The Bird Feeding Station
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Brown Creeper: Small North American Birds
0120 days
I have two Brown Creepers in the back yard this winter. They fly down to the base of a tree and then work their way up the tree, normally in a spiral. Then they fly down to the base of another tree. They are rather nondescript looking, I have heard it said they look like a falling leaf.
Brown Creeper on tree
The Brown Creepers are small birds, with a length of about 5 1/4 in., a wing span of 7 1/2 to 8 in., and weigh from 1/4 to 3/8 oz. (7-10g). The adults are brown or light gray-brown upperparts with light spotting, and white underparts. They look like a piece of bark. They prefer mature coniferous and mixed coniferous and deciduous forest. The song is musical consisting of 4-9 high clear notes, but varies by region and individual. Call a very high-pitched seee.
Brown Creeper
The Brown Creeper ranges through most of southern Canada, the Pacific Coast of Alaska, through-out the US, and through central and southern Mexico. They are often considered a year-round resident in much of their range, but northern and high-altitude populations do migrate. They are generally abundant but habitat loss is a threat in several states in the mid-west and north-east.
Brown Creeper range map
The mating season is probably the most dramatic aspect of this birds life: the male will select a display tree and does a fast, ascending spiraling flight around the tree trunk. A female which is attracted by this activity will join him in his dizzy courtship ritual.
The Brown Creepers build a unique hammock-shaped nest behind a piece of peeling bark or in a tree trunk. They often use cocoons and spider egg cases to help anchor it. The nest is constructed from fine pieces of bark, mosses, feathers, fibers, and leaves. Breeding season normally starts in April and may last through July. There are from 3-8 eggs and incubation last approximately two week, with only one brood a year. After they hatch both parents feed the young.
They are territorial during breeding season. However in winter they often join other mixed-species flocks and are known to roost with other Brown Creepers.
Brown Creeper looking for insects
You will almost always find them perched vertically on a tree with their stiff tail feather propped against the trunk. They normally feed on small insects such as spiders and other invertebrates, moths, wasps, insect eggs, pupa, and aphids. They will also eat small quantities of seeds. They have at times eaten at my suet feeders and peanut butter feeders.
Brown Creeper at suet feeder
These small birds are a delight to watch and can often be found in urban areas in the winter. Next time you think you see a falling leaf look closer to make sure it is not a Brown Creeper.
Domestic Cats Impact on Gray Catbirds in an Urban Environment
1171 days
by Jerry
in Uncategorized
This a review of an article published in the Journal of Ornithology, earlier this year. The complete title is, Population demography of Gray Catbirds in the suburban matrix: sources, sinks and domestic cats. The study was by Anne I. Balogh, Thomas B. Ryder, and Peter P. Marra and can be found at nationalzoo.si.edu.
gray catbird
The study sought to understand the factors that impact the productivity and survival of birds in a human-dominated environment. This is one of the few studies that looked at nest success and post-fledging survival for birds breeding in a suburban area. Three sites were used in the Washington DC area. They had varying lot sizes and amount of lawns but all had large, old trees and a mix of native and non-native shrubs. Almost all of the sites contained extensive vegetation.
domestic cat hunting
Urban areas cover over 100 million acres in the lower 48 states and have increased 48% in the last 21 years. This has a tremendous impact on wildlife through land conversion, contaminants, toxins, and introduced predators. The domestic house cat has a huge impact on avian populations because they are subsidized allowing them to exist in numbers greatly exceeding any native predator.
domestic cat eating wild bird
They studied the nesting success and post-fledging survival of the Gray Catbirds in the three areas. Catbirds are found throughout urban areas and nest in open canopy areas with low dense shrubs. They feed mainly on insects and fruit, and feed mainly on the ground. They tend to run or hop when threatened and are known to confront predators.
cat eating wild bird
The study was conducted from May to September 2004. 68 nest at the three sites were observed for nesting success, for a total of 791 exposure days. The average brood size was about 3. For post-fledging study nestlings from 30 nest were fitted with radio-transmitters. They also used mist nets to catch and equip another 22 juveniles.
The study of the post-fledgings showed that 61% died before reaching independence. Predation of juveniles accounted for 79% of all mortalities, with the vast majority (70%) occurring in the first week. 47% of the known predation events were attributed to domestic cats. Domestic cats can occur at very high densities because they are not kept in check by a limited food supply, disease, competition for a place to live, and competition from other predators. Because of their high density, cat-catch can have a dramatic negative impact on wild bird populations.
cat with wild bird kill
If you can keep your cats indoors. If not have them neutered so they won’t contribute to the feral cat population and have them de-clawed to give the birds a slight chance.
Northern Flicker: North American Birds
0234 days
by Jerry
in North American Birds
I usually get the Flickers in the spring time and through nesting season and then I usually don’ see them but rarely after that. Here in North Carolina we have the Yellow-shafted Flicker.
Male Northern Flicker
The Yellow-shafted Flicker are yellow under the tail, underwings and yellow shafts on the primaries. They have a a red bar on the back of the neck, a beige face, and a grey cap. The males have a black moustache.
The Red-shafted Flicker live in western North America and are red under the tail, underwings, and have the red shafts in the primaries. They have a grey face and a beige cap. The males have a red moustache. Both have a tail that is dark on top but have a white rump that is easy to see when they are flying.
The two varieties interbreed where their ranges over lap in the Great Plains and central Canada. Both are normally 12-13 in. long, with a wingspan of 17-21 in., and weigh 4-5 oz.
Their calls are a laughing ki, ki, ki, ki, or a kew, kew, kew, kew, with each note ascending at the end. They also have a softer wicka, wicka wicka. Their flight is undulating; repeated cycle of quick flaps followed a pause. Their flight is less undulating than most woodpeckers.
Unlike most woodpeckers flickers are often found feeding on the ground. Ants make up about 45% of their diet, especially during breeding season. They often feed on ants underground, hammering at the soil and using a tongue that can extend 2-3 inches past the end of their bill to get their prey. They will also eat beetles, caterpillars, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, and other insects. They eat a wide variety of fruits, seeds, corn, acorns, oats, and wheat. They come to the suet feeders, peanut, and sunflower feeders in my back yard. They will also eat peanut butter and fruit from feeders.
Flicker enjoying suet feeder
They occur in every part of the US, including many parts of Alaska. They are also found in most of Canada and parts of Mexico and Central America. They like open woodlands, edges, yards and parks. They do migrate from the northern areas in September and October.
Range of Northern Flicker
Yellow: summer only, Blue:winter only, Green: year-round
They are cavity nesters that normally use dead trees, but will also use post and woodpecker houses. They are using more nesting boxes because people are clearing out dead trees that they normally use for nesting.
It takes about 1-2 weeks to build a nest, which is built by the male and female. Both sexes set on the nest with the male always setting at night. They have one clutch a year of 6-8 eggs. When you put up a nesting box place it 10-20 feet above the ground facing an open woods or meadow. Reinforce the entrance hole with predator guards to help protect the birds.
Pair of flickers
The numbers of the Northern Flicker have decreased significantly since the early 20th century, probably because of the overuse of pesticides to kill ants, their main food in summer. Also the cutting of dead trees, so people have a perfect yard, has greatly reduced their nesting sites. I know of people who have “planted” dead snags so the woodpeckers would return to their yard.
This a beautiful and beneficial bird to have in your yard so do what you can to help them, with nesting boxes and feeders.
Flicker ao sunflower feeder
Map from Wikipedia.
