Bird Call
The pursuit of birds in view appeals to lots of people for lots of reasons. Beyond the activity's obvious natural allure, "chasing" birds keeps watchers physically fit. Learning and identifying hundreds of species on the fly challenges the intellect and intensifies awareness. And for photographers and illustrators, there is no better subject. The concentration of ridges, valleys and wetlands in our area holds a fortune of interaction with the avian experience any time of year, but especially in spring.
The spring thaw brings back all those species that migrated to warmer climates in the fall. Waterfowl, including green-winged and blue-winged teal, ring-necked and wood ducks, and pied-billed grebes are some of the early waterfowl to show up as the ponds thaw. Positive signs of spring include the first red-winged blackbirds that start staking out territories during late February and eastern phoebes that sometimes come back even before their insect dinners come out. Eastern bluebirds also become more obvious in early spring. From late April through May our diversity of habitat brings dozens of types of warblers and vireos, scarlet tanagers, northern orioles, indigo buntings, thrushes and brown thrashers into our forests.
Watchers identify birds by any number of different strategies. Size is probably most obvious and quickly differentiates an osprey from a wren. Silhouette and posture can also easily distinguish the crown of a cardinal, the stoutness of a crow, or the alert stance of a robin. Some birds walk, some hop, and others waddle. From a distance an expert birder can tell what bird approaches by its flight pattern or beat of the wing while it still appears a black speck in the sky to most of us. Familiarity with habitat teaches us that different kinds of places host different kinds of birds in fields, forests or marsh. Bird groups are common to each habitat, but the species within each differ. The "field marks" on birds serve as crucial evidence in the identification process. Beaks come short and thick for seed-eating grosbeaks, spatulate for ducks and geese that strain water for food, hooked for raptors that tear flesh, thin for warblers that pick at and eat insects, and chiseled for woodpeckers that bore trees. Feet come in styles suited for swimming, clawing, fetching, perching, or climbing. Field marks continue on forever, discerning crowns, eyelines, throat patches, chins, whiskers, wing bars, tails, feet and so on. The more you look, the more you see
Scientific classification (taxonomy) of birds is ever changing as new clues to evolutionary lineage constantly appear. Taxonomically birds are a class of life (Aves) subdivided into orders, then families, genus, and finally species. Some orders have many more families and species than others. The common loon, for example, is the only member of its order, gavilforme. Owls have their own order, as do woodpeckers and waterfowl. Perhaps the most readily identifiable "cousins" within an order are the diurnal raptors vultures, osprey, falcon, hawks and eagles.
Passeriforme is the largest order of birds and contains over 5,000, more than half, of all avian species. Passerines are generally small, and most of them perch. Many are songbirds, having evolved complex muscles to control their sound-producing organ called a syrinx, different from our vocal chords. The more you listen, the more you hear passerine calls in all their incredible beauty and complexity. Families within the passeriforme order include flycatchers, chickadees, thrushes, warblers, sparrows, finches, larks, swallows, jays, crows, and starlings. Within those families are hundreds of species that make up most of what we see and hear in our woods and fields. A robin, for example, is a thrush and a kingbird is a flycatcher.
There are innumerable manuals to help you on your way to avian expertise,
the standard bearers being the Peterson Field Guides. Of enormous interest
is the recently released The Easy Bird Guide (Globe
Pequot Press, ) by John and Edith Bull and Gerald Gold and illustrated by
local naturalist
and artist Pieter D. Prall. Rather than adhering to strict taxonomy,
the plates containing Prall's illustrations are organized by similarity
of bird color, pattern, behavior or habitat. On the web, the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology All
About Birds is enormously helpful for beginers.
Finally, New Jersey Audubon serves
as an outstanding resource on the internet, through their publications and
a year round
schedule of talks, demonstrations and guided birding trips. Local Audubon outposts
are located at the Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary in Bernardsville (908/766-5787)
and at the Weis Ecology Center in Ringwood (973/835-2160). Statewide and nationally,
Audubon sponsors the World Series of Birding on May 12 in which you are heartily
invited to participate. Please refer to our calendar pages for information
on this and other birdwatching events.
We have presented here a small sampling of the birds available for viewing in Northwest New Jersey. Most are passerines along with a few woodpeckers, owls and water birds. We have left the largest (raptors) and smallest (hummingbirds) for another day.
Photographs and short descriptions have been contributed by three constant companions of our publication: Donna Traylor, Bob Koppenhaver and Dan Bacon. Take a look, take a walk and awaken your senses.
Robins
winter in New Jersey, so the red-winged blackbird (left) is really
the first sign of spring. The flash of red in its wings and
the gruff call from the phragmites signals that spring is here.
The
black-capped chickadee (right) is quite common, and sometimes so
tame it will feed from your hand. The chickadee's vocalization is one
of
the
most
complex in nature.Flycatchers
The
eastern kingbird (left), a familiar member of the flycatcher family,
looks as though its' tail was dipped in white paint. Look for it perching
at field edges on barbed wire or tree snags. It will zip up, catch
an insect, and then drop back to its' same perch.
From top: Donna Traylor, Dan Bacon, Donna Traylor
Warblers
The
yellow-rump warbler (right) does not migrate south during the winter
as the other warblers do. Because it is able to digest the waxes
of bayberries and myrtles, the yellow-rump can use the waxy berries
for food in the winter, allowing it to remain farther north than the
other warblers.
The
tiny palm warbler (left) is usually the first in its family to venture
back to the north woods. Look for a flash of yellow and
a bobbing tail.
The
blackpoll warbler (right) can often be seen high up in a tree, scrambling
rapidly after insects or spiders. If an insect tries to escape by flying
off, the blackpoll will quickly dart after it, snatching it in mid-air
flight. The blackpoll's tsit-tsit-tsit-tsit song is one of the highest
pitched of all birds.
From top: Bob Koppenhaver, Donna Traylor, Bob Koppenhaver
Thrushes
The
bell-like quality of the thrush's song is one of the most beautiful,
lilting songs of nature. Listen at dusk and early in the morning for
hermit thrush (left) singing deep in the forests.
The
wood thrush (right), identified by its rusty coloration and its black-dotted
chest, abdomen
and flanks, likes to flick aside leaf litter on the forest floor,
hoping to uncover some juicy bug or worm for its next meal.
From top: Donna Traylor, Bob Koppenhaver
Sparrows
Identifying
sparrows ranges from easy to very difficult, depending on the type
of sparrow, the time of year, and whether it is an adult
or juvenile. Some sparrows are easy to identify because they are distinctly
different from the rest, yet other sparrows are difficult to identify
because they display confusing arrays of similar patterns and markings.
The whitethroated sparrow (left) is often identified by its song
mnemonic "old sam peabody". As summer progresses it becomes scarce
locally as it makes its way north to breed.
Photo: Dan Bacon
Seedeaters
This male rose breasted grosbeak is a real head turner.
The combination of red, black and white is hard to miss as it flies
through wooded areas and edge habitats.
Closely related to the grosbeak,
the male northern cardinal is unmistakable. A rich diet
of holly bush berries is responsible for the bird's brilliant color.
Once
they're in their breeding finery, the American goldfinch
becomes the NJ state bird we all know. Although they spend the
year with us,
many people don't recognize them in their winter drabs.
From top: Donna Traylor, Dan Bacon, Donna Traylor
Woodpeckers
Its laughing call immortalized in Walter Lanz cartoons, the sight
of pileated woodpecker is always exciting.
The less famous downy woodpecker is the smallest in North America.
Photos by Dan Bacon
Owls
This
great horned owlet (left) will be active and curious when Spring rolls
around. Great horned owls are one of the earliest nesting birds
in NJ look for them sitting on nests as early as January . They
are one of two species of "hoot owls" in NJ the barred owl being
the second.
The
saw whet (right) is a small owl with no ears.
Screech
owls (left) are found in most habitats and are common in urban as well
as rural areas.
From top: Donna Traylor, Donna Traylor, Dan Bacon
Waders and Swimmers
Listen for the distinctive "peent" calls of the woodcock (top) in
swampy areas at dusk. They spiral upward and then plummet back to within
feet of where they took off.
Silent in winter, a loon's spring call is eerie, from the age of dinosaurs.
The flamboyant wood duck is one of only a few ducks that nest in trees,
sometimes more than a mile from water.
From top: Donna Traylor, Dan Bacon, Dan Bacon
Spring, 2007
Comments
11 Jun 2008, 12:54
his name is fred. he is a leo, loves crisp cool mornings, warm baths, occasional worms, etc.
20 May 2008, 18:01
The odd thing is this was in a vacant school parking lot at 7:30 in Morris Plains.
Am I crazy?
13 May 2008, 08:59
I live in Bayonne, NJ also and I have a lonely Mocking Bird that has been living in my backyard for years. Sadly, he calls night and day, I'm guessing for a mate.
Will this bird be okay and where could he have come from?
There are also a pair of cardinals and a pair of Blue Jays that live on the next street, but come to my backyard to eat.
18 Apr 2008, 05:48
16 Feb 2008, 11:55
The above text was taken from the skylands website!
http://www.njskylands.com/ecobirds_071.htm
27 Jan 2008, 07:10
If someone has any ideas about this Robin, and could get back to me on it I really would appreciate it. Thank you Martha