The Eyrie

Color: Simple or Complex?

Bold…striking…varied…the colors of the visible light spectrum are well represented in avian coloration. For example,

Red—Vermilion Flycatcher

Orange—Altamira Oriole

Yellow—Hooded Warbler

Green—Green Jay

Blue—Mountain Bluebird

Indigo—Indigo Bunting

Violet—Costa’s Hummingbird’s gorget

The astounding array of bird colorations and patterns is part of what draws many people into birding. Later, as one develops more birding skills, he or she finds mottled grey and brown colors and patterns equally intriguing. 

Color is the major identification criterion used by birders and non-birders. If a non-birder were asked the names of the birds in the photographs above, he or she would probably answer correctly. Coloration can be simply observed, as in this example, but is actually much more complex than I imagined.

Several months ago, I read Geoffrey E. Hill’s book, National Geographic Bird Coloration to expand my birding knowledge and skills. The topic I found most interesting was how bird coloration is produced.    

The most common pigments are melanins and caroteniods, which produce black, brown, rufous, red, yellow, and orange. Melanin, the animal world’s universal colorant, is found in both the plumage and skin of most birds. This pigment is made in the body by amino acids. Melanin produces caps, rings on bills, and markings such as masks, bars, spots and stripes; these give the bird its characteristic appearance. If a bird is lacking melanin, those places that would normally be colored are non-pigmented, making it an albino bird. There are two classes, eumelanin, and phaeomelanin.

Eumelanin is found on both feathers and bare parts (unfeathered areas such as legs and bills).    Shades range from light gray to deep black. It is what makes Red-winged Blackbirds black and the Gray Catbird gray. Hill explains how eumelanin is like the toner in a copy machine:  the more toner, or eumelanin, that is deposited, the blacker the area.

Phaeomelanin is found on feathers and probably colors bare parts as well, but scientists have never isolated it. It is usually deposited on feathers in combination with eumelanin, imparting earth tones, such as rufous, chestnut, golden, and yellowish hues. Like eumelanin, the amount of pigment deposited on the feathers determines the intensity of the color. Together, eumelanin and phaeomelanin can produce complex feather patterns in birds such as Marbled Godwits.

Carotenoids are the second most common pigments. They produce yellow, the most common, red, and orange. There are more than twelve types of carotenoids; contrast this with melanin, with only two forms. Unlike melanin, carotenoids cannot produce elaborate patterns within feathers. Another difference between the two common pigments is that carotenoids cannot be made by the body like melanin can. Carotenoids are in the food birds consume; after digestion, these pigments are absorbed into the circulatory system and carried to the appropriate places. Some are carried unchanged, but some are chemically altered before being deposited. If a certain pigment is absent or deficient in a bird’s diet, plumage of that pigment will be drabber or even a different color.

Pigments are not the only ways feathers are colored. Structural coloration is the other way, the structure being the microscopic layers, specifically barbs and barbules, of the feather. Barb microstructure creates non-iridescent coloration, while iridescent coloration is created by the barbules. There are three types of structural coloration:  white, non-iridescent and iridescent coloration. This type of coloration is the result of how light interacts with the feather structure:  how wavelengths of light are reflected, absorbed, amplified, or interfered with.

Many birders think of white as being produced by pigments, a default “color”, but white is actually created by feather structure. Non-iridescent colors are short wavelength colors, blue, indigo, violet, and ultraviolet. These colors are non-glossy and visible in all lights and angles. For example, no matter at what angle you view a Blue Jay, it is always the same royal blue.

In birds such as Common Grackles, iridescence is produced by layers of light-transmitting substances and melanin, which reflect light in the barbules. The more layers involved, the brighter the display. Display colors, as birders know, depend on light; without the right lighting conditions and viewing angles, iridescent plumage is dark.

Coloration can also be a mixture of the two coloration methods. For example, when pigments such as yellow caroteniods are deposited on feathers with non-iridescent structural coloration, green or olive coloration is produced.

As I discovered from reading this book, coloration is not as simple as selecting a crayon from the box and depositing color in the desired location on the bird. Whether colored by pigments or microstructures, each species has its own kind of beauty. As the kaleidoscope mesmerizes with its variation of colors and patterns, bird coloration can produce the same fascination.  From the violet gorget of the Costa’s Hummingbird to the red of the Vermilion Flycatcher, the avian rainbow offers a beautiful palate for our enjoyment. Take time to carefully observe and enjoy the colors and patterns of birds and read this book for yourself. There are many more fascinating topics included that I think young birders (actually any birder) will enjoy.

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About the author: Alexandria Simpson is an avid, sixteen-year-old birder from Santa Anna, Texas. While she wishes she could say she has been birding all of her life, instead she has spent the last four years making up for lost time. She wants to become an ornithologist and someday read scientific papers without falling asleep. Her photography, illustrations, and writings have won awards at local, state, and national levels. She currently serves as one of the student blog editors for The Eyrie.

The Warblers of Veracruz: Tales and Adventures from a Mexican Young Birder

By Alberto Lobato
(translated by Jennie Duberstein) 

To me, warblers are the most colorful and easily disturbed birds out there. In Mexico there are 64 species, and in the state of Veracruz (where I live), there are 55 migratory and resident species of warblers. 

This diversity is due to factors including migration. Many of the warblers that arrive here in Veracruz come from all over North America (where you can find about 45 species). Birds from the eastern U.S. and Canada migrate along the Gulf of Mexico, while birds from the west come through the mountains. In central Veracruz, along the low elevation slopes of the mountains, it is possible to see a combination of migratory eastern and western warblers, as well as our resident species.

Now I will describe the life of a warbler observer during the fall in two different spots in the city of Xalapa, one in the cloud forest and the other in thornscrub.

The Cloud Forest

The first location I am going to write about is a park outside of Xalapa called “Santuario del Bosque de Niebla” (Cloud Forest Sanctuary), where the forest is well-conserved throughout most of the sanctuary. I generally arrive at this spot around 7am, when there is still a fine layer of cloud covering everything and it is very humid. There are many birds, such as Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, Grey-breasted Wood-Wren, and noisy White-crowned Parrots flying around. At first it seems like there are not many warblers around, so I take a trail that extends from the main road. Walking a little bit I begin to listen to some “cheeps,” and there they are, two resident species foraging next to a fallen tree trunk: a pair of Golden-browed Warblers and a small group of Golden-crowned Warblers. The Golden-browed is notable for its enormous golden eyebrow. Continuing along the trail, I find a very familiar migrant: Wilson’s Warblers are everywhere! Later another familiar friend appears, climbing around in the branches: Black-and-White Warbler is also here.

Cloud forest.

As I go deeper into the cloud forest the mosquitoes appear. Many, many  mosquitoes. But hunting the mosquitoes between the trees, there are also birds: Social Flycatchers, different species of Empidonax flycatchers, and warblers. Here are a Black-throated Green, various Wilson’s, and a Nashville Warbler. On the ground I spot a Northern Waterthrush and an Ovenbird, and this reminds me that I found my lifer Northern Waterthrush in the sanctuary this past August.

Nashville Warbler.

I finally return to the main trail and spot some movement in the trees. Amongst the more common warblers, I spy another rarer bird, probably a female Black-throated Blue Warbler, which is not common here. 

I head toward the exit of the park around 12:30pm and by this time there aren’t very many birds. But a Gartered Trogon (one of the three trogon species I have seen here) is perched quietly in the crown of a tree. I search the nearby ground carefully for the Fan-tailed Warblers that you can sometimes see here, but without luck. Maybe next time!

Thorn Forest: Parque Natura

Parque Natura is a reserve in the extreme east of Xalapa. It has remnants of cloud forst, coffee plantations, and the start of thornscrub habitat. It is also one of my favorite places to go birding. I’ve spotted 117 bird species here, and there are many others that I have yet to spot myself, although other birders have seen them.

Parque Natura, Xalapa, Veracruz.

This park has various entrances, but I generally enter by the main one and walk the length of the park to the exit on the other side. I almost always arrive at 7 or 7:30am and spend some time up in the observation tower at the park entrance, where you can see large flocks of White-fronted Parrots and ocassionally a view of the resident Short-tailed Hawk, perched in the crown of a tree. On this day, in other trees nearby the tower there are some migratory warblers, a pair of Wilson’s Warblers, and a Black-throated Green Warber, as well as the gnatchatchers that are always present during this time of year.

Black-throated Green Warbler.

When I climb down from the tower, I find more warblers: on the ground and in the shrubs I can spot Rufous-capped Warblers looking for food. This resident species is very noisy. Walking along the trail, I arrive to an open, shrubby zone. This is the spot where I almost always find the endemic Hooded Yellowthroat, although today I don’t see anything. Instead I focus on a nearby dead tree, where a Roadside Hawk is perched. This is the problem—as long as the hawk is there, no birds are going to come out. I decide to wait for a few minutes, in hopes that the hawk will leave, and suddenly a flock of Brown Jays appears and begins to mob the hawk, who flies off, pursecuted by the jays. As this happens, I begin to hear agitated calls in the shrubs, and there is a male Hooded Yellowthroat among the branches. Closer to the forest is a male Common Yellowthroat which arrives for the Veracruz winter.

Hooded Yellowthroat.

After walking a bit, I enter the forest again, but this part is special for me. It is a place called “el pasillo de los chipes” (the warbler corridor). During the fall, you can spot 18 species of warblers just by walking about five meters. Magnolia, Worm-eating, Golden-crowned, Orange-crowned, Nashville, MacGillivray’s, and Hooded warblers, Ovenbird, Tropical and Northern parulas, and Common Yellowthroat are all here, along with others. And at the start of the fall migration, I spotted a beautiful pair of Prothonatory Warblers.

Golden-crowned Warbler.

Common Yellowthroat.

As I continue to walk, the trail divides. I normally take the trail that leades to a small lagoon and picnic area that then leads to the park exit. Following this trail, I can see the first migratory warblers of the season. This year a Black-and-white Warbler that I spotted in July led the migration. Canada and Yellow warblers quickly followed, and later other species began to appear, as well as flycatchers and buntings. In the lagoon you can find Pie-billed Grebe, but one of my most interesting sightings was in the trees next to the lagoon: one April I spotted a Blackpoll Warbler there, a very unusual sighting for thie area, as the species generally migrates along the Caribbean Sea.

The birding on the road from the lagoon to the park exit can a bit slow. There aren’t many birds because there are many people, but you can still spot an Osprey hunting over the water. But this doesn’t bother me, because I, for my part, am very satisfied with the warblers that I’ve seen.

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About the author: Alberto Lobato is a 16-year-old birder who was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. He has been birding since he was 5 years old and is an active member of the Xalapa Birding Club (Club de Observadores de Aves de Xalapa, or COAX). He has traveled with COAX to various parts of Mexico. In addition to birding, he is a musician, with an interest in traditional music. Alberto’s favorite bird is the Bearded Wood-Partridge.

2012 Ohio Young Birders Conference

by Ethan Rising

The Ohio Young Birders Conference is an event I look forward to every year. This year’s conference, held at the Aullwood Audubon Center in Dayton Ohio, was my third conference.

The dates for the conference worked out really well for me. I had the Friday before the conference off from school, so my family and I headed for Dayton a day early to help set up. I think the best part of set up was “having” to scout out the bird walk for the next morning. On this walk we saw several woodpecker species including Pileated, Red-bellied, and Downy woodpeckers. We also saw a Northern Flicker and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The conference was at a great facility that has a working farm. It was hilarious when we walked by the turkeys. They ran up to us, expecting dinner. I had never had the experience of seeing more than 50 turkeys running TOWARD me at such close range. They have a pretty goofy looking run! Mom bought some farm fresh eggs while we were there. If you’ve ever wondered if there is a difference between eggs at the store and fresh eggs straight from the farm- there is!

That night we enjoyed getting to know other conference volunteers at dinner, like the Parry family and Darlene Cole. I sat near Paula Lozano, Bob Finkelstein, and Kate Zimmerman, our new Ohio Young Birders Club (OYBC) coordinator. Paula started things off very formally by blowing a straw wrapper at me!! From that moment on she was my new best friend! I had a great time talking about birds and lots of other topics with her. Later that evening Kim Kaufman introduced me to Rob Ripma. Rob recognized my name because I’m completely addicted to the bird ID quizzes he posts at his website www.nuttybirder.com, and I almost always submit my guesses. It was really fantastic to meet the man behind the curtain!

The next morning we arrived early, got registered, and went on the “real” bird walk with Kenn Kaufmann. This time we saw Brown Creepers, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Winter Wren, more Pileateds, including 3 at one time, and some Cedar Waxwing, which we checked carefully in hopes of sighting a Bohemian Waxwing. No such luck, but it was interesting to learn about their appearances in our region this year. My friend from Cincinnati, Jack McSwiggin, stayed behind to enjoy the banding station run by the Mark and Julie Shieldcastle. There was also a great service project all prepped and ready to go. We were able to build Prothonotary Warbler boxes right there on site. I believe as a group we made 40 boxes. I LOVE Prothonotary Warblers, and I was glad to have a practical way to help them. Inside, my brother Josh was fascinated by the American Kestrel and the Great Horned Owl that Raptor, Inc. brought. Raptor, Inc. does great work in the Cincinnati area rescuing and rehabilitating raptors from around the region, and educating audiences of all kinds.

The speakers were great. It was really exciting to learn about the great experiences that young birders are having at places like Hog Island! I think the most important take away for me was learning how young birders are finding ways to make real contributions in the areas of research and conservation. It was empowering. I was especially impressed with Benjamin Van Doren’s presentation about his research on night migration. There was so much new information about how research is being done and what new information is being gained from it!

It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t mention the lunch. I mean, after all I AM a 5th grade boy! The food was great. Oh, and the conference always has amazing raffle prizes. There were two binoculars that were raffled off, donated by Celestron and Time and Optics, some very cool bird feeders and bird houses, amazing artwork, and too much more to list. I think the only possible way to top that next year is if someone donated a spot at one of those amazing summer camps! OK, yes, that’s a shameless hint. THAT WOULD BE REALLY COOL!

Of course, for me the best moment of the conference for me was getting to help Kenn Kaufman with the bird ID quiz answers. It was a good thing I was talking about my passion—BIRDS—because it was a first for me to talk to that many people about ANYTHING!

It was great to be a part of a chapter of OYBC and sit at a table with other southwest Ohio birders this year. Brian Herriott and Bill Creasey, with some help from Lester Peyton, have begun a southwest Ohio chapter, which meets at the Cincinnati Nature Center. If you know a young birder in the southwest Ohio area, definitely tell them about the new chapter! And speaking of southwest Ohio, I want to mention two of my favorite people, Drs. Dave and Jill Russell. They were doing a banding demonstration nearby that day and came to check out the conference. I want to say a huge thank you to them. They were just stopping in for a quick visit, but ended up staying through to see me give my bird ID presentation. That’s just the kind of people they are. Dr. Dave and Dr. Jill, that meant a lot to me. Thanks for the way you encourage an support me and other young birders every chance you get.

My conference blog would not be complete without also mentioning how Kim Kaufman manages to make everyone feel welcomed and important. If you haven’t had a chance to experience what I’m talking about, just attend the 2013 OYBC conference and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

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About the author: Ethan began birding at the ripe old age of 4. He was initially interested in bald eagles. He was fortunate enough to have a preschool teacher who loved birds, and she nurtured his interest. It wasn't long before he was a fan of all raptors. He went on his first birding trip when he was five, when his grandfather hitched up the pop up trailer and took him to Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania. Ethan's interest was once again encouraged in first grade. His teacher insisted he head back to Pennsylvania, this time to Powdermill Avian Research Center where her son, Dr. Andrew Vitz, was the ornithologist in charge of bird banding. Seeing and releasing birds up close catalyzed what has been an unquenchable passion for ALL birds in Ethan. Andrew Vitz encouraged him to find local birding opportunities, and soon he found Kathy McDonald and Drs Dave and Jill Russell, whose enthusiasm and knowledge have continued to encourage and grow Ethan as a birder. Bill McGill, Lester Payton, and more recently Bill Creasey and Brian Herriott have served as important mentors for him. When Ethan was eight he attended his first Ohio Young Birders Conference. This is his third conference!

Ethan is the youngest member of Raptor, Inc., is a proud founding member of the new Ohio Young Birding Club Southwest Chapter in Cincinnati, and is also an enthusiastic member of the Miami Valley Christian Academy's young birder's club. He is a fifth grader at the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has 265 life birds, and the first thing he does when he gets home from school is to scan the Cincinnati Birds sightings log to see what new birds have flown in. Ethan wants to get his banding license as soon as he turns 18, and study birds at Cornell University.

Young Birder Blog Birding #11

Compiled by John Shamgochian

Ahh, November: a nice, woody sounding month. But in addition to the name, there is good cause to love November. First of all, my birthday is in November (and everybody loves my birthday!) But when it comes to birding, November can hold its own against the bird watching giants May and August. This November has once again proven itself a "birder's month". While the flocks of grosbeaks and siskins are finding their way to the nation's feeders, down from on high rain the calls of the crossbills, which have swept the birding community away with their shear, taxonomically-confusing numbers. Birding is at its peak.

But November brings more then just finches. Indeed, a huge variety of rarities, vagrants, and even megas have appeared this year, far from their native lands. But to hear, or should I say read, me prattle on is not why you browse these "blog birdings," so without further ado I present to you some highlights from this month's young birder community blogging (and a fine community it is, too!)

I'll shall start the list of posts with perhaps my favorite of this months writings: an essay which will blow you away with its simplicity and the obvious ease of the author when writing it. From the deepest corners of Not Just Birds, Neil Gilbert gives us this story:

Isawasnipetoday.

From the the wilds of Virginia, Corey Husic writes about birding in the wake of Super Storm Sandy on The Baypoll Blog.

As anyone in the United States should know, a large storm hit the mid-Atlantic two weeks ago, bringing strong winds and rain to much of the eastern United States. This powerful storm brought hundreds of seabirds inland, causing jaegers to show up on inland lakes and storm-petrels to be found flying around major rivers. Birders all over the region flocked to locations where they could observe this unusual avian spectacle.

Ethan Kistler, the Nomadic Birder,tells the story of the Taughannock Loon Watch and more.

Bill Evans, creator of Old Bird (a nonprofit which facilitates acoustic monitoring of avian flight calls), discovered back in 1992 that Common Loons had a significant southbound migration route over Cayuga Lake. For those geographically challenged, Cayuga Lake is the longest of the glacial Finger Lakes in central New York, stretching 40 miles north of Ithaca. In the fall, Common Loons congregate on Lake Ontario and when winds are favorable from the NW, they head south following Cayuga Lake and eventually over land towards the Atlantic coast.

From Chicago come the writings of Nathan Goldberg on his blog, Birding Illinois and the USA. He smartly describes a day of birding the lakefront and the highlights it holds.

This past weekend, I birded with Ethan, Aaron, and Eric Gyllenhaal of Oak Park (near Chicago). They are crazy young birders who seem to traverse the state for every bird they want/need to see. This past Saturday, the winds looked very promising for lakewatching at Gillson Park, in Wilmette. This is the premier spot to lakewatch in Illinois, as it seems to be the spot that birds pass closest to when flying out over the lake. We were hoping for something rare or uncommon like a Black-legged Kittiwake, a Jaeger of any species, or something better. We did not see any of those, but it was a good day for Scoters since we had 17 of them.

Kristina Polk from Wild@Heart gives a call for peace in a beautifully written discussion. It comes complete with great photos and quotes from some of our world's greatest speakers. Although this post in no way focuses on birds, it is written by a young birder and is well worth reading.

Our job, our mission, our place, should be peace. A message of respect, love, kindness, and empowerment should come from our hearts and spread to everyone we encounter. We should not discriminate, hate, or ridicule. At our very worst we should be at least attentive. Aware. Paying attention to the drumming of life around and within us, and determined to preserve its current beauty and inspire a grander future.

Finally, the Prairie Birder talks technology and the impact it has on our daily (birding) lives. This is a post I would have found very useful when I was starting out.

As a pretty typical 15-year-old, I like technology! I love my laptop and iPod. And best of all, they can be used very well with some other things I love, birds and birding. I didn’t get hooked on birding because of the technology, but as I’ve become more involved with social media, I am finding various technologies to be a very useful tool.

Owling in the Huachucas

by Sarah Toner

The sun beat down on the exposed rocks of the wash, and also on the young birders of 2012 Camp Chiricahua. Even though we were at 5,800 feet in the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, the sun was still quite intense. The burned trees around us, remnants of the Beatty’s famous apple orchard, provided little shade. Mr. Beatty approached our group and we chatted about recent sightings. He mentioned the Spotted Owl family residing in a lightly-burned area.

“Where’s that?” one our leaders, Michael O’Brien, asked.

“Not very far. You go up to the gate and follow the trail for a couple hundred yards until you see pink flagging. Turn left and follow the slope down. Cross the stream and head up the slope until you see another pink flag. Stand at the post and they’ll be in the immediate vicinity. I saw them there yesterday.”

Although explicit, these directions still left us a bit bewildered. Nevertheless, after a few minutes of circuitous confusion, we found the back fence and the elusive gate.

Spotted Owls, of course, are a famous endangered species, but most people know about the Northern Spotted Owl, the subspecies in the Pacific Northwest. The Mexican subspecies, which reaches from Arizona south through the Sierra Madre mountains, was one of the special Arizona birds that we had hoped to find during camp, so we were excited to have a family group in the area that would increase our chances.

Excited, we hurried along. While hiking up the rocky, steep trail, we paused to enjoy Arizona Sister butterflies that drifted past, unbothered by the harsh sun. When we turned off of the trail, the blackened, bare soil crumbled beneath our feet, making progress down the slope difficult. Soon, however, we reached the creek that we had to cross.

Some campers carefully stepped across on the wet rocks, but I was wearing sandals and didn’t want to risk slipping and breaking my camera. Instead, I unbuckled my sandals, stripped off my socks and stuffed them in my pocket, put my sandals back on, and waded in. The water was refreshingly cool, a lovely feeling on the hot day. I dawdled in the stream for a bit before following the group toward the flagging.

The slope was quite steep and as dirt tumbled into my sandals and stuck to my wet feet, I placed my feet carefully to avoid slipping. I finally made it up the slope to the back of the group and found that everyone had stopped. Glancing to my left, I saw the pink flagging on the stake, and I was just about to ask why we weren’t continuing on when I looked straight ahead and saw the owl.

I was breathless. We were less than thirty feet from a juvenile Mexican Spotted Owl, peering at us and bobbing its head. He still had tawny fluff on his head and body, but some of his brownish feathers had come in. He blinked at us curiously, unperturbed by our presence. Hesitantly, I lifted my camera and took a few pictures. As the owl continued to stare at us, I started on a field sketch. We were enjoying the experience.

For a while, I lost all sense of time, but I realized that it had been about ten minutes when the owl seemed to be getting a little annoyed. Understanding that our presence was no longer welcome, we turned and stumbled back down the slope, more dirt getting stuck in my sandals along the way.

Back at the creek, we relaxed and splashed around. I cleaned off my dirty feet and we doused our sweaty heads. As we rested on the rocks, we noticed the many butterflies that were feeding on the rocks by the creek. One particular Golden-banded Skipper was obliging enough to land on Louise and a few campers. It was quite peaceful in the clear, cool stream, with the smooth rocks massaging my feet as I waded. It was a nice way to finish off the sighting. The hummingbirds were sparse at the Beatty’s feeders, but the thrill of the owl made the day.

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About the author: Sarah Toner, 14, has been birding since she was 8. She lives in southeast Michigan but wants to move to beautiful Whitefish Point, Michigan. She doesn't have one favorite bird, but likes drab, brown northern birds such as Clay-colored Sparrow, Boreal Chickadee, and Rough-legged Hawk. She was a member of the 2011 ABA Tropicbirds team in Texas and attended the 2011 Camp Colorado. Sarah also received first place in the 10-13 year-old writing division and third place in the illustration division of the 2010 ABA Young Birder of the Year contest.

My New Experiences in Birding

By Philip Stollsteimer

I have always loved nature, but birding started off as a simple spark of interest by watching the movie The Big Year with my mom and my aunt. I thought it would be fun to do a “big spring break” but at the time it was just about getting numbers on my life list. It wasn’t until I saw my lifer Common Loon, sitting out on the Churchville Reservoir preening, that I realized that birding was more than just writing down numbers.

The author holding a Saw-whet Owl at a banding station in Pennsylvania.

Along with birding come many great experiences, seeing things, and going places. Because of birding I have made new friends, slept in a lodge overnight, and even held my lifer Saw-whet Owl. I have seen some remarkable things like an American Kestrel fly through the sky like a bullet and grab a Savannah Sparrow taking off from the grasses. Four feet off the trail at Churchville Nature Center and two feet above my head, I saw an Eastern Screech-Owl. I have had warblers of all kinds flitting around and calling on branches at eye-level all around me. I have had the opportunity to go to many cool places like Delaware for the ABA/Leica Mid-Atlantic Young Birders Conference; Brigantine, New Jersey for a Churchville Nature Center trip; and Rushton Farms for Northern Saw-whet Owl banding with the PA Young Birders Club. Birding has changed my life and I would say in a very positive way. 

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About the author: Philip Stollsteimer is a 12-year-old from Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He is a 7th grader in the Council Rock School District. While Tyler State Park is close to home, he really loves to bird at Churchville Nature Center and join their Saturday morning bird walks.

Memories of the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference

By Mike Hudson

Do you ever have that moment where you just think “this really can’t be happening”? On Friday, September 21, 2012 I was having that moment: again and again and again. Every time I pulled out my phone to look at the time I thought that there was no way the school bell hadn’t rung yet and then, when it did, I started to think that there was no way that it was really time to set out on the hour and a half long trip to Hockessin, Delaware. Even when my Mom pulled into the parking lot of Ashland Nature Center after a drive that seemed like it would never end, I was still in disbelief. Once we arrived though, the reality of what was happening struck me like a rush of icy water. That night we were just roasting marshmallows and chatting, but the next day, the first ABA Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference would begin.

The author (right) with Young Birder of the Year Marie McGee (center) and another YBC participant
(Photo by George Armistead).

I decided to get an early start to the day the next morning; I didn’t want to miss a single thing. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea, and we left the lodge and started birding before the sun had finished rising. From then on, the day went by faster than any other I can remember. One minute I was watching Philadelphia Vireos on a walk with Bill Thompson III and then I was listening to ABA Young Birder of the Year Marie McGee’s astute and sound keynote on the effectiveness of field notebooks and how her own helped her become the YBY. Then I was the one everyone was looking at for an inspiring presentation. Before I knew it the day was over and I had to go back to my usual routine.

YBC participants in the field (Photo by George Armistead).

The birding was good—not incredible, but good. The amazing thing is that no one really seemed to care that they weren’t overwhelmed with birds. One reason for this was certainly the sheer number of guides and presenters that were there to provide them with an excellent experience. At the beginning of the conference, Bill Stewart, the organizer of the Conference, said that the workshop leaders had been told they had fifteen minutes “to change these kids’ lives.” I took that to heart, and from the workshops I attended, it seems like all of the other presenters did too. There was not a person there who wasn’t bursting with energy and passion, ready to leave an impression on the young people who had come out to enjoy being a youth birder.

Photo by George Armistead.

The Conference’s biggest success though, was getting so many of the kids from all over the eastern US together. So many young birders there, including myself, were just thrilled to have the chance to bird with other people their own age. I think that some adult birders, especially if they didn’t start birding until they were older, take for granted that they have peers they can bird with on a fairly regular basis. Many young birders get that opportunity far less often and I, for one, latch onto it every chance I get. Yes, the Conference brought together a brilliant team of presenters to try and impact youth, but it also brought the youth together to impact each other. New and experienced young birders turned out. People who were into photography and science and simple enjoyment of birds gathered, and that was the Conference’s strongest point. All of the kids that attended went home with a new appreciation for birds and new insights from the presenters and from their peers—people they might never have met without the Young Birder’s Conference. For my part, I was honored and humbled to be in attendance, and I hope that I’ll see all of you next year.

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About the author: Mike Hudson is a sixteen year-old birder from Baltimore, Maryland. Mike first got into birding when his grandfather began to draw birds with him. Since then, he has continued to nurture his love of birds and nature by volunteering at the Maryland Zoo and area nature centers. He is also involved in shorebird research and conservation. Mike was one of the presenters at the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference and attended the ABA’s 2012 Camp Colorado.

Young Birder Blog Birding #10

Compiled by Sarah Toner

October is the beginning of the rarity season, and while I’ve been missing out on all of the sandy Sandy-driven birds, I can’t complain after my lifer Sabine’s Gull two weeks ago (although that Dovekie report in Berrien, Michigan, is making me envious). From a migratory viewpoint, October also signals the transition from diversity to numbers: the last dregs of warblers come through at the beginning of the month, while large numbers of common late-migrants such as Hermit Thrushes and Yellow-rumped Warblers start.

At Birding Bros. Blog, Robert sees the change:

Winter is coming. I first noticed when I got out of my car in the Mason Farm parking lot. The air was cool and crisp, with a clear blue sky overhead. A flock of Cedar Waxwings flew in the trees above the creek, and my first White-throated Sparrows of the season chipped away in the brambles. The whole place was surprisingly birdy, perhaps because everything was trying to fatten up before it got really cold. While the winter birds began trickling in, the migrants were trickling out. At first we couldn’t find any real migrants, and instead contented ourselves with a lagging flock of Palm Warblers that flitted through a field of Queen Anne’s lace, picking at chaff and working its way along the tree line.

This season has also been great for mega-rarities. Nathan G., of Birding Illinois and the USA, helped kick it off by finding a mega in Chicago:

Our group made it down to the beach and began walking towards the large Cottonwoods, walking towards the lakeshore. As we got up near the top of the hill, Josh turned to his right, saw a bird in flight, and called out, "OWL!" I frantically scanned to see where he was looking and saw a smaller owl that appeared to be a small Short-eared Owl. I only was able to see it for about 2-3 seconds before it landed on the ground. Josh and I exchanged glances, and he stated, "I think that was a Burrowing Owl." That sure got the adrenaline pumping...

John Shamgochian, from John's Birding Blog, finds a more local rarity, a flock of ABA Birds of the Year:

Minute Number Three runs its course in a startling 60 seconds. In this time I watch the grosbeak flutter about in a Sugar Maple where it’s distinguished plumage sets off a seeming blast of flames; its colors blending with the red and yellow of the maple's last few brilliant leaves. I can almost hear the crackle of the fire.

The big news in rarities and birding at the moment is Hurricane/Superstorm/Frankenstorm/Perfect Storm/Post-Tropical Depression Sandy.

Alex Burdo at Flight of the Scrub-Jay has pre-Sandy birds and musings:

My first stop was my grandfather’s house along Pine Creek Beach. The waters offshore were relatively calm, and (at that time) the wind remained rather subdued. Birds of note included 7 Common Loon (including three birds right in front of the house) and a flyby Red-throated Loon heading east....It’s certainly strange to walk through scenes like these and wonder what the status of things is going to be like 48 hours from now, pondering what shape the beaches and homes will be in, or whether or not the actual large-scale geography of Fairfield will have been permanently altered.

Courtesy of Sandy, in Ontario, David Bell of Birding In Sault Ste. Marie shares a crazy day of rarities and birding:

Yesterday though, I decided to try my luck with this hurricane - and my first taste of hurricane birding was a pretty big success! If you haven't checked out the list I posted yesterday I'd recommend it (but be prepared to be a little jealous...). 5 Black-legged Kittiwakes out of our total of 88 (includes 2 ADULTS, and which may be an undercount) - a new high count for Hamilton (and maybe Ontario???) - before this date I had seen 3 (juveniles) in my entire life! (2 in November, 2008 and 1 in January, 2012) LEACH'S STORM-PETREL - to put this in perspective a bit, there are 2 previous records for Southern Ontario - one in 1939 and one in 1955 - both specimens - There is also one record for Northern Ontario back in 1981 - crazy bird!!!!!

More rarities are to be expected as November arrives. By the time the next Blog Birding comes, winter will be here, and with it, more birds! Good birding!

Birding in Central Veracruz: Tales and Adventures from a Mexican Young Birder

By Alberto Lobato
translated by Jennie Duberstein

When you hear Veracruz mentioned, you may imagine a tropical forest, perhaps large lagoons, and of course, the raptor migration. Nevertheless, central Veracruz, where I live, has other things, including pine forest, cloud forest, tropical forest, and mangroves.

And with all of this habitat, of course we have many, many birds.

In my city, Xalapa (pronounced Huh-LAH-puh), I can see a Barred Antshrike in one place, move 5 or 6 kilometers, and find a Chipping Sparrow! For me, the cloud forest is the best of all. It is impressive to arrive at 6am, when the air is full of humidity, and listen. You will start by hearing the sounds of frogs and crickets, followed by the strong call of the Bearded Wood-Partridge, breaking the silence. You may hear the Brown-backed Solitaire with its metallic song, and if you walk along the moss-filled trails, you can hear the shouting overhead calls of the White-crowned Parrot, locally known as “Loros Viejitos.” Afterwards, as you keep walking, look between the trees to see if you can spot the Gray-barred Wren (in the higher elevations), White-winged Tanager, or different woodcreepers and flycatchers.

Bearded Wood-Partridge. Photo by the author.

In winter, when the migratory warblers show up, they mix with the resident species. You might see Golden-browed and Wilson’s warblers foraging together in the same flock, while you search for the very elusive Dwarf Jay.

Cloud Forest In Misantla Veracruz. Photo by the author.

But this is only in the cloud forest. The pine forests leave you with the smell of pine “floating over your nose” for several days! For strange reasons, I have never been able to bird well in those forests. The weather always seems to go bad when I want to go. But in the few times I have had the chance to bird there, it always has the feeling of pine, from the flocks of Bushtits and Mexican Chickadees, to the distant call of the Steller’s Jays, to the Red Crossbill flying, to the Hutton’s Vireos, to the Olive and Red warblers.

Pine Forest in Perote Veracruz: Photo by the author.

Striped Sparrow, endemic to northwest and central Mexico. Photo by the author.

To wrap up this post, I will tell you about the tropical forest and the coast: scene of the biggest migration in the world, and not only raptors. Of course, millions of raptors pass through this region during their north-south migration. Over 25 species, numbering between 4 and 6 million individuals, make the journey each year. But did you know that thousands of Eastern Kingbirds and butterflies also come through, passing from Xalapa to La Mancha?

La Mancha, Veracruz. Photo by the author.

Veracruz has tropical forests and mangroves, and between these many kilometers of habitat you can find interesting species such as Mexican Sheartail, Black-headed Trogon, Audubon’s Oriole, Canivet’s Emerald, White-bellied Wren, Black-crowned Tityra, and much more. During the raptor migration, in September and October (right about this time of year), while the lines of raptors stream by heading south and the birders watch, in the coastal mangroves flies the Crane Hawk.

Black-necked Stilts. Photo by the author.

In the dry forest, during the night you can hear the call of the Short-eared Owl. In the shrublands you can find Botteri’s Sparrow, and in the lagoons the first migratory waterfowl begin to arrive.

This is just a little bit of what we have here.

Of course I have not mentioned many of our migratory and resident birds that I have seen with my binoculars—birders can find approximately 680 species of birds in Veracruz throughout the year. Perhaps I will write about some of them in a future post! Good Birding!

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About the author: Alberto Lobato is a 16-year-old birder who was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. He has been birding since he was 5 years old and is an active member of the Xalapa Birding Club (Club de Observadores de Aves de Xalapa, or COAX). He has traveled with COAX to various parts of Mexico. In addition to birding, he is a musician, with an interest in traditional music. Alberto’s favorite bird is the Bearded Wood-Partridge.

Striped Sparrow, Mexican endemic: Photo by the author

The Fascinating Fecal Sac

by John Shamgochian
 

The fecal sac: such a simple object. It's a bag of mucous membrane for the waste of young birds. It's a helping hand in the challenging duty of keeping a nest clean of parasites. Just like responsible dog owners bag up their pet's waste, so do the birds. But for birds, their young's droppings come self-wrapped, a futuristic diaper, if you will.

I first discovered the droppings on May 4 as I sat on our back porch, escaping the chaos of our evening household. As I bathed in the evening tranquility, a House Sparrow fluttered down from the nesting cavity in our roof. In her beak she carried a white object, which she placed with care onto the branch of one of our two young apple trees. She sat there for a moment before bending down and carefully wiping her bill against the tree's smooth-barked branch. She flew back to her nest and was back a few minutes later with another of the objects which, like the time before, she similarly deposited onto the branch. It was only then  that I realized what these things were: fecal sacs. As I had this revelation, I noticed how many of them there were. These bags of waste lined our tree's branches and our fence; although I have a slight tendency to over exaggerate, I must admit that the number of white blobs was quite impressive. 

Female House Sparrow with fecal sac. Photo by the author.

After the bird left, I moved in for a closer look. I was surprised to see that the sacs were more complex than I had expected. Each silky, white blob had a small, dark handle from which (I presume) the parent bird held the dropping. The next day, while I was taking a good long squint at the sacs, I was surprised to see a male sparrow land on our fence with what appeared to be a sac clutched in his beak. Up to that point I had only seen a female with the fecal sacs, with no sign of her mate. The bird sat there for a moment before carelessly letting the bag fall to the ground. It chose not to clean its bill as the female had but instead flew straight back to its nest hole in our roof, demonstrating the surprisingly opposite cleaning attitudes played out by human males and females. 

Fecal sac, with finger for scale. Photo by the author.

Later I googled fecal sacs and found an article on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_sac). I was amazed by how many curious behaviors revolve around that white bag of ordure. Apparently the females of most species do remove the sacs more frequently than their mates, which would explain the obvious inexperience of the sloppy male sparrow I had seen. Apparently young birds release their droppings seconds after eating; if they do not, the parents may commence to peck their cloacas to stimulate release. Some species will indicate if they're about to go. The Cactus Wren shakes its body. The Curve-billled Thrasher points its back end skywards to prepare the parents for the release of a white, slightly damp bag of feces, neatly packaged and ready for immediate transportation, via beak, to be politely dumped.
Oh, yes, and I forgot to mention that some hungrier parents will devour their young's feces with unusually disgusting gusto!

After a few hours the outer surface of the sacs seemed to dissolve and the young bird's waste sat there, unidentifiable from the droppings of their parents.

The life of the fecal sac: short but fascinating.

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About the author: John Shamgochian, 13, is from East Providence, Rhode Island. His  favorite birding spots include: "The Meadows" in Cape May, Plum Island in Ipswich Massachusetts, Monomoy in Chatham, Massachusetts , and Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island. John is one of The Eyrie's Student Blog Editors. Check out more of his writing on his blog: http://johnsbirdingblog.blogspot.com/.