Odds and Ends #5

• Now here is a bird that I do not see enough: wild turkeys. Though another birder saw one over the summer in Washington, I have yet to see any in this city. But in New Hampshire, these wild fowl are doing very well, apparently due to backyard bird feeders, which help them survive the winter.
• Mike has a post on the plight of the red-cockaded woodpecker at 10,000 Birds. As this species used to range as far north as New Jersey, it ought to be at least conceivable to re-establish a breeding population in New Jersey's Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens represent several large tracts of mostly undisturbed pine woods and bogs.
• The latest Circus of the Spineless is up at Snail's Tales.
• From November 1 until March 31 there will be an exhibit of illustrations depicting birds and other animals - including reconstructions of extinct creatures - at the American Association for the Advancement of Science here in Washington. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more on the artist.
• Here is a summary of an interesting study on the relationship between deer abundance and bird populations. As one might expect, populations of bird that depend on the forest understory were lowest in areas with the highest density of deer. What ought to be done about this remains to be seen.
  

Birding Report: National Arboretum

Today I took the bus up to the National Arboretum for a morning of birding. The air was crisp, but apparently did not get as cold as predicted in the forecasts, as I saw no signs of frost on the grass.

With the end of daylight savings time early this morning, we have shifted out of our summer routines. The natural world also is shifting into winter. For the last week we have had below-average temperatures, after a summer that persisted well into October. Here in Washington we are nearing the peak week for fall foliage. Many trees are already in full colors, while others have not quite turned. I saw some deep red sumac-like trees and several other species that had turned a golden yellow.

The local birdlife is also shifting out of the migration phase and the winter residents have become more abundant. White-throated sparrows and dark-eyed juncos are to be found everywhere. Other sparrows moving through included a couple white-crowned sparrows. At several points I saw sparrows that might have been savannah sparrows, but I never got a good enough look at them to be certain. We have had an influx of hermit thrushes; a few small flocks of these foraged on the hill near the R St. entrance. Both kinglets were in good numbers also, though not mixed together.

The real prize among the winter birds was a pair of red-breasted nuthatches in the pines near the Asian garden. This species, while somewhat more common up north, and even in Maryland, can be hard to find in Washington, D.C. The red-breasted nuthatches that I saw today were foraging by hanging upside down on pine cones and sticking their bills inside, presumably looking for seeds rather than insects. (See here for a DC Birding-endorsed ode to nuthatches.)

There were still a few lingering summer birds. One common yellowthroat was calling from the bushes near Heart Pond. Some yellowthroats will frequently linger in the area throughout the winter. An eastern phoebe hunted down by the river. About a dozen chimney swifts were in the air over the holly and magnolia collection. This is the latest I have seen chimney swifts here, but it would not surprise me if some stayed a little longer as temperatures this week are expected to stay relatively warm.

SPECIES SEEN: 37

Double-crested Cormorant
Canada Goose
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Chimney Swift
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
Northern Mockingbird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Blue Jay
American Crow
European Starling
American Goldfinch
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle

Odds and Ends

• Anecdotal evidence suggests that Hurricane Wilma hit birds in the Everglades particularly hard. Witnesses describe finding many wading birds blown off their perches and dashed against other trees.
• Elsewhere, Hurricane Wilma brought unusual birds to Bermuda on its winds. Observers noted about 60 magnificent frigatebirds and about the same number of sandwich terns, as well as a few royal terns. Various land birds also were caught up and dumped in Bermuda.
  
• This article reviews a new book on the New Jersey Pine Barrens: The Natural Wonders of the Jersey Pines and Shore, by Robert A. Peterson, with photographs by Michael Hogan. The book is a collection of essays written by Peterson for a local newspaper; some of Hogan's photographs are included with the review. The Pine Barrens are a large tract that covers most of southern Jersey. Much of it has been preserved in a natural state because the soil was unsuitable for agriculture. In the 1970s the New Jersey preserved several large tracts - totalling 300,000 acres - as state forests before they were affected by the boom in development. Despite the name "barrens," the area is quite rich in natural resources, especially birdlife.
  
• Here is a list of what elected officials are doing to protect Americans from poultry flu. Sadly, some of it is believable.
• Surfbirds has a more serious - and sensible - look at the situation. GrrlScientist adds some links and analysis on this issue in her weekly "Birds in the News" column. DC Audubon also has information on the issue.
  

New Record for Hurricanes

With Tropical Storm Alpha, this season broke the record for named tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Basin for one season. Now, with Hurricane Beta, this season also broke the record for hurricanes in one season. This is the thirteenth hurricane. Hurricane Beta is currently battering two Colombian islands, San Andres and Providencia. It is on track to hit Nicaragua and Honduras on the mainland as a Category 2 storm. This is the same area Hurricane Mitch hit several years back.

Note: That Colombia owns islands so far from its mainland is probably a result of the machinations that led to Panamanian independence.

Changes

I added a few new blogs I found via this week's I and the Bird, and I condensed most of the blogs in the sidebar into one section. This should make them easier to find. There may be some more changes on the way, once I get around to it.