Anna's Hummingbird Courtship Dive

I have been seeing the male Anna’s hummingbird performing his courtship out at the arboretum and in my backyard.

The display begins as the male rises up into the sky above the perched female. Then he dives down, swoops past, and rises above her. When he completes the arc, he will hover, face her, and sing a squeaky song. At the bottom of the dive, he makes a high-pitched chirp which is made by air whipping through his tail feathers. Look closely, and you can see him whizzing by towards the middle of the video.

If the female is receptive to all of the male’s courting, she will lead him toward the nest site, where she will perch. The male will then hold his body horizontally and fly back in forth in short tight arcs above the female. I have not seen this second phase of the courtship, and I am imagining that will mate at this time.

Males and females don’t form pairs. The Birder’s Handbook has its mating system labeled Promiscuity. This is defined as males and females mating more or less indiscriminately. With Anna’s hummingbirds, only the females care for the young. The Anna’s hummingbird nests that I have seen being built were created by the female.

It is interesting that all of this is taking place in the middle of January. I am not sure if they will try to nest this early, and I haven’t seen any nests being constructed. Perhaps the male is setting up his territory and trying to attract females for the future. That said, Anna’s hummingbirds are some of the first nests that I find in spring. I’ll keep you informed if I come across more about when they start to nest in our area.

Northern Pygmy Owl

I was standing at the corner of the main meadow just above the barn. Up to that point, the day had been quiet. So I was happy to see a nice flock of juncos foraging around a favorite poison oak bush of theirs. Mixed in were some ruby-crowned kinglets, and some chickadees and white-breasted nuthatches were rambling through the oak trees nearby. I was trying to take a photo of a ruby-crowned kinglet when suddenly the juncos erupted into strong alarm calls as they retreated to the poison oak bush. The chickadees and nuthatches were incessantly alarming as well. There is a predator around! I watched for about 10 or 15 minutes but didn’t see anything moving. I cut through the edge of the meadow down to the barn and walked down the main path to check in with the nuthatches. That is when I noticed a small bird silhouetted against the pale, winter sky—the Northern Pygmy Owl.

Peterson states that this small owl at 6.75-7 inches tall. For comparison, the American Robin is listed as 10 inches. This owl may be small in stature, but it is a fast, adept hunter.

It perched facing out in the meadow and was scanning in all directions. Suddenly it swooped down across the meadow and landed on a lower branch of another oak tree about 20 yards away. I walked down to hopefully get a better look at it, and I saw that it had caught a small songbird. I couldn’t believe it! I watched it as it flew, and I still missed it catching what appeared to be a junco.

I was able to capture a couple of photos before it flew away. In the second photo, a notable field mark of “eyes” on the back of the head are visible.

As I was watching it from its first perch, I saw it cough up a pellet. I went back after it flew off and luckily found it on the ground.

I was grateful to have a glimpse at this amazing bird, a great bird to start off the year. Have a Happy New Year. I hope that you have a great year of birdwatching. See you out there.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

The golden-crowned kinglet returns to the arboretum every year to spend the fall and winter months. This beautiful little bird always warms my heart when I catch a glimpse of it on a cold winter’s day.

They are pale olive above and gray below, with a black-and-white striped face. The males have a yellow-orange crown patch which is often concealed. During the breeding season, the male will flare his orange patch when chasing off male intruders in his territory. The females are similar and only have a yellow crown patch.

This is a tiny bird. All About Birds lists its length as 3.1-4.3 in. To help locate this bird, listen for the call notes that males and females give to stay in contact with each other. Peterson describes it as a “high, wiry see-see-see.” Another helpful hint to help find the golden-crowned kinglet is that it travels around in mixed flocks. Out at the arboretum, you will see it palling around with chickadees, nuthatches, bushtits, ruby-crowned kinglets, and brown creepers.

The golden-crowned kinglet mostly eats insects, insect eggs, and spiders. I see it glean insects everywhere on the tree—the bark, leaves, moss, and lichen. It will also hover to capture prey under leaves or hawk for aerial insects.

Under “Cool Facts,” All About Birds has this miraculous bit of information: “The tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet is hardier than it looks, routinely wintering in areas where nighttime temperatures can fall below –40° Fahrenheit.”

Nature is an inexhaustible source of wonder. Hope to see you out there.

Resources
Golden-Crowned Kinglet Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/overview. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.

Peterson, Roger Tory, et al. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. 4th ed, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

Brown Creeper - Review

The brown creeper is a gentle little bird with a cheerful spirit.

It likes to "creep" and circle up the tree trunk and onto the limbs as it searches for food. Once it climbs up into the middle or top part of the tree, it will fly back down near the base of the same tree, one nearby, or onto a lower limb.

It has a slender, slightly curved bill that allows it to probe into bark crevices, thick carpets of moss, and under lichen. It has stiff tail feathers to brace itself as it forages, similar to woodpeckers. Its diet mainly includes insects, insect larvae, spiders, and spider eggs.

The brown creeper has exceptional camouflage. The top half of its body has a beautiful, mottled pattern that resembles dappled sunlight. The Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America says the brown creeper is "like a piece of bark come alive." Its underside is white and relatively concealed, mainly because it hugs close to the tree as it explores.

To help locate this tiny bird, listen for its call and song. The male and female will give call notes to check in with each other. Peterson describes it as "a single high, thin seee, similar to quick three-note call [see-see-see] of Golden-crowned kinglet." They have a cheerful song that Peterson interprets as "a high, thin, sibilant see-ti-wee-tu-wee or trees, trees trees, see the trees." I have also heard fellow bird watchers aptly characterize it as "trees, trees, trees, beautiful trees." To listen, click here (All About Birds by the Cornell Lab).

They usually build a nest between the tree's trunk and a piece of peeling bark of a dead or dying tree. The frame of the nest is a layer of twigs and strips of bark. The nest cup consists of materials like finer plant fibers, feathers, and hair. Insect cocoons and spider egg cases hold the nest together and anchor it to the tree.

Brown creepers are a year-round resident at the arboretum. They can be a little easier to find now that the deciduous trees have mostly lost their leaves, opening up the tree canopy. Small songbirds like to create mixed flocks during the winter, so look for brown creepers hanging out with chickadees, bushtits, and nuthatches.

Nature is an inexhaustible source of wonder. Hope to see you out there.

Resources
Brown Creeper Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/lifehistory. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

Brown Creeper Sounds, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/sounds. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

Kaufman, Kenn, et al. Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

Peterson, Roger Tory, et al. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. 4th ed, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

Robin's Coloration

I have often heard the coloration of the robin’s breast described as red. In Peterson’s field guide he describes it as a “brick red.” It is not red like the flaming red crest of a pileated woodpecker, for example. The robin’s breast is more orange, which as we know, is a color we can create by mixing red and yellow pigments together. So, on the color wheel, the robin’s red breast is more in the secondary color yellow-red (orange) range not the pure primary red.

In this photo you can see that the robin’s breast matches and blends in well with the warm oranges and browns of the fall leaves.

Honestly, I’m okay with calling it red. It’s easier to write catchy songs like “When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along.” I need a little spring in my step as I walk around in the chilly days of the coming winter.

Natural Talent

Again, I found myself watching a Bewick’s wren hop, tumble and leap between the branches. Suddenly it popped out onto this twig and posed as if it was the completion of its acrobatic routine. It stuck the landing! With the dappled afternoon sunlight in the background, I quickly snapped a photo and silently cheered its wonderful performance.

Blend in with Nature

I aspire to be the bird in the photo. Flitting through the understory, staying close to the earth. Exploring all of the sensations—the leafy, green fern fronds, the soft, spongy moss, the humid scent of the soil, and the sounds of insects rummaging through fallen leaves. Peering out through windows in the vegetation as I merrily skip in and out of view, in constant awe of what new wonders could be awaiting me.

“Few people have the imagination for reality.”
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Bewick's Wren

Meet the Bewick’s wren. It is a year-round resident that feels right at home in the thickets and shrubby areas in the open country of the oak savanna landscape of Mt. Pisgah arboretum.

It has a brown back and wings, and its underside is gray and white. A distinguishing feature is its bold, white eyebrow stripe. Its tail is long, black-barred, tipped with white spots, and is often cocked upwards. Its bill is fairly long, pointy, and slightly downcurved.

It is a spirited, acrobatic bird. It tumbles, hops, and bounds its way through the landscape as it forages for food. It effortlessly flits from limb to limb in the underbrush, clings to the sides of trees, and hangs upside down as it explores. Most of its diet is “the eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults of insects and other small invertebrates (All About Birds).”

Its lively character also comes through in its song, which I can hear from a fair distance. Here is Peterson’s description of its voice: “Song suggests Song Sparrow’s, but thinner starting on two or three high notes, dropping lower, ending on a thin trill; calls a sharp vit, vit and buzzy dzzzzzt.” Click here to go to All About Birds to listen.

This is a great bird to get to know. If you walk slowly and quietly, it is quite tolerant of your presence. Also, it is easy to observe because It usually forages less than 10 feet off the ground. So you don’t get a kink in your neck scanning up in the tree canopy for it.

Nature is an inexhaustible source of wonder. Hope to see you out there.

References
Bewick’s Wren Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bewicks_Wren/lifehistory. Accessed 9 Nov. 2022.

Ehrlich, Paul R., et al. The Birder’s Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds: Including All Species That Regularly Breed North of Mexico. Simon & Schuster, 1988.

Peterson, Roger Tory, et al. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. 4th ed, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

Steller's Jay & California Bay Laurel

Last weekend I heard the familiar sound of Steller’s Jays squawking, and I went over to have a look. I saw them hopping on the ground and through the limbs of the bay tree out by the barn. Not long after I arrived on the scene, one flew off with one of the green fruits of the tree. It flew down to the ground, buried the fruit, and quickly returned for another one. Another jay had found one on the ground and had managed to extract the seed from inside. It was on a lower limb breaking off bits and eating them. They were mostly gathering the fruit and flying away to cache them. There are quite a few trees that have sprouted up nearby from ones that weren’t retrieved. Steller’s Jays stash many seeds throughout the year and it seems highly possible that they would forget where they buried some of them. Also, if the jay should die sometime during the winter, the unrecovered, buried seeds could sprout thus dispersing the plant.

Leaf Gall Smorgasbord

Chickadees have an intimate knowledge of the trees. They never stop investigating every nook and cranny of a tree. They will explore the very top of the tree and everything in between to the base. I will even see them on the ground around it.

The other day I was watching a flock of them eating heaps of these leaf galls. Every single leaf that I could see on this oak tree had galls on the underside. Within a matter of seconds, a chickadee would pluck one, hold it with its feet, open it, and eat the small larva inside. I can’t even imagine how many insects one chickadee consumes in a day.

August Jackson at the arboretum just put together a small brochure of Mount Pisgah oak gall wasps. It is at the kiosk just before you walk across the bridge into the White Oak Pavilion. It has great photos. Check it out.

Great Horned Owl

The wind is gently sweeping across the hillside. It swirls around sturdy trunks of trees in a murmur. Its current is slow and soft as it flows through carpets of mossy limbs. Leaves lightly brush together. Shrouded in a cloak of quietness, the Great Horned Owl listens to the song of the forest.

The last rays of sunlight are slanting through the evening sky. Dragonflies are darting back and forth over the meadow. Leaves whirl and spin as they fall from the trees. The shadows are deepening as the night awakens. Shrouded in a cloak of stillness, the Great Horned Owl watches the day come to a close.

The rain has awoken the moss from its summer slumber forming cool, spongy beds. The shady woods are damp. The air feels refreshing to breathe. Afternoon sun breaks are a pleasant warmth on the body. Shrouded in a cloak of awareness, the Great Horned Owl absorbs the sensations of the changing seasons.

The hours of daylight are waning as we revolve into the starlight, beckoning a time of reflection. May we hold the essence of the Great Horned Owl within our spirit as winter approaches—watching, listening, and feeling nature to its fullest.

Northern Pygmy-Owl

The other evening as I was walking back to my truck I came across some chickadees and nuthatches in an oak tree. They were flitting around through the tree and their behavior and vocalizations caught my attention. They seemed nervous as they moved about the tree and they were calling to each other frequently. I watched them for about 10 minutes as I slowly moved closer to the tree. A hummingbird suddenly appeared and zoomed over to the lower part of the tree canopy. It hovered and moved back and forth as if investigating something. It then lit on a small branch nearby. I then noticed a small silhouette on a limb. I moved to better view the area and brought out my binoculars. Focusing in, I discovered a Northern Pygmy-Owl was the source of the commotion. A moment later with a burst of energy, it flew up the hillside into another oak tree. Wanting to get a photo, I followed. It took me about half an hour to locate it with the help of the hummingbird again.

This little owl can be observed out during the day. Interestingly, All About Birds by Cornell had this to say: “Most owls have asymmetrically placed ears as well as flattened facial discs around the eyes. Both of these features are adaptations that give them better hearing. Interestingly, Northern Pygmy-Owls lack these features, and this may be an outcome of their diurnal habits and greater reliance on vision.”

In my opinion, these owls are pretty fierce hunters of small birds. They are fast and fly in a similar pattern to woodpeckers—an undulating pattern of rapid wing beats interrupted by closed-wing glides. I saw one a couple of summers ago hunting around the meadow next to the White Oak Pavilion. It seemed to easily catch a couple of songbirds. I remember counting 30 birds surrounding it as it perched on a limb eating. Check out the varied diet listed on All About Birds: “Northern Pygmy-Owls mostly eat small birds, such as hummingbirds, chickadees, warblers, and sparrows, as well as small mammals, including shrews, moles, and chipmunks. However, they occasionally attack prey much larger than themselves, such as Northern Bobwhite and California Quail. They also eat insects such as beetles, butterflies, crickets, and dragonflies, as well as reptiles such as lizards and skinks.”

Note
I haven’t been able to get out as much these days. Due to the smoke from the nearby forest fire, the poor air quality has had me reluctantly sticking to home when not at work. Hopefully, the rain will come to our aid soon.

Bird Tracking

I came across what appeared to be bird poop. I started wondering what berry has these seeds. I didn’t have to look far to find Oregon grape berries. I brought one over and opened it to find what I believe are matching seeds. Over the next week or so, I would sit by patches of Oregon grape when I was walking past. I wanted to see what birds were eating them. One morning, I watched cedar waxwings and American robins swooping in and gobbling up the berries. Towhees were hoping around down low through the shrubs and on the ground. I didn’t see them eating them, but I suspect they were foraging on them too.

At this moment, I think of the book Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking. It is filled with heaps of great information and exercises to improve your awareness and become more tuned into the natural world. I credit this book with helping to spark my curiosity and wonder about nature.

Goldfinch & Thistle

Clouds of downy thistle seeds have been billowing out onto the landscape and flying up into the sky. The seed is attached to an umbrella of feathers that enable it to float away in the slightest breeze. Goldfinches are on the scene to forage before the seeds sail away.

Goldfinches mainly eat seeds, but they will also supplement their diets with small fruits (elderberry and madrone) and tree buds (cottonwoods, alders, sycamores, willows, and oaks).

I think this particular plant is a bull thistle, a non-native plant. Non-native plants can be invasive, but I had to admire the cool seed head left behind after the seeds were released. It reminded me of a straw hat that Van Gogh might have painted.

In the birdseed business, Niger seeds are sold as a popular goldfinch food. Early marketing labeled this plant seed as a thistle. People wanted to capitalize on the fact that goldfinches love thistle seeds, which Niger seeds aren’t. They are a native plant to Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Malawi. They are also grown in India. You may also see the plant labeled Nyger or Nyjer on the bag of bird seed.

I wanted to mention this because I feel that it is better to grow native plants and create more habitat for birds to forage. I feel these types of small changes can have huge impacts on restoring a balance in nature. When we use native seeds, we not only create habitat, we avoid spending energy importing seeds from far away to put in our bird feeders. In addition, Niger seeds are not going to be as nutritious because they are sterilized by heat before being shipped. I am sure this is to help prevent germination and spoilage of the seed.

Common Merganser

Recently, I have been delighted to see a small group of common mergansers on the river. The male’s breeding plumage is striking. He has a white body that sharply contrasts with a black back and dark green-black head. His bill and feet are red and his breast is tinged with a rosy peach. The female and immature mergansers are gray-bodied and have a rufous head with a short crest. Their chest and a patch under the chin are white. From late summer to mid-autumn, males wear a nonbreeding plumage that looks very similar to female plumage. So at the moment, they all look fairly alike.

I usually see them paddling upstream and enthusiastically diving for food. They dip their heads just under the surface of the water as they swim and scan for prey. When they dive, they give a slight leap to help launch themselves underwater. When one bird dives, the others usually follow. They normally dive for less than 30 seconds, but they can stay under for up to 2 minutes! Their diet consists mostly of fish which are, of course, slippery. To help catch and hold them, they have serrated bills. Sometimes I see one surface with a fish in its bill, and if it isn’t quickly gobbled down, a chase often ensues.

They can also be seen relaxing on rocks or on a log out in the river. That said, there always seems to be one vigilantly standing guard for any predators. I also have seen them merrily floating downstream, looking around, and to all appearances, just taking it easy.

Find a spot by the river to quietly sit and listen to the water gurgling, the wind blowing through the cottonwoods, and hopefully, you will be blessed to see a flock of mergansers paddling around on the river.

Nature is an inexhaustible source of wonder. Hope to see you out there.

References
Common Merganser Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/lifehistory. Accessed 14 Sept. 2022.

Peterson, Roger Tory, et al. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America. 4th ed, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.

Messenger of Beauty

I saw a bird
quietly alight on a branch.
Sunlight filtered through
the forest canopy
gently washing over
its body of soft feathers.
It turned and tilted its head,
listening and watching.
It awakened me
out of my thoughts.
I heard the rustling
wind through the trees and
the clapping of grasshopper wings
in the meadow nearby.
I felt the warm, dry summer air
blowing against my skin.
I caught the sweet scents
of the earth wafting by
in the breeze.
Thank you little bird for
helping me tune in
to the moment and
the natural world around me.
May your visits to the arboretum
be filled with messengers
that deliver you beauty, harmony
and inspiration.
Peace.

Morning of Blue

The morning river is cool. It flows in blues and grays. It is soft and quiet. The air is gentle. It soothes my eyes and skin and my breath. I am awake, alive in its stillness. I want to wade through the dawn, mindful and respectful, a heron.

Steller's Jay & Manroot

I have been watching this wonderful vine grow throughout the arboretum this year. I have followed it from the beginning as it sprouted its first vibrant, green leaves in spring to now, as the dried, brown seed pods split open to release their seeds. At the end of this trail, I find the mysterious, radiant blue Steller’s jay collecting the seeds and carrying them off to cache them.

Manroot is a native perennial in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae). Unlike its relatives, this plant is not edible. It gets its name from its large, woody, tuberous root.

Manroot will climb trees, cover shrubs, or flow along the ground. It can form a dense blanket of vines and leaves as it grows. Its coiled tendrils reach out and grasp onto small branches, bark, and other vegetation as it weaves its way through the landscape.

The male and female flowers are separate and on the same plant. Loosely clustered male flowers emerge on a narrow stalk, and that is what you see filling the landscape in spring with soft, white stars. The female flower is short-stalked, close to the vine, and is usually solitary.

The fruit is light green with dark green veins spreading on its surface. It is covered with spines that, fortunately, are fairly soft. Inside, it is fibrous and mostly consists of huge seeds. As the manroot vine dies off for the season, the pods turn brown, split open from the bottom, and release their seeds.

I feel that plants take on another fascinating life and energy as their color, shape, and texture transform as they die. The skin of the seed pod can have a variety of decaying textures and colors. The seeds have a look and feel of small, weathered river stones. They are round and flat with a slight curve. They are pleasant to roll around in my hand and listen to them tumble against each other. The dried leaves are captivating as they hang from the vines like wrinkled capes.

Nature is an inexhaustible source of wonder. Hope to see you out there.

Reference
Pojar, Jim, and Andrew MacKinnon. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska. Revised ed, Lone Pine, 2004.

Harvesting Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are being eaten and carried off to be cached. I can hear the squirrels clamoring around through the hazelnut tree limbs as they search for nuts. When they find one, they will find a perch to eat it, which doesn’t take long. I can hear them gnawing on the shell and see bits of it falling to the ground.

Steller’s Jays are also hopping around through the hazelnut trees gathering nuts. When they will collect one to eat, they take it over to a limb big enough to perch on and to hold the nut. I love watching them hold the nut in their bill and with their feet. Every day over the past week, I have heard them in the trees pounding on the nuts trying to open them. It takes more time and effort for them to open the nuts than their squirrel neighbors.

I am not sure why these squirrels and jays are eating hazelnuts now. They haven’t fully matured. Hazelnuts are usually harvested in the fall. Maybe other food sources are scarce at the moment. Or maybe they just like the taste. Perhaps there are certain nutrients that the nuts provide at the moment that they are craving. Whatever the answer, come fall, there won’t be any left on the trees at the arboretum.

Dust Bath

A Bewick’s wren flew down onto the path in front of me. It then proceeded to flutter its wings, kicking up a small cloud of dust. It reminded me of a little windup toy. As it flitted its wings, its body vibrated forward. It would then stop, as if to wind up its motor, and then began again. Within a few minutes, it had exuberantly covered itself with dirt.

Here’s a little excerpt from the essay Bathing and Dusting in the Birder’s Handbook:

“When birds bathe in water or saturate themselves with dust they are actively maintaining their plumage. In well-watered areas bathing is most common, in arid ones dusting is more often observed. Experiments with quail show that frequent dusting helps to maintain an optimum amount of oil on the feathers. Excess plumage lipids, including preen oil, are absorbed by the dust and expelled along with dry skin and other debris. If quail are prevented from dusting, their feathers quickly become oily and matted. Dusting may also help to discourage bird lice, but no experimental evidence exists as yet showing that to be the case.

Wrens and House Sparrows frequently follow a water bath with a dust bath (one reason to suspect an antiparasite function for dusting). Overall, the amount of time and effort birds put into bathing and dusting indicates how critical feather maintenance may be. Feathers are marvelous and intricate devices, but keeping them functional requires constant care.”

Resource
Ehrlich, Paul R., et al. The Birder’s Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds: Including All Species That Regularly Breed North of Mexico. Simon & Schuster, 1988.