Mating Monday: Why Birds Get Divorced

If you missed last week’s Mating Monday on monogamy you can check it out here.

The more I study avian social behavior, the more I realize that humans and birds are not so different after all. Just like in human relationships, sometimes things don’t work out and birds decide to get divorced.

How common is divorce in birds? It’s estimated that divorce occurs in 95% of bird species. Ornithologists describe divorce as when a pair of socially mated birds choose to re-pair with different partners. This can happen after or during the breeding season. There are multiple reasons a bird may want to stay faithful to the same partner. Fidelity has benefits: it helps save energy since time doesn’t have to be wasted finding a new partner. Plus, a familiar pair bond increases cooperation and coordination when raising young. However, when things go wrong there are also many reason why divorce could make more sense than staying together.

It’s common for breeding attempts to fail. Therefore, a pair bond with poor success may find it more beneficial to seek new partners. Mercier et al. states that divorce could be considered an “adaptive mechanism” against having suboptimal partners (2021). A divorcee has the opportunity to find a better mate and possibly more breeding success. Infidelity can also be a reason for avian divorce. Promiscuity in males, but not in females, coincides with divorce rates.

Splitting up doesn’t always have to do with whether or not the nest failed. Sometimes the timing just isn’t right. A study of Eurasian Blue Tits found that 64% of the breeding pairs divorced before the experiment ended, even if the pair had a history of breeding success. Why? If both birds in a pair returned to the breeding territory around the same time they were more likely to stay together, but if the timing was off there was a higher chance of divorce. Since mortality rates are high for many birds, if a mate doesn’t show up “on time” they could be dead or injured. In cases like this fidelity may not pay off. Waiting around could mean losing the chance to breed, so finding a new partner is imperative. Also, studies have found that long-distance migrants such as Arctic Terns have higher divorce rate since unpredictable factors can affect whether or not they return to the breeding grounds on time.

Albatrosses have some of the lowest divorce rates in the avian world. Pairs usually stay together for decades in these long-lived species. However, divorce can still occur and there are some interesting reasons as to why. In Wandering Albatrosses personality can influence divorce. “Shy” males tend to avoid confrontation with bolder males who “intrude” in their territory seeking the female’s attention. As a result the shy bird may give up and desert the relationship. The shy birds were twice as likely to get divorced compared to the aggressive birds.

Black-browed Albatross (left) and Wandering Albatross (right). (Image by Ed Dunens, wikimedia commons)

Environmental factors, such as climate change, may be influencing divorce rates in some albatross species. Ventura et al. studied 15,000 pairs of Black-browed Albatrosses that bred in the Falkland Islands over 15 years. The typical divorce rate of this species is between 1-3%, but in years with unusually warm water temperatures that percentage went as high as 8%. Warm water temperatures means having to travel farther to find food and can trigger stress hormones that leave birds with less energy to raise their chick. Ventura et al. refer to this as the partner-blaming hypothesis. These hormones can lead females to attribute the higher physiological stress to a poor performance by the male. By returning to the breeding grounds exhausted, stressed, and overworked the female may move on to a new partner.

Just for fun I wanted to wrap up this post with some divorce rates: 40-45% in humans, 9% in Mallards, 67% in Piping Plovers, 85% in Emperor Penguins, 99% in flamingos, and 100% in Great Blue Herons. And even swans, which the media likes to have us believe always mate for life, have a 5% divorce rate.

Sweet Mallard Pair (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

References

Mother’s Day Big Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!

This year, Mother’s Day and Global Big Day ended up being the same weekend. If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile you know that all I really want for Mother’s Day (actually most days haha) is to go birding. So yesterday we went to Pickering Ponds to look for new migrants. It was a lovely morning and we were able to observe 39 species.

Pickering Ponds Highlights
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeaks: We saw 5 Rose-breasted Grosbeak males singing. Males arrive at their breeding grounds before the females to establish their territories. I’ve only ever seen a single pair at a time, so it was fun to see so many males singing in one spot. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are considered socially monogamous and will stay together for the breeding season. Males will approach females while singing and may throw back their heads and spread their wings/tail. However, once a female decides on a mate the male usually rejects her for a day or two before accepting.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak male (Image by David Horowitz)
Magnolia Warbler (Image by David Horowitz)
  • Broad-winged Hawk being mobbed by Red-winged Blackbirds
  • Lots of mating pairs: Baltimore Orioles, Fish Crows on a nest, Eastern Kingbirds, Eastern Bluebirds , Mourning Doves
  • A female Bufflehead: There weren’t many birds out on the ponds themselves, but a lone female Bufflehead was found swimming among some female Common Mergansers. It’s late in the season for Bufflehead to still be around, so she has been listed on the NH Rare Bird list.
  • Neotropical Migrants: Killdeer, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Eastern Phoebe, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Tree Swallow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Gray Catbird, American Robin, American Goldfinch
  • Other species: Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, European Starling, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Northern Cardinal
Eastern Kingbird (Image by David Horowitz)

Did you get to go birding on May Global Big Day? What bird species did you see? Tell me about it in the comments!

References

Mating Monday: Are Most Birds Actually Monogamous?

One of my favorite sights of spring is seeing bird pairs around my yard. Throughout April the cute American Robin pair would take evening walks across the lawn looking for food. The Northern Cardinal pair frequents the feeders together and I even saw the male feed the female some seeds. It’s a common sight to see pair-bonded birds in the spring because many bird species are considered monogamous. In his 1968 book Ecological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds, British ornithologist David Lambert Lack estimated more than 90% of bird species are monogamous.

Black-crowned Night-Herons are presumed to be socially monogamous (Image by David Horowitz)

Merriam-Webster defines monogamy in zoology as “the condition or practice of having a single mate during a period of time”. In 2002, a study by Griffith, Owens, and Thurman found that “extra-pair offspring” occurs in 90% of bird species. If 90% of species are monogamous, how can 90% also have offspring sired by another male who is not in the pair-bond?

Well, it turns out monogamy in birds is a little more complex than a Merriam-Webster dictionary definition. From an evolutionary standpoint, the idea of monogamy occurring in animals at all is a bit of a strange idea. If an individual has the opportunity to mate with multiple partners and doing so can increase their fitness (aka: their reproductive success), then why would they choose monogamy? Biologists are learning that when it comes to animals, three types of monogamy come into play: social, sexual, and genetic. Lack’s assertion that 90% of species are monogamous refers to social monogamy. This means that bird pairs work together to raise offspring, but there is no guarantee that they are sexually or genetically monogamous. In fact, the Griffith et al. (2002) study contributes to the idea that genetic monogamy (that the two partners only have offspring with one another) is quite rare in birds. True genetic monogamy does occur in some species, such as Common Loons, Dovekies, Florida Scrub-Jays, and some populations of Red Crossbills. However, at least some females in about 90% of bird species will mate with a male who is outside of her pair bond, a behavior called extra-pair copulation.

Why would a female seek out a mate outside of her social bond? First, her social mate may have genes that are inferior, so mating with a more desirable male can allow a female to pass on better genes to her offspring. Secondly, a female is more likely to get her eggs, which are a limited resource, fertilized just in case her social mate is infertile or incompatible. Lastly, extra-pair copulation allows a female to have genetically diverse offspring by multiple fathers. It’s the “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” idea.

Some Mourning Doves stay together for one breeding season and others may mate for life (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

So yes, a vast majority of bird species are monogamous, but it’s not as clear cut as it seems. Many of our cute little bird pairs have something going on “on the side”. Many birds will only stay together for once breeding season and find a new mate the next. There are some species that do mate for life, but that’s not as common as we once thought.

Infidelity, divorce, and even same-sex pair bonds (although rare) occur in birds. And what about the other 10% of birds that don’t practice monogamy? What mating system do they use? Over the next few weeks we’ll explore some of these interesting avian behaviors on Mating Monday. Stay tuned!

Bird Count 2023!

Hi friends! The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is this weekend!

The 2023 Great Backyard Bird Count will take place from Thursday, February 17 to Monday, February 20. It’s so fun and easy to participate. Here’s how:

  1. Go birding any time and as often as you want during the four day event. Go alone or bring family/friends! You can count from any location.
  2. Try watching for at least 10 minutes and take note of everything you see and hear that you can identify.
  3. Put your sightings on eBird. If you don’t have an eBird account it only takes a minute to set up. You can log all your past and future bird sightings when the count is over.
  4. Enjoy!

This is a worldwide event, so there will be a lot of amazing bird sightings. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology will be updating the results of the count throughout the weekend on birdcount.org.

If you want to learn more about the GBBC and how to participate, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website here. Happy birding!

The Private Life of Public Birds Book Review

Who are your avian neighbors?

The answer to that question is different for all of us and highly dependent on where you live. But one thing we all have in common: there are some birds in which we see much more frequently than others. Occasionally we chase the thrill of searching for birds that are uncommon, seasonal, or rare. That’s great and all, but we can also find exciting avian friends right at home .

Jack Gedney reminds us that some of the greatest pleasures can be found in our own backyards in his book The Private Life of Public Birds: Learning to Listen to the Birds Where We Live. According to Gedney, our “common” backyard birds are just as unique and special as any “uncommon” species we may find. By learning to listen to and appreciate our avian neighbors, we can discover a whole new world and bring joy to our daily lives.

I love Gedney’s writing style. I was not surprised after reading the book that he studied literature and natural history. You can tell that his local birds, no matter how common, bring him joy. Gedney writes 15 short essays (or love letters if you will) about species around his home in California. Here are some of my favorite tidbits that I learned from the different essays. I hope you give this book a try and get a fresh perspective on your own avian neighbors.

  • California Towhee mates defend their territory year round and will duet together up to 7 times per hour. According to Gedney, “The two then rush together in a jubilant cascade of synchronizing squeals and end up side by side in gratified reassurance.”
  • It’s estimated that each California Scrub Jay plants 5,000 to 7,000 acorns per year and retrieves only about half of them for food.
  • American Crow families work together to feed chicks, defend themselves, and play. Gedney states, “Crows compete at aerial acrobatics with their sibling, play tug-of-war with sticks, and like to belly-sled down snow-covered roofs.”
American Crow (Image by Michelle Horowitz)
  • Cedar Waxwings eat almost nothing else in the winter but berries.
  • An American Robin has a repertoire of 10-20 different caroling phrases that it repeats at intervals.
  • The House Finch was originally a western species, but released in New York in 1939 and has expanded its range throughout the eastern seaboard. This expansion has brought two ecological consequences: House Finch eye disease and the displacement of the Purple Finch.
  • Lesser Goldfinches have up to 100 unique phrases in their singing repertoire. They not only learn phrases from other goldfinches but from other birds encountered on their travels.
  • Mourning Doves can nest up to 6 months and raise up to 6 broods (groups of chicks) per breeding season. The Mourning Dove essay was my favorite and I loved the way Gedney described them. For example, “The dove is the falcon’s equal.” in regards to their flying speed.
Mourning Dove (Image by Michelle Horowitz)
  • Northern Mockingbirds are known as Sinsonte in Central America. The word comes from the ancient Na’huatl name meaning “four-hundred voices”.
  • White-crowned Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows live in small hierarchical and territorial flocks, which helps them avoid internal conflict.
  • Great Horned Owls have the greatest diversity in their diet of any American owl.
  • Hooded Orioles use the fronds of fan palms to create their nests. These palm fronds were originally only found in the oases of Southern California and as people planted them in other regions the Hooded Oriole’s range expanded northward.
Hooded Oriole (Image by http://www.naturespicsonline.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
  • Turkey Vultures are the most widely distributed vultures on Earth.
  • A study by Ballam (1984) found that Red-tailed Hawks flew 20% of their waking hours but only captured about 3% of their prey while soaring.
  • While studying Anna’s Hummingbirds, researchers recorded courtship dives up to 60 miles per hour.
Anna’s Hummingbird (Image by Bettina Arrigoni, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Who are your favorite avian neighbors? Some of my favorites include Dark-eyed Juncos, Gray Catbirds, and American Crows. Tell me about your favorites in the comments!

References

Brant Waterfowl Wednesday

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday! I’ve been on a goose streak the lately. Let’s talk about Brant!

Brant (branta bernicla)

Atlantic Brant (Image by David Horowitz)

Subspecies and populations

  • Atlantic or Pale-bellied (Branta bernicla hrota)
  • Pacific or Black (Branta bernicla nigricans)
  • Dark-bellied or Eurasian (Branta bernicla benicla). Known as “Brent Geese” in Western Europe.
  • Gray-bellied or Western High Arctic: found on Washington coast, breeds only in northwestern Canada on Parry Islands

Description:

  • 23-24 inches long, 2.5-3.8 pounds
  • Short neck; small bill and head
  • Black head, neck, bill, feet, and breast
  • White “necklace” markings are variable, mostly lacking in juveniles
  • Brown wings, pale flanks, white undertail
  • Belly ranges from pale brown (Atlantic subspecies) to black (Pacific subspecies)
Brant profile (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

Range and habitat:

  • Breeding: Arctic North America and Russia. Tundra, islands, deltas, salt bays, estuaries.
  • Migration: Pacific Coast from Alaska to Baja Mexico; Hudson Bay to Mid-Atlantic coast. Coastal waters, freshwater lakes, mudflats, lagoon systems behind barrier islands.
  • Winter: Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to North Carolina, Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Washington coast. Sheltered bays, estuaries.

Feeding behavior and diet

Brant are mainly vegetarian and eat a variety of grasses including eelgrass, sedge, arrowgrass, pondweed, saltmarsh cordgrass, and green algae. May also eat mollusks, aquatic insects, and worms. On land they graze on grasses and in water tip up like dabbling ducks. Mostly forages in flocks.

breeding/Nesting

  • Courtship: Socially monogamous and pair for life; however some females have been found to mate with other males during the egg-laying period. Forms pair bonds on wintering grounds.
  • Nesting: Female forms depression in the ground near water and grassy areas. She adds grasses and feathers to line the nest when ready to lay eggs. Often nests in colonies and pairs are territorial.
  • Young: Incubates 3-5 white/buffy eggs for 23-24 days. Chicks are precocial, meaning they are ready to feed, walk, and swim within a day or two of hatching and are covered in down. Both sexes tend to the goslings, who feed continuously and fledge in 40-50 days. Family groups tend to stay together even within large colonies/flocks.

Vocalizations

Guttural low ruk-ruk! A sharp cruk! alarm call. Goslings peep.

Conservation status

Population trends are unknown, though Brant are thought to be declining. Due to their restricted Arctic breeding ranges, Brant are very vulnerable to climate change. Threats facing Brant include habitat loss, global warming, sea level rise, petroleum development in breeding grounds, and water quality issues. As global temperatures rise, it’s predicted that Brant ranges will shift considerably northward and will lose about 52% of their current range if global temperatures warm over 3.0 degrees Celsius. Eelgrass restoration along their habitats have helped stabilize winter Brant populations.

Brant flying over the Cape Cod Bay (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

Fun facts

  • Brant are long-distance migrants and some travel over 3,000 miles from winter to breeding grounds.
  • Flocks have a distinct hierarchy: paired birds with young rank higher than paired birds with no young. Pairs without young dominate unpaired birds.
  • Individuals tend to pair with a mate who have a similar amount of white “necklace”. The Pacific subspecies tends to have the most pronounced “necklace” while Atlantic tends to have less white.

References

Cackling or Canada?

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday! Last week we talked about the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) and its 7 subspecies. For awhile it was commonly accepted that there were 11 Canada subspecies, but in 2004 the American Ornithologists Union took the four smallest and declared them a separate species: the Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii). Why did this happen? How can you tell if the white-cheeked goose you’re seeing is a Canada or a Cackling?

Cackling Goose (ALAN SCHMIERER, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Cackling vs. Canada Identification
CacklingCanada
Height24-25 inches (63-65 cm)29-43 inches (76-110 cm)
Weight3-5 lbs6-20 lbs
Color PatternBrown overall, varying from pale to dark depending on subspecies. White under black tail. Short black neck.Brown back, black head/neck, tan breast
Facial features Black head with white/throat patch (“chinstrap”). Some have white ring at base of neck. Rounded crown but steep forehead. Black head with white/throat patch (“chinstrap”). Rounded head with sloping forehead.
Bill color/shapeBlack. Short. Meets forehead at a steep angle.Black. Wide and flat.
Other featuresSmall black feet and short black legs. Long wings.Large black feet and black legs.
Cackling vs. Canada Geese identification features

Size is a good first indicator to identifying a Cackling Goose. They tend to be very small. They are about the same size as a Mallard, Brant, or Barnacle Goose and are smaller than Snow Geese. However, it’s important to be aware that they may be similar in size to smaller Canada Goose subspecies, so it’s important to not rely only on size and use other features for identification too. There is also much variation between the four Cackling subspecies. American ornithologist David Allen Sibley suggests getting to know your local flocks and being aware of geographic differences. They are very often found in mixed flocks with Canada Geese.

Cackling vs. Canada Goose (Caleb Putnam, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Subspecies and Ranges
  • Branta hutchinsii minima (“Ridgeway”): Breeds in western Alaska and winters in California and Oregon. Smallest of the 4 subspecies (2.5-4 lbs) and has the shortest bill.
  • Branta hutchinsii leucopareia (“Aleutian”): Breeds in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Winters in California. White “collar” where black neck meets brown body.
  • Branta hutchinsii taverneri (“Taverner’s” or “Alaska”): Breeds in Alaska and Northwest Canada, rare east of the Rocky Mountains. Winters in Washington, Oregon, and southwestern United States. Closest in size/appearance to Canada Goose parvipes subspecies, so use caution with identification.
  • Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii (“Richardson’s” or “Hutchin’s”): Breeds Central and East Arctic Canada. Migrates to Great Plains. Paler in color and lacks white neck ring.

Some subspecies will rarely winter in the northeastern United States down the Atlantic Coast into the Gulf Coast.

Why the split?

There’s a bit of a debate with scientists about whether the split of Cackling Geese from Canada Geese is appropriate. The two species do tend to hybridize in some locations, which complicates the situation. The 2004 split is based on evidence of differences in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of the two species. Studies by Shields and Wilson (1987a and 1987b) found a 2% difference in the mtDNA and suggests that the two species diverged about one million years ago. Even within Cackling subspecies there are have been differences in evolutionary selection pressures due to geographical isolation. The breeding habitats are of minima and leucopareia are distinctly different from taverneri and hutchinsii.

So the next time you are looking at a flock of Canada Geese you may not be looking at only Canada Geese. A Cackling Goose may be among the ranks. It’s always worth a closer look. Happy goose watching!

References

Canada Goose Subspecies

Happy Waterfowl Wednesday friends! It’s been quite awhile since the last one, but this winter I’d like to bring it back. It is waterfowl season after all.

One of our most widespread North American species is the Canada Goose, Branta canadensis. It seems like Canada Geese get mixed reactions from birders, being so common in some suburban areas that many people consider them pests. However, Joe Van Wormer, an Oregonian author and wildlife photographer sings their praises in his 1968 book The World of the Canada Goose. Van Wormer’s enthusiasm for the species is infectious and shows a side of a species that many people don’t seem to understand or appreciate. One of my favorite quotes from Van Wormer’s book: “Once a Canada goose has its complete set of feathers it should be forgiven for seeming to strut a bit, for its plumage is now one of the finest in the bird world. It may not be as flashy as a wood duck’s but it is neat and handsome.”

Canada Goose (Image by Michelle Horowitz)

One of the most interesting things I learned among the plethora of interesting facts is how many subspecies there are. At the time of Van Wormer’s writing there were at least 11 recognized subspecies, but in 2004 the four smallest subspecies were combined into a different species: the Cackling Goose. The plumage of the Canada subspecies tend to get darker as you move westward and their size gets smaller as you move northward. Let’s explore the 7 different Canada Goose subspecies from largest to smallest:

Canada Goose map (Michael O’Keeffe, 2009 via http://www.irbc.ie/announcements/announce68.php)
Branta canadensis maxima: “Giant”
  • 10-18 pounds, some up to 20 pounds
  • elongated neck, almost swanlike compared to other subspecies
  • lighter in color than interior subspecies
  • extensive cheek patches that often forms a small backward-projecting hook
  • some have a white forehead patch, many a white ring at base of neck
  • Thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1960 by Harold C. Hanson
  • Range: central and northern United States, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario
Branta canadensis moffitti: “Western”
  • 2nd in size to Giant Canada goose. Average around 8 pounds, but some 12-15 pounds
  • Breast move “silvery” than other subspecies
  • Range: United States western interior around Rocky Mountains, western Canada
Branta canadensis interior: “Todd’s”
  • 6-11 pounds
  • medium in color
  • most numerous of all the subspecies; as many as all the other subspecies combined
  • Range: Central Canada and Central/Southern United States
Branta canadensis canadensis: “Atlantic”
  • 6-11 pounds
  • lighter than Todd’s with more white underparts and whitish area between base of neck and back
  • Introduced in England, Scotland, Iceland, and New Zealand
  • Range: Atlantic seaboard from Nova Scotia to North Carolina
Branta canadensis fulva: “Vancouver
  • 6-13 pounds
  • 1 of 2 “dark” races (including “Dusky”)
  • Range: Glacier Bay Alaska, south coast and islands of British Columbia to north Vancouver Island
  • Possibly the least migratory of all Canada Geese: approximately 90% winter on breeding grounds. Others migrate to Willamette Valley of Oregon or northern California
Branta canadensis occidentalis: “Dusky”
  • slightly smaller than Vancouver
  • chocolate colored
  • Range: southern coast of Alaska, migrates offshore and winters in Willamette Valley
Branta candensis parvipes: “Lesser”
  • about 6 pounds
  • lighter brown plumage
  • Range: Northwest Territories of Canada, southern Victoria Island, central/east Alaska. Winters in Oklahoma, Texas, Mexico, and California.

Next Waterfowl Wednesday we’ll explore the Cackling Goose and its split from the Canada Goose. What do you think about Canada Geese? Tell me about it in the comments.

References

New Year, New Birds!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful 2022.

Today Dave, Baby Birder, and I started 2023 with our first birding trip of the year and it’s sure going to be hard to beat in the future! The NH Rare Bird List has been pretty active over the last week and I’ve been keeping my eye on two species in particular. I decided that today would be the day to pursue them since they have been observed reliably in the same locations for over a week.

So we made our way out to the Seacoast this morning with high hopes to spot two western species: the Western Tanager and Mountain Bluebird.

Western Tanager (Photo by David Horowitz)
Western Tanager (Photo by David Horowitz)

Our first rarity of the day was a female Western Tanager. She was busy feeding along the apple trees on the side of the road. As their name suggests, Western Tanagers breed in the western United States and Canada and winter in Central America. Females are yellow with black backs/wings, have two wing bars, and a heavy orange bill. Males are a brighter yellow and have flaming bright orange-red heads during breeding season. Fun fact: tanagers are actually part of the cardinal family. Our beautiful little friend was quite a delight!

Our second rarity was a Mountain Bluebird who has been hanging out with the Eastern Bluebirds at a park not far from the tanager’s location. This gorgeous male was light blue with a pale gray belly and vibrant blue tail feathers. Another western species, Mountain Bluebirds breed in western Canada and northwest United States and winter in the southwest, Mexico, and California coast. Some populations are year-round residents in the interior west. One of the fun things about this find was that I ran into one of my friends there, so we got to find the bluebird together!

Mountain Bluebird (Photo by Michelle Horowitz)
Mountain Bluebird (Photo by Michelle Horowitz)

What an amazing start to 2023! I think this is the first time we observed two rare birds in one day. I can’t wait to see what other birding adventures 2023 brings!

My first bird of 2023 was an American Crow. What was your first bird of the year? Tell me about it in the comments. Also, since it’s winter, be on the lookout for a new Waterfowl Wednesday coming soon! Happy birding!

References

Book Review: Red-Tails in Love

A person usually becomes well-acquainted with the natural cycles and rhythms of a specific location if they spend many years observing nature there. But one of the great joys of birdwatching is to expect the unexpected. In the mid-1990s, nobody in New York City ever expected to find a pair of Red-tailed Hawks setting up a nest on the façade of an apartment building on Fifth Avenue and 74th Street, but it happened. Marie Winn chronicles the amazing journey of the “Fifth Avenue Hawks” in her delightful book Red-Tails in Love.

Central Park was designed in 1858 by Frederick Law Olmsted, who is widely considered the father of landscape architecture, and his partner Calvert Vaux. Olmsted and Vaux wanted to create a bucolic escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life, but never intended the park to become the wilderness that it is today. Over 280 bird species have been recorded in Central Park since it’s inception. Red-tailed Hawks started breeding near the park in 1994 with the hawks described in Winn’s book and continue to breed there to this day.

Winn discovers The Bird Register, a notebook used by Central Park birdwatchers to share their sightings with one another. She quickly becomes a willing student of many of the park’s most frequent and experienced birders who she dubs “The Regulars”. Winn shares the stories of The Regulars while giving us a glimpse into the park’s annual nature cycles such as spring migration and fall hawk counts.

But one day the smooth flow of normal birding was interrupted when a distinctive male Red-tailed Hawk appeared. Unlike a typical Red-tail, this individual was exceptionally light, missing the trademark brown “belly-band” and having an almost white head. The Regulars dubbed him “Pale Male” and he unknowingly became the star of his own romantic drama. When Pale Male and his new mate, nicknamed “First Love”, attempted nesting on the apartment building hawk watching become an obsession.

Winn briefly takes us through 4 years of breeding attempts. Like any good romantic drama (if Red-tails were the movie stars lol) there’s stunning displays of affection, failed nesting attempts, and of course adorable chicks. There’s even a case of mistaken identity and the rallying of the troops with US Fish & Wildlife to protect the nest. One of my favorite parts was Winn describing the hawk watchers on their bench giving the hawks encouraging remarks like “Great job mom!” to the female feeding her chicks and “Wow, nice catch dad!” when Pale Male arrives to the nest with a rat or pigeon.

Bird watching is already an amazing pastime, but it’s extra special when you get the rare opportunity to know an individual wild bird. For the Central Park birders Pale Male wasn’t just some Red-tailed Hawk; they knew him personally. He had daily routines, favorite locations, and a family. They worried about the hawks’ well-being, protected them at all costs, and celebrated their accomplishments. The “Fifth Avenue Hawks” not only fostered the Central Park birding community, but became an integral part of it. The hawks helped citizens connect, created friendships, and encouraged people to become stewards of the natural world in their own backyards. Marie Winn reminds us through her wonderful story that we can all be part of that community; all we have to do is enjoy nature with an open heart.

When living at the Jersey Shore we had our own “Pale Male”, an American Oystercatcher called “T2”. You can read about the Jersey Shore’s most beloved oystercatcher here, here, and my love letter to him here.

References