Spring has hit already. It seems like just a month ago I was watching birds swing through on their way south.Of course, I wasn’t. I was actually wondering why so many Snowy Owls were around, and if winter would ever end.
Song Sparrow
But now? Between my dad and I, we have seen Song, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows in addition to the ubiquitous House Sparrows. We have seen many swans, and Snow Geese have been seen as well. Last year, I didn’t find a song sparrow until April, but I saw them in the first week of March this year.
Once it hits, though, migration is unstoppable. American Robins are back in the neighbourhood, and eagles are flying flying through in their hundreds. Some birds are pairing up already, and and two my favourite nest sites have welcomed their owners back already.
American Robin
Last week, we went to Weed Lake where we saw 5 Snowy Owls, American Widgeon, Lesser Scaup, and an unusual Eurasian Widgeon. The Owls were sitting on the ice, as it was, (for once) the only white substance for miles around.
Soon we can be expecting Swallows, Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal, Yellow-rumped Warblers and many more Gulls. Here are some photos of birdswe saw at Weed Lake.
Swans, Geese, Pintail, both Widgeon.See the owl?A quick stretch…
I recently found out about a new Cornell Lab of Ornithology webcam – for hummers! This great Cam is filled with these tiny birds flitting to and fro on the two feeders. The species seen here include: Magnificent, Lucifer, Calliope and Rufous Hummingbirds. They even get, occasionally, a Green Violetear! Here is the link. Have fun!
What types of feeders are best? Where can I get them? If I can’t get them, can I build them? These are all questions that pass through the heads of many new bird watchers who have decided that they want to attract birds to their very own gardens. I wrote this post to help answer some of these queries.
First, let me start with one important fact: habitat is essential. And it’s true. Will a nuthatch come to a yard with no trees, or a duck to one with no water? Unlikely. Birds need food, but they also need shelter. You can provide both. By planting trees and shrubs around your garden, you can attract a large variety of birds within a short period of time. Hawthorns, mountain ash, and crab-apple trees are excellent sources of food for thrushes, and other birds as well. For shrubs, the best you can provide are probably Honeysuckle, Juniper, and Barberry. Having some tall pines is also good, as they provide plenty of shelter, and the cones can bring in siskins and cross-bills. I don’t claim to be a botanist, but that is my humble opinion.
Now I come to the feeders themselves. There are two general favorite feeders, and they are the hanging feeder, which comes in many forms, and the platform feeder. The hanging feeder has a few basic designs: the tube feeder, which is best used for sunflower seeds, the house, which can effectively work with most seeds, and the rounded, which is sort of like a tube feeder, but more squat, and wider.
The tube:
Finches love this feeder, and other birds are not afraid to use it. It is a good feeder, and can feed multiple birds at once. I would advise buying these, as they are extremely difficult to create on your own. Sunflower seeds work best in here, but any type of large seed will satisfy.
Next, the house feeder. I do not actually posses one of these feeders, but I know that they are decent all-round feeders – almost anything will use them! Northern Cardinals, Pine Grosbeaks, Mountain Chickadees, Red and White-breasted Nuthatches, the list goes on. Any type of seed goes in and comes out as quickly as the birds can eat it.
And finally, the rounded:
Woodpeckers up to the size of a Northern Flicker eat from here, along with Grosbeaks, Siskins, Redpolls, Chickadees, and others. All seeds work, and all seeds work well. If you are looking for a single feeder, this would be the best to get.
What about platform feeders? There is really only one basic formula for these. If you want to make yours, make a platform. It’s simple – drive a single nail through a piece of thinnish wood and into a pole, which you stick in the ground. Simple, really, but there are so many add-ons. You can put a house feeder on top, or bumps on the edges to keep seed from falling off. You can add squirrel baffles, roofs, and perches. Do what ever you like!
I didn’t mention suet. It is one of the other favorite foods. This is where the build-it-yourself type of people should start paying attention. Suet feeders can be made out of nearly everything. Drill some holes into a small log, or fill an old onion bag with this mix. There are store bought suet feeders, and store bought suet can fill them. You can fit suet into everywhere. Be creative!
You can make your Suet as well, but I’ve never tried it, so here is a link to Back Yard Bird Watcher’s recipes.
And then you can choose how to make your own designs. When I was younger, I turned an umbrella upside down, and filled it with pine-cones and seeds. It actually worked! You can get birds simply by spreading feed on the ground. If you have a high up deck, fasten in some trees, and hang feeders off the branches. I do it, and it lets you get plenty of good views of the birds that come to your yard.
Warblers, shorebirds, and others are becoming more and more evident in birding hotspots around all towns and cities these past few weeks. This, combined with the clear eclipse (should you find yourself wondering what the moon has to do with birds, click here to unlock the mystery), are sure signs of fall migration. Even in the past week, I have found unusual species in my local ponds and creeks. Here is a collection of photos that my Dad and I have taken recently.
Do you have any cool bird photos from this fall?
If so, email them to me at [email protected], and I will be sure to post them soon.
Green-winged Teal and Ring-billed GullMallardThis Bald Eagle soared over my head at Sibbald Lake, looking for some good hunting,…but was chased off by the local Osprey!House SparrowsHarlequin DuckHarlequinsWhite-winged CrossbillRed-naped SapsuckerWilson’s PhalaropeAmerican PipitAmerican PipitBaird’s SandpiperBaird’s SandpiperYellow-rumped Warbler
I have just received an email from our ebird co-ordinator, declaring the fact that a) the Rusty Blackbird population is declining rapidly, and also b) there is going to be a “Rusty Blackbird Blitz.” The Blitz will be held at different times in different places, judging on when they migrate through various states and provinces.
Thanks to Amar Athwal for these photos.
This is the email:
Prior to 1920, the Rusty Blackbird was a common to abundant species in North America. By 1950, a decline in its population was apparent. And since the 1960s, the species has been in a free fall with its numbers dropping by up to 95 per cent!
Over the last 15 years, scientists have been working to identify threats to the species. Because “Rusties” require forested wetlands, they’ve likely suffered as a result of wetland destruction on their wintering grounds in the U.S. Southeast. It’s also likely that they’ve been incidental victims of blackbird control programs there.
On their breeding grounds in more northerly forests, climate change (which may reduce the extent of boreal wetlands and alter their chemistry and invertebrate communities) could be taking a toll. And human activities such as logging, peat production, and reservoir formation have affected Rusty Blackbird breeding habitat by consuming boreal wetlands and altering hydrology. Acid rain and mercury contamination may also be affecting this habitat.
While the greatest Rusty Blackbird declines have been seen in the breeding populations of eastern North America, the current and planned industrialization of the boreal forest here in western Canada could deal a major blow to our breeding populations.
Thanks to Amar Athwal for these photos.
But while we’re getting a clearer picture of the threats faced by this species in winter and summer, we still know very little about its ecology, distribution, and habitat use during migration. Are there hotspots where Rusties congregate? Are there stopover areas that they use predictably each year, and are these locations protected?
These are questions that the Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz is hoping to answer. The blitz, which kicks off this spring, is a three-year citizen science project organized by the International Rusty Blackbird Working Group, eBird, and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies. Birders from across the southeastern U.S., East Coast, Midwest, Alaska, and Canada (all areas through which Rusties migrate) are being encouraged to participate in the blitz.
Participating is easy: Simply go birding this spring and submit your bird sightings to eBird (http://ebird.org/content/ebird/). Even if you don’t find any Rusties on your outings, the bird sightings you submit will contribute to the blitz by showing when and where Rusties were not found.
I’m going to particpate in this, and think that you should find out more, if not participate!
If you aren’t a song expert – and even if you are, you probably have some trouble with female and immature birds – many people are caught out by them. Also, in fall for some birds there is a period called an ” eclipse.” During this period, male birds cast off their flashy breeding plumage and come to look a lot like the females.
This female-like plumage is held very briefly by ducks and other birds in late summer and early fall, and is most noticeable in the males. Eclipse is really the basic or winter plumage, but is worn in summer by most ducks, except the Ruddy Duck which wears eclipse to late winter. Most ducks acquire breeding plumage in the fall, six or seven months before other birds.
I was caught off guard once, (before I learned of eclipses) by what looked like a half-male half-female wood duck – which turned out to be a male in eclipse.
A male Wood Duck in eclipse plumage (at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary)A male Wood Duck in full Breeding plumage
For somebody who didn’t know much about females and immatures, they could have serious problems in the late summer and fall, because in the spring they say: “Why look at a brownish female Yellow-rumped Warbler when you can instead look at the obvious, snazzy male singing away in that that tree?”
For those who are interested in learning more about molting, Molt in North American birds by Steve N. G. Howell explains it in four strategies: simple basic, complex basic, simple alternate, and complex alternate.
So get those females and immatures learnt in spring, so that later you’re ready.
In later posts on this subject, I will continue with more on molting and eclipse plumage, and look at some other examples.
Hawthorns, mountain ash, and crab-apple trees are excellent sources of food for thrushes, and other birds as well. For shrubs, the best you can provide are probably Honeysuckle, Juniper, and Barberry. Having some tall pines is also good, as they provide plenty of shelter, and the cones can bring in siskins and cross-bills. I don’t claim to be a botanist, but that is my humble opinion.
I would advise buying these, as they are extremely difficult to create on your own. Sunflower seeds work best in here, but any type of large seed will satisfy.
