Month: July 2023

Trip Background:

Shar and I have been together just over 3 years and arrived at Seabrook Island a year and a half ago. In her past, Shar had spent significant time in Europe, having lived in Paris for 2 years, and touring the continent. She also spent great times sailing with family in the Caribbean. My career took me all over the world, mostly on business, but many times I added on personal time and enjoyed many great adventures.

We met at a golf tournament just before the intrusion of Covid and the necessary lock down. During that time we purposed, if we survived, that we
would devote ourselves to creating new adventures together. Post the Covid quarantine we did a driving trip up the east coast from Charleston to Northern Maine and back to see my son in Boston . We spent a fantastic time in Hawaii, and visited family and friends in Seattle. We have a bit of regret that we weren’t into our new-found love of bird watching and photography on those trips.

This summer’s trip, our first international excursion together was supposed to happen last year but with the untimely passing of our dear friend Dante, in Gressoney, we postponed a year. This year we joined his wife Thelma and her good friend Elisa for a return to the Amalfi Coast, in memory of Thelma’s life with Dante. We also had the pleasure of staying with her in Gressoney St. Jean, Italy, and in addition visited Geneva, Annecy (France) Gruyere (Switzerland), and Milan.

Who forgot the BINS!!!

We are new members to the Seabrook Island Birders. Shar has been a lifelong backyard birder and has a keen ear for bird calls. I have a distinct memory, as a teenager, learning about a White-Breasted Nuthatch at school and shortly thereafter watching one climb backwards up a tree in my backyard and thought that was really cool. The balance of my life, until meeting Shar and moving to Seabrook Island, has consisted of casual birding. As we set off for our Euro
adventure, our focus was on friends, great sightseeing and creating new memories, however we purposed to include our enjoyment of birding and photographer. Already overloaded with extra baggage full of goods for our friend Thelma, we only took my Nikon D7100 and a 400mm zoom lens and our iPhones. Unfortunately, neither of us thought to bring a pair of binoculars.

We did just fine with most of the water, shore birds and the very domesticated pigeons, sparrows, etc. However, as Merlin kept finding beautiful songbirds that we saw flitting through the tree tops, we rarely got to see them clearly. We looked at each other and said “why didn’t we bring the @#$$%$#%* binoculars?!”

As Shar and I compose this blog, to share our birding adventures, we must say we are truly intimidated knowing how many of you are birders par excellence. For whatever value and joy and laughs we can bring here, we are grateful to our many mentors. Nancy Brown, Mark Andrews, Gina Sanders, Judy Morr, Bob Mercer, Jennifer Jerome, Ed Konrad and many more have taught us much and from whom we look forward to learning so much more. If in sharing
this adventure with us you find any issues with my identifications, please let me know. I have already benefited from one correction on eBird.

Too many birds:

Early on in our adventure we got excited to see the diversity of color and markings in the flocks of Rock/Feral pigeons and started eBird’ing away only to quickly realize that they were almost everywhere we went in Milan, Amalfi, Annecy, and Geneva. The same was true of Italian/House Sparrows who were ever present, particularly in the many street side cafes, looking for tidbits of food where they would literally eat out of the folks’ hands at the next
table. Other birds that fell into the category, of almost too numerous to count, were Mute Swans and Mallards. However, it was very entertaining see the many juvenile swans bobbing tails up, feeding, as well as the cute mallards swimming behind the adults.

The main attractions:

In this section we will turn our attention to some of the special and rewarding “moments of discovery” we had on our trip. Moments that all birders know bring them such pleasure, particularly when you have your first life discovery of a new species.

Sorry, this is not a very good picture, taken from a distance with my iPhone. We arrived in Milan early Sunday morning and went straight to the Malpensa Airport Sheraton for a quick breakfast, early check in and a nap. When we woke up and pulled open the blinds 4 Eurasian Magpies were hopping around the fence at the parking lot. Our first eBird entry.

Although this bird could easily fall into the category of too many birds it turned out to be a very special moment. We were standing at the top of a cliff in Ana Capri where I was attempting to get a good picture of one of the gulls in flight. I peered over the precipice and there, 5 feet away, was one of those birds preening itself. It posed for many great pictures these are just a couple.

This is one of those very special moments when we happened upon a bird that will always be a great memory. We were crossing the street in Annecy, France to explore the lake front when I saw this bird feeding on something just caught. I looked a bit further off and found two more together. When we got back to the hotel and did some research, we discovered this about their beautiful courtship dance.

More pictures from Annecy, France:

Armed with my new knowledge of Grebes, when Shar spotted these beautiful specimens sunning themselves on Lake Geneva I was confident I had found more Grebes….WRONG… an adult Red Breasted Merganser and 2 juveniles.

Birds on Lake Geneva

Spotted in Gruyere, Switzerland:

Summary and shared learnings

We have attached a summary of our eBird checklists. The biggest learning, besides taking binoculars, is to start a new eBird list each day for each location. We did our lists for general areas e.g. Amalfi Coast, Gressoney, and Geneva. We realize our contribution to eBird would have been much more relevant with more precise locations. As noted, at the beginning, we are novices and look to continue to learn, improve and share great experiences with all our Seabrook Island Birders.

Appendices:

June 26, 2023 to July 1, 2023 : Amalfi
112 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
51 Common Swift
47 Yellow-Legged Gull
1 Eurasian Golden Oriole
4 Eurasian Magpie
1 Eurasian Blackcap
13 Eurasian Blackbird
27 Italian Sparrow
19 Eurasian Tree Sparrow
1 White Wagtail
1 European Greenfinch
1 European Serin

July 2, 2023 to July 4, 2023: Gressoney-Saint-Jean Aosta Valley
13 Common Swift
1 Coal Tit
1 Created Tit
1 Eurasian Blue Tit
3 Great Tit
1 Eurasian Blackcap
1 Eurasian Treecreeper
2 Eurasian Wren
1 Song Thrush
12 Eurasian Blackbird
18 House/Italian Sparrow
4 Common Chaffich
2 European Serin

July 5, 2023 to July 9, 2023: Geneve, Switzerland
17 Graylag Goose
1 Red-Breasted Goose
48 Mute Swan
53 Mallard
5 Red-creasted Pochard
2 Common Eider
2 Common Merganser
3 Red-breasted Merganser
3 Great Creasted Grebe
93 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
29 Common Swift
11 Eurasian Coot
3 Black Headed Gull
7 gull sp
3 Black Kite
29 House Sparrow

Submitted and photos by Shar and Alan Fink

For years I’ve been noticing smaller birds like Chickadees, Titmice and Wrens mob larger birds like Crows and Blue Jays, and medium size birds such as Mockingbirds, Blue Jays and Crows mob larger birds like Hawks and Owls if they encroach into their territory. Just the other morning Blue Jays were causing a complete ruckus mobbing a Barred Owl that had flown into my yard and perched on an Oak tree. Recently, however, I have started observing this behavior with Red-winged Blackbirds. The first time I really noticed was while taking photos of Great Egrets in the marsh, suddenly out of nowhere there appeared a RWBL getting ready to swoop down on a Great Egret. The Egret didn’t seem too concerned, but this started me thinking… is this typical?

The second time I saw this behavior was at a recent birding outing with SIB on Ocean Winds Golf course. This time it was a Red-winged Blackbird teaming up with Grackles mobbing an Osprey who was trying to have a peaceful Sunday morning perching on a branch.

It was time to take a deeper dive into the world of Red-winged Blackbirds, a bird we see and hear all over our part of the world, but one I really didn’t know much about.

Described by CornellLab All About Birds, The Red-winged blackbird is a Robin sized passerine bird of between 6-7”. Its diet consists mainly of seeds, corn and insects. They are mostly found in North America and Central America. A stocky, broad-shouldered blackbird with a slender, conical bill and a medium-length tail. Red-winged Blackbirds often show a hump-backed silhouette while perched; males often sit with tail slightly flared.

Audubon Guide to North American Birds describes the Red-winged blackbird as territorial, polygynous, gregarious and a short-distance migratory bird. Its way of flying is characteristic, with rapid wing flaps punctuated by brief periods of gliding flight.

Look for Red-winged Blackbirds in fresh and saltwater marshes, along watercourses, water hazards on golf courses, and wet roadsides, as well as drier meadows and old fields. In winter, you can find them at crop fields, feedlots, and pastures. The male Red-winged Blackbird’s conk-la-ree! is a classic sound of wetlands across the continent. The 1-second song starts with an abrupt note that turns into a musical trill. Males often sing from a high perch while leaning forward, drooping their wings, spreading their tail feathers, and fluffing their bright shoulder patches to show them off. Females give a very different song in response to a singing male, a series of three to five short chit or check notes. Females tend to stay low, prowling through the vegetation and building their nests. They can be found in home gardens, particularly during their migration, if seeds have been scattered on the ground. I see the ladies frequently at my feeder here during the winter months.

Male Red-winged Blackbirds are hard to mistake. They’re an even glossy black with red-and-yellow shoulder badges.

Females can be a little confusing when first observed, resembling large sparrows with various shades of brown streaked with creamy white.

Feeding Behavior
Forages mostly while walking on ground; also sometimes up in shrubs and trees. Outside the breeding season, usually forages in flocks, often associated with other blackbirds and starlings.

Eggs
3-4, rarely 2-6. Pale blue-green, with markings of black, brown, purple concentrated at larger end. Incubation is by female only, 10-12 days.

Young
Both parents feed nestlings (but female does more). Young leave nest about 11-14 days after hatching.

Diet
Mostly insects and seeds. Feeds on many insects, especially in summer, including beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and others; also spiders, millipedes, snails. Majority of adult’s annual diet (roughly three-fourths) is seeds, including those of grasses, weeds, and waste grain. Also eats some berries and small fruits.

Nesting
To defend his territory and attract a mate, male perches on high stalk with feathers fluffed out and tail partly spread, lifts leading edge of wing so that red shoulder patches are prominent, and sings. Also sings in slow, fluttering flight. One male often has more than one mate. Adults are very aggressive in nesting territory, attacking larger birds that approach, and loudly protesting human intruders.

Nest
Placed in marsh growth such as cattails or bulrushes, in bushes or saplings close to water, or in dense grass in fields. Nest (built by female) is bulky open cup, lashed to standing vegetation, made of grass, reeds, leaves, rootlets, lined with fine grass.

Some Fun Facts about Red-winged Blackbirds

• There are at least 22 subspecies of Red-winged Blackbird, most of which look virtually alike
• The Red-winged Blackbird is in the Icteridae family of birds, which also includes Brown-headed Cowbirds, Grackles, and Orioles
• Male Red-winged Blackbirds like to play the field. One male may have up to 15 different females nesting in his territory…
• The longevity record for the Red-winged Blackbird is 15 years and 9 months; this is known from bird banding efforts
• In flight, Red-winged Blackbirds may reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour!!
• The Red-winged Blackbird is one of the most abundant species found in North America

Conservation
Though they may be one of the most abundant native birds on the continent, Red-winged Blackbird populations declined by about 0.72 per year throughout most of their range between 1966 and 2019, resulting in a cumulative estimated decline of 28% according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 180 million, down from 190 million in 1974. The species rates an 8 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern.

Credits
About | Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Red-winged Blackbird | Audubon Field Guide
Birdorable blog

Submitted and photographs: Jennifer Jerome
Male and Female photographs: Audubon

Anyone who has birded with me knows I have trouble hearing many birds, especially at a distance. My hearing aids have definitely helped, especially when my audiologist gave me a special setting to use while birding which amplifies the range of many birds. A friend recently told me about an article in the July 2023 issue of Birding, the magazine published by American Birding Association.

Lang Elliot of HearBirdsAgain.org has the article on his web site. I recommend you read the article yourself but thought I’d highlight a few points and how they relate to me.

• People with high-frequency hearing loss, the ability to hear birdsong can be diminished or even lost altogether. As we age, our hearing naturally declines, and this can make it more difficult to hear high-pitched sounds. Other causes of high-frequency hearing loss include exposure to loud noise, certain medications, and certain medical conditions. (Mine is likely hereditary).
• The average frequency of the songs of songbirds is around 3500 to 4000 Hz, approximately the same pitch as the highest note of a piano. Many warblers, sparrows, waxwings, kinglets, and a number of other birds produce sounds that reach 8,000 Hz and above.
• To know the range of your hearing loss, you need an audiogram from your audiologist. My audiogram indicates I have moderate hearing loss from 1,000 Hz to 8,000 Hz. So this is right in the range of most songbirds.
• Traditional hearing aids amplify the sound in the ranges where deficiencies exist. The disadvantage is that amplification also amplifies other sounds such as wind, rustling of leaves or voices. There is also a limit to the amplification before squealing occurs. Hearing aids also diminish the ability to discern the direction of the bird song. Therefore, the setting my audiologist has given me helps but it isn’t perfect.
• The recently introduced over-the-counter hearing aids do not amplify only certain ranges as my hearing aids do. This means all sounds (including motor noises, etc.) are amplified. This may be improved over time.
• HearBirdsAgain.org has created an app that uses advanced algorithms to lower the pitch of bird songs in real time, making them audible to people with high-frequency hearing loss. Hear Birds Again is a free, open-source app that is available for download on the Apple App Store.
• The app is best used in conjunction with a well-designed “binaural headset” that has mics mounted at each ear. For me, this means I’d have to forego my existing hearing aids while birding. Also, unfortunately, those headsets are not currently commercially available. HearBirdsAgain.org has recommended a kit to make your own headset “relatively easily”. When I clicked on the links, the kit was available for around $225.
• I downloaded the app but without the headset, I didn’t think it would work for my birding experience. I am unwilling to give up the capabilities of my hearing aids to use the app. I may change my mind as technology and my hearing changes.

I’d love to get feedback from anyone who has tried the app or has found another solution for “hearing birds again”.

Submitted by: Judy Morr
Photos from: HearingBirdsAgain.org

A recent excursion on the web encountered this site which provides some good reminders of ethical behavior.

ABA Code of Birding Ethics

Submitted by: Joleen Ardaiolo

As we were birding on the golf course on a warm (make that hot) Sunday morning, we used some phrases that made me smile:
– “It’s in the tree”
– “Is that a belly band?”
– “It’s just a Cardinal”
– “Are you hot?”
– “Only a few minutes more”

These reminded me of this old YouTube video of “Sh*t Birders Say”. Beware, after you watch this one, you could go down a rabbit hole of other videos along this line.

Of course I liked the one on what non-birders say…but I’ll let you find that one.

Submitted by: Judy Morr