The Birds in My Backyard

When most people think of the birds in their backyard, they think of the Northern Cardinal or the Mourning Dove.

A Northern Cardinal at a backyard bird feeder (photo: Gay Schroer)

When I think of the birds that I see in or near my backyard I think of the Barred Owl and the Red-tailed Hawk that frequent the big oak tree in the neighbor’s yard.  Songbirds are the first birds that come to mind for most individuals, but I oftentimes think of the predatory species found in and around my neck of the woods.  The Saint Louis area is well populated with various species of birds of prey.  To the surprise of many, they live in our very own neighborhoods.

Many bird of prey species found in Saint Louis are not here by mistake.  Rather, they are part of a successful population coexisting with their human neighbors.  We can find about 14 species of predatory birds in Saint Louis.  Some of the most common species are the Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Red- shouldered Hawk and the American Kestrel.

A juvenile Cooper's Hawk perched on a neighboring fence (photo: Gay Schroer)

Other species are only found in particular areas during certain times of year.  Summertime sightings may include Mississippi Kites, Peregrine Falcons, and Broad-Winged Hawks.  Winter weather brings in Sharp-Shinned Hawks, Northern Saw-whet Owls, and Bald Eagles.

A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk devouring a starling it has just caught in my backyard (photo: Gay Schroer)

Predatory birds have found Saint Louis to be a nice place to call home.  The Peregrine Falcons nesting atop the AT&T building downtown, the Great-Horned Owls that live in Forest Park, and all the other birds mentioned fill a niche that cannot be occupied by any other organism.  For that, we should take the time to appreciate their beauty and roles in our ecosystem. People often view predatory animals as “bad” or “scary,” but they play a very important part in keeping prey species populations in check.

A fledgling Red-tailed Hawk rehabilitated and released by WBS (photo: Adam Triska)

To see some of the birds of prey that may inhabit your neighborhood visit the World Bird Sanctuary and become familiar with these local denizens.  Your visit to WBS may help you to identify that strange large bird that just whizzed past your window.

Submitted by Adam Triska, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Rare Bird?

Do You Take your Backyard Birds for Granted?

This is a question that occurred to me recently while I was watching some of our local birds at my feeder.

 An American Cardinal 

Several years ago my husband and I took a trip to New Zealand, rented a camper, and camped our way from the South Island to the top of the North Island.  This mode of travel allowed us to see much more of the local flora and fauna than is normally seen from a tour bus. 

On our first couple of days there we encountered a number of unfamiliar seabirds and shorebirds, which we expected since we were then staying at a campground on the east coast of the South Island.  On our third day we crossed the mountains to the west coast and stayed in a charming little town called Hokitika. 

We had planned to travel down the coast to the glacier the next morning, but when we awakened the fog was so thick we could barely see to cross the street—not a good day to drive through mountainous terrain in unfamiliar territory on the “wrong” side of the road.  So instead we toured this charming little town on foot, met some of the local shopkeepers, and asked for advice as to where they would go to sightsee on such a foggy day.  The majority advised us to take a short trip out of town to Lake Kanieri.

The ferns were breathtaking! 

Frankly I think this unexpected side trip was probably a big improvement on glacier watching.  We encountered towering tree ferns, a beautiful waterfall, and some of the most gorgeous fern laden scenery I have ever seen.  As we were “oohing” and “aahing” over the fantastic plant life before us we spotted a strange looking bird strolling along hunting for insects in an open grassy field.  I immediately began taking photos of this exotic bird (I am a "shoot the photo first and then look it up later" kind of person).  I probably took 50 or 60 photos of this bird before we moved on.  The bird was a Weka—considered vulnerable, but not particularly rare in this locality.

 The bird turned out to be a Weka--a member of the rail family

Throughout this trip the above scenario was repeated many times---Pukeko (common), Australasian Harrier, Tomtit, New Zealand Pigeon, Tui, Bellbird, Fantail, Australian Magpie—all birds that were relatively common and on the IUCN list as Least Concern.  Granted, these birds weren’t particularly rare in that part of the world, but they were strange and new to me.

This South Island Tomtit, though relatively common, was an exotic species for us. 

So, the next time you are sitting at your window watching your feeders, just for a moment, look at your visiting birds through the eyes of someone from another country.

 Can you imagine someone from another country's reaction to this common American Goldfinch?

Can you imagine how excited they would be to see common (to us) birds such as Cardinals, American Robins, American Goldfinches, Blue Jays, Cooper’s Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks?  In particular imagine how excited they would be to see an actual Hummingbird or a Bald Eagle.  All of these species are native only to the Americas—some only to North America.

If I were from another part of the world the sight of this hummingbird would definitely get my heart racing 

Sometimes we have to step back and take a really good look at the wildlife right before our eyes that we often take for granted.

Don’t forget to feed your backyard birds this winter—they may be someone else’s rare sighting!

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer Photographer  

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!