Downy Woodpecker feeding its brood, Sugar River Forest Preserve

A DOWNY WOODPECKER FAMILY AT WORK

A male Downy Woodpecker feeding a young Downy, Sugar River Forest Preserve; 6/2/2012.

My first trip to Sugar River Forest Preserve rewarded me with an interesting interaction between an adult Downy Woodpecker feeding their young (Above) which were taking turns peeking their heads out of the excavated hole in a tree trunk. I was first attracted to their nest when I heard the constant rattling of the woodpecker nearby.  But it seemed different than when I usually hear Downys. This time the the Woodpecker sound was a constant, unceasing call that seemd a bit higher pitch. So when I looked up I saw a young male Downy peeking its head out of the trunk hole (Below) while the adult was nearby in the tree next to it.  The little guy didn't stop chattering until its parent showed up to give it something to eat.

A young male Downy peeking out of his nest waiting for a meal to show up, Sugar River Forest Preserve; 6/2/2012.

The  male Adult Downy gives the young male Downy a stern look, Sugar River Forest Preserve; 6/2/2012.

Then the father showed up (Above) and silenced the youngun. After it flew away, the chattering started again. I looked up, but this time it was a different young Downy. This one didn't have the red patch on its crown, so I knew it was a young female (Below)...

A young female Downy peeking its head out of her nest waiting for some attention, Sugar River Forest Preserve; 6/2/2012.

The female Adult shows up to deal with her young Downy, Sugar River Forest Preserve; 6/2/2012.

... then the female adult also shows up.

A different male Downy baby? Sugar River Forest Preserve; 6/2/2012.

After a bit, the young male popped his head out again, but upon analyzing it, I believed it was a third juvenal, because its bill looked bent, whereas the other male juvie had a straight bill.  It was cool to see an entire family of Downy Woodpeckers, both adults and probably three of their babies.  I found out from a very good website (Link Below) that most Downy broods will be between 3 -8 eggs, and the youngest (latest to hatch) frequently die.  Also both the male and female take turns caring for the young while they are being fledged.

http://www.sialis.org/dowobio.htm

Pied-billed Grebe family at Horicon Marsh NWR

On a gray rainy morning a couple of weeks ago, while I was stalking some Marsh Wrens in the long cattail reeds on the side of a pond, a little duck-like bird suddenly swam out of the reeds making a beeline away from me. The little guy had a black, white and orange markings on its head and was quite striking. I had never seen a water bird like this before, but the shape of its body, particularly its head and bill looked like a Pied-billed Grebe. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw its Pied-billed Mama swimming fast toward it and diverting its course to the opposite side of the pond.

A Pied-billed Grebelet, Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, WI; 6/16/2012.

A Pied-billed Grebe with a soon-to-be-a meal-frog in its bill, Horicon Marsh NWR; 6/16/2012.

The P-B Grebe turned toward the opposite side of the pond, still with the frog in its bill, Horicon Marsh NWR; 6/16/2012.

"Look at what I have for dinner...yummy," says the Mother to her Grebeling, Horicon Marsh NWR; 6/16/2012.

Soon two more Grebelets appeared and followed Mom,  Horicon Marsh NWR; 6/16/2012.

"Okay, now we all have to learn to share," Mother Grebe says to her brood, Horicon Marsh NWR; 6/16/2012. 

Because of this little episode in the the lives of the Pied-billed Grebe family, I lost the Marsh Wrens that were chattering in the reeds.

Great Blue Herons at Rock Cut State Park - weird behavior?

Great Blue Herons wondering when the cooler temps will get here?

A pair of Great Blue Herons looking straight up in the air, Rock Cut State ark, Rockford, IL; 7/6/2012.

Yesterday, I decided to brave the 103 degree temperature and take the 4 1/2 mile hike around Pierce Lake at Rock Cut State Park.  Objective? To see what foolish people (other than myself) and wildlife would be out in mid afternoon on a day like this. Usually if I walk at a steady pace without stopping (pre-birding days) the hike would take no more than 90 minutes; however, since I have started taking wildlife photography, which then logically led me to take more interest in birds, which then turned me into a more active birder, the hike now takes me 3-4 hours. Yesterday's hike took me 3 hours.

So what are these Grt Bl Herons doing? Praying for rain? Pleading to the Nature Gods for temperature relief?

At the beginning of my hike at 3 PM, I noticed these two Great Blues standing near the shore looking straight up in the air like a Cormorant. When I saw their silhouettes, as they were back lit, my first reaction was, "Those are really large Cormorants," or "What are Anhingas doing here?" Of course, i knew they were herons, but in the few years of birding (only a 2-3 year novice), I have never seen Great Blue Herons do this.

Initially, what caused me to look their way was that I was following the flight of a Belted Kingfisher, which landed in a tree above where the herons were wading. So I thought that they were watching the Kingfisher. but even after the Kingfisher flew off, they continued this behavior. 

What's up there that's so interesting? Perhaps this a way of cooling off?

I would estimate that these herons were looking up for between 5-10 minutes, before I hiked a little too close for their comfort and they flew across the lake. I saw at least another half dozen Great Blues and one Green during the rest of my hike, and no other Herons were looking up in the air as this pair.

So if any readers have come across this behavior, let me know, and if you know why they were doing this, also clue me in. Thanks ahead of time.

**********************************************************

Thanks to Barbara from the Illinois Ornithological Society (Link below) for her explanation of this behavior. See her comment below:

"That posture is a typical threat display. My guess would be that one heron was intruding on the feeding territory of the other and they had a "Mexican standoff" type of interaction going. Great Blue Herons aren't going to suffer from this kind of heat the way we do. Their range extends well into the steamiest parts of the tropics and they are in the water much of the time. Their plumage is not very thick. In fact, it always surprises me that we can almost always find them around here in the middle of winter."

Barbara Williams

IOS Membership Secretary

Winnebago Co.

http://www.illinoisbirds.org/



Duck Families - Mallards & Woods

Mother Mallard looking after her 3 ducklings, Rock Cut State Park; 6/15/2012.

As with Canada Geese (yesterday's post), by mid June to mid July, Mallard Duck families (Above) are easy to run across almost anywhere in the northern half of North America. Generally, Mallards will lay anywhere from a half dozen to a dozen eggs in one clutch taking about one month to incubate. Then another 7-8 weeks for the ducklings to be fully fledged. The large quantity of young in a clutch makes the Mallard Duck the most widely spread Duck in North America (perhaps the world?), so I was surprised last year while I was watching a Mallard with only one duckling following it around (Below). I waited for more to appear, but no more did. It goes to reason that the rest of her clutch was lost by a predator, parasites, or perhaps didn't hatch.

Mallard and single baby, Rock Cut State Park, IL; 5/22/2011.

Manky Mallard (cross with a domestic duck?) mother giving instructions to her brood, Rock Cut SP; 7/21/2010.

At first glance, you wouldn't suspect that the family of ducks (Above) were Mallards. The Mother (on the right) is likely a mix of a Mallard with a domestic species (the dark bill and white breast looked like perhaps a mix with a Northern Pintail? but more likely with a domestic duck).  Mallards have been notoriously known for their promiscuous behavior with their mating habits. They have been known to breed with several other species - wild and domestic.  When Mallards breed with a domestic duck they have been called "Manky Mallards" (coined by Charlie Moores at http://10000birds.com/manky-mallards-domestic-feral-or-just-plain-odd-mallards.htm ). This particular Manky mother has a brood of eight "Manklets" (I coined that one). In the photo (Above) you can see that six of them have the same markings as their mother, and in the photo (Below), you can see that only two of them have the more traditional Mallard Duckling look.

Falling in line under the watchful eye of the Sgt. Manky Mallard, Rock Cut SP; 7/21/2010.

In my short Birding life (2-3 years?) I have been trying to photograph as many Manky Mallards as I come across them. perhaps someday I will do a post featuring all these Mankies.

A Wood Duck family at the Nygren Wetlands, Rockton, IL; 6/2/2012.

Another duck speces, that is less common or promiscuous than the Mallard, is the Wood Duck. I have had the lucky oppurtunity to winess at least two Wood Duck families this Spring. The family of six ducklings (Above) were at quite a distance at Nygren Wetlands. (Below) I was was able to catch a baby Woodie running acoss the mudflat to catch up with the rest of the family. Again I was quite far away, and the ISO on my camera was not working properly that day, so all my photos in this outing were blown out and contrasty.

A blurry fuzzball of a Wood Duckling scurrying to catch up with rest of the brood, Nygren Wetlands, Rockton, IL; 6/2/2012.

Another distance shot of a different Wood Duck family, Horicon Marsh NWR, WI; 6/16/2012.

The second Wood Duck family (Above) I saw this Spring was at Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin.  Even though I was quite far across the pond from them, it didn't take Mother Woodie long to coax her brood of three into the cattail reeds out of sight. Because Wood Ducks are less common than Mallards, it is always a treat to spot one.

Canada Geese Families

CANADA GEESE FAMILIES

A Mother Canada Goose and her goslings, Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, WI, 5/29/2010.

One of the more common sights in late Spring are the newly formed Canada Goose families that spring up wherever there might be water for the little goslings to learn how to swim and eat.

Morning Sunlit Goslings, Rock Cut State Park, Rockford, IL; 5/18/2008.

When they are just a few days old, the young goslings will not be found very far from their mother.

A Family of 20+, Seney Wildlife Refuge, Michigan; 5/27/2007. Photo crdit: Valarie Wittman.

Canada Geese are known for their large broods (commonly 3-8 eggs, but often times more), such as the 20 Goslings belong to this pair (Above). It is also possible that this could be two mothers travelling together, each with 10 little goslings, forming a creche (a Goose Day Care Center).

Goslings, just a few days old, Horicon Marsh NWR; 5/13/2012.

Little yellow fuzzballs (Above) turn into more gangly, less cute, preteen geese (Below)...

An equivelent to a pre-teen, Canada Goose youngster, Espenscheid FP; 6/12/2012.

In a matter of about 6 weeks, this pre-teen (Above), will look very much like an adult, and if you didn't see them still clinging close to their mother, you would assume they were adults.

June is Baby Bird Month

BABY BIRD PHOTO ALBUM

If May was the nest-building month, then it goes to reason that by mid June we would see young birds testing their wings, learning how to find food and water, and how to act like the species it belongs to. Mid to late June and early July are definitely Baby Bird Months.

A Young House Wren out of the nest for the first time, Crystal Cove State Park, CA; 6/14/2011.

During a walk through Crystal Cove State Park (CA), a year ago, I was able to capture young twin House Wrens (One Above and One Below Top) out of the nest for the first time, while their Mom hovered close by (Below Bottom).

The twin of the House Wren Above, Crystal Cove State Park, CA; 6/14/2011.

Keeping a watchful eye, is the Mother House Wren of the two younguns above,Crystal Cove State Park, CA; 6/14/2011.

Young Triplet Black-capped Chickadees learning where to find water, Rockford, IL; 7/5/2011.

I witnessed three young Black-capped Chickadee chicks learning the ropes of becoming a Chickadee for a few days stretching form late June to early July last year. I watched their mother bring them one at a time to the bird bath in our yard. I was hoping to get all three at the bird bath at one time. It didn't happen for several days. Whenever I spotted them out and about, the three youngsters were never very far from eachother - learning their acrobatics in the tree branches, how to find seeds, berries and insects.  I guess they gave each other confidence and learned from each other what to do and what not to do. Late one morning as I was working on a project and looking out the window, I noticed that all three were foraging around the yard and hopping up and down off the bird bath. I waited patiently for the right moment, and when it came, I was ready. All three of them hopped onto the bird bath at the same time and were taking turns drinking. I was able to snap the photo (Above) before thay all went exploring in different directions.

A young American Robin on its first legs out of the nest, Rockford, IL; 6/15/2007.

Several years ago, another youngster that showed up in our yard was an American Robin (Above), looking very timid and unsure. It was easy to spot as newly fledged as it still had baby hair sticking out the top of its head, lots of dark spots on its breast, and the soft looking downward curved bill that seems common in newly out-of-the-nest birdlings. It didn't show a lot of confidence flying, as it repeatedly hopped up and down off a foot high rock in our front yard. It didn't seem to want to test any perches at a higher distance. I walked out of the house to test its fleeing ability. At first it looked at me not sure what to do and let me get pretty close before it decided I was not a safe bet. Then suddenly it was able to find its wings and took off and flew across the yard a good 50' or more before it landed. It passed the test with flying colors.

A Young Mourning Dove seemed hopelessly lost, Tower Hill State Park, WI; 6/30/2011.

Not all young birds have been fully fledged, as it seemed in the case of a very young Mourning Dove (Above) which was sitting in the middle of a trail at Tower Hill State Park in Wisconsin. Val and I were hiking and she asked me if I saw the bird on the trail and wondered what kind it was. When I located it, it was hiding in the long grass just off the trail. As I approached, it didn't fly away and generally didn't seem to know what to do. It either left the nest too early and couldn't fly, or it was too frightened to fly. I would guess the former because it didn't even try to flex its wings. It kept its wings tight against its flanks.

By the look of its scrawny neck, it just didn't seem old enough to be out of the nest yet.

The trail we were hiking was next to a rather tall cliff that had some historical buildings at the top.  I figured that the Mourning Dove nest was somewhere at the top perhaps even built on one of the old buildings, and that it had fallen out of the nest prematurely and made its way to the bottom of the cliff where it had to fend for itself.  I also figured that if it didn't learn to fly soon, it would end up being a tasty meal for a fox or some other predator.

This Owlet (Species unknown - perhaps Great Horned) was definitely too young to be out of its nest, Rockford, IL; 4/21/2006.

Another unlucky baby bird we found on one of our walks was an Owlet (Above). One April evening at dusk, Val and  were taking a walk around the mile long block in our beighborhood, when we heard a strange scratchy vocal sound. The sound was very near and I was sure that it sounded like an owl, but a not an adult. On the farm I grew up on, I heard this sound often and it was attributed to baby owls that nested near and around our farm buildings.  As we peered through the evening light (as it was very near to darkness) to find the source of the sound. We located it at our feet. Sure enough, there on the ground next to our neighbor's mailbox post sat a little white bundle of fur. Like the young Mourning Dove, it didn't try to get away. It obviously couldn't fly as it had few feathers to speak of. It sat there looking at us. Val left to get our cameras. While I stayed with the owlet. We took a few flash photos. Then in the large evergreen tree in the yard behind where the Owlet sat, we heard some fluttering movements and some soft grunting noises that sounded like they could have been made by a Great Horned Owl. The movements were very frantic and it seemd clear that the mother of this infant was looking for her youngun. I wanted to take it home to try to help it, but thought it best to leave it be and hope the mother was able to protect it or get it back to its nest.  The next mourning I walked out to the spot where it had been sitting and there was no sign of it. One positive clue was that there were no pile of feathers where a predator might have gotten to it before the mother coul help it. I have seen a coyote once in our neighborhood and knew they were around. I tried to look at the evergreen to spot a nest, but I couldn't detect one, nor could I hear or see any evidence of a Great Horned Owl.

In the next few posts I will feature more photos of the newly formed families of the bird world: ducks, geese, swallows, and woodpeckers.

Killdeer Nests or Non-nests, such as they are.

"NEST? WHAT NEST?"

Killdeer eggs lying on the ground next to the driveway of my Sister and Brother-in-Law in Paris, Texas; 6/22/2011.

The past couple of posts this weekend have dealt with nesting habits of some birds: Friday - "The Nestbuilders" and Saturday - "birds that use man-made structures." Then there is the famous Killdeer which won't build any nest at all, nor will it use human constructed structures  Instead it lays its eggs on the bare ground, usually in an open grassy or gravelly area which has an environment where the eggs will be almost invisible, surrounded by pebbles, cinders, gravel, twigs, etc. It finds a small depression in the ground or might even scrape a very shallow hollow. Their eggs (Above) have a lot of brownish blotches and spots on a buffy background, perfect for blending in with its background. Killdeers will lay their eggs in such places as on the edges of parking lots, on the sides of roads or driveways ( as in the case Above), and on grassy pebbly beaches. When I visited my Sister and her husband in Texas last summer, Dan, my Brother-in-Law, told me that a pair of Killdeers layed eggs on the gravel of his driveway. He said he had to put a small log next to the nest (I mean eggs) so they wouldn't accidently run over them with their vehicles. As visible as the eggs are in the photo (Above), it took me quite a while to find them, even after Dan gave me a detailed description of where I would find them. They were hidden very well in broad daylight. 

A Killdeer feigning its broken wing routine, Olsen Lake, Rock Cut State Park; 5/5/2012.

The same Killdeer pretending to be prey,  Olsen Lake, Rock Cut State Park; 5/5/2012.

This Spring, while scanning Olsen Lake for water birds, there was quite a commotion inside the fence that bordered the beach. Two Killdeers were screaming their very loud and familiar and incessant "kill-deer - kill-deer - kill-deer..." call. One of the pair would fly away, then come back hop around the ground, fly away again, and repeat this several times. The other Killdeer put on its "broken-wing" display (Above). I knew then there was a nest (umm ...I mean eggs) on the ground somewhere on the other side of the fence. When a Killdeer feels that danger (me in this case) has approached too close to their eggs, it will put on a display in which it pretends it has a broken wing; therefore, offerring itself up as prey to the encroaching enemy. The idea is that predators will tend to go after the weakest link of a herd. So if I was the predator, I would then follow the "injured" Killdeer, beacuse it will be an easy prey, whose aim is to protect the eggs by leading me away from where the eggs lie. Of course, I hadn't any intention to follow the Killdeer and I certainly was not about to climb or leap over the chest high fence to get to them. This confused the Killdeer, and it would switch from its "broken-wing display" to running normal, then going back to its "act." It did this several times before it decided I was not  danger. I likewise decided I had better leave before it exhausted itself.

Below is a link to a video I found on youtube that does a good job showing how well the eggs and the bird are camouflaged by the surroundings and a nice example of the "broken-wing display" behavior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXhjBKo1ZYA