Killdeer

Posted on August 9, 2024 by tspuckler

A shorebird you can see without going to the beach, Killdeer are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and parking lots. I often see them at Canalway Center in Ohio and recently came across babies at the edge of a public park.

Killdeer have the characteristic large, round head, large eye, and short bill this is common to all plovers. They are especially slender and lanky, with a long, pointed tail and long wings.

Widespread and conspicuous, the Killdeer calls its name as it flies over farmland and other open country like fields, airports, lawns, river banks, mudflats, and shores. It is often found on open ground, such as pastures, and large lawns located a great distance from water.

Typically they run a few steps and then pause, then run again, pecking at the ground whenever they spot something edible. They feed on a wide variety of insects, including beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, fly larvae, and many others; they also eats spiders, earthworms, centipedes, crayfish and snails.

Killdeer nests are simple scrapes often placed on slight rises in their open habitats. Killdeer may make several scrapes not far away from each other before choosing one to lay in. This nest duplication may help to confuse predators.

Although the Killdeer is frequently around human habitation, it is often shy, at first running away rather than flying. When a Killdeer stops to look at an intruder, it has a habit of bobbing up and down almost as if it had hiccupped. Killdeer are some of the best-known practitioners of the broken-wing display, an attempt to lure predators away from a nest by feigning injury.

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Greater Scaup

Posted on July 26, 2024 by tspuckler

While visiting Akron, (OH) I saw a few examples of this duck that is also known as a “Bluebill.” Males have a black breast, medium gray back, white sides, and yellow eyes. Their head appears black with a greenish sheen in good lighting. Females are brown overall, with white patch at base of bill and yellow eyes.

The only circumpolar (situated around or inhabiting one of the earth’s poles) diving duck, the Greater Scaup breeds on the tundra and in the Boreal Forest zones from Iceland across northern Scandinavia, northern Russia, northern Siberia and the western North American Arctic. It is estimated that three-quarters of the North American population breeds in Alaska. These examples were just passing through on their migration route.

The Greater Scaup dives to feed on aquatic plants and animals. In coastal areas, mollusks constitute their principle food. In freshwater habitats, seeds, leaves, stems, roots and tubers of aquatic plants like sedges, pondweeds, Muskgrass, and Wild Celery are important dietary items.

Like other ducks, they can dive completely underwater. Compared to dabbling ducks, their wings are smaller relative to their body weight. To take flight, they flap their wings and run along the surface of the water, patting their feet on the surface, gaining speed and lift until they are airborne.

The word scaup (pronounced “skopp”) may be related to the word scalp, akin to terms in northern European languages that mean “shell” or “shellfish bed”: In some regions, this bird feeds on clams, oysters, and mussels.

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Western Gull

Posted on June 21, 2024 by tspuckler

While visiting California, I saw several examples of this conspicuous bird in different counties. The Western Gull is the only gull nesting along most of the Pacific Coast from Washington to Baja.

This is a large (24 to 27 inches), stocky bird with a stout bill. Adults have rather dark gray upperparts and bright pink legs. Both sexes have the same type of plumage, but the male is larger than the female.

Western Gulls are found mostly near the coast and also found regularly offshore. They are not typically found far inland. Many types of habitats are used, including estuaries, beaches, fields, garbage dumps, and city waterfronts.

Like most gulls, the Western Gull is an opportunistic feeder, capturing its own prey, scavenging trash, or stealing food from seals and other gulls. Sometimes they even steal milk from mother seals while they’re asleep.

These birds nest in colonies on islands, offshore rocks, and abandoned piers. Their colonies are often located near nesting seabirds or Sea Lions. Western Gulls build their nests on the ground, and the pair often starts as many as three nests, and then chooses one to finish and use.

Like many other gull species, they drop hard-shelled items from the air to break them on hard surfaces. They are also often seen following fishing boats and feeding on scraps thrown overboard by fish cleaners. The intelligence and resourcefulness of Western Gulls is rather impressive.

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Whimbrel

Posted on May 31, 2024 by tspuckler

While walking along the California Coast, I spotted this large shorebird with a long body, long neck and small head. It had a distinctive long, downward curved bill and a striped head. It is found in mudflats, beaches, and coastal marshes.

Whimbrels probe with their long bills into mudflats or wet sand for invertebrates such as crabs; they walk slowly through areas where water is very shallow. Flocks moving in migration, or between roosting and feeding areas and vocalize often.

Some migrating Whimbrels make a nonstop overwater flight of 2,500 miles from southern Canada or New England to South America. One bird in particular, named Hope, was captured on the coast of Virginia in 2009 and fitted with a satellite transmitter. Over the next three years, researchers tracked for her more than 50,000 miles traveling back and forth between her breeding areas for five seasons.

In many regions, the primary winter food of the Whimbrel is Fiddler Crab. The curve of the Whimbrel’s bill nicely matches the shape of Fiddler Crab burrows. The bird reaches into the crab’s burrow, extracts the crab, washes it (if it is muddy), and sometimes breaks off the claws and legs before swallowing it.

Whimbrels tend to concentrate in flocks at a few favored spots in migration, so that the observer sees either many of them or very small numbers. Belonging to the genus Numenius, the given scientific name for this bird means “new moon” in Greek, a reference to the bird’s bill shape, which resembles a crescent moon.

Seeing this elegant, intricately patterned shorebird added another example to my list of cool creatures that I encountered while visiting the Golden State.

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Canada Goose

Posted on January 19, 2024 by tspuckler

The big, black-necked Canada Goose with its signature white chinstrap marking is a familiar and widespread bird of fields and parks. Thousands of “honkers” migrate north and south each year, filling the sky with long V-formations. The size of this goose varies considerably – some are the size of a large duck and others are two to three times larger.

At least 11 subspecies of Canada Goose have been recognized, although only a couple are distinctive. In general, the geese get smaller as you move northward, and darker as you go westward. The four smallest forms are now considered a different species: the Cackling Goose.

Once rare in the Buckeye State due to overhunting, in 1956, the Ohio Division of Wildlife introduced 10 breeding pairs of Canada Geese to three state wetlands. That helped populations rebound. By 1979 the geese were nesting in half of Ohio’s 88 counties. Today, they’re nesting and breeding everywhere, with an estimated population of well over 100,000.

In recent years, Canada Goose populations in some areas have grown substantially, so much so that many consider them pests for their droppings, bacteria in their droppings, noise, and confrontational behavior. This problem is partially due to the removal of natural predators and an abundance of safe, human-made bodies of water near food sources.

Canada geese are protected under both the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Ohio state law. This protection extends to the geese, goslings, nests, and eggs.

Canada Geese are primarily herbivores, although they sometimes eat small insects and fish. Their diet includes green vegetation and grains. The Canada goose eats a variety of grasses when on land. It feeds by grasping a blade of grass with the bill, then tearing it with a jerk of the head.

These birds fly in a distinctive V-shaped flight formation, with an altitude of 3,000 feet for migration flight. The maximum flight ceiling of Canada geese is unknown, but they have been reported at 29,000 feet. Flying in the V formation has been the subject of study by researchers. The front position is rotated, since flying in front consumes the most energy.

During the second year of their lives, Canada geese find a mate. They are monogamous, and most couples stay together all of their lives. If one dies, the other may find a new mate. The female lays from two to nine eggs with an average of five, and both parents protect the nest while the eggs incubate, but the female spends more time at the nest than the male.

As soon as the goslings hatch, they are immediately capable of walking, swimming, and finding their own food (a diet similar to that of adult geese). Parents are often seen leading their goslings in a line, usually with one adult at the front and the other at the back. While they might appear short-tempered, snappy and threatening, Canada geese are really much like any doting parents — fiercely protective of their brood.

Nonmigratory Canada Goose populations have been on the rise. This species is frequently found on golf courses, parking lots, and urban parks, which would have previously hosted only migratory geese on rare occasions. Owing to its adaptability to human-altered areas, it has become one of the most common waterfowl species in North America.

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Brown Pelican

Posted on September 22, 2023 by tspuckler

While visiting South Carolina, I saw several examples of this comically elegant bird with an oversized bill. It is the smallest of the eight pelican species, but is often one of the larger seabirds seen in their range.

Brown Pelicans feed by plunge-diving from high up, using the force of impact to stun small fish before scooping them up. They are fairly common today — an excellent example of a species’ recovery from pesticide pollution that once placed them at the brink of extinction. These are a very gregarious birds; they live in flocks of both sexes throughout the year.

These birds incubate their eggs with the skin of their feet, essentially standing on the eggs to keep them warm. In the mid-twentieth century the pesticide DDT caused pelicans to lay thinner eggs that cracked under the weight of their incubating parents. After nearly disappearing from North America in the 1960s and 1970s, they made a full comeback thanks to pesticide regulations.

The Brown Pelican is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands. It nests in colonies in secluded areas (often on islands), vegetated land among sand dunes, thickets of shrubs and trees and mangroves.

It mainly feeds on fish, but occasionally eats amphibians, crustaceans, and the eggs and nestlings of birds. Brown Pelicans residing in Southern California rely especially heavily on the Pacific Sardine as a major food source, which can compose up to a quarter of their diet. In level flight, they fly in groups with their heads held back on their shoulders and their bills resting on their folded necks.

The Brown Pelican the official state bird of Louisiana, appearing on the flag, seal and coat of arms.

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Greater Yellowlegs

Posted on June 23, 2023 by tspuckler

While visiting Point Reyes National Seashore in California, I noticed a couple of slender, long-necked, small-headed birds with bright yellow legs near the waterway that I was exploring.

Often referred to as a “Marshpiper” for its habit of wading in deeper water than other sandpipers, the Greater Yellowlegs is heftier and longer-billed than its look-alike, the Lesser Yellowlegs. At different times of the year, this bird can be found throughout the United States.

At ponds and tidal creeks, this trim and elegant wader draws attention to itself by bobbing its head and calling loudly when an observer approaches. These birds forage in shallow water, sometimes using their bills to stir up the water. They mainly eat insects and small fish, as well as crustaceans, marine worms, frogs, seeds and berries.

Yellowlegs have also been called “tattlers,” because they would raise a alarm when bird hunters were near. Although shorebirds are now protected from hunting, yellowlegs may annoy birders by spooking other shorebirds with their alarm calls. It is a very noisy bird. It often runs in shallow water and bobs its head up and down when it spots a potential predator.

Despite its familiarity and widespread range, its tendency to nest in buggy bogs in the North American boreal forests make it one of the least-studied shorebirds on the continent.

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Pigeon Guillemot

Posted on May 26, 2023 by tspuckler

While visiting the boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California, I noticed several of these sharp looking birds that I’ve never seen before. The Pigeon Guillemot is an attractive auk that nests on rocky coastlines of the North Pacific. Its velvety, dark brown plumage is set off by a bright white patch on the upper wings and vivid scarlet feet.

Unlike many other species of in its family, which feed far out at sea, these birds stay fairly close to shore where they forage along the seafloor for small fish, worms and crustaceans.

Male Pigeon Guillemots court females by showing off their red feet. On land, the male circles or even jumps over the female, pointing his bill downward and raising his scarlet feet conspicuously as he marches around her. Rapid zigzag chases in the water may also be involved in courtship.

The Pigeon Guillemot’s nest is shallow scrape in pile of dirt, pebbles and shells. It tends to be located in a crevice or cave, among boulders, in an abandoned burrow, or under driftwood or debris. These birds may also excavate a nest burrow. The same site is usually re-used for several years.

After their 1 to 2 eggs hatch, both parents feed their young, bringing them small fish at all hours of day, especially in early morning. Offspring leave nest 1 to 2 months after hatching (usually at night) and scramble or flutter down to the water. They are able to swim and dive immediately, but are not capable of strong flight for another 2-3 weeks.

This was a neat bird to observe while on my California adventure.

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Tricolored Heron

Posted on September 2, 2022 by tspuckler

This was a neat and distinctive bird that I saw while visiting the southeastern United States. Standing at around two feet tall, it is one of the smaller heron species.

Tricolored herons inhabit fresh and saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangrove swamps, lagoons and river deltas. They can be found from Massachusetts, down through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, to northern Brazil.

This is a sleek, slender and distinctly-colored bird colored in blue-gray, lavender and white. The white stripe down the middle of its neck and its white belly set it apart from other dark herons.

Tricolored Herons forage for small fish such as topminnows and killifishes in open or semi-open brackish wetlands. They are skilled at stalking, chasing and standing-and-waiting to capture small fish.

Before striking, they draw in their neck and crouch down so low that their belly often touches the water. They also bend forward and push their wings over their head to entice fish to enter the shade provided by their wings.

Like its relatives, it builds stick nests in trees and shrubs, often in colonies with other wading birds. They typically breed on islands with small trees or shrubs.

The Tricolored Heron was formerly known as the Louisiana Heron.

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Black-crowned Night Heron

Posted on May 6, 2022 by tspuckler

This is a bird that resides in my home state of Ohio, but I see it more often when on out-of-state travels. I most recently saw one while visiting California. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands and are the most widespread heron in the world. They can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including marshes, rivers, ponds, mangrove swamps, tidal flats and canals.

Black-crowned Night Herons are stocky birds compared to many of their long-limbed heron relatives. They usually forage by standing still or walking slowly at edge of shallow water. They hunt mostly from late evening through the night. Though their main diet is fish, they also eat squid, crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, snakes, clams, mussels, rodents and carrion.

Adults have a black crown and back with the remainder of their body white or grey. They have red eyes and short yellow legs. Immature birds (like this one that I saw in Nevada) have dull grey-brown plumage on their heads, wings, and backs, with numerous pale spots. Their underparts are paler and streaked with brown. Young birds have orange eyes and dull yellowish-green legs.

Black-crowned Night-Herons nest in groups that often include other species, including herons, egrets and ibises. A breeding Black-crowned Night-Heron will brood any chick that is placed in its nest. They apparently don’t distinguish between their own offspring and nestlings from other parents. At the age of four weeks, the young begin to climb about around the nest.

This species are among the seven types of herons observed to engage in bait fishing; luring or distracting fish by tossing edible or inedible buoyant objects into water within their striking range – a rare example of tool use among birds.

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Category Archives: Birds – Waterfowl

Killdeer

Greater Scaup

Western Gull

Whimbrel

Canada Goose

Brown Pelican

Greater Yellowlegs

Pigeon Guillemot

Tricolored Heron

Black-crowned Night Heron