Western Tanager Visits New Brunswick

 

                                            Western Tanager Female  [Mitch Doucet Photo]

About the middle of December a Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) arrived at a feeder in Moncton.  It is still coming regularly a week later.  The bird is a female and has provided birders with good views and photographic opportunities.

The Western Tanager is a casual vagrant to our area.  There have been a few records in recent years with the first record from Machias Seal Island in June 1975.  Most records have been during migration from the southwestern part of the province.  One individual I remember distinctly was from Shediac Cape in 2002-2003 where it remained at a feeding station for a month.  It was over the Christmas vacation and I remember seeing it shelter in the nativity scene on the lawn of the house at which it chose to remain.  It was the cutest nativity scene I have ever seen!

The Western Tanager is mainly a western species.  Its breeding range includes British Columbia, Alberta, the southwestern part of Northwest Territories, southward to California, New Mexico and Arizona.  It winters in Mexico and Costa Rica.  It prefers coniferous and mixed woods. 

                                    Western Tanager Female  [Marbeth Wilson Photo]

The Western Tanager is beautiful and we New Brunswick birders have to look closely to properly identify it.  The female, as shown above, is olive green with a gray back.  The bill is large and orange-coloured.  Note that there are two wing bars, the top one being yellowish and the lower one white.  The male is much more colourful.  He has bright scarlet red on his head, a bright yellow body and black back, wings, and tail.  His wings have two bold bars, the upper being yellow and the lower, white.  He also has a large greyish-yellow bill.  This species is 16-19 cm long.  See below for an image of the male.

                                                    Western Tanager Male  [Internet Photo]

The Western Tanager is a member of the Cardinalidae family which includes tanagers, cardinals and various large-beaked passerines.  In order to make an accurate identification here we have to separate it from the Scarlet Tanager.  The male is no problem because the Western has wing bars and the Scarlet Tanager does not.  The female is more difficult.  She looks much like the female Scarlet Tanager except she has wing bars and the Scarlet Tanager female does not.  The Western female also has a gray back and a yellow rump.  But, occasionally the female Scarlet Tanager has pale wing bars which presents a problem.  In that case, the female Western shows yellowish in its upper wing bar which is whitish in the Scarlet female.  Sometimes the Western female shows little or no wing bars when its feathers get worn.  In that case you can tell it from a female Scarlet by the greyish back and the Western has a longer tail and a larger bill.  

The Western Tanager was formally described by Alexander Wilson in 1811.  He used a specimen collected by Lewis and Clark on their expedition to the west in 1803-1806.  The 'ludoviciana' part of their scientific name is after the Latin word for 'Louis', the name for Louisiana, the 18th century administrative district for New France, not the state of Louisiana.  

                                Western Tanager Female  [Marbeth Wilson Photo]

Western Tanagers migrate north alone or in small groups of up to 30 individuals.  It is birds two-years old and older that breed.  The female builds a cup-shaped nest from twigs, rootlets, grasses and pine needles.  The nest is placed high in a coniferous tree, usually placed well out on a limb.  Three to five brown spotted blue eggs are laid and incubated 13 days.  The male helps feed the young.  Their diet includes insects and berries.  At feeders they will eat peanuts, safflower seeds, suet, millet and fruit.  Their song is similar to that of the Scarlet Tanager. 

Western Tanagers are hearty birds.  They breed further north than any other of our tanagers.  They can be found at 60º north in Northwest Territories!  Many tanagers are tropical.  Another interesting fact is that the red on the head of the male is not produced by the bird itself but by the diet of insects which give them the ability to produce the red feathers.  The insects carry some factor from the plants they eat.  

If you have been fortunate to have seen a Western Tanager, you can appreciate how lucky we are to occasionally accommodate one here.  Fortunately they seem to be able to find a reliable feeder to sustain them.  

Yellow-throated Warbler

                                                                Yellow-throated Warbler

 A trip to Gagetown on Sunday, December 5, 2021, gave us this wonderful sighting.  See the Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica) above.  It has been coming to the feeders and surrounding area of a bird-friendly house.  This is a relatively rare vagrant to New Brunswick and a welcome sight to the many birders who have seen it.  As you can see, it is a beautiful little bird.

The Yellow-throated Warbler is a rare visitor in the fall but is listed as casual in spring and early winter.  The first record for this species in New Brunswick was from Machias Seal Island in 1975.  Most records since then have been from the southern part of the province.  A few have survived into winter if they have good cover and the support of active feeders.  

The normal breeding range of the Yellow-throated Warbler is south-eastern North America from Illinois, Ohio, and New Jersey south to Missouri, Texas, the Gulf Coast and northern Florida.  Some are year-round residents of Florida.  They spend winters along the Gulf Coast into Mexico and in the Caribbean.  Their preferred habitats are pine forests, cypress, sycamore and oak forests.  They inhabit both swampy and dry areas.  

                                                                Yellow-throated Warbler 

Yellow-throated Warblers feed on insects and spiders and their eggs.  They act very much like nuthatches and Black-and-white Warblers, gleaning food from tree bark and around leaves, cones and needles.  They are often seen feeding upside down.  They will eat suet from feeders.  

                                                            Yellow-throated Warbler 

The Yellow-throated Warbler is 13 cm long (5.3 in) with a wing span of 20 cm (8 in).  This 9.4 g (0.33 oz) little bird packs in a lot of beauty.  Both genders are similar in appearance with the female being slightly lighter than the male.  The bill appears long and the brilliant yellow throat and upper breast are striking.  The upper side is gray and the white supercilium and white patch on the side of the neck contrast with the black mask.  This black mask runs down the cheek and onto the sides of the throat and flanks where it becomes stripes.  These, along with the two white wingbars, make the bird look quite striped.  There is a white crescent under the eye and the white supercilium produces white lores (area in front of the eye) in some races and yellow lores in other races.  The tail shows white patches in the outter-tail feathers.  

This species nests in trees and hidden among conifer needles or Spanish moss.  The four purple-spotted, pale green eggs are laid in a cup-shaped nest made of grass and strips of bark and lined with feathers and hair.  The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 13 days.

                                                            Yellow-throated Warbler 

Western subspecies normally have an entirely white supercilium (no yellow lores).  They also show a small white spot at the base of the chin.  Eastern subspecies may show yellow lores which merge with the white supercilium but no white chin spot.  The voice of the Yellow-throated Warbler  is a series of down-slurred whistles.  Some say it is similar to the Indigo Bunting.  Its song is a series of descending notes which increase in speed and rise abruptly at the end.  It is doubtful if any of our NB birders have been lucky enough to hear this species sing since it is so rare here.

                                                                Yellow-throated Warbler 

All of the above photos are taken by me and are of the individual appearing in Gagetown.  Notice that there is no chin spot and that there is a suggestion of yellow lores (although inconclusive in these photos).  I expect this is the Eastern subspecies.  It is interesting to speculate where this bird spent the summer and where it was hatched.  

As you can see, this species is quite distinctive.  It would not normally be confused with another species but in some areas of its range it might be confused with Grace's Warbler, but it has an extensive yellow supercilium and much less black on the face.  Here the immature male Blackburnian Warbler would casually have to be ruled out in summer, but it has a streaked back, and no white on the supercilium and sides of the neck.  

                                            Yellow-throated Warbler Seen in 2005 at Taymouth

The Yellow-throated Warbler was first scientifically described in 1766 by Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist.  The population today of this species is thought to be stable.  With more vagrants appearing here over recent years one would think it might be expanding its range further north.  

This species will hybridize with the Northern Parula.  The offspring is called the Sutton's Warbler.  It apparently looks like the Yellow-throated Warbler but has no streaking on its sides and some green on its back.  That would be interesting so see!

 

We need to keep our winter feeders well-stocked and clean.  You never know what might show up.  Maybe you will get a nice Christmas bird, like the one in Gagetown this year!

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

                                                   Fork-tailed Flycatcher  [Jim Carroll Photo]

The Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) is a very rare vagrant to New Brunswick.  It is a South American flycatcher whose normal range is from southern Mexico to Argentina.  It strays to the eastern seaboard of the US and occasionally to eastern Canada.  It has been recorded from California, Idaho, Alberta, Texas, Kansas, Louisiana and around the Great Lakes.  We have had several records from New Brunswick starting in 1977.  

Audubon reported seeing his first specimen in 1832.  The species was first described in 1760 by Mathurin Jacques Brisson.  Its name underwent various changes until 1802 when Francois Marie Daudin gave it the binomial name, Tyrannus savana.

                                       Fork-tailed Flycatcher  [Marbeth Wilson Photo]

The bird in the above photos has been seen in the Hampstead area for the last two weeks of November, 2021.  It is feeding on insects found around a pasture and houses and barns.  It obviously is struggling to survive as noted in its ruffled plumage.  

The Fork-tailed Flycatcher has a surprisingly small body, much smaller than the other kingbirds.  It is the long tail that gives it its size.  The bird measures 37 cm (14.5 in) in length and on seeing it, it appears to be mainly tail.  The back is gray and the crown is black and the underparts are white.  The tail is very long in an adult male, shorter in the female, is mainly black in colour and is beautifully forked.  When I have seen this bird I wonder how it actually manages to manoeuvre that long tail.  Males and females have similar plumage and juveniles resemble adults.

The Fork-tailed Flycatcher belongs to the Kingbird branch of the flycatcher family, Tyrannidae.  Kingbirds are conspicuous birds which often perch on exposed perches from which they sally out to catch insects.  There are 3 basic groups of Kingbirds - white-bellied, yellow-bellied and long-tailed.  Adults in the group have a colourful, semi-concealed central crown patch and notches in their outer primaries.  Obviously it is easy to tell the long-tailed group from other kingbirds.  The yellow crown patch on the Fork-tailed Flycatcher is not easily seen.

                                        Fork-tailed Flycatcher  [Marbeth Wilson Photo]

The photo above was taken in July in New Brunswick and shows an adult with a much shorter tail.  This is likely a female or an adult which has moulted its tail feathers which are regrowing.  The two photos above this photo were taken of a different bird in November and show a full adult plumage.  

Fork-tailed Flycatchers seen here are easy to identify.  There are two species one would have to distinguish them from.  The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher also is a rare vagrant here and it also has a very long tail.  It does not have the black cap, has an orangy-pink colour under its wings and its long tail shows a lot of white in the feathers.  The other species is the Eastern Kingbird which shows a similar gray/white/ black pattern but it is much larger and does not have the long tail.  Its tail is also white-tipped.  

Since Fork-tailed Flycatchers are from South America, they are here in late fall thinking it is summer!  What a shock it much be for a vagrant as our weather worsens.  What brings these vagrants so far north?  It is thought that their presence here is a result of overshooting their northward migration to breeding grounds in the tropics.  Instead of stopping in northern South America or in Central American, they overshoot to some place in North America.  Severe storms and strong winds undoubtedly also play a part.  The sad part is that they probably do not know how to turn around and head back south.  

                                                Fork-tailed Flycatcher  [Jim Carroll Photo]

Fork-tailed Flycatchers prefer open habitat and low vegetation up to about 300 m elevation.  Their nest is cup-shaped and built in trees.  It is formed out of grass, plant fibres, leaves and bark shreds and lined with hair and down from seeds.  Two to four white eggs marked with brown are laid and incubated for 14 to 17 days.  The courtship behaviour of the male is interesting.  He swirls, somersaults, twists and flips for his proposed mate.  That must be interesting to see with that long tail!

This species is not very vocal.  They produce a buzzy sound and a weak 'tic' sound in flight.  A.C. Bent describes a behaviour worth noting (Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies, Dover, 1963, p.81).  This is a reference by Hudson from 1920; "They are not gregarious, but once every day, just before the sun sets, all the birds living near together rise to the tops of the trees calling to one another with loud, excited chirps, and then whirling about for a few moments, they precipitate themselves downwards with the greatest violence, opening and shutting their tails during their wild zig-zag flight, and uttering a succession of sharp, grinding notes.  After this curious performance they separate in pairs, and perching on the treetops each couple utters together its rattling castanet notes, after which the company breaks up."  Now, wouldn't that be something to see?

Fork-tailed Flycatchers feed primarily on insects.  If insects are scarce they will feed on berries and small fruits.  And what about that long tail?  How do they actually survive with it?  Apparently it is important to them.  (One would assume so or they would not have evolved in that manner.)  It actually helps them chase down insects.  It allows them to turn quickly and thus catch more insects.  Studies tell us they can actually reach speeds of 40 km/h (65 miles/h) and they can stop and turn very quickly using that special tail.  That would indicate this is a hardy species and this is evident by their ability to stray so far from their normal range.

This year, 2021, we have had two Fork-tailed Flycatchers in New Brunswick; one in July and one in November.  It is unlikely these are the same individual.  We don't often get bird movement in an east-west direction.  We don't know what happened to the July individual and we won't likely know what happens to the November bird.  

Yellow-breasted Chat - A Rare Visitor

                                        Yellow-breasted Chat   [Jennifer Pierce Photo]

The Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) is a rare visitor from Mexico and Panama. It is a bit similar to a warbler but it is larger, has a stouter bill and a very different voice.  It is not difficult to identify.  Its bright yellow breast and throat are startling. Also note the long tail which is often held high, the dark olive green upper parts and the white spectacles.  To read about the life history of this species, search this blog for 'Yellow-breasted Chat'.

The Yellow-breasted Chats I have seen have always been secretive, hiding in tree foliage.  They are often still visible, though, with that blazing yellow breast.  This year there have been a handful of chat sightings.  One was seen by several people in Saint John starting November 6, 2021.  The photos shown in this post were taken from Grand Manan on 9 November, 2016.  

The Yellow-breasted Chat is a mimic.  It will mock other bird calls.  It was formerly grouped with the mimics (mockingbird, thrasher).  It was once grouped with the tanagers because of its large bill.  Fortunately, in 2017, with DNA testing the mystery was thought to be solved and it was placed in its own family, the only member of the family, Icteriidae.  Icteriidae is a distinct group from the blackbirds (Icteridae).  The warbler family (Parulidae) is now considered a sister group to the 'clade' containing Icteridae and Icteriidae.  However, in 2019 a study by Carl Oliveros and colleagues actually classified the Yellow-breasted Chat as a member of Icteridae (blackbirds).  As you can see, the classification of this species is till in doubt!

                                            Yellow-breasted Chat  [Jennifer Pierce Photo]

I will finish this post with a mention of the unique voice of this species.  Their song is a strange conglomeration of weird noises:  cackles, clucks, whistles and hoots.  Their call note is a harsh 'chak'.  Add that to the mimicry this bird will do and you have difficulty identifying this skulking species even when it is near you.  What often happens is you will mistake it for a catbird or a mockingbird and will walk on, missing this rarity.  The only time they are likely to be easily seen is in breeding season when the male is singing from an exposed perch or flying out making a gurgling sound.  Since they don't breed here, we don't see this.  So, as this has shown, it is a rare event to find a Yellow-breasted Chat here in New Brunswick, one to be enjoyed.

Field Sparrow

                                                Field Sparrow   [Jim Carroll Photo]

The Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) is a rare migrant to New Brunswick.  We usually see it here in the spring and fall.  A few years ago I found one in Keswick Ridge where it remained for the summer.  This species was first reported in NB in 1935 from Grand Manan.  It nests here only exceptionally with a nest being found in Fredericton in 1972 and a fledgling seen at Brockway in 2001.

The individual shown above was photographed at Black Beach near Lorneville on October 24, 2021.  The area was alive with sparrows which were feeding prior to continuing their migration across the Bay of Fundy on their route southward down the Maine coast and further.  Along with the Field Sparrow were White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows.  The Field Sparrow was very light-coloured among the others and quickly found cover in the alder thickets away from birders and the many visitors there.

                                                        Field Sparrow   [Jim Carroll Photo]

The Field Sparrow is a medium-sized sparrow, 14 cm  (6 in) long from the family, Passerellidae.  Its identifying features are the complete white eyering, entirely pink bill, and unstreaked breast.  It has a gray head with a rust-coloured crown, the overall plumage is gray, rufous and buff, and the legs are pink.  The belly is white and the tail is slightly forked.  Overall it presents as a very light-coloured sparrow with an eyering.

Sparrows can be difficult to differentiate so what other sparrow species do you need to tell it from?  The American Tree Sparrow is similar but it is normally a winter species here.  The American Tree Sparrow has a black central spot on an unstreaked breast and a 2-toned bill.  The Chipping Sparrow also has a rufous crown but it has a dark eye line and does not show any buff colour.  It has a dark bill and no eyering.

We are beyond the normal range of the Field Sparrow so what ones we get here are vagrants.  This species breeds from Saskatchewan, Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and southern Ontario and Quebec south to Georgia, Mississippi. Louisiana and Texas.  It spends winters south to the Gulf of Mexico and northeastern Mexico.  Its preferred habitat is bushy fields and overgrown pasture.  The habitat I found the summering individual in at Keswick was in a school yard with playing fields, alder thickets and scrub forest nearby. 

 

                            

                                                       Field Sparrow   [Internet Photo]

The Field Sparrow places its nest on or near the ground.  It is a woven cup of grass lined with rootlets and fine grass.  Two to six white eggs marked with brown are incubated by the female for 10 to 17 days.  Field sparrows forage on the ground feeding on seeds and insects.  They will often land on the seed head of tall grasses, bending the stem to the ground so they can feed.

The call of this species is distinctive.  In fact, that is the way I found the summer-residing individual.  Its call is described in various ways.  The literature describes it as a 'sad whistle ending in a trill' or 'a series of soft, plaintive notes, all of the same pitch, accelerating to a trill at the end'.  Both of these are accurate but what was more descriptive for me was the call described as someone dropping a ping-pong ball on a table and the notes beginning slowly as the ball bounced and getting steadily faster and faster until they melt into a blurred sound.  That is how I have found Field Sparrows many times over the years in various places outside of NB.  

The population of the Field Sparrow historically expanded as settlers cleared the forests of North America.   Ornithologists suspect their numbers have declined in late years but the species is still listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as 'least concern'.  

King Eider at Lorneville

                                                                  King Eider Juvenile Male

For the past 2 weeks there has been a juvenile King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) in the vicinity of Lorneville wharf (at the end of Point Road, off Lorneville Road).  It apparently cannot fly probably because it is in moult but it also shows a piece missing from its bill so it may have been injured.  It has been seen around the wharf, along the cove and across the cove at Irving Nature Park.  This individual is a first winter male.  Three of us saw it on October 24 at the wharf where it was resting on a small rocky surface still exposed by the nearly full rising tide,  sharing the space with a Double-crested Cormorant.  It later left the rock and swam by us giving a reasonable opportunity for a photo as seen above.

So, why is this a King Eider and not the much more common, Common Eider?  Firstly, it has an orange bill and not dark gray like the female Common Eider or yellow like the eclipse adult Common Eider.  It also has orange feet and legs and in the Common Eider they are dark gray.  Other distinguishing features include a smaller bill than the Common Eider, and a white patch on the sides above the tail (not visible in the photo above but seen by the observer) and white showing on the breast.  According to Lars Jonsson (Birds of Europe, 1993), first winter males can vary in appearance.  They can have a varying amount of white showing on the throat; their bill can show a varying amount of suggested knob formation; the light patch on the stern can be buff-grey to whitish. 

It takes the King Eider three years to reach maturity.  So why is this individual a first winter male and not a second winter male?  First, it is obviously not an adult male because the adult male has an extremely beautiful white and black plumage with a large orange knob on its bill.  The second winter male shows much more white in its plumage and a definite suggestion of the formation of the orange knob on its bill.  The eclipse male (non-breeding plumage) is dark overall with white showing on its back and wing coverts.  Its bill is pinkish to yellow and the head shape is distinctive.  It also shows a white post-ocular line.  Notice that this specimen has no suggestion of a knob on the bill and no post-ocular line.

In the beautiful photo shown below notice the features of the first winter male.  For more information about the female King Eider, search this blog for a post titled, 'King Eider'.  There you will find information about the female and the distribution of the species.

King Eider Juvenile Male    [Jim Carroll Photo]                                     

The King Eider has a circumpolar distribution and birders in Europe are just as excited about seeing one as we are.  It breeds along the shores of our Arctic islands, Alaska, Siberia, Russia, Greenland, and around the Behring Sea. In autumn it migrates south to open water to spend the winter as far south as our coastline south to Massachusetts and also the Great Lakes.  It is not common here at all and we are always privileged to see one.  It also winters off southern Alaska and a few trickle down the northern British Columbia coast.  

                                        King Eider Juvenile Male   [Jim Carroll Photo]

The King Eider is listed as a rare spring and fall migrant along our coasts (Birds of New Brunswick:  An Annotated List).  In recent times only one bird is usually seen but occasionally small groups appear.  Six were seen at Val Comeau in April, 1993.  In January, 1972, 20 were seen at Maces Bay.

The King Eiders we see here breed in our far north, the eastern population around Greenland and Baffin and Ellesmere Islands.  The nest is usually near water and is a flattened hollow on the ground lined with grasses and down from the female's breast.  The three to seven olive to buff eggs are incubated by the female for 22 to 24 days.  King Eiders eat mainly mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic insects and supplements this with a small amount of eel grass, widgeon grass and algae.  They forage by diving deeply.  Some have been caught in nets 150 feet below the surface!

This species is not very vocal but the male 'talks' to the female in breeding season by uttering an 'urn-urr-URR' sound.  His normal voice is a quavering, dove-like cooing.  The female makes a variety of low clucks, grunts and growls.  

The King Eider was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus when he assigned it to the genus Anas.  It was changed in 1819 by William Elford Leach to the genus, Somateria, the eiders.  Somateria comes from the Greek word, soma meaning 'body' and erion meaning 'wool'.  The combination, 'wooly body', refers to the thick soft down on the bird's body.  The spectabilis is Latin for 'showy' or 'remarkable'. 

In the common name the 'King' comes from the bright orange knob on the bill of the male and the brightly coloured plumage suggesting the royal robes.  The term, Eider, goes way back and is derived from a Dutch, German and Swedish word which is derived from the Icelandic word for eider which in itself is derived from an Old Norse word for eider, aethr.

King Eiders can live to at least 18 years.  A banded specimen was 18 years old.  Their population numbers are listed as 'least concern' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.  They are protected in the Old World by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.  Their population is under threat, however, by dwindling food resources and by predation to eggs and young in the north by Glaucous Gulls, Common Ravens, Parasitic Jaegers and Arctic Foxes.  

Every year we see a few King Eiders migrate past Point Lepreau.  Some are adult males.  I hope I get the opportunity sometime to provide a post on an adult male.

Canadian Cicada

                                                                             Canadian Cicada

We have all heard the Cicada, some of us perhaps not knowing what they were hearing.  In New Brunswick they fill the late summer air with a steady hum or buzz.  But the insects making this sound are rarely seen.  That is because they are arboreal, tree-living.  The males are singing from the tree tops.

Cicadas are deemed harmless unless they occur in large numbers.  The adults are in trees often fruit trees where they can do damage to orchards.  The adults live only a few days when they mate and the female lays her eggs in slits she makes in the bark of twigs.  These eggs hatch into larvae which drop to the ground where they burrow deeply into the ground along the tree roots.  They become nymphs and live for 2 to 5 years (depending on the species) feeding on juice sucked out of the tree roots.  Each year many burrow to the surface and crawl up the tree trunk.  There they metamorphose into adults.  The adults then mate, the females lay their eggs, the adults die and the cycle begins again.

There are two types of cicadas, annual and periodic.  Here in the northeast we have only annual cicadas.  Periodic cicadas occur in United States.  Annual cicadas emerge annually to give us that high-pitched humming sound.  Periodic cicadas live 13 to 17 years depending on the species.  They all emerge at once producing 'cicada years' which has occurred in the northeastern US this summer.  The annual cicadas live 2 to 5 years underground but their cycles overlap producing a population of adults every year.  The periodic cicadas sometimes emerge in huge numbers which causes significant damage to trees.

                                                                            Canadian Cicada

Cicadas are classified in the family Cicadidae of the Order Hemiptera.  They are widespread across southern Canada.  The adults are large insects, 20 to 30 mm (1 to 2 inches) long.  The sound is made by the males using sound-producing organs called tymbals located on the ventral side at the base of the abdomen.  The tymbals are made up of a tight membrane stretched across an echo chamber.  When this vibrates it produces the high-pitched incessant droning sound we associate with hot summer days.

The Canadian Cicada (Okanagana canadensis) is common across southern Canada and ranges northward to the edge of the boreal forest.  It is black and reddish brown and its forewings expand to 60 mm.  Although it is not often seen, it is common.  Because it is such a large insect many people are afraid of them.  Well, it is harmless except for the damage it does to trees.  Birds love to feed on them.  We will never have an apocalyptic emergence of these insects because we do not have periodic cicadas here in New Brunswick.  Their high-pitched drone is loved or hated by all  except those with hearing loss in the high decibel range.  For me, it makes me smile when I hear them first beginning their song on a summer morning.  I know then that it is going to be a beautiful, warm New Brunswick day.

Finding Late Season Bird's Nest

 

                                                        Contents of Bluebird Nesting Box

With the nesting season over, autumn brings bird box maintenance.  One of our bluebird box poles was leaning and inspection revealed the 5" by 5" supporting pole broken at the base.  The break was into the ground so fortunately it did not interfere with the rearing of two clutches of bluebirds this summer.  The pole was removed, the base dug out and a new pole was prepared.  While transferring the box from one pole to the other, it was opened for cleaning.  Normally our boxes have about 2 inches of sawdust and wood shavings in the bottom.  A surprise awaited us on removing the face of the box.  There sitting on top of the wood shavings was a nest with eggs in it.  Well, whose eggs were these and what happened to the remains of the bluebird nest?  

                                                            Nest Found in Bluebird Box

The top photo shows the contents as removed from the bluebird box.  The nest is on top of the wood shavings with some of them incorporated into its structure.  The main nesting material is thick and made of coarse and fine grasses with a good addition of feathers.  The feathers look like chicken feathers probably from our neighbour's flock.  The nest contained 4 creamy coloured eggs with fine streaks and spots of reddish and dark brown.  My first comment on observing the contents was, 'Those are not bluebird eggs".  But whose were they?

                                                    Close-up of Eggs in Nest

The nest looked like the owner had just flown off for a morning forage.  However, we knew that was not so because the box is in close proximity to the house and is observed often.  The only activity there has been the flock of 4 to 8 Eastern Bluebirds which have been hanging around our yard this past week.  Although we have seen them peek into some of the boxes, they seemed interested only in perching on garden stakes and our various roofs in order to fly out to catch insects.  So what could these eggs be from?

Earlier in the summer we had a very active group of Tree Swallows using some of our nest boxes.  I think we had 4 successful broods raised.  The swallows have long since gone.  After they fledged they seemed to move out over the river to feed most of the time.  We have not seen a Tree Swallow in the yard for over a month now.  The only other activity we have seen has been a White-breasted Nuthatch pair which nested in another of our boxes last year.  This year we have not seen them around the boxes but they come regularly to the feeders.

                                                        Close-up of Egg Found in Nest

To solve the mystery we first measured the eggs with callipers:  18.4 mm by 13.2 mm (0.72 in by 0.52 in).  So we have rather small cream-coloured eggs with brownish spots and streaks.  That certainly rules out bluebirds which have pale bluish eggs.  So, what about Tree Swallows?  It turns out they have pure white eggs that are 19 mm X 14 mm (0.75 x 0.55 inches).  So we could rule out Tree Swallows.  They did not fit because we saw the bluebirds using the box after they had left the area.  

What about Black-capped Chickadees?  The literature says their eggs are white with reddish brown dots and are 0.55 X 0.45 inches.  Our mystery eggs were bigger than that and we had never seen the chickadees enter the boxes, although we could have missed it.  

So we are left with White-breasted Nuthatch as a possibility.  The literature says White-breasted Nuthatch eggs are 0.8 X 0.6 inches and white with brown and lilac speckles.  Our eggs fit into those dimensions but are just a bit smaller (0.72 X 0.52 inches).  And, the colour was right.  We concluded the mystery eggs came from a White-breasted Nuthatch.  

Let's look more closely at the nesting behaviour of this species.  The White-breasted Nuthatch is monogamous.  The pair remain together year round and stay together unless one partner dies or disappears.  Their territory is 0.1 to 0.15 Km squared (25-37 acres) in wooded areas and larger in semi-wooded habitat.  They usually nest in natural tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes. The nest is built 3 to 12 metres off the ground.  It is lined with fur, fine grass and shredded tree bark.  The eggs are incubated by the female for 13 to 14 days and the young fledge in 18 to 26 days.  Both adults feed the chicks both in the nest and for 2 weeks after fledging. After this period the young usually leave the adults' territory to find territory of their own.  

If the young are unsuccessful at finding their own territory, they become 'floaters'.  This is a term for an unpaired bird without a territory.  It is these floaters which are thought to make up irregular dispersal of bird species.  

White-breasted Nuthatches roost at night and in inclement weather in holes in trees.  We have observed them entering nesting boxes in cold weather.  They will also take shelter behind loose tree bark in order to avoid bad weather.  These birds usually roost alone but in cold weather they will join together presumably to preserve heat.  As many as 29 have been found roosting together!

So why did a White-breasted Nuthatch nest in this box after the bluebirds had raised 2 broods?  A White-breasted Nuthatch had nesting in a neighbouring box last year.  The collected nest contained no evidence of bluebird use but the nuthatch probably threw all of that out before building her nest.  It could be that the site of her previous nest had been predated or that it somehow was destroyed.  So why did she not remain on the eggs and finish her task?  She may have been taken by the Sharp-shinned Hawk that flew periodically through our yard.  Or, I suspect it was too late in the season to start a brood (which may also have been her second brood) and she had not become broody because of low hormones caused by the late season. 

All my theories are speculation but it is interesting to know that the White-breasted Nuthatch had somehow taken over the bluebird nest and nearly was able to raise her brood.  It will be interesting to see who uses the box next year.

Curlew Sandpiper - Ultra-Rare Vagrant from Europe

                        Curlew Sandpiper with Semi-palmated Sandpipers   [Jim Carroll Photo]

On 9 September 2021 Jim and Therese Carroll were birding at Red Head marsh near Saint John, NB.  Flocks of migrating shorebirds were present feeding on the marsh.  Shorebirds can be difficult to identify so they were looking carefully trying to find what species were there.  Going over flocks of peeps (small shorebirds) with their binoculars, Therese spotted something different, very different.  Using a telescope, they soon recognized what they were looking at was not anything any of us expected to see here in New Brunswick, a Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea).  Fortunately Jim was able to capture some identifying photos which are shown here on this blog.  Many thanks to the Carrolls for finding and documenting this rare visitor!

Curlew Sandpipers have only been seen a few times in North America since accurate ornithological records have been kept.  There are a few records from the 1800s and in recent times we only have a small number.  According to A.C. Bent, Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, 1962, the Curlew Sandpiper was an occasional visitor to North America.  With the exception of one record from Point Barrow, AL all other occurrences have been from the eastern coast of North America (New Jersey 1829, Long Beach 1903, Cape May in 1868, Massachusetts in 1865); from Canada twice, from the eastern US about 10 times, from the West Indies twice and from Patagonia once.  The Canadian records were from Toronto (1868) and Nova Scotia.  

Recent sightings include two by our own Roger Burrows.  One in moulting plumage was seen and photographed in Newfoundland on July 15, 1985 at the Robin Hood Bay/ Cadet Road area of St. Johns by Doug Phelan and Roger Burrows.  Roger has also reported a juvenile from the Thoroughfare Road, Grand Manan on 9 September, 2009.  No photo was obtained from that sighting.

So where should this bird normally be?  In short, the species breeds on the eastern Siberian tundra and winters in central and south Africa, Asia and Australasia.  It passes through much of Europe and Asia on its migrations, following a different path north and south.  Its path north is more west than its path south.  It is seen in the British Isles in July to October; Denmark from August to October; on the Baltic shores, all Mediterranean countries, North Africa, Canary Islands, across Asia to the Indian Ocean, Malasia, China, Australia and New Zealand during migration. It is rare in Britain in spring but large flocks are seen around the eastern Mediterranean.  In spring migration it moves through some of Europe.  For example, it has been recorded from Gibraltar April 24, Egypt May 8, and also in April in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, and also at Lake Baikal and China.  That is a wide migration route! In fall it has been recorded from Ireland in August to September, Greece in September, Africa in November.  Casual records have been from Madagascar, New Zealand, Bering Island and North America.  In other words, it covers most of the Old World with some vagrants seen elsewhere.  This bird takes a very long migration route, sometimes up to 15,000 km.  That covers the distance from north-eastern Siberia to South Africa.  The breeding range of this bird is small (north-eastern Siberia).  Of all shorebird species, its breeding range is the smallest in comparison to its non-breeding range.  As rare as this species was/is in North America the records tell us that in 1844 there were a dozen specimens for sale at the Fulton market on Long Island.  

                                Curlew Sandpiper in Breeding Plumage   [Jim Carroll Photo]

Although the photos make one think we are discussing a rather large species, the Curlew Sandpiper is a peep, a small shorebird.  It is 22 cm long (8.5 inches).  Compare this to our very common Semi-palmated Sandpiper which is 16 cm (6.3 inches) long and the Dunlin to which it is closely related which is also 22 cm (8.5 inches) long.  The top photo shows the size difference compared to the Semi-palmated Sandpiper.  

The Curlew Sandpiper is described as more slender than the Dunlin but with longer wings, neck and legs.  The closest species we would have to distinguish it from are the Dunlin and the Stilt Sandpiper.  When the Curlew Sandpiper is in breeding plumage there is no problem.  The breeding plumage shows the beautiful rufous red colour on the breast, head, neck and sides.  The black bill is long and decurved.  The legs are black and medium-length.  The back is a mottled chestnut colour and the wings are grayish.  There is barring on the sides and under the tail.  In flight it shows a white rump which is a good feature to distinguish it from the Dunlin.  It also has a white wing stripe shown in flight which is used to distinguish it from the Stilt Sandpiper.  The female is similar to the male.  In non-breeding plumage the red fades and the birds become pale gray on the dorsal aspect and white below with a white supercilium.  The in-between plumage is a very interesting mottled gray and red with a mottled gray and brown back.  The juvenile shows a yellowish gray on the neck and upper breast on an otherwise gray and brownish plumage with white below.  I hope we get a chance some day to try to identify one of these plumages!

                                                   Curlew Sandpiper   [Jim Carroll Photo]

It is interesting to look at where this species got its name.  The 'Calidris' is from ancient Greek.  Kalidris was a term used by Aristotle which was used to mean a gray-coloured bird which stayed near the water.  Ferruginis is from Latin meaning iron rust and refers to the beautiful colour of the breeding plumage.  

                                                 Curlew Sandpiper   [Jim Carroll Photo]

Studying the courtship and breeding of this species has been difficult.  They are difficult to see on the Siberian tundra and early records were from people stranded on the tundra or iced in or Arctic boating expeditions.  Recent work has provided more data.  These birds arrive on the breeding grounds in Eastern Siberia in June.  They have been observed in small groups chasing one another around.  The male performs an aerial display for the female.  Nests are built on the drier part of the tundra on a gentle slope.  These areas are dotted with reindeer moss and tufts of wiry grass which are taller than the birds so they can hide easily from predators.  They can also get a wide field of view from these locations.  Several nesting pairs build nests in the same general area.  The nest is a deep hollow in the soil lined with mosses, lichens and leaves.  One nest was reported to have 4 eggs present in a deep hollow with the narrow, pointed end of each egg pointing downwards.  The eggs are pale yellowish-white with a greenish tinge and spotted with small blackish-brown which become confluent near the large end.  Nesting occurs even when there are still patches of snow on the ground.  Some researchers report that the small egg size and the bold markings make the eggs easily identified. The eggs are up to 39.6 mm long.  They are incubated for 21 days by the female.  After nesting both young and adults gather in large flocks and they stay on the tundra until autumn.

                                                 Curlew Sandpiper   [Jim Carroll Photo]

Curlew Sandpipers feed on insects, snails, marine worms, crustaceans, small molluscs and some vegetable matter.  They forage by probing the mud rapidly while walking.  They will wade belly-deep in the water while probing.  This species is not very vocal but on the breeding grounds their alarm call is a rapid 'wick, wick, wick'.  Their flight call is somewhat like that of the Dunlin but purer in tone and sounds like, 'kril'l'l'lee'.

The population numbers of the Curlew Sandpiper are in trouble like most shorebird species of the world.  Counts have been done in South Africa where they are most numerous and the counts show a 40% decline from 1975 to 2009.  The effects of global warming on their breeding grounds, pollution and habitat loss are some reasons for this decline.  Population numbers also flucuate with the populations of lemmings in the north.  If lemming numbers are down, then Skuas and Snowy Owls will prey on nesting shorebirds including the Curlew Sandpiper.  The Curlew Sandpiper is protected under the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds.

                                                 Curlew Sandpiper   [Jim Carroll Photo]

The Curlew Sandpiper occasionally hybridizes with the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper or the Pectoral Sandpiper.  The Curlew/Sharp-tailed cross is called the 'Cooper's Sandpiper'.  The Curlew/Pectoral cross is called the 'Cox's Sandpiper'.  

Whimbrels on Miscou

                                                                            Whimbrel

Whimbrels are large shorebirds that stop along our coastal areas during fall migration.  They stop here to feed and  build up their energy stores before continuing on their very long migration leg to South America.  Our feeding areas here in New Brunswick are vital to their survival.  

Whimbrels are large sandpipers 44 cm long with a wingspan of 81 cm (17.5 in, 32 in).  They are uniformly speckled, brownish on the back, head, sides and tail and grayish on the underneath.  Their most notable identifying feature is their long decurved bill.  They also have very pointed wings.  

In the fall Whimbrels move in small scattered flocks.  They may spend several days in one feeding area usually on coastal heaths, shorelines, marshes and mudflats.  In the west they also spend time on the prairies.  Their main foods are marine invertebrates, marine worms, molluscs, fish, insects and berries.  On Miscou they are found mainly on the heath but also on shorelines, grassy areas and fields.  

                                                        Whimbrel on Heath of Miscou

Recently, in the first week of August we visited Miscou in search of the whimbrels.  We don't always find them because they are difficult to see but this year we saw 3.  If they are on shorelines and mudflats they are usually fairly easy to spot.  On the heath, however, they are very difficult to see.  The heath is mainly low woody plants forming a thick shrubby layer that is almost impenetrable except by machine.  The shrubby plants are about 0.5 to 1 metre tall.  Among these plants are crowberries (Empetrum nigrum) and various kinds of blueberries (Vaccinium) on which the birds feed to build up their fat stores for energy to migrate south.  They also feed on snails, worms and insects found among the plants.  Because the birds are wandering both deep among the plants and sometimes on top, they are difficult to see.  The vast acreage covered by this vegetation on Miscou makes it difficult to see the birds.  Given that one can see for many kilometres over the heath, you can imagine how difficult it is to spot the birds.  Getting a good photograph is very difficult.  See below for a typical exposure.

                                        Whimbrel Shown Among the Heath Plants

Whimbrels are one of our notable shorebird species.  We have a moral duty to protect their habitat so that they can successfully make their migrations.  After all they are making their way from the tundra of coastal Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Alaska and James Bay to South America where they will spend the winter.  We are graced with their presence and it is a delight to get a peek at their presence as they stock up on our available food.   They have been coming here for 1000s of years.

To see more on Whimbrels, search this blog for 'Whimbrel'. 

Eastern Bluebird Juveniles

                                                            Eastern Bluebird Juveniles

We have been fortunate to have two families of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) raised on our property this  year.  They accepted our boxes and became very busy soon after arrival.  This post discusses the young fledged from the nests.  For other information on Eastern Bluebirds please search this blog for 'bluebirds' for 3 other posts. 

Our two families of Eastern Bluebirds raised broods successfully.  They both appeared to start late with their first brood (compared to the Tree Swallows).  Although I am not certain, both pairs appeared to raise only one brood.  One brood was later than the other so that might have been a second brood.  

One group of 3 juveniles have spent their time after fledging around our yard.  Although a bit wary of us, they have become reasonably accustomed to our comings and goings.  We often see them sitting on stakes, trees or low bushes, flying out to catch insects or other invertebrates.  They enjoy our birdbath as seen in the photo above.  As the summer progresses their spots are beginning to fade and they are gradually getting bluer.

                                                                Eastern Bluebird Juvenile

The female brooded the chicks carefully after they hatched, spending time in the box with them.  Both adults fed them as they grew and finally fledged after 15 to 20 days. As the young matured, the adults have moved on.  We rarely see them now.  The young seem to be doing well at feeding themselves and avoiding danger.  See below how well they are camouflaged by their plumage.

                                Eastern Bluebird Juvenile Showing Camouflage in Grass

Eastern Bluebirds can live 6 to 10 years.  Unfortunately many die within the first year of life.  The young can die of starvation and freezing.  Many are taken by predators and humans present a huge threat.  Eggs and nestlings are taken by chipmunks, raccoons, flying squirrels, and parasites.  Cats and hawks will take adults and juveniles.  Humans play a role with habitat loss and poisonous sprays.  Introduction of invasive species like the European Starling and House Sparrow has caused increased competition for nest sites.  

We are fortunately getting wiser with better environmental protection against poisonous sprays and the construction of good bluebird houses.  The placement of many of these wooden birdhouses in appropriate habitat has definitely been positive for Eastern Bluebird population numbers.  Many people have reported families of bluebirds being raised on their properties this year.  That is really good news!  A big thank you goes out to those who have established 'Bluebird Trails' or series of bluebird boxes placed along roadsides in appropriate habitat in their areas.  This is being done in New England and here and we are now seeing positive results.  

We hope food will be abundant, dangers will be few and winters will be mild so that our Eastern Bluebirds winter successfully and will return next year.  We love to share our land with them and enjoy their melodious warble and the flash of their beautiful plumage.  

ADDENDUM

Yesterday we saw 4 Eastern Bluebird juveniles feeding in our backyard.  They were perching on the clothesline and flying down onto the lawn to pick up insects.  Soon we saw more and at one point saw 7 altogether.  That included at least one adult.  On examining my photos one can see that we have 2 age groups among the juveniles.  Notice that as the young get older they begin to lose their spots, get a little bluer and begin to get the rust colour on their breasts.  See the photos below.  

                                        Eastern Bluebird Juvenile Possibly a Female

                                                Eastern Bluebird Juvenile Possibly a Male

                    Eastern Bluebird Juvenile Probably Younger Than the Above Two Individuals