We hear, and see, the nuthatches each year at this time as these little dynamos drill one, two, three or mores cavities into the soft wood of the pines. For all of their work they more than likely only use one of the holes to actually nest in. The other holes are often occupied by a family of chickadees, titmice, or perhaps other nuthatches.

This Brown-headed Nuthatch had three holes going at the same time in the same tree. One of the holes can be seen directly in front of the bird.

Ranger Kristin spotted the first-of-the-season Red-winged Blackbirds on February 12th as she walked down the boardwalk into the Wetlands. Red-winged Blackbirds can show up throughout the winter, it’s not until mid to late February when our first singing males show up.

The birds are a bit early this year. I heard the first singing male last year on the 19th of February. But, I may have simply not noticed their arrival last year, until they’d been on the scene for a week or so.

One of a hand full of Red-winged Blackbirds that dropped into the Wetlands on the 12th of February.

The male redwings arrive before the females, often two weeks or more before the females, to stake a claim on a territory. Red-winged Blackbirds nest in the Wetlands. I’ve only witnessed one pair actually spend the entire breeding season in our small wetland habitat, but each year in February we get a group of males which ultimately ends up in the willows on the north side of the Wetlands Overlook.

There are currently four such males in that location. They stay hidden throughout most of the day as they call out from the bases of the willows. All but one appear to be second year (SY) birds; their black feathers are edged with brown.

Still in their drab winter plumage the American Goldfinches are increasing in number as the season moves along.

There’s not a lot of space here in our little Wetland and it’s usually just a couple of males who call to each other and chase one another around a bit in their attempt to claim the Wetlands for their own. By the time all the fuss is over there’s only one male left.

At the bird feeders in Catch the Wind, American Goldfinch numbers are increasing and Pine Warblers are visiting the suet more frequently.

Now that the cold weather appears to be behind us, I’ve been seeing Honey Bees on the Mahonia on the Dinosaur Trail. The Mahonia started to bloom back in late fall but the sustained cold of this winter held it back. It’s now doing fine. Stop by the Alamosaurus and have a look.

Turtles are out basking, maple and elm buds are swelling, it’s time to get outside!

A male Pine Warbler at the suet feeder in Catch the Wind.

A Honey Bee takes nectar from the Mahonia in front of the Alamosaurus on the Dinosaur Trail.

Well, what are you waiting for, go outside!

I may have missed some nest box activity. Birds don’t wait for me to arrive at the Museum each day before they start their daily routines, and they continue their chores long after I leave, so I’m sure there’s quite a bit of these bird’s lives that I’ve not witnessed. With that said, I find it strange that I’ve not seen any young actually fledge from those boxes, or parent birds feeding young in the vicinity of those boxes, until now!

The mother bluebird tries to entice the two fledglings to come down to the suet feeder. The two youngsters apparently would prefer the suet brought to them. (8/19/10)

This young bluebird begs, no insists, that it be fed.

I don’t believe that all of the birds that used the boxes were successful in fledging young. I would’ve expected to see family groups of the birds in question, which I did not. Some of the attempted nests were abandoned for reasons that I can only guess at. I’ve not witnessed predation on the nest boxes, but as I’ve said, I’m not on-site all day, every day.

I’m glad, though, that I finally was able to see a bluebird family at the Bird Feeders in Catch the Wind, the same bluebird family that had been using the nest box just behind the feeders. At least we can be sure that this bluebird family made it through the egg to fledgling process in good order.

Good for them!

Turkey Vultures are a daily sight as they soar, dip and bank across the Museum’s airspace.

Note the small head, gray flight feathers, and rather long tail on this Turkey Vulture sailing over the Museum.

The slightly smaller Black Vulture, while seen at least once a week here at the Museum, is not as frequently encountered as the Turkey Vulture.

A short tail, small head, and white or gray primaries (the feathers at the tip of the wings) are trademarks of the Black Vulture. Black Vultures flap their wings more often, and more rapidly, than do their larger relatives, Turkey Vultures.

Hardly a day passes without seeing or hearing a Red-shouldered Hawk at the Museum. They are most often encountered while they’re perched in the woods silently watching below for prey.

A Red-shouldered Hawk sits quietly in the swamp between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild.

Red-tailed Hawks are seen above at least once a week in winter, but there is a two month period during summer when they may not be seen at all. Whenever they do show up, a Red-shouldered Hawk is often there to greet and escort them out of the airspace.

Although larger and more powerful than Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks are often chased out of the Museum's airspace by the smaller hawk.

This Cooper's Hawk was seen January 28th hunting over Catch the Wind.

Copper’s Hawks have successfully nested here at the Museum for the past two years. I see one of these brazen, bushwhacking, aerial hunters nearly every week of the year, certainly every month. Last week was a double; I saw one (most likely the same hawk) on two different days. Each time, the hawk was hunting from above, settling down into the pines north of the Lemur House.

On February 3rd, a tap-tap-tap-taping sound high in a Loblolly Pine in Catch the Wind signaled the workings of a Brown-headed Nuthatch excavating a nest hole. A pair of these tiny pine dwelling nuthatches had dug two holes in a pine not fifty feet from this location last year, only to give it up (or lose it) to a pair of Carolina Chickadees several weeks later.

One nuthatch quickly exits the hole as the other waits to inspect his handywork.

This pair seems to be a bit ahead of themselves. Last year’s nuthatches were first spotted on February 20 as they had just begun excavation. From the apparent depth of the current hole it appears as though they’ve been working on this one for several days, if not more.

I’ll keep you posted on their progress.

I’ve yet to see juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the Bird Feeder Exhibit. There have been reports of recently fledged birds coming to feeders in South Carolina and in the Sandhills of North Carolina but it should be a week or so before we start seeing them here.

The Belted Kingfisher has returned. As was true last year, there was a four-week period when a kingfisher was neither heard nor seen in the Wetlands. The only explanation that I can come up with for the female’s absence is that it was off sitting on eggs, although both male and female share incubation duties, which last about 24 days. I think, though, that the female does the bulk of the egg sitting.

On June 13, I saw a kingfisher carrying a fish in its bill. This is not an unusual occurrence, for sure. However, the bird did not swallow the fish on site, which is usually the case, but was headed off to the west when last seen. What does that mean? It probably means that there are hungry little kingfishers sitting in a dark burrow somewhere along a stream bank (Ellerbee Creek?) waiting and squawking with bills agape.

Fledgling Downy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows, and Brown-headed Cowbirds have all been seen at the Bird Feeder Exhibit or elsewhere around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop, the cowbirds being hosted by Eastern Towhee and Pine Warbler foster parents.

A buteo soaring across the Wetlands on April 4 turned out to be the first-of-the-year Broad-winged Hawk. April is the month when broad-wingeds typically show up in our area after spending the winter in South America.

Both male and female Belted Kingfishers were again seen together in the Wetlands. It was the male that was observed most often, although the female may have been hidden behind the now leafy vegetation in the Wetlands.

It’s confirmed: there are two nesting pairs of Eastern Phoebes on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. One nest, as last year, is under the boardwalk on the south side of the Wetlands. The other is on a ledge over a doorway on the back side of the building that houses the vending machines next to the Red Wolf Exhibit.

Another bird that spends the winter south of the border (as does Broad-winged Hawk, above) is the Barn Swallow. I spied the first one on April 8, but since then have see several cruise through, the birds often pausing to take a few turns around the Wetlands or Catch the Wind in order to snatch aerial insects out of the air to help fuel their northward journeys.

April 10th was a good day to see swallows at the Museum. Besides several Barn Swallows there were a number of Tree and Northern Rough-winged Swallows passing through.

A Tufted Titmouse was seen carrying nesting material into a nest hole near the Wetlands Overlook next to the Lemur House. The hole is in a twelve-foot pine snag which stands in the water to the left of the overlook.

I heard a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on the 5th of April but didn’t see one until the 10th when I noticed one of the tiny bundles of energy foraging in the willows adjacent to the Wetlands Overlook. Hopefully I’ll locate a nest this year. Gnatcatchers are boisterous little buggers as they go about their nest-building activities, and it’s often easy to locate the lichen-covered nests by listening for the birds busily chatting away in the trees above. The nests are often completed before the trees are totally leafed out.

A bird that bird watchers love to hate is back in town, the Brown-headed Cowbird. Small groups of these nest parasites were seen chasing each other through the air above Catch the Wind during the first half of April. The female pictured is standing watch over an active Brown-headed Nuthatch’s nest hole. Cowbirds lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving the brooding of the eggs and the rearing of the young to the inhabitants of the nest in which those eggs were laid. It’s for that reason that many people dislike cowbirds.

The unfortunate recipient of the cowbird’s egg, or eggs, is usually a much smaller bird than the cowbird, often a warbler. The cowbird that hatches usually muscles its way around the nest taking all the food the surrogate parents bring back to the nest, the rightful nestlings getting very little if any food. I once watched a Worm-eating Warbler bring in caterpillar after caterpillar to a fledgling cowbird (the warbler is about 4.5” while the cowbird is about 6.5” with more bulk). The warbler’s own offspring were nowhere to be seen.

Cowbirds don’t leave our area for the winter but flock together with others of their kind, or with other blackbird species, spending the winters foraging in farm fields and pastures.

Red-tailed Hawks continue to be seen daily and Cooper’s Hawks have been noticed flying and perching in the vicinity of the previous year’s nest site. And, as mentioned above, Red-shouldered Hawks are once again showing up in the Wetlands.

Eastern Phoebes are calling regularly in and around the Wetlands. Phoebes nest on ledges. I’ve witnessed the birds investigating potential nest sites both under the boardwalk and in the vending area near the Red Wolf Enclosure. There are numerous crossbeams under the boardwalk for the phoebes to build a nest upon. The structure that houses the vending machines also offers many suitable ledges.

An American Crow was seen carrying nesting material on 1 March. Fish Crows had been seen (and heard) throughout the period.

The Brown-headed Nuthatches, which last month had so diligently excavated nest holes in a Loblolly Pine along the path between the entrances to Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild (see Brown-headed Nuthatches, Explore the Wild Journal, February 16-28, 2009), have apparently presented the holes to, or have been evicted by, a pair of Carolina Chickadees. In the images at left you can see a chickadee in the process of renovating one of the holes by first entering the hole, then exiting with a beak full of wood chips from the cavity’s interior.

During the first few days of this period, two Brown-headed Nuthatches were spotted working on a hole in a dead pine behind the vending area next to the Red Wolf Enclosure. They were not seen at that location during the second week of March. Are these the same two nuthatches that bored the holes for the chickadees? Have they abandoned this new hole too?

There have been numerous reports over the past several weeks of large numbers of American Robins throughout North Carolina; the robins are on the move north. So, it’s no surprise that hundreds of American Robins joined the already present, and equally numerous, Cedar Waxwings in an assault on the Museum’s hollies which began at the end of February (see Cedar Waxwings, Explore the Wild Journal, February 16-28, 2009). The birds were mainly concentrating on the hollies along the side entrance to the Museum’s main building, although few hollies anywhere on the grounds were immune to the onslaught (two trees out in front of the Museum seem to have been ably defended by a Northern Mockingbird, with most of its berries intact). Some of you may have noticed that all of the berries are missing from the small hollies behind the Ornithopter. The hollies in front of the Ornithopter were spared due to the human traffic through the area, the birds being reluctant to feed where people frequently pass. By the end of the first week in March, the waxwings had departed and only a handful of robins presently remain on site.

The first Red-winged Blackbird of the season appeared on the 7th of March. This lone male was seen and heard singing from a willow in the Wetlands.

Two Pine Siskins were observed at the Bird Feeder Exhibit during the period. Eight of those slender finches were seen in an elm tree behind the Sailboat Pond on the 3rd of March. It won’t be long before they leaves us.

The duck was nestled down in a shallow cup of dried grass. It sat motionless as if attempting to convince some nearby predator that it was part of the landscape and not something to eat. Although a bit early in the season, it appeared as though the duck was sitting on eggs, the “freezing” behavior typical of brooding ducks. I presume it was me from which the bird was trying to conceal itself.

A later check of the site, after the duck had departed and was seen swimming and preening with its look-a-like partner, revealed no eggs in the cup of grass. It was odd that, earlier, the duck had attempted to hide given the fact that there were no eggs in the “nest,” nothing in the grass to hide or conceal. I often see these two ducks swimming and feeding within yards of Museum guests as they (guests) stroll by, the ducks showing little or no concern for their safety. But, if I remember correctly, it was this same duck that, last spring, was seen swimming in the U-shaped pond at the Flap the Wings Exhibit and that had laid an egg on top of the bare concrete wall of the Sailboat Pond in Catch the Wind. So, perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise to see this duck act the way it did on the island in front of the Wetlands Overlook.

Red-tailed Hawks have been a daily sight. Their aerial acrobatics over the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop have become the main raptorial attraction during the past few weeks, often with three birds overhead at once. They’ve replaced the Red-shouldered Hawks as the most commonly seen raptor.

At this time, Red-shouldered Hawks in our general area are occupied with nest building. This preoccupation with nesting is perhaps why the swamp across from the Wetlands Overlook has not hosted our local Red-shouldered Hawk in recent weeks. I haven’t seen one in the swamp since January. I’m not certain that our resident red-shouldereds have begun a nest somewhere nearby, but it seems likely.

I heard, then saw, the first Fish Crows of the season on February 23rd when two flew over the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop.

Alerted by their incessant, toy-horn call notes, I noticed several Brown-headed Nuthatches busily pecking away at the underside of a branch of a Loblolly Pine. The pine is located within twenty feet or so of the path between the entrances to Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild on the back side of the loop. In reality, there were only two birds that were pecking at the tree, the other was running back and forth on top of the limb calling loudly as it went along. They all seemed very excited.

On Friday, February 20, the first day that I noticed the nuthatches, the two “workers” had only small, shallow holes started on the 4-inch-diameter limb. The holes are approximately 8-10 inches apart and are on the underside of a near-horizontal branch. By Monday (2/23) both birds were digging deep inside the branch, the excavations having progressed considerably. They’re still working on the holes.

The holes are no doubt intended to be used as nests. Supposedly, it’s the male who chooses the nest site. Perhaps these are two males competing for the same female and who have essentially chosen the same site. One more thing to consider. According to research done on Brown-headed Nuthatches, nests are occasionally attended by three birds with an unmated male as helper. So why excavate two separate holes? Who’s the helper and who’s the mate? There doesn’t appear to be any outward competition between the two nuthatches, there’s no bickering between the two. They each seem content to happily peck away while in the company of the other. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the next few weeks. Although it will be difficult to tell who’s who in this trio (the males and females look alike).

This is a good photo opportunity for anyone interested. The nuthatches are fairly close to the path and don’t seem overly concerned about being watched as they dig. (You can see a piece of wood taken from the interior of the hole in the bird’s bills in the images at left). If you can’t locate the birds on your stroll through this section of the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop, stop and listen – you may hear the birds calling as they dig. If you don’t see or hear them right away, wait a few minutes; they’re probably taking a break from their toil and will be back to work soon.

Hermit Thrushes continue to be seen both under the bird feeders in Catch the Wind and at the northwest corner of the Wetlands (most consistent location to see Hermit Thrush at this time). There were two Golden-crowned Kinglets seen on 22 February.

Not exactly on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop but worthy of mention were the 400+ Cedar Waxwings that were observed in the main parking lot of the Museum on the morning of 23 February. As I pulled into the lot that morning I noticed a group of some fifty waxwings fly over my vehicle. They were heading towards the back side of the lot. Another group sailed over going in the same direction. Then another, and another much larger group of birds flew over, all descending on several small holly trees near the northwest corner of the lot. The birds perched on and milled about the hollies and other small trees near the hollies while they, in turn, lay waste to the holly berries, a flutter of activity. Then, as if on cue, they all lifted off the trees at once and were gone.

The first-of-the-season Common Grackle was seen on 21 February.

Several weeks ago I began seeing reports on a local listserv (carolinabirds) of dead or ill birds at area bird feeders. The birds mentioned in the reports were Pine Siskins and the suspected culprit was Salmonella. Here is one of the postings from that listserv with links to other postings on the same subject.

There have been no reported mass die-off of birds. The illnesses seem limited to a few birds at various backyard feeders. I’ve not noticed any ill birds at the Bird Feeder Exhibit at the Museum. Of course, birds don’t always die at backyard feeders (or exhibits) where they can be seen and documented and many birds may have gone unnoticed. To prevent any further spread or infection, it’s recommended that home bird feeders be emptied and cleaned out with bleach. It’s also a good idea to rake up all the seeds and shells that have collected below the feeders.

Interestingly, with all the reports in the news lately about peanut-butter-related Salmonella outbreaks among humans, there has been a recall of certain products made for birds which contain peanut butter.

You can subscribe to the carolinabirds listserv if you’re interested. The listserv covers both North and South Carolina. You can keep track of local bird sightings, area bird club meetings and field trips are often posted, and there are discussions (sometimes heated) about bird identification. Of course, if you have any bird questions and feel intimidated by asking them on a listserv where there may be hundreds, if not thousands, of subscribers, you can always direct your questions to me.

Cooper’s Hawks and, since the second week in September, Red-tailed Hawks have been seen consistently. Some are locals and some are migrating through – I’ve seen adults and immatures of both species. An adult Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen 29 November.

A true sign of winter’s arrival, or at least it being at the doorstep, was the appearance overhead of an adult male Northern Harrier in the clear blue sky of 26 November. The nearly all gray adult males are the last in line to migrant through, following the brown-hued immature and female harriers. It was the first of its kind that I’d seen at the Museum.

Harriers are birds of open country – extensive farmlands and coastal marshes are more likely places to see them. There, they cruise low over the vegetation watching and listening for small mammals and birds to prey upon. Harriers have an owl-like facial disk (B&W image at left) which aids in picking up faint sounds coming from potential prey below them as the hawks sail and hover a few feet above the fields and marshes. It’s not likely you’ll see a Northern Harrier at the Museum except in passing, so keep at least one eye skyward, especially after a few days of northerly winds!

Crows are well know for harassing hawks and owls whenever they can. So, it’s no surprise that on November 29, a small group of crows (about 5) couldn’t resist ganging up on a Barred Owl when they spotted it perched in a Loblolly Pine in the swamp just below the entrance to Catch the Wind on the back side of the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. The owl, after several minutes of cawing and badgering by the crows, was rousted from its perch and took off flying with the crows in hot pursuit – much to the amazement, and delight, of Ornithopter Operator John as the owl flew within ten feet of his head.

A pair of these dark-eyed owls were spotted earlier in the period by two of the Museum’s Animal Keepers near the main entrance to Catch the Wind. Keep an eye out for these birds as you stroll along the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop!

The resident female Belted Kingfisher has been spending considerable time at the Wetlands. Even when she can’t be seen splashing and diving in the water for fish, her raspy rattle of a call can usually be heard somewhere back among the trees on the far side of the Wetlands.

While standing on the Wetlands Overlook video taping the local Great Blue Heron gently preening its long blue-gray primaries, I heard a splash in the water to my right. As I turned to see what had made the noise, the kingfisher was already up and flying towards the boardwalk in front of the Black Bear Exhibit. It had something large in its bill. A kingfisher is not a small bird, a little over a foot from end to end. As the bird landed on the railing of the boardwalk I could see that it had a sizable Golden Shiner in its bill (image at left). The fish was easily half, or more, the length of the bird.

After several unsuccessful attempts to flip the fish head first so that it could swallow it, the kingfisher flew off to the far side of the Wetlands to perch on a low willow branch. Through the eyepiece of the video camera I could see the bird again and again try to turn the fish around, all the while the fish struggling to get free of the bird’s grip. Finally, the bird lost its hold on the shiner and it fell to the water below, the bird crashing in behind. When the bird flew back up to its perch, only scales remained in its long dark bill. Apparently, the fish was not mortally wounded by this encounter. I’m not sure whether the bird could have swallowed such a large fish had it been able to hold on to it, but it would have been fun to watch it try.

There was a flurry of bird activity with the approach of a low pressure system on the last Saturday of November. Birds often feed heavily ahead of impending inclement weather. Among the birds seen was a Brown Creeper (photo at right), the first I’d seen at the Museum since last January. These small, secretive, brownish birds creep up tree trunks gleaning small invertebrates along the way. Their presence is often given away as they fly from a high point on one tree to the base of another to start a new ascent.

Also seen feasting that day were Brown-headed Nuthatches, Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, several sparrows including Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Junco (image here), Pine Warbler, and a lone Common Yellowthroat. With the cooler weather and the lack of flying insects to hawk, the Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers have been feasting on Wax Myrtle berries.

A wandering of Cedar Waxwings sailed over the Wetlands on 20 November. You don’t often see waxwings alone; this group consisted of about twenty-five individuals. Unless there’s a reason to stop, like a good supply of berries or crab apples to eat, these traveling bands of birds are usually seen flying overhead in search of the same.

The in-flight flocks look a bit like starlings as they wheel and whirl about. Although noticeably lighter in color, in outline the individual birds appear starling-like as well. However, that’s where the similarity ends. Cedar Waxwings are one of the most elegant of birds (image at left). Their soft fawn-beige plumage fading to yellow on the belly, their yellow-tipped tail (sometimes orange), black facial mask, and crest make it hard not to find them attractive. They appear to never have a feather out of place, always neat and trim. The name waxwing comes from the small, red, wax-like spots on their wings (not shown).

Closing Shot

As anyone with a bird feeder in their backyard can tell you, Northern Cardinals are usually the first to arrive and the last to leave the party. The photo at left shows a female grabbing one last meal of sunflower seeds from the feeders in Catch the Wind before calling it a night.

The Museum’s four recently fledged Cooper’s Hawks were busy the last few days of this period. I saw one of the youngsters soaring over the Wetlands and heard and saw the others perched in the pines across from the Lemur House. One was calling from the Willows behind the Wetlands Overlook. They’re experimenting with their flying and hunting skills and becoming more independent everyday, although still begging for food from their parents. One of the hawks unsuccessfully took a swipe at the birds in the Bird Feeder area. The hawk’s lack of hunting prowess was apparent as it flew in, this direction and that, unable to decide which Cardinal or Goldfinch to focus on as it swooped through the feeders. I did happen to see one of the adults carry in prey to one of the young hawks, so the birds are still relying on their parents for the basics.

If you’ve ever stopped by the Bird Feeder area in Catch the Wind you may have noticed a small, rather nondescript little bird with a gray back and brown cap at one of the suet feeders. You may have even heard its “Rubber Duck” squeaky-toy calls as you strolled around through the pines on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. Brown-headed Nuthatches regularly visit the bird feeders. They’re not often found far from pine trees. Brown-headed Nuthatches are one of two species of Nuthatches at the Museum during the summer months (the other is the larger White-breasted Nuthatch). The Bird Feeder Exhibit is a good place to see them.