This week in birds - #63

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:

Our smallest (and cutest) woodpecker is the Downy Woodpecker. It is easy to tell the sexes apart. The female, seen here, is all black and white.

The male, like all of our native male woodpeckers, has a red mark on his head. Both males and females love to visit suet feeders.

*~*~*~*

The big news in the environment this week was the rupture in Arkansas of a pipeline carrying tar sands crude oil from Canada. The leak spilled more than 200,000 gallons of the smelly, sticky stuff into the suburban neighborhood of Mayflower. The accident was a reminder of just what can happen when such pipelines rupture and cast further doubt on the wisdom of completing the Keystone XL pipeline which would carry similar crude oil through very sensitive water sources throughout the Midwest.

*~*~*~*

It is well known that mated pairs of cranes of all species "dance" as part of their courtship ritual. It is an activity that has been imitated by humans as far back as the Stone Age in their dancing. Sometimes, though, young, unmated cranes will dance also. Scientists are attempting to understand what triggers such behavior. It seems likely that it is merely a kind of play in which the birds engage.  

*~*~*~*

We've had spring here in Southeast Texas since just about mid-February, but the season is just beginning to arrive in places like Illinois.

*~*~*~*

The subjects of pure scientific research can sometimes come in for ridicule from those who don't understand the value of such study. For example, reading that some scientist is studying duck genitalia might lend itself for inclusion in some late-night comedian's routine. In fact, there are serious reasons for such study and one of the scientists involved in it took time this week to explain what could be learned from such scientific research.

*~*~*~*

We were lucky enough to get two inches of rain this week, but the long term forecast is for continued drought here and throughout the central and western part of the country.

*~*~*~*

When you think of flamingos, the first place that comes to mind is probably not Mumbai, India, but, in fact, each year from January to May, both Greater and Lesser Flamingos flock to the mud flats around the busy city.

*~*~*~*

A pair of Ospreys had built a nest on a crane in the Port of San Francisco and Port workers removed and destroyed the nest. That is a big no-no. You are not allowed to mess with the nests of raptors during nesting season, under the provisions of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Port's action is being investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

*~*~*~*

Dragonflies may appear to be delicate creatures but they are really deadly predators with something like a 95% success rate in capturing their prey, much higher than most other predators.

This dragonfly visited my garden last December.

*~*~*~*

Global warming will affect breeding birds of the Arctic in various ways. Some birds may actually benefit from its effects, but it is likely that more will be negatively affected.

*~*~*~*

Anyone who has read any of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin series of books about England's war against Napoleon would not be surprised by this story: One of Napoleon's generals, Pierre Dejean, was a naturalist and a great collector of beetles who sometimes collected the insects even in the midst of battles. Two Canadian scientists have now undertaken to update his extensive records and catalogs of his collections. Stephen Maturin would be proud!

*~*~*~*

Around the backyard:

I haven't seen or heard any Rufous Hummingbirds for a few days now and I think that my winter visitors must have finally moved on. Yesterday, however, I was surprised and delighted to observe a male Black-chinned Hummingbird at one of my feeders in the middle of the afternoon. It's not often that I see his kind in my yard.

Today, there was another male Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the yard. I have yet to see a female this spring.