White-breasted Nuthatch

Posted on January 14, 2017 by tspuckler

This bird is easy to identify by watching its behavior; it has the odd habit of creeping down tree trunks headfirst. All other species of bark-foraging birds search for food by climbing trees upwards. This gives the White-breasted Nuthatch a distinct advantage, allowing it the visual perspective of finding prey that other birds may miss.

This is a stocky bird, with a large head, virtually no neck, a short tail, powerful bill and strong feet. The upperparts are pale blue-gray, and the face and underparts are white. The species has a black crown and nape that contrast with a white face and breast.

It’s common name stems from its habit of cramming nuts and acorns into tree bark and then hammering away at them with their sharp bill, until the nut splits to “hatch” out the seed inside.

They store a variety of seeds and nuts in bark crevices, returning later to eat their stockpile of food. These birds are also frequent visitors to backyard feeders.

White-breasted Nuthatches reside in mature woods and woodland edges. They’re particularly associated with deciduous forests, consisting of Maple, Hickory, Basswood and Oak.

It’s call of Yenk-yenk-yenk-yenk sounds like a small nasal voice – or like a bath toy rapidly squeezed.

At this time of year I often see them in Brecksville Reservation in small flocks of Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice. One explanation for these flocks is that the birds gain protection from predators by the vigilance of the other birds.

A group of nuthatches are collectively known as a “jar” of nuthatches.

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Blue Jay

Posted on December 17, 2016 by tspuckler

As one of the loudest and most colorful birds of eastern backyards and wooded areas, the Blue Jay is one of our easiest birds to identify. Intelligent and adaptable, it often visits bird feeders.

The Blue Jay mainly feeds on nuts and seeds such as acorns. At feeders it seems to favor peanuts (the individuals that visit our house also like popcorn). Like squirrels, this bird is known to hide nuts for consumption later.

It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common near and in residential areas. One Summer I even had this Blue Jay nest with three babies in my front yard.

The nest tends to be cup-shaped and composed of twigs, small roots, bark strips, moss, other plant material, as well as cloth and paper. There are usually between 3 to 6 eggs laid, which are incubated for about 17 days. The young fledge 3 weeks after hatching.

The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk. These calls may provide information to other jays that a hawk is around, or may be used to deceive other species into believing a hawk is present.

Like a Cardinal, the Blue Jay features a feathered crest on the head, which may be raised or lowered according to its mood. When excited or aggressive, the crest is raised. When the bird is feeding among other jays or resting, the crest is flattened on the head.

The Blue Jay occupies a variety of habitats within its large range, from the pine woods of Florida to the spruce-fir forests of northern Ontario. It is less abundant in dense forests, preferring mixed woodlands with oaks and beeches; I often see them when visiting Metroparks here in Ohio.

This bird is well adjusted to human activity, occurring in parks and residential areas, and can adapt to a lack of trees with relative ease if human activity creates means food and shelter for the Blue Jays to use as resources. Its perky crest; blue, white, and black plumage; and noisy calls make the Blue Jay a unique and welcome visitor.

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Eastern Screech-Owl

Posted on August 13, 2016 by tspuckler

These are common, yet hardly ever seen birds. Their nocturnal habits and great camouflage make them elusive to observe. They often conceal themselves in tree cavities during the daytime.

These birds occur in a wide range of habitats and can often live in urban areas. There are two distinct color morphs – red and gray. They are only about the size of a Robin.

The Eastern Screech-Owl hunts at dusk and at night. It does so mostly by watching from a perch and then swooping down to take prey from the ground. It eats a fair amout of large insects and crayfish during the warmer months and mainly eats rodents during colder months.

Its whinnying and trilling songs are familiar, but its vocalizations also include rasps, barks, hoots, chuckles, and screeches.

The Eastern Screech-Owl was first described by Carolus Linnaeus, in 1758. They have also been called the Common Screech Owl, Ghost Owl, Dusk Owl, Little-eared Owl, Spirit Owl, Whickering Owl, Little Gray Owl, Mottled Owl, Mouse Owl, Cat Owl, Shivering Owl and Little Horned Owl.

A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a “bazaar,” “glaring,” “parliament,” “stooping” and “wisdom” of owls.

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White-crowned Sparrow

Posted on April 25, 2016 by tspuckler

While visiting Point Reyes National Seashore in California, I saw many of these distinctive birds with bold black and white stripes on their heads.

Juveniles are not as brightly colored as the adults. Immature White-crowned Sparrows are tan with brownish head stripes.

They require a patchy mosaic of bare ground and shrubby areas for breeding. These birds fan out into open ground away from sheltering bushes as they feed.

They use a two-footed scratching maneuver to locate food in the leaf litter which consists of seeds, grass, buds, fruits. insects and spiders.

I saw several males calling from shrubs. The White-crowned Sparrow is one of the best-studied songbirds in North America. Much of our knowledge of bird song and development is based on studies of this species.

It was enoyable not only to see these birds, but to hear them pour out their songs over and over again, adding to the sights and sounds of the Bay Area.

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Red-shouldered Hawk

Posted on February 6, 2016 by tspuckler

Although the Red-tailed Hawk is the most commonly seen raptor in my part of Ohio, I occasionally come across this smaller hawk.

It is rather beautiful, sporting high contrast checkering on its wings, rufous barring on its chest and a boldly banded tail.

Rather than inhabiting open fields, like the Red-tailed Hawk, the Red-shouldered Hawk inhabits bottomland woods, wooded streamsides, swamps. At one time, it was more common than the Red-tailed Hawk, but as forests were cleared, the open areas that resulted were better suited for Red-tails.

This bird usually hunts by watching from a perch, either within forest or in the open, swooping down when it locates prey. Its diet includes includes small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds.

The Red-shouldered Hawk is a dietary generalist, changing its diet to reflect the local or seasonal abundance of different prey species.

This bird builds its nest 20 to 60 feet above the ground in the branches of deciduous trees in wet woodland areas. The nest usually is in a fork about halfway up the trunk and often close to water, such as along a river or stream.

Red-shouldered Hawks are about the size of crows. They show reverse sexual size dimorphism, meaning that females are larger than males.

Its intricate patterns make seeing this bird an enjoyable experience whenever I come across one on a nature hike.

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Red-bellied Woodpecker

Posted on January 23, 2016 by tspuckler

This woodpecker has a black and white zebra-like pattern on its back and a red neck. Males have red on the crowns of their heads, while females do not.

As it name implies, there is a red patch edged with yellow on the belly, but it is often hidden from view as the bird perches or feeds against a tree trunk.

Unlike most birds, Red-bellied Woodpeckers have a zygodactyl toe arrangement. What the heck does that mean, you ask? Answer: Two toes face forward and two face backward. This enables the woodpecker to grasp the bark of tree trunks as it looks for food.

These birds tend to live in old forests with large hardwood trees. Their nests are built in cavities carved into tree trunks.

Red-bellied woodpeckers have been seen playing. They play by flying and dodging around trees as if they were trying to escape a predator.

Male woodpeckers do not sing well, so they use another strategy to appeal to potential mates. In the Spring, woodpeckers are especially attracted to any sound that resonates, including aluminum shed roofs and even the hoods of cars. These birds often utilize man-made objects to get the word out.

They eat a wide variety of fruits, nuts, seeds, berries and tree sap, as well as insects. They are frequent visitors to bird feeders – including mine.

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House Finch

Posted on August 15, 2015 by tspuckler

This was originally a species of western United States and Mexico. In 1940 a small number of House Finches, which at the time were kept as caged pets, were released on Long Island, New York.

The birds spread westward and were first recorded in Ohio in 1964. By the mid 1980s they had colonized the entire Buckeye State and by the early 1990s they occupied all of the eastern United States. They eventually reached their original western population.

Adult males vary in color from orange-yellow to bright red. They derive their color from the pigments that are obtained from their diet of seeds, flowers and fruit. Females and immature birds are brownish and lack the bright colors of adult males.

Studies indicate that the most brightly colored males are more successful at attracting mates than their duller counterparts.

These days House Finches are particularly abundant in suburban areas. These small songbirds are often seen at birdfeeders. Though not native to Ohio, most people don’t seem to mind these adaptable, colorful and cheery-voiced creatures.

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Eastern Kingbird

Posted on July 4, 2015 by tspuckler

The crisp markings of this bird and its white tail tip are distinctive. This big-headed, broad-shouldered bird gets its name from its habit of harassing Crows, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Blue Herons and other birds that pass over its territory.

Eastern Kingbirds often perch on wires or on the topmost tips of plants in open areas, leaving their posts to fltter over the tops of grasses in searech of flying insects to eat. These birds are members of the Flycatcher Family.

They inhabit woodland edges, river groves, farms, orchards and roadsides. In the Summer, Eastern Kingbords require open space for hunting and trees for nesting; their habitat ranges from clearings within forest to open grassland with few scattered trees.

After migrating to South America in Autumn, in the Winter these birds take on a different personality, living in flocks in tropical forests and dining on berries.

Eastern kingbirds are important predators of insects during this time of the year. They are also fun to watch hunt food and chase other (in many cases larger) birds from their territories.

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Red-winged Blackbird

Posted on March 28, 2015 by tspuckler

One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails and around areas with water.

Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, looking like a large, dark sparrow.

In the North, their arrival and tumbling song are indications of the return of Spring.

There’s variation in Red-winged Blackbirds across the country. The most obvious race is the “bicolored blackbird” of coastal California, which shows no yellow border on its shoulders. Here’s one that I saw in April of last year.

Red-winged Blackbirds are highly social and form flocks all year, though during spring and summer the flocks are small.

This is one of the most easily observable birds. Watching them is fascinating and fun. You’ll never be bored trying to figure out all of their quirks and songs.

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Tufted Titmouse

Posted on January 24, 2015 by tspuckler

With its pointy crest, large eyes and seemingly friendly disposition, the Tufted Titmouse has a special kind of appeal. It has a busy demeanor, flitting about actively foraging for food. This bird often hangs out with its similar-sized relative, the Black-capped Chickadee.

This bird is familiar to anyone who feeds birds as it is a frequent visitor to homes. Its peter, peter, peter call can often be heard when on woodland hikes. The Tufted Titmouse relishes sunflower seeds and will hold a seed with its feet and use its beak to hammer away at the seed until the shell falls off. These birds create caches of food, hiding seeds away under the bark of trees to retrieve later.

In warmer months they feed on insects, snails and spiders. In the Winter they seek out acorns, sumac, beechnuts and cherries.

This is one of about the two dozen species of Ohio birds that need dead or dying trees to construct a nesting cavity. Relatively recent woodland management methods have started to understand the value of standing dead timber.

The Tufted Titmouse likes to line its nest with fur and has been observed plucking to hair from sleeping dogs as a way of collecting its nest materials.

These birds seem comfortable around people and are common in a variety of habitats. They do not migrate and can be enjoyed year-round.

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Category Archives: Birds

White-breasted Nuthatch

Blue Jay

Eastern Screech-Owl

White-crowned Sparrow

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-bellied Woodpecker

House Finch

Eastern Kingbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Tufted Titmouse