BIrds of the Mid-Atlantic: Nature's Entertainers

The grackles will no doubt perform during the Spring Plant Swap!

Are RWBB pests?

WOW! So we have a battle going on here???

In order of which birds, in the Blackbu=ird category, I see most often:

1--Starlings
2--Cowbirds
3--RWBB
4--Grackles

I think when the going gets tough--like in 6" of snow and everything frozen--
it may be likely to see any or all of the above.

The mouthiest IS the Grackle.
The most annoying and populous is the Starling
The shyest and non-obtrusive is the RWBB..pretty too...
The one who just blends in--is the Cowbird.

G.

I'm not sure what you mean, Gita...as far as I'm concerned, we've just been sharing observations about the birds we see in our backyards.

Cowbirds are quiet but they are nest predators.

RWBB, I don't know that they have any 'bad' habits.

I have some portion of all four 'black birds' here at times. And I have to give the starlings some (little bit) of credit if they are picking insects out of the lawn.

We have red wing bb here, too. Mostly we see them sitting on posts near the fields. But we do occasionally get them at the feeder.

Just a friendly "battle",Muddy. "Observations" is a good alternate word....

I am sure locations and environment also determine, to some extent,
which birds visit. Ijust get the run-of-the-mill ones.

Never seen a Bluebird! Never seen an Oriole! Never seen an Owl!
A tight development just is not conductive to these sightings.

Also--If I see one of these aerial maps of my house--all you see is the two tree tops
and the patio and the house roof. My garden is pretty out-of-sight for birds of pray.
G.

I know it was a typo, but I still chuckled...

"Oh, Please, God, send me a squirrel... or a plump mouse..."

(birds of pray)

lol

This is one of the best articles I've seen on starlings' worst habits...although it does mention that they eat grass root destroying larvae: http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/starlings.html

On the flip side, here's an article about feeding starlings when you're keeping them as pets: http://www.starlingcentral.net/foods.htm

I think it's interesting to learn how one country's benign, native wildlife can be so destructive when introduced to other countries. For example, our grey squirrels were introduced to Europe as pets, and subsequently decimated native squirrel populations in Great Britain and probably elsewhere in Europe. I saw American grey squirrels sitting in cages in Belgian pet stores...go figure!

It's time for the Great Backyard Bird Count! I have never done this before, but I believe this link provides any info we might need:

http://gbbc.birdcount.org/?utm_source=Cornell+Lab+eNews&utm_campaign=a3602c8ddc-PFW+eNews+Feb+11%2C+2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_47588b5758-a3602c8ddc-302958045

Rabbits were introduced into Australia in the 19th century for food and sport. They escaped of course, and effected desertification of large portions of the continent. The worlds longest fence was constructed across western Australia to curb their invasion. Rabbit specific viruses have been introduced in the last 50 - 60 years to reduce the existing population. Introducing animal species into environments where they have no controls has fostered environmental disasters and major economic losses throughout the world. Ex. pythons, giant snails, giant toads in Florida.

that would look so funny to me (us),, squirrels as pets!

It's a good thing that people have at least learned to do a bit more thinking before deliberately introducing foreign species to satisfy one short-term goal or another; e.g. kudzu to control erosion.

With the mobility of goods and people now, it's going to happen all too often by accident now, despite better efforts.

Yes, it just goes to show you how much some people value novelty when it comes to pets!

One of the biggest threats to the Caribbean area is from Lionfish. They have somehow gotten into this area. I have heard a few different ideas, on how. One of them is that Hurricane Andrew destroyed an aquarium in Florida. Lionfish from the aquarium were set free in the Atlantic Ocean The predators don't recognize them as food and the prey don't recognize them as predators. There is a huge drive to kill as many as can be found and quite often they take the time to find moray eels and groupers and feed them the killed lionfish in an effort to teach them to hunt them. Most people don't realize that this really is a very serious issue and could decimate the locals fish population and destroy the reefs.

wow it sounds terrible. Only small consolation that they are tasty and we might start to see commercial harvest.

Yes, It is one of the ways they are trying to get rid of them. Some of the restaurants are serving them. The local divers have organized hunts for them every week or two. Divers go out with spearguns. Even on the dives I have been on the dive masters carry Hawaiian slings (type of speargun) just so they can kill a few.
http://www.wri.org/blog/2011/08/lionfish-invasion-threatens-coral-reefs-atlantic-and-caribbean

Muddy--

Wasn't the Kudzu also brought in to feed cattle?
Seems I have heard that....
G.

From Wikipedia's history of kudzu's introduction into the US:
"The kudzu plant was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Kudzu was introduced to the Southeast in 1883 at the New Orleans Exposition. The vine was widely marketed in the Southeast as an ornamental plant to be used to shade porches, and in the first half of the 20th century, kudzu was distributed as a high-protein content cattle fodder and as a cover plant to prevent soil erosion. The Soil Erosion Service recommended the use of kudzu to help control erosion of slopes which led to the government-aided distribution of 85 million seedlings and government-funded plantings of kudzu which paid $19.75 per hectare. By 1946, it was estimated that 1,200,000 hectares (3,000,000 acres) of kudzu had been planted. When boll weevil infestations and the failure of cotton crops drove farmers to move from rural to urban districts, kudzu plantings were left unattended. The climate and environment of the Southeastern United States allowed the kudzu to grow virtually unchecked. In 1953 the United States Department of Agriculture removed kudzu from a list of suggested cover plants and listed it as a weed in 1970. By 1997, the vine was placed on the “Federal Noxious Weed List”. Today, kudzu is estimated to cover 3,000,000 hectares (7,400,000 acres) of land in the southeastern United States, mostly in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi."

and I have seen it in two locations in AA Co without trying- it must be in more.

I had never heard that it was also touted a good cattle fodder. I've seen how it completely covered trees in Georgia; in some places that's all you see along highways. There's a reason it's called "the vine that ate the South".

This message was edited Feb 12, 2015 1:47 PM

Yes, Sally. it is definitely in Anne Arundel County. There was 10 acres of it just up the road from me until it became town homes and condos. I suspect that some of the vine that overgrew the trees is still lurking. My car broke down on a small one way road that crossed a ravine in Herald
Harbor where Kudzu grows fast and ominously close to and overhanging the road. I was afraid to leave my car to go for help lest upon my return my car would have been swallowed by the kudzu jungle!

Got another 20# of black oil sunflower seeds...may not be enough for the duration of single digit days ahead.

Am absolutely smitten with the White Breasted Nuthatch

Coleup LOL,

Aren't nut hatches the cutest?

Ha ha Coleup!
I've looked at photos of Kudzu several times so that I can recognize it if it pops up near me.

Fairfax County has a site where people can report non-native invasive plant sightings so that it can remove it before it gets out of hand. If you see possibly manageable patches of Kudzu or other nasties in Maryland, it probably has a similar program. I would google your town or county and words/phrases like non-native invasive plant management or control.

Oh brother!!!!!!!!!!! "Gets" out of hand?
If I reported every place I saw Oriental Bittersweet alone, I would bankrupt the program!

I took the Weed Warriors class at one of our parks several years ago. I was rewarded with a one year park pass after documenting some hours. No longer in effect.

Our favorite dog swimmin hole piece of Patapsco State Park in Balt Co is entirely overrun with a number of invasives.

Just sayin I would like to talk to the person who manages that invasives prevention program and ask what the real status is.

Maryland does not seem to a good job of giving data to USDA PLANTS on county level either.

Jan, I forgot to say that I think nuthatches are adorable! I like watching as they creep down the tree and take a whole peanut in their beaks. You'd never think they would be able to grab and carry something 1/3 their size, but they manage just fine.

Sally, in Fairfax County, it definitely depends on the invasive plant and the location. I have reported Bamboo, Stilt Grass and Mimosa trees growing in county parks, and it's clear that they don't have the resources to deal with it. One county employee told me that they have given up on the floodplains, which is disappointing but not surprising.

Fairfax County concentrates on removing every on-native plant from very specific, smallish areas. Sometimes it's a multi-year effort. I volunteered for a while before deciding to pull stilt grass, etc. from our HOA's property instead.

As I was thinking about non-native invasive plants today, the very toxic Giant Hogweed came to mind. Anyone who doesn't know what it looks like and why you must not touch it if you see it, read this! http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html

I mixed another batch of hot pepper suet, peanut butter and mealworms today and it suddenly dawned on me why I keep getting the hot pepper in my eyes: it's in the pores of my fingertips and even repeated handwashing doesn't get rid of it. I'm not going to buy it anymore unless the squirrels start being a problem.

Muddy--

We had discussion here about seeding the Ornamental Hot Peppers
and how one MUST wear gloves when doing so.
Seems 1 pair of gloves does not help--as the "HOT" will go right through the glove.
I have learned this myself--the hard way. Two gloves are better...
As I have seeds of both in my BOX--I have been seeding them almost every other year.
This past year--I just bagged the whole head off the plants. Plenty of seeds inside!

Even then--do not touch your eyes or mouth or lips after seeding these peppers.

Try wetting a paper towel with rubbing alcohol and cleaning your hands. Also, rubbing your hands vigorously with cooking oil, then washing with soap and water. The active principal in peppers is soluble in fats and alcohols, but not water.

that greenthumb, such a font of information!

Cardinals have begun singing like it is spring!

Thanks greenthumb and Gita! I'll get my fingers nice and clean and will ((try to make myself take the time to find a pair and put them on so I can)) use gloves next time : - )

I recognize the sounds of many birds, but I have no idea what a Cardinal's song sounds like.

Edited to say I need to refill one of the suet feeders and I'm going to put gloves on first!

This message was edited Feb 13, 2015 9:16 PM

Try this link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_cardinal/sounds

The Cornell website has recordings on each bird's page.

Thanks, that was useful. My cat liked it too! They have quite a repertoire of sounds; I've heard some of them but didn't place them with any particular bird. Now I know!

AAARRRGGGHHHH!

The cloud of Blackbirds have found my garden!!!! Yes--even Grackles!
Time to bang on my windows again to scatter them...for 5 minutes...

Not much there to eat--as my feeder is back in the shop to re-glue
the bottoms of the tubes to the seed tray. A slight knock on the table and
they all came loose, I guess in this cold--the super glue just did not hold.
Will use some gobs of Epoxy next and hope this holds better....

Some of the starlings were chowing down on the suet cakes.
I am sure it will be a week before I get the feeder back up. Maybe the birds
will decide it is not worth hanging out here.
G.

I will be watching for Giant Hog Weed, not to avoid it, but to destroy it. If it is found early it is pretty easy to kill, safely. They have a program at the local BSA camp to eradicate non natives and invasives, I should try and get on board with that. That would be an excellent type of community service.
I once tried one of those bird counts, I'm not familiar enough with IDs, and even with my shoes off I can't keep up. LOL
I'm also pretty sure we get some nut hatches mixed in, I just don't realize when I see them.

Nuthatches are the ones who you see comin down the tree, head down, which makes them easier to pick out. And they have this funny little honking sort of chirp.

LOL Sally, Holly just suggested the same thing, the LBBs going down the trees face first may be nut hatches.

Try E6000 adhesive or "Goop" (made by the same company)... easier to use than 2-part epoxy, and the flexibility (of either) gives extra strength. E6000 holds in low and high temps... I actually just emailed them to see if it would be OK at the oven temp at which I "fire" polymer clay and found out its max is 150'F... so, no go for putting in the oven, but fine for any temp in my yard. Not sure what E6000's minimum temp. is, but guessing it's fine down to 0'F, anyway.