Sheltering in Place is for the Birds!

Like most of you, we're "sheltering in place" at our favorite park on the Oregon Coast.  State parks, hiking trails, wildlife refuges....all the places we enjoy visiting are closed and so we have time to relax and reflect on our lives.  Looking back,  entering the full time lifestyle and volunteering was an opportunity for us to do something new and learn about facets of nature that we never had the time to do in our working lives.  One of the first thing we learned to enjoy was "birding".  
When we started our first day at Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge we asked what our duties would be in the visitor center.  "Answer questions about the birds and ducks" we were told.  That was a pretty frightening order to two people who, when it came to birds knew there were Robins....and all others, and when it came to ducks, Mallards.....and all others.  But we found learning to be a challenge we enjoyed, and eventually became fairly knowledgeable.  

One of our favorite birds often caused us to be uncomfortable; a visitor would come in after walking the trails

and ask "I saw a bird on the trail....about the size and color of a blackbird, but with a yellow head...what was it".  Of course the answer is "a yellow-headed Blackbird", which was usually received with a "oh I see, making fun of the visitor" look.  I became a favorite of ours, not only because of it's appearance, but of it's strange song.  

Red-winged Blackbird

Although common, another favorite is the Red-winged Blackbird.  In mating colors it's a beautiful bird to watch, but what enthralls us is their trilling song in the reeds on an evening walk.  Coupled with the Yellow-headed Blackbird, it's a magical chorus.






At the refuge we had the opportunity to participate in bird banding.  When I first heard the term, I visualized a group of marching birds with horns and tubas....but it wasn't that kind of bird band. Instead, we met at the crack of dawn in a wooded area that had "mist nets" (almost invisible) set up.  Birds were ensnared, placed in soft cloth bags, and examined/weighed/sampled and asked to fill out a customer

Bullock's Oriole

survey.  I may have that last part wrong.  But what the experience showed us was the close-up beauty of these amazing little creatures.  One of the most colorful was the Bullock's Oriole - the bright orange and yellow can't be appreciated from a distance.  Another is the

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing, with a tail that looks as if it's been dipped in yellow paint. Brenda was given the job of releasing a Cedar Waxwing, but it refused to fly away.  Instead, it had a grip in her fingers and proceeded to peck away at her hand, all the time chirping what I believe were Waxwing obscenities.  Finally, it was satisfied that Brenda had learned her lesson and it flew away.

Pyrrhuloxia

While volunteering at the Nature Conservancy's Sonoita- Preserve in Southern Arizona we had the chance to see a number of birds, some, like the Rufus-backed Robin were rare and coveted by true birders - but not all that great to look at (think Robin with more red).  But some of the more common birds were striking, like this Pyrrhuloxia I found in the Hackberry limbs.

Also at the Nature Preserve were a pair of Vermilion Flycatchers that would hang around the small trees near the visitor center.  We couldn't imagine a better welcoming committee for visitors that these brightly colored beauties.

Vermilion flycatcher

Sometimes you find a bird that just doesn't look right.  We found this Red Crossbill in New Mexico's Sacramento Mountains.  My first thought was that it needed to see an avian orthodontist.  Turns out it's supposed to look that way and the crossed beak is helpful in digging out seeds from conifers.

Red Crossbill

Green Jay

Tropical birds seem to be more colorful than most, and this  Green Jay that we spotted in the Rio Grande Valley was a good example.  We were visiting the San Bernard  Wildlife refuge and saw this Jay complete with red berry to complete the color palette.



While volunteering at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge in Southern Nevada, the Phainopepla, often called the "black Cardinal".  It was very common here, feeding on the berries of the Mistletoe growing in the mesquite trees.  Unfortunately, the berry seeds aren't digested, and after being passed through the bird, they stick to the tree branches and grow....more mistletoe.  It can overwhelm the tree's ability to get enough water and eventually kill it.  Regrettably, the Phainopepla are notoriously difficult to potty train.  

Phainopepla

And finally, the Nature Preserve was close to the Mexican border and in the spring we were treated to dozens of Hummingbirds as they started their spring migration.  Our three two-quart feeders would be emptied each day by these hungry little guys...and oh my, the dogfights!

Rufus, Broad-Billed, Anna, Black-chinned, Violet-crowned

That's it for now, hope you enjoyed the diversion from boredom.  Next time around we'll post pictures of ducks and shorebirds.  Until then stay well, keep occupied, and do what you can to help those hurt by this pandemic.