The highest rate of beak abnormalities ever recorded in wild bird populations is being seen in a number of species in the Northwest and Alaska, and scientists to this point have not been able to isolate the cause. Black-capped Chickadees, Northwestern Crows, and other birds are being impacted by the problem, which affects their ability to feed and clean themselves and could signal a growing environmental health problem.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/newenglandbirdhouse-news/are-abnormal-beaks-indicative-of-a-bigger-problem/
According to traditional wisdom, they shouldn’t have been there at all. So much for traditional wisdom. They were there in droves.
Dozens of American robins visited my yard over the weekend. Their visits, unfortunately, were short-lived. First they gathered in the trees in the backyard. Then they dispersed, some going to the birdbath and others hopping along the garden or driveway.
It was nice to see the robins again, especially so many of them at once. Even in the summer when robins are commonplace, I never see that many together. Like many types of birds, robins form large flocks in the winter.
I was happy to see the robins in February, however I was not shocked or even the least bit surprised. Robins may be thought of as signs of spring, but each year many of them stay with us here in New England throughout the winter. In fact, some remain as far north as southern Canada.
They are often hard to find in the winter, but they are around somewhere — and usually in large groups.
With their feathers and down, robins are able to withstand bitter cold temperatures and extreme weather conditions, just like our other “winter” birds such as chickadees and kinglets.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/new-england-living/american-robins-visit-new-england-backyard/
The next time you hear a familiar “chick a dee dee dee”, listen closely, because a chickadee’s call can tell you a lot. Biologists have discovered that the more “dees” there are in a Black-capped Chickadee’s warning call, the more dangerous the predator.
One very threatening predator is the pygmy owl. Its prey is often small birds, and they are able to maneuver swiftly enough to capture a chickadee. When scientists tethered these birds close to chickadees in a test environment, they caused the chickadees to add as many as 23 “dees” to their warning calls!
Larger predators that don’t maneuver well and don’t cause much of a threat to chickadees only warranted an additional 3 or 4 “dees!” Chickadees also have a quiet “seet” call, which is believed to warn others of flying raptors. In fact, biologists have actually recognized more than 30 variations in chickadee songs and calls.
There are seven species of chickadees found in North America. The Black Capped Chickadee of the north was once called the Appalachian Chickadee, while the Mountain Chickadee of the Rockies and west was once called Bailey’s Chickadee–and the Chestnut-sided or Chestnut-backed Chickadee of the northwest coast was once named Barlow’s. Chickadees are in the same family as the Tits of Europe and Africa and the well known American Titmouse.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/about-chickadees/
The 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) featured two invasions this year: voracious Pine Siskins (pictured right) and a whole new crop of citizen-science participants! Bird watchers shattered last year’s record by submitting more than 93,600 checklists during the four-day event, held February 16-19. Participants also identified 619 species and sent in thousands of stunning bird images for the GBBC photo contest. The Great Backyard Bird Count is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/great-backyard-bird-count-shows-where-the-birds-are/
Black-Capped Chickadee
Scientific Name: Poecile atricapilla
The state bird of Maine and Massachusetts, the Black-Capped Chickadee is a small, common songbird in the Tit family generally found throughout Alaska, Canada and the northern United States.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/about-black-capped-chickadee/
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