundred other birds. How do they maintain their distance from each other. How do they not crash? I've never seen a Starling fall out of the flock after a crash...have you?

This Starling flocking behavior is common at the end of the summer. I suspect more eyes to find food and more bird eyes watching for potential predators contributes to this phenomenon. They are survival techniques. What do you think about when you see so many Starlings flying together?


Lately, as I travel on Highway 141 Southbound and cross the bridge over the Meramec River, I look to the right and check the roadside wires for birds. I often see Cliff Swallows. These birds are very small and look mostly brownish as I travel 30-40 miles per hour over the bridge. Some of the Swallows will give me a flash of orange on their cheek, throat or rump. Sometimes as many as twenty birds will sit in close proximity to one another on the wire - about 6 inches apart. They fly launch themselves off the wire to chase insects over the Meramec River. Cliff Swallows are known to build gourd-shaped mud nests under a few bridges in the St. Louis area.

Every day as I drive past I wonder if yesterday was the last day that I would see the swallows for the season. Migration beckons. Which day will they slip away to the south? My guess is many drivers never notice. The birds winter in South America from Brazil to Central Argentina.


I last saw them on August 17th, 2009. Will I see them again this season? Most Cliff Swallows leave the St. Louis area in September and the rest are gone by mid-October. Do you drive over a bridge on the way to work? Do you see Cliff Swallows on the wires over or next to the river? Let me know.

American Goldfinches are nicknamed the "Wild Canary" for their vibrant yellow color, and I have recently seen them feeding on the seeds of the Chicory flower. Earlier in the season they seem to favor the hot pink Thistle flowers. The Chicory is the beautiful bluish spindly flower that grows right next to the asphalt, on highways and outer roads. We travel the North outer road of Highway 44 to get to work at World Bird Sanctuary. The yellow Goldfinches have been feeding on the blue Chicory flowers at the road's edge, on the shoulder. The birds have been seen as close as two feet to the road and one foot off the ground. The yellow birds on the blue flowers is vibrant and eye-catching. The Chicory are beginning to fade now. Have you seen this feeding behavior on your way to work?


Tell me what you have seen on the way to work. If you need help learning how to identify birds, come join us at one of our Sunrise with Songbirds birding walks. Click here for more information.

Our next dates for Sunrise With Songbirds are: September 13, October 25, November 14, and December 13, 2009. Call 636-225-4390 to make a reservation.

Let's talk about the birds you see on the way to work.


Submitted by Mike Zeloski, Naturalist for the World Bird Sanctuary

The New Arrivals!

Remember those barn swallows we showed you about two weeks ago?

The literature says that the longer the male's tail feathers are, the more attractive he is to

 the female.  This guy must have had some pretty good "tail feather appeal".  Look what they did! 

Right now these babies look somewhat like little martians!!

Even though it's hard to believe, this little guy will soon look like his beautiful 

parents!

Both parents have been busy feeding this brood of four (there is another one in there, even though you can't see him).  

Barn Swallows are back....

They're back and they're busy!!

The barn swallows are back from their annual trip south.  These beautiful, gregarious little birds migrate as far south as Mexico, the Lesser Antilles, Costa Rica, Panama and South America every winter.  (Hmmm, maybe I'll come back as a swallow in my next life.)

Every summer they return to breed throughout North America.  This particular pair chose to make their nest on top of a light fixture on a dock at Lake of the Ozarks.  I love to watch

 these graceful little creatures as they swoop and dive after insects over the lake.  Even more amazing is their ability to get a drink by dipping their beaks into the lake as they skim over the water.

This pair is relatively fearless as they go about their nesting duties right over the heads of the  

 swimmers, boaters and fishermen who regularly use this dock.  

Another Oriole

Here's another Oriole for you birdwatchers out there!!

OK.  I have to admit it!  I've lived in Missouri all my life and have rarely seen an Oriole.  Now I've seen two (different species) in less than an hour!

Shortly after seeing the Orchard Oriole published earlier, this one also came to the feeder on our deck.  However, this bird was quite a bit more difficult to identify.  After consulting with several experts it was finally identified as a (probably) young Baltimore Oriole who hadn't yet molted into his species' typical orange color.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner!

I was poised and ready to photograph hummingbirds on our treetop deck at the Lake of the Ozarks when this visitor showed up!  

I guess someone forgot to tell him he's not a hummer!

Actually, he's a male Orchard Oriole who came to the hummingbird feeder looking for a sugary drink.  

When I first saw him I thought he was

 all black because of the way the light hit him.  Once he landed on the feeder, however, I could see his gorgeous chestnut coloring.  The literature tells us that he is our smallest Oriole, measuring about 7.25" with a wingspan of 9.5".  That's in between the size of a budgerigar (commonly sold in pet stores as a parakeet), and a Northern Cardinal.

After getting his drink he then proceeded to check out the bottom of the other hummingbird feeder in search of insects that might be hiding under the lip of the nectar reservoir.  

THEY'RE BACK!! THEY'RE BACK!!!

This is the birding event we've been waiting for!

After a migration of thousands of miles (some individuals spend the winter as far south as Southern Panama), our favorite little Kamikazees, the Ruby Throated  Hummingbirds, are back in Missouri!!  

According to one of my favorite hummingbird blogs, http://www.hummingbirds.net/ they've probably been here for a while already, but  yesterday was the first time I actually saw one!  If you haven't already done it, put out your feeders.  They're here, and they're hungry after that long trip!  

Unexpected Guests!

Have you ever had guests drop in unannounced--50 at a time?  That's what happened to us this past week!

We had just filled the birdbath and were enjoying our morning coffee, when we heard a loud commotion on the patio.  When we looked out, there were not just one or two birds enjoying the fresh water--it looked like about ten or fifteen.  There wasn't an available inch in that bowl.  As soon as one would leave, another would fly in!!  A migrating flock of Cedar Waxwings had discovered our birdbath!

Of course, my first instinct was to run for the camera, but by the time I had retrieved it they were gone!  However, when we went outside we heard them twittering in the tops of our forty year old oak trees.  That meant another mad dash into the house to change lenses.  Even with my 500mm lens it was a stretch to get a photo.  

These migrants come through every so often toward the end of winter.  Usually they stay long enough to strip the hawthorn or the American Hollies in our yard of the berries, and then they move on.  In the photo I tried to take of the entire flock (see the little dots in the tops of the trees?) I counted at least 50 birds.  That doesn't account for the ones I had seen fly off before taking the shot.  

Did you know that bird-watching is America's second most popular hobby?  The World Bird Sanctuary offers guided bird-watching programs led by our experienced wildlife experts on selected dates throughout the year.  For more information about our bird-watching adventures click on our home page link on the right side of this page, or call 636-225-4390, Ext. 0 for more information or to make a reservation.  

Fees for this adventure are: $7 adults, $5 children under 12

Remaining Spring dates are 4/19, 5/2 & 5/24.  Call or check our website for Summer, Fall & Winter dates.

Birding adventures last approximately three hours.  Dress for the weather, binoculars recommended.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

As a youngster growing up in St. Louis, I took for granted the little brown bird hopping around on the Steak 'n Shake parking lot scrambling for the pieces of hamburger buns that I and my friends would toss to them.  We considered this little brown bird "just another sparrow".

However, I have since discovered that this little import is somewhat of a rarity.  They are found only in a very limited range here in the United States, primarily in  St. Louis and some surrounding areas. 

On April 25, 1870, twelve Eurasian Tree Sparrows were released in Lafayette Park in South St. Louis, along with a number of other European birds.  However, only the Eurasian Tree Sparrow was a successful transplant.  It is estimated that there is now a population of about 15,000 birds around St. Louis, Missouri, and neighboring parts of Illinois and southeastern Iowa.

In Your Own Backyard!

Sometimes we get so caught up in spotting the exotic or unusual we lose sight of the fact that there are fascinating creatures in our own backyards.

This photo of a Northern Cardinal was taken through my kitchen window.  Usually Cardinals prefer to feed on the ground, but I had been busy the last two days and forgotten to check the feeder in my backyard.  This guy was apparently desperate enough to brave the nut feeder that hangs a mere foot away from my kitchen window.

Sometimes we forget that this is possibly the worst time of year for our feathered friends.  By March most of the seeds that grow wild have pretty much been depleted, the insects are all dead, or in hiding, new hatches haven't happened yet, and it's slim pickings for our wild bird friends.  They come to rely heavily on our backyard bird feeders at this time of year.  This Cardinal, one of my favorite birds, was my reminder to be faithful about checking the feeders.  

I love the fact that the Cardinal seems to be fully aware of his own beauty, and am fully convinced that it's no coincidence that one of his calls sounds like he's saying "pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty"!!  

Don't forget your feathered friends during this particularly dangerous time of year for them!

What A Mouthful!!

On a recent trip to Charleston, SC we went to the Magnolia Plantation and took their swamp tour.  We spotted this Great Blue Heron hunting at the edge of the reeds and were fortunate enough to watch him make a catch.  Now, we really thought this would be a case of his eyes being bigger than his stomach--but he was up to the task!

The primary food for this majestic shorebird is usually small fish, although they may also take shellfish, rodents, amphibians, reptiles and small birds.  

Great Blue Herons are the largest and 

most widespread heron in North America and can be seen on almost any lake, river or pond -- at least here in the midwest.  The one pictured here is the most 

commonly seen color.  However, there is a white morph found in southern coastal areas which is called the Great White Heron.  This color phase is often confused with the Great Egret.  The easiest way to tell the two apart is that the Great White Heron's legs are black, while the Great Egret has yellow legs.  There is also a third color morph which looks like a combination of the other two.  This intermediate bird is known as the Wurdemann's 

heron and has a white head and a grey body.

One of the greatest dangers to this beautiful bird is discarded monofilament fishing line. As they wade the shallows hunting for prey they often become entangled in the fishing line left behind when a fisherman's lure becomes snagged on a low hanging branch or rock.  Once entangled, the bird is unable to hunt and gradually starves to death.  So, if at all possible please recover your line and dispose of it where it poses no threat to wildlife.  

Backyard Windscreen

It's not unusual for us to see this colorful member of the Woodpecker family, the Northern Flicker, feeding in our backyard.  In fact, last year we watched her raise a baby in our yard.

However, the other day I saw her exhibiting a behavior that I had never witnessed before.  She was hunkered down at the base of our large oak tree, on the lee side, so that the treetrunk acted as a windscreen.  It was a very cold and blustery day 

and she seemed quite comfortable sitting in a fold of the tree--at least until she got hungry and began looking for a meal. 

Are you wondering how we know it's a "she"?  As in humans, she doesn't have the nice dark "mustache" sported by the male.

In this last photo you can clearly see the beautiful dark "bib" worn by all members of her species.  Also, if I could have caught her in flight you would have seen the beautiful yellow underwing colors that have earned her the name of Yellow Shafted Flicker by which she is often identified.

Cool Facts About a Cool Bird!

Who is that bird out there that looks suspiciously like Woody Woodpecker?

Cool Fact #1

The fact of the matter is, that bird (the Pileated Woodpecker) was, in fact, the inspiration for the world famous cartoon character.

Cool Fact #2

The roost of a Pileated Woodpecker usually has multiple entrance holes and is normally located  in old growth forests where one finds the large trees it prefers.  

Cool Fact #3

Pileated Woodpeckers characteristically dig rectangular holes in trees to find ants.  These excavations can be so large that they can cause small trees to break in half.

Cool Fact #4

A Pileated Woodpecker pair stays together on its territory year round.  Their range covers the the eastern half of the United States as well as the southern Canadian provinces, with a rather narrow band extending down the West Coast of the U.S.  We in Missouri are fortunate to be in their year round range.

Cool Fact #5

The male and female can be told apart by their markings.  The male has a red crown and forehead, and red in the black mustache stripe.  The female has a gray to yellow-brown forehead and no red in the mustache stripe.

Cool Fact #6

When walking in the woods you may hear rather than see these large crow sized birds.  They can be heard calling to each other with a very loud "kuk-kuk-kuk" call.  Usually if you hear one call you will soon hear a response from another direction.

A Woodpecker By Any Other Name....

Is it pronounced "pill-ee-ated" or "pile-ee-ated"?

According to the Natureworks website, either prounciation is correct.  But, no matter which way you choose to pronounce it, this large native woodpecker (second only to the nearly extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker), is a very wary and elusive creature--at least for this photographer!

I had been trying for months to capture photos of a pair that my husband said had been coming to the suet feeder at our little lake cabin.  However, each time I would lay in wait with camera ready, they didn't appear.  Or, if they did appear, they fled at the slightest movement, unlike their smaller cousins the Red-bellied woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers or downy woodpeckers who are regular visitors to our feeders and don't seem to care if anyone is watching.

Finally, one January weekend when we had our eight year old granddaughter with us, we spotted the female at the suet feeder on our deck.  Now, if you know anything at all about eight year olds, you know that sitting still for more than three minutes ranks right up there with cruel and unusual punishment!  However, she's been watching birds with me since before she could walk, so with many reminders about sitting absolutely still we were able to capture these photos through the glass of the kitchen window.  Even then, the bird knew that something wasn't quite right and she played hide and seek with us from behind the tree trunk for quite a while.  I was quite excited to have gotten the photos--but not nearly as excited as I was about having shared the moment with my granddaughter, who hopefully will someday pass this experience on to another generation.

Freeloading vulture relatives!

Have you ever had a group of relatives drop in unannounced looking for a free meal? That's what's been happening at the World Bird Sanctuary lately! If you're walking along the upper trail and see a huge bird swooping right over your head, it's likely the wild relatives of our resident Turkey Vultures coming in to check out what they perceive to be a "free" meal in our birds' enclosure. Of course, they can't really get to the meal because of the protective netting, but they can hope, can't they?



This vulture family reunion was captured by Gay Schroer!

A bird I've never heard of...

Gay Schroer sent these amazing photographs of a New Zealand bird called the pukeko. This one is new to me!




Natural History

Pukeko
Porphyrio porphyrio melanotis

Description subspecies of the Purple Swamphen; the name “Pukeko” is of Maori origin; deep almost iridescent indigo blue back and wings black with a greenish gloss, undertail coverts pure white; scarlet bill extends to above the eyes so that it appears to have a “cap”; orange red legs and feet with long toes

Sex: Males slightly larger than females

Age:

Length: 20 inches

Wingspan: 39 inches

Weight: males 2.3 lbs; females 1.9 lbs.

Habitat: believed to have become established in New Zealand about 1000 years ago; unclear if introduced by Maori ancestors or self introduced

Status: Abundant throughout New Zealand

Range: native to New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania; also found in Indonesia and a number of islands between New Zealand and Australia

Behavior: able to fly, but prefer to run or swim from danger; believed they are losing their ablity to fly; breed in New Zealand between August and March; known to breed in groups – both sexes breeding with several mates during a breeding season (polygynandrous); nest near water in a clump of New Zealand raupo; untidy, cup shaped nests are built by the males; sometimes 2-3 females will share the same nest; six buff colored eggs with blotches of brown or purple are laid by each female; hatch asynchronously after 23-27 days; both sexes incubate; young offspring help to feed and care for chicks;

Diet: omnivorous; swamp and pasture vegetation, insects, frogs, small birds and eggs

Vocalization: group together and shriek loudly when attempting to drive off predators

√ Are regarded as a pest in farming areas for their damage to grain and vegetable crops, and given a chance will eat the eggs of fowl and ducks
√ Have been reported to hunt stoats off their territory with all Pukekos in the neighborhood joining in

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

Our favorite photographer, Gay Schroer, sent me these amazing photographs of a yellow crowned night heron hunting crawfish, taken on her recent birding adventure. They are breathtaking!

Mmm...

Great Egrets

Written and photographed by Gay Schroer. Click on images to enlarge.

In mid-April of 2007 we were vacationing in the Charleston, SC area and decided to take the Magnolia Plantation Tour. The boat tour through their swamp was very interesting, but not nearly as fascinating at the self guided walk through the Audubon Swamp Garden which is adjacent to the plantation. We were lucky enough to be there during the height of the nesting and breeding season in the Egret and Heron rookery. There is a small fee to enter (about $7.00), but once you enter you can take as much time as you want. The trail is over a series of
boardwalks and bridges which take you into areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. The brochures tell you that it takes about an hour, but if you're anythiing like me, expect to spend way more time than that unless you want to whiz through. Here are photos of the Great Egrets breeding and nesting.

This was only one of the nest trees in the rookery. If you want to get recognizable photos you need at LEAST a 300 mm lens.

The following photos are all of this same pair who were actively
breeding and reminded me of a typical married couple setting up
housekeeping. Note the beautiful breeding plumage.

Photo of our pair breeding

After breeding he flies up to a branch and begins to preen his gorgeous plumage, while she gets down to the serious business of rearranging the nesting material.

Note the eggs already in the nest.

More rearranging and redecorating!

After a short squabble he takes off.

...and lands nearby. She has obviously sent him for more nesting materials.

He spends a great deal of time choosing just the right stick.

While she continues to rearrange the furniture.

...and preen. After all, the man of the house will be back soon and a girl has to look her best.

"Honey, I'm home!"

"Well, it's about time!"

"Look what I brought you!"

"I could use a little help here!"

"You're doing a fine job!"

"I think I need some help with this one!"

"A little more to the left, please!"