This week in birds - #71

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

Young Purple Gallinule photographed at Brazos Bend State Park.

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President Obama made a major speech this week about climate change, about the dangers that we face because of it, and what he plans to do to try to combat it. The speech was widely underreported by our feckless media who were mesmerized by other events happening around the country, but that may actually be a good thing since it deprives the anti-science faction their platform for ranting. The actions which the president is proposing are things which the executive branch of government can do without the approval of our dysfunctional Congress, so it may be that they will actually get done!

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Simon Watt, creator of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, reminds us that it is not just charismatic animals like tigers and pandas that need our protection. Animals that to our eyes may look ugly, like the gob-faced squid and the taildropper slug (Google them!), have important roles to play in Nature and they deserve our protection, too.

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The Common Cuckoo of Europe is a species in decline and is being closely tracked by the British Trust for Ornithology. The Trust reports that the birds are already beginning their flight back to their winter homes in Africa. The first one, named Sussex, left on June 15.

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The Skeptical Science blog, which tracks news of global warming and how the media reports it, calculates that the media are overlooking at least 90% of the information that is available and much of what they do report is just wrong.

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The Guardian reports that the UK's environment secretary has given to green light to a controversial cull of some 400-500 endangered sea birds on the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire. The birds are Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, both of which are protected species, but it is thought they pose a threat to aviation in the area and so the government will proceed with the removal.

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Scientists are devising a new method for tracking and counting bats which will be less intrusive and, it is hoped, less disruptive to the critters. It involves the use of a laser system called LIDAR.

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A study of Bullfinches indicates that they learn their songs in bits and pieces rather than as one whole linear melody. Captive Bullfinches are able to learn songs taught to them by humans in this way.

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The International Court of Justice in The Hague is hearing a suit brought by Australia against Japan that charges that Japan's so-called "research whaling" which kills hundreds of animals each year is simply a ruse for a commercial whaling operation. 

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The endangered Millerbird population on Hawaii's Laysan Island is making a comeback. The population has doubled since from the original 50 birds that were released on the island in 2011 and 2012 and is now up to 100.

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Assassin bugs are helpful allies to gardeners because they prey on some of our insect pests. Now a new species of assassin bug has been found in a cavern in Arizona. It's been christened the "labyrinth bug" and it probably won't be showing up in our gardens, but it's just nice to know it's there, doing its work underground.

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It seems that the Komodo dragon has had a bad rap all these years. The story about its dirty bacteria-laden mouth turns out not to be true. It's not bacteria from the dragon that kills big prey like water buffalo; it's actually venom. Recent scans of the critters show that they have venom glands in their mouth. 

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Around the backyard:

Birds and birder have been sweltering this week. My sprinklers have been in use on most days, as we continue to have no rain in sight. Birds love sprinklers, of course. When I look out my window at times I can see dozens of them happily taking showers under the sprinkler's spray.

The birds are thirsty, but they are also hungry. Seed and suet continue to disappear very quickly from my feeders. I find myself refilling them about every two to three days.

There are a couple of hummingbirds in my yard now, but they are not really visiting the feeders. There are plenty of flowers for them to sip from and they actually prefer that. I'm taking down all of my feeders except one that hangs in the shade next to my pond. There is no point in putting out sugar water that is just going to turn rancid before it is consumed.

If you have hummingbird feeders, please do remember that you need to clean and refill them frequently in this weather. When the temperature is at 100 degrees daily, it doesn't take long for the syrup to spoil.

ALSO, PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR BIRDBATHS CLEAN AND FILLED WITH FRESH WATER DAILY. IT IS A LIFESAVER FOR YOUR BIRDS.    

Wordless Wednesday: Nesting again!

This week in birds - #70

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

Picture of Chilean Woodstar by Jorge Herreros, courtesy of ABC.

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the Chilean Woodstar. In one of the driest deserts of the world, in northern Chile, this tiny hummingbird with a long forked tail and violet throat guards his territory among some chañar bushes along a wash surrounded by lifeless expanses of sand and rock. The Chilean Woodstar continues to hang on, but for how long? Its total population now numbers about 400. It is rated as endangered and its population is decreasing. It may well be on its way to extinction.

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The full Moon tomorrow night, June 23, will find our Moon at perigee in relation to the Earth - that is, it will be at its closest point to the Earth this year. Consequently, the full Moon will appear the biggest and brightest of the year to viewers on Earth. So, naturally, it has come to be hyped as the Supermoon. But in fact, you probably will not be able to notice the difference with the naked eye. This full Moon will look pretty much like all full Moons, which is to say, big and bright and gorgeous and definitely worth stepping away from the TV set and going outside to look at it.

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It sometimes seems that all the news from the world of conservation is doom and gloom so it was particularly gratifying to read a BirdLife report this week which outlined some notable conservation successes. The report listed six particular "success stories" - namely the Seychelles Magpie Robin, Black Robin, Mauritius Parakeet, Rarotonga Monarch, Asian Crested Ibis, and Lear's Macaw - where concerted efforts have brought species back from the brink of extinction.

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llIuminating Fossils tells us of a fossil of an ancient penguin found on Heard Island in the Indian Ocean. The penguin was unique in that it had yellow feathers.

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June 16 - 23 is National Pollinator Week. Have you done anything to make life better for the pollinators in your yard this week? Bug Girl has an interesting post about the importance of pollinators. The emphasis this year is on native bees as pollinators.

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Migratory shorebird populations are at great risk from rising sea levels due to global climate change, warns a recent scientific study. These birds play an important role in the distribution of nutrients within wetland and coastal ecosystems, and their loss could have unknown consequences for the rest of the world.

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Meanwhile, scientists are increasingly worried about the phenomenon of starving seabirds, most recently off the coast of Maine. It is believed that the starvation is being caused by global warming which is causing their main food sources to move to other areas.

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Fine particulate air pollution has serious health effects, including premature mortality, pulmonary inflammation, accelerated atherosclerosis, and altered cardiac functions. But urban trees play a big role in removing such fine particular matter from the air, thus saving lives.

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Perhaps the biggest threat to biodiversity on Earth is the ongoing global growth in the human population. New research indicates that this growth will inevitably crowd out mammals and birds and has the potential to threaten hundreds of species with extinction within 40 years.

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The Cape Parrot of South Africa is one of the most endangered parrots on Earth. Conservationists are trying to save the yellowwood forest which is its habitat and which is dwindling, further endangering the bird.

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The weird and unusual Chile Darwin’s frog (Rhinoderma rufum), whose tadpoles grew inside the vocal sacs of adult males, appears to be extinct. A four-year quest failed to turn up any evidence that the species still exists. The frogs were last seen in 1980. As you might guess from the name, the frog was first discovered and described by Charles Darwin.

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Around the backyard:

Mama Eastern Bluebird is now incubating four blue eggs in the bird box in the veggie garden. Each of her first two broods had five chicks, but she stopped at four this time.

Earlier this year, I described witnessing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird's courtship display and remarked that this was the first time I had ever seen one live. Well, now I've seen another! This time it was even more impressive.

I was watching a female hummingbird feed from the blossoms of a yellow cestrum plant in my backyard yesterday when suddenly a male hummer swooped in and hovered in front of her. He then flared out his scarlet gorget and flew back and forth horizontally in front of her several times. After making five or six such passes, he flew high into the air and began making the U-shaped dives that I had observed previously. Again, he did this a number of times. 

During all of his impressive display the female continued to sip from the blossoms and completely ignored him. Finally, he gave up and flew off while she continued to feed.

The Purple Martins are gathering. Soon they will be heading south once again, their sojourn with us complete for another summer. Usually they are gone from my neighborhood by about the Fourth of July.

Swifts in the chimney

We've had Chimney Swifts over our yard since early spring. I enjoy watching them dash around the sky in pursuit of flying insects and, sometimes it seems just for the pure joy of flying. These are birds that live their lives on the wing.

Some of them have been roosting in our chimney as they do every year. When I would be up late at night in my living room, I could hear their chittering somewhere high up in the chimney. But I didn't think they were nesting there this year. I was wrong, though.

When we returned from our trip earlier this week, the first thing I heard when I walked through the front door was the sound of hungry baby swifts begging for food. Since then, those tiny voices have grown stronger every day.

Their parents and a third helper work hard to keep the babies fed. Starting as soon as it is light in the morning and continuing until around 8:30 to 9:00 at night, every few minutes all day long you can hear the noise as the adults bring food to them.

Some people would consider their presence an annoyance. Indeed, most of our neighbors have their chimneys capped with screens to keep the birds out. But I enjoy the sound of one of my favorite summer visitors. When I was a child, we always had swifts nesting in our chimneys every year, so I suppose their presence in my home is a reminder of those carefree days.

I'm not sure how many babies we have, but, according to Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman, broods of 4-5 and sometimes as many as 6 are common. The eggs are incubated by both parents for around 20 days and, once the eggs hatch, the nestlings are fed by both parents and usually a third adult by regurgitating insects. They stay in the nest for about a month, but may begin to climb out of the nest and creep around the vertical walls when they are around 20 days old. Once they take that first flight, they are basically in the air for the rest of their lives except for their nighttime roosting.

Chimney Swifts are with us longer than most summer visitors. They arrive in early April and generally don't leave until late September. As far as I'm concerned though, they never overstay their welcome. They are nifty little birds, closely related to hummingbirds and just as much fun to watch.

Mississippi birds

We just returned from our annual trip to Mississippi to participate in the homecoming at the church where my parents are buried and to visit my family and lifelong friends there. It was a good trip - lots of friendly people and nice weather. Not unbearably hot as it is in some years.

The roadside wildflowers were at their peak and the bird life was plentiful. I didn't see any unusual birds. Indeed, most of the birds we encountered were ones that I might easily see in my own backyard, although a few of them would be considered unusual.

Notable examples were the Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Great Crested Flycatchers that seemed to be calling from every second tree. Both of them might be seen in my yard but haven't been in 2013. (I did hear one Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling here a few weeks ago.)

Another bird that was very common in north Mississippi where we were was the lovely little Indigo Bunting. In most years those birds do pass through my yard in April, but I didn't see a single one this year. They were busily nesting in the Mississippi woods and their musical songs were heard everywhere.

One bird which I missed during our visit - and I did sorely miss it because it is one of my favorite birds in the area - was the Eastern Towhee, a bird which I still remember by its more descriptive former name, Rufous-sided Towhee.

Eastern Towhee picture courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

In most years, I see a number of these lovely sparrow-like birds scrabbling around in the leaf litter on the ground or sometimes singing loudly from the tops of trees, but not this year. I didn't hear or see a single one.

One bird that I was delighted to discover there was the Osprey.

One day on the trip, we went out to Bay Springs Lake Recreational Area on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and there we encountered a pair of nesting Ospreys. These birds never used to be found in this area when I was growing up. They are flourishing now and that is all credit due to the Endangered Species Act.

The Ospreys and their nest were far out in the lake - really too far for the lens I had on my camera, but, of course, I had to try.

The nest of twigs and limbs was on a structure where barges tie up when they are waiting to pass through the lock on the river. One of the birds was on the nest, while the other circled overhead.

He was keeping a sharp eye on things below and probably looking for a big unwary fish in the amazingly clear water of the lake.

These are very large raptors with long and wide wings which give them great maneuverability in the skies and when they dive into the water after fish.

We watched the birds for quite some time. I saw one make a couple of dives but he came up empty. There are plenty of fish in the lake, so I'm sure they make a good living here.

Another bird which we saw and heard on the lake, one that never used to be in the area, was the Fish Crow. The calls of these birds, a distinctive and more nasal variation on the voice of the American Crow, sounded throughout the woods around the lake. The corvid population seemed about evenly divided between American Crows and Fish Crows.

I enjoyed my visit with the birds of Mississippi, even as I enjoyed my visit with its people. The avian world seems to be healthy and flourishing there and that is always good to see.

Lusty bluebirds

My pair of Eastern Bluebirds started nesting in February and the prolific birds have already produced two broods of little bluebirds, each of which had five babies. Doing the math, that means they've added a total of ten to the local bluebird population. 

Of course, I don't know if all of them have survived. It's a dangerous world out there for songbirds. But at least  some of them are still flying. I see them, identified by their speckled breasts and dull blues, around the yard almost every day.

You'd think these parent birds would be ready to rest on their laurels and take a well-deserved vacation. Boy, would you be wrong!

I noticed the birds hovering around their favorite box a few days ago and yesterday and today the female has been hard at work, constructing yet another nest of pine straw.

Unfortunately, I never did get around to properly cleaning out the box after their last brood fledged a few weeks ago. I did take the nasty nest out, but I didn't scrape and wash the walls as I usually do. I thought I had plenty of time! Maybe I can manage to at least scrape the poop off the walls if not wash them. Anyway, it probably bothers me more than it bothers the birds.

By the time the female finishes her nest, lays her eggs, broods them, and the pair raises them to fledging, it will be the middle of July or later, the hottest, harshest part of summer. Surely, the hard-working parents will then be ready to rest. But don't count on it - this is one lusty pair!

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For the next several days, the Backyard Birder will be the On-the-Road Birder. Posting will be sparse or nonexistent, but I'll be back before the Summer Solstice, so watch this space!

This week in birds - #69

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

Black-bellied Whistling Duck, the ubiquitous year-round duck of  Southeast Texas.

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A mismatch between the departure schedules of songbirds and higher spring temperatures at their breeding sites is putting them at risk, according to a new study out of York University. The study of Purple Martins concluded that the birds have not yet adjusted their migration schedule to fit the new climate reality. They still arrive at their breeding grounds at around the same time as they have during their recorded history.

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Did you know that this is National Moth Week? Moths, as all creatures in the wild, face many challenges to their survival, but scientists have identified a new one that is a bi-product of our modern culture - light pollution.  

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The huge ExxonMobil pipeline oil spill in Mayflower, Arkansas, that made news earlier this spring is still creating a huge mess and economic impact on that area. It is unknown when - or if - that mess will be completely cleaned up. This has again highlighted the dangers of these pipelines to human or animal life when they inevitably rupture and spill.

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Male ducks and geese have penises, unlike most birds that make do with a cloaca. Some of those penises are rather impressive; those of some ducks are as long as the bird's body! Why that is so and why we should care is the basis of some interesting research.

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The Dragonfly Woman had a chance to observe and photograph the emergence of some dragonflies from their nymph exoskeleton.

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The Hula painted frog, long thought to be extinct, has been discovered to be alive and well and living in an Israeli nature preserve. The newly renamed Latonia nigriventer may be the only surviving species of its genus. 

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The Atlantic Puffin population is at risk in the United States, and there are signs the seabirds are in distress in other parts of the world. The birds found in the Gulf of Maine have been dying of starvation and losing body weight and their chicks have a very low survival rate, all due, it is believed to the shifting of fish populations because of the warming ocean.

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It seems that Northern Gannets are surprisingly good neighbors to their fellow gannets. Each colony has its own exclusive fishing range and they do not poach on their neighbors despite doing nothing to defend their territory from rival colonies.

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The Skeptical Moth wonders if all butterflies in the U.S. have now been discovered and described. (I would say it seems very unlikely since new species of animals are being discovered all the time.) For sure there are many moth species still not described and documented.

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A study finds an evolving diversity of microbial life in the guts of adult and juvenile birds. The subject of the study was the Black-legged Kittiwake and researchers found that adults and chicks have very different bacteria in their guts.

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A recent study finds that climate science deniers are also more likely to be proponents of other conspiracy theories as well.

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Around the backyard:

Around the backyard this week, the birds and I are all just trying to stay cool!

The quiet time

Quiet. That's the first thing you notice when you walk into my yard these days.

The last of the winter birds, the Cedar Waxwings, are finally gone. I saw a small flock of the birds on Memorial Day, but I haven't seen any since then.

Spring migration is basically over. No more new voices being heard in the yard every day.

The first wave of fledglings from this spring are now pretty much "weaned" and on their own. Many of them come to the feeders on their own now, but they don't sing or make any noise. They don't usually beg for food from their parents any more.

And the parents themselves are either resting up and recovering from their labors of constantly caring for their young ones for weeks, or, in some cases, they are gearing up to raise another family, but they don't find much time for singing.

Birds still greet the sun in the morning, of course, as they have no doubt done from time immemorial. Their ancestor dinosaurs probably croaked and roared their greeting as well.

And in the late afternoon, after the sun has dropped below the treeline, the southern breeze picks up, and it becomes pleasant to sit on the patio, I can hear robins, cardinals, wrens, and especially Mourning Doves, as they settle down for the night. I particularly love the peaceful sound of those doves in the twilight.

But during most hours of the day now, except for the occasional noisy Blue Jay, the birds go about their activities silently. It is the quiet time of year in the bird calendar.

Wordless Wednesday: Carolina Wren

This week in birds - #68

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

Photo by Greg Lavaty courtesy of American Bird Conservancy.

The American Bird Conservancy's Bird of the Week is the pretty little Sage Sparrow. A bird of the western United States, it can be found breeding wherever its preferred habitat of tall, patchy sagebrush scrub and chaparral with bunchgrasses and some bare ground can be found. It typically winters in Arizona, southern New Mexico and south into Mexico.

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Did you hear about the new butterfly species that was discovered in Texas? It is called the Vicroy's Ministreak (Ministrymon janevicroy) and is very similar to the Gray Ministreak except that it has very striking green eyes. The butterfly is thought to be quite rare but can be found in dry forests and scrub from Texas to Costa Rica.

This is a Gray Hairstreak in my garden. You can't really see its eyes, but they are dark. Imagine a butterfly like this but with bright green eyes. That's the Vicroy's Ministreak.

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Scientists believe that the rat poison which some growers of illegal marijuana plantations in the Northwest are using to control vermin may be causing the deaths of endangered Northern Spotted Owls. The rats eat the poison and the owls eat the rats. Maybe they should cut out use of the poison and just let the owls control the rats.

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A new study has found that there are more birds at risk in the Brazilian forest than previously thought. Scientists identified 58 species that had severely fragmented habitat making their continued survival problematic.

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Have you ever misidentified a bird? In public? To other birders? Well, you are not alone. The blogger at The Drinking Bird feels your pain and freely admits that he has done it, too.

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Researchers in South Korea have found that the humble bumblebee can sometimes oust birds from their nests and take over those nests for their own. Apparently, it's the buzz that does it.

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The Archaeopteryx, dubbed "the first true bird" when its fossil was first identified in the 19th Century, has more recently been shifted out of the direct line of evolution of birds. But a recent discovery in China seems to have moved it squarely back into that line.

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Photo by National Parks and Wildlife Service of Australia.

These giant fluorescent pink slugs have been found living on a mountaintop in New South Wales in Australia. They live in an alpine forest habitat populated by organisms that are found nowhere else on the planet.

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Arctic Terns that breed in the northern part of The Netherlands have been found to follow a previously unknown route to their wintering grounds in the Antarctic. Their migration takes them through Australia. This was discovered by researchers when they fitted some of the birds with geolocators and tracked their flight.

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It has been known for some time that many amphibian species are in trouble, but new research makes clear that the problem is even worse than previously thought. Threats like habitat loss, disease, and climate change are pushing many frogs, toads, and salamanders to the brink of extinction. 

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Horseshoe crabs are used by some fishermen along the East Coast as bait for catching eels and whelk. But horseshoe crab eggs are essential to the survival of the endangered Red Knot, and over-harvesting of the crabs by humans has further imperiled the birds. Now researchers at the University of Delaware think they have found an artificial bait that will be a successful substitute for the crabs.

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Perhaps proving once again that it is an ill wind indeed that blows no good, it seems that global climate warming may have a beneficial effect on frogs suffering from a lethal skin disease caused by a fungus. The higher temperatures combat the growth of the fungus. 

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Around the backyard: 

This fledgling Downy Woodpecker has been following his father around the yard, learning where to find food. He's beginning to explore possible food sources on his own. I don't think he's going to find much in this post though! He'll learn.

Another youngster impatiently demanding Papa to bring his food is this fledgling Northern Cardinal waiting in a shrub. There are lots of young cardinals around the yard these days.

This Mama Red-bellied Woodpecker is grabbing some suet to take to her baby who is waiting in a shrub nearby. My suet cakes are disappearing at a rapid rate these days as they are favored by parent birds feeding their babies and by fledglings just learning to feed themselves.