When you have been birding, have you ever had someone ask you to name a bird he or she sees? If you are wearing your binoculars, you are an easy target for that kind of question. This is a true little story of what happened to me one day at the Kachina Wetlands Sanctuary just outside Flagstaff.
I was walking along the big pond on a lovely Spring day. The Wetlands sports a huge number of species and, on that day, they were doing their usual territorial best to attract my attention. I was not alone. A pair of ladies of a certain age walked up to me. I could tell that they were not birders because they were not wearing the mandatory binoculars. I turned and smiled, knowing what kind of question they would ask me.
“Hi, young fella. (I was immediately flattered) what’s the name of those black birds with the red wings?” This was not what I wanted them to ask because I had to answer: “Those are Red-winged Blackbirds”. They paused and looked at each other as if to decide whether I should be believed or reported as some kind of wise guy. They decided to try one more.
“What’s the black bird with the yellow head?” Oh, no… anything but that. There are lots of birds here. Why must they ask about that one! But I could not lie and blurted out the only correct answer: “Those are Yellow-headed Blackbirds.” Dead silence. Then they both turned and walked away from me never to be seen again. What should I have said? Maybe: Yellow headed swamp rats? Certainly not red-sided polecats.
It does give me pause to wonder about how some birds get their names. Sometimes ornithologists seem to have an odd sense of humor and sometimes they just seem to lack imagination.
During migration, Yellow-headed Blackbirds can be seen here: Bubbling Ponds
I’m sure you know that birds molt their feathers. After all, you change your clothes so why shouldn’t birds change their feathers? It seems fair to me. But, at sometime during the day, you probably have a time when all your clothes are off. Imagine a time when a bird is devoid of all its feathers. It’s not a pretty image and, fortunately, it never happens.
How embarrassing
Birds do not molt all their feathers at the same time. If they did, they would either freeze or learn to run fast since the could not fly. In a Darwinian sense, any bird species that ever dropped all its feathers at the same time has long since vanished from the face of the earth. Talk about bad genes!
But feathers do wear out and need to be replaced, so what strategies have been worked out over the millennia to allow for this changing while still promoting the survival of a bird species?
Some evolutionary strategies are rather complex (diving physiology in dolphins, for example) and some are pretty simple and straightforward. Bird molting is simple. Molting is accomplished in a phased out manner. For example, many birds drop just a few primary feathers while keeping the others to provide enough lift for flight. Some species phase tail feather molts from the outside feathers working toward the inside ones so the bird can still maneuver.
Avian molting is very interesting and it has drawn a great deal of scientific attention. Audubon has a great article that you will want to read: Understanding the Basics of Bird Molts | Audubon .
Come out to Bubbling Ponds at various times of the year and find the Summer Tanagers as they go from red to green: Bubbling Ponds .
What is the one thing you always see a birder wearing? Well, besides shoes. That’s right! Birders all wear binoculars or some form of optical equipment. If birds behaved well and sat on your finger, a birder could save a lot of money, but that’s just not how it works. So, let’s talk about the most common piece of optics – the binoculars. More to the point let’s think about comfort.
Binocular Carry Harness
Most binoculars come equipped with the usual neck strap. This is fine in cold weather if you are wearing something with a thick collar. But if you just have a shirt, that strap gets rather uncomfortable after a while. One solution is let someone else carry your optics, but that might not be the foundational basis of a friendship.
Happily, there is a common and inexpensive way of carrying your binoculars that is very comfortable. Presenting the Carry Harness. You have probably seen these on many birders who still practice that upright stance of your ancestors. These are easily found on the internet or by using the banner link provided below. They cost very little. They are worth a great deal.
A fine point here is the height with which you adjust the straps. I like to keep my binoculars high so they don’t bounce around as I walk. You might prefer a low rider. Be aware that the elastic will stretch over time. I find myself replacing my harness every two years or so. It’s cheaper than a bottle of aspirin.
Here is a great hike and great place to try out your new harness: Bubbling Ponds
It’s one thing to look outside our bedroom window and see several House Finches or Gold Finches. Sure, that happens every day. But, I pulled back the drapes and saw not one, but 5 Great Horned Owls sitting in our Ash tree not 25 feet away. I knew it was going to be a special day.
Our Juvenile Great Horned Owl
As it turned out, they were three juveniles and the two parents. It was quite a revelation since they weren’t there the day before. It would have been surprising enough if we had or two followed by the others, but all five came together. Over the next two weeks I got a better understanding of what “together” actually meant.
By the end of that first week, the parents (or so I assume) disappeared and we were left with three youngsters. These three were clearly fledged but had not yet developed the characteristic “horns”. Great Horned Owls are known for their long-term care of the young and I am assuming that I saw the end of that period of care. The young were not yet ready to venture forth on their own. I saw one juvenile busily working on something which I took to be a mouse or some other tasty morsel. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a twig from the tree. That bird had a lot to learn about proper nutrition.
Although we only had the adults for a week, the three kids stayed with us in our tree for several weeks. They were flying just fine from the very beginning, so I could only assume that we were witness to the end of “family time”.
Although I have looked, I have never found an owl nest in our neighborhood. Yet, I have heard hoots for years. Where did they come from and where did they go? I have no idea. The biologist in me knows that any large area has a “carrying capacity” which means that our area can only support a finite number of top level predators like owls. I do wonder how three more owls will fit into our neighborhood. Maybe there needs to be an importation of very small dogs?
If you see me out birding, please do not ask me that question. I will look at you and ask, “Have you seen any bad ones?” I suppose I know what a “good bird” is. It’s most likely either a rare bird (to an experienced birder) or a pretty bird (to the lady walking her dog). And, so, I ask: “What is a bad bird?” Is a Turkey Vulture a bad bird? If so, is a Lazuli Bunting a good bird? If I ask these questions, I get some “bad looks”.
Yellow rumped Warbler
But here’s the thing: “good” and “bad” are very subjective and personal evaluations. For example, we have a seed feeder outside the window of our BnB and the only birds that visit it are House Finches and Lesser Gold finches. There are lots of them. These are common birds, and a birder might even consider them “junk birds” not worth observing.
But our guests are delighted, by these little birds. These folks simply enjoy watching them crowd the feeder and interact with one another. They are not seeing traffic on the highway or crowds at Wal-Mart. They are watching nature without a TV set. Perhaps they have never seen that before. Our guests rarely remark about how pretty the Goldfinches are because these are just more birds in motion. So, are these common back yard birds “good birds”? You bet they are.
A similar situation occurs with our local Audubon chapter. They don’t do many field trips in the Summer or in the Winter because “There are no birds”. I guess they all came to our feeders. If you take out non-birders and see just a few drab Winter birds, those non-birders would be delighted – unless the guide did not even bother to feature those unremarkable birds.
Here is a good article that puts a different spin on “bad birds”: Meet the Backyard Birds With a Bad Reputation – Birds and Blooms
So, if you ask me that question, you might get a scowl or a growl – on a good day.
We know you love birds. That’s why you are here and reading this article. We can also guess that you like plants (the birds do, also). Have you ever thought about whether birds all look at all plants in the same way? Certainly, an Ann’s Hummingbird might be expected to have a completely different reaction to the Redwood Forest than it would to a clump of nice little red Penstemon. But do Bewick’s Wrens and Lesser Goldfinches make distinctions amount the plants in your yard?
It turns out that those two bird species have very different “uses” for any given plant in your yard. True, almost any plant will provide cover for the wren, but the goldfinch doesn’t run around on the ground. Some plants provide the wrens with insect food but that has little attraction for a goldfinch. On the other hand, a plant that produces small seeds will be important to the goldfinch but might not be so terrific to the wren.
If you start to look at your yard as a multileveled resource, you might throw up your hands in frustration. Fortunately, the Audubon Society is offering you a different approach entirely. They have an on-line program that asks you where you live (zip code) and then gives you a long list of plants that will grow in your neighborhood. But there is more! The site will also tell you which local bird species are most likely to be attracted to which plant species. Conversely, the site will let you pick out bird species you like and will tell you what plant species to put in your yard. It is a remarkable tool that you will want to experience and use. Click here to go to it: Native Plants | Audubon
Growth of Merlin use. Graph be Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal
Do You Use Merlin? If not, you probably think I am referring to the character in the legends of King Arthur. In some respects, you would not be very far off. What that Magian was to Camelot, the software of the same name is to modern birding. The Merlin bird software on your smart phone has the power to transform your birding day into a much more productive experience than you had imagined. Merlin will not only identify the birds you hear but cannot see, but it will also identify birds you cannot even hear. I know for sure that Merlin’s ears are much better than mine. It’s simply uncanny. But don’t take my word it, read this article to learn how powerful a tool Merlin has become. It’s amazing! READ MORE.
“Hey, What’s The Bird With The Big Feet?” Many years ago, I was a staff biologist at a museum in Ohio and we had several live animals on exhibit. One such animal was a medium sized black bird with huge feet and these feet sparked the question from many school kids. When I said, “That bird is a Coot.”, I don’t think they took me seriously. I don’t blame them. The bird is not a great testament to aerodynamic design, nor is it colorful (it is black). So, one does ask, “Why the Coot?”. Did God just have a bad day?
Let’s start with the basics: birds fly unless it is an Ostrich. Coots can fly for short for short distances, but they have to run across the water for almost as far as they can fly just to get to take-off speed. Most ducks seem to be helicopters as they go almost vertically. But not Coots.
Most ducks “talk” with a recognizable quack. But not Coots. (BTW, Coots are not ducks) They just grunt. Maybe they just don’t have anything good to say. But they grunt almost constantly as they paddle along. It is thought that Coots use their grunts and clicks to communicate. If so, then they must have a “language of sorts, but it seems that this has not attracted the attention of serious ornithologists.
So, what do Coots eat? They eat the vegetation along the edges of ponds. One estimate from Back Bay, Virginia, suggested that the local coot population ate 216 tons (in dry weight) of vegetation per winter. Most of this food is just under the surface. Actually, they walk on their dinner. But they do have those enormous feet which keep them from sinking into it.
The real high point of the Coot story is that they are very common and are almost always in motion which makes them good subjects for the casual birder on the shore.
If you were to ask me that question, I might answer with “What earthly good is a chocolate chip cookie?”. Although I dearly love chocolate chip cookies, you might think they are simply awful. So, is that cookie objectively good? No, it is not. But it’s not objectively bad either. Let’s think about birds instead of cookies. Besides, birds never made anyone gain weight.
Birds add beauty and delight to our lives. Anyone who actually birdwatches knows this.
Birds are fascinating to watch since they are almost always in motion. We have a concrete patio, and I marvel at the many times a finch will peck small seeds without beating its brains out.
Birds are an integral part of any natural ecosystem. They spread seeds and pollinate, they help control bothersome insects.
Do you like Hollyhocks? We bet that you do not like them as much as Hummingbirds do. After all, you can simply go the refrigerator for dinner, but the little hummingbird finds a whole food source in your garden of hollyhocks. For that matter, you probably have a hummingbird feeder or two, but that’s not same as a big red flower in your yard. Think of it this way: you can have a great dinner but you can get the same food value from a mixture of various health drinks. Which one makes you happy? The hummingbird has evolved over countless centuries of getting food from the center of a plant. If we may get a bit Darwinian here, The feeder might be easier, but the flower completes a natural line.
Hollyhocks are obviously great food plants for hummers. They also look great in your yard. We say: “Go for it!” . However (must there always be a “however”?), hollyhocks are an invasive plant species from Asia and can become an issue if they are controlled. So might say, “They breed like rabbits”. SO, plant them but watch them. You can read more here: How to Grow, Plant, and Care for Hollyhocks| Almanac.com
When you have been birding, have you ever had someone ask you to name a bird he or she sees? If you are wearing your binoculars, you are an easy target for that kind of question. This is a true little story of what happened to me one day at the Kachina Wetlands Sanctuary just outside Flagstaff.
