Fall Migration

The seasons are noticeably changing in Wisconsin. Cooler nights followed by crisper, shorter days have the birds moving again.

Canada Geese are the most recognizable birds overhead now. Constantly reorganizing their lopsided ‘V’, they make their presence known to each other and to us, too.

Honking seems to be their way of insuring inclusion in the group as they migrate south.

An osprey watches the Milwaukee River flow below. Long before ice will cover the river the ospreys will have departed.

Ospreys are known to migrate long distances and this one could easily be in South America for the winter. Ospreys need an ice-free environment to fish.

They fish with dramatic feet-first plunges into the water. Sharp talons and barb-soled feet hold fast a slippery fish.

When flying, they point the stupefied fish face-forward into the wind to reduce resistance.

It must be a surreal experience for the fish.

This Hermit Thrush was poised for a quick retreat if I came any closer. He looks to be a first year juvenile, newly on his own and unsure of whether to stay or go.  

Whichever and wherever, he will be leaving for the winter.

A ground foraging bird, the Hermit Thrush would find few resources in a snow-covered Wisconsin.

A Great Crested Flycatcher has caught a large aquatic insect, but his prey is putting up a struggle. He wants to eat it, but it won’t go down, so first he must tenderize his unmanageable mouthful.

Several well-aimed pile driver whacks on the head takes the fight out of his prey and the deftly dispatched delicacy is devoured.

This Eastern Towhee was passing through Wisconsin on his out-migration to somewhere else.

He stopped to inspect our lawn for seeds and whatever else he could find grazing in the grass.

The Eastern Towhee is a secretive ground dwelling bird. By planting both feet squarely in the leaf litter then hopping backwards, he drags a space clean, uncovering insects and invertebrates in the process.

He pounces on whatever he finds.

A young Northern Cardinal rapidly quivers his wings to his mother. She comes running with a seed to answer his call.  Now losing his downy feathers, this baby cardinal will be dependent on his parents for quite a while yet.
 

He could have picked up that seed himself, but he’s too young, too inexperienced or too unwilling to fend for himself.  Northern Cardinals are year round residents in Wisconsin.

A young Yellow-rumped Warbler caught a fly. It’s a tiny meal and it takes a lot of flies like this to satisfy even a small bird, but there are a lot of flies in the forest. Flies provide protein for birds.  A migration can be long and hard.  Protein is essential for birds and insects are the best source of protein for them.

A young male Common Yellowthroat preens and straightens his feathers. Preening is a daily exercise.

Yellowthroats are warblers that spend their winters in Central and South America. That is a long trip for this small warbler; so preening is important for warmth and fending off parasites.
   
You can tell he is a male by the dark patch starting to develop below his eye.

Common Yellowthroats are passing through Wisconsin right now. 

(Click any picture to enlarge)

The Monarch Butterflies are passing through, too.  Monarchs are so numerous they’re hard to miss. Monarch butterflies and wooly caterpillars are seasonal signs of the change.

The monarchs are on the way south, maybe all the way to Mexico.

Black-and-White Warblers don’t change much with the seasons.  They’re always formally attired in black and white. This is either a female or an immature male. Look for this bird hopping up or down a tree trunk.  Insects hide in the bark crevices, so that’s where they look for them.

If you miss the Black-and-White Warbler now, Florida may be your only chance to see another this year.

Fall is a special time in Wisconsin. The bird life changes almost daily. If you enjoy it, don’t miss it. It will be something to savor come January.

Allan

Common Yellowthroat

Common he may be in name, but the Common Yellowthroat deserves more respect. 

Yes, Common Yellowthroats are widespread and numerous, but also secretive. You might never see one without making an effort.  A brushy hiking trail near a marsh is a good place to start looking for a Common Yellowthroat…a favorite spot.

He’s a stocky little warbler of color, contrast and melodic voice.

This Common Yellowthroat flew to me as I watched from the dappled shade of the Forest Beach Migratory Preserve. 

He was unaware of me. 

I took his picture.

My camera flashes made him twitch, but he didn't fly away.  

He sang out in a sharp clear voice, a wichety-wichety-wichety song, to proclaim all this marshland was his.

The male Common Yellowthroat is largely dull
olive-green, but that contrasts nicely against a bright lemon-yellow throat. The female wraps herself in shades of light grey with just a hint of a yellow.

A black mask covers the male's face giving him a sinister look he really doesn’t deserve. 

A 1^st year male is just now getting his distinctive black mask.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

Horicon Marsh, May 30. 2011

This somewhat confused Common Yellowthroat has been duped into raising a Brown-headed Cowbird’s chick.  

A female Brown-headed Cowbird surreptitiously laid an egg into the nest of this yellowthroat in hopes of getting the yellowthroat to hatch it. The ploy worked. The little yellowthroat struggles to find enough food to satisfy his huge freeloading foster child.

Parasitism is a bizarre approach to parenting, but it works. The cuckoo bird is even more famous for using this tactic.  

Brown-headed Cowbird egg, pierced and ejected

Normally, the Brown-headed Cowbird’s egg is larger and hatches faster. The more aggressive cowbird chick gets the most food and pushes out the yellowthroat chicks. 

Some songbirds recognize these attacks and eject or pierce the brown-speckled cowbird egg. If unable to remove the alien egg, they might rebuild a new nest right on top and start over.  

Strangely, some birds never recognize the odd egg. 

By failing to recognize the big alien chick, they spend valuable time raising a Brown-headed Cowbird chick at the expense of their own species' propagation.  

Interestingly, the cowbird chick, having never seen her real parents, nor taught the tactic, will grow up to carry on this parasitic trait as an adult.

Allan

Migration Molt

The birds have been lying low lately…hiding out.

There are dramatic changes occurring in the woods right now and we're not invited to watch.  Down low in the understory, the birds are transforming into a less colorful presentation of themselves. 

It happens every year, shortly after the young have fledged.  Birds start to replace their bright breeding color feathers with fresh new ones, only now in more subdued shades.  Starting in late July and continuing into the fall migration, birds retreat to the thickets to make their migration transformations in private. 

When they come out there is a noticeable difference. These American Goldfinch are making the change now.

The Hermit Thrush normally has a  tail a third the length of his body.  Losing his tail in a molt would make him look more like this juvenile.  He could be at a disadvantage then, if he had to escape a raptor...I'm sure he senses that, too.   Catching his food  has to be more difficult with his limited flying prowess also, so lying low is his strategy. 

Hermit Thrush, May 2013

Feeling vulnerable while short-on- feathers, birds in general choose to remain hidden in late summer.  Being inconspicuous helps them survive this necessary transition. 

Cautious and careful, this Hermit Thrush flew away as soon as he saw me.

Birds don’t lose all their feathers at once; it’s a gradual process.  Feathers get worn, torn, lost and sun bleached. Summer and winter replacement cycles are necessary and predictable. 

Being largely uninvited to view the adults in transition, the young, on the other hand, have something to show off...their new colors. 

This 1^st year Northern Cardinal was changing from a multi-colored fledging into a bright red adult and seemed proud to show it off.   The Northern Cardinal is a year-round resident in Wisconsin and a welcome sight when everything else here is black and white.  

REMINDER: Click any picture to enlarge.

The male Indigo Buntings will lose a bit of luster soon, also.  This one is still quite blue, but he will become blotchy blue-brown as the season progresses…he’ll be in Central America by then. 

One bird that doesn’t change much from season to season is the Black-and-white Warbler.  Its black and white stripes are replaced with black and white stripes, so the transition is hardly noticeable.  For a bird whose nature is to forage up and down tree trunks of a similar stripe, he possesses the perfect camouflage.  

Finally, for a bird with common in his name, the Common Yellowthroat doesn’t deserve such disrespect. This one is a 1^st year juvenile just now developing the black mask he will wear throughout his life. It's true, he is common in one sense...he's widespread over North America.  He's not often spotted in the wild, though.  In that way he is similar to a bird in molt...secretive all the time. 

Allan 

Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

Credit: Sibley Guide to Birds

Common Yellowthroat

You’re likely to meet nice people when you go out looking for birds…almost always happens.  At least that has been my experience.

I found this Common Yellowthroat along a kid-crowded Huntington Beach State Park hiking trail in South Carolina.  I didn’t actually find the bird myself, Lou Skrabec did.  At first, he didn’t really see this secretive bird either.  He heard it and, recognizing the song, he waited for the Common Yellowthroat to come out of hiding.

Lou is a middle school math teacher from Greensboro, North Carolina with a strong interest in birds and the commendable trait of sharing his bird knowledge.  We met by coincidence in the parking lot shortly after sunrise.  He is familiar with Huntington Beach and he showed me the bird-friendly places he knew. We hiked ten miles (a math teacher’s mile estimate) searching for birds. We saw and I photographed a dozen new species and hundreds of birds in total.

The Common Yellowthroat is a small, bouncy, flighty bird, not given to pose for photographs.  Hunted by Merlins, Loggerhead Shrikes and even largemouth bass, he hides in thick reeds and is constantly on guard.  To find one you’ll have to wait and then be satisfied with only a brief glimpse.  That’s all you may get, but in birding, birds dictate the terms. 

However, if you recognize the song of a hidden bird you can win at this game of hide and seek. You’ll know when you should wait and when to move on, but it’s not easy.  Recognizing more than a few common bird songs is a skill level I have yet to achieve. 

That is one of the advantages of birding with an experienced birder.  Their knowledge and field experience is helpful in finding and uncovering new and interesting birds.  I’ve accepted many field invitations from experienced birders, like Lou, and I appreciate them sharing their knowledge.  A hike on a sunny day to look for birds is always enjoyable, but to recognize the song he’s singing is delightful.

Allan

Translated into English the Common Yellowthroat’s song goes: “wich-t-ty, wich-t-ty, wich-t-ty”. 

You can hear the actual song for yourself at:http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Yellowthroat/sounds

credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology