the modest birder (5) quiet times

Although the Cape May Bird Alert recorded first arrivals of N. and L. Waterthrushes as well as a Yellowthroated Warbler and even a Hummingbird, things around here are relatively quiet, that is apart from the usual suspects. The numbers of Juncos and Whitethroats are down, the Juncos (about 6) are evenly divided among males and females and there are 2 pairs of Whitethroats. Even the Starlings are down in numbers, which is very beneficial for the woodpeckers as the suet disappears more slowly. Only the 15 or so Siskins are still around. I wonder whether their "clock," determined by their normal wintering areas of northern New England, etc. tells them to return to their breeding grounds to arrive when food there is readily available and that they will not leave here before that time, even though they could be moving up north in stages as temperatures in New England, at least in the southern parts, have been moderating.

This morning, April 6, there was a female Bluebird in the very top of an hickory and it flew off as if to go some distance. Last Saturday there was a surprise visit of a Pileated Woodpecker that came up from the Perkiomen by way of our creek's "ravine" that is very wooded with mature trees. It sat on a snag for a few minutes and then flew off father up the creek, probably to join the Perkiomen again or the woods along the Schuylkill. I think this is the second time we had a Pileated (it's actually the first).

Last Friday we cleaned the birdhouses. One that has previously been used once by Titmice, once by Chickadees and several times by House wrens, wasn't used at all last year. The "flowerpot" on the porch that was also once used by Chickadees was used by House wrens which we observed last Spring. They built a sloppy nest of small twigs in no apparent arrangement. The other, an "official" Bluebird house at the edge of the wildflower triangle that was created when the road was moved over and across from a sunny bank on which Bluebirds like to feed from the wires that cross the road from our side, was used. The nest was woven of grasses in a pretty round cup. But although I saw a pair of Bluebirds inspect the house for a couple of weeks, I did not see them go in and out after that, even though they hawked from the wires for most of the Spring, but not from above the wild flowers but rather some 50 yards up the road. They usually flew across the road to an old oak above the creek. Nor did I see any other birds use the it.

This afternoon the first Chipping Sparrow arrived, in fresh breeding plumage. The last years a pair bred nearby and foraged regularly in the gardens. In the evening there were only 1 pair of Whitethroats and 1 pair of Juncos on the feeders. As the small groups of these birds are no longer foraging in the garden it appears they have left.

April 7. As I was surveying the celandine in the creek that spread from the one clump I planted in 2000 to about 6 feet and now form a bright yellow band among the winter's debris, I noticed two Phoebes hawking from the branches overhanging the water. Spring must be there after all although it's gray and was 36 at dawn and 45 at 3pm. Most early daffodils are out and I spotted two trout lilies in flower. In town the Sargeant cherries are in bloom. The Robins were singing at 5.30am and seem to be in good voice. One starling is still collecting nesting material, but I haven't noticed any other bird doing so, even if some of the mourning doves have their viagra moments.

At the feeders there are long periods of no shows, unlike the winter months when there was at least lots of activity at approx. hourly intervals. Now, when there are birds they tend to be more aggressive towards each other, even among the same species, though in most cases the Siskins can feed up to as many can fit on the saucer. I noticed that occasionally two will chase each other for some distance through the trees, a behavior the Juncos engage in a short time before they appear to depart for their breeding grounds, at least the more were chasing each other, the fewer their number the next days.

On Thursday April 9, we went to Delaware and birder along Rte 9 and wooded side roads to Bombay Hook. We saw one Song Sparrow at a spot they breed every year and a Field Sparrow that was singing. Also singing was a Towhee and a Common Yellow Throat but that was it for passerines. Most of the 66 birds we saw were "leftovers" in small numbers or ducks on their way North, e.g. Lesser Scaup, Hooded and Great Merganser, Ruddy Duck and Bufflehead, 3 pairs of Pintails (some days in winter there are thousands), lots of Shovelers and Green Winged Teal. There was one Tundra Swan. Migrating shorebirds are arriving for their spring stopover and among the waders the Black-crowned Night heron rookery had at least 30 (normally only 6 pairs or so breed) and several Yellow-crowned; we also saw our first Snowy Egrets.

When I came home that evening and looked over the feeders (at about 7pm. our normal dinner hour) there were 7 White-throats and 5 Juncos, thus more than the previous 4 days. There were also 3 Song Sparrows, one more than ever before. The Chipping Sparrow is still around, but alone. A Phoebe was hawking from the feeder pole, perhaps a sign that's the annual breeder. The next day I counted 21 species, mostly in small numbers, except the Siskins: 1 pair of White-throats, 1 of Juncos + 1 separate female.

Of course, even though I watch the feeders etc. off and on for about 1/2 hour, at least 6x/day and sometimes for an hour or more when I read the paper or have lunch, my seeing "a first" or a certain number may not be precise as is indicated by the variation on different days and "a first" may have been around but not noticed, f.e. the "first" Chipping Sp. and the Phoebes were around for less than 15 minutes and not seen again that day, or in the case of the Phoebes for two days.

Monday, 4/13. A bright but chilly morning. There was a thin cover of ice on the birdbath and the walkers on the trail along the Perkiomen were warmly dressed and held to a brisk pace. The river birches were full with catkins and the celadines were in full bloom. Here and there a clump of Dutchman's breeches were also showing. But apart from some Canada geese there wasn't a bird in sight. At my feeders there was some activity once I had put the saucer back on the table and replaced the suet after last night's visit of the raccoon. Apparently when the red pepper suet is a few days old it looses its pungency, or the raccoon isn't as discouraged as the squirrels. But some nights nothing happens and perhaps the raccoon roams around elsewhere or only comes on cold nights. Who knows? After several periods of observation, it seems there are only 2 Whitethroats left. There are 3 Juncos, on very dark, one lighter and one brownish; they feed independently and not at the same time. I haven't seen or heard the Carolina wrens yet. Last year a pair nested in the garage and 2 other pairs were around, sometimes the 3 males counter singing from different spots at the same time, slowly coming closer and once I saw all three in the corners of an ill-formed triangle whose sides were about 75 yards apart. I am pretty sure that there are 3 pairs of Cardinals, one of which feeds together and sometimes the male feeds the female which makes them look like parakeets. It's not quite the real thing as the male picks up a seed in front of the female and once in a while has to wait till the female has finished rotating and swallowing the peeled seed it had picked up herself, but rituals are observed and the male at least peels his offerings first. Nearly all birds, including the Cardinals, are increasingly feeding on the ground or gleaning the bark of the trees and the fattening buds of the trees where insects come to feed on the sap.

At 10.15 a Cooper's came out of nowhere from behind the spruce and made a few faints over the feeders. A minute later if winged off, climbing above the trees on its way to the Perkiomen and further North. Ten minutes later a Black vulture sailed by, very high, North in a straight line,
without a single flap of the wings.

May 1: The Lilies of the Valley are in full bloom so Spring is really here. The slope down to the creek looks like a mille fleurs tapestry of violets, spring beauties and Quaker ladies. The dogwoods are alighting the half circle of my vision, 9 trees beginning in our woods from the road, then across the creek to the south, the black cherries are still showing but the breeze is floating their petals randomly onto the tapestry.

There's still one White-throat and one Siskin, but all other winter residents have gone. Today there was a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (rather red-breasted in fact) and the first Baltimore Oriole and Catbird. A male Cooper's is still around and today produced several feather but the Titmouse escaped. Last week there were two male Towhees, but now there's only a pair with the male singing all around the edges of our woods. Last week also a pair of Bluebirds were hawking from the wires, but they disappeared. The Chickadees have inspected 2 birdhouses but have not made up their mind. The Titmice have not even looked at the houses. The oddest newcomers are 2 (sometimes 3) male and one female Redwing Blackbirds; one male of which shows a big patch of red, the others only a thin yellow strip when sitting and only one male calls and sometimes sings. They fly away up the creek to the edge of the farm where the creek comes out of a culvert from a farm pond whose edges have just been cleaned out (I don't see them there when I drive by - to quickly because of the traffic on 113). They have been around for three weeks now while normally they are only occasional in February or March and then only for a day or two.

On May 6 a Woodthrush singing (at last! but as I noticed birds arrive before they start singing - by 2+ days, he may have been around). I saw a Housewren last Monday and today he was singing. Did not see the male Rose-breasted G. again but on 5/6 there was a female, thus who knows? These instances do suggests that males arrive before females.

I noticed that there are some 9 very large wild viburnums on the southern edge of our property and up on the slope across the creek, in bloom and almost as high as the middle story of the dogwoods. All of these will provide berries in the Fall.

After 4 days of soft rain (2 3/4") the leaves are rushing out and our world is becoming smaller.
It's planting time!