Baby Steps

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Kim

How did we go from this tiny little fellow looking up at his parent…

to this broad-shouldered young Eagle soaring among the trees…

IN JUST ELEVEN WEEKS?

Yes, folks, the Bald Eagle chicks at Heinz Refuge have fledged! They took their first flights over the last weekend, and were already accomplished veterans by the time I saw them on Tuesday. Admittedly, they don’t go far, just fly laps around their Oak Island home, and they still spend time in the nest. But they are flying!

It looked to me like they were doing a fine job of maneuvering and landing in the trees. They have a new favorite perch, on a large bare tree to the right of the nest. I photographed one Eaglet there, and it wasn’t until I got the photos on the computer that I saw the other was right next to him, but hidden behind some foliage.

Even more surprising was this photo, where I was focused on one Eaglet (center) landing, and only discovered in processing that I’d caught the other Eaglet (upper left) in flight!

The last flight we saw was a little rocky for one young bird. Seems a few Red-winged Blackbirds decided to chase him, even hitting him on the back a couple of times. I’m sure he was thinking “Mom! Help! What IS this?” Life out of the nest is all new to these guys.

I’ve been watching birds fly for many years. It never gets old, and watching the raptors fly is especially awe-inspiring. But nothing has moved me as much as these young Eagles’ short flights. What a thrill. It’s been a privilege to watch them grow.

Here are a few other young birds at Heinz right now. For starters, Yellow Warbler. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers in a row (above)

Red-winged Blackbird (right)

Barn Swallow (below)

Female Mallard and ducklings (above)

Female Wood Duck and ducklings (below)

FUN FACT: Baby Wood Ducks have a big obstacle to overcome right from the start. The parents choose a nest cavity, either in a tree or man-made boxes. The nest is as much as 60 feet off the ground, and although it’s often over water, it may be over dry land. Soon after hatching, the ducklings have to make their way to water. Mom calls to them from the ground below. They can’t fly yet, so that means they have to JUMP from the nest! It doesn’t hurt them though. I’ve never seen this in person, only in documentaries, but apparently, Wood Ducklings bounce!

For en excellent video of one duckling’s leap of faith, check out this clip from Nature on PBS: http://video.pbs.org/video/2295315469/

Coming up: Pine Barrens Ramble

Warblers and Waxwings

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Kim

I was really looking forward to spring migration season at Heinz Refuge – lots of guided walks with veteran birders, warblers everywhere, lots of cool things to photograph. Events conspired against me, and the hoped-for images of migrating warblers in stunning breeding plumage eluded me. Actually, the warblers eluded me. Not that they weren’t here, only that they are so small and so quick that they’re REALLY hard to photograph. That they hang out in dark woodlands doesn’t help.

Here are a few I managed to capture. Yellow Warbler (top) nests at Heinz.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (above) was just passing through.

Prairie Warbler (right) at Higbee Beach WMA in Cape May.

More Yellow Warblers, wet and dry. Our cover boy has a lot to say for himself.

Family and friends know that I am an incorrigible list maker. So it should be no surprise that when I started watching birds, I became a “lister”. Birders often keep lists of the different species they see. The most common is the life list, but there can be year lists, trip lists, location lists… you get the idea.

Since last October, when I started going on the guided bird walks at Heinz Refuge, my life list has more than doubled.

One bird has eluded me for too long. I saw my first Cedar Waxwing in 2001. I got a really good close look, too. Unfortunately it was dead. It had flown into a window at my house, which happens to birds all too often. I’ve waited 12 years to finally see a live one.

They’ve arrived at Heinz in force now, and I spent a long time one evening happily watching a flock fly in and out of the trees. They have a subtle, silky beauty that appeals to me. I love the blush on the chest fading to a soft yellow belly, all set off by that wonderful black mask.

FUN FACT: Note the waxy red wing tips. (Not to be confused with the yellow tail tip.) The number of these red tips increase with age; juveniles don’t have them at all. So it’s been speculated that the amount of red helps Cedars to sort themselves out by age during breeding season. Cedar Waxwings eat predominantly fruit, and have been known to overindulge on overripe berries. It’s possible the bird that flew into my window years ago was intoxicated. Flying under the influence!

At last!

Coming up: Wee Furry Beasties

Hot and Bothered

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Kim

What does a bird have to do to get some relief from this heat?

And what in the world is this bird’s problem? Is he hurt? Sick? Drunk?

Well, no – just hot and bothered. Summer arrived with a hot, muggy THUMP this past weekend. Only the first of June, and already well into the year’s first heat wave. On Heinz Refuge trails, groups of young Barn Swallows (above) were behaving very strangely. Birds don’t sweat, so they will leave their mouths open wide to facilitate evaporative cooling. Just like dogs pant.

Birds are also often bugged (sorry) by ectoparasites, little insects and mites that get under their feathers. Rolling around in the dust helps get rid of the pests. Another way is known as “anting”, a little-understood behavior that involves letting ants crawl over their bodies. The theory is that ants secrete some substance that is toxic to the ectoparasites.

Hey, if it’s ants these little birds want, they can come over to my house – I’ve got plenty!

Nesting birds were bothered by more than the heat this day. I saw a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (above) chasing a much larger American Robin, and a Robin chasing a squirrel! A good mother will take on anyone who threatens her young.

We found a nest built by a female Baltimore Oriole (right), and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (below) sitting on her nest.

FUN FACT: The camo look you see in the Hummingbird nest comes from a covering of lichens, held together with spider silk. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backward!

Then there were these odd ducks. Geese, actually – SNOW Geese. Snow Geese nest in the far North, and winter in huge flocks (but not at Heinz.) The irony of three migrating through just in time for a heat wave was not lost on anyone.

The dark Goose is a relatively unusual color morph of the Snow Goose. Known as the “Blue Goose”, it’s the mascot of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Of course, Gray Catbirds know that nothing soothes the savage beast on a hot day better than a nice cool bath.

Coming up: Warblers and Waxwings

Ready or Knot

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Kim

Ah, Memorial Day Weekend at the Jersey Shore. Sun, sand and surf. Arcades, shops and amusements on the Boardwalk. Saltwater taffy and crab fries. Traffic and crowds. Dowitchers, Turnstones and Knots… Wait – what?

Welcome to the OTHER Jersey Shore – the length of coast that runs along the Delaware Bay. While humans are basking in the sun oceanside, another drama is unfolding bayside. The players: Horseshoe Crabs, and tens of thousands of migrating shorebirds. Many species use the area as a stopover, but none are more representative of the journey and hardships they must face than the Red Knot. (below, with smaller Semipalmated Sandpipers)

Red Knots are Robin-sized shorebirds that winter at one end of the world and breed at the other. They make the 9300 mile journey in two hops, flying NON-STOP from their wintering grounds in Tierra Del Fuego to the shores of Delaware Bay. They arrive famished and emaciated, with only one thing on their mind – FOOD. Before they can continue their journey to the Canadian Arctic, they must double their weight. They need LOTS of easily available nutritious food. That’s where the Horseshoe Crabs come in.

May is the start of Horseshoe Crab spawning season, and thousands come ashore at night to lay their eggs. These little greenish balls of energy provide the nutrition Red Knots and other Shorebirds need to refuel. Look closely, and you will see the eggs at the feet of this Sandpiper.

Thousands upon thousands of birds flock to the Bayshore every May and early June for the feast. And flocks of birdwatchers follow them. Better bring a spotting scope or a long lens though! Each spring the beaches are closed for a month or more to allow Red Knots and other migrating Shorebirds to rest and refuel in relative peace. So getting close is not an option.

CONSERVATION PIECE: As recently as the 1980s, there were nearly 2 million Horseshoe Crabs in Delaware Bay, and 150,000 Red Knots traveling through the area. Then the Crabs were overfished for whelk and eel bait, and their numbers plummeted to an estimated 200,000 today. Red Knot numbers crashed with them, to 15,000. Knots are now an endangered species in New Jersey, and a moratorium on Horseshoe Crab fishing there was enacted in 2008. The passage of Superstorm Sandy last fall further imperiled these animals, as nearly 70% of Horseshoe Crab habitat was lost. Efforts were made to clean up and rebuild the beaches, but only time will tell what effect those efforts had.

Here are some of the other birds feasting at the Shore.Above: Short-billed Dowitcher and Dunlin.

Below, clockwise from top left: Ruddy Turnstone, Killdeer, Sandpipers in flight, Willet with lunch.

FUN FACT: Horseshoe Crabs are not crabs at all, but marine arthropods closely related to spiders and scorpions! They are so ancient – they’ve been around over 450 million years – they are considered a living fossil. And they have blue blood! That’s due to the copper content in the hemocyanin in their blood that carries oxygen. Not quite the prototypical High Society “blue-blood”.

Here’s a typical Memorial Day crowd at the Shore. This Red Knot is no doubt wondering where he can get some peace and quiet.

Coming up: Driven To Abstraction

Cape May Potpourri

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Kim

Early in May, a friend and I went to Cape May in search of migrating warblers. First stop: Cape May Point State Park. Surprisingly, we had no luck in the warbler department, although we got this obliging Eastern Bluebird to pose for us.

Our next stop was Higbee Beach WMA, along the Delaware Bayshore. This is a wonderfully confusing tangle of woods, meadows, dune scrub and beach. We got lost at least twice. It was worth it though, as we did find the warblers we’d been seeking, as well as this Eastern Towhee (above). Flowering trees drew swarms of bees, but I was more bothered by the jumbo mosquitos. Some of them were bigger than the birds!

Next up: Thompson’s Beach, further north along Delaware Bay. Our sole purpose here was to see the elusive Clapper Rail. We searched first from the observation deck at the end of the road, then took a long walk out to the beach and back. For the duration of our trek we could hear the constant laughing call of the bird, but we didn’t spot a single Rail. Finally back at the deck we saw one, who gave us a good look while he was preening. Imagine my joy when my camera suddenly declared “Card Full”… Fortunately I came away with one good shot. Here you can see why they’re so hard to find (above). Not only do they blend in so well, they are usually are deep in the grass.

Our last port-of-call was Matt’s Landing Road at Heislerville WMA. There’s an island there covered with trees – and Cormorants. And Egrets. And Herons… Basically it’s a rookery, a place for birds to roost and nest. I was happy not to be too close – I can only imagine the smell. On the drive around the impoundment we spotted this Black-crowned Night Heron (above) in a tree, and a Snowy Egret in the wonderful evening light.

FUN FACT: The male Eastern Bluebird chooses the nest site, in tree cavities or nest boxes. He entices the female to nest there by displaying and carrying nesting material in and out of the hole. That’s it! The rest is up to her – building the nest, and incubating the eggs. She keeps him around though, as pair bonds last for several seasons. A male will defend his nest sites against any bird he considers a threat, so maybe he’s good for something after all!

Coming soon: Ready or Knot

How ‘Bout Those Eagles?

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Kim

Babies are already growing up at Heinz Refuge. Our stars are the two Bald Eagle chicks, now about ten weeks old. This is Mom, above. Male and female Bald Eagles look alike, so how do I know that’s Mom? Dad, in flight below, wears a fashionable green leg band, while the female is not banded. The adult Eagles have nested here for four years now. Each year they use the same stick nest, adding on to it every season.Eggs were laid in February, and two eaglets hatched around March 13^th. At first they were too small to be seen over the top of the nest, but it wasn’t long before we were catching glimpses of them. At two and a half weeks old, one chick is barely visible at the right, looking like a fuzzy Q-tip. Photographing them is a challenge due to lighting and distance. This is what I call documentary photography, rather than art. (Click each image for a larger view.)

At four weeks, (above) the eaglets still had their baby down; by six weeks (below) they had grown a full set of dark feathers, albeit somewhat ragged. They were also standing on the edge of the nest and flapping their wings to strengthen them. By this time we noticed that one chick was smaller than the other. This is not unusual; they were probably born a day or two apart, and the older chick simply out-competed his younger sibling for food. Here an adult flies in with nesting material, while one of the chicks clamors for food. A parent’s work is never done! By eight weeks old (below), both eaglets were nearly the size of their parents, actively flapping their wings and jumping into the air. As of today, they are about ten weeks old. The smaller chick is growing well, and they both seem to be thriving. We expect them to fledge – leave the nest and start flying – sometime in early June. They sure look like they’re ready to go now, though! Before they leave for good, they will start moving out of the nest to branches nearby for a time.Once they can fly, the eaglets will remain in the area for a while longer, still being fed by the parents, while they learn to hunt for themselves. When they are fully independent in the fall, they will leave the area in search of territories of their own. After all, this territory is spoken for! It won’t be until they are four years old that they will have the full adult Bald Eagle plumage, with the distinctive white head and tail. And next year their parents will return to start the cycle anew.CONSERVATION PIECE: As recently as thirty years ago, there were only three nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in Pennsylvania. The birds weren’t faring better anywhere else, thanks to loss of habitat and the devastating effects of DDT. Now there are over 200 nests in Pennsylvania, three in Philadelphia alone, including ours at Heinz. These beautiful symbols of our country are making quite a comeback.

Jersey Shore-Birds

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Kim

Forsythe NWR

I was lucky enough to make two trips to the Jersey Shore in one spring week. The first was to Edwin B. Forsythe NWR near Atlantic City, a 47,000 acre refuge spread along the marshes of the Jersey Shore. While driving the 8 mile Wildlife Drive loop, we got to see a lot of cool birds. Luckily for me, I was accompanied by several veteran birders, since I needed all the help I could get identifying a number of bird species. I had two life birds in the first ten minutes and ended the day with seven. Above is a Great Egret, definitely not a life bird for me, but one I love watching.

Here’s a flock of Glossy Ibis flying overhead. I barely got a look at them, but was assured we would see more. We didn’t. Promises, promises.

FUN FACT: Common Terns (above) drink saltwater (yuck!) by flying above the water’s surface and dipping their beaks into the water. Grab and go – no leisurely time on the veranda sipping iced tea for them!

Snowy Egret landing. There’s a move in tai chi that looks like this!

Cape May

Later that week a friend and I went to four different places in the Cape May area. Again, lots of shorebirds. Like this Laughing Gull.

Willet, landing. Before I saw them fly, they looked like every other mid-sized sandpiper. Then I saw this beautiful white wing patch, and suddenly I’m a Willet expert. As long as they’re not on the ground!

FUN FACT: Osprey (above) – and Osprey nests – are numerous at the Shore. Ospreys used to nest in dead trees. As these have become scarce, they are happy to build their stick nests on man-made structures, including telephone poles, channel markers and the platforms we humans have put up for them. They have a reversible toe on each foot that helps them better grasp fish. A migratory bird, they may fly more than 150,000 miles in their lives. That’s a lot of frequent flier miles!

On a personal note, I recently became a published photographer for the first time when a spread of my Heinz NWR photos was featured in Phactum, a publication of the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking. If you’re interested, you can access it at the link below.

http://www.phact.org/data/phactums/Phactum%202013-05.pdf

A Boatload of Babies

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Kim

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum is where I volunteer and spend a lot of my time. 80 species of birds breed here, and the nesting season has begun. Our stars are a pair of Bald Eagles, but this year they are not to be outdone by the Great Horned Owls. There are two Owl nests this year, each with two chicks.

By the time we spotted these Owlets, they were big balls of fluff almost as big as their parents. Owls frequently use previously abandoned hawk nests, without wasting time on expensive renovations. In this case, it’s a downed tree trunk. Colleen said they look like they’re riding in a little wooden boat.

With hungry mouths to feed, the usually nocturnal owls are more active during the day, and can often be spotted roosting in or near the nest. I’d never seen Great Horned Owls before, so this was a treat. Both sets of owlets have fledged in recent days, so they’re not in the nests, but they will remain nearby being cared for by their parents for a while longer.

FUN FACT: Part of the mating ritual requires the male Great Horned Owl to present the female with a small mammal like a mouse. If he doesn’t, it may indicate that there’s not enough food available to successfully raise a brood, and she won’t accept him. Obviously, they never heard Ogden Nash’s advice: “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker!”

New Beginnings

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Kim

Each spring, life begins anew for a multitude of wild creatures around the Earth…

Parents are busily preparing homes…

Tree Swallow at nest box

… in preparation for a new generation.

Robin eggs

For these wild babies, it means a chance to explore the world. Learn new skills. Experience the wonders around them. Tentative on their wobbly legs at first, but driven by curiosity, they will gain confidence in seeking out new horizons.

Baby Cottontail Rabbit in my yard

Sometimes life gives us humans a new beginning later in life, a second chance to learn and grow and explore. After 20 years as a caregiver, looking after the needs of my parents, I find myself free to now to see what the world is all about. Like a baby deer taking her first clumsy steps, I was shy at first, but as time goes on I find myself getting my feet underneath me. My passions for wildlife, nature and photography have reignited after a long dormancy, and I am pursuing them with gusto.

Great Horned Owlets

This blog will be a home for my photos and reflections as I explore pockets of nature in the crowded ‘burbs: the edge habitats where town meets country, forest meets meadow, land meets water, and Man meets Nature – the Wild Edge.

Feel free to leave enthusiastic praise, insightful comments, comedic stylings and /or gentle criticism. I have no idea yet how frequently I’ll post – it is my first blog after all. I also have a backlog of material to share. So check back often, and enjoy.

Happy Trails!

Evening trail, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

The Wild Edge

Opening eyes to the wonder around us

Category Archives: Birds