Common Grackle

                                                                    Common Grackle
 The Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) is just that, 'common'.  However, it wasn't always common.  It was quite scarce in the early 1800s. By the late 1800s it became more common.  Jeffries reported it was 'not uncommon' at Grand Falls in 1879.  By 1920 it became very common and perhaps was more common then than today.  Numbers have decreased significantly in the last 30 years.

The range of the Common Grackle is wide spread.  It breeds from western Newfoundland across the Prairie Provinces to inland British Columbia southward to New Mexico and eastward to Florida, a large part of North America.  Flocks arrive here in New Brunswick in late March or early April and leave in October prior to gathering into large flocks.  Some of the flocks have been epic in size.  A flock of 10,000 was reported from Sackville in 1968.  

The Common Grackle is one of three grackles which inhabit North America.  The Great-tailed Grackle and the Boat-tailed Grackle are much larger than the Common Grackle; 46 cm/18 inches, 42 cm/16.5 inches respectively compared to 32 cm/12.6 inches of the Common Grackle.  The Great-tailed Grackle inhabits the southwestern US and Mexico and the Boat-tailed Grackle inhabits the coastal US from Massachusetts to Texas including all of Florida.  With the differences in size and geographical location one is not likely to mistake the Common Grackle for its 'cousins'. 

The Common Grackle is one of our three common 'blackbirds' which spend their summers here.  It is easily differentiated from the Red-winged Blackbird and the Brown-headed Cowbird.  It is larger and has no wingbars and is black throughout.  On seeing a flock of blackbirds, the Grackles appear larger and heavier in body with a longer tail and a thicker, larger bill.  The tail is long and keel-shaped.  The tail shape is easily seen in the birds in flight.  Grackles are beautiful when the sun shines on them.  They show blue, green and bronze iridescence.  In a flock this is very beautiful.  Grackles have a pale yellow iris.  They are noisy birds and can make their presence known.  They readily enjoy seed scattered on the ground under your feeders and are not afraid to hop on the feeder or try to get suet from your wire baskets.  

                                Common Grackles Showing Bronze, Blue and Green Iridescence

Common Grackles prefer open and edge habitats, urban and agricultural areas, marshes, swamps, golf courses, etc.  You can see why they are common.  They have been able to adapt to many different habitats.  The nest is built in a tree, often a conifer, 1 to 3 metres above ground.  It is bulky and made of twigs, grass, mud, feathers and sometimes items of human garbage.  The 4 to 7 eggs are green to light brown with purple markings and are incubated for 12 to 14 days by the female.  The diet of this species includes insects, eggs and nestlings of other bird species, lizards, fish, fruit and seeds.  At your feeder they readily eat cracked corn, suet, millet, nuts and sunflower seeds.  Indeed, they are a versatile species.  

This species is very vocal.  Their call is a 'chuck' and their song is a squeaky 'reedle-eak'.  This spring we had large flocks of grackles visit our yard.  We often saw groups of 10 to 40 or 50.  The other birds get upset when the Grackles are around.  This is probably due to their preying on the other birds' young or eggs.  They also dominate the feeding area and sometimes leave little for the other birds.  

                                            Common Grackle Feeding from Seed Container

In the fall here it is fun to see the Common Grackles gathering in large flocks prior to migration.  Birders often check these flocks carefully for other species, especially Rusty Blackbirds.  This much less common species shows rusty markings at that time of year and can be easily identified.  

Common Grackles are interesting in their being so adaptable.  As many of us have seen, some inhabit coastal areas and they have learned to forage along the tide line where they find invertebrates.  They will even wade into the water to catch fish.  Another interesting behaviour is 'anting'.  They will spread out their wings while lying breast-down on the ground and allow ants to crawl through their feathers.  It is thought that the formic acid secreted by the ants is used by the Grackle to kill parasites.  It has also been observed that single Grackles (who for some reason do not have mates that season) will become helpers to other couples with their offspring.  

The Common Grackle, a common species here which flocks with other blackbirds, is an interesting and unique species when one takes a closer look!

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks --- Ultra-Rare in New Brunswick

                                        Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks  [Andrew Olive Photo]

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is definitely an ultra-rare species for New Brunswick.  It has never been recorded as being present in the province before now.  It has been seen very occasionally in Nova Scotia and Maine but none has been seen or photographed here.  The species has, however, been experiencing a northeasterly flow of vagrants over the years and it was an expected species sometime for NB.  Given that, the few birders, who were lucky enough, did not expect to be able to see and photograph this rare duck this year.  

There was one prior possible sighting of this species in NB a number of years ago.  A person allegedly saw one on the Miramichi River near Boiestown, took a distant photo and reported it.  Unfortunately the photo was not clear enough to prove it was a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck so the record was not accepted.  However, on 11 June 2021 that all changed!  On that day Steve Ouellette found 6 Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks behind the Atholville lagoon along some of the rubber berms.  He reported them through Andrew Olive who saw and photographed them (see above).  A few birders were able to make their way north to see them.  Unfortunately they must have left during the night because they were gone early the next morning.  Apparently a few days earlier a small group of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks was reported from Connecticut and then New Hampshire.  These might have been the same ducks that arrived in Atholville.  Bird movement is interesting!

All ducks are members of the Anatidae family.  The family Anatidae includes 3 subfamilies found in North America; Dendrocygninae (Whistling-Ducks),  Anserinae (true geese and swans) and Anatinae (ducks).  The Dendrocygninae subfamily is by far the smallest group including 8 species which are all found mainly in tropical regions.  Anatomically they are distinctive.  They are slim, long necked, and they have long bills.  They stand noticeably upright.  They have whistling calls and some perch in trees.  They were formerly known as 'tree ducks'.  Notice the long necks, long legs and long bills in the photo above.  

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck's normal range is the coastline of south-eastern US mainly Louisiana and Texas and Mexico.  It ranges through Central America and into South America.  It prefers quiet shallow freshwater ponds, estuaries, wetlands and marshes.  I have been fortunate to see them in Georgia where they were feeding on roots and seeds of marsh plants.  When I first saw them I immediately recognized the long pink legs and upright stance as being different.  See the photo below.  

                                        Black-bellied Whistling-Duck  [Bev Schneider Photo]

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is a large duck (53 cm [21 inches long]),  just a bit smaller than the Mallard.  Besides the features mentioned above, its red bill and bubblegum pink legs and feet are very noticeable.  It has a gray face, rufous brown breast and back, white wings and a black belly.  The white eyering is easily seen.  It appears tall and slim when it stands.  Imagine how amazed and excited the birders were who got to  see it.  

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks nest mainly in tree cavities.  They also nest on the ground in a poorly-formed nest.  Twelve to sixteen white eggs are laid and incubated by both adults for about 28 days.  The ducklings fledge at about 56 days and remain with the adults for the rest of the year.  This species feeds mainly at night on seeds, roots and grasses.

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are named for their whistling vocals.  That is described by some as a multi-syllabic nasal whistle, a pe-che or a pe-che-che-ne.  

Another close relative of the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, the Fulvous Whistling-Duck has been seen in NB.  A flock of 21 of them arrived on Grand Manan in the autumn of 1961.  This flock broke up and smaller groups were seen on Grand Manan and at Evandale, Kings County.  Five were shot by hunters and are preserved in both the Grand Manan and the NB Museums.  

I think we can agree the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is an unusual duck.  One early American ornithologist described it as 'most un-duck-like'.  Being a tree duck, it readily uses duck boxes.  This has undoubtedly helped its range expansion.  You never know, we just might witness a 'brace' of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks soon in one of our Ducks Unlimited areas.  Wouldn't that be nice!

Luna Moth

                                                                Luna Moth Adult  [Internet Photo]

The Luna Moth is a spectacular moth, for me our most beautiful moth.  It is very large with a wingspan of 8 to 11.5 cm (3 to 4.5 inches).  Rarely it can get as large as 17 cm (7 inches).  I saw one this past weekend (June 6) in a hardwood forest at Scotch Settlement, York County.  Believe me, it is a mouth-dropping experience.  It flew past me from behind and quickly made its way among the deciduous leaves just above eye level.  Its awesome light lime colour was remarkable and the trailing tails on its hind wings were waving back and forth as it flew past.  It looked to be about 15 cm (6 inches) across.  Unfortunately it did not give a photographic opportunity.  As shown in the photo above, the Luna Moth  has simulated eye spots on both the fore- and hind wings.  The body is white.  The antennae are feathered, moreso in the males.

I have not seen many Luna Moths in my lifetime.  After reading about their life history I now know why.  The adults are very short lived.  In fact, they are only around for about a week.  So let's look at the life history.  The eggs are laid under leaves of deciduous trees.  In New Brunswick the favoured trees are maple, oak, willow and white birch.  (See how important it is to plant native trees).  In our part of North America Luna Moths go through only one life cycle per year.  Further south they can manage 2 or 3 cycles.  The eggs hatch into larvae which then go through five stages.  They feed, grow and then pupate repeatedly until they get large enough to metamorphisize into adults.  

                                                        Luna Moth Larva (Caterpillar)  [Internet Photo]

The larvae grow up to 70-90 cm in length (2.8-3.5 inches).  The larvae go through 5 cycles before becoming a cocoon.  Most stages look similar.  The black spots are sometimes burgundy in colour.  All cycles are carried out in the same deciduous tree.  After the fifth cycle (instar) the larva crawls to the ground and forms a cocoon in the leaf litter under the tree.  The adults then emerge in about 2 weeks from the cocoon.  It takes 2 to 3 hours for the adults to inflate their wings and harden their structure so they can fly.  The adult females fly to a preferred tree and then emit their pheromones to attract a male.  She usually accepts the first male that arrives.  The breeding process takes place around midnight and it takes about 2 hours.  The female usually dies after laying her eggs.  The male remains alive for a few more days in order to breed more females.  The adults are nocturnal and remain alive for only 7 to 10 days.  No wonder we rarely see them.  

Luna Moths have a few interesting defence mechanisms.  The larvae make a clicking noise when in danger.  These sounds extend into the ultrasound frequencies but are also audible to humans.  They also regurgitate intestinal contents as a deterrent.  Bats prey on Luna Moths and research has shown that their trailing long tails on their hind wings scramble echolocation helping to protect them from bats.  

Luna Moth populations are threatened by pesticides.  Another insult has come from well-meaning attempts to control the gypsy moth.  A fly was introduced from Europe to help control the gypsy moth and unfortunately adversely affected the Luna Moth as well.  

Luna Moths, Actias luna,  are members of the Saturniidae family, giant silk moths.  They have been mentioned in Greek mythology, modern pop music and literature. A Luna Moth was featured on a US postage stamp in June, 1987.  

House Wren

                                                                            House Wren

 I was visiting a friend's yard last week (May 27) to try to see the Orchard Oriole which had arrived there the day before.  I had no luck with the Oriole but I heard an unusual bird song which I immediately identified as a House Wren.  I invited my friend to come outside and listen and was able to show her the House Wren sitting on the top of the tallest spruce tree singing its heart out.  The photos in this blog are of that beautiful little songster.

The House Wren is not common here in New Brunswick.  It is officially listed as a very rare summer resident and migrant.  Reports are usually from along the St. John River and there are only a few breeding records.  So, most of our singing males do not find mates.  We are at the northeastern limit of its range so only a few make it here.  It is, however, a common inhabitant over much of the US and the most southern aspect of Canada which includes southern Ontario and Quebec but not the Maritimes.  It winters in the southern US and Mexico.  

Historically there were three reports of House Wrens in New Brunswick in the 19th century.  In the first half of the 20th century there were reports of only about 20 to 30 individuals (Austin Squires, The Birds of New Brunswick).  We have had many more reports in recent years including breeding records so the species appears to be moving slowly northward into our province.  Long-term population increases have been documented.  The species is tolerant of human activity which favours its survival success.

                                                                            House Wren

The House Wren is the ultimate 'little brown bird'.  It is a mere 12 cm (4.7 in) long.  It is brown on the upper parts and grayish beneath.  Its supercilium (line over the eye) is indistinct, a field mark which helps distinguish it from its relative, the Carolina Wren.  Its tail is long and the bill is medium in length.  The dull appearance of this little bird is overshadowed by its loud, effervescent song which it delivers with great gusto.  The song is described as a trilling, energetic flutelike melody which is often delivered in bursts with many repeats.  That is what this little ball of energy was treating us to the day we saw it.  

I have also seen a pair of House Wrens nesting in the Mactaquac area.  They were in the backyard of a house along the river and using a nest box.  They successfully raised their brood.

House Wrens prefer habitats such as  gardens, hedgerows, dense brushy patches, forest edges, shrubby areas and farmland.  They nest in tree cavities and readily accept nest boxes.  Five to nine white eggs with brown flecks are laid in a nest made of sticks and grasses.  The female incubates the eggs for 13 to 15 days.  House Wrens eat insects and they forage by gleaning insects, arachnids, millipedes and spiders from leaves and bushes.  

                                                                            House Wren

There are two wren species here which you would have to distinguish the House Wren from; the Carolina Wren and the Winter Wren.  The Winter Wren is far more common and is a common summer resident.  It is much smaller, shorter-tailed and more heavily barred.  It also has a very different song (but beautiful in its own right).  The Winter Wren is more secretive and hard to see.  The Carolina Wren is larger, and is a brighter, richer rufous brown with a bold white supercilium.  The Carolina Wren is not common here.

House Wrens are sometimes notorious for their strong territorial behaviour.  They will destroy other species nests to achieve that.  They have been known to destroy nests of Bluebirds no matter how far along the family is in its development.  That is remarkable for such a small bird.  They can indeed 'pack a punch'. 

Brown Thrasher Spring Surprise

                                                                            Brown Thrasher

On May 2 we were walking our dogs on a vacant court near our home in Fredericton on a beautiful sunny day.  This has been an early spring and the Amelanchiers were already in bloom.  I became aware of loud, intense bird song on my left over a tangle of blackberry and raspberry canes with a hedgerow of bushes beyond.  I could tell it was a mimic, one of our 3 species which produce long, varied, repetitive bird songs.  I describe them as loud and boisterous.  

The Brown Thrasher, along with the Gray Catbird and the Northern Mockingbird are members of the Mimidae family.  There are 34 species in 11 genera worldwide in that family.  In North America there are 10 species and all live in the southwest except the Brown Thrasher, the Gray Catbird and the Northern Mockingbird.  We have the Gray Catbird as a common summer resident.  The Brown Thrasher and the Northern Mockingbird are listed as rare summer residents.  These three species prefer thickets, hedgerows and grown-over areas.  Brown Thrashers and Northern Mockingbirds like to sing from a high perch and they certainly make their presence known.  The Gray Catbird is boisterous and noisy but it usually hides in thick vegetation.  

Brown Thrashers have a long decurved bill with which to probe for food in leaf litter and holes in the ground.  They feed on insects, seeds and invertebrates.  They have the distinctive orange/yellow eye of the thrasher family.  The Brown Thrasher is a beautiful rufous brown and the long tail is very noteworthy.  It is a large bird, 29 cm (11.5 in) long.

                                          Brown Thrasher Singing from an Amelanchier Bush

Male and female Brown Thrashers are similar in appearance.  The rufous brown colour and the stripes on the breast and flanks are striking.  

The family Mimidae are noted for their boisterous, repetitive songs.  One can actually use the repetitive characteristics of the song to identify the species.  That is helpful in identifying species that like to spend their time in thick vegetation!  As I listened to the song of the bird mentioned in this post I was immediately aware it was a 'mocker' (member of Mimidae).  Here in NB that would make it either a Gray Catbird, a Northern Mockingbird or a Brown Thrasher.  I could tell right away it was not a catbird because I am most familiar with that song.  So the test then, since I could not see the bird at first, was was it a mockingbird or a thrasher.  One can tell, although it is not as easy as described in the literature, by the number of repetitive elements in each repetitive phrase.  These phrases are intermingled with many other warbles and twitters so one has to listen carefully.  I could eventually tell there were usually 2 repetitive elements in the phrases, so that would make the bird a Brown Thrasher.  The Northern Mockingbird usually has 3 repetitive elements in each repetitive phrase.  So the task then was to wade through the blackberry and raspberry canes and to try and see the singing bird.  I eventually found it sitting near the top of the high bushes blended in very well with the blossoms.  What a sight - what a beautiful bird.  It continued to sing.  I stayed well back and just enjoyed the concert.  It allowed the photos seen above.  

Brown Thrashers are amazing songsters.  They have the largest repertoire of songs of all North American songbirds.  They are able to vocalize 3000 distinct songs!  They sing for long periods at a time interspersed with rest periods.  

Brown Thrashers are the state bird of Georgia.  They have inspired the National Hockey League team, the Atlanta Thrashers, to use their name.

For more information on the life history of this species, search this blog for 'Brown Thrasher'.

Garganey in New Brunswick?

                                                                        Garganey Male

A rare bird alert came out on Monday morning, May 3, 2021.  An extremely rare duck from Europe was seen at Hay Island (Ile-aux-foins) near Neguac, NB.  We had other plans for that day but immediately changed them for a trip north.  Most birders here had not even heard of a Garganey let alone seen one.  A quick check to Birds of New Brunswick: An Annotated List showed that there have been only two previous records of this species in New Brunswick : a male at Red Head Marsh, Saint John in May, 1979 and a male at Val-Comeau in May, 1990.  Both previous records indicated the Garganey was accompanying Blue-winged Teal which is apparently normal for this highly-migratory species.  In our present visit, it was accompanying Green-winged Teal.

The Garganey is an Euro-Asian species where it is abundant.  It occurs regularly in the extreme western North America: the Aleutians, the Pribilofs and along the Pacific coast.  It occurs rarely in widely scattered spots throughout North America.  Most records are in the spring when the male is easily identified.  The females and eclipse males are difficult to distinguish from female Blue-winged Teal and would be often overlooked.  In Europe the Garganey breeds from Britain and France to central Europe, north to Sweden, through eastern Europe and into Russia.  It winters in tropical Africa.  

                                                                        Garganey Male

The male Garganey in breeding plumage is very impressive.  Move over Green- and Blue-winged Teal.  There is a new kid in town.  The Garganey is a bit bigger than our teal, the Green-winged and the Blue-winged (39 cm compared to 36 and 39 cm).  It is heavier and it shows in profile in the head and bill.   His plumage is remarkable.  His head, neck and breast are a deep cinnamon brown.  He has a humongous white superciliary line.  This wide white line extends in an arc from in front of the eye over the upper aspect of the cheek and down the neck.  See the photo above.  The flanks are a light gray and they are overhung by very beautiful long tertiary feathers that are medium gray and outlined with white.  These two features, the white line and the flashy tertiaries are what you first notice.  The wings have a pale blue shoulder patch and a dark green speculum outlined in white.  This varies somewhat from the Green-winged Teal with a wider white line, the anterior (dorsal)  line being very wide.  The undertail coverts are black and the feathers around the tail are gray mottled.  The photo below shows the speculum clearly.

                                                    Garganey Male Showing Speculum

Gargeney nest near small ponds with abundant floating vegetation.  The 7 to 12 creamy yellow to light olive eggs are laid in a nest on the ground made of grass.  It is usually hidden under a shrub or in tall grass.  The female incubates the eggs 21 to 23 days.  

Garganey feed mainly on plant seeds, pondweeds, grasses and aquatic invertebrates.  They are filter feeders and usually feed by skimming or moving along with their heads under water rather than by upending. 

 

Garganey were one of the species described by Linnaeus in 1758.  They still have the same scientific name, Anas querquedula.

A Flock of Glossy Ibises

                                                                        

                                                                         Glossy Ibis

On Wednesday, April 28, 2021 I noticed on the Chat Line that David Lilly published a sighting of 25 Glossy Ibises just west of where Rt. 2 crosses Rt 105 in Sheffield.  At first I thought it was a typographical error.  Who could imaging 25 Glossy Ibises?  I have never seen anywhere near that many together in the southeastern US where they are common.  I quickly saw that someone questioned the number and it was confirmed at 25.  At the time I was occupied at home but with that rare sighting I dropped everything, quickly loaded my car with gear and headed out.  On arrival I found them exactly where described. 

At a distance Glossy Ibises look black.  They are large waders and easy to spot.  There was the large flock in a pond near the road and easy to spot.  Some were preening, some were sleeping, some were feeding.  It was difficult to count them.  I got 22 on one count and 24 on another.  I had a very short time to watch them and try to get some photos.  Soon a female Northern Harrier flew over them and put them all up.  They circled in a tight formation around the pond twice while croaking to one another.  Soon they settled in a pond behind the first pond and now not visible from the road.  My friend was on his way to see them so knowing where they were exactly helped him see them from a different angle.  Four days later we returned to see them again.  This time they were across the road towards the river in a pond behind a house and some outbuildings.  They were difficult to see with all the obstructions but I managed to get more photos and to count 18.  I expect there were more there but I was not able to get a clear view.  

                                                    Some of the Flock of Glossy Ibises

                                                    More of the Flock of Glossy Ibises

I was able to watch the birds for a short while and specifically looked for any possible White-faced Ibises among them.  I found none and all the Glossy Ibises looked like healthy adults.  The ones that were feeding were being successful and I watched them eat worms and other invertebrates.  They undoubtedly found amphibians as well.   See the video below I took of another Glossy Ibis from a different visit to New Brunswick which shows it feeding.

The arrival of a large flock of Glossy Ibises in New Brunswick causes one to wonder where they have come from and where they are going.  They are not native here and we have had only one unsuccessful breeding attempt recorded in the province.  According to the Birds of New Brunswick:  An annotated List  the first reports of Glossy Ibises in NB began in the 1950s.  Most reports have been of single individuals or of low numbers.  Eight were reported from Sheffield in May, 1973 and 10 from Saints Rest Marsh in April 1986.  Groups in the double digits are exceedingly rare.  I remember a report from Nettie Moore's sightings of a large number many years ago (verification being researched).  Our report of 25 is definitely amazing.

The Glossy Ibis is a paleoarctic species.  In North America it summers along the Atlantic coast north to southern Maine and southward to southern Florida and westward to Louisiana along the Gulf coast.  It is a permanent resident in the south of this range.  It also summers in SE Europe, the Middle East and SW Russia and winters or is a permanent resident in Africa, Madagascar, Australia and some islands in the south Pacific.  In all areas its populations were declining until recently.  

In Europe its population numbers have increased due to agriculture in Spain where rice is now grown.  In North America the former decline in population has reversed.  Glossy Ibis population numbers have increased by about 4% per year since the 1960s.  This explains why our sightings have increased in late years.  They are undoubtedly benefiting from our wetland conservation programs.  It is exciting to see our conservation of habitat efforts has produced results.  Imagine, 25 Glossy Ibises in one flock here in Sheffield!

For more information on the life history of the Glossy Ibis, search this blog for 'Glossy Ibis'.