All posts by traderscreek

Birds

Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus

Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus

The Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) is a medium-sized plover. The attached pictures of a Killdeer and its nest were taken at SUNY Geneseo.


Description: Adults have a brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with two black bands. The rump is tawny orange. The face and cap are brown with a white forehead. They have an orange-red eyering. Tail extends beyond wing tips at rest. Sexes are similar in appearance. The chicks are Killdeer – Charadrius vociferuspatterned almost identically to the adults, and are precocial — able to move around right after hatching.killdeer

Their breeding habitat is open fields or lawns, often quite far from water, across most of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. They nest on the ground in an open area with a clear line of sight, or on a gravel roof.

They are migratory in northern areas and winter as far south as northern South America. They are rare vagrants to western Europe, usually late in the year.

These birds forage for food in fields, mudflats, and shores, usually by sight. They mainly eat insects.

Their name comes from their frequently heard call.

killdeer eggsThese birds will frequently use the “broken-wing act” to distract predators from their nests. This involves the bird walking  away from its nesting area holding its wing in a position that simulates an injury and then flapping around on the ground emitting a distress call. The predators then think they have easy prey and are attracted to this seemingly injured bird and away from the nest. Killdeer have an average length of 8 inches

Similar species – all other plovers lack the two black breastbands. Very young Killdeer have a single breastband and could be confused with Piping, Wilson’s, Snowy or Semipalmated Plovers, but are usually still downy, have black bills (any Piping or Semipalmated Plover having a breastband will also have an orange bill with a black tip), and are colored above like the adult (eliminating the paler Piping and Snowy).

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter

Birds

Lesser Scaup – Aythya affinis

Lesser Scaup – Aythya affinis

General:

Lesser Scaup are often hard to distinguish from the Greater Scaup when viewed at a distance and when a large scaup flock is encountered it will often have both species present. Although the Lesser Scaup has Lesser Scaupthe largest population of any species of diving duck in North America, their population has been steadily declining since the mid-1980slesser scaup male

The eggs of the Lesser Scaup are olive colored. The chicks hatch in about 21-28 days and they fledge in about 45-50 days. Lesser Scaup chicks are capable of diving under water on their hatching day, but they are too buoyant to stay under for more than just a moment.

The meat of the Lesser Scaup should be considered good. It is one of the better eating diving ducks.

Identification:

Male: The males are about 12″ long with a wingspan of 29″. The have a glossy black head with a purple cast (Greater Scaup’s head has a more green cast). The neck, breast and upper mantle are glossy black. Vermiculations on the sides and flanks are olive brown and contrast with the white chest and belly. The back is light gray with broad heavy vermiculations of sooty black. The tail, upper and under-tail coverts are black. The wing has a white speculum and the inner primaries are light brown, becoming darker towards the tips and outer primaries. The bill is a light blue-gray with a black tip, the legs and feet are gray and the iris is yellow.

lesser scaup femaleFemale: The female has a brownish head, neck and chest. A white ring circles the base of the bill. The back, rump are dark brown and the speculum is white. The bill is similar to that of the male but slightly duller, the legs and feet are gray and the iris is yellow.

Habitat:

Lesser Scaupnest near prairie marshes, ponds, lakes and slow rivers, In winter range the can be found on coastal bays and larger lakes

Territory:

The Lesser Scaup breeds from interior Alaska and Northern Canada to the prairie states and east. They migrate south to British Columbia and Massachusetts south to the Gulf states and South America.

Diet:

Lesser Scaup feed on seeds of pondweeds, wigeon grass, wild rice, sedges and bulrushes. They also feed on crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic insects and small fish.

Birds

White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis

White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis

General:

White-breasted Nuthatch is an agile bird that can typically be seen walking along a tree and even hanging upside down below a tree branch as it searches for insects and seeds.
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatches are common around bird feeders often taking seeds, nuts or pecking at suet. In winter, White-breasted Nuthatches join mixed flocks with chickadees and tufted titmice.

White-breasted Nuthatches typically build nests in natural tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes. The eggs are about .7″ long are white with light red-brown speckles. The chicks hatch in approximately 13 – 14 days and fledge in about another 14 days.

Identification:

The largest North American nuthatch, the White-breasted Nuthatch has a large head, short tail The White-breasted Nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis and short wings. They are a sparrow sized bird, approximately 5″White-breasted Nuthatch – 6″ long. The upperparts of the White-breasted Nuthatch are pale blue-gray, and the face and under-parts are white. It has a black cap and a white lower belly.

Habitat: White-breasted Nuthatches are birds of mature woods and woodland edges. They are more likely to be found in deciduous tree stands, including maple, hickory, basswood, and oak. However, they can also be found in coniferous forests.

Territory:

They are widely dispersed. White-breasted Nuthatches range from British Columbia to Nova Scotia to Florida and Mexico

Food:

The White-breasted Nuthatch forages along tree trunks and branches in a similar way to woodpeckers. White-breasted Nuthatches eat insects. They also eat seeds and nuts, including acorns, hawthorn, sunflower seeds. At birdfeeders they eat seeds, nuts and suet.

Credits:
Patuxent Bird Identification Info Center
The Audubon Society – Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birds

Double-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus

Double-crested Cormorant

General:

The Double-crested Cormorant is the most numerous and widespread North American cormorant. It can occur in large numbers inland as well as on the coast.

In upstate New York this cormorant has increased in numbers. Twenty years ago it was an infrequent site, nowDouble-crested Cormorant – Phalacrocorax auritus large colonies on the Great Lakes and large inland lakes has led to the concern about their predation on sport fish.Double-crested Cormorant

When on the water their bodies, as shown in the picture, are almost entirely submerged. When out of the water and perching they often spread their wings to dry.

The Double-crested Cormorant makes a bulky nest of sticks and other materials. In breeding colonies where the nests are placed on the ground, young cormorants leave their nests and congregate into groups.

The Double-crested cormorant egg is chalky blue. The chicks will hatch in 25-29 days and will fledge in 35-42 days

Identification:

Double-crested Cormorant – Adult Description: They are large, dark bodied water birds – approximately 30″ to 35″. They have a long body and long neck. Double-crested Cormorant has a medium-sized bill hooked at tip. The throat pouch area is orange, extending straight down Double-crested Cormorantacross throat. It does have tufts on the top of its head – although not always evident.

Immature Description – Upper breast and throat pale. Chest variable from nearly whitish to dusky.

Habitat: Found in diverse aquatic habitats, such as ponds, lakes, rivers, lagoons, estuaries, and open coastline; more widespread in winter – always open water.

Territory:

The Double-crested Cormorant breeds from Alaska to Newfoundland down to Mexico. It winters as far north as Long Island, NY and Southern Alaska.

Food:

Predominantly fish. Also some other aquatic animals, insects, and amphibians. The Double-crested cormorant is a Diving water bird. It chases prey underwater grabbing prey in its bill.

Credits:
Patuxent Bird Identification Info Center
The Audubon Society – Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birds

Green-Winged Teal – Anas crecca

Green-Winged Teal – Anas crecca

General: Green-Winged Teal, also known as the Common Teal, are the smallest of all North American puddle ducks with a short neck and small bill. They are a popular game bird. They are considered a challenging game bird, often swooping in to a decoy raft only to rise and fly off before a shot can be made. The Green-winged Teal population is steady and /or growing.

They nest near water, either in grasses or brush. The eggs are creamy white. The chicks hatch in about 21 – 23 days and can leave the nest soon after they hatch. They fledge in about another 34 days.
The meat of Green-Winged Teal is considered good to eat and mild in flavor.

Identification: General: As stated the Green-Winged teal is a small duck. They are about 12″ – 16″ long with a Wingspan of 24″, short-necked and small-billed.

Males: Alternate plumage worn from Fall through early summer, dark bill with a rich rust-colored head. Green-Winged TealIridescent green face patch sweeping through eye and tapering to the back of head. Chest is buff with dark spotting. The flanks are gray and back Vertical white line at fore part of flanks. Horizontal black line above flanks, buff outer under-tail coverts bordered by black. The central under-tail coverts are black.

Females & Juveniles: Dark gray bill, pale brown head and neck, dark brown cap and eye line. Dark brown back and upper wing coverts scalloped with buff, breast is white spotted with brown, the belly is white.

Habitat: Green-Winged Teal are found more commonly in marshes, ponds and marshy lakes.

Territory: The Green-Winged Teal’s northern range is from Northern Alaska and Aleutian Islands to Quebec south to New York and prairie states. They winter as far south as Central America and the west Indies.

Diet: Green-winged teal feed on seeds of sedges, smartweeds, pondweeds agricultural crops and grasses. To a lesser extent they eat aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans

Mallard duck information

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Birds

Yellow warbler

Yellow warbler

General:

The Yellow Warbler, Dendroica petechia, is a New World warbler. It is the most widespread Dendroica warbler, breeding in almost the whole of North America and down to northern South America. It has 35 geographical races, which can be divided into three main groups.

Identification Tips:

Length is 4 inches. It is a small, active, insect-eating bird. The yellow warbler has a thin, pointed bill, mostly yellow plumage. Its upperparts greenish-yellow

Greenish-yellow wings and tail with yellow featyellow warblerher edges. It has a plain yellow face with yellow eye ring surrounding dark eye and yellowish legs. The adult male has golden yellow plumage with rusty streaks on breast and flanks. Female and immature yellow warblers have plain yellow plumage, their streaks on breast absent or barely noticeable.

They nests in trees, building a cup nest. The female usually lays 3-6 eggs, but the two other groups, which breed in mangroves, lay fewer eggs, as would be expected for tropical races.

yellow warbler pictureThese birds feed on insects and spiders, but northern races will also take some berries. As they are visitors to my bird feeders and will take suet cake offerings.

The yellow warbler song is a musical sweet sweet sweet, I’m so sweet, although it varies considerably between races. The call is a soft or harder ship.

This species is a regular victim of the Brown-headed Cowbird, a nest parasite.

Yellow warbler Dendroica petechia – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter