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White-Breasted Nuthatch
Have you seen the white-breasted nuthatch crawling up, down, and around a tree? They are searching for insects, larvae, and seeds hidden in the bark. These birds visit our backyard and feeders often.
Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis.
Family: Nuthatch.
Length: 5-3/4 inches.
Wingspan: 11 inches.
Distinctive Markings: Males and females look similar, with a short tail, bluish-gray back and wings, black cap and white breast.
Nest: Hair, fur and shredded bark built in natural cavities and birdhouses. Lays five to 10 white eggs with multicolored markings.
Song: Nasal “yank-yank-yank” call.
Habitat: Area with plentiful trees.
Diet: Insects and larvae; pine, fir and maple seeds; mountain ash and juniper berries; oak, beech and hickory nuts.
Backyard Favorites: Sunflower seeds, unsalted peanuts, birdseed mix and suet.
Cooper’s Hawk is the light-colored bird at the top of the tree
Closer look at the hawk. You can see the long tail.
Yesterday and today there was another Cooper’s Hawk perched up at the top of the Sequoia tree in our backyard. The tree is about 50 to 60 feet tall so I had to use binoculars to identify the bird. This hawk appeared to be smaller than the bird I described previously (that looked like a paper bag up in the tree).
This hawk gave a repeated call that sounded like a low wheezing caw. The call was not the high pitched screech you often hear from birds of prey. Several Black-Headed Grosbeaks have visited our backyard bird feeders this spring and I thought the wheezing caw sound was coming from the grosbeaks. I usually hear this call when the grosbeaks are around so I attributed the low wheezing caw to them.
Back to the Cooper’s Hawk. The bird sat at the top of the tree for several minutes and then opened its wings slightly and dropped down into our neighbor’s yard as if using a parachute. These hawks are long-tailed woodland raptors with rounded wings adapted for hunting among the trees.
Backyard Habitat
By Sarah Boyle
Ten Birds That Help Control Garden Pests
AS A GARDENER, it can be your worst nightmare: watching helplessly as hordes of destructive insects attack your plants. With a little planning and simple landscaping, however, you can help moderate garden pests naturally in your yard. Your weapon: bug-eating birds. “During the late spring and summer months, insects make up the great majority of many avian species’ diets,” says NWF Chief Naturalist Craig Tufts. The trick to enticing these birds to your property, he notes, is to first learn which of them range in your area, and then to plant appropriate types of native cover that provide insect- and bird-attracting natural foods–leaves, fruit, pollen and nectar–to sustain both adults and their insect-dependent nestlings. Tina Phillips, project leader of Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird House Network, adds, “The most important thing to do to attract birds to your yard is to provide an enticing habitat, not just a nest box. Birds choose a nest site based on its surrounding habitat.”
Along with native vegetation, offer birds a water source and a few different nesting sites: brush piles, ledges, nest boxes, shrubs and various types of trees–including dead tree limbs and trunks. “As long as they don’t create a safety hazard for people, dead trees provide nesting areas and are a great food source for insectivores,” says Tufts.
Needless to say, birds will not completely rid your yard of insects, and even if they could, you wouldn’t want them to do so. Some insects are imperative for a healthy garden, and birds do not discriminate between destructive and beneficial bugs. But they can help keep insect populations in your neighborhood at a stable, balanced level, benefiting both you and your neighbors. Subsequently, you’ll have a nicer garden to show for it throughout the summer.
Which bug-eating birds are the best ones to attract to your yard? There’s no simple answer. Scientists cannot say for sure how many insects a certain bird will eat in a summer day. But depending on where you live, the following ten species can be valuable allies in your efforts to sustain a vibrant garden:
Purple Martin: Aerial feeders that forage over land and water, purple martins eat a variety of winged insects. These swallows range across the eastern half of the United States and parts of the Pacific Coast and Southwest. West of the Rockies, purple martins often nest in tree cavities and building crevices, while in the East they typically nest with as many as 30 pairs in hotel-like boxes or hanging, hollow gourds. The migrants often use the same nesting site each year. In addition to providing nest boxes in the East, attract the birds with ponds and wetland areas.
Others: tree (summers in northern half of the United States), cliff (most of the country, except for the Southeast), barn (most of the United States, except for portions of the Southeast and Southwest) and violet-green (West) swallows
Red-Eyed Vireo: Until recent population declines, red-eyed vireos were one of the most common woodland birds in North America. These migrants forage in trees, feeding mainly on crawling insects–especially caterpillars–but also on other invertebrates and berries. They range from the upper Northwest to the East Coast, nesting in deciduous shade trees. Plant Virginia creeper, spicebush, elderberry, blackberry and dogwood to supplement insect diet.
Others: white-eyed (eastern half of the country) and warbling (most of the United States, except for parts of the Southwest, Texas and Southeast) vireos
Chipping Sparrow: Well-adapted to various landscapes, chipping sparrows are common throughout backyards in most of North America, except for areas of Texas and Oklahoma. They eat insects and seeds from the ground, shrubs and trees. These common birds tend to nest in evergreens, making nests out of grasses, weeds, roots and hair. Attract them with pines, spruce, arborvitae and yew.
Others: lark (from central through western United States), vesper and savannah (both throughout the northern half of the country during the summer) sparrows
Downy Woodpecker: Smaller than all other North American woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers readily visit backyards throughout the United States, excluding some areas in the Southwest. Their diet consists mainly of insects, though they also feed on sap, berries and seeds. The birds excavate nesting sites in dead trees and stumps, which are later used by other birds. They prefer deciduous trees such as aspen and willow, and may eat the berries of dogwood, mountain ash, serviceberry, Virginia creeper and poison ivy.
Others: hairy (throughout most of the country, except parts of Texas and the West) and ladder-backed (arid areas of Southwest and Texas) woodpeckers, as well as flickers (throughout the United States)
Yellow Warbler: Known for their sweet songs, yellow warblers eat a diet that is about 60 percent caterpillars. They also eat moths, mosquitoes, beetles and some berries. Widely distributed throughout North America, yellow warblers range from Alaska to the majority of the lower 48 states, except for areas of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. They nest in small trees and shrubs and often prefer willow. Plant berry-producing plants native to your area.
Others: American redstarts (eastern half of the country and upper Midwest), common yellowthroats (throughout the United States) and yellow-rumped warblers (throughout most of the country except in areas of the Midwest)
Eastern Bluebird: With their numbers increasing due to nest-box projects along “bluebird trails,” eastern bluebirds occupy semi-open areas east of the Rockies. They eat a variety of insects, other invertebrates and berries. Eastern bluebirds nest in tree cavities, old woodpecker holes and nest boxes. Plant elderberry, hackberry, dogwood, holly and redcedar to supplement their diet.
Others: western and mountain bluebirds (both in the West)
Common Nighthawk: In reality not hawks but members of the nightjar family, common nighthawks cover most of the continent, eating a variety of flying insects. Partial to open space, they nest on level surfaces, such as the ground or flat rooftops in suburban and city areas. Attract common nighthawks to industrial and corporate rooftops.
Others: lesser nighthawks (Southwest), Chuck-will’s-widow (Southeast) and common poorwill (West)
Eastern Phoebe: Easily recognizable by their fee-bee song, eastern phoebes–members of the flycatcher family–oftentimes take up residence on buildings and bridges. Found throughout the eastern half of the United States (frequently near water), they eat many insect species, as well as other invertebrates and berries. Provide a nesting platform and plant native hackberry, serviceberry, poison ivy and sumac to supplement their diet.
Others: black (Southwest) and Say’s (western half of the United States) phoebes
Baltimore Oriole: Colorful migrants that readily visit backyards, Baltimore orioles eat insects, fruit and nectar. The songbirds range from the central Midwest to the Northeast and nest in hanging pouches in deciduous trees. Plant blackberry, serviceberry and cherry for food, as well as elm, sycamore, tupelo and other shade trees as nesting spots.
Others: hooded (Southwest), Bullock’s (mostly western half of the country) and orchard (eastern half) orioles
House Wren: Regular backyard visitors, house wrens have diets that consist almost exclusively of insects and spiders. Not very fussy about sites, these birds may nest in nest boxes, mailboxes, building crevices–even in pockets of hanging laundry. House wrens range throughout most of the lower 48 states during parts of the year. Include low-lying shrubs (such as American beautyberry) or brush piles in your yard–sources for cover, nesting materials and food.
Other insect-eating wrens that regularly visit backyards include: Carolina (East), Bewick’s (southern half of the United States and Pacific Coast) and cactus (Southwest) wrens.
These ten birds, of course, are not alone in consuming backyard pests. Many other species–such as the northern cardinal and black-capped chickadee–eat insects or feed them to their young during the summer. Yet as summer winds down, your efforts to attract birds shouldn’t come to a halt. “The natural foods you provide in your yard throughout the year will encourage these songsters to visit again,” says Tufts. As a result, the birds may return and combat a new generation of insects the next year.
To learn more, visit NWF’s Backyard Wildlife HabitatTM Web site at www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat and www.eNature.com/garden_birds (where you can search by zip code to see which species live in your area). In addition, log onto http://birds.cornell.edu to see how you can help monitor backyard birds for scientists. Sarah Boyle is an associate editor for this magazine.
Try This Birdhouse for Beginners
With its classic good looks, this one-board birdhouse will fit anywhere.
Details at Birds and Blooms Birdhouse Building Instructions
While this birdhouse is as simple as it gets, it has a lot going for it. It can be made very quickly…uses minimal materials and tools…and boasts a sleek look that will make any budding woodworker proud to say, “I built it all by myself!”.
Here’s What You’ll Need
One 5-foot 1- x 6-inch No. 2 pine board
1-5/8-inch galvanized deck screws
2-inch galvanized finishing nails
Recommended Tools
Power drill
Appropriate-size spade bit
Hand saw
Let’s Saw That Board!
Using the full width of the 1-inch x 6-inch board, cut out the pieces as shown in the board layout below.
Drill a centered entrance hole about 2-1/2 inches from the top of the front piece. For eastern and western bluebirds, the hole should be 1-1/2 inches (for areas with mountain bluebirds, use a 1-9/16-inch hole). Chickadees and tufted titmice prefer entrances of 1-1/8 and 1-1/4 inches, respectively.
Attach the front to the sides with 1-5/8-inch deck screws. Predrill the holes in the front piece to prevent the wood from splitting. After nesting season when it’s time to clean out the birdhouse, remove these screws for easy access.
Attach the back to the sides with 2-inch finishing nails. Predrill the holes, making sure each one is straight.
Cut about 1/2 inch off each corner of the floor for drainage.
Recess the floor 1/4 inch up from the bottom of the house, then attach it with 2-inch finishing nails from the sides and back. Do not nail the floor from the front or you won’t be able to open it for cleaning.
Attach the roof to the sides with 1-5/8-inch deck screws.
You’re finished! Your board is a birdhouse. Nice job!
The little Oak Titmice have been very active now that spring has arrived. Their call is the loudest bird sound in our backyard. It amazes me that such a tiny bird can make so much noise. It is mating and nest building season. I saw one emerging from the titmouse nest box in our backyard this week. They dart to the tube bird feeder, grab a seed, and then fly to a nearby tree branch where they hold the sunflower seed with a foot as they eat. They are very quick and I was pleased to get a photo.
I put out peanuts in the shell for the squirrels, the Western Scrub Jays, and the Steller’s Jays. One day a little titmouse pecked at the shell of a peanut with its tiny bill. Then, with its bill stuck in the peanut it flew away. The peanut was almost as big as the bird! Unfortunately, I did not get a picture.
An Oak titmouse is a small gray bird with small a tuft on its head.
- Size: 5 3/4 inches long
- Weight: 10-21 g (0.35-0.74 ounces)
- Sexes look alike
- Cool Facts
- The Oak Titmouse sleeps in cavities, nest boxes, or in dense foliage. When roosting in foliage, the titmouse chooses a twig surrounded by dense foliage or an accumulation of dead pine needles, simulating a roost in a cavity.
- The Oak Titmouse mates for life, and pairs defend year-round territories. Most titmice find a mate in their first fall. Those that do not are excluded from territories and must live in marginal habitat until they find a vacancy.
- The Oak Titmouse, unlike other members of the family, does not form flocks in winter.
Can you find the two titmice in this picture?
Thursday, April 2 we had a large Cooper’s Hawk fly through our backyard and land in a tree. I was amazed at how large the bird was. It landed on a tree branch with its back to me and then turned around so that I could see the streaks on its breast side. These hawks fly through our yard preying on feeder birds.
Here is more detailed information about the Cooper’s Hawk.
A medium-sized hawk of the forest, the Cooper’s Hawk specializes in eating birds and small mammals. It is built for fast flight through the obstacle course of trees and limbs.
Description
- Size: 39-50 cm (15-20 in)
- Wingspan: 62-90 cm (24-35 in)
- Weight: 250-597 g (8.83-21.07 ounces)
- Medium-sized hawk.
- Tail long, rounded, and barred.
- Wings short and rounded.
- Back dark gray or gray-brown.
- Underparts barred reddish and white.
- Dark crown contrasts with nape.
- Legs yellow.
- Eyes orange or red.
- Tail ends in white tail band.
Sex Differences
Sexes similar in plumage; female larger.
The Cooper’s Hawk is found year round across the United States.
Reproduction
Nest Type
Open bowl of sticks lined with bark flakes and occasionally rimmed with green vegetation. Placed in main crotch or against the trunk of a live tree. Often placed on top of old crow, squirrel, or other hawk nest.
Egg Description
White to bluish white.
Clutch Size
Usually 3-5 eggs. Range: 1-7.
Condition at Hatching
Helpless and covered in white down.
Cool Facts
Dashing through vegetation to catch birds is a rather dangerous lifestyle. A recent study found that 23 percent of all Cooper’s Hawks examined had healed fractures in the bones of the chest, especially of the furcula or wishbone.
A Cooper’s Hawk captures a bird with its feet, and will squeeze it repeatedly to kill it. It does not bite the prey to kill it in the fashion of falcons, but holds it away from its body until it dies. It has been known to drown its prey, holding a bird under water until it stops moving.
Large numbers of Cooper’s Hawks can be seen on migration, especially at hawk watches such as Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania; Cape May, New Jersey, Goshute Mountain Range, Nevada, or Braddock Bay, New York. Autumn movements generally begin in late August and continue through early November. Young Cooper’s Hawks tend to migrate about a week earlier than adults, and females tend to go earlier than males by a few days.
| Weather and Effort: April 1 and 2, 2009 | |
|---|---|
| When did you watch your feeders? | Day 1: morning afternoon Day 2: morning afternoon |
| Estimated cumulative time: | 1 to 4 hours |
| Daylight temperature: | 1 to 10° C (33 to 50° F) low Over 20° C (over 68° F) high |
| Daylight precipitation: | None |
| Total depth of ice/snow cover: | None |
Checklist for FeederWatch California Region Birds
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 |
| Mourning Dove | 2 |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 3 |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 3 |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee | 1 |
| Oak Titmouse | 1 |
| Spotted Towhee | 1 |
| California Towhee | 2 |
| Fox Sparrow | 1 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 7 |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | 3 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 2 |
| House Finch | 8 (0 with eye disease) |
| American Goldfinch | 1 (0 with eye disease) |
Visit Project FeederWatch for more information and to find out how you can become a citizen scientist and count the birds you your own backyard!
| Weather and Effort: March 25 and 26, 2009 | |
|---|---|
| When did you watch your feeders? | Day 1: morning afternoon Day 2: morning afternoon |
| Estimated cumulative time: | 1 to 4 hours |
| Daylight temperature: | 1 to 10° C (33 to 50° F) low 11 to 20° C (51 to 68° F) high |
| Daylight precipitation: | None |
| Total depth of ice/snow cover: | None |
Checklist for FeederWatch California Region Birds
| Mourning Dove | 1 |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 4 |
| Steller’s Jay | 1 |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 3 |
| American Crow | 1 |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee | 1 |
| Oak Titmouse | 1 |
| California Towhee | 2 |
| Fox Sparrow | 1 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 9 |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | 3 |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 3 |
| House Finch | 4 (0 with eye disease) |
| American Goldfinch | 2 (0 with eye disease) |
Visit Project FeederWatch for more information and to find out how you can become a citizen scientist and count the birds you your own backyard!
Route 44 eagles on the Caltrans Eagle Cam
www.turtlebay.org
The eagle pair has been very succesful hatching three eaglets. They hatched March 17, 19, and 22. The parents are being very diligent in feeding and caring for them. As the eaglets grow, you will notice that they are out from under the parents more often.
Notice that as they feed, they rip off food and gently place the food at the eaglets’ beaks.
Route 44 eagles on the Caltrans Eagle Cam at Turtle Bay
The powerful bald eagle is magnificent. It isn’t surprising that we chose it as our nation’s symbol.
Most of us will never get close to an eagle’s nest. That’s OK, though. Their sharp talons and beak are intimidating!
Thanks to technology, though, we can safely see inside an eagle’s nest. This site features a Webcam trained on an eagle’s nest.
This particular pair of eagles has three eggs in its nest. Two hatched last week. The remaining egg should hatch soon.
It is interesting to see the eagles take turns incubating the eggs. And the size of the nest is impressive, too. Of course, the eagles have worked on the nest for several years.
This is a great site to share with your children. They will love the eagles. And there is plenty of information about the big birds.
The Webcam is only available during daylight. So, if you don’t see anything at first, come back to the site a little later!
This pair of eagles first moved in and began to nest in the fall of 2004, but were not successful hatching any eaglets during the spring of 2005. They returned the following year, added to their nest and successfully hatched, raised and fledged one eaglet in 2006! In 2007 they returned yet again fledging one eaglet.
Most Bald Eagles return from their wintering sites in February and begin nesting behaviors in March or April. This pair of Bald Eagles has been returning to their nest around December to begin their additions to the nest. Normally, they’re sitting on the nest in January and incubating eggs in early February. They’re early this year, arriving the first week of November, and have been sighted in and about the nest.
During the 2008 breeding season, construction began on the State Route 44 bridge replacement project. Historically, Bald Eagles have needed quiet, undisturbed areas to successfully breed. As human development has increased and encroached on their territories, Bald Eagles are becoming more tolerant of the human environment. Despite construction activities, they successfully fledged two eaglets in 2008!!
The Caltrans Eagle Cam
• Watch the eagles as they move around the nest. When they are maneuvering around the eggs and eaglets, they will ball up their feet so that they don’t damage them with their talons.
• Note that there is always one eagle in the nest while incubating the egg. They will take turns incubating and will even bring food back to one another.
Eagles of the World
There are 59 eagle species found through out the world. Eagle species are divided into 4 groups: True or Booted Eagles (Golden Eagle), Serpent or Snake Eagles (Bateleur Eagle), Forest Eagles (Harpy Eagle), and the Fish Eagles (Bald Eagle). There are only 2 eagle species found in the US: the Golden Eagle and the Bald Eagle.
The Bald Eagle is exclusive to North America. Bald Eagles range in size from 6-16 pounds with wingspans ranging from 6-8 feet. Females are 1/3 larger than males. Bald Eagles are smaller in the southern range and larger up north. Alaska has the largest Bald Eagles and Florida the smallest. Bald Eagles can be found in every state except Hawaii.
Bald Eagles mainly eat fish. About 90% of their diet consists of live or dead fish. The rest of their diet consists of any small animals they can catch along the shores including; snakes, ground squirrels, goslings, ducks and coots.
