Devastation at High Island

Sue Levy, a former Duluth birder who now lives in Texas, asked me and other bloggers to share this important news:

Dear Friends,

Last Wednesday we woke to discover that we suddenly, from outta nowhere, had a tropical depression just south of Galveston Island that was due to become a tropical storm and make landfall within less than 24 hours. By about midnight, (Erev Rosh Ha- Shanah for some of us) it was Hurricane Humberto, which made landfall at High Island, devastating the precious bird sanctuaries which are famous as a spot for a different sort of landfall - for the trans-Gulf neo-tropical migrants who arrive each Spring, tired and hungry, to what has been a perfect habitat for them. If you're not a birder, you should know that the Upper Texas Coast is a world-class destination for both birds and birders and is a vital link in the migratory path for hundreds of species in both Spring and Fall. The High Island sanctuaries are about seventy miles northeast of Houston. between Galveston and Port Arthur.

Some of the worst damage was done by a tornado that touched down in the midst of the storm. Please read Winnie Burkett's comments and view the pictures of the damage which speak for themselves. The recovery effort will have to be massive to bring these places back to a semblance of what they were before. I hope you will make a generous donation to the cost of this work and, if you are in the Houston area, volunteer for one of the workdays. Houston Audubon cannot possibly pay for all the work that will be needed. A huge effort will be necessary on the part of volunteers. You can make a difference. Please help us.

Best wishes to y'all,

Sue

• Condition of High Island Sanctuaries after Hurricane Humberto
• Houston Audubon Society

Whooping Crane Festival photos

I put all my photos from this year's Whooping Crane Festival on a gallery here. These are just some of the photos.

Hawk Ridge, or Waxwing City?

I took a walk up to Hawk Ridge today. Winds were from the southwest, so there weren't a whole lot of hawks, though I did watch a really cool battle between a Merlin and a Sharp-shinned Hawk along with several other sharpies, a few kestrels, a Bald Eagle, and a couple of Turkey Vultures seen during a couple of hours there. In addition to those, there were a bazillion Cedar Waxwings moseying through and stopping to eat berries. It's heartening to see so many immatures.

Awwwwww!

We humans aren't the only primates who enjoy birds. Read the story from the Daily Mail here.

Whooping Crane Festival

More photos coming--I've posted a few from this morning's spectacular flight at my Whooping Crane Photo Gallery.

This adult bird from a previous year flew over the Whooping Crane Festival at noon, giving everyone splendid views.

Whooping Crane Festival

Jane Duden and I headed out to Necedah National Wildlife Refuge first thing this morning, but it was way too windy for this year's cranes to fly. We spent some time talking to people with Operation Migration, and then we headed down to Baraboo to the International Crane Foundation. I got to spend time with a former student of mine who is now a scientist with ICF. And I got lots of photos of this captive breeding pair of Whooping Cranes.

Tomorrow I'll try to get photos of wild Whoopers at Necedah, and the weather is supposed to be perfect for some practice flights, but for now I'm really happy with the ones I got today. I posted just 6 of them for now, but will post more when I get home, all at my Whooping Crane Photo Gallery.

Crane Festival!

I have the weekend off. Jane Duden, the Whooping Crane reporter for Journey North, and I are headed down to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin for this year's annual Whooping Crane Festival. I've been a speaker at this splendid event in past years, but this year I'm just goofing off and helping Jane get video and photos. With luck when I report back I'll be able to use a photo of a Whooping Crane instead of these Sandhill Cranes.

Nature's Perfect Bird

My backyard has a bluish cast right now--everywhere I turn there are Blue Jays. I love these birds for their sparkly eyes, perky little crest, sociable ways, devotion to family, and intelligence. This week Karl Bardon counted about 5000 in a single day at Hawk Ridge, but even as those were flying through, there are plenty around to enjoy.

When Blue Jays are flocking, they keep their crests down. Blue Jays use their crests as "body language." When a Blue Jay's crest is erect, the bird is signaling agitation, aggression, territoriality, or alarm. When its crest is down, the bird is signaling cooperation and that all is well in the world. I didn't get any photos today of my birds with their crests up--every time I saw it, a hawk was coursing through the neighborhood, and before I could focus the birds were all gone like a flash. It's one of the bonuses, and difficulties, of living right below Hawk Ridge. And by the way, you should stop by there. I went today for just a few minutes, and even when the wind was all wrong saw several Bald Eagles and Sharp-shinned Hawks, and one Osprey, Turkey Vulture, and Broad-winged Hawk. Debbie Waters was showing a male and a female Sharp-shinned Hawk in the hand at the main overlook, and released them so everyone could see them in flight, too. When visitors are up at the main overlook, birds caught at the banding station that aren't too agitated are sent to the overlook for everyone to enjoy. Our spectacular Broad-winged Hawk migration is entering its peak period now, but will be over in a few weeks. Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, and Goshawk migration will peak in October. But each peak period is an ephemeral phenomenon. Come on up and enjoy it soon!

Scott Weidensaul coming to the Twin Cities!

Next Wednesday, Scott Weidensaul will be in the Twin Cities speaking about his new book, Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding. I've heard Scott speak on a couple of occasions, and consider him THE best birding speaker in America. Really. He has a wonderful sense of humor and does spot-on bird imitations while providing more in-depth, fascinating information than anyone I know. The cool thing is how enjoyable he makes this in-depth information. And he's also the birding writer I consider best. He was even among three finalists for a Pulitzer Prize for his wonderful Living on the Wind.

He's speaking at Audubon Minnesota's first annual Donor Appreciation Event, Wednesday, September 19, 2007, at 6:00 PM in downtown Minneapolis. Details are at the Minnesota Environmental Partnership calendar. It's $40 for the event, which includes dinner as well. I just found out they still have some openings, so if you're free next Wednesday night, email Audubon Minnesota to make a reservation. I'm really looking forward to this, and hope to see you there.

And for an interesting discussion of Scott's book, check out Mike McDowell's blog post from Sunday.

White-throated Sparrows

I love this time of year, when the ground beneath my feeders is alive with White-throated Sparrows. They’re the chipmunks of the bird world—striped-headed, blending in with the ground, and feeding on the same seeds and bugs.

White-throated Sparrows are famous for their song, a clear, whistled “Old Sam Peabody” or “Oh, sweet Canada.” Even though the song is heard during migration, it’s sung much more frequently once they reach their breeding grounds, and is one of the defining characteristics of the north woods, at least in early summer. Right now, few birds are singing at all, and when one tries, the song just peters out.

The White-throated Sparrow is unique in one characteristic. The species has two different plumages—white-striped and tan-striped. At hatching, half of all males will be tan-striped and half of all females white-striped. So the species is not sexually dimorphic. Rather, the colors are like human hair color, with one fascinating difference. Brunette humans do not exclusively select blonds for mates, and blonds don’t exclusively select brunettes. But with White-throated Sparrows, over 96% of all pairs have one bird of each type. With White-throated Sparrows opposites attract, a phenomenon called negative assortative mating.

Obviously, birds do not have access to mirrors, so how do they know what type is the opposite, to know what to look for when seeking a mate? They don’t base their selection on appearance but on behavior. The chromosomal difference between the tan-striped and the white-striped individuals causes a behavioral difference. White-striped birds of both sexes are very aggressive and dominant, and tan-striped birds of both sexes are very nurturing. In particular, tan striped females are extraordinarily good parents, and white-striped males are extraordinarily good at obtaining and defending a quality territory. But white-striped individuals are all so aggressive that male and female white-striped birds bicker too much to form a pair bond. And tan-striped individuals are so unaggressive that two of them have problems obtaining a territory. In nature, they’re behaviorally disposed to select the opposite form.

Interestingly, in captive studies, females of either color prefer the less aggressive tan-striped males, and males of either color prefer the feistier white-striped females. Based on that, you’d think that most successful pairs in nature would have a white-striped female and a tan-striped male. But that combination is found only half as often as the opposite. Even though 50% of all babies of both sexes are each color, apparently white-striped males and tan-striped females survive better, probably because of the superior nurturing skills of the mothers and the superior territorial defenses of the fathers. And apparently white-striped males and tan-striped females both live longer in nature, perhaps because males win fights and females avoid fighting altogether.

Trying to keep it all straight makes my head swim, rather like the ground beneath my feeders right now, squirming with dozens, and some days hundreds, of White-throated Sparrows. These birds, as fascinating to think about as they are lovely to listen to and watch, make our backyards as entertaining as any movie or TV show. My cats can hardly tear themselves from my windows these days, and I’m often standing right there with them, filled with wonder and joy. White-throated Sparrows materialize wherever we toss sunflower seeds or white millet—the point where migration and miracles and magic converge.

(This is the transcript of today's For the Birds radio program. Listen here. When you subscribe to the iTunes podcast, your iTunes will show the transcript on the lyrics page and include a photo of that day's bird. My podcasts are absolutely free.)

For more information about White-throated Sparrows, check out the Birds of North America entry, with details about their negative assortative mating and unique chromosomal situation. (By subscription, and worth every penny!) You can also read the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's All About Birds entry. This isn't quite as detailed but has a wealth of information and is free.