The American Kestrel

Telephone wires running parallel to country roads are good places to spot the American Kestrel. This colorful falcon likes to perch above fields, meadows, and other open spaces to hunt large insects, small rodents, birds, or amphibians (find more specifics at Animal Diversity Web, hosted by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology). I saw one just the other day while driving in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.

Pictured here is a beautiful photo (by Dave Menke) of a colorful male. I saw a female, whose wings are russet, not blue. Yet her dark facial stripes (common to both males and females) made the identification easy . . . once I pulled over to the side of the road and aimed my binoculars. Ha!

If you want to see more birds each day of your life, two bits of advice: ALWAYS carry binoculars in your car and ALWAYS pull over to the roadside to use them (or ask the driver to do so). Of course, birds don’t like the attention and will quickly fly off, but you might manage a quick glimpse. Once the bird takes flight, lower your binoculars and study its silhouette and flight pattern against the sky. These, too, are the bird’s “signatures,” ways to identify him or her the next time you’re presented the opportunity.

Until next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne

The Red-shouldered Hawk

Yesterday, mid-morning, I saw a large, broad-winged hawk soaring in a lazy circle above my yard. Due to its bulk and fan-shaped tail, I suspected it was a Buteo and quickly looked to the coloring of its tail to determine whether this was a Red-tailed or a Red-shouldered Hawk. (See my 2/11/09 entry on the Red-tailed Hawk). When the sun shines down upon an adult Red-tailed Hawk, you can easily see the glow of its ruddy tail. Yesterday was sunny, but this hawk’s tail did not glow red. I looked more closely to see if this was a juvenile Red-tail, which has a brown tail, striped horizontally with dark bars. No . . . this hawk had distinctly black bars separated by white.

I wanted to call it—Red-shouldered Hawk—even though from my vantage point below, I couldn’t see the reddish color of its upper wing coverts (its so-called “shoulders”). Yet, with my binoculars, I could easily see the wash of its reddish breast. As it turns out, I didn’t need my binoculars. The hawk began its loud, repetitive call, a sound described on the All About Birds Web site as “kee-aah.” And so I knew without a doubt: Red-shouldered Hawk.

To my ears, the Red-shouldered Hawk’s call is more insistent (a two-note screeching cry) than the Red-tailed Hawk whose call sounds like one raspy, elongated cry: “kree-eee-ar.” But you decide for yourself! Go to All About Birds and listen first to the Red-shouldered Hawk’s call. Next listen to the Red-tailed Hawk. You can easily hear the difference when you compare. But will you remember how to distinguish these calls next time you hear one high in the sky? It takes time, but you will!

Until next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne

The American Robin

This morning I woke to the cheery music of an American Robin, singing from a high branch in a locust tree. The robin is so common to our backyards that most people recognize it on sight: the full bright orange breast is easy to spot. And who hasn’t watched robins dash about the lawn in search of worms, though they also eat fruit. In fact, like all birds in the thrush family (TURDIDAE), robins are actually woodland birds that have adapted well to human development (yards, gardens, and fields). But you’ll still find robins in the woods, just as you’ll find the Veery, Wood Thrush, and Hermit Thrush, to name a few. (Photo courtesy of Charles H. Warren.)

The American Robin’s song is itself something to sing about. A prominent voice in the spring, the robin’s music is loud and lovely! I recently discovered a wonderful web page that provides audio files of six distinctive vocalizations of the American Robin. You’ll also find names and descriptions of these sounds to help you recognize them the next time a robin chooses to sing or call in your backyard—which is probably often!

Don’t delay! Go to this site NOW for a little bit of springtime delight!

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/robin/Dictionary.html

And till next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne

Tundra Swans

This morning my pond is playing host to a pair of quiet Mallards and noisy Canada Geese. Robins are in the yard, and all the “regulars” of winter are bustling with activity. But my focus today will be on a small flock of Tundra Swans, about two dozen, which I saw a few days ago in a local reservoir.

Checking my birding log when I got home, I saw my entry from last year for these beautiful white swans with black bills. Apparently, this spot of water is a scheduled “rest stop” for some migrating flocks heading from their coastal wintering grounds toward the tundra of North America to breed.

Distinguishing between the Tundra Swan and the Trumpeter, which is also all white with a black bill and face, can be quite tricky (see why at Cornell Lab’s web site All About Birds); however, given that Pennsylvania is not typical to the Trumpeter’s range, I’m confident that the swans I saw were Tundra.

Go to All About Birds to compare the range maps and physical descriptions of these two species of swans. Then use a search engine to obtain more information, photos, and even videos of these and countless other birds!

Spring is an exciting time to become a birder. Birds of all kinds are migrating toward their breeding grounds, some stopping to stay right here in central Pennsylvania with others dropping down for a brief visit (like the Tundra Swan).

And don’t forget to track the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that are on the way! Checking the range map this morning (http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html), I see that these hummers are to the northern tip of Georgia! Get those feeders ready. The hummingbirds will be arriving sooner than you know.

Till next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne

The Ruffed Grouse

Yesterday a Ruffed Grouse flew across the road in front of my car. (Did you know that this grouse is the state bird of Pennsylvania?) During the spring mating season, I sometimes see a male grouse strutting along the roadside, its tail feathers held upright like a fan, attempting to impress some nearby female. More often, in the adjacent woods, I hear the male drumming its feathers to draw in a female. I’ve never actually witnessed the drumming ritual but have heard it many times. You can see many videos of a drumming Ruffed Grouse; just enter “ruffed grouse, drumming, video” into your favorite search engine. (Image courtesy of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.)

When I first heard the drumming of a Ruffed Grouse, I remember thinking . . . “Is that someone starting a lawn mower?” Of course this idea didn’t make sense since the sound came from the woods beside a creek bordering my property and it was March. And the “motor” sounded highly muffled. Yet I could almost see, in my mind, someone pull-starting a lawn mower, trying to get the engine to “catch.” Only later did I learn that this thumping sound, which starts slowly and then builds in speed, was actually a fowl-like bird (the Ruffed Grouse) quickly beating his wings—so quickly as to cause a muffled motor sound.

The Ruffed Grouse is mottled brown in color, and the male has a distinctive band of black feathers (sometimes chestnut) around its neck that he “puffs out” during a mating display. Look and listen for this woodland bird, which stands about 17 inches, all through the spring. This grouse is but one of many beautiful birds that grace our spring season making it a delightful time of year.

Until next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne

Ruby-Throats are on their way!

Like so many other birds we see and hear in our backyards during the spring and summer, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is a migrant, who spends its winters in Central America and breeds in the warmer months throughout the eastern half of the United States and southern Canada. Each year, several Ruby-throated Hummingbirds return to my backyard, where I hang a feeder of homemade nectar and plant flowers (like Beebalm and Delphinium) that suit their tastes. (Photo courtesy of Charles H. Warren.)

Every year I make sure that my feeder is up and ready for the first arrivals, usually on May 1 or 2. You’d be surprised at how punctual these nectar-loving birds can be. Of course, more southern locations will greet their first arrivals much sooner than we do here in north-central Pennsylvania. In fact, hummer enthusiasts have already reported the first comers to the shores of Texas and Florida. These tiny dynamos fly non-stop over the Gulf of Mexico to reach us here in the United States (though some will skirt the Gulf Coast).

You can track their arrival to your state by checking out this incredibly informative site:

http://www.hummingbirds.net/

Click on Report Migrating Ruby-throated to see exactly where these birds have been sighted and to report your own first sighting of these amazing birds with wing beats of 53 times a second; who can hover and fly backward, and who build their nests from spider webs.

And if you want to learn how to attract Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds to your own backyard, check out this site:

http://www.birds-n-garden.com/

Search for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds for pages of tips!

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be checking Hummingbirds.Net each day to follow the path of these incredible, beautiful birds to my state and then to my own backyard!

Till next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne