Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
When I am out birding, I rely on my ears a lot! Often times I hear a bird before I see it and can use their call to hone in where to look for the bird. Even with an idea of where the bird is, you can’t always spot it because it’s hiding in dense vegetation, is a distance away, it’s too dark, or you might spot it but can’t tell two very similar species apart. That is where birding by ear comes in! By learning the songs and calls of birds, you’ll more easily be able to identify the birds around you, even if you can’t get a great look at them. One of the things you can do to help you remember bird songs and calls is to put words to it, a tool called mnemonics (the M is not pronounced). A mnemonic device is a learning tool to aid in memory. By putting a word or phrase to a bird call or song, you’ll more easily be able to remember it and be able to successfully identify a bird whether you’re able to spot it or not. Even with bird mnemonics, identifying bird calls can be tricky! Many birds make more than one type of sound. Don’t let this discourage you, birding by ear is a process that takes time and practice! The more you get out birding and pay attention to the calls and who is making them, the easier it will become. Two of my favorite bird apps for bird calls and identification are Merlin and BirdNET.
Below I have complied a list of some Minnesota birds and their mnemonics. It is just a handful of the many birds in Minnesota, but it will get you started on your way to birding by ear. Common Birds American Goldfinch po-ta-to-chip (when flying) chip, chip, chip-py American Robin cheer-up, cheer-a-lee, cheer-ee-o Black-capped Chickadee chik-a-dee-dee-dee (the more dee’s the more danger) Cheese-bur-ger (high note followed by two lower notes on the same pitch) Northern Cardinal cheer-cheer-cheer-purty-purty-purty White-breasted Nuthatch yank, yank, yank (very nasally, sound kind of like they’re laughing at you) Red-winged Blackbird konk-o-reeeeeeeee Song Sparrow maids maids-maids-put-on-your tea-kettle-ettle-ettle, Hip; hip; hip hurrah boys; spring is here! Madge; Madge; Madge pick beetles off; the water's hot Chipping Sparrow chipping trill (mechanical sounding) Dark-eyed Junco riiiiing riiiing (old telephone ring, high pitched trill) Northern Flicker flicka, flicka, flicka, flicka, flicka wika, wika, wika, wika, wika Red-bellied Woodpecker churrr, churrr Tufted Titmouse Peter, peter, peter Brown-headed Cowbird Bubble-bubble-zeeee! (sounds like water dripping) White-throated Sparrow Oh sweet, Canada, Canada, Canada (low note followed but repeating higher notes) Oh Sam, Peabody, Peabody, Peabody Gray Catbird meeeee-ew or maaaaaanh (nasally) Ovenbird t-cher, t-cher, t-cher (very fast and increasing in volume) Yellow Warbler sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet Common Yellowthroat whitchity, whitchity, whitchity Great Crested Flycatcher reeep, reeep (buzzy) Red-eyed Vireo Where are you? Here I am. Over here (pause between each phrase) Indigo Bunting Fire, fire! Where, where? Here, Here! Put-it-out, put-it-out! Sweet, sweet, chew, chew, see-it, see-it Chimney Swift t-t-t-t-t-t-t (chittering) Eastern Towhee Drink-your-teeaaaa (tea is a musical trill, may be more than one “drink” note) Common Nighthawk beeeer, beeeer (somewhat buzzy) American Woodcock Peeent; peeent; peeent (nasally with pauses between peents) Owls Barred Owl Who-cook-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-allll? Great Horned Owl Who’s awake? Me too Saw-whet Owl too-too-too (like truck back up beeping signal) Birds that Say Their Name Eastern Phoebe FEE-beee (very buzzy, sounds like they’re yelling their name, last syllable raspy) Eastern Wood Pewee Pee-oo-weeEEE Killdeer kill-deeeeer kill-deeeeer kee-dee kee-dee Blue Jay jay jay jay queedle-queedle-queedle fee-der-de-lurp Bobwhite bob-white! Whip-poor-will whip-poooor-will, whip-poor-will For pictures of the above birds, more information about them, and to hear their calls use the Merlin app or visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website. Now that you know some new tricks to bird songs and calls, test out your skills and see who you can hear singing! Happy Birding!
For more tips on how to learn bird songs and calls, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website by clicking the button below.
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April wasn’t quite as crazy as March, but still plenty of birds to go around! And more on the horizon with spring migration starting to heat up! I started the month off in Minnesota, did some birding in Nebraska mid April, and rounded out the month back in Minnesota. I added 30 birds for the month, with 14 new Lifer birds. It was another fun month of birding with more on the way for May! Here are a few Birding Journal excerpts: Sunday, April 18, 2021 Today Tony and I were in search of a Burrowing Owl – we found some prairie dog towns but no owls. We did however add 3 birds to my year list and two were lifers! We saw Northern Pintail, American Widgeon, and the most surprising – a Cinnamon Teal! We saw tons of other waterfowl like teal, Northern Shovelers, and Coots along with a Northern Harrier that was flying above the prairie. We didn’t get our “target bird” but had a successful day of birding at Houltine WMA! So far the three times I have gone out in search of a specific species have not been successful. I’ve always found a new bird, just not the one I had gone out looking for! Saturday, April 24, 2021 Today was a grebe day! Out on Lake Superior there was an Eared Grebe and Red-necked Grebe among some other divers and a Common Loon. Thursday, April 29, 2021 After work we went out to the Kalmar Reservoir to look for shorebirds. We brought the spotting scope since they’re tricky to ID! Right away we saw and heard an Eastern Meadowlark. We saw some shorebirds we already had, but got 3 new ones today! American Golden Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Least Sandpiper. We observed and deliberated a lot but were able to ID those new ones Another successful day of birding! With pictures, we later ID’d a Long-billed Dowitcher adding to our count. April Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) April 1 – Pine Island, NE 101. (1) American Kestrel April 2 – Sand Point Trail, Frontenac State Park, Frontenac, MN 102. (2) Eastern Phoebe 103. (3) Wood Duck 104. (4) Canvasback* 105. (5) Redhead* 106. (6) Lesser Scaup 107. (7) Golden-crowned Kinglet April 3 – Lake Koronis, Paynesville, MN 108. (8) Hooded Merganser 109. (9) Red-breasted Merganser* 110. (10) Common Loon April 4 – Lake Koronis, Paynesville, MN 111. (11) Greater White Fronted Goose* 112. (12) Gadwall 113. (13) Common Redpoll April 18 – Hultine WMA, Eldorado, NE 114. (14) Northern Pintail* 115. (15) American Wigeon* 116. (16) Cinnamon Teal* April 24 – Lake Superior, Lutsen, MN 117. (17) Eared Grebe* 118. (18) Red-throated Grebe* April 25 – Red Wing, MN 119. (19) Purple Finch 120. (20) Ruby-crowned Kinglet April 26 – Red Wing, MN 121. (21) Brown Creeper 122. (22) White-throated Sparrow April 27 – Oxbow Park, Byron, MN 123. (23) Broad-winged Hawk April 28 Oxbow Park, Byron, MN 124. (24) Rose-breasted Grosbeak 125. (25) White-crowned Sparrow April 29 – Kalmar Reservoir, Byron, MN 126. (26) American Golden Plover* 127. (27) Eastern Meadowlark* 128. (28) Semipalmated Sandpiper* 129. (29) Least Sandpiper* 130. (30) Long-billed Dowitcher* The Stats: Bird Species this Year: 130 Species for April: 30 Days Birded this Year: 43 Days Birded in April: 13 Lifers in April: 14 (Birds with an (*) are Lifer Birds) Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
With warmer weather and spring bird migration underway, it’s a great time to get out and birdwatch! BirdCast is a great tool to help you know when the birds are migrating, and when to expect to see more birds in your area. Spring migration is always exciting because it seems like new bird species are arriving all the time! Many passerine (songbird) species migrate at night and in large enough flocks that they are often picked up on weather radars. In 2018 the BirdCast website launched and started forecasting bird migrations and predicting the number of birds that would be migrating at night. They also have a live migration map that reports how many birds actually were in flight. With these maps they’re able to gather information about when birds migrate, where they migrate, and how far they’ll fly on their migration journey. Over the years this information will be able to help us understand more about migration timing and pathways and how migration behaviors respond to climate changes, population changes, and much more. BirdCast is a website (birdcast.info) that is run by The Cornell Lab, Colorado State University, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. It is only live for a few months in the spring and fall during migration season. The two main things on their website are the 3-day Migration Forecast Map and Live Bird Migration Maps. The 3-day forecast shows you the predicted migration intensity across the continental United States and the live map shows you real-time analysis of actual nocturnal bird migration that is picked up on weather radar. Another neat tool on their website is the Local Bird Migration Alert. Just type in your city and you can see if there will be any birds passing overhead tonight. It will even estimate the number of brids/km/night. There is a lot of great info about migration and their different migration forecasting tools. I encourage you to check it out and look around the website!
I think it is fun to check BirdCast and see where birds are migrating and moving around. It’s interesting to see how weather can affect their migration and timing. And it is always exciting when there is high intensity of migration in your area, meaning you have a good chance of seeing some new species! Head over to the BirdCast website and see if there are any birds migrating in your area tonight! Wow, what a month of birding! February may have been slow, but March had LOTS of birds to offer! The month started off with watching Sandhill Cranes make their way to the river for roosting at night, then watching them feed in the fields the next day. We were treated with a beautiful sunset and some other new Big Year species! In mid-March we headed to St. Simons Island on the coast of Georgia, which did not disappoint! Georgia had a plethora of new birds for my Big Year, along with some lifers! This had been the third Spring I’ve been able to experience the Great Sandhill Crane Migration in Nebraska! Kearney, Nebraska is known as the Sandhill Crane Capital of the world. Each year during their Spring migration hundreds of thousands of birds stopover in Central Nebraska to rest and refuel during their long migration. During the day they eat in the fields, then head over to the Platte River in the evenings to roost in the shallow waters for protection from predators. Their movement to and from the river is a spectacle to see as huge flocks of noisy birds come and go at the same time. Read more about this AMAZING wildlife experience and see some pictures and a video on a blog post I wrote last year. We’ve had our trip to the Georgia coast tentatively planned since summer, but hadn’t made any solid plans until closer since we weren’t sure how things would be with the pandemic. Luckily, everything worked out and we were able to explore the Georgia coast and the many activities (and creatures) it has to offer! Being from Minnesota and currently living in Nebraska, Georgia had a variety of different birds that I am not used to seeing. It was so much fun to see new species and to add so many new birds to my Big Year count. I couldn’t believe how fast my list was growing over the first few days, it seemed like every bird we saw was a new one! While planning the trip we looked for activities that were nature centered and for many of them that included seeing birds. I also was lucky enough to go on this trip with others who were just as excited about the birds! It was a lot of fun to have a group of excited birders and have other people to bounce thing off to help with some of those tricky birds to ID. Going to Georgia really boosted my Big Year list!
Here are a few excerpts from my Big Year Birding Journal this month: When in Nebraska during the spring you have to see the cranes! This is the third spring I’ve had the chance to watch them as they head to their nighttime roosting sights, it is an amazing thing to see! Sunday, March 7, 2021 Mom and Dad are visiting us in NE so we went out near Rowe Sanctuary to watch the Sandhill Cranes come in to roost for the night on the Platte River. No matter how many times you see this beautiful scene of thousands and thousands of cranes coming into the river during sunset you can’t help but be amazed! Not only is it amazing to watch but the sound is incredible! We stood on a viewing deck near the river to watch. We even got to see some deer enjoying the river, too! Right when we arrived the spring call of a Red-winged Blackbird greeted us. There were HUGE flocks of Snow Geese mixed with cranes flying overhead. Later in the evening a Killdeer was running by the shallow water and was heard calling. Each day in Georgia was an awesome day! We had great weather, fun activities, and lots of birding opportunities. The second day there was my best day of birding which really boosted my Big Year list! It was so fun to see birds that are so different than the ones I am used to seeing in the Midwest. Thursday, March 11, 2021 Today was an AWESOME day for birding! Started off the morning by seeing a Carolina Wren out on the patio. Then on the walk to the beach we heard and saw a Carolina Chickadee. We walked the Gould’s Inlet beach with binos and the spotting scope. We added lots to the list this morning! Vesper Sparrow, Boat-tailed Grackle, Great Egret, Forster’s Tern, Willet, Ring-billed Gull, Laughing Gull, Semipalmated Plover, Black Skimmer, Sanderling, Marbled Godwit. It was so much fun to walk the beach and spot birds flying, running by the waves, and out on the sandbars. It was low tide, so the birds were finding things in the sand to pick at. Then at noon we went on a 2-hour kayaking tour where we saw a Snowy Egret, Tri-colored Heron – which I was able to kayak near and get a great look with the binos! Greater Yellowlegs, White Ibis, White Pelicans which were feeding, and Osprey that soared perfectly overhead, Marsh Wrens flitting about in the reeds and chattering lots, Tree Swallows, Cattle Egrets, Rusty Blackbirds, and a Mockingbird. We also saw some other shore/water birds that we had seen before. It was a great way to see birds and diamond terrapin turtles. As the high tide was receding right at sunset we walked the beach and saw Wilson’s Plover and Piping Plovers on Gouldn’s Inlet! The plovers are so cute and so fast as they run along the beach! At the end of the day I had 26 new birds for the year including some new birds for my Life List! The next day was also a great day for birding! We spent it at the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge where we started off the day on a boat tour in the swamp. Right off the bat we had a great view of an American Bittern who was walking on a dock. We were tickled with this awesome viewing and didn’t think we would see any more, boy were we wrong! We saw about 10 different Bitterns through the tour! They have such amazing camouflage, so it was amazing to see them so close and see that camouflage put to work. Closing in on the end of the month, I took advantage of the nice spring weather and spent a majority of the day birding around the Kearney area. It paid off, as I reached my 100th bird of the year! Sunday, March 28, 2021 I spent most of this beautiful day out and about birding and it sure paid off! I started the morning by Bufflehead WMA on the hike and bike trail where I spotted a Ring-necked Duck and Bufflehead from a viewing blind. There were lots of other birds around, too. Then I went to Bassway WMA and saw Northern Shovelers, American Robins, and Dark-eyed Juncos. An Eagle also flew right over the car very low! Next I quick stopped at the Fort Kearney Rec Area to get a good view of the Sandhill Cranes. Then I took the backroads and saw TONS of Sandhill Cranes on my way to Kea WMA. I saw Blue-winged Teal, Common Grackles, American Coots along with other birds already on my list. The birds were singing away! On the way home I drove by the lake behind Cunningham’s and spotted a Pied-billed Grebe! After lunch I was on the lookout for the Common Crane that has been seen I the area with the Sandhill Cranes. This is a European Species of Crane. I looked where it has been seen the past week according to eBird but had no luck. Before heading home, I stopped at a Birding Hotspot – Rowe Sanctuary Viewing Pond and saw my 100th bird! A Ruddy Duck! Which is my favorite duck species! There also was a Blue Phase Snow Goose and a Scaup that I couldn’t ID as to if it was a Greater or Lesser. Some other waterfowl were on the pond too, but I already had them. All in all, it was a busy but successful day of birding! Seven locations were birded, and I completed 2 eBird lists. Although February was slow, March sure made up for it! March Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) March 5 – Downtown Kearney, NE 40. (1) House Finch March 7 – Gibbon, NE 41. (2) Red-winged Black Bird 42. (3) Snow Goose 43. (4) Killdeer March 10 – St. Simons Island, GA 44. (5) Wood Stork* 45. (6) Northern Harrier* 46. (7) Mourning Dove 47. (8) Palm Warbler 48. (9) Yellow-rumped Warbler 49. (10) Double-crested Cormorant 50. (11) Brown Pelican* 51. (12) Eastern Bluebird March 11 52. (13) Carolina Wren* – St. Simon’s Island 53. (14) Carolina Chickadee* – St. Simon’s Island Gould’s Inlet 54. (15) Vesper Sparrow* 55. (16) Boat-tailed Grackle* 56. (17) Great Egret 57. (18) Forster’s Tern* 58. (19) Willet* 59. (20) Ring-billed Gull 60. (21) Laughing Gull* 61. (22) Semipalmated Plover* 62. (23) Black Skimmer* 63. (24) Sanderling 64. (25) Marbled Godwit* Kayaking tour near Brunswick 65. (26) Snowy Egret* 66. (27) Tri-colored Heron* 67. (28) Greater Yellow Legs* 68. (29) White Ibis* 69. (30) While Pelican 70. (31) Osprey 71. (32) Marsh Wren* 72. (33) Tree Swallow 73. (34) Cattle Egret 74. (35) Rusty Blackbird* 75. (36) Mockingbird Gould’s Inlet 76. (37) Wilson’s Plover* 77. (38) Piping Plover* March 12 – Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge 78. (39) Black Vulture* 79. (40) Turkey Vulture 80. (41) American Bittern* 81. (42) Anhinga* 82. (43) Red-shouldered Hawk* 83. (44) Little Blue Heron* 84. (45) Blue-grey gnatcatcher* 85. (46) Gray Catbird 86. (47) Great Blue Heron March 13 – Jekyll Island, GA 87. (48) Fish Crow* 88. (49) Herring Gull 89. (50) Cackling Goose* March 14 – Ocean Drive, St. Simons Island, GA 90. (51) Savannah Sparrow 91. (52) Sora* 92. (53) Swamp Sparrow* March 15 – St. Simon’s Island, GA 93. (54) Tufted Titmouse March 28 94. (55) Ring-necked Duck – Path between Archway and I-80, Kearney, NE 95. (56) Bufflehead – Path between Archway and I-80, Kearney, NE 96. (57) Blue-winged Teal – Kea Lake WMA, Kearney, NE 97. (58) Common Grackle – Kea Lake WMA, Kearney, NE 98. (59) American Coot – Kea Lake WMA, Kearney, NE 99. (60) Pied-billed Grebe – Cunningham’s Journal Lake, Kearney, NE 100. (61) Ruddy Duck* – Rowe Sanctuary Viewing Pond, Gibbon, NE Bird Species this Year: 100 Species for March: 61 Days Birded this Year: 30 Days Birded in March: 11 Lifers in March: 32 (Lifers are marked with an *) (I’m counting “days birded” as days I saw a new bird or went out specifically for birding, not every day birded resulted in a new species for the year). Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
This February was cold! Even in Nebraska we had temperatures in the negatives for about two weeks. The cold temps and work kept me from birding as much as I would have liked. Even with the frigid temperatures I did bundle up and venture out, just not as long or as often as I wish I could have. Although I may not have added many new birds to my list for the year, birding was a great excuse to get outside and enjoy the snow, fresh air, and sunshine February had to offer! Here are a few excerpts from my Big Year Nature Journal this month: Monday, February 1, 2021 To start off the month I went to the hike and bike trail behind the Archway again, and it did not disappoint. I got 4 new birds! Northern Shovelers were enjoying the open stream water, most everything else was frozen. I found a flock of Cedar Waxwings first by their high pitched “bzee” then was able to watch them at the top of a tree. A Bald Eagle flew high overhead. A puffed-up Song Sparrow played in the bush by the path just long enough to ID it. There were other common songbirds singing and flitting about. Some days you don’t find many new birds, but it is fun to get to know “the usuals” in a certain area. I frequent a trail behind a local park and have enjoyed hearing and seeing the Belted Kingfishers that hang out around the creek along the path. Saturday, February 6, 2021 It was a cold and breezy day, but I decided to visit the trail from Yanney to 2nd Ave again. The stream was still open, and Geese and Mallards were taking advantage of it. A lone male Green-winged Teal was with a Mallard pair. I hear the resident Belted Kingfisher and was surprised when I heard another one calling. At one point I saw both, one flying after the other in and out of the stream area. A pair? One defending its territory from the other? I was also lucky enough to see a flock of Horned Larks while I was running errands, a nice surprise for the day! And in the nick of time, just before the end of the month, I got my first Sandhill Crane for the year! I’m looking forward to seeing more cranes as they arrive by the masses. The past two Springs Tony and I have gone on crane tours at the Rowe Sanctuary and it is an awe-inspiring sight to see thousands of cranes congregating on the river for the night. Read about our crane viewing tour and see a video of this spectacular spectacle by clicking the button below! Saturday, February 27, 2021 On my walk home from work today I heard the unmistakable call of the Sandhill Crane and high above in the sky saw a large flock that appeared as tiny dots up so high. This is just the start of the hundreds of thousands of cranes that will stopover in the Kearney area during their northern Spring migration. Even if I didn’t rack up many birds, I still had a fun month of birding. I’m looking forward to March and the birds I’ll see! February Birds: (The first number represents the number of species for the year, the number in parenthesis represents the number of species for the month) February 1 – Archway hike & bike trail, Kearney, NE 31. (1) Northern Shoveler 32. (2) Cedar Waxwing 33. (3) Bald Eagle 34. (4) Song Sparrow February 6 – Hike & bike trail from Yanney to 2nd Ave, Kearney, NE 35. (5) Green-winged Teal February 16 – Kearney, NE 36. (6) Horned Lark February 21 – Archway hike & bike trail, Kearney, NE 37. (7) Common Goldeneye February 21 – Kearney, NE 38. (8) Sandhill Crane February 28 - Kearney, NE 39. (9) Pine Sisken Bird Species this Year: 39 Species for February: 9 Days Birded this Year: 19 Days Birded in February: 7 (I’m counting “days birded” as days I saw a new bird or went out specifically for birding, not every day birded resulted in a new species for the year). Read my other Big Year related posts by clicking the button below.
Book & Movie Review - The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Marc Obmascik1/31/2021 I had read and seen The Big Year before but rereading and watching were a great way to start off my 2021 Big Year! My goal is nowhere near the over 700 species like the men in The Big Year got to, but reading the book sure got me excited to start off my year of birding! The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Marc Obmascik is about the 1998 North American Big Year and the movie “The Big Year” came out in 2011. The Book Marc Obmascik wrote about three men, Sandy Komito, Al Levantin, and Greg Miller and their adventures in the 1998 North American Big Year. These three men were competing to beat Komito’s previous Big Year record. Each man had their own reasoning and strategy for completing a Big Year, but they all had the same end goal – get as many bird species as possible and get the new record. Not only is the book about these men’s experiences, but it also does a good job of explaining what a “Big Year” is and talking about the early history of birdwatching and the start of birding organizations. Whether you’re a bird person or not, you’ll find the history and adventure intriguing, if not a little crazy, as you read about the things some people do to have a chance at winning a Big Year. I really enjoyed reading this book again. I think it is fun to read about the crazy adventures people go on and the amount of time and money that is spent chasing after birds! Reading it got me even more excited for my Big Year and looking forward to the birds I’ll see and the adventures I will have along the way. I gave The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Marc Obmascik 5 stars on GoodReads, rating it as “It was amazing.” To learn more about the book, visit GoodReads.com by clicking the button below. The Movie The movie is based on the book. The overall story line is similar, but the movie has different characters. Brad Harris (Jack Black), Stu Preissler (Steve Martin) and Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson) are competing in a Big Year to beat Sandy Komito’s record. The three men have similar back stories to the real men in the 1998 Big Year, but there are some modifications to make it more dramatic for the movie. The movie doesn’t go into as much birding history but does portray some of the birding adventures of the real men in the 1998 Big Year. Any movie that Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson are in, you know is going to be good. “The Big Year” is a funny, lighthearted movie for the whole family to watch – whether you’re into birds or not. If you have the time, read and watch The Big Year - you won’t regret it. If you’re not so sure about the whole bird thing, give the movie a try and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! If you’re reading and watching the order doesn’t really matter so you can decide to read and watch or watch and read. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy and make sure you have your binoculars and field guide handy! You’ll be ready to head outside and do some birdwatching when you’re finished! For another Big Year book review, read my review on Kenn Kauffman’s Book Kingbird Highway. Click the button below to read the review. It has begun! January 1, 2021 at 12:00 a.m. my big year began! For the next year I will be focusing on all things birds. My main goal is to spot as many species of birds as I can in a calendar year. I don’t have the time or money resources to get too crazy with traveling and chasing the numbers, but I’m more so doing my Big Year to see how many species of birds I can see in my daily life. Besides spotting birds, I’m excited to see what new things I can learn about birds along the way. To read more about what a “Big Year” is and what my Big Year goals are, read my blog post by clicking the link below: I started my Big Year off in Northcentral Minnesota at the cabin ice fishing and spearing. On my first day, birding wasn’t the main focus, but I did get a good start with eight species! I’ve been keeping a Nature Journal specifically for my Big Year so here’s my entry for January 1, 2021: Friday, January 1, 2021 I started out the New Year in Emily, MN at Longhaven. We were at the cabin for a few days of spearing, fishing, and ringing in the New Year with friends. Birding was not my main priority of the day, but I was lucky enough to start out the year by putting some birds on my list! As we were trekking out to our spot on the snow-covered lake, I heard some Blue Jays calling in the trees on shore – and just like that I had my 1st Bird of the Year! Soon after a Pileated Woodpecker was heard calling and drumming. This special Woodpecker just so happens to be the ABA’s 2021 Bird of the Year. I’d say that seems like a great start to the year with one of my 1st birds being the Bird of the Year! As the ice house was being set up I saw a bird flying in the distance and heard the unmistakable call of the Common Raven with it. Just as we were getting ready to leave the cabin, I took a walk down to the lake to stand near shore among the trees. Sure enough after a little waiting, Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches were calling and fluttering about in the trees above me – one of those perfect winter scenes. As we were leaving town, I spotted a Wild Turkey in the ditch walking about. Later on the drive, south of Garrison, MN Canada Geese and some Trumpeter Swans were enjoying some open water before it entered the frozen Lake Milacs. Another special bird from this month was a red-shafted Northern Flicker! I have seen Flickers before, but only the yellow-shafted which are found in the East and red-shafted are found in the west. Another good birding day was January 17: Sunday, January 17, 2021 Today I walked the trail behind Yanney Park to 2nd Ave. At first I was just seeing Mallards, Robins, and Downy Woodpeckers and was feeling a bit discouraged. Then I heard a rattle call and saw a Belted Kingfisher fly down the creek! I kept hearing it along my walk. I also heard a pair of Great Horned Owls calling to each other! It seemed like they were in the evergreens across the creek so I couldn’t see them, but I enjoyed listening to them call back and forth for a while. It was so neat to hear the pitch difference between the male and female’s calls. On the drive home a Cooper’s Hawk with a fresh bird meal caught my eye, so I stopped to watch it eat its meal on top of a utility pole. For the last bite it swallowed down the foot – like eating a spaghetti noodle! On January 18 I added not only a new bird to my Big Year count, but also to my Life List! Here’s some of that entry: Monday, January, 18, 2021 ... The most exciting bird was right by the Archway – a dark morph Rough-legged Hawk! At first glimpse I thought it was a crow, but quickly realized it was a hawk, it flew off before I could get a good look. Later I saw it again soaring and was able to get a good look and saw it perch on a utility pole and watched it there too. After some research and looking at pictures and ID tips I decided it was a Roughie for sure! ... My Big Year has been off to a good start so far! And something I realized while typing up this list; all my birds have been spotted “out in the wild” none at bird feeders. If I had been back in Minnesota for the start of the year, I know of multiple places I would have birded – primarily counting birds at feeders. With starting the year in Nebraska where I’m less familiar as to when and where find birds, it has been a fun challenge finding them out in their natural areas. Besides chasing birds this month, I also read the book and watched the movie The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession. Read my book and movie review by clicking the button below. January Birds: January 1 1. Blue Jay – Emily, MN 2. Pileated Woodpecker – Emily, MN 3. Common Raven – Emily, MN 4. Black-capped Chickadee – Emily, MN 5. White-breasted Nuthatch – Emily, MN 6. Wild Turkey – Emily, MN 7. Canada Goose – Garrison, MN 8. Trumpeter Swan – Near Lake Milacs January 2 9. American Crow – Champlin, MN 10. Red-tailed Hawk – Owatonna, MN January 3 – Kearney, NE 11. Northern Cardinal 12. Dark-eyed Junco 13. Eurasian Collared Dove 14. House Sparrow January 5 15. Mallard Duck – Cottonmill Park, Kearney, NE 16. American Robin – Cottonmill Park 17. Northern Flicker (red-shafted) – Cottonmill Park 18. American Goldfinch – Cottonmill Park 19. Rock Pigeon – Kearney, NE 20. European Starling – Kearney, NE January 6 – Kearney, NE 21. Hairy Woodpecker January 8 – Kearney, NE 22. Downy Woodpecker January 9 23. American Tree Sparrow – Yanney Park, Kearney NE 24. Cooper’s Hawk – Kearney, NE January 17 – Hike & Bike trail behind Yanney Park, Kearney, NE 25. Belted Kingfisher 26. Great Horned Owl January 18 – Archway Hike & Bike trail, Kearney, NE 27. Rough-legged Hawk* (dark morph) 28. Red-bellied Woodpecker January 24 - Kearney Cemetery 29. Red-breasted Nuthatch January 31 - North of Kearney, NE 30. Western Meadowlark The Stats: Bird Species this Year: 30 Species for January: 30 Days Birded: 12 Lifer Birds: 1 (Lifers are marked with an *) (I’m counting “days birded” as days I saw a new bird or went out specifically for birding, not every day birded resulted in a new species for the year). We'll see what February has in store! Happy National Bird Day! January 5 marks the day to celebrate our feathered friends both wild and captive. To help you celebrate I’m going to share some fun facts about the Pileated Woodpecker! Each year the American Birding Association (ABA) chooses a “Bird of the Year” and for 2021 it is the Pileated Woodpecker! “The ABA is proud that the Pileated Woodpecker, emblem of both the wild woods and the adaptability of birds to anthropogenically altered spaces, is our 2021 Bird of the Year.” – American Birding Association Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) are the largest species of woodpecker in North America (except the almost certainly extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker). They are over a foot tall (15.8 – 19.3 inches) with a wingspan of over two feet (26 – 29.5 inches)! They are mostly black with white on their underwings that can be seen in flight. White stripes adorn their faces, topped off with a flaming-red crest at the top of their head. Both males and females have the red crest, but you can tell the two apart by their “mustaches.” Males have a red mustache, while the female has a black mustache. Pileated Woodpeckers are found in mature deciduous, coniferous, or mixed forests. They need standing dead trees and downed wood to find their food in and nest in. They may also be seen in young forests and even some partially wooded suburbs or backyards. Pileated Woodpeckers can be found year-round in the Eastern United States, up into Canada, and along the northwestern coast of the U.S. They are uncommon as a result of only one pair occupying a large territory at a time. Carpenter ants are the primary food source for Pileated Woodpeckers. Other ants, termites, flies, caterpillars, cockroaches, grasshoppers, and beetle larvae will also be eaten. Large rectangular holes which can be a foot or more long are a sure sign a Pileated Woodpecker has been around. They make these holes looking for carpenter ant tunnels and other insects. Fruit, acorns, nuts, and occasionally sap are also part of their diet. If you have bird seeds and suet at your feeders, you may be lucky enough to have one of these giant woodpeckers visit you! Mature forests are important to Pileated Woodpeckers not only as a food source, but also for nest sites. Pileated Woodpeckers are cavity nesters who excavate their own nest cavity. The male starts the excavation and the female helps near the end of excavation. Nest construction can take 3 – 6 weeks and are rarely used again by the Pileated Woodpeckers but may be used by other bird species or animals. The entrance hole to their nest cavity is oblong, which is different than the typical round shape of most birds’. The depth of the cavity ranges from 10 – 24 inches and is lined with some leftover woodchips. The rest of the woodchips from the excavation are tossed out of the cavity by the adult picking up a few at a time in their beak and tossing it out the entrance hole. Pileated Woodpeckers have 1 brood a year, with 3-5 eggs. To find Pileated Woodpeckers in your area, look for large rectangular excavations in trees surrounded by woodchips. Listen for their whinny call of wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk and loud, deep drumming. Click on the button below to hear their sounds. Fun Facts
These big birds have always been captivating, causing me to run (stealthily) to the window whenever someone says they’ve spotted one. Not only are they fascinating because of their looks, but also because of their interesting traits and habits! I was lucky enough to add a Pileate Woodpecker to my Big Year list on January 1, which I think is a great way to start the year, especially when it’s the Pileated Woodpecker’s big year, too! I am a person that likes to stay busy, try new things, and keep learning. Throughout 2020 I’ve had more time to slow down, spend more time in nature and bird watch so it got me thinking... Since my Ornithology class (the study of birds) in college I’ve been lucky enough to build on my bird knowledge and identification skills both on the job through various seasonal positions and on my own time. I know I have learned a lot and am more attuned to seeing and hearing birds in the wild, but I also know there is much, much more to learn! So, I decided that 2021 would be my year to try my hand at a Big Year! What exactly is a “Big Year” you might ask. Only the biggest yearlong birding challenge there is! A Big Year is an informal, honors system competition among birders to see who can identify the most species, by sight or sound, in a calendar year within a certain geographic area. Starting in 1969, the American Birding Association (ABA) began standardizing and regulating the North American Big Years. They have a set of rules to make sure everyone is following the same stipulations. The count for the year starts January 1 at 12:00 a.m. and ends December 31 at 11:59 p.m. based on the local time of the birder. For the North American Big Year, the geographic area includes all 50 United States, Canada, the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, and adjacent water to a distance of 200 miles from land or half the distance to a neighboring country, whichever is less. Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Greenland are not included in the boundaries. North America is not the only region where a Big Year can take place, but that is the one I will be participating in. There is a wide range of birders who participate in The Big Year. Some birders take it to the extremes, spending thousands of dollars and traveling thousands of miles in a year to find the most birds possible. While on the other end of the spectrum, some take a more casual approach spending minimal amounts of money and just seeing what they happen to come across. I am definitely on the less extreme end of the spectrum. I know I will get no where close to the current record of 840 species in one year, but I’m more so doing it as a fun way to set a birding goal for 2021 and see how many species I can spot in my daily life. Along with the obvious goal of seeing as many species as possible, I have also set a few other goals for my Big Year:
I'll keep you updated throughout the year of my progress, not only my species count, but also how I’m doing on my goals. If you have any book recommendations, bird resources, projects or organizations you like, let me know! Comment below or you can reach me through the “Get in Touch” page. If you’re new to birding or have been birding for years, the BirdNote Podcast is a great place to learn more about birds! They have a daily show that is 2 minutes long – a quick way to get your daily dose of birds. You can listen to their Podcast on major podcasting apps or at their website BirdNote.org. I’ve unintentionally given myself a bit of a challenge, I’ll be starting my Big Year in Nebraska. I’m from Minnesota so Nebraska is uncharted bird territory for me. Back home I’m familiar with the species around, where to find them, and what times of year to go to certain areas - so birding in Nebraska could be interesting. I have been preparing for my Big Year by scouting out some possible birding locations, so we’ll see if they pan out! And because of my natural resources career, I’ve worked in a variety of places for seasonal positions, so we will see where I end up for the rest of my Big Year, it’ll be an adventure no matter where.
Come January 1, you can find me in full “bird nerd” mode. For now, I’ll be getting ready by reading The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik and popping some popcorn to watch Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson in the movie version of the book. Buy your own copy of the book and DVD or check your local library to see if they have a copy. If you’re feeling the bird itch after reading or watching, join me in your own Big Year! I’m not expecting to come close to breaking any records, but I think it will be a fun adventure to see how many bird species I spot in my daily life and a great excuse to get outside! Happy Birding! It’s almost time for turkey with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Although Wild Turkeys are interesting, we’re going to be talking about a different turkey, the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) and some of its close vulture relatives. (But if you do like Wild Turkeys, read my previous blog post for some fun facts and turkey jokes!) I recently watched a presentation by Dr. Lauren Pharr Parks, PhD, Forensic Anthropologist hosted by the Zumbro Valley Audubon Society. The topic of this presentation? How vultures impact crime scenes. I had never heard of this concept before now, but I find it fascinating! Vultures are often seen as gross because they eat rotting meat, ugly because of their bald heads, or even scary because of their association with death. But in reality, they are none of these things! They are very interesting birds that play a very important role in our ecosystems cleaning up dead animal carcasses and helping to keep the environment clean. Although animal carcasses are their main choice of food, vultures will also scavenge on human bodies, which in turn can impact crime scenes. Vultures accelerate the decomposition time as they are able to consume a body, leaving just the skeleton behind, in as little as five hours. Because of this accelerated decomposition time, it can throw off time of death estimates detectives investigating murders have set. This is where Dr. Lauren Pharr Parks steps in. Dr. Parks conducted a controlled study through Louisiana State University to provide new information for the forensic community to determine if a body was scavenged or if it was natural decomposition. Depending on if a body was scavenged or went through natural decomposition, forensic scientists and detectives can then more accurately estimate a time of death. If scavenging isn’t taken into account, there is an overestimate of time between death and discovery. In other instances, marks from vultures scavenging may be mistaken as trauma. The data collected in her study will help the forensic community to make more informed decisions about crime scenes. They’ll be able to more accurately estimate how long a body has been there and to determine if the body was scavenged by vultures, other scavengers (like coyotes or raccoons), or if skeletal trauma was inflicted by humans. All this information will help them to better understand the timeline of events and get a better insight as to what really happened at the scene of the crime. In order to know if vultures have impacted a crime scene, you have to know what signs to look for. Dr. Parks’ study was conducted at a body farm (read more about body farms at the end of this post) and other properties in Texas using small pig carcasses and human cadavers. She set up trail cameras to see what animals were coming to the carcasses and cadavers. She documented how long it took for vultures to find the bodies, scavenge the bodies, and kept track of signs the vultures left behind. She came up with a list of 16 signs to look for to know if a vulture has been at the scene. Here are a few of those signs:
This last one is the most interesting to me. Down feathers are very fluffy since they help to insulate birds to keep them warm. Once a down feather has become wet, it won’t “fluff up” again. This can be a very helpful clue when trying to determine how long a body has been there. Let’s say a body has been found where vulture scavenging was evident. There were down feathers at the scene, and they were all “un-fluffy” meaning they have gotten wet. You can then look at the past weather and see that it rained five days ago and hasn’t rained since. Because of this information you know the body had been found by the vultures and was scavenged at least five days ago. Then you can add in the approximate time it takes for vultures to find a body and you’ve narrowed your time of death window down quite a bit. This more accurate window will allow crime scene investigators to then look at missing persons reports and more accurately put the pieces of their crime together. Dr. Parks also found out that down feathers stay at a site for about two weeks and after that time frame will then disperse from the scene by natural means such as wind. It is quite interesting how such a small feather can be such a big clue! Vultures are such amazing and important creatures, not only because of their interesting characteristics and important role in the ecosystem, but now because of the information they can provide to help solve crimes – such a fascinating topic! Listen to Dr. Parks talk more about vultures and their impact on crime scenes in her TED Talk. (This talk contains graphic images). Body Farms Body farms are facilities where people can donate their bodies to science after they pass away. You can look at is as an outdoor laboratory. Bodies are brought to a facility and used for a variety of research projects. A body farm’s main goal is to learn more about the decomposition process and gain a further understanding in forensics. Some bodies may stay at a body farm for up to two years depending on the type of research program it is in. Body farms can range in size and there are currently five in the United States. Tennessee - University of Tennessee at Knoxville North Carolina - Western Carolina University in Cullowhee Texas - Texas State University in San Marcos and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville Pennsylvania - California University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Criminological and Forensic Sciences To learn more about Body Farms, listen to episode #68 “All the Time in the World” on the Criminal podcast. |
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