Another ice storm today,
but the spring migrants keep coming. Here's a very weather-battled Cowbird.
Let's hope the power lines stay put!
Teen birds can be
very confusing, especially when you are just starting with birdwatching. They have the coolest patterns and colorations going on, and I have to say they are one of my favorites to see. It is fantastic that it is possible to see them even into fall. The calendar birds for August, September and October are teens. There’s a Rubythroated Hummingbird with just the first parts of the gorget appearing, a juvenile Cowbird morphing into adult plumage, and a teen Cardinal, still with lots of baby feathers and the characteristic brown beak.
The molting continues.
There are still flocks of adventurous looking Cowbirds passing through, along with Grackles and Starlings. Many of the Blue Jays are also still looking rather rough, but the weather is nice enough so they will not be cold. The Goldfinches have come back, bringing their adorable and excited youngsters, and they are beginning to molt into their winter feathers. The resident Cardi family also has made it through the summer fine, they have at least two young ones but except for this female, they are all camera shy. Hopefully in the coming weeks I can get one of the babies to check a camera out. Come good into Saturday!
There is really no bird
that I see more often misidentified than this one, and I had my issues in the beginning too. All of these are the same species a Brownheaded Cowbird. The first two are youngsters. A juvenile that is morphing into adult feathers, a stage that I love, it looks so cool because they all have different markings. The one next to it is a baby, and I was a little surprised to see that yesterday, so late in the season. The pink edges of the beak, the speckled brown feathers and the cute appearance are tells. The other two are adults - a female and a male. They get a bad reputation but are fascinating native birds and do not act out of malice. If you are interested to learn more about them, Audubon has a great article about them here.
During migration time
it is always fun to see the “winter world” clash with the “summer world”. Yesterday and today we have snow, but migration has started, and so they mingle. A flock of Cowbirds passed through the other day (the first photo shows a female), and the Juncos are still here, enjoying the snow and filling their bellies for the big trip up north. On Thursday, we are expecting truly springlike temperatures, and i have to say I am more than ready to say goodbye to winter for now. Gayle and Mr. Business will also have a much easier time to raise their babies (they are due to hatch on / around the 24th.)
Everybody's molting,
and it’s quite the sight to behold. For smaller birds like Chickadees, Titmice and Bluebirds, the molting is also a good ID marker for the adults. The babies usually look all preppy and brandnew at the end of the season. Blue Jays and Grackles look most dramatic. Here we have: young Cowbird, Blue Jay, House Finch, Blue Jay, young Blue Jay and Grack. They all appreciate quality food and water during this time. The feathers will grow back and they will look like new soon again.
Another round of Who's that girl?
Around this time of the year, many people start seeing this kind of bird and wonder what it is. It was certainly one of my “struggle birds” in the beginning, too. However, it is fairly easy - this is a female Brownheaded Cowbird. In size, they are between a Robin and a Cardinal, and they have a soft trilling call. Cowbirds are known and often disliked for their breeding behavior. They are so-called brood parasites, meaning that they lay their eggs into other birds’ nests and let them raise their babies. This is not out of malice. They used to follow cattle around and never stayed anywhere long enough to build nests. This way of breeding ensured their survival as a species. Nowadays, there is less cattle roaming around and humans have taken over lots of habitat. The birds are still the same, and so we might witness one of nature’s oddities in the summer when for example tiny Chipping Sparrows feed one of their own babies but also a ginormous Cowbird baby. The human birdwatcher might feel bad and think about interfering, but remember that Cowbirds are native to the US and protected by law. Read up before you act.
Number 1 confusion bird
for many seems to be this species. This is a Brown-headed Cowbird, and he is growing his adult feathers. The hues in the black portions as well as the simple brown of the youngsters and females can make it hard for people to identify this bird. When I was still a birdwatching beginner, at one point I thought, “Everytime I don’t know what it is, it is very likely a Cowbird.” And that was often the case. I love this particular look on them and am happy this one came to the camera. He seems to have some bumps on the feet but I haven’t seen them on any other bird.
