Migration Story

The northbound birds that migrated through Wisconsin this spring have long since passed.   The southbound migration from Alaska and Canada has barely commenced. We only have our summer resident birds to enjoy now.

This new 1^st year Cedar Waxwing still looks warm and fuzzy.  He’s attained some degree of self-sufficiency in his short life, but he still needs his parents. He looks to be healthy and able to migrate, but he needs to learn the Cedar Waxwing migration routes yet.

Two juvenile Tree Swallows wait to be fed along a branch .  They weren’t catching their own insects over a nearby pond, nor did I see them being fed, but someone is still caring for them.  Just barely out of their downy feathers, they depend on their parents for nourishment.

A pair of Eastern Kingbirds lingered in a tree as I approached. They didn’t fly away as I expected. They had something to protect. Just barely visible in the branches below was the nest they were guarding.

Eventually they responded to my intrusion by taking to the air.

They hovered above to persuade me to leave. 

Wanting to stay, but needing to go, 

I left.

Another somewhat older, but still  juvenile Eastern Kingbird perches at the top of a tree in Cedarburg, waiting to be shown by an adult which way to fly .

Appearing insecure, curious or maybe a bit cautious, this Baltimore Oriole might be an adult female or a 1^st year juvenile.  Baltimore Orioles are summer residents in Wisconsin.  They will leave soon.

Another summer resident, the Red-winged Blackbird, is well known for his scolding, harassing and  in your face attitude that can get annoying.  Aggressive and protective of his territory, a Red-winged Blackbird could draw blood from the top of your head if you came across a particularly mean one. 

Besides having your hair rearranged by a Red-winged Blackbird, another danger of summer is stepping onto a bumblebee nest. 

I was a half-second away from stepping onto what I thought was a bare patch of ground in an otherwise tall field of grass.  

Not so…bad mistake...I diverted my foot just in time…no harm, no foul. I departed quickly.

The American Goldfinch is a permanent Wisconsin resident. Still in his spring breeding colors, this male was keeping his feathers clean. Males and females will take on a paler appearance during the winter months. Easily attracted to a backyard seed feeder, you could have American Goldfinches  eating outside your window throughout the winter.

The goldfinch’s colors are not the only colors in transition in mid-August. Treetops are changing too and  birds get to see the colors change up close.

The out-migration will begin soon.  Thousands of birds will be passing through Wisconsin and not just the big Canada Geese. The southbound songbirds will be less colorful and somewhat weather feather worn at this time of year, but a recognizable resemblance of their springtime selves.  

Think of the fall migration as another chance to see these beautiful birds in a different light.  

The show is free.  Just look up!

Allan

Tree Swallow (juveniles)

Trinity Creek runs near our house, but only when there is sufficient rainfall to keep it flowing.  The pond that supplies the creek is low due to lack of rain.  The lack of rain accounts for the lack of mosquitoes, which is good for us, but not so good for birds that rely on insects for food. 

These four baby Tree Swallows, born somewhere nearby, have fledged, but are not yet self-sufficient.  They still rely on their parents to supply insects, as they seem endlessly hungry.  Mom and Dad travel from pond to perch continuously, but not fast enough for the four hungry mouths.

Still not capable of catching their own food and only strong enough for short flights, they mostly watch and wait.  When scared off their perch by a dog walker, they quickly returned because they’ve learned this is where the food arrives. 

While waiting, the four fledglings practiced their balancing skills with mixed results.

Whenever a parent flew by, even without an insect, the babies’ bright yellow-orange beaks would open in unison in hopes of a meal.

If the parent didn’t stop with food, the disappointment was noticeable.  The begging faded softly and their beaks closed slowly as the parent flew away.  Then it was back to waiting and watching again.  Thankfully, with two insect-hunting parents working continuously, the next meal was not far away.

By what appears to be random selection, one wide-open beak gets the bug, while the others lose out.  

This was a non-stop, air-refueling operation where the food was transferred in a split second on the fly to one gaping throat at a time. It was an air show worth admission, if it weren’t already free.

The Trinity Creek Wetlands Habitat supplies Trinity Creek, a tributary of the Milwaukee River. Reclaimed from drained cornfields years ago, it now holds rainwater for slow release.  That process recharges ground water supplies and provides habitat for fish and birds. Migratory waterfowl and songbirds pass through twice yearly.  This Tree Swallow family is a current beneficiary.   

Allan

June 28,2012