8 May 2016
Though it’s been less than two weeks since the first Baltimore orioles returned to western Pennsylvania, it didn’t take long for them to arrive in force and begin to establish their territories.
Now they’re everywhere and obvious — singing, chasing, chattering with annoyance, drowning out the songs of other birds.
As soon as they’ve paired up Baltimore orioles sing a lot less and become almost secretive.
Enjoy them now while they’re ostentatious.
(photo by Steve Gosser)
“Lesley The Bird Nerd” has photographed backyard birds for a long time. She’s especially fond of blue jays and discovered that photos help her identify the jays as individuals.
Each blue jay has a different face!
Watch her video and learn how to do it yourself. (You’ll need a camera.)
(video from LesleyTheBirdNerd on YouTube)
Oh my! It’s May!
Last month I listed outings for the last week of April and included May 1. Here’s a big list for the month of May.
Everyone is welcome to participate in these outings. Click on the links for directions, meeting places, what to bring, and phone numbers for the leaders.
| 2016: Date/Time | Focus | Location | Leader & Link to more info |
| Sun. May 1, 8:00am All Day! | Birds & Flowers | Enlow Fork Extravaganza, Washington/Greene Counties | Wheeling Creek Watershed Conservancy / BotSocWPA / Ralph Bell Bird Club |
| Wed. May 4, 8:00am | Birds | Linbrook Woodlands, Allegheny County | Karyn Delaney & Bob Van Newkirk, 3RBC |
| Fri. May 6, 7:30am | Birds | Sewickley Park, Allegheny County | Sheree Daugherty, 3RBC / Fern Hollow Nature Center |
| Sat. May 7, 10:00am | Flowers | Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve, Beaver County | Dianne Machesney, BotSocWPA |
| Sat. May 14, 7:30am | Birds | Barking Slopes, Allegheny County | Todd Hooe, 3RBC Outing is limited to 12 people. See 3RBC link to reserve. |
| Sat. May 14, 10:00am – 3:00pm | Flowers | Mountain Maryland Native Plant Festival, New Germany State Park, Garrett County, MD | see BotSocWPA website for info |
| Sat. May 14, 1:00pm | Flowers | Oil Creek State Park, Venango County | Robert Coxe, BotSocWPA |
| Sun. May 15, time to be announced | Flowers | Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, Allegheny County | BotSocWPA |
| Sun. May 15, 8:00am | Birds | Barking Slopes, Allegheny County | Todd Hooe, 3RBC Outing is limited to 12 people. See 3RBC link to reserve. |
| Sat. May 21, 8:00am | Birds | Harrison Hills, Allegheny County | Jim Valimont, 3RBC |
| Sat. May 21, 8:00am | Birds | Presque Isle State Park, Erie County | Bob Van Newkirk, 3RBC |
| Sat. May 21, 10:00am | Flowers | Moraine State Park, Butler County | see BotSocWPA website |
| Sun. May 22, 8:00am | Birds | Frick Park, Pittsburgh | Aidan Place, 3RBC |
| Sun. May 22, 8:30am | Birds & Flowers | Schenley Park, Pittsburgh | Kate St. John, Outside My Window |
Don’t miss May’s excitement.
Let’s get outdoors!
(photo of golden ragwort by Kate St. John)
Every morning we awake to birdsong now. All the singers are male … right? Well, not really.
When I took a class on birdsong years ago I learned that female birds don’t sing. This information came from centuries of bird observations made in Europe and North America. Charles Darwin even used it to describe how song evolved in male birds to attract mates and compete for territory.
But in 2014 that “fact” was turned upside down. 71% of female songbirds do sing. It’s just that most of them are tropical species. No one had studied birdsong worldwide until a team lead by Karan Odom of University of Maryland, Baltimore County published their findings in Nature Communications in March 2014.
It’s true that almost all the singing birds in North America are male, but there are some exceptions.
Did you know that female northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) sing and they’re just as good at it as the males?
I was reminded of this last week when a female flew into a tree just over my head and sang a long sustained vibrato even faster than this:
Cardinal couples countersing to synchronize their pair bond. Yesterday in Schenley Park I saw a female sing a phrase several times, then her mate matched it.
So when you hear a cardinal singing, take the time to find the singer. It may be a lady!
p.s. Female rose-breasted grosbeaks (Pheucticus ludovicianus) and black-headed grosbeaks (Pheucticus melanocephalus) sing, too. They’re in the Cardinal Family.
(photo by Steve Gosser)
Flowers are blooming everywhere and trees will soon leaf out. Don’t miss your chance to get outdoors while the weather’s fine.
Join me for a bird and nature walk in Schenley Park this Sunday, April 24, 8:30am – 10:30am. Meet at the Schenley Park Visitors Center. Click here for information and updates.
Or join one of these many outings — April 23 through May 1.
Everyone is welcome to participate. Click on the links for directions, meeting places, what to bring, and phone numbers for the leaders.
| 2016: Date/Time | Focus | Location | Leader & Link to more info |
| Sat. Apr 23, 9:30am | Birds & Potluck lunch | Raccoon Creek State Park, Beaver County | Ryan Tomazin, 3RBC / Brooks Bird Club |
| Sat. Apr 23, 10:00am | Flowers | Boyce-Mayview, Upper St. Clair, Allegheny County | Judy Stark, BotSocWPA |
| Sat. Apr 23, 2:00pm | Flowers | Brady’s Run Park, Beaver County | Peggy Gorrell & Loree Speedy, BotSocWPA |
| Sun. Apr 24, 7:30am | Birds | Buffalo Creek IBA-80, Washington County | Larry Helgerman, 3RBC |
| Sun. Apr 24, 8:30am | Birds & Flowers | Schenley Park, Pittsburgh | Kate St. John, Outside My Window |
| Sun. Apr 24, 8:30am | Birds | Frick Park, Pittsburgh | Jack & Sue Solomon, 3RBC |
| Fri. Apr 29, 7:30am | Birds | Sewickley Park, Allegheny County | Bob Van Newkirk, 3RBC / Fern Hollow Nature Center |
| Sat. Apr 30, 10:00am | Flowers | Powdermill Nature Reserve, Westmoreland County | Martha Oliver, BotSocWPA |
| Sun. May 1, 8:00am All Day! | Birds & Flowers | Enlow Fork Extravaganza, Washington/Greene Counties | Wheeling Creek Watershed Conservancy / BotSocWPA / Ralph Bell Bird Club |
Don’t miss April flowers. Let’s get outdoors!
p.s. The flower shown above is a member of the Pink family called star chickweed or great chickweed (Stellaria pubera). It looks unremarkable until you get close. 🙂
(photo by Kate St. John)
On Throw Back Thursday:
American robins have already begun to nest this month. Back in April 2009 I noticed that one had chosen an unusual nest site on South Craig Street.
Can you see the bird incubating in front of the “Don’t Walk” sign?
Read more about her in this article called: Don’t Walk!
(photo by Kate St. John)
The flowers are ahead of schedule and so are some migratory birds. This week in Schenley Park I found four new arrivals.
Brown creepers (Certhia americana) spend the winter in the central and southern U.S. so they know about our warm weather and can decide to migrate early. I saw several brown creepers and heard their high pitched, squeaky song along the Bridle Trail on Thursday.
“Brown Creeper (Certhia americana nigrescens)” from xeno-canto by Mike Nelson. Genre: Certhiidae.
Two very tiny birds, smaller than chickadees, arrived on Tuesday. It’s unusual to see them together.
Golden-crowned kinglets (Regulus satrapa), at left below, have a winter range similar to the brown creeper’s and usually migrate through before their ruby-crowned cousins show up. I found both birds on March 29 when I heard the ruby-crowned kinglet singing “Stay away!” as the golden-crowned chased him. I’ve never seen these two species fighting!
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Ruby-crowned kinglets (Regulus calendula) spend the winter in the southern U.S. and even in eastern Pennsylvania but they’re a big deal here. An appearance on March 29 is two weeks earlier than I expect them.
Here’s the ruby’s song and, at the end, the “chack” he makes when annoyed.
“Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)” from xeno-canto by Hal Mitchell. Genre: Regulidae.
On Tuesday I heard a lone chipping sparrow (Spizella passerina) along the Bridle Trail but couldn’t find him for two days. He was hanging out with a flock of dark-eyed juncoes. Bob Machesney says that in the North Hills the dark-eyed juncoes are gone before the chipping sparrows arrive. This solo bird isn’t playing by the rules. 😉
Here’s the chipping sparrow’s song:
“Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)” from xeno-canto by Martin St-Michel. Genre: Emberizidae.
Watch for the first three birds in the days ahead. Only the chipping sparrow will stay to nest in Schenley Park.
(all photos by Steve Gosser)
Because I’ve kept track of their spring arrival March 5 is Grackle Day at my house. It’s the day that the first common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula) usually arrive in my neighborhood in the spring.
I hear them before I see them: “Skrinnnnk, Krinnnnk” “Djuk Djuk.” Listen to this audio clip and you’ll know what I mean.
The video below shows the males puffing up and calling to display their dominance. The grackle whose beak points the highest is the one who wins. 😉
This year a few ambitious grackles passed through early. I heard and saw a single common grackle on February 5 and two on March 1. I’m waiting for more today.
Are there grackles in your neighborhood yet?
(photo by Shawn Collins, audio link from Xeno Canto, video by The Critter Window on YouTube)
On Throw Back Thursday:
Last week in Florida with Chuck and Joan Tague we found these brainy birds on Merritt Island. On a similar trip in 2009 a jay was so bold that he perched right next to a replica of himself — a Florida scrub-jay pin on Joan’s hat.
Read how the Florida scrub-jay got so smart in this Throw Back article from February 2009: Speaking of Brainy Birds.
(photo by Chuck Tague)
Here on the east coast of Florida I’m looking for a Life Bird. I’ve been to this part of the country so often that I’ve seen all the easy ones, but there’s a bird in Broward County that fits the bill.
Spot-breasted orioles (Icterus pectoralis) are native to Mexico and Central America but were introduced to the Miami area in the 1940’s. Since then they’ve raised families, spread out a bit and become so established that they’re “count-able” according to American Birding Association rules. I found out they’re at Markham Park in Broward County where I heard that a western spindalis was hanging out with them in January.
The western spindalis is gone (alas! not reported since January 31) but the spot-breasted orioles are still there so I’m going to seek them out.
If I see one, I can count him.
(*) “Countable”: When a new species is introduced to North America it can’t be counted as a wild bird on ABA Life Lists until the ABA determines that it’s become established on its own. Of course I have my own list of exceptions that count for me but aren’t official. Click here for the ABA rules and here for the ABA checklist.
(photo from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)
p.s. Alas! Bad luck. I didn’t find the spot-breasted orioles even though two were seen on Sunday.
