Month: February 2017

Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus
Length:  10.5″; Wingspan: 24″; Weight: 3.3 oz.

I was birding at a horse pasture and was amazed to discover birds I had been searching for at the shore. They were Killdeer. I discovered that the Killdeer are the least water dependent of all shorebirds and can often be seen in farm fields where they can easily find insects. Killdeer also eat snails, crayfish, grasshoppers, beetles and worms.

The Killdeer is easy to recognize with their double black neckband (that look like necklaces), rusty rump and white belly. It has a slim shape with long wing and tail feathers. It also has a bright red eye ring and thin beak.

The Killdeer’s nest is a scrape or bare depression in the ground. It may add rocks, shells and other materials to the nest. To protect their nests the Killdeer will fly a short distance away and appear to have a broken wing, luring the threat away.  Most noticeable among the Killdeer’s many calls is the high, plaintive kill-deer the bird is named for.

When searching for a bird, go to the food source. In the case of the Killdeer, you can find it on the shore, a parking lot, or most often a field with plenty of insects.

If you would like to learn more about this bird visit:

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birders: Killdeer

Killdeer – Charles Moore

Killdeer – Charles Moore

Killdeer Range Map – Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Article submitted by:  Lydia McDonald
Photographs provided by: Charles Moore & Ed Konrad

This blog post is part of a series SIB will publish on a regular basis to feature birds seen in the area, both migratory and permanent residents.  When possible we will use photographs taken by our members.    Please let us know if you have any special requests of birds you would like to learn more about.

I exhibit a clever “broken wing display” in which I appear to be struggling with a broken wing while leading predators away from my nest.

Who am I?

Leave us a comment if you want to make a guess – and watch for the full article on Sunday morning!

Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor
Length:  6.5″;  Wingspan:  9.75″;  Weight:  0.75 oz.

Aside from the Carolina Chickadee, this is probably the most likely visitor to a backyard feeder on Seabrook Island. It is silvery gray with a soft-colored orange just below its wing. It is a small bird but appears considerably bigger than a chickadee when they are next to one another, which they often are. Its crest is a good field mark.

During the summer months, titmice feed on insects but in the winter, they are particularly fond of sunflower seeds, and the bigger the better. If you have a feeder in your yard, you can watch as the titmouse picks out a large seed, holds it between its feet and pecks on it vigorously until the seed cracks open to release the tender heart inside. They are quite brave and will come to a feeder that is placed on a window providing a wonderful view for the homeowner.

The titmouse has a big sound for such a small bird. His main song sounds as though he is calling in a two-note descending minor third (for you musical folks) which is repeated usually three to four times: Peter Peter Peter. It’s a full, rich sound and quite distinguishable once you are familiar with it.

As the map below indicates, the Tufted Titmouse is here all year long. They build their nests in pre-existing tree cavities or sometimes in a bluebird box. They are quite territorial such that, even when breeding is finished, the male and female remain together and do not join with others as the chickadees do.

Watch for these little guys. They are not the biggest or the brightest (color, that is) but they grow on you! View this short video from Cornell Lab of Ornithology to see the Tufted Titmouse.

If you would like to learn more about this bird visit:

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birders: Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse – Ed Konrad

Tufted Titmouse (yes he’s standing in snow!) Brrr – Ed Konrad

Tufted Titmouse

Range Map of Tufted Titmouse – Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Article submitted by:  Marcia Hider
Photographs provided by: Ed Konrad and File Photos

This blog post is part of a series SIB will publish on a regular basis to feature birds seen in the area, both migratory and permanent residents.  When possible we will use photographs taken by our members.    Please let us know if you have any special requests of birds you would like to learn more about.

A common year round resident of Seabrook Island, I even enjoy eating from your feeders! Don’t guess too quickly, I am only 6 ½ inches long.

Who am I?

Leave us a comment if you want to make a guess – and watch for the full article on Sunday morning!

Great Backyard Bird Count
Friday February 17 – Monday February 20 

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual event sponsored by the National Audubon Society and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  It is free and allows birders of all levels to participate.  Learn more about the GBBC here, including results from the 2016 event, how to download helpful FREE apps like the Audubon’s Bird Guide, Lab of Ornithology’s Merlin to assist in identifying birds and eBird to track the birds you are seeing.  If you missed it, the Post & Courier published an article you can read here.

The Seabrook Island Birders (SIB) has scheduled a “Big Bird Day” to coincide with the GBBC and the Owners Weekend on Seabrook Island on Sunday, February 19. Please register for one or all of the Learning Together walks scheduled below to participate in the fun.

The trip to Bear Island Wildlife Management Area (WMA) was scheduled for the first day the WMA reopened to the general public.  From October 31 through February 8, the WMA is closed except for registered duck hunters.  The group hoped to see the Tundra Swans plus numerous ducks before the ducks migrate out of the area.  We were not disappointed!

We woke early on February 9 to a thunderstorm rolling through the area but radar showed it would be a quick passing line of storms so the group met as scheduled.  While gathering in the real estate parking lot, Bob Mercer trained his scope on Jupiter where those present were able to see several moons of Jupiter in addition to the planet.  What a way to start the day.

Upon arrival at Bear Island, we started the day at Mary’s House Pond.  A great start for the day as 8 swans were seen plus an estimated 125 American Avocet.  Canada Geese, Green-winged Teal, Bonaparte’s Gull and a Belted Kingfisher were among the numerous birds seen.  The wind was blustering which made focusing the scopes a challenge but 69 species were identified while traversing between the various ponds at the WMA.  I never realized there were that many different species of ducks.  The wind kept the sighting of the typical songbirds at a minimum.  We left Bear Island without seeing (or hearing) a Carolina Chickadee or a Tufted Titmouse. Who would have thought!

The group proceeded to Donnelly WMA where different habitat may result in different sitings.  This proved true as the elusive Carolina Chickadee and Titmouse were easily seen.  Highlights of this tour included an armadillo but also Wilson Snipe and Ring-necked Duck.  In total, 59 species were seen at Donnelly WMA for a total of 81 species for the day.

The group returned to Seabrook vowing to return to both Bear Island and Donnelly Wildlife Management Areas again in the future.  The species list for each location is shown below.

Please be sure to check out Calendar and the Activities page for our upcoming events!

Article Submitted by:  Judy Morr
Photos Submitted by:  Ed Konrad

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Bear Island
1 Canada Goose
19 Tundra Swan
220 Gadwall
3 American Wigeon
1 American Black Duck
2 Mallard
29 Blue-winged Teal
115 Northern Shoveler
265 Northern Pintail
189 Green-winged Teal
1 Bufflehead
3 Wild Turkey
23 Pied-billed Grebe
9 Double-crested Cormorant
5 Anhinga
13 American White Pelican
6 Great Blue Heron
14 Great Egret
10 Snowy Egret
7 Little Blue Heron
9 Tricolored Heron
1 Green Heron
23 Black-crowned Night-Heron
2 White Ibis
12 Glossy Ibis
14 Black Vulture
12 Turkey Vulture
2 Northern Harrier
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Bald Eagle
1 Red-shouldered Hawk
1 Red-tailed Hawk
5 Common Gallinule
48 American Coot
180 American Avocet
10 Killdeer
19 Dunlin
14 Lesser Yellowlegs
6 Bonaparte’s Gull
5 Herring Gull
13 Caspian Tern
15 Forster’s Tern
2 Mourning Dove
1 Belted Kingfisher
1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 American Kestrel
2 Eastern Phoebe
3 Blue Jay
15 American Crow
85 Tree Swallow
1 House Wren
2 Carolina Wren
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
22 Eastern Bluebird
2 Northern Mockingbird
6 European Starling
3 Palm Warbler
1 Pine Warbler
28 Yellow-rumped Warbler
3 Chipping Sparrow
2 Savannah Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
2 Eastern Towhee
1 Northern Cardinal
84 Red-winged Blackbird
8 Eastern Meadowlark
6 Boat-tailed Grackle

Donnelly
1 Wood Duck
6 American Wigeon
95 Blue-winged Teal
25 Northern Shoveler
16 Northern Pintail
55 Green-winged Teal
110 Ring-necked Duck
3 Wild Turkey
10 Pied-billed Grebe
2 Anhinga
3 Great Blue Heron
4 Great Egret
5 Snowy Egret
2 Little Blue Heron
2 Tricolored Heron
5 White Ibis
1 Glossy Ibis
4 Black Vulture
7 Turkey Vulture
1 Bald Eagle
2 Red-tailed Hawk
14 Common Gallinule
4 American Coot
45 Killdeer
15 Wilson’s Snipe
3 Mourning Dove
1 Belted Kingfisher
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
3 Downy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
2 Pileated Woodpecker
4 Eastern Phoebe
3 Blue Jay
14 American Crow
300 Tree Swallow
4 Carolina Chickadee
2 Tufted Titmouse
4 Brown-headed Nuthatch
5 Carolina Wren
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
4 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
18 Eastern Bluebird
1 Hermit Thrush
1 Northern Mockingbird
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
10 Palm Warbler
6 Pine Warbler
30 Yellow-rumped Warbler
65 Chipping Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
2 Eastern Towhee
4 Northern Cardinal
32 Red-winged Blackbird
15 Brown-headed Cowbird

Did you guess House Finch & Purple Finch???

Surprisingly, the House Finch was originally confined to the west and known as a Linnet until being introduced as a caged bird in several pet stores in Long Island in the 1940s. Currently it is one of the most common birds in North America surpassing even the House Sparrow. Although originally indigenous to the deserts and plains of the west, they are now equally happy perched on your bird feeders or the railings on your back deck. The male has a brown cap and a bright red to orange under the beak and on the front of the head. The female is predominantly grayish brown with 2 narrow whitish buff bars on her wings. In the winter, the birds assume a more worn look with a strong muting of their distinctive colors.

The song of the male is longer than the female and has a varied high-pitched scratchy warble composed of chiefly three-note phrases, many ending with rising inflections.

House Finch love sunflower seeds, millet and thistle.

Similar to the House Finch is the Purple Finch. They belong to the same family Fringillidae but the species name is  Haemorhous purpureus. They are about the same size as the House Finch but are migratory and can be found in our area only in the winters at our bird feeders. They are chunkier than the House Finch and are (like their name) predominantly purple. The females on the other hand are more brownish gray than the female House Finch and have a whitish eye line.

The Purple Finch is the bird that Roger Tory Peterson famously described as a “sparrow dipped in raspberry juice.” Aija Konrad says that the Purple Finch looks like it “fell into a glass of red wine”.  Which description do you relate to best?

The Purple Finch song sounds like this.

Click on the images below to learn more about the visual differences between these two species of finch and read all about them in the article on Audubon’s website.

HOUSE FINCH

PURPLE FINCH

To learn more about each of these birds, visit the sites below:

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birders: House Finch
• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birders: Purple Finch

Article submitted by:  Ron Schildge
Photographs provided by:  Ed Konrad & Audubon

This blog post is part of a series SIB will publish on a regular basis to feature birds seen in the area, both migratory and permanent residents.  When possible we will use photographs taken by our members.    Please let us know if you have any special requests of birds you would like to learn more about.