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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.
One of the Sequoia trees in our backyard has become the favorite spotting perch for several local birds of prey. Everyday a hawk or other bird of prey sits at the top of this tree for several minutes, looking for a meal I suppose.
I believe this bird is a Black-Shouldered Kite. I was thrilled to get a photo of this bird in flight.
Kites are graceful birds of prey. They are falcon-shaped, with pointed wings. Their diet consists of large insects, reptiles, and rodents.
One of my blog readers, Ellis Myers, commented that “Your bird is a White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus). It was formerly known as Black-shouldered Kite, but the name was changed to avoid confusion with the Black-shouldered Kite of Australia.”
Thanks for the information, Ellis.
I was using my Western Birds – Peterson Field Guide, copyright 1990 to identify the bird. Your information is more up to date. The White-tailed Kite designation is in my Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America but the images show the kite as a pale gray bird. My bird had sparkling white plumage.
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.
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.
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.
I love watching the squirrels figure out how to get peanuts in the shell from the squirrel feeder, made from a wide-mouth gallon jar in a stand. Some are very cautious and examine the feeder from all sides before they stretch their body venturing in to grab a peanut. Other squirrels walk into the jar so that their entire body is inside, they pick up a peanut, turn around and exit the jar. They sit on the lattice fence examining the peanut; then they start breaking open the shell to remove and eat the nuts or they scurry off to hide the peanut for colder weather.
When I put peanuts out for the birds I usually throw a few handfuls of nuts on the ground or I line them up on the lattice fence around our deck.
Here are directions to make a peanut feeder for your backyard birds.
Peanut Feeder for Your Feathered Friends
If you want a parade of colorful birds coming to your backyard, try offering them peanuts.
We recommend serving them in the shell. It makes it difficult for squirrels to get to the goobers, while woodpeckers, blue jays and nuthatches have little trouble breaking the shells with their bills.
Here’s What You’ll Need
One 2-foot 1-inch x 6-inch board
Approximately 12 inches x 18 inches of hardware cloth with 1/4-inch squares
36-inch-long light-duty chain
One screw eye
Netting staples
Waterproof carpenter’s glue (or 1-5/8-inch deck screws)
Recommended Tools
Band, saber or scroll saw
Wire cutter
Needle-nose pliers
Soldering iron (optional)
Start Building
Cut out four disks-two should measure about 4-3/4 inches across, and two should measure about 3 inches across-with a band, saber or scroll saw. Make the circles with a compass, or simply trace the rims of quart and 1/2-pint paint cans (or other cans similar to the dimensions above). Cut the smaller disks carefully. They should be as close to identical as possible.
Center and glue (or predrill and fasten with three 1-5/8-inch deck screws) each small disk to a larger disk. Clamp these pieces together until the glue completely dries. This will form the top and base of the feeder.
Fasten one end of the chain to a screw eye. Open the eye with two small pliers. (Twist in opposite directions until the eye opens just enough for the chain to be inserted.) Close the eye with a pliers.
Drill a pilot hole in the center of one of the small disks and turn in the screw eye. This will become the feeder’s base.
Wrap hardware cloth around the completed base. (If using a 1/2-pint paint can to determine the size of the smaller disks, wrap the hardware cloth around the base and the can, which should be positioned about 10 inches higher than the base. Wrap heavy-duty rubber bands around the base and can to form a cylinder.)
Cut the hardware cloth about 1/4 inch beyond the last complete square where it comes together. This will leave small wire tabs on one end (see illustration above). Now you can remove the rubber bands and paint can.
Bend hardware cloth into a cylinder and attach to the feeder’s base with netting staples (with the chain inside).
Join the two ends of hardware cloth to form a cylinder. Secure by wrapping the tabs around the other end using needle-nose pliers. Make sure the cylinder isn’t too tight at the feeder’s top, otherwise it will be difficult to lift up and close when filling with peanuts.
We recommend spot soldering the wire at the seam about every 2 inches for a better hold. If there is excess wire at the tabs, trim with a wire cutter.
The chain can be looped for hanging or attached to a S hook.
Slide the top up along the chain and then fill the cylinder with peanuts. You’ll enjoy watching the “peanut gallery” of feathered friends.
Directions from Birds and Blooms.com
We have a 25 year old privet tree in our backyard. Up until a few days ago it was over 30 feet tall. This tree provided shade over part of our yard and deck and shelter for our backyard birds. It is near my bird feeders and the birds fly back and forth from the feeders to the tree.
Every winter the Cedar Waxwings flock to the privet tree in our backyard to devour the blue-black berries on our tree. They usually stay for only one or two days, feast, and then they are gone until the next winter. A few American Robins compete with the waxwings for the berries. I welcome the waxwings and enjoy watching them, and I’m always in awe over their beautiful plumage.
These are photos of Cedar Waxwings visiting our backyard last winter. (These photos do not do them justice.)
This tree has tiny white flowers in the spring and has a beautiful canopy shape. The birds love the abundance of berries during the winter when food is scarce.
I feel a little sad about cutting back the branches on the tree because we may not see any Cedar Waxwings this winter when they find their favorite tree has no berries. They won’t bother to stop by our yard as they search for food. I don’t know if the same birds find they way back to our tree each year or whether or not they somehow remember the tree full of berries in our backyard. This is amazing bird behavior at its best!
The one unfavorable attribute of this tree is that the berries are plentiful and have a very high germination rate. Many of the seeds drop to the ground, germinate, and begin growing into tiny little trees. They are in my lawn, my flower beds, my planters, and my garden. The only way to keep them from taking over is to pull out the little seedlings, a very time consuming task. So this fall we got out our 10 foot ladder and started sawing away at the branches. We sawed a few branches each week so we could cut up the large limbs and dispose of them and completed the task last week. So all that remains is a trunk and several large limbs as you can see in the picture above. Leaves are already beginning to grow from the ends of the limbs so I know the tree is alive and well! Another reason for cutting back the tree over a several week period.
Here is a photo of how the berries looked on our tree. The ends of every branch were covered with berries.
I’m waiting to see if a few Cedar Waxwings wonder into our backyard this winter in seach of food. They won’t find the usual feast that they are used to finding. I’m not sure how many years until the tree begins to produce berries again. I will definitely miss seeing the flock of magnificent birds!
Each morning I throw a few handfuls of peanuts in the shell out on my patio for the Western Scrub Jays and the Steller’s Jays. It’s amazing how fast they spot the peanuts and swoop down for a treat. Some jays quickly grab a peanut and fly off to crack the shell and eat the peanuts inside. Other jays pick up a peanut, drop it and pick up another peanut, then fly away.
A Steller’s Jay waiting for a chance to swoop down and grab a peanut.
Black-Headed Grosbeaks and Spotted Rufous-Sided Towhees are both members of the Family Emberizidae.
Black-Headed Grosbeaks are finch-like birds, stocky and larger than sparrows, with thick, strong triangular bills adapted for seed-cracking. Their favorite feeder foods are striped and black-oiled sunflower seeds. They will eat seeds from the ground and above ground feeders.
The picture above is of male grosbeak. The female is brown with sparrow-like streaks above and a head patterned with light strips and a dark ear patch. The breast is ochre-brown.
We’ve had two male grosbeaks and one female grosbeak (that I know of) at our backyard feeders. It was difficult to get a photo of these birds. They are awkward and cautious and fly away with any movement.
The Spotted Rufous-Sided Towhee is smaller and more slender than a Robin. You’ll see it rummaging noisily among the dead leaves. These birds have a hop-and-scratch foraging style. Jumping forward, head and tail up, a towhee kicks its long legs backward, propelling leaf litter behind it. The towhee feeds on small invertebrates and seeds that it turns up. They also eat seeds of weeds and grasses, grains, fruits, and broken acorns. These relatively large but shy birds rush for cover at the smallest disturbance. They are ground feeders and their favorite feeder foods are mixed seed and millet.
It is recognized by its rufous sides. The male has a black head and chest, orange-red sides, white belly, and black back heavily spotted with white. It flashes large white patches in the tail corners. The eye is fiery red. If you look closely you can see the eye in this photo. The female is similar to the male but dusky brown where the male is black. The bill is dark and not as thick and strong as that of the grosbeak.
At first glance you might mistake one species for the other or think they are the same bird because of the similarity of color and design. However, at closer inspection, the Spotted Towhee is slender while the Black-Headed Grosbeak is stocky. The bill of the towhee is dark while the bill of the grosbeak is lighter.
