Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren - a Rare Feeder Bird

Carolina Wren

The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is a very rare bird in New Brunswick which sometimes visits feeders.   It is often seen in winter coming regularly to a feeder or two usually in the southern part of the province.  Right now (2020) there are reports of two in Riverview and one in Fredericton.

The wren family, Troglodytidae, contains 11 species and 7 genera.  Of those 11 species 5 have been seen here.  The Winter Wren is a regular summer resident.  The Carolina Wren, House Wren and Marsh Wren are seen here every year in small numbers.  The Sedge Wren is very rare here.

Carolina Wren [Internet Photo]

The normal range of the Carolina Wren includes southern New England south to Florida and westward to the central US and southward into eastern Mexico.  The range of this species is generally expanding.  It does not migrate but there are incursions by individuals into new territory, hence their appearance here.  This expansion is generally sustained with pull backs after severe winters.  The first definite occurrence in New Brunswick was in 1974.  There has been one breeding record, in 2002 in Grand Manan where two broods were raised by one pair.

The Carolina Wren is a brightly-coloured medium-sized wren (14 cm/ 5.5 in long).  Generally it has rufous upper parts and buffy under parts.  The throat is white and the bill is long and decurved.  The wings and tail are dark barred with white flecks.  The distinguishing feature is the wide white eyebrow.  This identifies this wren as a Carolina.  Wrens in general are identified as small active brown birds with upright tails.  They are fun to watch as they flit around looking for insects and other food.

Carolina Wrens are common in dense shrubbery near human dwellings.  They are commonly heard by their frequent loud calls.  Although they make many different sounds they are often heard singing their teakettle teakettle teakettle or cheery cheery cheery sounds.  This is so common most people know what is making that song!

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wrens build their nest in shrubbery near buildings.  The nest is dome-shaped with a side entrance and made of dried plant parts, strips of bark, horsehair, string, wool and snake skins.  The female builds the nest and the male brings the materials to her.  Nests are also in tree cavities, nest boxes, buildings, mail boxes, etc.  Nests are usually 1 to 3 m above the ground level.  The female lays 3 to 6 eggs that are creamy white with brown or reddish-brown spots.  Incubation lasts 12-16 days. Both adults feed the young.

I don't expect we will see nesting Carolina Wrens here for quite some time but it would be nice to hear their cheery voice.  The Carolina Wren is the state bird of South Carolina.  An interesting fact about this species is that they will sometimes build multiple nests in order to fool predators.

Pine Siskin

Pine Siskin - a Small Year-Round Finch 

Pine Siskin

In New Brunswick the Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) is a year-round resident. They seem more prevalent in winter but that is probably because our large number of summer species have gone south.  Siskins are seen in small flocks feeding on coniferous or deciduous trees or alders often accompanied by flocks of American Goldfinches.  It is pleasant to find them in winter because their cheerfulness brightens a winter day.  The flock is almost always characterized by their high pitched 'zeeeeeeeee' rising song.  I am always happy to record their numbers on a Christmas Bird Count.

Pine Siskin [Mitch Doucet Photo]

The Pine Siskin is a small finch about 13 cm (5 in) long.  It is entirely brown striped with yellow on the wings and a small patch of yellow on the sides of the tail.  The tail is deeply notched and there are two white wing bars.  The bill is fine and sharply pointed.  Males and females look alike.  This species is a permanent resident in Atlantic Canada, across southern Canada and down into the western US.  It is a summer resident in northern Canada from Labrador across to Yukon and southern Alaska.  It is a winter resident throughout the US.  

Pine Siskin

Pine Siskins feed on the seeds of alders, birches, spruce and other trees.  They sometimes feed by hanging upside down from the tips of branches.  They also feed on weed seeds especially thistle, forbs, buds, insects and spiders.  No wonder they are at home in our forest.  We have lots for them to feed on.  They will come to feeders for seeds especially niger seed.  Flocks are sometimes found feeding on salt on roadsides.  They also drink sap from holes drilled in trees by sapsuckers.  

Because this species is quite unique, identification is relatively easy.  The only two species one might mistake if for are the House Finch and the Common Redpoll.  The House Finch is larger, more heavily streaked, has a much stubbier bill and a square tail tip.  The Common Redpoll has a red cap, a black chin and shows no yellow on wings or tail.  

Pine Siskins nest in coniferous trees usually 10 to 50 feet up.  Three to five green blue eggs spotted with black or brown are laid in a nest made of bark, twigs and moss.  The nest is usually far out from the trunk.  The female incubates the eggs about 13 days.  They sometimes will nest in bushes or shrubs.  

Pine Siskins are nomadic and move around in flocks.  That accounts for large flocks sometimes seen in winter.  We would also see more in winter because the summer residents of the far north move south and spend their winters in southern Canada, adding to our permanent resident population.  Pine Siskins are sometimes our most numerous winter finch.  

The name, siskin, is derived from the sound the birds make.  Their 'zreeeeee' sometimes starts with a 'sis sis sis...'.  

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet - a Small Forest Delight 

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Jim Carroll Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) is a small forest delight.  It is present year round in New Brunswick and can be counted on for its presence in our boreal forest.  There are two species of kinglets found in New Brunswick, the Golden-crowned and the Ruby-crowned.  The Ruby-crowned is a summer resident.  There are six species of kinglets worldwide; 2 in North America, 1 in Eurasia, 1 in Europe and North Africa, 1 in the Canary Islands, and 1 in Taiwan.  

Kinglets are our smallest forest songbirds.  They prefer the upper canopy of the boreal forest where small flocks glean insects from buds and bark.  They can sometimes be seen hovering under a leaf feeding on insects.  

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Mark Morse Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a tiny little mite,  just 10 cm (4 in) long.  It is greenish-olive on the back and light gray below.  It has a white supercilium (line over the eye), black eyeline and a yellow crown outlined with black.  This yellow crown has orange in the centre which is difficult to see, usually only when the bird is agitated and it appears to raise it.  One of the species in the United Kingdom and Europe is called the 'Firecrest' for the brilliant orange on the crown of the male.  I have seen the orange on the crown of our kinglet a few times and it is brilliant,  just like fire.  See the photo at top of this post by Jim Carroll showing the orange on the crown.

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Internet Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a permanent resident in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia. It is a summer resident for most of the rest of Canada.  The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is similar-looking and would need to be distinguished from the Golden-crowned by its head pattern.  The Ruby-crowned does not have the white supercilium or the yellow crown.  It also has a very long melodious song.  The song of the Golden-crowned is a very high-pitched, tsii tsii tsii.  This song is so high it is difficult for some to hear.  Some people say they have never seen a kinglet and that is because the kinglets are in the upper canopy and their song is so high-pitched.  They are easy to find because they are so prevalent.

Golden-crowned Kinglets nest high in coniferous trees (9-18 metres above the ground).  Their nest is made of lichens and moss and lined with bark chips, rootlets and feathers.  Five to eleven creamy white eggs spotted with brown and gray are incubated for 14-15 days by the female.  Two broods are often raised.

An interesting fact about this species is that each nostril is covered by a single, tiny feather.  This undoubtedly helps with winter survival.  The range of this species is expanding into spruce plantations in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.  That is good news when so many species' ranges are shrinking.  If you have never seen a Golden-crowned Kinglet I hope you go for a walk into the boreal forest and look up and listen for the high-pitched song of this beautiful little bird.  

Black-backed Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker - A Three-toed Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker [Yvette Thibodeau Charette Photo]

The Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) is a native of New Brunswick.  It is an uncommon resident which breeds sparingly across the province mostly in the central and northern parts of the province.  It prefers coniferous forest, especially forests with plenty of dead or dying trees.  The photo above was taken on 5 January 2020 at Edmundston.  The woodpecker is feeding on insects found under the bark of a conifer, probably a spruce or a fir.  

The Black-backed Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, about 24 cm/9 in long.  It is about the same size as our Hairy Woodpecker.  It is an uncommon woodpecker and seeing one makes a good day for a birder.  I have seen this species many times over the years and it is almost always in an area of dead trees, often an area where there are lots of tamaracks.  I hear a faint tapping among the trees and on listening carefully, I attempt to locate the source of the tapping.  Sometimes it will be a Black-backed.  It is a shy bird and not easily seen.  It will often continue feeding, usually placing the tree trunk between itself and the viewer.  It usually does not vocalize.  

Black-backed Woodpecker [Dorothy Chase Photo]

The photo above was taken on 6 January 2020 in the Ayers Lake area.  The individuals in each of the photos above are females.  The males have a conspicuous yellow patch on the forecrown.

The Black-backed Woodpecker has black upper parts.  Its head is black with a white malar patch which extends behind the eye.  It has barred flanks, a black tail with white outer tail feathers. The only other species one would need to distinguish this species from is the American Three-toed Woodpecker (see previous post on this blog).  The American Three-toed Woodpecker has a black-and-white barred back and a white line behind the eye.  

The Black-backed Woodpecker and the American Three-toed Woodpecker are the only three-toed woodpeckers in North America.  They have two forward-facing toes but just a single backward-facing toe.  Other woodpeckers have two toes in the back.  Both the Black-backed and the American Three-toed Woodpeckers share similar habitats.  They feed by flipping off large chunks of bark from dead and dying trees and feed on the insects and larvae underneath.  This leaves telltale evidence of their presence.  They are often found feeding in burnt-over forested areas or in areas devastated by insect damage.  The range of both species is similar; most of southern Canada including all of the Atlantic Canada and Quebec north to southern Labrador.  

The Black-backed Woodpecker's call is a sharp pik.  This species nests in holes in coniferous trees where it lays 2 to 6 white eggs which are incubated for 12 to 14 days.  The nest hole is often close to the ground but can be up to 4 m/15 ft high.  The young leave the nest after about 25 days. 

The diet of this species is mainly wood-boring beetles, grubs, weevils, ants and spiders.  They will also feed on berries, small fruits, acorns and nuts.  An interesting fact is that females have been shown to forage higher in the trees than males.  It is interesting to speculate why.  

The next time you are wandering around in the woods and you see softwood tree trunks with large patches of bark removed, there may be Black-backed Woodpeckers present.  Listen for their tap-tap and you just might be lucky enough to see one of our uncommon woodpeckers!

Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count 2019

Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count

Wild Turkeys

The Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count was held on January 1.  It was just after the snowstorm of December 31.  That made limited access to roads and driveways.  The trees were laden with snow making it difficult for small birds.  Understandably the count numbers and species were down but it was a good count none-the-less.  Many thanks to all participants who braved the roads and the cold to contribute to this worthwhile citizen science activity.  See below for the results.

Mactaquac CBC 2019
Jan. 1, 2020
Species	Total
Am Black Duck	41
Common Goldeneye	9
Common Merganser	15
Bald Eagle	5
Ruffed Grouse	1
Wild Turkey	3
Herring Gull	30
Ring-billed Gull	1
Great Black-backed Gull	13
Rock Pigeon	148
Mourning Dove	46
Downy Woodpecker	12
Hairy Woodpecker	10
Pileated Woodpecker	6
Blue Jay	105
American Crow	112
Common Raven	22
Black-capped Chickadee	290
Red-breasted Nuthatch	19
White-breasted Nuthatch	15
Golden-crowned Kinglet	7
European Starling	262
American Tree Sparrow	3
Dark-eyed Junco	3
Northern Cardinal	4
Pine Grosbeak	8
Purple Finch	17
Red Crossbill	2
White-winged Crossbill	10
Pine Siskin	9
American Goldfinch	189
Woodpecker sp.	1
Finch sp.	4
Total	1422
No. of Species	31
Count Period
Brown Creeper
Northern Shrike

Wild Turkey

Total numbers were down from the previous 5-year average.  The last 5 years average is 1812 and this year we counted 1422.  The weather and the recent storm would certainly account for that.  We did not get as many species either; 31 compared to a 5-year average of 36.  The general paucity of finches would account for that.  We got very few, just a sprinkling of crossbills, purple finches and pine grosbeaks.  There is an abundant cone crop and other natural food sources so finches should move into the area later this winter.  No raptors were seen except a good population of Bald Eagles (5).  A surprise was the 3 Wild Turkeys found in Bear Island.  According to locals there has been a flock hanging around for several months.  See photos above.

There is a healthy population of Black-capped Chickadees, European Starlings and American Goldfinches.  The number of Rock Pigeons is down (148).  The average is about 200.  It seemed that they were all concentrated in mostly areas where there was cattle and they could get into an area that was somewhat warm.  Active farms are decreasing in numbers and that would cause a decrease in numbers of pigeons, starlings and crows.  I was surprised at the numbers of Ravens.  I felt that because of the recent storm it was easier for the large birds to become active, hence better numbers of crows, ravens, eagles, etc.

White-tailed Deer

Belted Galloway Cattle

Doing a Christmas Bird Count is hard work but it has many benefits.  It is fun to be out early to see what birds and nature in general are doing.  The deer pictured above were far away but the sun was shining on them up a large rising field.  They did not spook because they were far enough away to be safe.  The Belted Galloway Cattle shown above were in a field near the road enjoying the sunshine.  This breed is not common in New Brunswick and made a nice photo in the brilliant sunshine.

The Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count is one of more than 50 done in New Brunswick each year between December 14 and January 4.  Many people participate and the data are accumulated nationally and combined with similar data from the US for analysis by experts.  The Mactaquac count has been done for many years by loyal participants and a few new recruits.  Many thanks to all!


[I would like to acknowledge the loss in 2019 of two of our stalwart birders, Shirley Sloat and David Myles.  Both were faithful participants in the Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count probably since its inception.  David was the compiler for many years.  They are sorely missed.]