Feeder Fighting

Last evening I noticed that this particular RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD has declared possession and property of the nectar feeder in our backyard. I think it is competing with only 2 or 3 other hummingbirds for the moment and will give chase to any that come near the feeder. They'll fight when it isn't necessary. Most hummingbird species are extremely territorial and try to chase off intruders, even if there is an abundant food supply for every hummingbird that could possibly come. A solution that might quell the fighting is to place a second nectar feeder, which I may eventually do depending on how long this hummingbird sticks around.



On the chase - the hummingbird is quicker than the lens! After watching this show of territorial behavior for a while I noticed that while the "piggy" hummingbird was busy chasing, a third hummer would come in and quickly take a sip of nectar. Not for long, though. The possessive hummingbird would come back, chase, and then return to perching atop the feeder hanger, darting its head around seemingly looking for the next contender.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell

Frog action plan to cost millions

"About a third of frog, toad and salamander species are facing extinction; threats include fungal disease, pollution and habitat loss. Because of their sensitivity to environmental factors, amphibians are sometimes referred to as the 'canary in the coal mine', an early-warning system for ecological decline which will also impact other species, including humans."

Link: Full Story from BBC News

Frog image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell

Teeny Phones for Tweety Birds

"Humans may not be the only animals using cell phones in the near future. Ornithologists and engineers at Oregon State University are planning to strap tiny mobile phones to songbirds and monitor the birds' migration with unprecedented accuracy."

Link: Full Story from Wired

Image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell

Displaced songbirds navigate in the high Arctic

This is really interesting (mm)...

By experimentally relocating migratory White-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) from their breeding area in the Canadian Northwest Territories to regions at and around the magnetic North Pole, researchers have gained new insight into how birds navigate in the high Arctic. In particular, the findings aid our understanding of how birds might determine longitudinal information--a challenging task, especially at the earth's poles. The work is reported in Current Biology by Susanne Åkesson and colleagues at Lund University in Sweden.

Migratory birds navigating over long distances can determine their latitude on the basis of geomagnetic and celestial information, but longitudinal position is much more difficult to determine. In the new work, researchers investigated whether birds can define their longitude after physical displacements in the high Arctic, where the geomagnetic field lines are steep and the midnight sun makes star navigation impossible for much of the summer.

White-crowned sparrows are nocturnally migrating birds that breed in northern Canada and perform long migrations covering a few thousand kilometers to winter in the southern United States. In the study, young and adult white-crowned sparrows were captured with mistnets near Inuvik, NW Territories, Canada, during mid-July to mid-August--the end of the breeding period and shortly before migration--and transported by a Canadian icebreaker along a northeasterly route to nine sites on the tundra, among them the magnetic North Pole (located on Ellef Ringnes Island). The researchers then recorded the birds' directional orientation in cage experiments.

The scientists found that both adult and juvenile birds abruptly shifted their orientation from the migratory direction to a direction leading back to the breeding area or the normal migratory route, suggesting that the birds began compensating for the west-to-east displacement by using geomagnetic cues alone or in combination with solar cues. The experiments suggest that, in contrast to what would be predicted by a simple genetic-migration program, both adult and juvenile white-crowned sparrows possess a navigation system based on a combination of celestial and geomagnetic information to correct for longitudinal displacements. The results of the study suggest that the birds may in fact use declination--the angle formed between the magnetic North Pole and geographic north--to obtain longitudinal information. Geographic north can be determined by star positions late in the summer, as night returns to the high Arctic.

Link: All about the White-crowned Sparrow from Cornell Labs

White-crowned Sparrow images © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell

Deceit of the Raven

"It began with apes. In the 1960's and 70's, scientists taught captive chimps to use words and documented wild ones using tools and planning hunting expeditions. Then other smart mammals -- monkeys, elephants and porpoises among them -- also proved to have surprisingly "human" mental powers. And in the last few years, the circle has expanded to still other mammals and beyond."

Link: Full Article from NY Times (registration required)

Or use Bugmenot.com to bypass the registration.

Raven image courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service

Museum learning facts behind owl invasion

"A massive invasion of the United States by the great gray owl means Field Museum bird experts have nearly 700 feathered carcasses on their hands. "Great" is the word for the owls, North America's largest with a wingspan of up to 60 inches, and for their unprecedented influx into Northern states from Canada, as many as 10,000 in Minnesota alone."

Link: Full Article from the Chicago Sun Times

Great Gray Owl image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell

Hurricane Birds

Appearance of hurricane birds can bring new understanding

"Hurricane birds" is the nebulous term for birds that apparently have been swept up within the eye of a hurricane, then deposited hundreds of miles inland long after hurricanes are downgraded to tropical depressions or low-pressure systems, said Doug Stotz, conservation ecologist/ornithologist at the Field Museum.

Link: Full Story from the Chicago Sun Times

Black Skimmer image courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service

The Early Birder

Early this morning Pheasant Branch Conservancy provided an exuberant rush to the senses with cool and moist air, fresh droplets of rain decorating recently fallen leaves and the chirps and call-notes of migrating birds in the forest canopy above. I just love fall migration. After scouting around the stream corridor trail for a while, I settled on a spot where the introduction was a Black-and-white Warbler clinging to a tree trunk just as nuthatches do. Just moments later I realized I was completely surrounded by wood sprites of every color. Though in their fall suits, I could still make out the faded orange of a Blackburnian Warbler and the still bold yellow wing-bar of the Golden-winged Warbler. A burst of bold notes came from over my shoulder. I swung around to see a singing Carolina Wren, which was quickly joined by another one...perched together at the end of a dead branch. As the impressive concentration of hungry wood warblers moved through the upper-story, I watched insect foragers working closer to the ground...beautiful male and female Black-throated Blue warblers. Confusing fall warblers? I don't think so. With a little time and close study, their unique impressions are still very recognizable and appreciated.

Image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell

More Buff-breasted Sandpiper News

Twitchers flock to East Lothian to see sandpiper

"A RARE wading bird that has hardly ever been seen because it lives in the Arctic tundra has become a huge attraction in East Lothian after it was blown off its migration path. Hundreds of birdwatchers have been flocking to the saltmarshes in Tyningham to catch a glimpse of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, which normally lives among millions of square miles of deserted scrubland. "

Link: Full Article from the Scotsman.com

Also, check out the new Buff-breasted Sandpiper images by Robert Royse! Wow!

Buff-breasted Sandpiper image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell

The Mystique of Birds!

Are you near the Madison (WI) area? If so, you are invited to attend a birding program at Madison Public Central Library.

Jon Stravers, Research Coordinator for Audubon's Upper Mississippi River Campaign presents:

"The Mystique of Birds: The Importance of Rituals Within Bird Behavior and the Mystery of Migration."

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday, September 19th at:

Madison Public Central Library
201 West Mifflin Street
Madison, WI 53703

"Come learn about birds that nest and migrate along the Upper Mississippi River including Red-Shouldered Hawks, migrating Tundra Swans and other species uncommon in the Upper Midwest. Jon has operated a raptor banding station along the Mississippi River in Iowa as part of his role as Research Coordinator with the Audubon Society, and will present a slideshow on his work. Refreshments will be provided by Madison Public Library Foundation."

Tundra Swan image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell

'Worst seabird season on record'

Same bad news for seabirds as last year...

"Seabird colonies in Scotland have suffered one of the worst breeding seasons on record, experts have warned. Reserves run by RSPB Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) have seen major failures of some species. Breeding has been poor in guillemot, puffin, kittiwake and razorbill colonies, particularly in the west coast reserves. "

Link: Full Story from BBC News

Atlantic Puffin image courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service

Hummingbirds.Net

(click on image for larger version)

In Wisconsin the single hummingbird species we expect to see is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but there are nearly annual sightings of Rufous/Allen's and a few Green Violet-ear records, but generally up north. I recently put out a nectar feeder to attract hummingbirds and now there are 3 or 4 regular visitors.

Apparently, hummingbirds aren't interested in the concept of sharing and will often chase each other away from the feeder. They seem to lead of life of constant intensity and when not in hot pursuit of each other, they'll even chase other bird species around. A few weeks ago at Horicon Marsh I observed a hummingbird harassing a Red-tailed Hawk. It makes you wonder just how big these tiniest of birds think they are!

An excellent on-line resource for learning all about hummingbirds and attracting them is Hummingbirds.net. There you will find information on nectar mixes, feeders, migration, what to do with sick or injured birds, conservation efforts, maps, photos and a whole lot more.

Link: Hummingbirds.Net

Link: All about the Ruby-throated Hummingbird from Cornell Labs

Ruby-throated Hummingbird image © 2005 Michael Allen McDowell