Kay’s Birding Blog

On Friday I returned from yet another trip downstate to help with bird education programs, and activity on Charter Sanctuary reminded me, as if I needed reminding, that this is not the time of year to be away from home.

The thermometer had climbed well into the seventies… the warmest day of the year, although a couple of snow piles remained here and there. I immediately opened every window in the house to let in fresh air, and the wonderful sound of birdsongs. A White-throated Sparrow could be heard over the din of hordes of singing spring peepers and Tree Swallows chattered cheerily over the fields. Robins scolded my comings and goings in and out of the house. Resident chickadees and woodpeckers were hammering out homes and goldfinches had morphed from their drab winter plumage to brilliant yellow.

That evening, as I sat with a book in the living room, came a real treat; an American Woodcock was peenting across the wetland. And while he carried on, trying to attract a mate, a pair of Green Herons squawked their way up and down along the creek. They flew so low, it sounded as though they were at eye level, as they made several passes back and forth across the wetland. Then they vanished into the dark. By ten o’clock the birds had grown quiet. Not so the frogs, who were still calling when I turned in an hour later.

The next morning a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers foraged in the old pin cherries outside our living room window. Three tiny Ruby Crowned Kinglets picked through the trees with them. And when I drove up to my office, a Brown Thrasher was singing from atop a maple tree near the Friendly Garden Club Woodland walk.

On Wednesday, it’s back on the road for eight days. What feathered treasures will show up during my absence? It will be hard to leave, but this trip is all for their benefit. This trip is on behalf of Saving Birds to Fairmount Minerals sites in Illinois and Ohio to provide suggestions on improving habitat for migrating birds and other wildlife. What could be better than an opportunity to work for the future of these colorful little jewels?

When our Tree Swallows arrived in significant numbers over the weekend (meaning more than just a couple of scouts), it was clear that spring had well and truly arrived.  Finally.  It’s been a long wait, even for Jimmy and me, who have only been back in cold country for seven weeks.  With each new snowstorm - six during that time - we felt a deeper sympathy for those who were stuck here all year.  The white stuff began falling in mid-November and it did not give up until about ten days ago.  At least we hope it has given up for this season.

The swallows followed a host of other species:  First were robins… no surprise there… and soon after that, Eastern Meadowlarks and Song Sparrows arrived.  A week later, the first Fox Sparrow showed up to kick around in the leaves below our kitchen window.  Soon a Killdeer was busy foraging near our driveway.  Then came woodcock and a family of Greater Sandhill Cranes.  Three of these tall, graceful birds hung around for several hours in the wet area adjacent to our pond, picking through dead prairie grasses.

Once the ice melted, Mallards checked out the open water.  A few days later, a pair of Hooded Mergansers joined the Mallards.   And then a new species for Charter Sanctuary was added to the list when a male Bufflehead landed on the pond.  Because our property list is so long, every new bird is exciting.  This one was especially so; it was a male Bufflehead in San Diego Bay that first drew me into the wonderful world of birding.

The next morning, a pair of bluebirds checked out the nest box right outside my office window.  Minutes later, my beloved Eastern Phoebe flew under the wide overhang on the Discovery Center to check on his nest ledge.  For the past three years, I have been blessed to have nesting bluebirds outside of one window and Phoebes outside the other.

And yesterday, when I returned to the office after a trip to the Post Office, a male Northern Harrier was cruising over our meadows.  This bird is experiencing a decline in numbers across the country; watching him drift on the air current as he searched for a tasty tidbit in the still brown prairie plants made me wonder how much the move to use native vegetation in personal landscapes will help species with declining populations.

There is no question that the bird population on Charter Sanctuary is growing, and there is absolutely no doubt that growth is the result of management efforts here.  There is also no doubt that from now through the middle of June, there is no better time to be part of this magical place.  By the end of May, we should have at least fifty nesting species.  What could possibly be better than that?

For the first time in years we came back to Omena before the end of February, arriving to a landscape that was entirely white and temperatures that fell to well below zero at night.  It was almost enough to cause us to turn back for Tucson, where, ten days earlier, we enjoyed sunny days in the eighties.

Our good neighbors had turned the heat on inside the house – where, much to our surprise, the mercury had only fallen to 32 degrees over the course of what had been a very cold winter.  Before we even worked on getting the water back on, we filled a seed feeder and suet holder on the kitchen deck.

Not surprisingly, half a dozen of our resident chickadees appeared instantly.   We were pleasantly surprised when a small flock of Common Redpolls showed up next.  These delicate looking finches nest across subarctic forests and shrubby tundra.  In spite of their size, however, these streaked little birds with bright red caps and black chins are remarkably able to survive frigid weather, overwintering well to the north of our country.

In most years, only a few may drop down into the very northern edge of the Lower Forty Eight.  Since their primary food is seeds, catkins and willow buds, they ordinarily have no problem finding enough to get them through the cold months.   During those times when food becomes scarce, however, they move south in great flocks.  This past winter was such a time.

A reported shortage of the birds’ food in Canada drove not only Common Redpolls southward, but also (though in much lower numbers) their close cousins, Hoary Redpolls as well as Pine Siskins, Pine Grosbeaks and both Red and White-winged Crossbills.  These periodic mass movements of birds are called “irruptions.”

Although the arrival of these relatively uncommon species at the feeders of American birders generates considerable excitement, resulting large congregations of birds can lead to serious – even deadly – problems for them.  Such great concentrations allow for easy transmission of pathogens  (See our WebLog posting on how to recognize and deal with bird diseases.)

We were fortunate in that no affected birds came to our feeders.  We were grateful for that, as well as for the opportunity to watch a species we have not seen on Charter Sanctuary in years.