American Robin

Flocks of Robins

American Robin

Large flocks of robins are moving through our area now in late October.  All this week almost any time I look out my window I can count 25 robins feeding on our lawns and field.  They are turning over leaves and searching among the blades of grass for insects and worms.  Often I see one pop up into the air as it is displaced by another.  They seem very busy, excited even.  They fly frequently between the ground and close-by trees.  Where are these birds coming from and where are they going?

Many Robins Perched in Our Trees

The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is our most common thrush.  They are a member of the Turdidae family which they share in this area with the Eastern Bluebird, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush and others.  Yes, there are other 'robins' but most are vagrants which wander onto our continent from South  and Central America or Siberia; for example, the Clay-colored Robin, the White-throated Robin and the Rufous-backed Robin.  

American Robin

The American Robin is so familiar to us it doesn't need description.  This species' habit of living near our dwellings, its pleasing song and its generally confident nature make it one of our favourite species.  

Like many other species, the males tend to be brighter in colour and the females grayer but there is so much overlap one cannot determine genders by appearance alone.  An interesting fact is that the western race is generally lighter in colour than our eastern race.  Our birds are mostly brightly coloured.  The young show spotting on the underparts as we are all familiar with.  It is fun to watch the flocks which we are seeing now for juveniles.  They are obviously trying hard to learn 'the ropes', how to find food, how to cooperate with the rest of the flock.  

American Robin

The American Robin inhabits all of North America except the Arctic islands.  It is a short and a medium-distance migrant.  They spend their winters in most of the US states but most go to the middle and southern states and Mexico.  A few stay here in New Brunswick for the winter.  We always count a few on Christmas Count Day.  In each of 2016 and 2017 we found one in Douglas and in 2015 we counted 40 in Douglas.  Some of that large number were probably just late migrating and would move south.

American Robin

The large flocks of robins we are seeing now are migrants.  They have generally come from somewhere else and are moving through on their way south.  I have tried to speculate where they have come from.  In my opinion many of these birds are from Quebec and northern New Brunswick.  I also think some flocks are from western Newfoundland and have flown across to Gaspé and other parts of Quebec.  They then fly down the St. John River on their way south.  Birds tend to use waterways and shorelines to help direct their flight paths.  No matter how they got here and wherever they are from, we certainly enjoy their visit while they rest and refuel.  Safe journey little cheery friends!

Black Squirrel

Black Squirrels in New Brunswick

Black Squirrel

 The Eastern Gray Squirrel is the largest common squirrel in eastern Canada.  The Black Squirrel is a melanistic form of this species.  We are all familiar with the commonly seen Eastern Gray Squirrel which inhabits cities, towns and parkland as well as woodlots.  While on a birding trip to Saints Rest Marsh recently we found the Black Squirrel shown above in the trees on Taylor Island.  This was shocking to me because I have never seen a Black Squirrel before in New Brunswick and I have spent a lot of time in natural areas of this province!  An inquiry to our birding and nature-loving friends revealed that many have seen Black Squirrels in New Brunswick.

Black Squirrel

The Eastern Gray Squirrel is found in eastern North America from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico north to the Great Lakes region of Ontario and westward to southern Manitoba and eastward to southern Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  From my inquiry to local naturalists I have found that most black morphs have been seen in the Saint John area especially in West Saint John (Irving Nature Park) and also in Millidgeville.  One person actually saw 3 at Irving Nature Park last year.  There have been a few reports from Fredericton from as much as 30 years ago but as stated earlier I have never seen one in the Fredericton area and I have lived here all my life and spent a lot of time in the woods.  The same is reported from another active Fredericton birder.  A wildlife rehabilitation expert for the Maritimes has never received a black morph in 23 years of practice.  It is interesting in how few there are here where in some areas (Ontario, New York State, Ohio) the black morphs are the dominant forms.  

Black Squirrel

The Eastern Gray Squirrel has a soft, dense pelage formed from an undercoat and overlying guard hairs.  The typical colour is grizzled gray on the body and a white-tipped, black-banded grey-brown tail.  The face, feet and flanks usually show a mix of browns.  The underparts are white.  The black (melanistic) morph occurs about 1 in 10,000 individuals.  There is also a much rarer red (erythristic) morph.  Occasionally there occurs a mixture of morphs showing black squirrels with red tails.  Albinos also occur.  Being a genetic aberration it is possible for there to be one black morph in a litter of grays.

The individual we saw, as shown above, is an adult black morph being all black with the characteristic small amount of brown showing on the face.  There was no white belly nor white tip on the tail. 

Black Squirrel

The largest populations of Black Squirrels occur in Ontario and Ohio, USA.  In some places they are very popular and have been made mascots for universities and sports teams. The occurrence of the black morph of the Eastern Gray Squirrel is more common in the northernmost parts of its range.  That is an intriguing fact for biologists.  It may be due to natural selection because the black morph can stand cold weather better than the gray.  The black colour absorbs more heat from the sun so the black individuals survive better.   The black colour may also be better for camouflage and thus protection from predators.  

The Black Squirrel has had an interesting history.  We are responsible for the Black Squirrels in Washington, D.C.  In 1902 and again in 1906 a number of Black Squirrels were sent from Ontario to the Smithsonian.  Those individuals are responsible for the Black Squirrel population of Washington!  Gray Squirrels were also sent to England in the 1800s and developed into a pest species there.  There are black morphs among them, too.  Black morphs also occur in the Fox Squirrel and the Red Squirrel.

Gray Kingbird

A Very Rare Flycatcher Visits NB

Gray Kingbird

From October 6 to 9, 2018 New Brunswick birders were treated to a very rare visitor, a Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis).  This species is so rare here it has never been officially recorded before, although there have been one or two unconfirmed reports in the past.  This bird appeared at a home in Wilmot, northwest of Woodstock.  The day we went to see it, it was actively feeding on insects, mainly wasps, and landing on hydro and telephone wires and trees.  It put on a good showing for the 15 to 20 birders who were respectfully enjoying watching it.  Although it was a fast mover, it did give a few photo opportunities.

Gray Kingbird

This species is so rare here because it is way off its normal range and flight paths.  It normally breeds along the Florida coast in mangroves, open woodland, and forest edges.  It winters in central and southern West Indies, Panama and northern South America.  Occasionally vagrants wander far out of its range, hence the appearance of 'our' bird.  

Gray Kingbird

The Gray Kingbird is larger than our native Eastern Kingbird, 23-24 cm (9.2 in) compared to 20 cm (8.5 in).  At first glance one would think one was looking at our Eastern Kingbird but there are distinctive differences other than size.  The two species are shaped the same and their overall appearance is very similar.  The Gray Kingbird, however, is more gray all over.  It is gray on the head, back, and tail and white underneath.  The gray head  shows a black line through the eye which looks like a mask.  The bill is larger and the tail is notched and does not have a white band at the tip like the Eastern Kingbird.  The white breast is faintly washed with gray and the belly can be washed with  light yellow although that did not show on this bird.  The wings and tail show some brown and the wing feathers are edged with grayish white.  Generally the Eastern Kingbird gives the appearance of black and white compared to the gray and muted white of this species.  

Gray Kingbird

The Gray Kingbird feeds on insects.  It perches on a high exposed site and flies out from there to scoop up insects.  It sometimes hovers in its pursuit like our Eastern Kingbird.  A local name for this species is 'Pitirre' which is a human version of one of the sounds it makes.  In its normal range it is known for aggressively defending its breeding territory.  This has made the species special and it has become a national symbol for Puerto Rico.  It is often used as a metaphor for the Puerto Rico Independence Movement.  A special species has come to visit!

Gray Kingbird

Our visitor is probably an adult.  A juvenile would show a lot more brown on its back and wings.  

 

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird - Another Large Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

The Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) is a common large flycatcher of New Brunswick.  It arrives in early May and uses this as its breeding grounds, leaving in September.  It is widespread throughout North America.  It breeds in all of southern Canada except west of the Rocky Mountains and in all of continental US except the very western states.  The exception is southern  California where it summers along the coast. It winters in South America, mainly in eastern Ecuador and Peru and western Brazil.

The Eastern Kingbird is a large flycatcher (21 cm/8.5 in long).  Mainly black and white, it has a black head and tail, and dark gray back and wings.  The black on the head comes below the eye looking somewhat like a mask.  The breast is white with light gray shading.  The tail has a conspicuous white terminal band.  The white throat is prominent.  The wings show narrow white edgings.  This species is not very vocal but does make rasping sputtering sounds like 'kdit kdit'.

Eastern Kingbird

The Eastern Kingbird prefers semi-open areas where it sits on trees and shrubs and dashes out after insects, its favourite food.  It also eats some fruits especially when insects are scarce.  It often can be seen hovering above the ground before it pounces on prey.   It usually builds its nest in the forest or treed areas near open land.  It lays 3 to 5 white eggs marked with lavender, gray or brown in a cup nest made of grass, animal hair, weeds and twigs.  It will also nest in cavities and nest boxes.

Eastern Kingbird

The Eastern Kingbird is an aggressive bird especially toward larger birds or any other species coming near its nest.  This is often seen and makes this a conspicuous species.  An interesting fact about this species is its name.  It is really mis-named.  It is not specifically an eastern species as the name indicates.  It is a summer resident of eastern, central and much of western North America.  It is always a delight to see the return of this species to our yards and open areas when spring comes.