Happy Thanksgiving!

To celebrate the holiday, I'm sharing this nice turkey I caught (just on camera, of course).

A wild turkey, making a hasty retreat.

This one is a cliffhanger, part three

Once I focused on the fact that there were multiple swallow species present, the wide variation in the placement, structure, and stage of the nests began to make sense.

The cliff swallow nests looked the most precarious; they opened outwards and hung where the bridge beams met the supporting columns (see here and here).  These nests were also the furthest behind in development -- while the cliff swallows were still extending their nests and incubating their eggs, the other swallows were busy feeding their chicks.

The cave swallows had built their deep nests in the corners formed by perpendicular beams.  Although I could not see into the nests, the steady stream of feeding visits by the parents was a good indication that there were growing chicks hidden inside.

* To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to: 

(1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website

(2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen

Meanwhile, the barn swallow chicks were quickly outgrowing their nests, which were shallow cups balanced on narrow ledges.

Four out of five barn swallow chicks agree: it is time for food!

These chicks eagerly watched each adult swallow that came nearby and opened their beaks wide for food, regardless of whether the adult was one of their parents or not.  Since there were many nests under the bridge, the chicks' gaping, yellow mouths were ignored more often than not.

* To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to: 

(1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website

(2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen

Nevertheless, the chicks had soon gown enough to leave the nest and perch on a nearby beam.  There, they continued to watch the all hardworking adults and to wait for food to be delivered.

A few days later, the chicks were out of the nest -- but still waiting around to be fed.

This one is a cliffhanger, part two

I was not in any way surprised to see that the birds that returned to the colony under the bridge were swallows.  After all, the nests had looked exactly like swallow nests.  Yet, I did get a big surprise once I started to identify the swallow species.  Not only was the common Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) there...

A Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) perched under the bridge.

... but so too were the Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)...

A Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) sitting in its nest.

... and the relatively rare Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva).

A Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva) on its nest.

All three species had made their homes under the same bridge and were busy tending to their nests and nestlings.  To be continued...

This one is a cliffhanger

Last September, when I was exploring the park area around my new apartment, I found an abandoned colony underneath one of the bridges over the bayou.

The bridge over the bayou.

Many mud nests had been attached to the concrete columns and beams of the bridge.  However, all the nests appeared empty and some were falling apart.

A couple of empty nests underneath the bridge.

Would the colony residents return, and if so, when?  I doubted that there would be any new activity at the nests until the spring. Indeed, there was little to see under the bridge until April, when the colony members came swooping back.  To be continued...

Gotta find them all! continued

My brief field guide for the park continues with the lizards, which means skipping both the fish and frogs.  Fish are easy enough to see in some of the larger ponds, but not so easy to photograph.  Meanwhile, the frogs were simply too fast for me.  Each time I walked up to a pond, I heard them plop into the water before I spotted them.  I will also be skipping the rabbit at the end for the same reason; the only rabbit that I have seen so far darted off into the bushes before I could get my camera ready.

Lizard: Anoles are the most abundant vertebrates I have seen in the park.  In particular, I find Carolina (a.k.a. green) anoles perched on many of the herbaceous plants and bushes.

A juvenile Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) shortly before it disappeared into the vegetation.

However, anoles are not the only lizards in the park.  I recently, and very briefly, saw a skink as it buried itself under the leaf litter.

Butterflies: Butterflies of quite a few different species are also very common in the park.  The most striking butterfly I have seen is the common buckeye, which I have now spent quite a bit of time chasing back and forth across the meadow.

This common buckeye (Junonia coenia) kept fluttering a few more feet away each time I approached it.

Follow the links if you are interested in seeing three more of the butterflies I have identified in the park: a tawny emperor (Asterocampa clyton), a gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and a dusky-blue groundstreak (Calycopis isobeon).

Heron: The ponds and the bayou -- or rather, the fish and other prey in the ponds and the bayou -- attract a number of heron and egret species.  Especially along the bayou, all I have to do is look up and down the embankment, and I can usually spot one standing in wait near the edge of the water.

A juvenile yellow-crowned night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea) out in the rain.

Lastly, why did I skip over the beetle?  I considered the generic "beetle" on the sign to be somewhat redundant, since ladybugs (featured last week) are beetles -- not bugs.  For contrast, you can see some true bugs (again) by clicking here.  There are other beetles in the park besides ladybugs, but they will have to wait until another post.

Same time, same place, next year

Last summer, we found two song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) nests in the bushes in our yard in Maine.  When I returned to visit this year, the song sparrows were once again conspicuous in the garden -- especially around one of the bushes that had sheltered a nest last year.  Any time I came near the bush, at least one adult sparrow would appear nearby and begin calling loudly.  While trying to keep enough distance to avoid spooking the sparrows, I caught a glimpse of one of the chicks before it hopped back between the dense branches.

A fledgling song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) sitting in a bush.

A few days later, after it seemed the chicks had fledged, I went back to search more thoroughly for the nest.  It did not take long to locate last year's nest again; however, that nest was full of fallen leaves and appeared disused.  A new nest must have been concealed somewhere even deeper within the bush.  In contrast, I found that eastern phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) had been reusing the same nest as last year, with another four chicks successfully fledged this year.

Les pigeons terribles

Although I was disappointed that there were no insects in the flowers, I did observe some flowers  receive a visitor of another kind.  As I was walking along and admiring the blossoms on a group of small fruit trees, my eye was caught by a large shape that dropped onto one of the branches, bending it nearly to the ground.

The common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) just after landing in the tree.

The bird that had landed was a common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus), which is considerably larger than the standard pigeon (a.k.a. rock pigeon or rock dove, Columba livia).  I was surprised that the pigeon had landed on a branch that could barely support its weight -- and I was even more surprised when the pigeon turned towards the nearest bunch of flowers and ate them. 

A common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) eating the pretty flowers.

The pigeon then proceeded to eat all the flowers it could reach from its precarious perch.  Later on, I was no longer surprised to find that not only are these pigeons shameless, they are fearless as well!

A common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) calmly sitting tête-à-tête with an eagle.

Is spring coming early?

Even though it is not yet Groundhog Day, there have been signs that spring is coming early.  For the past few days, the weather has been sunnier and warmer (i.e., above freezing).  As a result, almost all the snow has melted -- revealing not only the ground, but also the bright green leaf tips of a multitude of bulbs.

New daffodil shoots pushing up through the ground.

The birds are also taking advantage of the turn in the weather.  This morning, I was alerted to the return of some migrants by the unexpected sound of loud honking; I looked out the window just in time to see a flock of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) flying from the south.  Meanwhile, birds that have been enduring the winter here now have expanded food options.  Many of the Cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) have switched their diet from juniper berries to the freshly uncovered cotoneaster berries, and a small flock of dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) has been busy hopping  around and pecking at various small items that had been hidden underneath the snow.

A male dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis, "Oregon" subspecies) foraging on the ground.

A midwinter's feast

During the fall, I would frequently check on the crabapples to see if anything was eating them.  However, back then, they did not appear to be appetizing to anything except coddling moth caterpillars.  Finally, now that it is the middle of winter and there is very little else to eat, the crabapples are attracting more interest.

Crabapples, some partially eaten, covered in frost after a freezing fog.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen large flocks of birds, including house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus), occupying the crabapple tree and eating the fruits.

A female house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) picking a crabapple.

The birds are messy eaters and have littered the ground below the tree with bits of fruit.  These bits, in turn, have been attracting flightless consumers: rabbits, rodents, or both.  Nevertheless, the crabapples are not the top choice for all the animals visiting the yard.  When a flock of cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) appeared this weekend, they ignored the crabapples and feasted on the many juniper berries that had also been left uneaten since last summer.

* To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to (1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website and (2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen.

Mine!

The second part of my southward migration involved traveling a bit farther south and a long way east -- all the way to the Atlantic coast of Florida.  Due to a surprise victory over jet-lag, I got up early enough on my first full day back in Florida to watch the sun rise over the ocean.  At that hour, the beach was nearly deserted except for sea gulls scavenging for breakfast.

A ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) investigates an apple on the beach.

The most coveted prize to wash up on the shore was a large green apple.  Soon after it was discovered by one gull, more gulls began to arrive, all showing a keen interest in the apple.

A younger ring-billed gull drives off the first gull.

However, the apple posed two problems: it rolled away when pecked and it was too heavy to carry off.  Therefore, it was difficult for any one gull to monopolize the apple for long.  The more determined gulls were forced to switch continually between taking guarded pecks at the apple, dodging incoming waves, and chasing off any rivals that got too close.

The gull aggressively defends the apple as it is moved about by the surf.

A bush for the birds

Before leaving Santa Barbara, I made a quick visit to the botanical garden.  I did not expect to see much besides the plants, since it was cool and overcast with sunset quickly approaching.  Nevertheless, I did find quite a few birds and ants, as well as a small number of other insects including just one bee.  Most of the animal activity was in the area of the garden showcasing a large number of native manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.).

A cluster of manzanita flower buds and flowers.

Many of the manzanitas were covered in clusters of delicate white or pink flowers.  On some low shrubs, I saw ants attempting to get into the flowers.  However, one manzanita bush was successful in attracting much larger visitors to drink its nectar.  In addition to the one bee that I saw, these thirsty visitors included a hummingbird...

A female hummingbird drinks nectar from a manzanita flower.

... and a whole flock of bushtits (Psaltriparus minimus) that fluttered spiritedly among the branches until I came too close.

One of the many bushtits that were visiting the manzanita bush.

Flying south for the winter

My neighborhood is generally quiet; however, over the past weeks, there have been sporadic bursts of honking.  Unlike the noise of busy traffic, this honking occurs both day and night, is always moving from north to south, and is coming from the sky.  More specifically, it is coming from flocks of Canada geese (Branta canadensis).

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) flying south in V formations.

These geese are making their yearly migration from their northern breeding grounds to their wintering range.  Although the trip may be long and difficult, the reward is milder weather and more plentiful food.

I think that the geese have the right idea, and so the time has come for me to make my own migration south.  As a result, the upcoming posts will feature the much more active winter wildlife of southern California and South Florida (although it may be a few extra days before my next post).

A tale of two nests

Three weeks ago, I wrote about two bird nests we had found in the bushes.  One had four eggs and the other had only two.  What has happened since that post? 

Every few days, I would take a quick peek into each nest to see if anything had changed.  A couple of the times that I searched the dense shrubbery for the nest with four eggs, I was startled by a shiny black eye staring back at me.  The parent, a song sparrow (Melospiza melodia), was incubating the eggs.  Then, one day, there were no longer four eggs -- but four almost featherless chicks.  Although their eyes were not yet open, they would open their beaks wide at any movement above the nest. 

Four very young song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) chicks.

Meanwhile, the parents were busy catching insects to feed to the hungry chicks.  Just like the Eastern Phoebe parents, the song sparrows would not approach the nest when we were nearby.  Even if one had caught a juicy insect (as in the video below), it would wait until we were no longer visible before darting into the bushes to deliver the food.

 * To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to (1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website and (2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen.

The four chicks grew surprisingly quickly and my mother reports that they have already left the nest.  She has heard them chirping from the undergrowth some distance from the nest and seen the parents watching from the trees.

The other nest, with two eggs, had a very different story.  Although I had originally hoped that more eggs would be added, every time I looked there were still only two eggs.  Moreover, the eggs were never being incubated.  It seems that the nest was abandoned by the parents, or perhaps worse -- I had also found signs of an owl in the vicinity of the nest.

A full nest

Exactly how many of the Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) chicks were still in the nest?  Standing below, I could see two.  They weren't doing much, but I decided to leave the video camera running as I went off to check the rest of the garden.  When I came back after a few minutes, I once again saw two chicks, sitting very still.  Thus, I was in for a big surprise when I watched the footage for the first time.

* To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to (1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website and (2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen.

As it turned out, this was the chicks' last day in the nest.  However, the chicks have not gone far: I still hear their "fee-bee" calls from the trees around the garden.

Too close to home

When we found the lost chick, we looked all over the garden for its nest, but without success.  However, when I went to the garage the next day, one of the Eastern Phoebe parents started making its "chip" call at me again.

 

* To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to (1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website and (2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen.

The bird flitted among several trees in the proximity of the garage and continued to call.  I knew that I must be close -- too close for the comfort of the parent.  Turning back towards the garage and looking up, I finally found the nest. 

An Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) nest on top of a column.

It was quite a relief to see that there were surviving chicks!

What I hadn't known before is that Eastern Phoebes commonly build their nests on buildings.  This nest site -- on a column underneath a deck -- should have been one of the first places that we checked.  Nevertheless, it wouldn't have helped to have found the nest the night before.  The nest was too high to reach without a ladder, and any attempt to return the lost chick could have endangered the rest of the nestlings.

The lost chick

As much as I enjoy getting a chance to see a bird up close, I am anxious when I encounter a bird that isn't able to fly away from me.  Such was the case with this Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) chick that my mother found sitting on the lawn.

An Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) chick with a Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) stuck in its beak.

The chick only turned its head slightly and blinked at me when I came near to take a picture.  Upon close inspection, I saw that it was holding a Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) in its beak.  Meanwhile, the parent birds scolded us from nearby trees.  It seemed best to give the birds some space, so that the parents could approach and care for the chick.  After we moved away, the chick fluttered about the lawn and eventually disappeared from sight.

At first, we were pleased to see a native species reducing the number of destructive Japanese beetles in the garden.  However, when I found the chick again in the evening, I was unsettled to discover that the beetle was still in its beak.  Young birds need to eat frequently -- I was afraid this one might already be starving.  After getting tweezers from the house, I approached slowly, but the chick seemed too exhausted to move away.  Pulling gently on the beetle, I found that it was indeed stuck.  Its claws had become hooked into the chick's throat.  Working as carefully as I could, I managed to unhook the beetle.  I scooped the chick into an empty nest that we had in the house; then, with darkness falling rapidly, we secured the nest onto one of the branches we had seen the parents use as a perch.

We hoped to give the chick another chance, but, sadly, it did not survive the night.

Two bird nests in the bushes

When I was growing up, my grandfather would carry me on his shoulders to let me peek into the bird nests he had discovered.  It was always such a thrill to see the delicate eggs in those nests tucked deep between the tree branches.  As the summer progressed, the eggs would hatch and it would become possible to locate the nests by sound.  Though tiny, the chicks would call loudly for food, their beaks opening incredibly wide.

Although now I generally search the garden for insects and spiders, today I was told that I might find one or more bird nests if I looked carefully.  One bird had been acting suspiciously, darting out of a thick bush and running along the ground whenever my mother approached.  Arming myself with my camera, I slowly studied the bush.

Can you see what is hidden near the bottom left corner of this picture?

Suddenly, from between the green branches, I got a glimpse of a nest with four eggs cradled inside.  Luckily, the bird was nowhere in sight and I was able to take a closer look without causing a disturbance.

A bird nest with four speckled eggs.

The adventure then continued at the rose bush.  Once again, I peered at the bush from various angles before finding the one that revealed another small nest...

This nest is not quite as well hidden.

... and two more eggs! 

There were only two eggs in this nest. Maybe there will be another egg tomorrow?