Bird Call

Duck!

Once when my daughter and her family were visiting the zoo, she called to her husband, "look out!"

"What?" he asked. "Duck!" she yelled. He did. A duck like the ones taking swimming lessons in the photo on the left, was having trouble gaining altitude and barely skimmed over his head. She said later it was all she could think of to say but turned out to be a fortunate choice of words.  After all, she's a pretty good birder and it wouldn't have done at all for her to yell out, "Mallard!"

As I've said before, my friend and next door neighbor loves ducks, especially ducklings, so when I saw these, I went to his door and dragged him out there. These may be a little too old to be called ducklings anymore--maybe more like youngsters--but that didn't keep two grown men from standing around calling them cute for half an hour. :)

As you may know, the service that carries my blog has had difficulties with attacks from a hacker in an attempt, bizarre as it sounds, to extort money from them. They are a pretty big outfit, so it took down a lot of sites and related servers, including my little blog several times. They think they have closed the hole he climbs through, so it should be smoother sailing. I hope so. And to those of you still visiting Bird-Call, thank you.

I have lost a lot of my followers though, so if you know anyone who you think might like my goofy site, please recommend it to them.

Now...my birthday is coming up. That shouldn't be a big deal since I've had so many, :) but rumor has it that my wife is getting me a new camera and lens as a surprise present. What a great gift. The surprise, of course, is she doesn't know it yet. :)

Finally, for those of you at work who read my blog, I have a birthday confession. Some of you know I like frozen peanuts. As a result I open the upstairs freezer at work every day to grab a handful. Some of you also know I like chocolate, and for several months I've had to look at that little pint carton of chocolate Haagen-Dazs ice cream that would go so nicely with my peanuts. Well I don't know who it belonged to, but just so you know...today, I accidently ate it.

Just kidding. :)

 

Bird-nerd-word of the day: Warbler

Most birders rate warblers in a class by themselves. They--birders that is--turn out in droves during spring migration. But what exactly makes a bird a warbler? Seems obvious right? A warbler warbles. If it were only that simple. :)  And it begs the question: what exactly is a warble? A cascading song? A trill? A jumble of notes? (Remember we're talking birds here.) You'd know a warble if you heard it? Yes. Well maybe. It depends.

And if it does warble does that make it a warbler? No. Not necessarily. The lowly House Finch sings beautiflully. I would say it warbles. (House Finch song)  (Pardon the corny voice over, but I paid 99¢ for it and was darn well going to use it.) :) 

I can tell you one thing for sure; no birder would mistake a house finch for a warbler.

  House Finch

Now to further complicate things, a lot of warblers don't warble.  At all!  They barely sing. One example is a warbler called the Yellow-breasted Chat: Yellow Breasted Chat not warbling  Interesting song, but no warble.

   Yellow Breasted Chat

So that brings us right back to the beginning. What exactly is it that makes a warbler? For one thing they have to come from the right family (that would be the Parulidae [pa-ROOL-a-dye] family in this case).That in itself gives them a certain je ne sais quois in the birding world. :) And most are small and colorful.

But the real test of whether or not your dealing with the genuine article--a New World Wood Warbler--is if you see this:

  :)

 

You'd have to say warblers hold a special place in every birder's heart. Even if they can't sing a lick. :)

As for the rest of the birds? Well...they're just birds. :)

Say's Who? Say's Phoebe

 

Say's [rhymes with days] Phoebe

 

 The Phoebe part of the name comes from a related species in the east that actually says “Fee-bee.”

The Say’s part comes from Thomas Say who The Thomas Say Papers say studied nature, bugs, and mollusk shells around, say…the early 1800’s.  :)

Mollusk shells?

His biggest contribution to science was actually a giant bug collection. He's revered by entomologists for it. He’s so big in the bug world in fact, the now defunct Purdue “Insect Related Social Club” adopted his name. That’s big. :)

He also first described and collected (this guy couldn’t seem to leave anything where he found it) our little brown phoebe.

So let me get this straight: he collected so many bugs they honored him by naming a bird after him. A bird that eats bugs. I don’t have a problem with it. More power to him.  But you have to admit that it’s a little ironic. :)

Maybe since he and the bird both collected bugs--in a manner of speaking--they were considered colleagues. I don't know. But couldn’t they find a nice Arthropod for him to adopt? Granted he gets honorable mention in the Latin names of several insects, and I'm sure to a scientist that's a big deal. But a bug named "Synanthedon exitiosa (Say)" could never be as exciting as if they'd named it “Say’s Peach Tree Borer.” :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch Out for the Bird-bug :)

This western bird earns a living a little like a traffic cop.

Here’s what I mean: a policeman finds an inconspicuous but visible spot beside the road where he can see you coming before you see him. There he waits for you (or some other unfortunate driver) to come flying by…maybe just a tad fast.  He knows that as you turn the corner and spot him, you may glance at the speedometer.  He also knows if it’s too fast? Too late. : )  You know the rest. That’s life. But that doesn’t make it fun.

This little fellow also sits inconspicuously in the open although he chooses the tops of shrubs and small trees more often than the policeman. He likes it where he can command a good view. There he waits. Now I’m not going to stretch this so far as to tell you he has an interest in traffic safety or the city coffers, but he is very big on bugs.  So when an insect flies by…look out. He gives chase, and more often than not he nabs it. Then he eats it.

I suppose in that sense, we motorists don’t have it so bad.

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Distinguishing Marks: Gray, mostly. Black tail. Drab except for the cinnamon belly.

 

 

 

 

 

Those dots all around his head aren’t on my lens. (Look closely or click to enlarge the photo.)  They’re bugs! This guy has obviously filled his quota.  Donuts anyone?

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What the heck is it?

(Hover to find out).

 

Boring Fact: You can find this bird in just about any open country in the west. I have photos of it in the hills, prairie, desert, rivers, and on the beach.

 

Now here's what his code three siren sounds like. :)

 

Bird-nerd-words of the day: Air Sacs

Birds are different from other animals. They have feathers. Obviously. They fly. Equally obvious.

Not so obvious: they have air sacs.

Ok what are air sacs? Little balloons in their bellies. And abdomen. And even in their bones (tiny ones of course).

What do they do? They hold air before and after it passes through the lungs.

How does that help? Air is pushed through the lungs in one direction rather than in and out like us.

And? Their lungs can extract more oxygen than ours.

Does that make them somehow better than us?  I can't say. But one thing's for sure--I wouldn't make it across the Gulf of Mexico in a couple of nights without any rest or even a martini. :)

If you're interested, here's a cool little clip on YouTube which explains it simply in a delightfully British way.

 

 

Little Brown Carolina Wren

That's officially a South Carolina little brown bird. It's their mascot, sort of. The Carolina Wren mostly hangs out east of the plains.  More specifically: here (link to ebird)  

If you listened to the mp3 you heard his little syrinx working overtime. Some of you commented on it--thank you for that.

And for my six year old grandson who says he's a "lover of words," here's a bit more random information about Syrinx. Not only did she graciously give her name to the voice box of birds, but the word syringe is derived from the lovely nymph as well (in her reed form of course).

One last word on Carolina Wrens: they are monogamous and defend their territory together. They can't do it on their own. I'm sure it's not that they're not tough enough. They're lightweights.  How light?  If you could stuff one in an envelope, you could still add your letter and mail it to North Carolina with a 49 cent stamp. :)

 

 

 

      

Little Brown Bird

I pretty well beat to death (figuratively speaking of course) bluebirds as a symbol of hope, health, renewal, and most of all happiness. It comes easy for them--they're sky blue. This little guy doesn't have nearly the resume, and it's not hard to see why. He's not sky blue. 

Whoever heard of "a brown bird of happiness?" Or who says, "I have a brown bird on my shoulder?" Exactly. :)

Before you start feeling too sorry for him though, I should tell you he does have a couple of things going for him. One, he is the official state bird of a certain Atlantic state. Two, in the spring you can hear him singing his tune loud and to the point--over and over and over. :) 

Here, I'll show you. I was sitting on a bench in Annapolis minding my own business one spring day, when I heard this guy singing, first here then there. I had already tried to take his photo, but he was too shy. I had given up and was only vaguely aware that his singing was gradually coming closer. Suddenly there he was within arm's reach singing at me with all he had. Obviously I was in his territory, and he wasn't having it. Not being the confrontational type, I snapped a few photos and hightailed it. In case you're wondering here's what he said: Little brown bird song

 

 

 

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Distinguishing marks: Brown. :) Long white  eyebrow. Kind of white chin and cheeks. Down-curved beak. Noisy little cuss. :)

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Boring Fact: I'm just teasing about the over and over thing...kind of.  While he can wear out a song, he actually may have 20-40 or even 50 in reserve.

What the heck is it? Hover here to find out.

 

[Bird song courtesy of Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida]

Bird-nerd-word of the day: Syrinx

The syrinx, named for a Greek nymph, is the sound box in birds. It's located deep in the trachea as it splits to the lungs. This does a couple of things. One, it makes their songs resonate which is why little birds can produce big sounds. Second, it makes their songs complex because it has two sources of air--one from each lung.

But you're probably wondering where the nymph Syrinx comes in right? Well...once upon a time she was being stalked by Pan. Having been brought up right, she ran to the river and asked her fellow nymphs for help. Typical of Greek myths, (and in the category of "with friends like this...") they decided the best way to help her was to turn her into a bunch of reeds. Why do they do things like that? Then Pan came along and made the first Pan Pipes out of her. The birds that witnessed it obviously didn't like the way it went down since the whole thing seems to have stuck in their craw ever since. There you have it. :)

Yippee it’s a bluebird!

Yahoo!  I got some, “Yippees” which makes this an authentic Eastern Bluebird of happiness. :) Bluebird Wine

I think the yippee count may be down in recent years. Not surprising since these symbols of optimism and joy have also been scarce. Eastern Bluebird populations were reduced by 90% last century. Yowser! But they’re making a comeback with a little help from their friends.  We should be on the lookout for an increase in yippees and yahoos as this harbinger of happiness returns. :)

That they do bring happiness has been pretty well established, and a firmly held conviction of societies around the world for thousands of years. (I’m not making this up; it came straight off a wedding ceremony site…. they represent love too.)  The bluebird has a lot of weight on those little wings as symbol of hope, health, renewal, and good fortune. It is flat out the internationally recognized symbol of happiness. Well this one is too of course: :)

There’s an old fairy tale (and that’s literal since it has a fairy in the story), then a play, and then a couple of movies (the reviews of the 1940 movie aren’t bad) in which two poor, unfortunate children go off to search the world for the bluebird of happiness. Long story short, what should they return to at home but a bluebird singing merrily in its cage?The moral of course is bluebird=happiness =home.  I have only a tiny quibble—as a birder.  Forget for the moment they don’t have bluebirds in Europe (fortunately they do in Hollywood), didn’t the two children even notice the bird singing away in the cage before they risked life and limb?  Might have saved them a lot of trouble. 

Nonetheless I’m a sucker for such sentimental homilies and choose to believe. For one thing, if I didn’t, I’d have to go straight through Shirley Temple. :)

Download 01-08- Bluebird Wine

“Mytyl and her brother Tyltyl, a woodchopper's children, are led by the Fairy Berylune on a magical trip through the past, present, and future to locate the Blue Bird of Happiness.”

E-Z I.D. Friday

New feature today!

Every once in a while someone sends me an email or makes a comment to say they were able to "call" the bird I posted. It usually goes something like, "ooh--ooh I've got this one. It's a.... [whatever]" How can that not make you happy? I love getting those messages. So of course I want more.

The way to do that seems obvious: Easy Identification Friday!

So how does it work?

First, birds on E-Z I.D. Fridays will be easier. Second, my panel of expert judges gets those Fridays off.  That way if your guess is anywhere in the neighborhood?  Close enough.  Finally, and I hope you appreciate this, I'm not at all above cheating for you if it helps. :)

For Example, today's bird comes in three flavors according to where they live: Eastern, Western, and somewhere-down-in-southeastern-Arizona-where-they-put-reform-schools. Now I'm telling you right off the top this is the Eastern bird (I took these photos in Kansas but they still qualify). See? E-Z.

Distinguishing Marks: Blue back and head; Reddish-brown breast and throat; White little belly; Preppy pink socks.

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Boring Fact: this bird suffered badly from the Starling invasion. They both nest in holes, and the Starlings had no problem evicting these polite easterners from their homes. The decline was getting critical when they were saved by the bell. Or by the bird house in this case. Birders rallied and built back yard nest boxes for them.They're recovering nicely.

Got this one? Hover to find out.

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"I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak"

Most bird experts agree, the invasion of the Americas by Starlings can be blamed squarely on William Shakespeare who made the mistake of mentioning them in Henry IV. What was he thinking? 

That of course then caused Eugene Schieffelin to introduce them to Central Park in the 1800’s. He wanted to bring all the species immortalized by the Bard here--partly because he was homesick for Europe. Partly because he was crazy. Most would be content bringing the family portrait or the silverware. Nope. He brought a couple hundred Starlings.

They've been nothing but trouble since. And it just keeps getting worse. How bad is it?  Starlings are the only birds I know of in the country to get hate email.

If you want to know the truth, though, they don’t bother me.  True they’re common as dirt, beat up on little birds, and make obnoxious noises, but they do have skills. For one, Shakespeare was right; they really can talk.  I don’t know if what they say makes a big difference in the world, but heck, who am I to talk?

Second, they have their defenders. Some people own them as pets and go gaga over them as only kind-hearted pet owners can, so there must be something loveable about them.

And that’s not all; in addition to talking they murmurate...fly around in these enormous flocks that look like….well here, see for yourself:  Dylan Winter and the Starling Murmurations . It’s pretty amazing if you’ve never seen it.  (Thanks Pam for the link).