Archive | January 2025

IT IS ALMOST TIME FOR THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

Jan30

      Once the new year arrives, birders begin to turn their thoughts to the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). This event gives people of all ages and ability to identify birds the opportunity to become citizen scientists without having leaving their homes. The 2025 GBBC will take place February 14-17.

       This huge event provides ornithologists with a snapshot of bird populations throughout the entire world.  Last year 642,003 folks living in 210 countries contributed to the huge survey.  Their efforts resulted in the identification of 7,920 bird species. The most checklists were submitted by Americans (212,673).  Georgians turned in 4,786 checklists.  More checklists (448) were turned in from Chatham County than any other county in the state.

       I hope you will take part in the 2025 GBBC.  It requires that you spend a minimum of 15 minutes of your time to complete a count.  During this brief time frame, you simply record the number of different birds you see and hear within a survey area of your choice.  It can be your backyard, a city park, wildlife management area, neighborhood, or anywhere else you choose.  This can be done only once, or each day during the four days of the count.  You only report the birds you can identify.  The Merlin bird identification app can be a great help in developing your list.

       The final step in the process is to submit your data online. It is as easy as that.  Then sit back and watch the map of the world fill up with lights indicating where counts have been conducted.

       For more information regarding the count, visit the Great Backyard Bird Count website (wwwbirdcount.org).

       I sincerely hope that you and your family will take part in the event.  The GBBC furthers our understanding of bird populations throughout the world, is fun and to top it all off it is free.

 

CAROLINA WRENS AND PEANUTS

Jan26

       The Carolina wren is one of our favorite birds.  It is a true bird of the South and ranges throughout the entire state.  For years, however, it has been expanding its range northward into the Midwest, to just south of Ontario, Canada and into New England. Since 90+percentage of its diet is insects and other invertebrates, finding enough to eat during the winter can be problematic since the bird eats roughly 0.49 ounces of food daily.  Those wrens that live near feeders can benefit from some of the food provided to wild birds at feeders.

       In my backyard, Carolina wrens most often visit my suet feeder; another food they consume are raw peanuts.  It is hard to believe that a single peanut supplies enough food to supply one-third of the daily energy needs of a hardy Carolina wren trying to survive along the northern edge of its range.

       That being the case, adding raw peanuts to the menu of various foods at your backyard bird café, can help Carolina wrens when the temperature drops into the teens and twenties.

       I guess you could say a peanut a day helps keep the cold away.

BACKYARD SECRET – DOWNY WOODPECKER EXCAVATE SPECIAL WINTER ROOST SITES

Jan23

       With overnight temperatures dipping into the teen this week, I am sure you share my heightened concern for our backyard bird neighbors.  This anxiety stems from knowing that birds can freeze to death if they do not have enough energy and a “warm” place to roost at night.

       Some birds such as bluebirds, chickadees, and woodpeckers fend off the cold by roosting in cavities.  As you might expect, downy woodpeckers roost in natural cavities and on some occasions even in nest boxes.  What you probably did not realize is that downy woodpeckers chisel out winter roosting cavities.  Let me explain.  During the autumn and winter, downy woodpeckers chisel out their winter roost cavities. While they appear just like any cavity they excavate throughout other times of the year, winter roosting cavities invariably face away from the prevailing winter winds.  Cavities pecked out at other times of the year are randomly oriented. Consequently the interiors of cavities facing away from strong, icy winter winds are often much warmer than those facing in other directions.  As such, downy woodpeckers do not have to expend as much energy to keep from freezing.

       That is truly amazing!

PIEBALD CARDINAL MAGICALLY APPEARS

Jan19

        Recently I received a call from my daughter.  She was excited because her new feeder cam recorded the appearance of a partially white female cardinal.  Ornithologists refer to this condition as partial leucism.

       White cardinals can be partially   either partially or totally white (true albino).  Cardinals that display “white” are very rare.  The odds of seeing a cardinal that displays any white feathers  are 1:30,000.  Total albinos are much rarer the those birds that show patches of white.  According to Avian Report out of every 100 “white” cardinals seen, 82 are partially white and only three totally white.

       Your chances of spotting a yellow northern cardinal are one in a million.  Several years ago I was extremely fortunate see one of these birds in a Macon backyard.

MOURNING DOVES ARE BIG EATERS

Jan16

       Over the years, I have met some big eaters.  For example, I know a fellow that ate six-foot long hotdogs in less than 15 minutes.  However, this fete does not compare with how much a mourning dove can consume.

       A biologist that obviously that was blessed with a lot of patience counted all of the grass seeds found in a mourning doves’ stomach.  Remarkably, the final tally was 17,200.  Wow!  I am impressed.

BACKYARD SECRET – GRAY SQUIRRELS CAN BE LEFT OR RIGHT-HANDED

Jan13

        I am willing to bet you have never wondered whether gray squirrels can be ambidextrous, right, or left-handed.  I know I didn’t.  However, research conducted by scientists at the University of Exeter found that gray squirrels can indeed be ambidextrous, right, or left-handed.

       Interestingly, those squirrels that show a paw preference are not as adept at learning tasks as those that are ambidextrous.

       Since the gray squirrels that call my backyard home have no problem quickly figuring out how to raid any new feeder I put out, they must be ambidextrous!

SONG SPARROWS WILL NEED LOTS OF SEEDS THIS WEEK

Jan8

       The National Weather Service is predicting that several days this week overnight temperatures will drop into the low 20s.  When temperatures dip that low, wild birds need more energy than normal to survive.

       For example, when temperature dip to 30ºF and below, song sparrows must consume some 85 to 4,000 seeds per hour to maintain proper energy levels in their bodies.

       Keep this in mind when are currently feeding song sparrows in your yard.  Since these birds prefer to feed mainly on the ground, scatter seed beneath or near feeders.

       The list of seeds song sparrows prefer are white millet (a good example of a small seed), black oil sunflower seed (a large seed), and cracked corn.  I personally offer the birds white millet.  As you well know, a wide variety of other birds feed on these foods too. Consequently, you will be providing much needed for them also.

       A word of caution: make sure that seeds do not become places for bacteria and fungus to grow. This is especially a problem in mild, most weather.

BACKYARD SECRET – MALE BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES OUTNUMBER FEMALES

Jan5

       Research conducted over the span of 20 years at Tall Timbers Research Station by biologist Jim Cox revealed that male brown-headed nuthatches outnumber females by a ratio of 5:4.

       The reason for this may be the fact that the female nuthatch incubates the eggs. The male, however, will bring food to a nesting female.  Snakes, predominately red and gray rat snakes, are the number one nest predator on brown-headed nuthatches. Therefore, since females spend far more time in nesting cavities, they are far more likely to become a meal for snakes seeking food located in a tree cavity.