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May 2006: It All Depends... | June 2006: Go Forth and Multiply! | July 2006: Where Eagles Dare | August 2006: The Kingfisher |

Autumn 2006: Specialized | January 2007: The Cat Owl | February 2007: Native Heavyweight | April 2007: The Black Snowbird |

May 2007: Wilderness Icon |

The call of the loon on a dark, quiet summer night is more than just a familiar sound. The haunting, tremulous wail of the male loon personifies the northern wilderness and makes us feel we've escaped from the down side of modern urban life.

In many respects, this feeling is all too true. Loons are not compatible with human encroachment, and population surveys clearly indicate this. Loon numbers in northern-eastern US states are in the hundreds. Wisconsin and Minnesota have a few thousands, while the countless remote lakes of Canada's north support a loon population believed to number in the hundreds of thousands. Pesticides, pollution, acid rain, and motorized watercraft: loons don't cope well with any of these intrusions. Dr. David Bird (no kidding, he's an ornithologist!) contends that the absence of a loon pair from a previously occupied lake may be a sign of deteriorating lake condition.

The loon is thought to be one of the oldest living birds and, perhaps as a result, has solid bones. (Bones of other birds are hollow).This makes loons very heavy, with the larger male weighing as much as 10 lbs. Compare this to a common merganser or a cormorant (sometimes mistaken for loons at a distance) which both weigh only about 3-4 lbs. Getting airborne with all that weight necessitates a lengthy takeoff run from the water with wings and feet flailing furiously, but once airborne the loon's powerful wings enable flight at speeds up to 100 mph.

With legs set far back on its body and equipped with oversized web feet, the loon spends almost its entire life in water. About the only time spent on land (uncomfortably and awkwardly) is during nesting. But in its element the loon is a prodigious swimmer and diver, able to pursue fish to depths of over 100 feet, using both feet and wings for rapid manoeuvering, and is capable of remaining submerged for more than a minute.

The loon was prominent in aboriginal mythology across North America, in some cases credited with creation of the earth itself. With today's increase in environmental awareness, perhaps it may someday return to some of our local lakes.

The slate-colored junco was known as the "common snowbird" or "black snowbird" by our great grandparents, certainly a more appealing and descriptive name than "junco". Early North Americans settlers associated the bird with the snow bunting, (called the "white snowbird" or "snowflake") but ornithologists around the turn of the 20th century quashed that name as physiological studies indicated that the two birds were distinctly different species. The origin of the name "junco" is unknown (at least as far as I could discover).

The slate-colored junco is one of 6 members of the "dark-eyed junco" family, a widespread and numerous clan that is common throughout the continent. Oregon, pink-sided, white-winged, gray-headed and red-backed juncos are all cousins: all reside west of the Mississippi River and thus are unlikely to be encountered in this area. (There is also one yellow-eyed junco, also a western resident).

Arriving in both spring and fall, the junco is a like a model houseguest in his visits to feeders in our region. As if anxious not to outlast its welcome, the small flock usually remains only a week or so and then is on the wing again. The distribution maps show our area as between the winter and summer ranges for the junco, although breeding juncos in this area are not unknown. In winter the bird favors the edges of clearings with mixed and evergreen growth, but nests on the ground in coniferous forest with lots of dense undergrowth. The small seeds which are the juncos principal diet are mostly found by foraging on the ground.

The neat gray, black and white plumage of the junco makes a distinctive addition to our winter bird population, but the junco family is of significant importance to ecological researchers. Large numbers (recent estimates indicate a total junco population of 630 million birds), relative tameness, and the wide range of the junco family have resulted in the bird being used extensively for research. The junco has been used in avian behaviour studies, conservation and forest management, and physiological research (for example the effect of daylight on migratory activities) by many different types of researchers for many decades. Not just a pretty face!

The wild turkey has the distinction of being a species unique to North and Central America. Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century first encountered the bird as a semi-domesticated fowl of the natives and were so impressed with the "finger-licking good" taste that turkeys were shipped back to Spain as deck cargo on the bullion ships. They eventually spread throughout Europe as a domestic bird.

Although abundant throughout many parts of the United States when the first settlers arrived, hunting and loss of habitat had resulted in almost complete extirpation of the species in populated areas by the mid 1850's, with only small populations of wild turkeys surviving in swampy or mountainous wilderness areas of the Appalachians, Ozarks or gulf states. Conservation and reintroduction of wild turkey flocks in the mid 1900's has been so successful that turkeys may now be encountered throughout the US and across most of southern Canada. Widespread though they have become, the wild turkey is not common: a population density of only 2-4 birds per square kilometer is estimated and the wariness of the birds sends them scuttling off into cover at any disturbance.

Wild turkeys are not migratory. A tracking study of one flock indicated a range of over 5000 acres. Turkeys move continually in search of food and may be seen trudging through the snow in winter in straggling lines in search of seeds or tree buds. A flock of turkeys scratching for seeds in the snow under bird feeders is a common sight in my area in recent years as the population has expanded. It is difficult to imagine how enough food to support a 15-25 pound (3-10kg) bird can be found in winter in Quebec, but studies have indicated that winter fasts of up to 19 days are survivable.

January 2007

The Cat Owl

It's funny how you come across birds that you've never seen or photographed and suddenly have several encounters in a short time. In December and January I had two widely separated sightings of long-eared owls (in days past called the lesser horned owl or cat owl). In both cases, birder web sites on the internet had indicated the location of the owls.

The long-eared owl doesn't advertise its whereabouts. After hunting in the darkness of night for voles and mice by flying in low, quartering patterns over open fields, the birds are usually safely roosting in dense conifer groves well before dawn.

The owl's small prey is located (in near total darkness) primarily by sound. The ear tufts on the crown of the long-eared owl's head are only feathers: the owl's prodigious hearing is the result of disproportionately large auditory openings which are situated at different levels on the bird's skull. Specialized cells in the brain enable the owl to pinpoint the location of any sound: a "neural map" of the search area is generated by analysis of both sound intensity and time interval differences for sounds to reach the asymmetrically located ears. Any sound detected is thus pinpointed in both horizontal and vertical planes, enabling the noiselessly flying owl to pounce without warning on its victim, which is quickly dispatched by a killing snap to the neck by the owl's beak.

I have often had the sharpness of owls' hearing demonstrated while waiting and watching perched owls through a big camera lens. Despite a distance of 50 meters, a shutter click or autofocus motor noise will result in the owl's head snapping toward the hidden camera: suddenly you're staring down the lens directly into the eyes of a predator.

Although breeding of long-eared owls in the Northeast is thought to be rare, the bird's nocturnal nature makes detection from spring through fall difficult. Populations may be greater than ornithologists are aware. In winter the nomadic owls tend to gather in colonies of up to 25, roosting in dense groves of coniferous trees adjacent to open hunting fields. This is the best chance for owl enthusiasts to get a glimpse of the secretive long-eared owl.

Autumn 2006

Specialized

Woodpeckers are a common sight in our woods and at feeders in all seasons. They provide a bright splash of black, white and red colour to the scene as they come and go. Downy and hairy woodpeckers are plentiful in most areas with the larger pileated woodpecker occasionally seen where large dead trees are plentiful. Although woodpeckers may sometimes move seasonally in search of food they tend to maintain their roosting and nesting territories all year round. They are monogamous and are believed to mate for life.

The woodpecker has evolved in several specialized ways to enable their survival. All members of the family have very strong chisel shaped bills for excavating roosts and nests in dead trees, peeling off bark, and drilling holes to look for insects and larvae. While perched and hammering away, the woodpecker clings to the tree with its unusual "zygodactyl" feet: 2 toes forward and 2 back provide a firm grip while the very stiff tail feathers are braced against the trunk or branch to form an adjustable tripod support.

The characteristic drumming of woodpeckers is achieved by hammering of the beak at a rate as high as 12 times a second, necessitating very strong neck muscles. To prevent brain damage (and continuous migraine headaches), woodpecker skulls form a very tight fit around the brain itself. An air-filled spongy tissue (like bubblewrap?) surrounds the brain to prevent damage from the skull bones during the high-impact head-knocking.

January 2007

The Kingfisher (Finally)

The Belted Kingfisher is fairly common near rivers and lakes throughout North America and may be seen from early spring till very late fall (even sometimes spotted on the Christmas Bird Count if open water is still to be found). It is usually difficult to approach or photograph: the kingfisher's chattering staccato cry, highlighting the bird's flight to a safe distance, has become all too familiar to me as I've tried on many occasions to get within camera range. Often the mechanical rattling call is one's first indication of the kingfisher's presence.

The Kingfisher's coloration is very unusual in that the female displays the brighter plumage, sporting a fashionable reddish brown "belt" across its chest, while the male demurely appears belted in blue only. Except during the breeding season, Kingfishers are solitary loners. They are also very territorial and aggressively defend their breeding or foraging territories from other intruding kingfishers.

The Kingfisher diet consists mostly of small fish (1-4inches), caught by diving into the water from a branch, wire or other overwater perch or from a hovering position above the water. The kingfisher's dives usually go less than two feet into the water and frequently are shallow enough that the bird does not become fully submerged. The prey is caught in the long sturdy beak(not speared), carried to a nearby perch and pounded vigorously before being swallowed headfirst. Small reptiles, crayfish, young birds, and even small animals may also be eaten depending on the Kingfisher's location.

Spotting and catching such small prey underwater requires both extremely acute vision (Breeding Birds of Quebec reports that the Kingfisher eye contains a red oily substance which reduces glare and chromatic aberration to improve the birds sight) and a habitat with clear and still water. Prey studies indicate that the Kingfisher isn't picky about its food: the most abundant small fish found near the surface get eaten, irrespective of species.

The Kingfisher nests in a burrow dug into a sandy stream bank or cliff face, sometimes located a considerable distance from its foraging territory. Up to 10 white eggs are deposited at the end of the 5-10 foot long tunnel, which is dug by both the male and female, working in shifts. The eggs hatch in about one month.

Seemingly unaffected by DDT in the mid 1900's, Kingfishers numbers are considered stable today in most ranges. If only they weren't so wary of being approached!

Where Eagles Dare

I was enthusiastically describing my annual osprey photo safari to a friend who lives beside the St Lawrence river in the Thousand Islands area. "Ospreys are ok", he said "but we've had an eagle nest on an island just up from here for the last couple of years. Come on up and I'll show it to you".

Eagles have been on the endangered species list in North America since 1966 but were taken off the list just this year. Described as abundant in the 1800's, bald eagles were especially numerous on the coasts and inland lake areas across the continent, attracted by fish, their food of preference. Hunted by humans and then affected severely by DDT ingestion, eagles became very rare except in remote areas by the 1950's. Alaska paid a 50 cent bounty for any eagle shot and records indicate 128,000 bounty payments were made between 1917 and 1952. Generally eagles were shot on sight in many areas to protect farm animals (or just for sport), as was the case with most raptors.

By the end of the 1990's eagles were breeding in all but two American states (Vermont and Rhode Island) and in all Canadian provinces, a major conservation success story. In some areas "hacking" has been used successfully to restore eagle populations. Eagle chicks (taken from nests where eagles are plentiful) are fed and overseen by humans until able to leave the special enclosure which has served as a nest. The nest, or hack box, is usually on a tower or cliff face, and although the nestlings can see their surroundings from the box, the human minders are always concealed to prevent imprinting. This technique was derived from falconry practices in the 1970's and has also been successfully applied to osprey and peregrine falcons.

The Thousand Islands eagles have been nesting successfully for several years, although their nest site location is curious. On a small rocky island (festooned with "no trespassing, no human access" signs by Canada Wildlife), the huge nest is situated in a tall pine tree above a busy stretch of river constantly traveled by outboards, water skiers, cruise boats, and seadoos. Why would they choose to live in such heavily populated area? Beats me!
But it gives encouragement to the idea that eagles may soon be commonly found living and breeding again in Southern Quebec.

Go Forth and Multiply!

Everywhere you look birds are courting, mating, nest-building and struggling against the forces of nature to fledge their young and perpetuate the species. Observation of an area like a swamp or a woodland edging a field will reveal a continuous high level of activity as a variety of species compete for food, select, build and defend their nest sites and constantly try to avoid predators avidly seeking eggs, young hatchlings, or the birds themselves.

Ornithologists have determined that hormonal changes in birds are triggered by increased length of daylight as spring progresses into summer. These powerful hormonal changes drive the birds through the frenetic reproductive cycle of courtship, nest-building, mating and rearing of young.

The smaller birds (swallows, bluebirds, robins, red-winged blackbirds, chickadees and most warblers) incubate their eggs for 2 weeks or less and the young are flight-worthy and out of the nest in about two to three weeks after hatching. Strangely, ruby-throated hummingbird chicks take about 4 weeks from egg laying before they are ready to leave the nest. Some species, in favorable conditions, will have 2 or even 3 sets of eggs., and may build more than one nest. As many as 1000 separate flights may be required to construct a small nest!

Ducks, nesting in the open or in tree cavities, incubate their eggs for about a month and then the female (with no help from the deadbeat male) spends a harried 6 to 8 weeks before the young are self-sufficient. Most of our common gulls are similar but fledging times tend to be a bit shorter.

Owls and hawks generally have an incubation period of about a month before the eggs hatch, followed by 5 to 6 weeks of hard work feeding the growing young before they are capable of flight from the nest. And then, even after all that, the adults must train the young birds to hunt to survive. Osprey (7-8 weeks) and eagles (10-14 weeks) must find the summer drags on interminably!

All this activity provides a good opportunity for bird watching and photography. A nest located in mid-June or early July can lead to an extended study and observation period as the young grow and the adults come and go to feed them. But don't get too close!

It All Depends...

Some people smile and welcome the Canada Goose, while others regard the big, noisy bird as an annoyance or even a threat. The long vees of Canada Geese in spring and fall, announced from afar by their resonating honking calls, are comfortingly familiar (if not always welcome) signs of seasonal change. The same flight of geese is a menace to aircraft during both take-off and landing and can contaminate lawns, golf greens and watercourses with their large volume of fecal waste.

Branta Canadensis mates for life, usually in its second year, and raises a brood of 4-6 goslings. Except in certain localized northern areas where arctic foxes are a serious predator, the survival rate of 40-50% of the hatchlings is higher than most waterfowl. The 11 subspecies of Canada Goose exhibit a greater difference in size than any other bird species (explaining perhaps why some look big and some look small when you study a big flock on a pond?). Weight ranges from 950gm (2lb) to 9000gm (10lb) and lengths from 55cm(21.6in) to 110cm(43in) exist from the largest (b.c.maxima, the largest goose in the world), to the smallest (b.c. minima). Larger subspecies tend to populate the warmer regions while the smaller breed in the far north. For more confusion, eastern birds tend to be paler in color than their western cousins. I don’t know how the serious birdwatcher tallies this all up.

The Canada Goose is a conservation success story. Eleven different subspecies of Canada Goose are abundant today everywhere in North America although numbers were declining in the early 1900s.

The ban on DDT and other pesticides combined with conservation efforts led by Jack Miner and others have turned things around. Today the Canada Goose population is managed in North America by a joint US/Canadian team faced not with conserving the species but rather with balancing overpopulation against the need to maintain adequate breeding diversity.