Category Archives: Wildlife

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

Birds

Dark-eyed Junco – Junco hyemalis

Dark-eyed Junco

General: The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds in North America. Dark-eyed Juncos are birds of the ground. They are common at winter bird feeders and can usually be seen flittering in tree branches and hopping on the ground searching for seeds.Dark-eyed Junco

The White-throated Sparrow and the Dark-eyed Junco occasionally mate and produce hybrids.

Dark-eyed Juncos generally nest on or near the ground.

Dark-eyed Juncos eggs are pale green brown spotted occasionally unmarked. the eggs are approximately 7/10ths of an inch.

The chicks will hatch in 12-13 days and will fledge in 9-13 days

Identification: The Dark-eyed Junco is a medium-sized sparrow, 5″ to 6 1/2″ with a rounded head, a short, stout bill and a fairly long, conspicuous tail. In general they’re dark gray or brown birds brightened up by a pink bill and white outer tail feathers that periodically flash open, particularly in flight.

Males tend to have darker, more conspicuous markings than the females.

Juncos vary across the country, in fact up until the 1980’s several variations of the Dark-eyed Junco, Oregon Junco, White-Winged Junco and Slate-Colored Junco were considered separate species.

Inter-breeding occurs where these variations meet.

Dark-eyed JuncoHabitat: Dark-eyed Juncos breed in coniferous or mixed-coniferous forests ranging from sea level to more than 11,000 feet

Territory: Dark-eyed Juncos can be found from Alaska to Newfoundland south to Mexico and Georgia. They do migrate and in winter can be found as far south as the Gulf coast and Northern Mexico.

Food: Dark-eyed Juncos are primarily seed-eaters. At feeders they seem to prefer millet over sunflower seeds. Dark-eyed Juncos also eat insects.

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

Birds

American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis

American Goldfinch

General: The American Goldfinch is the state bird of New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington.

It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canadian border to Mexico during the winter.

They are social birds, and will gather in large flocks while feeding and migrating. They are common visitors to birdfeeders. Often time they are overAmerican Goldfinchlooked or misidentified when they are in winter plumage.

American Goldfinches molt their body feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again in late summer.

American Goldfinch nest is an open cup. They typically build in a shrub or low tree in the open. The first Goldfinch nest I found was in a scraggly maple tree in the open about 12′ up in a crotch next to a suburban street

The eggs are pale blue and approximately .7″ long. The chicks hatch in about 12 – 14 days and fledge in about another 11 – 17 days.

According to Audubon, the American Goldfinch is a late breeder. This male american goldfinch in mating colorsis presumably due to their diet of seeds and when the food source is available. Because they breed late in the season they typically only raise one brood.

Identification: The Goldfinch is approximately 5″. Adult males in spring and early summer are bright yellow with black forehead, black wings with white markings, and white patches both above and beneath the tail. Adult females are duller yellow beneath, olive above. Winter birds are drab, un-streaked brown, with blackish wings and two pale wing bars

Habitat: The goldfinch’s main habitats are weedy fields and grasslands where plants such as thistles and seed bearing weeds and shrubs grow. They’re also found in farmland and suburban areas.

Territory: American Goldfinches are migratory birds. In summer they can be found as far north as Nova Scotia in the east and British Columbia to the west. They migrate south to the Gulf coast states in the winter. Except for the extreme western deserts, American Goldfinches can be found throughout the contiguous states of the USA.

Diet: Goldfinches eat seeds almost exclusively. At feeders prefers nyjer and sunflower.

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center