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Showing posts with label Bird of the week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bird of the week. Show all posts

Bird of the Week: Wild Turkey


Wild Turkey male and female talking turkey
The Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), the heaviest member of the Galliformes, is fairly common now. However due to habitat loss and over-hunting, turkeys were once on the way to extinction until conservation organizations were established to preserve and expand their populations. Today wild turkeys live across most of the U.S. and their numbers have risen to more than 7 million.
The average life expectancy for wild turkeys is one and a half years in the wild and 13 years in captivity. Besides hunters, the birds are prey to a variety of animals like raccoons, bobcats, foxes, eagles, owls and much more.

The turkey is covered by about 6,000 iridescence feathers of varying colors of red, green, copper, bronze and gold. The gobbler, or male turkey, is more colorful, while the hen is a duller color to camouflage her with her surroundings.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and eight ChicksImage via Wikipedia
Female Wild Turkey with 8 chicks
The birds don’t migrate. They can be seen grazing fields and woodlands during the day and roosting in trees at night.

According to Wikipedia there are six subspecies:
Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris)- The most common and seen by the fist pilgrims.

Osceola Wild Turkey or Florida Wild Turkey (M. g. osceola) There are about 80,000 birds in Florida named after the Seminole Chief Osceola in 1890. It is smaller and darker than our Eastern Wild Turkey.

Rio Grande Wild Turkey (M. g. intermedia) More of a prairie bird, this sub-species is native to the central plain states. First described in 1879, they have longer legs for running and the back feathers are a buff-very light tan color.

Merriam's Wild Turkey (M. g. merriami) A western bird with purple and bronze reflections that ranges through the Rocky Mountains and the prairies of Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota as well as much of the high mesa country of New Mexico. It was named in 1900 in honor of Clinton Hart Merriam, the first chief of the U.S. Biological Survey.

Gould's Wild Turkey (M. g. mexicana) They exist in small numbers in the U.S. but are abundant in Northwestern portions of Mexico. A small population has been established in southern Arizona. Gould's are the largest of the five sub-species. They have longer legs, larger feet, and longer tail feathers. The main colors of the body feathers are copper and greenish-gold. This subspecies is heavily protected owing to its skittish nature and threatened status.

South Mexican Wild Turkey (M. g. gallopavo) The nominate subspecies, and the only one that is not found in the United States or Canada. The Aztecs domesticated the southern Mexican sub-species, M. g. mexicana, giving rise to the domestic turkey. The Spaniards brought this tamed subspecies back to Europe with them in the mid-16th century and from Spain it spread to France and later Britain as a farmyard animal, usually becoming the centerpiece of a feast for the well-to-do. By 1620 it was common enough so that Pilgrim settlers of Massachusetts could bring turkeys with them from England, unknowing it had a larger close relative already occupying the forests of Massachusetts. It is one of the smallest subspecies and is best known in Spanish from its Aztec-derived name, guajolote. Thought to be critically endangered as of 2010.
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Grey bird with red beak

How do you tell the male cardinal from the female?
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Not all bird species have visible gender differences, but the Northern Cardinal is sexually dimorphic which means it is possible to determine which bird is male and female by plumage coloration.
Northern Cardinal Male and Female

Except for a black mask and throat, the male cardinals are red all over including their bill. The females are shaped like the male but are a duller grey brown color and have only warm red accents on the tips of their crest, wings and bill.

The juvenile cardinals in the spring and summer look similar to the female except for the darker crest and bill. The duller coloring is better to camouflage nesting birds.

Cardinals as well as other red feathered birds get their red plumage from pigments called carotenoids. Birds can’t synthesize carontenoid pigments but must obtain them from wild fruit seeds, weed seeds and fresh bird seed.

A good field guide like Ted Black’s Birds of Michigan provides full-color illustrations, detailed identifications, and a description of a bird’s habitat, nesting information, favorite foods, voice, and a range map.

The book also explains that the Northern Cardinal with its vivid red plumage, is a delightful year-round resident in mid-Michigan and prefers tangled shrubby bushes and evergreens in yards with feeders. They form faithful pair bonds, and will visit feeders together commonly in the early morning and evening.

Both birds sing to one another throughout the seasons with soft, bubbly whistles. So if you see the bright red male cardinal, look and listen for the "chip, chip, chip" of the less conspicuous grey female cardinal.

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Pine Siskin Reported in Mid-Michigan

Hello, I’d like to report a new bird at my feeder too. They looked like a very stripy sparrows on my goldfinch feeder. But after looking in my Birds of Michigan Book, I think they are Pine Siskins. Robert~ Diamondale, MI 

I’m so happy you’re reporting your siskin visit. You’re one of the first! It’s kind of a drab brown colored bird at first glance. But their neat brown striping and yellow wing tips make them seem dapper.

The Pine Siskin, a member of the finch family, is closely related to the Redpoll and the Goldfinches. The Siskin is an irruptive species that can be common in mid-Michigan some winters and scarce in others.

As winter approaches, Pine Siskins become considerably plumper to help them survive. Each bird can pack sufficient seeds into its expandable esophagus to support itself through five hours of rest at -4 degree Fahrenheit temperatures.

Pine Siskins eat seeds of alders, birches, spruce, and other trees. They also feed on thistle and other weed seeds, forbs, buds, insects, and spiders. They are attracted to salt licks and salt treated highways in the winter and sometimes drink sap at drill wells created by sapsuckers.

Most years, siskins do not stray too far from their breeding territories in the northern tier of the United States and across Canada into Alaska. The “mast” produced by northern conifers is usually plentiful, and siskins use the seeds as fuel to survive the coldest winters.

Mast is a noun of Anglo-Saxon origin (mæst) that refers to the accumulation of various kinds of seeds and nuts that serve as food for animals. The process by which trees produce mast is known as masting. The curious thing about masting is that it is not a continuous process, but rather is cyclic. Approximately every three to five years certain trees produce enormous quantities of seeds and in between the masts they will produce almost none.

So in years when mast production is more uniformly depressed, Pine Siskins irrupt southward looking for food.

When they do arrive, they mix in with flocks of goldfinches at Nyjer® (thistle) feeders, and brighten up a drab winter day with their loud and cheerful "zzziip" song. (The word "Siskin" is of Scandinavian origin and means "chirper".)

According to Ron Pittaway’s Winter Finch Forecast 2013 – 2014 only a very small number of siskins are expected to irrupt south into mid-Michigan. So you are very lucky! I've already put up a couple more finch feeders so there won't be overcrowding. And I know I say this a lot but wash your feeders at least once a month or bring them in for us to clean.

With all these new faces at the feeders we want them all to stay happy and healthy. Thank you for your report.
 
Related Articles:
- Birdwatching: Look for the Out-of-Towners http://bit.ly/q6Pkco
- Where do you place finch feeders? http://bit.ly/p4XHU4
- How do Birds Migrate? http://bit.ly/nNCI6d  
- Most common winter birds in Michigan http://bit.ly/ow20ZD
- What birds migrate from Michigan? http://bit.ly/qa0CVU
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Which one of these birds is not like the others?

Top: Male House Sparrow/Female House Sparrow
Bottom: Carolina Wren/ Male House Sparrow
A lot of brown birds look alike to human eyes but I encourage you to take the time to really look at the birds visiting your feeder. Like cats and dogs, different species of birds have different characters.

I was watching the feeder today when a Carolina Wren zoomed the feeder. It poked and pushed until it was the only one feeding. The sparrows and squirrels stood off to the side to wait their turn. Carolina Wrens seem to be bursting with energy and I enjoy having them in the yard.

In the summer they eat a ton of bugs and in the winter they are very entertaining to watch at the feeder. You might hear them before you see them. Their song is beautiful. Click here to listen.

The “Carolina" refers to the Carolinian Zone, an area which includes much of Eastern United States and extends south to the Carolinas. The climate of this area is also moderated by our Great Lakes, so it is able to support animal and plant species usually not found in other northern parts.

Our Carolina Wrens do not migrate but are very sensitive to cold weather. Severe winters result in a marked decline in their numbers. Having a known source of food is essential for providing wrens with the energy, stamina, and nutrition they need to survive. For this reason, it is a good idea to put out a feeder to help these birds (and other bird species as well) survive the winter.

Carolina Wrens are primarily insect eaters, but suet, peanuts, seed cylinders and mealworms are good substitutes for scarce insects during winter. They can be attracted to your feeders by providing a brush pile close to your feeding area. I have a pine tree and a bushy viburnum to give the birds cover. They feel more secure with a place to seek refuge nearby.

I also have a wren house that it can sleep in at night. A good idea to encourage Carolina wrens to stay and feed in or near your yard is to provide houses or roosting pockets near the bird feeders. Roosting pockets are little shelters, much like birdhouses (but smaller and not meant to be used as a nesting site), where the birds can roost and hide from the wind chill. The combination of roosting pockets and bird feeders during winter is one sure way to attract Carolina wrens in your area.

So take a look at all those brown birds that are visiting. With a Birds of Michigan field guide at your side, you'll learn all their names in no time!

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Evening Grosbeak decline?

According to Project FeederWatch: “The Evening Grosbeak is a yellow, black, and white finch with a bill that appears too big for its body. Its winter range typically covers the entire northern half the United States and it is found year-round in many western states and southern Canada.

Evening Grosbeaksare an irruptive species, meaning their migration is irregular, linked to the availability of food. They may be abundant in an area one year and nearly nonexistent the next. However, the long-term trend shows that these irruptions have almost ceased in many areas of the East, and declines have been documented in their core western range as well.

The reasons for the decline are unclear—are the birds dying, are they failing to reproduce, or are they simply moving elsewhere? Scientists are not sure.”

Project FeederWatch is a program to count the birds at the feeders from November through early April. The data is used to alert scientists to particular species or questions that may require more detailed follow-up studies.

Wild Birds Unlimited is also a major sponsor of the GreatBackyard Bird Count (GBBC), a joint project between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Studies Canada and the National Audubon Society. GBBC is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. I urge everyone to participate in the next GBBC in February to gather additional information.

More Fun Facts about Evening Grosbeaks
• Other birds like to eat wild cherries, but only Evening Grosbeaks target the pits. The slippery seeds are held firmly with special pads on the “gross beak” and are simply crushed. So favored are cherry pits that Evening Grosbeaks sometimes seek out the pits voided by American Robins.
• Evening Grosbeaks manipulate cherries in their beak to remove the outer skin and flesh, the remaining seed is then swallowed after it is cracked open with their beak.
• Evening Grosbeaks can break open food items that require up to 125 pounds of force to fracture apart in testing devices.
• As with many finches whose diet is primarily vegetarian, Evening Grosbeaks are attracted to natural salt and mineral sources.
• The Evening Grosbeak is an irruptive migrant that makes irregular appearances at winter feeding stations throughout much of United States.
• The Evening Grosbeak was not commonly found east of the Rocky Mountains before the 1850’s. Winter irruptions now occur in all of the 48 contiguous states. This expansion may be attributed to widespread planting of box elder trees in landscapes across the east. Its seeds persist on the tree throughout the winter and provided flocks with a reliable source of food.
• The Evening Grosbeak was named in 1825 based on erroneous accounts that they became vocal and active only “at the approach of night.” This erroneous belief persisted for years, and the name is still a misnomer.
• Evening Grosbeaks seem to delight in snipping off the twigs of Sugar Maple trees and sipping the sweet sap.
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Goldfinches overwinter in Michigan

Hello, I’ve lived my whole life in NYC where I occasionally woke to a pigeon. We just moved to East Lansing or “mid-Michigan” as my wife tells her friends, and wake up to a cacophony of bird songs in the morning. Curiosity led me to your journaling site on the internet and you have answered so many of my questions. Is it too late to put up a finch feeder?

A charm of finches chatting at the feeders is a welcome sight!

That is a good question! The American Goldfinch is one of my favorite backyard songbirds because of its butterfly like flight and delicate song.

Many people don't realize that the Goldfinches are not bright yellow all year. In fact they are the only finch in North America to go through a complete molt two times a year. In the fall the male loses his bright yellow feathers and black cap and switches to a duller olive green wardrobe with dark, blackish wings and pale wing bars.

Both male and female goldfinches have a similar duller olive green winter wardrobe. They are found year-round at Michigan bird feeders, so it is always a good time to put up a finch feeder.

I love the happy, warm, song of the goldfinches especially in the cold months. I love the huge flocks of finches that flutter down from the tops of trees as they take their turn at the feeder. I love that I can hang the feeder anywhere because squirrels and other animals don't bother with Nyjer® Thistle. And once you understand the goldfinches' needs, they are easy to please and very pleasing to watch.

Fun Facts on Goldfinches:
- Unlike many birds, goldfinches molt their body feathers twice a year, bright, attractive yellow feathers in the spring before breeding and much denser olive brown feathers after nesting in the fall.
- The color of the legs, feet and bill of the American Goldfinch change with each feather molt too. In winter plumage, their legs, feet and bill are dark grayish brown. In breeding plumage they change to a buffy yellow orange color.
- To stay warm on a cold winter’s night, American Goldfinches have been known to burrow under the snow to form a cozy sleeping cavity. They will also roost together in coniferous trees or roosting pockets.
- Goldfinches are sometimes referred to as wild canaries, but are actually in the finch family as their name suggests.
- American Goldfinches are common feeder visitors and prefer Nyjer® (thistle) and sunflower seeds.
- Due to their almost exclusive diet of seeds, the goldfinches drink frequently and will stay close to reliable sources of water.
- The genus name, Caruelis, is from the Latin word carduus, which means “thistle.”
- Residential flocks of American Goldfinches roam widely during the winter and have been recorded moving over 4 miles between multiple feeding stations in a single day.
- Female American Goldfinches are dominant over males in the summer and appear to be subservient to them in the winter. See if you call tell a difference at your feeders.

Related Articles:
- Where are my finches? 
- There are three species of Goldfinches found in North America 
- Nyjer® (thistle) isn't related to Canada Thistle
- 10 Winter Finches in Michigan 
- Is There a Way to Attract More Goldfinches to My Yard? 
- The best heated bird baths 
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White-throated Sparrow fun facts

It was so warm yesterday all the windows were open and I heard the call of a bird I only hear 2 times a year in mid-Michigan. In the spring I hear the song and know frost free days are ahead. In the fall when I hear them I know freezing days are just around the corner.

I'm now waking up to this song that sounds like a chickadee trying to sing under water. I haven't looked under the feeders yet but I'm sure I'll see the fist wave of White-throated sparrows.

They nest in upper Michigan and Canada. Fall migration begins in September, and we usually start to see them by mid-October (before the first permanent snowfall). They migrate in loose flocks, flying at night and foraging during the day. As with most species, fall migration is slower than spring migration, with longer stopovers. We can probably expect them to stay in our area for a few weeks

Some fun facts:
White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
Order: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

• Individual White-throated Sparrows have either white stripes on their head or tan stripes. These distinct color forms are genetic in origin. White-striped birds are more aggressive than tan-striped ones, and each bird almost always mates with a bird whose stripe color is opposite from their own. They all have distinct white throat feathers.
•White-throated Sparrows are known to migrate at night and begin their flights around sunset. Some research studies suggest they use star patterns as one means of navigation.
•A group of sparrows has many collective nouns, including a "crew", "flutter", "quarrel", and "ubiquity" of sparrows.
•The White-throated and White-crowned sparrows only pass through mid-Michigan as they migrate north or south in the spring and fall.
•You may hear the birds before you see them. I always think White-throated sparrows have a song that sounds like a chickadee yodeling. Birders describe their song as "poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody"

Related Articles: 
What Bird is Singing Outside My Window: How to identify birds' songs http://bit.ly/qIoqqR 
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What birds winter in Michigan? http://bit.ly/rqQgU2
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War between squirrels and jays

It’s the weekend so I put whole peanuts out in my feeder as a treat for the Blue Jays and Squirrels and I had a wonderful day! I watched a couple of my jays load up their expanding throat with at least 3 nuts at a time after they carefully weighed each one to find the heaviest. Then they hid a couple of the peanuts in the flower beds, covered them carefully with fallen leaves and went up to eat the last nut in the tree. 

Some new squirrels also tried to get their share of the nut bounty and “bury” them (tap, tap, tap…good enough) in the grass. The more experienced squirrels took a peanut, pretended to hide it, pretended to hide it again and then when they thought no one is looking, really hid it. At first I couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t decide where to hide the nut until I saw a jay following the less experienced squirrels to steal their tap, tap, tap…good enough nuts!

I’m new to bird feeding. This is my first fall bird watching and I am learning so much from your blog. Is this normal behavior? ~ Ada, Michigan
This is classic fall Blue Jay and Squirrel behavior! You’ve described the situation beautifully!

In the fall jays get the urge to gather as much food as they can find and squirrel it away before winter hits, just like the squirrels. Their favorite food to cache or hide to retrieve and eat at a later time in the wild is acorns, beechnuts and other assorted tree nuts. At the feeders jays like to take sunflower seeds, whole corn and peanuts in the shell to cache.

A single blue jay can cache as many as 5,000 acorns up to 2.5 miles from their original source and retrieve them when needed. They can do this by carrying several nuts at one time in their expanding esophagus.

The esophagus is a tube that connects the mouth and the stomach. It can also help store food for a short time through a temporary distension for certain birds like the nut eating Blue Jays, fruit eating Cedar Waxwings, fish-eating species and birds of prey.
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Sometimes perceived as a bully bird, other birds may actually like them because they can cue in to a jay's alert when you fill a feeder or their alarm calls when there is a predator nearby. Blue Jays can make a large variety of sounds. There is also a high-pitched jayer-jayer call that increases in speed that the jays use to call a band together to mob potential predators such as hawks and drive them away from the area.

Blue jays also form long-lasting, monogamous pair bonds. These bonds usually last until one of the pair dies. If you look up high in an evergreen tree you might see an old jay’s loose and untidy nests of barks, twigs, leaves, and grasses.

Both males and females care for their young and they travel and forage together as a family until early fall, when the young disperse to avoid competition for food during the winter. We have Blue Jays year-round in Michigan, although some may decide to migrate further south. To date, no one has worked out why some jays migrate and some stay year-round.

Blue jays have been recorded to live for more than 26 years in captivity and one wild jay was found to have been around over 17 years. The more common lifespan for adult jays in the wild is around 7 years.

Their name “Jay” has its origins from the Latin “gaius” meaning “gay or merry” and your observations made me think that their name is a good fit. I’m taking some peanuts home tonight for my feeder!

Thank for your quick response and all the new information. My husband came in to kitchen today after a football game to see what I was laughing about and I pointed to a jay who was burying a peanut in grass. My husband said, "Look! He's covering it with a stick!" I just rolled my eyes. I've only told him about this countless times, but the first time he sees it he acts like it was his discovery.
Watch the funny squirrel vs blue jay video: http://youtu.be/3FymLp0F1Qg

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- Do birds know winter is coming? http://goo.gl/EilIa6
- Why Blue Jays go bald in the fall http://goo.gl/gAX3x 
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Small blue-gray bird with a rusty red chest

Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Shorter days, a rustle in the air, and the sight of a little red is the sure sign of fall. The small Red-breasted Nuthatch is one of the friendliest birds that comes down from Canada to spend the winter with us in mid-Michigan.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Nuthatches are small, short-tailed birds with pointy black beaks and strong feet. They are fun to watch especially as they forage down tree trucks, often head-first from the top to the bottom, picking insects and grubs from the under the bark. We have the larger White-breasted Nuthatch year-round visiting the sunflower, suet and nut feeders. The red-breasted join them from September to May.

They have a blue-gray back, a rusty red breast and a black cap with a white stripe above the eye. They are about 4 ½ inches long and weigh less then ½ an ounce. Male and female red-breasted nuthatches look alike, except the female has a bluish black cap and paler underparts.

Red-breasted nuthatches are native throughout the nearctic region and are the only species in the nuthatch (Sittidae) family that migrates south in the fall. They make it a treat to fill the feeders on cold mornings when they perch just above your shoulder and cheer you on.

The nuthatches don’t stay long at the feeders though. They prefer to grab a seed and hide or cache their food to retrieve and eat at a later time. They hide hundreds of seeds all over their territory, in a behavior known as scatter-hoarding to keep their stash a secret from competitors and help them survive during bad weather and when food sources are low.

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- Mine! All Mine: Why Squirrels Hoard http://bit.ly/qFANnl  
- Michigan’s Top 20 Winter Backyard Birds http://bit.ly/qq5xu1 
- What birds migrate from Michigan? http://bit.ly/ngkPX3
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Owls are known for attacking in September

In autumn there are a lot of first year owls leaving their parents and moving to new territories. Many customers in the Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing store are reporting their encounters with owls. Most people are excited about these large birds when they perch in their yard. Other people have experienced silent, unexpected, swoop downs.

Experts theorize that the owls perhaps dive bomb unsuspecting early morning joggers more at this time of year because they are inexperienced in hunting, defending a new territory, because of mistaken identity or maybe the young birds are just behaving badly. Owl strikes are more common at dawn or dusk when vision is not always the best with people or with animals.

Also recent studies show suburban neighborhoods with large trees have been supporting more and more Barred Owls. Using transmitters, scientists found that populations increased faster in the suburban settings than in old growth forest. A factor of this suburban success may be easily accessible rodent prey.

The Barred Owls nest in a tree cavities usually created by woodpeckers or squirrels. They’ll also use manmade bird houses. If they’ve had a successful nesting in the past they will often reuse a nest. Barred Owls are non-migratory.

Breeding season is from December to March. After 4 weeks of incubation by the female, young owls hatch and then fledge four to five weeks later. At six weeks old the young will learn to fly. Barred owls live alone for most of the year but a family group can stay together for up to six months.

Barred Owls help keep down the rodent population. They eat mainly small animals like chipmunks, mice, voles, smaller rabbits, amphibians, reptiles, and some bugs. Most owls avoid human interaction and will fly away when you approach. A few, however, may be more curious and come in for a closer look.

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- Eastern Screech Owl http://bit.ly/wMQBZj  
- Great Horned Owl http://bit.ly/zmlFqY
- Great Gray Owl http://bit.ly/tAewYm 
- Long-eared Owl http://goo.gl/qGgbju
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Veery: small brown thrush with a speckled throat

The Veery (Catharus fuscescens) is a small North American thrush species that breeds in the cool, moist, deciduous forests and woodlands with dense undergrowth in Michigan.

Keep you eyes open for them as they migrate down south to winter in central and southern Brazil in September. The Veery is a smaller thrush with a tawny brown back, and a buff-colored belly with reddish brown spots on the throat. They can fly up to 160 miles in one night, at altitudes above 1.2 miles. They like to feed on bugs and berries they usually find on the ground.

They have a breezy, downward-spiraling, flute-like song, often given from a low and concealed perch. The most common call is a harsh, descending vee-er, which gave the bird its name. Watch the video at: http://youtu.be/cK1gaTqBRRk
 
Photo from Wikimedia Commons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catharus_fuscescens_CT.jpg 

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- Birds of Michigan Field Guide http://bit.ly/uMSTs6
- Orange and blue-black robin-like thrush http://goo.gl/KHKCMo
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Birds of prey: Hawk vs. Falcon

File:Accipiter striatus Randolphville.jpg
Sharp-shinned Hawk
What’s the difference between a hawk and a falcon?

Hawks and falcons are both birds of prey that hunt rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians and some insects.  Both are in the order Falconiformesbut hawks, eagles and kites are in the family Accipitridaewhile falcons are placed in the family Falconidae.

Both have powerful talons and beaks, which help them in killing and eating the flesh of their prey. However hawks tend to be larger than falcons. They generally perch and pounce on prey with the sharp talons on their feet. The Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks are common in most mid-Michigan yards.

File:American Kestrel on the hunt.jpg
American Kestrel
Falcons are smaller, fly at very high speeds and alter directions easily because their wings are tapered and thin. They prefer to search the ground below while flying and grab their prey with their beaks. They have a "tooth" on the side of their beak for the purpose while hawks have a simple curve on the beak. The American Kestrel is the most common falcon in Michigan and can be found near farms with open fields. 

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Black-and-white Warbler makes a visit

Black-and-white Warblers look similar to nuthatches at first glance. When I spotted him in the viburnum bush he was feeding on insects moving up, down, and along branches in every direction. On second glance I could see that this bird looked a little smaller and more delicate than a White-breasted Nuthatch.

Black-and-white warblers are one of the easiest warblers to identify. They are a little smaller than a House Sparrow at 5 inches long and they have very obvious black and white stripes like a referee’s shirt. The females and young look a little duller and have a dark gray cheek instead of black.

Keep your eyes open for them migrating through the mid-Michigan area from August through October and then again in the spring from late May to early July. They are common in mature and second-growth deciduous forests during the summer throughout the eastern United States and Canada, and they have an unusually extensive winter range that extends from Florida to Venezuela and Colombia.

Their gentle oscillating song sounds like the squeaky wheel of a car coming to a stop. So keep your eyes and ears open for new birds visiting your yard. All birds need water and a lot of birds will stop in your yard to rest if they see other birds in the area eating safely at feeders.

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Migration of turkey vultures

If you ever drive on the highways, you’ll see at one time or another, big dark birds circling high on the air thermals. They are probably Turkey Vultures, Cathartes aura.

Feeding mainly on dead animals, vultures aren’t common backyard birds. Turkey Vultures nest as far north as the southern border of Canada and as far south as Chile. Populations in Michigan and other colder areas migrate south to warmer weather in the winter.

This big brownish black bird can have a wingspan up to six feet and is recognized easily not only by its large wingspan but also by its tiny, red, bald head. Male and female turkey vultures are identical in plumage and in coloration, although the female is slightly larger. Immature birds (under one year) have black beaks and heads. As the bird matures the beak gradually turns white and the head red.
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Turkey vultures frequently circle and gain altitude on pockets of rising warm air, or thermals. They can soar for hours without flapping their wings. When they reach the top of the thermal, they glide across the sky at speeds up to 60 miles per hour and can cover many miles going from thermal to thermal without ever needing to flap.
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The Turkey Vulture soars above the ground for much of the day, searching for food with its excellent eyesight and highly developed sense of smell.
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Once only a southern US bird, by the 1960's they had extended their breeding range into Michigan. The popular theory is that the interstate highway system increased the availability of food in the form of roadkill.
 
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There’s more to a jay than any other creature


This jay at Wild Birds Unlimited East Lansing store 
 looks like he got a bad haircut 
“You may call a jay a bird. Well, so he is, in a measure, ’cause he’s got feathers on him and he don’t belong to no church perhaps, but otherwise he’s just as much a human as you and me.” ~ Mark Twain.

It seems like every fall my mom would give me a short haircut before the school year started and I would spend the rest of the year growing it out again.

Mother Nature also gives some Blue Jays a rather short hairdo in the fall. Fortunately it only takes a few weeks for them to grow their feathers back after their fall molt.

Many people cast the Blue Jay in the roll of bully bird at the feeding station. But jays can be beneficial to other bird species, by chasing away predatory birds, such as hawks and owls, or giving a jayer-jayercall if it sees other predators within its territory.

Pin-feathers popping through above the eye
I woke up this morning to a jay “laughing” like a woodpecker and then screeching like a Red-tailed Hawk. Once I filled the feeders he let every bird on the block know there was food available with a pretty yodel.

Much about their migratory behavior of Blue Jays remains a mystery. We do see jays year-round in mid-Michigan, but are they the same birds? Young jays may be more likely to migrate than adults. To date, no one has worked out why some jays migrate and some stay year-round. 

Jay all put together again & gathering nuts
According to a 1992 article in by Bill Hilton Jr called "Boisterous blue jays": Young birds may migrate south to find easier food sources while more experienced older birds overwinter close to their nesting territory. And the Cornell bird guide found that individual jays may migrate south one year, stay north the next winter, and then migrate south again the next year and think it is related more to weather conditions. 

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Chipping Sparrow Juvenile with adult male

Male Chipping Sparrow
Sometimes juvenile brown birds are hard to identify at the bird feeder. Luckily babies can be very vocal. Recently I was carrying seed out to a car at the Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing store and heard a loud, rapid see-see-see-see. I sawone bird chasing another and knew they were Chipping Sparrows.

I have been watching the little male at my window feeder over the past few weeks picking up quick bites and then zipping away. And then yesterday he brought his fledgling to my window.

"Peek-a-boo" juvenile Chipper
The baby was a little shy at first but soon forgot me and continued to harry his parent with an insistent (and loud) food begging call!

Chipping sparrows are small, neat, active sparrows with a distinctive bright copper colored cap and black eyestripes and white eyebrows. They also have an all light gray belly and the typical brown tweed sparrow back. The juvenile is sort of a light tan with black and brown tweed stripes all over.

Chipping sparrows are found throughout most of North America. In Michigan they arrive early April from the more southern states. They have one to two broods and migrate south again in September and October with other sparrow species.
Poppa Chipper finding seeds for Jr. (out of focus, sorry)

Chipping sparrows get their common name from the sharp "chip" call that they make frequently as they forage and interact with others. Their song is a single noted trill made up of rapid repetitions of a "tssip" that sounds like a sewing machine or a car with break trouble.

Chipping sparrows eat mainly grass seeds and other annual plants seeds. During the breeding season the diet also includes up to 40% of bugs. At the feeders they enjoy sunflower, safflower, millet, and peanuts.

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Gray-brown bird with black bars on the back and a black bib

Can you identify this bird visiting my backyard?  Thanks, Anne

He looks like a young Northern Flicker. Flickers are gray-brown with black bars on their back and buff-colored with black polka dots on their belly. You'll notice a red chevron or V on the back of their gray head a big black bib under the neck and when he flies you can see bright yellow under the wings and tail. The boys have a droopy black "moustache" but the girls have clean buff cheeks.

Like many woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker has a long bill, stiff tail feathers and zygodactyl feet (two toes facing forward and two backward) to allow them to climb and drill on trees easily.

Unlike most woodpeckers, this species spends most of their time foraging on the ground for bugs, especially ants. You'll also see them bathing in dust or sand to reduce moisture and oil, align feather barbs and remove external parasites. They also practice "anting". Flickers will squish captured ants and then preen themselves with the formic acid from the ants' bodies which can reduce external parasites and soothe skin irritations.

You can look for flickers in open habitats near trees, including woodlands, edges, yards, and parks. When they are in the trees they’re often perched upright on horizontal branches instead of leaning against their tails on a trunk.

Thanks for getting back to me so soon!  I'd like to share these photos - I have a lot more photos of different visitors, all of birds typical for this region. I am from Ajax ON (just east of Toronto).  I live near a marsh & enjoy many birds from the grasslands since I've started feeding.  I feed safflower seeds, shucked sunflower seeds, nyjer & songbird seed.

There is a lot of housing & road development going on in the area & I fear the birds have a shrinking habitat.  : (
Sign of our times...  Anne

Thank you for sharing. Unfortunately the Flicker populations do appear to be declining. Some contributing factors might be due to the loss of nesting sites in dead trees and competition with other cavity nesting birds like starlings.

Northern flickers nest in farm groves, orchards, woodlots, and in urban areas. Next spring you can purchase or make nest boxes to facilitate nesting in your area. Plans for a flicker house can be found at: http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/Landowners_Guide/Habitat_Mgmt/Backyard/Homes_II.htm.  

Cover the entrance hole with popsicle sticks after you've filled the house with sawdust or cedar shavings to simulate a dead tree with a soft interior that a woodpecker can excavate. The shavings will need to be placed in the box every year before April to be ready for the flicker's arrival. The house should be hung ten to twenty feet off the ground and if possible the entrance hole should face east or southeast for the most success.

 If you want to share any other photos I can post them on the Friday Photoshare.

Related Articles:
- Northern Flicker Roosts Alone in the winter http://bit.ly/zouUF6
- Northern Flicker Stops by for a Surprise Visit http://bit.ly/Aouqjf
- Fun Facts about Woodpeckers http://bit.ly/yGoOUc
- Why Flickers Flick Seeds from Feeders? http://bit.ly/Ar0Rin
- How many woodpeckers are in Michigan? http://bit.ly/x5PGT1
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