Tag Archives: Backyard Birding

For the Birds

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Birds and windows don’t mix. When they come into contact with one another, the bird is usually the looser. Glass reflects the outdoors and birds see the glass as a place to fly through. Research now suggests that in the United States, 1 billion birds die each year due to window strikes. Even when a bird flies away after a strike, it’s estimated that upwards of 60% die within a 24 hour period. This information comes from wildlife rescue organizations’ records of birds brought in for treatment after window collisions.

The numbers are daunting and birds are dying. We human types can mitigate some of that problem by using window decals in the forms of lines, dots, or cutesy decorations.

I’ve opted for cutsey in my window situations.

Decals are easy to put on windows, available through many sources, and last quite a long time. In my own experience, my back garden windows are the main source of bird collisions, obviously because of the feeders. For some years now, I’ve placed decals on those particular windows (I’ll talk about other window remedies later). While I love the aesthetic of a clean, large window, dead or dying birds because of those windows is a non-starter for me. I’ll tolerate some interruption of that sheet of beautiful glass for the sake of even more beautiful birds. I’ve grown used to the decals; they don’t hinder my inside enjoyment of the outside and it’s now a rare event that a bird hits my windows.

This window is in in my living room, the photo taken from outside. It’s easy to see how a bird might think it can fly right through. It’s been 4 years since a bird hit this window; sadly, it was a beautiful Cedar Waxwing. In addition to the decals placed at the bottom half of the window placed a few inches apart, there is an indoor blind hanging in the upper half with slats partially open so that the horizontal slats indicate to birds that the window isn’t a flyway.

When we were in Costa Rica, a number of the places we visited opted for vertical lines on the windows. Some newer buildings are using glass that has dots or lines formed in the glass. Decals, lines drawn on glass with oil-based paint markers, blinds (vertical or horizontal), patterned draperies–anything that disrupts a reflection of a natural landscape is a cue to birds that the window shouldn’t be part of the bird’s flyway. I’ve witness a hawk, and many migratory and resident birds fly towards my windows, to suddenly bank away as they clearly recognized that the path isn’t safe. What they think the window is at that point I have no idea, but that the birds didn’t head straight into the window is a win for the birds. For me, that alone is worth a few in-the-way-decals.

Most of my windows have blinds on the inside and because there are lines, the birds see that those windows are not through-ways. When I raise the blinds, I’ve placed a few decals on the lower part of the windows so that the birds don’t hit the glass.

If you’d like to read more about this problem, the research to mitigate the problem, and how you can prevent bird strikes, check out these links. The first is from Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the second from Audubon.

Why Birds Collide With Windows

Window Strikes Are Even Deadlier for Birds Thank We Thought

Do it for the birds!

Black-crested Titmouse, Baeolophus atricristatus

After Dinner Drink?

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On a recent evening my back garden was honored with a visit from this immature Cooper’s Hawk, Astur cooperii, who spent time at one of my bird baths. The bird sat and surveyed its surroundings,

…took thirsty dives into the water,

…and with beak pointed to the sky, gulped, gulped, gulped, enjoying a cool water drink at the end of a day.

At first, I assumed he’d landed looking for dinner, but the squirrels were somewhat active (not directly under the hawk’s beak, but nearby) and birds were around, though giving this formidable predator its space. Cooper’s Hawks typically hunt birds, but I’ve witnessed one catch a squirrel. A successful predator will hunt whatever is available and catch-able.

I wouldn’t want to be on the catching end if these things–would you?

Given the hawk’s lack of interest in a meal and its focus on the water bowl, I wondered if this one had dined earlier, in some other venue, and was in my garden for its after dinner drink.

The hawk sat, sipped, looked around and eventually hopped to the opposite side of the water bowl. This young Cooper’s has a regal form: bright, intelligent eyes, glorious plumage, and a dignified figure.

My favorite photo of this half hour of hawk watching is this one.

The hawk has a I meant to do that! look on its face. Maybe it took a page out of the White-winged Dove book and pooped in the water? Or perhaps it belched a bit and was embarrassed? Do hawks belch? Do hawks get embarrassed?

Shortly afterwards, my hawk buddy winged to the overhead utility wires behind my property and then onward to its perch for the night.

I love to spy on the flitty birds in my garden, both migratory and resident. They’re quick, agile, easily hidden in the foliage and a triumph when I get a good look and photograph. That said, it’s rewarding and so much easier to watch and appreciate a bigger bird. It’s truly a gift when one lands and spends time resting in the garden.

Neighbors

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In February I wrote about the Red-shouldered Hawks who set up housekeeping in our Sycamore tree, adding their particular touches to an abandoned squirrel nest. Sadly, in March, after several days of high winds and the nest torn asunder, the hawks abandoned that tree. I didn’t see the hawks for a few days, but eventually found them busily building another nest in a huge, beautiful Red Oak, Quercus rubra, which grows just around the corner from my street. I guess the hawks chose well as that tree is taller and wider, with dense foliage for protection.

I’ve kept an eye on the hawk happenings, observing their new digs and parent hawk behavior. Typically, mom is on the nest, dad is nearby, serving as a protective sentry with his watchful hawk eyes.

I’ve only caught quick glimpses of fuzzy white chick heads, but never when I’m in possession of either my binoculars or my camera.

On this morning, dad was harassed by a vociferous Blue Jay, Cyanocitta cristata, off to his left.

Dad hawk looks rather disdainful of the intrusion; he flew to a different branch a minute later, jay in noisy pursuit.

Mom hawk is in the nest, caring for the wee ones, hunkered down in their solidly built oak-leafy nest.

My SIL has been luckier in getting great shots of the hawk family, including this one of the two chicks, fierce-n-fuzzy they are! Look at those darling, terrifying faces!

I’ve been watching the hawks since late March, but only two weeks ago discovered that across the street, situated in a large Live Oak, Quercus virginiana, a family of Yellow-crested Night Herons, Nyctanassa violacea, have also settled in for their chick-raising. Bird neighbors! I’m guessing these two feathery families don’t share meals or coordinate play dates for the kids! I find it fascinating that these two large predator birds are relatively close together and are raising successful families. That said, while both species hunt, they hunt different prey, so there’s probably not much competition for food, at least between the families.

There’s always one adult heron near the nest, and often I see both adults, perched on opposite branches that book-end the large nest of babies in between. In this photo, one adult faces away from my camera, tail feathers and skinny legs in view. The other adult preens, its yellow crown visible in the morning sun.

The oldest chick (presumably) is on the left, the two younger in the nest, cuddled side-by-side.

Here, one adult preens and the three chicks are being chicks. The one on the right is larger than the other two, a little heron head sits in the middle, and a blob of feathery fluff is barely visible on the left side of the nest.

Adult heron and baby heron, each stare in different directions.

Another stunning shot from my SIL! All beaks and eyes, these little critters rock their dinosaur past.

I expect these characters to fledge in the next week or two. They’ll be spotted on rooftops, residents’ cars, and on lawns, and hopefully not in the street. I also hope they’re too big for the hawks to predate, but I’m not so sure about that.

Puffy clouds act as a visual connection between the hawks’ home tree on the right and the herons’ home tree on the left. The street sits just below, bisecting the two properties.

There are at least four other nesting heron families in this part of our neighborhood and in the larger neighborhood area, a nesting family of Red-tailed Hawks, Buteo jamaicensis, and at least one family of Cooper’s Hawks, Astur cooperii, call this area home. Providing for these predatory birds, as well as for multitudes of song birds, wood peckers, finches, mammals, and countless insects is why trees exist. Large native trees are not only beautiful for people to enjoy, but provide life and protection for wild things.

Plant trees, especially native trees, and prune sparingly. Wildlife will cheer!

Sad addendum: we just experienced a strong thunderstorm with high winds, heavy rain, and hail. I walked over to the street where the nests are and I spoke with the young woman who is the owner of the house with the heron nest. The nest is completely gone, a major branch broke that was above the nest. The young woman said she found one nestling dead; she hasn’t seen the other herons. The hawk nest is undamaged. I didn’t see any chicks, but they aren’t always visible. I looked on the lawn and didn’t see any bodies or live birds. The young woman saw one of the adult hawks drying itself.