New Bird in Colombia

As I noted in a post a few days ago, the birdiest country in the world just got birdier. Colombia has a new bird, the Yariguíes Brush-Finch (Atlapetes latinuchus yariguierum). It was found in northern Colombia, in the Yariguíes mountain range, near the reserve for wintering Cerulean Warblers. Some reports describe this as a new species, but currently the form is classed as a subspecies. The formal description of the species (with more pictures and a range map) is available here (pdf). The authors indicate that the various subspecies of Atlapetes latinuchus may be split further into new species.

My original post did not include an illustration, so I am adding one now.

For more on birding in Colombia, see here.

Tags:

• Yariguies Brush-Finch

New Duck Stamps to Feature Ring-necked Duck

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has required waterfowl hunters to purchase and carry duck stamps since 1934. The $15 stamps also serve as a pass into the many refuges of the National Wildlife Refuge system. Money from their sale goes directly into habitat conservation through wetland acquisition. New designs are issued each year; the design is decided at an annual contest of wildlife artists.

On Friday, judges at the contest in Memphis picked a painting of a ring-necked duck as the design for 2007-2008. The winning painter was Richard Clifton from Delaware. His painting beat one of flying wood ducks and another of cinnamon teal. Images of the top entries are supposed to be available on the FWS Duck Stamp page, but are not there yet. In the meantime, here is an image of the winning entry reproduced from the Ducks Unlimited article.

As most birders know, the term "ring-necked duck" is a bit of a misnomer. As with several other species, the feature from which it derives its name is only visible when you examine a dead bird in your hand. (Red-bellied woodpecker is another example of this.) The white neck ring of ring-necked ducks is virtually impossible to spot through binoculars or scopes. It may be better to think of them as "ring-billed ducks" since that feature is far more prominent and diagnostic.

As Nick mentioned in the comments, this post was quoted in today's Express (pdf, p. 32). My argument was not really against the USFWS; it was against whoever named the bird when it was discovered.

Tags:

• Duck Stamps
• Ducks

Bird Research Wins Award

A prestigious Ig Nobel Prize has been awarded for woodpecker research. (No, not that woodpecker research!) No, this research asks why woodpeckers do not get headaches despite banging their heads against trees.

ORNITHOLOGY: Ivan R. Schwab, of the University of California Davis, and the late Philip R.A. May of the University of California Los Angeles, for exploring and explaining why woodpeckers don't get headaches.
REFERENCE: "Cure for a Headache," Ivan R Schwab, British Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 86, 2002, p. 843.
REFERENCE: "Woodpeckers and Head Injury," Philip R.A. May, Joaquin M. Fuster, Paul Newman and Ada Hirschman, Lancet, vol. 307, no. 7957, February 28, 1976, pp. 454-5.
REFERENCE: "Woodpeckers and Head Injury," Philip R.A. May, Joaquin M. Fuster, Paul Newman and Ada Hirschman, Lancet, vol. 307, no. 7973, June 19, 1976, pp. 1347-8.
WHO ATTENDED THE IG NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY: Ivan Schwab

The first reference is available free here.

No one seems quite sure whether the prize is a compliment or an insult.

Tags:

• Funny
• Woodpecker

Birding in the Rain

During the long, hot D.C. summers, I tend to forget just how cold 50 degrees feels when it is windy and overcast. Then one day in October I get a reminder. Today was one of those days. This week the temperature fell about thirty degrees in two days, from a high in the mid 80s on Wednesday to a daytime high in the low 50s yesterday. This morning felt even colder when I went over to the National Arboretum.

Birds are starting to switch from late summer species to mid-fall species at the National Arboretum. Today I had several first-of-the-fall species, including brown creeper, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and both kinglets. The white pines near the visitor center held a large flock of chattering golden-crowned kinglets. As usual with kinglets it was difficult to pin down the species, not because the two kinglet species have confusing field marks, but because the birds will not sit still. The one ruby-crowned kinglet I saw was on the far side of the Azalea Garden.

A few warblers are still moving through. I saw at least three black-throated blue warblers (two males and a female) and a few ovenbirds. Black-throated blue warblers tend to linger around D.C. in the fall. Last year, I saw them at the Arboretum well into November, after most other species in their family were long gone. I am glad they do stick around because I never get tired of watching this species. Unlike some other warblers, black-throated blues keep their colorful summer plumage in the fall. They are also an exception in not inducing "warbler neck," as they move around in middle-level foliage.

Unfortunately my time for watching warblers was cut off by the arrival of heavy rains. The initial downpour quickly lightened into a drizzle, but even that was enough to shut down most bird activity. So I wrapped up my birdwatching and left the Arboretum.

By the way, BirdLife International has declared this weekend as its annual World Bird Festival. It encourages birders to go out and visit Important Bird Areas over the next two days.

SPECIES SEEN: 24

Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Carolina Wren
Gray Catbird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Tufted Titmouse
Brown Creeper
Blue Jay
European Starling
House Sparrow
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Ovenbird
Eastern Towhee
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal

Tags:

• Birding
• National Arboretum

New Addition to the US Botanical Gardens

The U.S. Botanical Gardens, located on the west side of the U.S. Capitol, recently constructed a new three-acre garden. The National Garden opened to the public this past Sunday, October 1. It consists of several interlinked parts: an open lawn, a butterfly garden, a rose garden, and a garden of regional plants placed around a meandering stream. A fountain and amphitheater round out the garden. Right now, the gardens do not look like much because the plants are still very young. But I expect that in a year or two the beds will be bristling with flowers.

Unfortunately, the gardens are surrounded by a gated fence, and the access hours for the National Garden appear to match those of the Conservatory. So Bartholdi Park may still be the USBG's only option for an evening walk.

Plan of the National Garden / USBG

Of course, as a birder I want to know what the birding possibilities for the new gardens will be. The shrub cover is not quite dense enough to attract many species, and the downtown location makes bird diversity unlikely. Still, this evening I spotted a few species, including mourning doves, a song sparrow, and my first white-throated sparrow of the fall. Best of all was a flock of palm warblers - more than 10 - all twitching and pumping their tails as they foraged on the ground. There may have been a common yellowthroat and yellow-rumped warbler in the mix as well. That is pretty good for downtown D.C.

The east end of the National Mall now has a belt of gardens, running from Bartoldi Park on the south side of Independence Avenue, through the new National Garden, to the garden of the National Museum of the American Indian. None of this is prime habitat, but all three spots ought to attract some migrants in spring and fall. It makes another option for walking and casual bird watching.

Tags:

• US Botanical Gardens
• National Mall