Category Archives: Musings & News

Which Binoculars Should I Buy?

Musings & News
Kate St. John using binoculars (photo by Dave Hallewell)
Kate St. John using binoculars (photo by Dave Hallewell)

Since I bird watch every day people sometimes ask me, “Which binoculars should I buy?”

Buying binoculars is a very individual decision.  Everyone’s needs and eyes are different so I can’t answer the question for you but here are some decisions to make and links to resources that will help you answer the question for yourself.

Decisions to make before you buy binoculars:

  1. How much money do you want to spend?
  2. What viewing quality and size/weight do you have in mind?
  3. Find out which binoculars work for you by looking through as many models as you can, ideally outdoors.  This step is really important!
    • Why?  Here’s an example: I love the binoculars you see me using above, but many people can’t see through them because of the long eye relief.
    • Where?  You can look through many models at the optics vendors at a birding conference or on outings with friends (hawk watches or other bird walks), just ask.
  4. Repeat the steps above if Step #3 stretched your budget or changed your quality/size expectations.

 

Tips: “You Get What You Pay For” is especially true of binoculars. Better quality means better optics (clearer view), truly waterproof (they don’t fog inside), lighter weight, better balance.  Quality costs money.

You will want better binoculars as your eyes get older (i.e. worse).

 

Links to Binocular Resources:   These websites will get you started. Follow the links they recommend to find out more.  Once you know what you want you can buy in person or online.

 

My Experience:

In the five decades I’ve been birding I’ve owned at least a dozen binoculars.  Every time I buy new ones I buy better quality.

I had a cheap set of binoculars in the early 1990’s which were fine until I looked through someone’s better binoculars.  My next set cost twice as much but was still inexpensive. I dropped them on a rock and they went hopelessly out of alignment. The fix was more expensive than new binoculars.  Tip:  Wear binoculars on a comfortable strap.

Birding where it’s damp?  I had a nice mid-range “water resistant” set but they fogged up internally in humid weather in Maine. Internal fog cannot be removed. I just had to wait until they cleared on their own, leaving dust-drops inside. It was time for truly waterproof binoculars.

A decade ago I admitted my passion for birds and made the investment in really good binoculars: first buying Leica 8-power, then Swarovski 10-power.  I use them both.  Yes they’re expensive, but I haven’t needed new binoculars since then.

 

p.s. Eagle Optics, an online retailer where I bought most of my gear, is going out of business on Dec 31, 2017.  They are offering discounts.  All sales are final.

(photo of Kate St. John by Dave Hallewell, 2014)

A Subtle Change To The Blog

Musings & News

Screenshot of the new URL, 9 Sept 2017

You may not have noticed but the blog underwent a subtle change yesterday.  My address now uses https instead of plain http.

The S means that browsers now show my website with a green lock icon and the word “Secure.”  What does this mean?

https uses SSL security to encrypt data transmission so the Internet can’t intercept site logins and passwords.  SSL doesn’t mean the website can’t be hacked. It just means that hackers can’t read logins and passwords as they pass through the wires.  Your email, Facebook, Twitter, and bank accounts all use SSL because people login there.

This change doesn’t make your access to my blog more secure because you never login to see it.  I’m the only person who logs in so I’m the only one who has gained more security out of this. Unfortunately you may notice that SSL is slower so my blog may pause longer before you see it in your browser.

So why did I make the change?

I’ve wanted to secure my login for many years but I procrastinated.  Google pushed me to get it done when they sent me a message in August saying that, unless I switched to https, Chrome would show security warnings on my website beginning in October 2017.  Besides, Google gives search engine preference to https sites over plain http.

I was afraid I’d break my blog if I tried this alone.  Thankfully, Jay Volk stepped in to assist.  There are a few loose ends to tie up this weekend but most of it’s done.  Yay!

Meanwhile, re-bookmark my blog at its new address

https://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/

 

(screenshot of birdsoutsidemywindow.org web address)

Deadly Gardens

Insects, Musings & News

Dead bee (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Dead bee (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Today’s important message is late for this year’s growing season but we can always take action right now.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the dangers to honeybees from neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides used heavily in agriculture since 2008.  What you might not realize is that this pesticide may be in your garden whether you put it there or not.  Here’s why.

What are neonicotinoids?

Nicotine kills insects but it breaks down too quickly for modern agricultural use. Neonicotinoids (“neonics”) are chemicals similar to nicotine specially formulated to last a long time.

Neonics are nervous system disrupters that, depending on dose and exposure, cause confusion, hyperactive behavior, severe tremors or death in insects.  Low doses kill slowly through chronic exposure because the chemical lasts so long (5 months to years).

Neonics are “systemic” poisons because they are water soluble.  Plants suck up neonic-laden water and distribute it into roots, leaves, pollen, nectar, everywhere.  The entire plant is poisonous to a wide range of insects including “bad” insects that suck juices and eat leaves (aphids, stinkbugs and Japanese beetles) and “good” insects that collect pollen and nectar (bees and butterflies).  Bees and butterflies visit poisoned flowers and die elsewhere.

How do neonicotinoids get into your garden?

Neonicotinoids are primarily delivered via soil treatments and seed coatings.  Garden treatments contain doses 40 times higher than agricultural products.  These pathways may surprise you.

  1. Pesticides you bought to kill bad insects, especially soil treatments. Check the label!
  2. Potting soil:  If treated with neonics, the plants grown in the soil are poisonous. Check the label!
  3. Plants or seedlings you bought at the store:  They’re already grown, but how? If their seeds were coated with neonics or the soil was treated, the plants you bought are poisonous.

What can you do?

Read the label. Ask questions. Here are the chemical names to look for.
* Acetamiprid
* Clothianidin
* Dinotefuran
* Imidacloprid (fact sheet)
* Nitenpyram
* Thiocloprid
* Thiamethoxam

Practice reading labels:  Many companies have neonic products. This example is from the “Bayer Advanced” product line containing Imidacloprid.  Scroll down below Quick Facts to see Active ingredients.
12-month Tree & Shrub Insect Control
2-in-1 Systemic Rose & Flower Care
2-in-1 Insect Control and Fertilizer

Labels tell you some of the insects the product kills but never all of the insects affected.

Don’t panic.

If you’ve learned something new, don’t worry, don’t blame yourself. Time is on your side. Start now to change your garden.  Remember this Chinese proverb …

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.

 

(photo of dead bee from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)

 

Additional Resources:
A blog for home gardeners: potting soil and nursery plants Skowhegan, Maine, 2013.
News about pesticide-laced potting soil WRAL, Raleigh, NC, 2003.
Backyard Pesticide Use May Fuel Bee Die-offs. WIRED, 2012.
Risk Assessments Are Missing Harmful Effects of Neonics on Honey Bees Union of Concerned Scientists, 2013.
How neonicotinoids affect honey bee queens. Sub-lethal effects. The Journal Nature, 2016.
Bayer sold Bayer Garden and Bayer Advanced product lines to SBM (based in France). October 2016.

Eaten By A Fish!

Musings & News, Songbirds
Barn swallow in South Africa (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Barn swallow in South Africa (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

1 August 2017

We’ve all seen fish jump out of the water to catch flying insects but African tigerfish do much more than that.

Back in 2011, scientists conducting a telemetry study of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) in South Africa were surprised to find that their subjects were being eaten by fish!

African tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus) are aggressive animals up to 3.5 feet long with very sharp teeth.  During the study at Schroda Dam, the fish jumped out of the water and ate low-flying birds.  In 15 days they ate 300 barn swallows!

African tigerfish (image from Wikimedia Commons)

In 2014 scientists used high definition video to record the fish in action. Click here to see.

Fortunately, there’s someone on hand to eat the tigerfish.

Crocodile eating an African tigerfish, South Africa (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
Crocodile eating an African tigerfish, South Africa (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

 

Watch out, barn swallows!  Don’t fly too low!

 

(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the images to see the originals)

National Birds

Musings & News

Bald eagle (photo by Dana Nesiti, Eagles of Hays, PA)
Bald eagle (photo by Dana Nesiti, Eagles of Hays, PA)

On Independence Day the bald eagle, our national bird, is front and center in many of our celebrations.

What are the national birds of other countries?  Here are just a few.

Canada: Canada Jay formerly called the Gray Jay until 2018.

Gray jay in Minnesota (photo by Jessica Botzan)
Gray jay in Minnesota, 2014 (photo by Jessica Botzan)

Though it’s awaiting official approval, Canadians voted in 2016 to make the Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis) their national bird. Canada jays are found in Minnesota, too, where Jessica Botzan photographed this one.

 

United Kingdom:  Robin, or the European Robin

European Robin (photo from Wikimedia Commons)
European Robin (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

The European robin (Erithacus rubecula) is a small bird that’s especially loved in Britain because he’s relatively unafraid of people. The robin is known to hop next to gardeners as they dig the soil so he can look for newly exposed insects.

 

Finland: Whooper Swan, Laulujoutsen in Finnish

Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), photo from Wikimedia Commons
Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), photo from Wikimedia Commons

Pronounced “hooper,” the whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) ranges from Iceland to the Kamchatka peninsula.  Larger than our tundra swan, it’s a majestic bird that breeds in Finland and northern Eurasia.

 

Mexico, Afghanistan, Albania, Germany (unofficial) and Scotland (unofficial):  Golden Eagle

Golden eagle at the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch, 1 Nov 2011 (photo by Michael Lanzone)
Golden eagle at the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch, 1 Nov 2011 (photo by Michael Lanzone)

The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a powerful bird of prey that can bring down a deer with his talons. His range extends across the northern hemisphere, including North and Central America and Eurasia.  His majestic power makes him a potent symbol for many countries.

 

(photo credits:
bald eagle by Dana Nesiti, Eagles of Hays PA on Facebook
gray jay by Jessica Botzan
European robin and whooper swan from Wikimedia Commons; click in the images to see the originals
golden eagle by Michael Lanzone)

No Birds Here

Insects, Musings & News, Songbirds
Acres of farmland without plants and insects, Ottawa County, Ohio, early May 2017 (photo by Kate St.John)
Acres of farmland without plants and insects, Ottawa County, Ohio, early May 2017 (photo by Kate St.John)

14 May 2017

Early this month I wrote about the decline of nighthawks, swifts and swallows and the parallel decline of their food supply, flying insects.  Why are insects declining?  In a comment Gene suggested that, in addition to insecticides, herbicides play a role.  Here’s why that makes sense.

I’m a city person so farm practices are somewhat mysterious to me.  Nonetheless, in the last 20 years I’ve noticed a change in how the fields look in the spring.  They used to green up with the rest of the landscape but now most of them are brown and as empty as parking lots like the one shown above.  There are no birds here, no swallows wheeling overhead.

The fields look different because herbicides are used to control the weeds. There are different poisons for different crops — for instance one for soybeans, another for corn — and the crops are engineered so they can grow in the presence of specific poisons.

Herbicides are a very labor saving device.  When applied in the fall they keep the fields weed free all winter right up to spring planting.  Consequently, the fields don’t have to be tilled (that’s why they look like parking lots).  The absence of plants means there are no insects, another benefit for the crop.

As the growing season begins you can tell where herbicide has been used because there’s a stark mechanical line between treated fields and the neighboring untreated landscape.

The telltale brown-green line: brown where herbicide was applied, green where not (photo by Kate St. John)
The telltale brown-green line: brown where herbicide was applied, green where not (photo by Kate St. John)

Here’s a field where there are birds.

This field is green though weedy, Ottawa County, Ohio, early May 2017 (photo by Kate St. John)
This field is green though weedy, Ottawa County, Ohio, early May 2017 (photo by Kate St. John)

Yes, those plants are weeds.  They will probably be treated with herbicide soon and the field will turn from green to yellow as they die.

Because of herbicides and insecticides, large scale farming takes less work.  Millions of acres of U.S. farmland are truly empty now.  No plants.  No insects.  No birds here.

p.s. As I say, I’m a city person and don’t know much about farming so if I’ve got it wrong please leave a comment to correct me. … To which Dave C left this comment:

“Those fields are sprayed in the springtime and will be planted with corn and or soybeans.
These crops are called” Roundup ready crops” (as in Montsanto’s Round up that everyone buys to kill weeds around home).”

(photos by Kate St. John)

A Common Thread

Insects, Musings & News
Common nighthawk chasing a flying insect (drawing by Bob Hines, USFW, via Wikimedia Commons)
Common nighthawk pursuing a flying insect (drawing by Bob Hines, USFW, via Wikimedia Commons)

3 May 2017

Common nighthawks are my “Spark Bird,” the species that turned me into a birder.

Nighthawks are due back in Pittsburgh soon but their population has declined precipitously in this century.  Fifteen years ago I used to see flocks of 20 to 30 nighthawks swooping over our neighborhood ballpark.  Now I’m lucky to see just one.

This week I learned that chimney swifts and bank swallows are declining, too.  Most of it happened in this century. Trouble everywhere.  And so I wonder:  Do these species share a trait that’s causing their mutual decline?

Is it a problem with their nesting sites?  The answer is mixed.

  • In cities nighthawks nest on gravel roofs but gravel has been replaced by rubber.  City nest sites have declined so the answer for nighthawks is Yes.
  • Chimney swifts nest in chimneys. Some reports say the number of chimneys has gone down. (This has spawned projects to provide artificial chimneys.)  Other reports say the chimney count is OK. I’ve not seen a decline in Pittsburgh chimneys.  Answer for chimney swifts:  Maybe.
  • Bank swallows nest colonially in holes that they dig in the banks of lakes and rivers. These sites seem to be stable. Answer for bank swallows: Probably No.

Is it a problem where they spend the winter? Do they all go to the same place?   Not exactly.

  • Nighthawks spend the winter from eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and southern Brazil to Argentina.
  • Chimney swifts winter in western Peru and the upper Amazon basin.
  • Bank swallows spend the winter in nearly all of South America.

Do they eat similar food?  Yes!  All of them eat flying insects!

There’s a common thread.  Recent studies have shown that around the world invertebrates including insects have declined 45% in the last 40 years and in Germany insect biomass has declined 81% from 1989 to 2014.  Though insect decline has happened across the spectrum, it’s not something that’s made headline news except for two species not eaten by these birds: monarch butterflies and honeybees.

With such a massive drop in flying insects it’s no wonder that the birds who eat them have declined.  And there’s another interesting side effect.  The fish that eat flying insects are declining as well.  Discovered in the U.K. in 2003, this problem threatens the fly fishing industry.

A massive decline in flying insects and the birds and fish that eat them indicates we have a large and widespread problem.  It’s something in the environment and my hunch is that it’s caused by us.

We humans are ignoring it at our peril.

Here are resources for learning more:

(drawing of common nighthawk by Bob Hines, US Fish and Wildlife, in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)

The Theories Are Worse Than The Furies

Bird Behavior, Musings & News, Peregrines

Hope sheltering three nestlings, 29 April 2017, 11:55a (photo from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Hope sheltering three nestlings, 29 April 2017, 11:56a (photo from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)

So far so good.  The three nestlings at the Cathedral of Learning are all well fed and growing. Every day we gain more confidence that they’ll thrive.

Meanwhile we’re still puzzled why their mother, Hope, killed and ate the first-hatching chick as well as two of her four chicks last year.  We don’t know the answer but we have many theories.  It reminds me of a famous quote from Flannery O’Connor in Habit of Being (p. 502):

“The Theories are worse than the Furies.”

So who are the Furies?

According to Wikipedia, the Erinyes [also called the Furies] are ancient Greek goddesses from the underworld. They hear complaints brought by mortals against the insolence of the young to the aged, of children to parents, of hosts to guests, and of householders or city councils to suppliants.  They punish those crimes by hounding the culprits relentlessly and hitting them with brass-studded scourges.  Their victims die in torment.

Their most famous gig was to torment Orestes for killing his mother Clytemnestra who had an affair and killed his father Agamemnon. Orestes avenged his father’s murder but created a really big mess (read more here).  John Singer Sargent’s painting of Orestes Pursued by the Furies shows how awful the Furies can be.

Orestes Pursued by the Furies by John Singer Sargent (reproduction from Wikimedia Commons)
Orestes Pursued by the Furies by John Singer Sargent (reproduction from Wikimedia Commons)

The Theories can be relentless, too.

We have lots of theories about Hope but no data to confirm or disprove them. (Hope eats the evidence.) The only thing we know is that she has repeated the behavior two years in a row and it’s so abnormal that we can find only a handful of similar incidents in all the history of peregrine nest monitoring.

We don’t have an answer but we can make ourselves crazy.

The Theories are worse than the Furies!

 

(photo of Hope and chicks from the National Aviary falconcam at the University of Pittsburgh. Reproduction of John Singer Sargent’s “Orestes Pursued by the Furies” from Wikimedia Commons; click on the image to see the original)