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Growing up fast on Turkey Pond

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Wood duck mom and four ducklings

Talk about leaving the nest with a leap of faith. I recently spotted this female wood duck and her recently fledged ducklings - two are visible and 2 more are hiding behind her. They were swimming in the pond behind our house. Wood ducks are beautiful creatures - the males more flamboyantly so (look one up and see) and the females with more understated charm and beauty. I didn’t realize they nest in trees - that’s UP in trees. They are one of the few ducks with strong claws to grip the bark and branches around their tree house. But that’s not all. How brave are these young ducklings? Well, at one day of age, they each march to the edge of their nest and jump. Mind you, they are not flying yet, so they plummet as much as 50 feet. Often the nests are in trees over water, but some unfortunate nestlings land with a thump not a splash. Amazingly, without injury. Their mother then calls them to join her in the water but offers no assistance. Once in the water (remember, this is still on Day 1), they are able to swim and find food. Try to imagine the childhood memories of a wood duck - not exactly long, slow, and leisurely.

Fighting over the grape jelly...

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The catbird and the oriole vying for the jelly jar

Veteran backyard birders know that if you want to please a Baltimore Oriole, you better have grape jelly. It was news to me this spring when I was wondering why I see a huge variety of birds in my yard but rarely an oriole. Well, now I know that you need to have an orange colored feeder, you need to hang real oranges on it, and, that’s right, you gotta have grape jelly. I guess the peanut butter is optional. Anyway, it worked like a charm. I have also learned that you better have plenty of grape jelly because they go through a ton of it. However, today I discovered something that I bet not all veteran birders know. Grey Catbirds also love grape jelly. I witnessed a major “cat” fight between an oriole and a catbird - like two first graders fighting over a jelly sandwich.

Melospiza Melodia

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Melospiza melodia in full voice

Latin names for birds are not always memorable, at least for someone with a memory for names like mine. Melospiza Melodia seems so apt for the common Song Sparrow that even I might remember it - a name fitting enough for an Italian tenor. And, even I can now recognize it’s distinctive song that combines several opening chords with a flowing, somewhat variable chorus. Though much less forceful and much more high-pitched, the opening notes of some song sparrow songs have been likened to the familiar four notes at the beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Duh Duh Duh Dum). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnejB-fYuJk A grand comparison for such a little bird! TIL that birds’ beaks are important for thermoregulation - either for losing heat when it’s hot or absorbing solar heat when it’s cool. In this regard, song sparrow beak size variations have been studied as adaptations to climate change. Competing for the canary in the coal mine role, I guess.

Our mister bluebird is smitten...

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I finally caught a photo of the elusive Madame Bluebird. Her housekeeping has been evident by the building of a neat little nest inside the bird box. Her partner is expected to bring her materials, but, perhaps being a klutz like me, he’s not allowed near the construction itself. It needs to be well-built because it may need to accommodate two or even three broods this summer. Bluebirds have always been a symbol of happiness - so seeing them every day feels to me like a harbinger of better times. But, did you know that their feathers have no blue pigments? Nope, each feather has a layer of cells that absorb all wavelengths (colors) of light except for blue. Only the blue light is reflected, making them appear blue to human eyes. Speaking of eyes, bluebirds eat insects and caterpillars consuming 12% of their body weight every day - they can spot them in tall grass from over 50 yards away! They must chuckle when they see us human birders trooping around with binoculars.

The lonely suitor

The object of his affection

Bad birds?

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Cowbird - villain or fellow passenger

Can there be bad birds? Are there bad dogs? That depends on the habits of your dog, I guess. But, really, in nature are there “bad” behaviors or isn’t nearly everyone (except humans, and maybe, dogs) following a common set of rules? So I will leave dogs and humans out of this discussion, which is not to say they have a free pass. Brown-headed Cowbirds are handsome birds in my opinion. They are prevalent in many areas. They seem to mingle well with other bird groups. What’s not to like? Well, one of their defining characteristics is “brood parasite.” Parasite has never been a sought after characteristic among humans, and humans don’t tend to regard parasites in a positive light. So how should we regard the Brown-headed Cowbird? Cowbirds do not build nests. They appropriate the nests built by other birds, sometimes destroy their eggs, and lay their own eggs in that nest. Then….they expect the original nest owner to incubate, hatch, feed, and rear the new baby cowbirds! How is that in any way OK? I don’t know. But, I tend to believe that nature’s rules are not like those of human society and not subject to political debate, Twitter feeds, memes, or filibusters. Cowbirds live and compete in the realm of survival and natural selection without a greater edge than crows, eagles, chickadees or any other living thing except maybe humans. Be careful about calling them bad birds. Or, at least, judge thyself.

Earth Day 2020 connections

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Sunset on Turkey Pond in Concord NH

Duck. Not the bird in this case and not ducking the coronavirus, but Duck, North Carolina, where I took a break from my first year of medical school and fled to the Outer Banks to celebrate the first Earth Day. 50 years ago today. That was before most of us had heard of climate change, and existential threats were not so global as they now seem. That was before we had lost 1 out of every 4 birds on earth - not “just” species disappearing, but a huge decline in the total global bird population. We are in the middle of spring migrations when new arrivals turn up every day, but weather radar tells of a 14% decline in total bird migration. Of course with a pandemic threatening human survival, it may be hard for some to think about birds. And the pervasive health and economic challenges are impossible to ignore - thank you, thank you to those, mostly health care workers, at the front lines. But, what better time to understand the connectivity of things. Not the digital connections upon which we have all become too dependent or the supply chains of the global economy. I mean the connectedness of nature and the immutable laws that underlie it. And the stewardship demands that humans can either exercise or ignore. Let’s think of spending a little bit of our time appreciating the vulnerability of birds and its connection to our own vulnerability and that of every other living thing on the planet. And then doing some little thing to help….

Turkeys in the straw...or should that be in the hay?

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This morning three macho Tom Turkeys strutted out of the woods into the field behind our yard and began fanning their tall feathers. Soon after, a coy, discerning female strolled into the field. After a bit of male feather flexing and posturing, the sweet damsel declared a winner while the losing suitors left the field. The whole drama lasted not more than ten minutes following which the possible mother-to-be strolled back into the woods. It’s that time of year, and, of course, the same story plays out with the chickadees, cardinals, and blue jays, but generally not with such a public display.

P.S. Want to know more about turkeys? Have a look at this: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-life-as-a-turkey-introduction/7268/ (You might have to join PBS to view it in some areas.)

First bluebird arrived today...

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Actually, the first bluebird ever in this house placed on the edge of our yard three years ago. I hope he approves of it and soon finds a mate to build their nest. I hope the house sparrows don’t try to evict the new family. I hope they return next year. After all, “hope is the thing with feathers.”

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