Mourning Doves

I went into my garden to find beauty. This Mourning Dove sat quietly and calmly beneath the tube feeders. Perhaps it was waiting for the songbirds to drop seeds they don't want from the tube feeder onto the the ground. The Doves could then eat the dropped seeds.



 After a moment or two, I noticed the chest feathers on this bird's breast. The ruffled feathers are just over the bare spot birds have. The feathers overlap and cover a spot which has no feathers on it. I think all birds that incubate eggs have these bare spots. The bare skin transfers body heat to the eggs, helping to warm them.

Mourning Doves have chicks from February until November. They don't have to wait until the insects and spiders are abundant like other birds.

The sound of cooing signals the mating and courtship of a pair of Doves.

From the ruffled appearance of the breast feathers, I assume that this bird is incubating eggs. If this is true, then this bird might be a female as males incubate during the day and females during the night.

Mourning Doves feed their young a form of milk they make in their crop. It is called "pigeon milk" or crop milk. Both male and female doves make this milk. It is secreted by the crop lining. The milk is an extremely nutritious food with more protein and fat than is found in either cow's milk or human milk.

Flamingos also produce a milk-like substance to feed their young.

The young doves insert their beaks into the corner of their parents mouths. This action stimulates the parents to produce the milk.

The chicks are fed this milk for five to ten days after hatching and then they are gradually introduced to a diet of regurgitated seeds or fruit.

The Earth is a fascinating and mysterious place, where birds make milk and chipmunks sleep through the winter.

To read more about Mourning Doves visit Cornell Lab of Ornithology  of Birds website.

Wildlife Rehabilitation in Philly

Peregrine Falcon at Academy of Natural Sciences

 The Schuylkill Wildlife Rehab Center in Roxobourgh was highlighted on NBC Channel 10. The center is the only rehab center in the area. It is the place you take an injured hawk, possum or owl.

There is a short video on the center and the work they do.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/shows/nonstop/Dawn_s_Pet_Project__Wildlife_Rehabilitation_Philly_Style_Philadelphia-116674229.html

The center will have a Wildlife Clinic orientation on Wednesday March 16th or Saturday, March 19th for those who might like to work rehabilitating injured animals.

The Clinic at 304 Port Royal Ave. on

Wednesday, March 16th

from  6:30pm to 7:30pm or

Saturday, March 19th

from 11am to 12pm

for an introduction to the Clinic. 

Go to ww.schuylkillcenter.org for more information.

Great backyard Bird Count - Starts this Friday

This Friday, I will be participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count. It runs from Friday, February 18 through Monday, February 21, 2011.  It is the first time I have submitted data for this citizen science project. I don't think it will be much different from Project Feederwatch, that I participate in.

The Great Backyard Bird Count, like Project Feederwatch, monitors the abundance, distribution and winter bird movement of birds in North America.

I think it is important to count and submit data on urban birds. An article, last year, in the scientific journal Nature, revealed that ecologists have neglected the study of urban ecosystems.  There is a notion afoot, that animals and plants must disappear (die off) in the presence of humans. The numbers are often reduced, but many animals live in cities. What I often write about is how we can provide good lives for all the inhabitants of the city, human and non-human.

The Color Red in Winter

Another winter collage

Hairy Woodpecker Fights Back - Project Feederwatch Update

A female Hairy Woodpecker keeping House Sparrows away

There was a little ruckus at my suet feeder the other day. Even though Hairy woodpeckers (Picoides villosus) will share a feeder with other birds, this female was not putting up with the gregarious and pushy House Sparrows (Passer domesticus).

You can just make out the woodpecker hiding behind the center stick.

Whenever a House Sparrow tried to eat some of the suet, the woodpecker hid, then lunged at them and drove them away. I don't blame her. If she hadn't, a gang of House Sparrows probably would have done the same to her. Hairy woodpeckers eat suet and black oil sunflower seeds at my feeders. These foods supplements their basic winter diet, of overwintering beetle larvae and ants found in tree bark.

I know this is a Hairy Woodpecker and not a Downy (Picoides pubescent), because I finally learned a reliable method to tell them apart. The Hairy doesn't have black spots on the white tail feathers, a Downy does. The Downy does have a smaller beak and head than the Hairy, but sometimes it is hard to judge.

Hairy Woodpeckers don't migrate. They are year-round residents here in Pennsylvania. They are often seen in residential areas in winter. Hairys mate for life and keep the same territory all their lives. So, this is probably the female that visits my feeders in the summer nesting season. Her mate is probably the male that also visits from time to time. Hairy Woodpeckers roost in tree cavities during winter nights.

Hairys begin courtship display in November and continue throughout the winter. During courtship, woodpeckers drum on large trees and branches rather than sing. So, listen for the sound of fast drumming, echoing in the still winter air.

Enjoying a quiet, undisturbed meal.

The Most Common Winter Birds in Philadelphia

Dark-eyed Junco

Learn the birds on this list and amaze your family and friends with your Philadelphia natural history knowledge.

You don't need to know hundreds of birds, just the ones that occur in your area during particular seasons. There are only 20-30, common and easily found, species of birds living in cold winter areas. This list has 26 species.

There are some birds that I need to know better. Sparrows still confuse me. They aren't called "little brown jobs" for nothing. I would also like to know Red-tailed Hawk plumages.

Using this list, helps me to focus on what is important to know.

Below are the most widespread and easily found birds in the City of Philadelphia during the winter.  The information holds for areas close to the city, give or take a few species.

The information was gleaned from the 24th annual Philadelphia Mid-Winter Bird Census, held on Saturday January 9, 2010 and conducted by the Delaware Valley Ornithology Club.

Starting with the most common and widespread species:

1. Downy Woodpecker
2. Northern Cardinal
3. Carolina Chickadee
4. Song Sparrow
5. White-throated Sparrow 
6. American Robin (often hanging out in wooded areas)
7. Carolina Wren
8. Mourning Dove
9. Tufted Titmouse
10. House Sparrow 
11. Blue Jay (wooded areas)
12. White-breasted Nuthatch
13. Northern Mockingbird
14. Red-bellied Woodpecker
15. Red-tailed Hawk
16. American Goldfinch
17. Dark-eyed Junco
18. European Starling
19. American Crow
20. Canada Goose
21. Rock Pigeon (the common gray jobs that frequent city streets)
22. Ring-billed Gull
23. Mallard
24. House Finch
25. Hairy Woodpecker
26. Northern Flicker

Project Feederwatch offers free posters of common eastern or western winter feeder birds for download and printing.

Find out about birds at All About Birds http://www.allaboutbirds.org/, a comprehensive resource for information on North American birds by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Bird Feeders Replaced after Squirrel Attack

Three weeks ago, I had to replace my hanging tube feeder, the Squirrel Buster.  My old one succumbed to the skills of the squirrels. The squirels can not eat the seeds with the feeder hanging from a post, so they teamed up to knock it down.

summer photo of squirrel working on the Squirrel Buster.

The squirrels destroyed it by knocking the stand down, which cracked the plastic tube which holds the seeds. I just saw the stand crashing to the ground as two squirrels high-tailed in out of my garden.

I was so ticked off, I wouldn't write about it until I cooled off. Which is now. It took me three weeks to get over the annoyance, forget the money I had to spend and like the squirrels again.

This is one of my new feeders. It is a Squirrel Buster Classic. I stuck with the Squirrel Buster because they do work and last awhile. I bought two this time, a small and a larger one. I like the wire cage on the outside, which will protect the plastic tube from cracking during squirrel attacks.

House Sparrows on new Squirrel Buster

I ordered my new Brome 1055 Squirrel Buster Mini and Brome 1015 Squirrel Buster Classic from Amazon.com.

For those of you who are just starting out feeding birds, here is a good article on what types of feeders to use, 5 Best Bird Feeders for Winter | Audubon Magazine Blog

Winter - a photo collage

Winter

Top left: female Red-tailed Hawk lives in the Philadelphia area year-around.

Top right: White Pine cones

Bottom left: Last of the Oak leaves falling from the branches

Bottom right: Full moon on the Winter Solstice, December 22, 2010

Winter Birds and Winter Food

Birds at my feeders, through the years.

The ability to require food is what determines whether birds stay the winter or not. This collection of photos were all taken in my backyard. These are some of the hardy birds that stick around during cold winter weather in Philadelphia and elsewhere. There are only 20 -30 land birds (common and easily found), which stay in cold winter in North America.

These birds will feed on seeds of grasses, flower, trees and shrubs, on the still hanging fruit of fall-fruiting shrubs. And on the insect eggs and hibernating insects hidden in the nooks and crannies of trees and shrubs. 

In winter there are no airborne insects for aerial feeders like warblers, swifts and flycatchers, so these birds go where the insects are hovering in the air, Central and South America.

Slowly moving water like ponds and lakes, freeze over in cold weather. So the ducks, herons, rails and sandpipers move to open, unfrozen water. In the Philadelphia, these birds can be found along the Delaware and other Rivers, in Tinicum Marsh and Atlantic Ocean along the Jersey and Delaware shores.

Of the birds pictured in the collage above, the Dark-eyed Juncos migrates to the Philadelphia area and Delaware Valley. The Juncos breed in conifer forest far to the north and migrate south in the fall. They spend the winter from southern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. 

Each fall I look for them underneath the shrubs in my backyard. When they arrive it is a clear sign the wheel of the seasons is turning and living beings are following their instructions on how to live.  

Top left: Mourning Dove, top right: Dark-eyed Junco

Lower left: male Cardinal, lower right: Chickadee (Carolina/Black-capped, I live in an area were they hybridize)

Colorful Evening Visitors - Project Feederwatch Report

Male Cardinal waits his turn at tray feeder.

The colorful native birds arrive at my backyard feeder in the very late afternoon. I went to replenish the feeders at 4 o'clock, and the Cardinal pair and a female Hairy Woodpecker were already eating.

The woodpecker pecked at the suet cake, just as she would peck at hibernating insects and eggs in the tree trunks.

female Hairy Woodpecker

She lacks the bright red patch on the back of her head that the male Hairy Woodpecker has. But I could see she was a Hairy woodpecker by the lack of spots on her outer tail feathers. The Downy Woodpeckers have black spots on their tails.

The Cardinals were foraging for seeds underneath the feeders, but few were left. The gregarious hoard of House Sparrows had cleaned the area out earlier in the day.

I like the House Sparrows, but their pushy ways and loudness, get on my nerves. I kind of resent them. These invaders from the other side of the world, keep the native birds away from the feeders.

Eat, eat my little friends! (House Sparrows)

They are fun to watch. They vocalize all day. They travel in packs. And they eat the full buffet I put out at my feeders, black oil sunflower seeds, suet, millet and Nyjer seed. I guess this is why they are so successful and numerous. I am trying to love House Sparrows.

Dark-eyed Junco

Eight dark-eyed Juncos hopped into view from under the shrubs. When the House Sparrows are around, there are at most, three Juncos in my garden. I had no idea there were so many of these little birds in my garden.

In the fading light the birds left my garden, one by one.

Location: My backyard, Philadelphia, PA; Time: 4:00 - 4:57 pm

Weather: cold 28 degrees F, clear, breezy H: 26 degrees F, L: 22 degrees F

Species seen: Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), Northern Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinals), and Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides pubsecens)

My Project Feederwatch Photo Gallery

Naturalist News - December 2010

Mourning Dove in my garden in previous years.

Bird feeding is the primary birding activity this month. So, this month's newsletter has a distinct bird vibe.

Winter is a rough season for birds. The birds that don't leave the area are the rugged and hearty souls that eat seeds and glean insect eggs and hibernating insects from trees and woody plants.

Providing food (seeds and suet) and water for our bird relatives is a good way to help them through the winter.

I buy a 40lb bag of black-oil sunflower seeds for about $25.00 from Schuylkill Environmental Center. Members get extra discounts.

This giant bag will last for several months. I also provide suet for woodpeckers, Titmice, Nuthatches and Chickadees. The House Sparrows will also eat it. I keep my Nyjer seed feeders filled for the finches. Suet, Black-oil sunflower and Nyjer seeds. That's about it. I keep it simple to keep the costs down.

Tufted Titmouse

Nature Calendar
December 5 - New moon
December 13 - First Quarter Moon
December 21 - Full Moon
December 22 - Winter Solstice, Winter begins
December 28 - Last Quarter Moon


Citizen Science to Participate in...
Project Feeder Watch
Count the birds that visit your feeders in this easy citizen science project that generates data on the abundance of North American birds.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/

The Great Christmas Bird Count
From to , count birds in a group or in your backyard.
http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count


What to Observe (and sketch and photograph) Right Now
Watch the birds that come to your feeders


Waterfowl at Tinicum and other large, open bodies of water, like rivers
http://www.fws.gov/heinz/sightings.htm

Observe Bald Eagles fishing on the Susquehanna
http://www.donnallong.com/2010/12/bald-eagles-at-conwingo-dam-close-to.html


Learn Right Now
Feeder Types
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/FeederTypes.htm

The 5 Best Bird Feeders for Winter
http://magblog.audubon.org/5-best-bird-feeders-winter

What to Feed Birds - Bird Seed Preferences - Project Feeder Watch
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/BirdFoods.htm

Learn to identify winter feeder birds

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/index.html

Tricky bird IDs
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/TrickyBird_IDs.htm

Get a Free Winter Bird Mini-Poster from Project Feeder Watch

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/FreeDownloads.htm

Or buy the Stokes Guides to Birds. It has a 4-page color spread of backyard feeder birds. Western or Eastern versions are available.

Support local nature centers by purchasing bird seed and feeding equipment. Places like Lowe's, Home Depot and garden centers also have bird feed.

Black-capped/Carolina Chickadee near my garden.

Bald Eagles at Conwingo Dam, close to Philadelphia

Location: Conowingo Dam, Susquehanna River,  Cecil and Harford counties in Maryland. Weather: Clear, sunny, cold, windy on the river, high - 40 degrees F, Low 27 degrees F.  Habitat: River, Floodplain Forest, hydroelectric dam.

 I finally went to see the Bald Eagles fish at Conowingo Dam. I have wanted to go for several years to see Bald Eagles un-caged and free. I got up early Saturday morning (even though I didn't want to) and my mother and I drove an hour and one half, down US Route 1. Just 5 miles over the Pennsylvania border, is the Conowingo Dam. The Dam crosses the big, mighty Susquehanna River. Directions were straight and easy. I didn't take pictures of the dam, because homeland security is an issue there.

Mature Bald Eagle in a Sycamore tree.

Along the river banks is a paved observation area were birders and naturalists can hold their breath and watch the majestic birds that have come to symbolize America.

I tried out my new binoculars and marveled at the clear image and the buff-gold edge of this mature Bald Eagle's plumage.  And look at the bulk of those legs. I am sure most of the bulk are down feathers. It was very cold, specially with the wind and movement of the water in the river. I doubt if the Eagles felt the cold.



I never really thought about how the white head matches the white tail of the mature Bald Eagle.  This raptor perched, high above the spectators below. Us and the Eagles were situated downstream of the dam.

The Bald Eagles are primarily fish eaters. The water level was high in the Susquehanna, because of the heavy rain a couple days before. The dam engineers were releasing quite a bit of water downstream.  The release of so much water made fishing difficult for the Eagles.

 

Bald Eagle eating a fish.

The big birds perched and waited, And then Swoosh! Down they swept to the water and rose into the air clutching a fish. It didn't take long for this bird to eat the fish. After the bird was finished, gulls swooped down for scraps.

Giving the Eagle Eye.

It was a great morning. I saw this wonderful bird of prey, not on television in a nature program, but up close and free. And not too far from Philadelphia. It was just, too cool.

Other species seen: Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias), Gulls spp., and Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus).

All photos taken by Donna L. Long, December 4, 2010.

Hawk Migration at Cape May Point State Park

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Saturday, My mother and I went down to Cape May Point State Park to watch the myriad of hawks that pass by this part of the pennisula.

Cape May Point State Park is at the very tip of New Jersery. It is the last land stop before the birds either fly across the Atlantic Ocean or the Delaware Bay.

It is a natural funnel. Many species of birds fly overhead or land in Cape May County. Birds are studied here all year around but the fall migration is a spectacular time. Over 300 birds species have been spotted in Cape May.

We arrived late, a little after 10 am. The directions I used were confusing. We arrived as the regular Saturday morning, hawk banding demonstration was going on. I got some really good photos of the hawks.

Sharp-shinned or Cooper's ?

After the demo we went to the Raptor ID Workshop given by the Cape May Bird Observatory and learned even more.

Hawk Watching Platform 

Finally, we made it to the hawk watching platform. It was full of birding enthusiasts. There are always spotters who call out the birds flying toward us. This was very helpful. Sometimes I think the "spotters" have the most extraordinary vision to see the birds so far off in the distance. One day I would like to be good enough that I can be a spotter and call out the birds. 

After watching the hawks for awhile we walked along the beach and behind the dunes.

behind the dunes

migrating Monarch (Danus plexippus) on Seaside Goldenrod

The dunes is where the migrating Monarch butterflies tend to rest. The strong winds had caused them to stop and rest on the few remaining plants with nectar.

The beach had few people on it. The sand was clean and smooth. A few shorebirds walked along the surf.

gull at Cape May Point

It was a good day.

Raptor species spotted: Osprey, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, American Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Butterflies: Monarchs, Common Buckeyes, and numerous tiny dark butterflies too small to see clearly.

In bloom: Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) and New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

I bought this book at the Park shop and can't wait to dig into it. The Suttons have included a wealth of information about Cape May. It is a thick book, 568 pages, and each one full of information.

Bird Migration Routes - Do You Live Near One?

Flyways map courtesy Fish & Wildlife Service

Flyways are heavily traveled routes bird use during migration. During migration, birds tend to follow physical features such as coastlines, mountain ranges and river valleys.

In the 1930's investigators became impressed by what appeared to be four broad, heavily traveled "highways" in North America. This concept was based on several thousand records of migratory waterfowl.

The "highways" were only approximate and many birds migrate outside of them.

W.W. Cook identified seven generalized routes for birds leaving the United States on their way to various wintering grounds (see map above). The routes by which birds return northward in the spring are not as well known.

Look over the following list and the map above to see if you live on or near a migration route. 

Main Migration Routes in North America

Atlantic Oceanic Route (route 1) This route mostly travels across the Atlantic Ocean. It stretches from Labrador and Nova Scotia to the Lesser Antilles, then through a small group of islands to the mainland of South America. Since this route is almost entirely over water, the only way humans know about it, is through observations on islands like Bermuda and those islands along the way. Birds usually fly this route by both day and night.

Atlantic Coast Route and Tributaries (route 2) The Atlantic coastline is a regular route of travel. It has many famous birding hotspots for observing both land and water birds. About 50 different kinds of landbirds that breed in New England follow the coast southward to Florida and travel by island and mainland to South America. At no time are these air travelers out of sight of land. It is not however the favored migration highway. Only about 25 species of birds use this route to go to their winter homes beyond Cuba to Puerto Rico. This was known as the Atlantic Flyway. This is the route that covers the sky over Philadelphia, Delaware and the Jersey Shore.

Mackenzie Valley-Great Lakes- Mississippi Valley Routes and Tributaries (route 3) This migration route is the longest of any in the Western Hemisphere. It extends from the Mackenzie Valley past the Great Lakes and down to the Mississippi valley. Its northern end is on the arctic coast in the regions of Kotzebue Sound, Alaska and the mouth of the Mackenzie River. The southern end lies in Argentina.

For more than 3,000 miles, from the mouth of the Mackenzie to the Mississippi delta, this route is uninterrupted by mountains. Because it has plenty of trees and water, the area is a great place to view great numbers of migrating birds. During the height of migration, going to birding hotspots in the Mississippi Valley, allow birders to can see large numbers of many species. Swarms of birds are spotted on the islands off the coast of Louisiana. This was known as the old Mississippi Flyway. (route 4)

This route begins in the Mackenzie River delta in Alaska. Some places in this area, such as the National Bison range at Moise, Montana, have food in such abundance that birds stop here during migration to refuel. This was known as the old Central Flyway.

Pacific Coast Route (route 5) The Pacific Coast Route is not as long or heavily traveled as some of the others. Because of the nice living conditions, many species of birds breeding along the coast from the northwestern states up to southeastern Alaska either do not migrate or else make short journeys. This route has its origin chiefly in Western Alaska around the Yukon river delta. Large numbers of arctic-breeding shorebirds also use this route. This was known as the old Pacifc Flyway.

Pacific Oceanic Route (route 6) This route is mainly over water. It extends from the islands of the Bering Strait through the islands of the central Pacific and northward along the Asiatic Coast. Many seabirds that breed in the far northern coasts, southern coasts and islands migrate across the Pacific away from land and except when the breeding season approaches. Incredibly, birds navigate to tiny isolated islands in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean.

Arctic routes (route 7) Some arctic nesting birds travel only a short distance south in winter. They fly mainly along the coast. The best defined arctic route in North America follows the coast of Alaska.

More Information:
Flyways.us
http://www.flyways.us/flyways/info

Information courtesy of: "Migration of Birds: Routes of Migration",http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/migratio/routes.htm March 09, 2007. 

Garden Flowers to Attract Birds.

American Goldfinch

Plants are very useful in attracting birds to your garden. 

I snapped this photo of a male American Goldfinch eating Purple Coneflower seeds. 

Seeing a Goldfinch dining on flower seeds,  lets us know that it is time to stop deadheading the flowers.  Finches and other seed eating birds like House Finches will eat the seeds of plants through the autumn and winter.

If you have native flowers with plenty of delicious seeds, you can leave the seed heads up until the birds pick them clean.

Yet, an another way to attract birds to your garden.

Here is a list of summer and autumn blooming flowers which provide seeds for birds. 

Native Plants

• Sunflowers (Helianthus species)
• Cup Plant (Siliphium perfoliatum)
• Wild Senna (Cassia bebecarpa)
• Blazing Stars (Liatris species)
• Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
• Goldenrod (Solidago species)
• Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia species)
• Joe-pye Weed (Eupatorium species)
• Ironweed (Veronica noveboracensis)
• Coreopsis (Coreopsis species)
• Asters (Asters species)
• Sedums species (esp. Autumn Joy)
• Zinnias (Zinnia species)

Non-native Plants

• Marigolds (Tagetes species)
• Cosmos (Cosmos species)

Maybe a few of these plants can be added to your 'garden wish list' for next spring.

Mourning Dove in my garden (last fall) 

Attracting birds in this hot weather is easy, I keep my water dishes filled.

It is hot here in Philadelphia. The thermometers hit the 100˚ mark yesterday and probably will today also.

Providing water is a inexpensive way to attract birds, butterflies and other animals to your garden, patio or balcony. 

Setting out water dishes of clean water is a good way to help the local animals.  Birds will drink and bathe in a dish and various insects will visit also. 

It is simple and you probably have a suitable container in the house right now. It can be a trash can lid, large flower pot  saucer, a swallow dish, or commercial made fancy item. 

The dish needs to be swallow, no more than 2 inches deep. We wouldn’t want baby birds to drown. I like to add rocks in my water dishes, so small birds can perch on them to drink if they feel more comfortable. 

I stopped putting my water dish on the ground as cats are able to attack birds that are on the ground more easily. 

Right now my water dish is hanging from a tall shepherd’s hook. I don’t like it there but I feel obligated not make the birds so vulnerable by putting the water dish on the ground.

I fill this swallow dish up each morning and the water evaporates by mid-day. With the evaporation I don’t have to worry about mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes breed in standing water. And the eggs take several days to hatch. 

You can combat mosquitoes by having water that moves, I use a “water wiggler”. Or dump out the dish and fill with fresh water each day.

 

So, with this hot weather, watching birds from the comfort of an air conditioned room makes being inside not so bad. And the birds, butterflies, and insects will appreciate the free drinks.

Funky Nature Photos from Donna

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Crows Protest Against Screaming Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamicensis)
Photo credit: George Genry/USFS

The Summer Solstice was today and it started with a hew and a cry. Just after 9 am I heard the screaming of a hawk and the crows went crazy. The crows nesting in the Locust tree out back, began to “caw-caw-caw”, frantically until the hawk left the area. 

I craned my neck out my bedroom window but couldn’t see the Hawk in the sky. The hawk  twice gave that husky, piercing scream which told me it was a Red-tailed. 

The call was not the short two-syllable “kerr-kerr” of the Red-shouldered nor the high-pitched whistle (papeeeee) of the Broad-winged. 

I eliminated the Accipiter Hawks because they often stay quiet during the nesting season. But the Buteos can be vocal.

Several hawks are permanent residents here in Philadelphia. The Red-tailed (Buteo jamaicensis) is the most numerous. You can see them circling high in the sky all year around. And Cooper’s Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) live here. Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nest in a few spots within the city proper. A Bald Eagles pair produced two chicks this past April in John Heinz NWR at Tinicum. 

Summer residents include Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus), Red-shoulders (Buteo lineatus) and Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). Osprey can be found hunting along the two rivers, the Schuylkill and the Delaware.

A Sharp-shinned Hawk visited my backyard bird feeders two autumns ago. But on that day left empty handed. Sharpies travel through the area during the autumn migration

The Dawn Chorus

For the past two weeks, I have opened my eyes, well before the alarm, and listened to a symphony of bird songs.

Before the sun has completely lightened the sky, the neighborhood birds are singing. This is the Dawn Chorus and it is truly magical.

The Dawn Chorus is sung by male songbirds, (often called the passerines or perching birds).

This musical performance happens only during the breeding season. The male birds are singing “ Come, be my mate”. Some mornings it can be quite loud. And with all the species singing at once it is hard to tell the songs apart. If I listen closely I can pick out a House Sparrow or a Robin.

The singing is most intense at dawn. Scientifically, sound travels clearer and farther in the cool morning air. There is seldom wind at dawn to distort the songs and diminish the range.

The singing starts while it is still dark. As the sky lightens, more birds join in. It continues for about 1/2 hour. It starts earlier on moonlight nights when the sky is bright all night into morning. The singing starts later when the morning sky is overcast and the weather dull.

By the time the sun is fully up, the chorus dies down.

This Chorus happens in the temperate parts of the world, namely in Europe and North America. I can imagine how the chorus sounds differently where the local combinations of birds sing their songs. How much fun would it be to travel around the world and wake each morning to the sounds of the local male songbirds singing their hearts out?