Little Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron - Adult

Our Birds of New Brunswick:  An Annotated List says that the Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) is a rare spring through fall visitor.  You wouldn't think so this year!  We have had 2 immature individuals at the Sackville Waterfowl Park and Tantramar Wetlands for about 3 weeks now.  And recently (August 28) a report came in of another immature Little Blue Heron at Pleasantville, Nova Scotia.  Many people have had the privilege of seeing the ones in Sackville. 

Little Blue Heron - Immature  [Marbeth Wilson Photo]

As its name implies, the Little Blue Heron is a small heron compared to the Great Blue Heron.  It is 61 cm (24 inches) long compared to the Great Blue Heron which is 117 cm (46 inches) long.  The adults are dark blue-gray with a brownish-purple head and a dark beak.  The immature bird is strikingly different.  Note the photos above.  The Immature is all white occasionally with dark tips to the primary feathers.  Notice, the bird shown above is all white.  The adult plumage is acquired during the second summer, showing a mixture of white and blue.  See the photo below.  The bill is a dark gray at the tip and lighter towards the head.  The feet and legs are a dark yellow.  

Little Blue Heron - Second Year Bird  [Internet Photo]

The breeding adult shows plumes and a crest which it raises occasionally.  The plumes of this species are lanceolate and not filamentous.  The lack of such showy plumes saved this species in the past from heavy human predation due to the millinery industry.  

The adult Little Blue Heron could be confused with the Reddish Egret but the egret is larger, has shaggy plumes on its head and its bill is pink-based and black-tipped.  The immature Little Blue Heron needs the most care in identification.  The most likely species you might confuse it with is the Snowy Egret.  They are both white and of similar size but the Little Blue Heron has a stouter bill and yellowish legs and feet.  Note the adult Snowy Egret had black legs and yellow feet.  The feeding posture of the Little Blue Heron is characteristic.  It searches for food with its neck bent at a 45ª angle to the water.  Some might confuse the Little Blue Heron with a Tricolored Heron but the Tricolored has dark upperparts and white underparts.  

The Little Blue Heron feeds in fresh or salt water but it prefers fresh water swamps and lagoons.  It walks along slowly or stands still with its neck bent feeding on fish, invertebrates, amphibians, crustaceans and the odd turtle or snake.   This species is found mainly along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to Florida particularly in the Gulf of Mexico.  It is also found in the West Indies and Mexico south to Peru and Uruguay in South America.   

A colonial nester, it breeds on the edge of other heron colonies.  The nest is flimsy, made of sticks and is usually 1 to 5 metres (3-15 ft) above the ground or water.  Both adults help incubate the 1 to 6 pale blue-green eggs for 22 to 24 days.  The young do not leave the nest until they are 6 to 7 weeks old.

An interesting fact about this species is that the Snowy Egret tolerates the immature Little Blue Herons feeding near them more than they do the adults and the immatures catch more fish when they are near the Snowy Egrets.  It is interesting to learn how well birds have adopted feeding advantages.  

Post-breeding dispersal occurs with this species, often as far north as Maine and our area.  I doubt if we will ever have a 'battery' of Little Blue Herons but it appears that each year we will be graced with a few in spring and fall.  

Hudsonian Godwit

 Hudsonian Godwit in Non-breeding Plumage

The Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica) is a casual fall visitor especially along our east coast.  It is occasionally found along the Bay of Fundy or inland.  It is usually seen in small groups with other shorebirds.  It feeds along shorelines and is often seen wading out into shallow water.  I have seen it at Grand Manan, along our shores from Shediac southward, at Maisonnette and once inland.  The inland sighting was on our pond in Fredericton in September, 1974.  It was alone and stayed 2 days, feeding in the shallow water and mud around the pond.

The Hudsonian Godwit is a large shorebird with a strikingly long upturned bill which is pink at the base and dark gray at the tip.  The bird is 39 cm (15.5 inches) long and appears larger than the Greater Yellowlegs it often is seen with.  We usually see the non-breeding plumage here.  The adult has gray-brown upper parts and is lighter on the breast.  There is mottling on the back and wing feathers and lower breast.  The tail is black.  In flight you see a bold white wing stripe and black underwing coverts.  This latter feature differentiates it from the Black-tailed Godwit.  In flight you might mistake it for a Willet but the Willet has a shorter bill and a paler tail.  The breeding plumage is strikingly different.  The breast turns to a deep burnt orange and the upper parts are mottled dark gray.  The neck and face are dark and finely streaked.  Occasionally we see traces of the burnt orange colour on the breast of birds arriving here in August.

Hudsonian Godwit in Breeding Plumage  [Internet Photo]

The Hudsonian Godwit spends its summers on breeding grounds on the northern coast of Canada and Alaska; some beside the Beaufort Sea and some on Hudson Bay.  In the fall they migrate down our east coast on their way to South America.  In the spring they migrate north up the central flyway from Texas to the Prairie Provinces and northward.  On the breeding grounds they nest on mixed tundra and wetlands.  Their nest is a shallow hollow on the ground lined with leaves and grass usually hidden in tall grass or shrubs.  Three to four olive brown eggs are laid and incubated for 22 to 25 days.  

Hudsonian Godwits Feeding on Our Shores

Hudsonian Godwits feed on insects, crustaceans, mollusks and marine worms.  I have heard them vocalize and they make a high-pitched 'god - wit' sound.  Presumably that is how they got their name.  After the young are raised, these bird begin one of the longest migration paths of any species.  They fly from the sub-Arctic to southern South America to spend the winter.  Such a long flight path requires very good staging and feeding areas.  We provide those for the population that passes through here.  It is very important that these areas be protected and remain pristine with no pollution so that there is adequate feed for the migrants who need nourishment in order to get enough energy to make the long flights.  

The Hudsonian Godwit is the smallest of the world's 4 species of godwits; Hudsonian Godwit, Marbled Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit and Bar-tailed Godwit.  Because the Hudsonian Godwit breeds in only a few know areas in the north, it is a vulnerable species.  With Arctic oil exploration and increased fishing in the Arctic, these areas become more difficult to protect.  We need to be diligent to protect this species.  A vulnerable species needs extra care on our part.  We cannot let power and money-hungry industry destroy this precious species.  Because it breeds in our north we are responsible for its welfare.  Let's take it seriously!

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is our smallest hawk.  It is really a falcon (family Falconidae).  We tend to call all hawk-like birds 'hawks' but they really are falcons, accipiters, and buteos.  Members of the falcon family here include the American Kestrel, the Merlin, the Gyrfalcon and the Peregrine Falcon.  The American Kestrel is interesting because of its size, its beautiful colouration and its ability to live near humans.  

Ten years ago the American Kestrel was a common 'hawk' around agricultural areas and human development.  Its population numbers have taken a severe hit in the last 10 years or so, so that now we have to look to find one.  When I do see one it is usually on a telephone wire or pole, watching for insects on which it feeds.  It is a small slender falcon with a beautiful patterned colourful plumage.  It often hovers over fields while searching for its prey.  When perched it will often pump its tail.

American Kestrel 

The American Kestrel is 23 cm/9 inches long and the tail appears long and is square-tipped.  The wings are slim and pointed.  The back and upper tail are a mottled chestnut colour, the breast is streaked and dotted, dark on a light cream colour.  The feet and legs are yellow.  The face is white with a bold vertical stripe before and behind the eye.  This is much bolder in the adult male.  The wings of the male are a gray blue colour; chestnut in the female.  The tail is chestnut with a dark band at the tip.  The eyes are dark.  The female is slightly larger than the male. 

The only other small hawk we have here that you might mistake for the kestrel is the merlin.  It is a little larger, and much darker in colour.  It has a shorter tail and is not so colourful overall.  It is more heavily bodied and has heavy vertical streaks on its breast.  

American Kestrel

The American Kestrel ranges over most of Canada and the US.  Most spend their winters in the southern US and Mexico.  They are permanent residents of much of South America.  On their wintering grounds they are common where they prefer open areas.  In the north migrating females arrive before the males and choose the best territories.  The males arriving later then are forced into poorer forested areas.  Here and on the rest of its summer range the breeding female is promiscuous, breeding with 2 or 3 males before settling on one mate.  They usually nest in a tree cavity on an open landscape or forest edge, where 3 to 7 white to pale pink eggs are laid.  The female incubates these eggs 29 to 30 days occasionally with a little help from the male.  Kestrels eat mainly large insects such as grasshoppers.  In the winter they eat small mammals, birds and amphibians.  

American Kestrel

The American Kestrel is the most common falcon in North America.  The vertical black lines on the face are an adaptation to cut down glare from the facial feathers.  It makes a high-pitched 'klee klee klee' call when excited.  

The American Kestrel is a very adaptable species.  It lives in many diverse conditions, from above the Arctic Circle to the tropics of Central America.  It can be found from sea level to elevations over 4500 metres (in the Andes Mountains).  It is not a long-lived species, usually living only 5 years in the wild.  

Population declines for this species have been gradual over the last many years.  Declines have been worse on the east and west coasts.  Some reasons for this have been the use of pesticides and the reforestation and development of what once were large agricultural areas.  However, we did sustain a large population increase in the 18th and 19th centuries probably due the opening up of large areas of forest for agriculture.  This would have provided ideal habitat for kestrels.  The southeastern US population has declined 82% since 1940.  Nest box programs have been started in many areas including a project promoted by the Moncton Naturalist Club.  

This falcon is an easy one to identify and will be easy to watch as it 'hawks' insects from a telephone pole near you.

White-winged Dove

White-winged Dove  [Mark Morse Photo]

The White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) is a very rare vagrant visitor to New Brunswick.  I was one of the observers when it was first reported here on 31 July 1977 at Mary's Point (my records have it listed as seen on 29 July 1977).  Two were seen at Campobello Island at the same time.  It has been seen periodically since and increasingly to the point where it is seen almost annually mostly in the southern part of the province.  I saw another on 7 December 2001 at Alma.  The bird shown in the photos in this post was seen and photographed on Grand Manan by Mark Morse on 22 July 2020.  

The White-winged Dove is larger-bodied than the Mourning Dove but shorter in body length; 30 cm /11.5 inches compared to the 31 cm/12 inches of the Mourning Dove.  The difference is the shorter tail of the White-winged.  The White-winged Dove has gray-brown upper parts, gray underparts, and a small black crescent under the eye.  The wings are dark gray with a broad white stripe and lavish black tips.  The tail is short, square and with white tips to the outer tail feather.  The eye is ruby red and the orbital skin is bright blue.  The bill is black and the feet are red.  The distinguishing feature of this bird is the white wing which shows as a narrow white line at the bottom of the folded wing.  In flight the wings are showy with greyish at the base, a bold white cross stripe and large black wing tips.  

White-winged Dove  [Mark Morse Photo]

The White-winged Dove is a normal resident of the southwestern US through southern Texas.  It has been introduced to Florida and it is expanding northward.  In the winter they migrate to Mexico and the Caribbean Islands.  This species is known for its vagrants showing up in northern places like the northern US and southern Canada especially the Maritime provinces.  The preferred habitat for this dove is open country with dense shrubs and low trees.  It also likes suburban areas and agricultural areas.  When it shows up here it often flocks with our Mourning Doves.

White-winged Doves normally forage on the ground on seeds, grains, and fruits.  It is often seen around feeder areas.  This species is quite vocal making a drawn-out series of 'coos'.  Some have interpreted this cooing as 'who cooks for you'.  

White-winged Doves nest in both high and low densities depending on the habitat.  Courting males circle the female with their tail spread and wings raised.  They flap their tails and do a lot of cooing and preening.  They spar against other males doing a lot of wing slaps.  When the female chooses the male both participate in rearing the young.  Two creamy buff eggs are laid on a frail platform made of loose sticks mounted in a low shrub.  Incubation is 13 to 14 days and is carried out by both adults.  

White-winged Dove  [Mark Morse Photo]

The White-winged Dove is one of 14 species of doves found in North America.  It was first described by George Edwards, an English naturalist, in 1743.  He included an illustration along with a description of this species in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds.  Its Latin name, Zenaida, was named after Zénaida Laetitia Julie Princesse Bonaparte, the wife of Charles Lucien Bonaparte.  The 'asiatica' means Asiatic and is a misnomer and is taken from the mistaken Indies; west being confused with east.  

The White-winged Dove is commonly seen in flocks in summer in areas of the US near the Mexican border.  In Texas flocks of up to 4000 birds can be seen.  In the wild these birds live 10 to 15 years.  In captivity they have lived up to 25 years.  Flocks of these doves can be called a 'bevy of doves' or a 'dule of doves'.  I doubt if we will ever see a bevy of White-winged Doves here but we can see one every year or so.  They are a beautiful dove and a welcome addition to our avifauna.