Wood Thrush Notes

Winter Backyard Birds to Look For

A few weeks ago we mentioned Brown Creepers as one of the winter visitors to look for near feeding stations. Other more common visitors include White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Bluebirds get a mention because they are more likely to visit traditional feeding stations containing seed and suet during winter months.

White-throated Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

This is the time of year I begin ground feeding to attract the sparrows mentioned above. This is a simple strategy of broadcasting some feed on the ground or in a low platform feeder to attract sparrows and Juncos. This group of birds prefers feeding on the ground and enjoys millet and shelled sunflower. Some of you might think “why do I want to attract sparrows”? There isn’t just one type of sparrow and because of the introduced House sparrow, which are so problematic for Bluebirds; I think “sparrows” get a bad rap. These sparrows are beautiful and one should really look at them through binoculars to see the evidence. By the way, you will find Cardinals and even Goldfinches love to feed on the ground, too. I often incorporate a brush pile for cover and protection near the spot I present the feed. If you’ve never tried creating a brush pile for birds you should try it. They are a bird magnet.

The Red-breasted nuthatch is a regular winter visitor although their numbers can vary greatly from one year to the next. Smaller than the White-breasted nuthatch they’re often seen visiting sunflower seed, shelled peanut, and suet feeders.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Yellow-rumped warblers are one of just a few warblers that can be seen in TN year round and at feeders. Look for them at suet feeders on very cold days.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is also seen at suet feeders on very cold days. You better have your binoculars handy, though, because they are very small and their winter plumage is a dull olive which can make them difficult to see. Oh yeah, they are constantly on the move, too, further challenging your birdwatching skills. Look for the black and white wing bars to help identify one. The “ruby” crown is often not visible but from the right vantage point you may catch a glimpse.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Of course, Bluebirds are here year round but they are more likely to feed at suet feeders and even consume seed but only if it is out of the shell.  Bluebirds do not possess the ability to crack open shells of a seed.  Especially during snow falls that cover the ground Bluebirds will be inclined to eat seed for survival.

Miscellaneous Bird News

Once in a while as I am considering subjects to write about for our blog I run out of inspiration.  So, this week I’ve decided to try something different and touch on a number of “odds and ends”.  A mixed bag if you will of current bird issues to ornithological vocabulary. 

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Finches with Eye Disease

We’ve been seeing some evidence of House Finches with an eye disease known as Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, or House Finch eye disease.  And just yesterday a customer inquired about a bird that seemed sick.  It did not move away as she approached, as if it was not really aware of her presence.  The bird turned out to be a sick House Finch.  We had one behind the store the other day that was afflicted with the disease.  We hear reports and see evidence of this every year that range from sparse to wide-spread.  
Birds infected with House Finch eye disease have red, swollen, runny, or crusty eyes. In extreme cases the eyes become swollen shut and the bird becomes blind. House Finch eye disease is caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum. This bacterium has long been known as a pathogen of domestic turkeys and chickens, but it has been observed in House Finches since 1994. The disease has affected several other species, including American Goldfinch, Evening Grosbeak, and Purple Finch
You might observe an infected bird sitting quietly in your yard, clumsily scratching an eye against its foot or a perch. While some infected birds recover, many die from starvation, exposure, or predation. If you’re a songbird it’s impossible to survive if you can’t see.
When birds are concentrated in a small area like at a birdfeeder the risk of a disease spreading within that population increases.

What To Do
If you detect a sick finch at your feeders the standard procedure is to take down your feeders for a few days to a week and give them a very thorough cleaning.  Cleaning your feeders is always a good idea and is recommended it be done on a regular basis.  Clorox wipes are very handy to give your feeder a quick clean particularly around the feeding ports.

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Altricial vs Precocial

Almost all of us have seen baby songbirds in a nest.  We know they are completely dependent on the adults to keep them warm as they are featherless for the first few days and to bring them food while in the nest developing.  They are completely helpless and mostly immobile.  And the adults continue to feed them for weeks even after they have fledged. This is referred to as altricial.  Altricial birds include herons, hawks, owls, and most songbirds.
Precocial means young are capable of a high degree of independent activity immediately after hatching. Precocial young typically can move about, have their eyes open and will be covered in down at hatching. They are generally able to walk away from the nest as soon as they have dried off.  They will also begin searching for their own food. Examples of precocial birds include most duck species, Wild Turkey, Quail, Killdeer and Canada geese.

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Have you seen them?  I’ve seen several in the past few weeks.  I’m referring to bald cardinals.

In mid to late summer it’s not uncommon to see Northern Cardinals, and sometimes, Blue jays, completely void of head feathers.  This odd appearance can sometimes be attributed to the summer molt, or more likely from feather mites. 
Most bald-headed-bird reports occur in summer and fall, which are typical molting times. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology many of these strange-looking birds may be juveniles undergoing their first pre-basic molt, which produces the first winter adult plumage. For some unknown reason, the bald birds may have dropped all of their head feathers at once. Staggered feather loss and replacement is the normal pattern.
It is possible that the baldness is caused by feather mites, or lice. A mite infection is the likely explanation for the loss of head feathers only.  After all, the head is the one place a bird would not be able to preen effectively to control mites.    Feather mites are tiny arthropods, whose feeding destroys feather shafts.  This is not a condition the affected bird will not recover from.
But why does it seem to affect primarily Cardinals and Blue jays?  Do other songbirds have effective methods of removing these parasites from their heads?  We’re just not sure.

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Interesting Behaviors of Birds

Wood Thrush Shop employee, Eli Haislip, recently photographed an adult Red-bellied woodpecker feeding a juvenile Northern Flicker.  Over the course of a few days he witnessed the Flicker following the Red-bellied woodpecker and begging for food.  So, is this an example of hybridization, where two different but compatible species mate, or an example of a Flicker laying an egg in the Red-bellied’s nest?  I looked for information regarding hybridization among songbirds and there are examples ranging from rare to common.  Some examples of common hybridization include Baltimore and Bullock’s Oriole and Indigo Bunting and Lazuli Bunting.  Examples of rare hybridization include Blue jay and Stellar’s jay and Eastern Bluebird and Mountain Bluebird. This juvenile seems to possess all the field marks of a Northern Flicker and none of the Red-bellied woodpecker but we may just have to settle for uncertainty.

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Adaptable Bluebirds

I’ve always tried to point out to people that Eastern Bluebirds are not nearly as choosy about nest-sites as they have been portrayed.  If Bluebirds really needed such specifics in the location of a nest-site they probably would have been extinct by now.  And there’s nothing natural about a birdhouse but they, as well as other species, have adapted to using them because they “represent” something they would find in nature.  I have seen Bluebird nests in large horizontal pipes, a hole in a basketball goal pole, and even in a stack of cement foundation blocks.  But a new one was presented to me by a customer recently.  A pair of Bluebirds used the abandoned nest of a Robin, Phoebe, or Barn Swallow.  It was hard to see detail in the picture but the nest was built of mud and plant material on a ledge against the wall of the house under an eve.  The Bluebirds raised an undetermined number of young in this nest.  

Feeding bluebirds

Everybody would like to attract Bluebirds.  The fact is it is not difficult to attract Bluebirds and the single best way to do that is with a couple of nest boxes placed in good locations as we pointed out in last week’s blog.  We want to help you attract Bluebirds and enjoy the entire experience from courtship to nest building, egg laying to chick development, and finally fledging.

Besides the nest boxes planting native berry producing trees and shrubs, like Dogwood and Beautyberry for example, have a consistent source of water, and offering an appealing food source like live mealworms are things that will help.  Eastern Bluebirds feed primarily on insects and berries’ so feeding them is different than the way we feed other birds.  At The Wood Thrush Shop we have a great deal of experience feeding Bluebirds and would like to pass on our tips and tricks to help you have success and enjoy the activity as much as we do. 

In the spring when Bluebirds begin checking out a nest-box is the best time to begin offering the live mealworms.  Why?  Their need for nest boxes takes precedence during the breeding season and will bring them to your yard more predictably and reliably, and potentially for several months.  Feeding them then becomes a lot easier.    

Caged type bluebird feeders help discourage larger birds from accessing mealworms.

We stock lots of simple tray and dish options that work well for feeding bluebirds.

These small glass dish type feeders come in a veriety of styles such as hanging, garden stake, and pole mount.

Once you see Bluebirds showing interest in a nest box be prepared to offer mealworms.  The type of feeder to use is really not very important.  My choice of feeder is a small clay dish which is placed on a large rock which is easily seen from the top of the nest-box, just a few feet away.  Platform type feeders tend to work very well, too.

Look for an opportunity to walk out to the feeder and offer a small amount of worms, maybe a dozen.  THIS IS IMPORTANT!  The key is to make sure the Bluebirds are there to see you make the offering. 

After placing the worms in the feeder walk away and watch.  In most cases you will have immediate success.  They fly right down to the dish and gobble them up.  I like to repeat this after they consume the first offering just to reinforce the process.  I repeat this little scene every time the opportunity arises over the course of the next few days or weeks.  Usually 4 or 5 times are enough for the Bluebirds to catch on to what you are doing.  If during that first offering they fly away do not leave the mealworms there.  The longer the worms are there the greater the likelihood that other birds, like Robins, Mockingbirds, or Starlings see them.  If they catch on to this offering feeding the Bluebirds will then become almost impossible, not to mention possibly creating enough conflict the Bluebirds may look elsewhere to nest. 

Repeated successful feedings will help get you bluebirds on a "feeding schedule".

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When bluebirds show interest in your nesting box is the best time to offer food.

So, keep the offerings minimal until the Bluebirds really catch on.  Then you can increase the amounts of mealworms being offered as they raise their young.  Soon they will be waiting for you, or even seeking you out in your yard as I’ve experienced in the past.

TIPS For Feeding Bluebirds:

Ø  Offering mealworms when Bluebirds are not present is a sure way to feed a lot of other birds.  Wait until you see them before offering.

Ø  If birds that you do not want are getting the mealworms suspend offering the mealworms for a few days or more and start over using the suggestions we’ve outlined.

Ø  Bluebirds may partake of other foods like dried mealworms, suet, Bluebird nuggets (a type of suet), raisins, blueberries, chopped apple and grape.  Experiment and let us know your results.

Ø  Location is important.  Don’t try to feed them near birdfeeders or a place that gets a lot of bird traffic.  Feeding them close to their chosen nest box is easiest but do make sure you don’t let other birds in on the mealworms treat.  Some birds may become territorial over the food source and create conflict at the Bluebird box. 

Ø  Some people employ the method of making a sound, like whistling, while they offer the worms.  Like Pavlov’s dogs, Bluebirds will key in on the sound and associate that with the treat about to be given them.  I’m convinced that the Bluebirds we fed behind the store one year became familiar with the sound and sight of my truck arriving in the morning.  As soon as I would get out of the truck they would be landing on nearby perches waiting for me to enter the store and bring out worms.

Remember, Bluebirds will not become dependent on the mealworms but will simply take advantage while they are offered.  You can suspend feeding Bluebirds any time and not worry that they will starve. 

Get ready for bluebirds

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Have you been watching and listening?  Birds are singing and going through the motions of courtship. The breeding season is fast approaching.  It’s evident Eastern Bluebirds have already begun searching for mates and potential nest-sites.  Several times in the past few weeks I’ve seen multiple Bluebirds land on and look in the nest boxes around my yard. (See video) In the video you will see classic courtship behaviors like wing fluttering. 

Although most Bluebirds won’t begin their first nesting until early to mid-April, their search for nest sites will typically intensify in the last weeks of February and into March.  Some eager Bluebirds may get on nest as early as mid-March.

You may think you don’t have the right situation for Bluebirds because you’ve heard they need the perfect setup to be attracted.  Not true.  Bluebirds adapt very nicely to all kinds of yard situations.  If Bluebirds needed the “perfect setup” as described by the many articles you may read about them they would be extinct by now. Offer a couple of nest boxes in good locations and see what happens.  If you already have nest boxes now is a good time to make sure they are cleaned out and free of old debris left over from last year’s nesting’s.  

Here are a Few Tips on Choosing a Location:

Ø  An open lawn area may be preferable but not absolutely necessary.  Choose the most open location available in your yard even if it means there will be a little more human traffic. 

Ø  Bluebirds are typically more sensitive to a lot of bird traffic, so it’s not recommended nest boxes be placed near bird feeders.  What’s a comfortable distance?  It’s impossible to be exact but we would suggest 50 to 100 feet away, or out of sight of feeding stations.

Ø  You may have heard that nest boxes need to face east.  While this may be helpful to keep wet weather from being a detrimental factor this is not something Bluebirds require.

Ø  A Bluebird box does not need to be on a pole, although the advantage of a pole is it allows you to position the box in the location you determine to be the best.  Bluebird boxes can be mounted to trees, fences, structures like garden sheds, and utility poles.  A height of 4’ or 5’ is sufficient.   Our pole system for Bluebird boxes will put the box at 5’ after installation.

Ø  How many boxes can be offered in a typical yard situation?  So, there is no harm in offering lots of nest boxes (birdhouses) in your yard but do not expect them to all get used at the same time especially if they are close in proximity to one another.  For instance, two nest boxes within 25 feet of one another are not likely to be occupied simultaneously.  Birds are too territorial to accept this situation unless they are colony nesters like Purple Martins and Cliff Swallows.  But feel free to decorate your yard with lots of birdhouses if that’s your thing.  Offering multiple nest-boxes is great and it does lessen the competition for a single box but  do consider the nature of the species you are trying to attract and what kind of setting would be most appealing.

Ø  We are often asked “when is a good time to put up a bluebird box”?  Every day is a good day to put up a bluebird box.  After all, the sooner they see it the better the chances are of attracting them.

And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE remember to not let your desire to attract Bluebirds cause you to clean out other songbird’s nests like Chickadees, Wrens, the Tufted Titmouse or White-breasted Nuthatch. In no way does cleaning out a Chickadee nest ensure you will get Bluebirds instead.  Chickadees typically nest earlier than Bluebirds and only once. Bluebirds will nest up to 3 times per season and have plenty of time.  Even if you do not get Bluebirds during the first nesting there is still time for two more.  Besides, if a Bluebird wanted the nest-box it would easily out-compete a Chickadee.  Enjoy the fact that you’ve attracted a native songbird to your offering and watch the process.  It’s a lot of fun.

….Next Week How to Feed Bluebirds

Get Ready For Bluebirds

Have you been listening?  Birds are beginning to sing.  They know spring is fast approaching.  It’s apparent Eastern Bluebirds have already begun searching for potential nest-sites.  Several times in the past few weeks I’ve seen two and three Bluebirds land on and look in some of the nest boxes around my yard.  Their biological clocks are telling them the breeding season is almost here.  Although most Bluebirds won’t begin their first nesting until early to mid-April, their search for nest sites will typically intensify in the last weeks of February and into March.  Some eager Bluebirds may get on nest as early as mid-March.

So, get a jump on your neighbors and offer a couple of nest boxes in good locations.  If you already have nest boxes now is a good time to make sure they are cleaned out and free of old debris left over from last year’s nesting’s.   

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Here are a Few Tips on Choosing a Location:

Ø  An open lawn area may be preferable but not absolutely necessary.  Choose the most open location available in your yard even if it means there will be a little more human traffic. 

Ø  Bluebirds would be more sensitive to a lot of bird traffic so it’s not recommended nest boxes be placed near bird feeders.  What’s a comfortable distance?  It’s impossible to be exact but we would suggest 50 to 100 feet away.

Ø  You may have heard that nest boxes need to face east.  While this may be helpful to keep wet weather from being a detrimental factor this is not something Bluebirds require.

Ø  A Bluebird box does not need to be on a pole.  The advantage of a pole, however, is it allows you to position the box in the location you determine to be the best.  Bluebird boxes can be mounted to trees, fences, structures like garden sheds, and utility poles.  A height  of 4’ or 5’ is just fine.   

Ø  How many boxes can be offered in a typical yard situation?  So, there is no harm in offering lots of nest boxes (birdhouses) in your yard but do not expect them to all get used at the same time especially if they are close in proximity to one another.  For instance, two nest boxes within 25 feet of one another are not likely to be occupied simultaneously.  Birds are too territorial to accept this situation unless they are colony nesters like Purple Martins and Cliff Swallows.  But feel free to decorate your yard with lots of birdhouses if that’s your thing.  Offering multiple nest-boxes is great and it does lessen the competition for a single box, but do consider the nature of the species you are trying to attract and what kind of setting would be most appealing.

And PLEASE remember to not let your desire to attract Bluebirds cause you to clean out Chickadee, Wren, and Tufted Titmouse nests.  In no way does cleaning out a Chickadee nest ensure you will get Bluebirds instead.  Chickadees typically nest earlier than Bluebirds and only once.  Bluebirds will nest up to 3 times per season and have plenty of time.  Even if you do not get Bluebirds during the first nesting there is still time for two more.  Besides, if a Bluebird wanted the nest-box it would easily out-compete a Chickadee.

….Next Week How to Feed Bluebirds