We hope everyone is safe with minimal damage to their property following Hurricane Idalia’s quick pass through Seabrook Island and beyond. This morning we received the below from one of our members!
I had a Protonotary Warbler on my deck. I don’t know if he hit a window, just saw him when I opened the door. I took a few pics and then he flew out over marsh. Guess storm blew him in? So pretty!
Patricia Schaefer
If you like birds and enjoy playing games, we’ve got great news for you! Several members of Seabrook Island Birders (SIB) have become obsessed with the game Wingspan. It is available both as a physical board game as well as an electronic game you can play on many devices, including iOS, Android, Nintendo, XBox, etc.
I’ve always said the creator of the game Wingspan must be a genius! It seems complicated to learn at first, but once you understand the basic concepts, it isn’t difficult at all and gives you a chance to learn more about ornithology and birds you know and don’t know! Wingspan is from designer Elizabeth Hargrave, illustrated by Natilia Rojas and Ana Maria Martinez Jaramillo, and published by Stonemaier Games.
The board has three habitats Forest, Grassland and Wetland. These habitats serve as a place for your birds to be played, as well as unique actions you take. The original version of the game has 170 bird cards, each with its common and scientific name, habitat(s) it lives, food it requires, number of eggs, type of nest, length of wingspan, point value, trivia about bird and, if any, special powers. The European Expansion includes an additional 81 bird cards. The Oceania Expansion has 95 bird cards. And finally, the Asia Expansion has 90 bird cards. Each expansion offers additional enhancements to the game. (note: The electronic version currently has only the European version available to add.)
On each turn, you will take 1 of 4 actions:
Each of the four rounds will have a bonus card. Each person will collect 1 or more end of game bonus cards. The more you play the more you can test your strategies, or just play and have fun!
The game can be played with 1-5 players, both in a fun easy manner or in a more competitive manner.
Joleen was the first to learn the game in early 2020. But it was in 2022 that a group of our SIB members began gathering monthly for a friendly game, with snacks and good conversation. Before I left for summer in Maine, I purchased the iOS version for my iPhone and iPad. While in Maine, I have played the board game a few times with my wife Flo, my sister and our nieces. As the summer got busy and family started return to homes, we began playing the on-line version. Like with the board game, you can play by yourself or up to five others. In fact, you can play against the AI Computer, people on-line or with friends and family. Each person must own the software and have a userid.
In the past couple weeks, I’ve been playing one or more games every day. Sometimes against two computers; with Flo; with Joleen & Melanie; and even now against other on-line competitors. We normally play the version that allows up to 72 hours to take a turn, that way you can play when you have free time.
I’ve really enjoyed playing Wingspan on-line as it keeps me connected with family and with my birding friends while I’m away for the summer! The physical board game can be bought at your favorite game retailers, both on-line or in stores. The full-AI version of Wingspan is available from MonsterCouch (Steam, Switch, Xbox, iOS, and Android).
Watch the trailer below for a preview about the game.
If you are interested to join us in either the in-person or virtual game playing of Wingspan, make a comment on this blog or send us an email.
Article submitted by Nancy Brown
Photos from Stonemaier Games (https://store.stonemaiergames.com/products/wingspan)
Question: I recently encountered a dead Laughing Gull on the beach with a fish in it’s mouth. Could have he choked on this? I’ve seen birds eating extremely large items without any apparent problem.
Response: A Google search didn’t result in many responses. When humans choke, it’s because food (often poorly chewed) gets lodged in their trachea. A bird’s tongue shape and grooved mouth aid in food movement past the tracheal opening, or glottis, and into the esophagus (food tube). Food passing into the trachea, the cause of most human choking, is not the answer. Birds often don’t shred their food, opting to swallow the food whole (more on this later). The examples of a bird actually choking is when the item being eaten is so large it blocks the opening to the trachea, cutting off air movement. Two examples noted were a Great Blue Heron swallowing a lamprey or a Northern Saw-whet Owl (7 inches) attempting to swallow a Peromyscus mouse (5-8 inches long). The picture sent along with the question showed the majority of the fish outside the Laughing Gull’s mouth. Therefore it was more likely the Laughing Gull had attempted to ingest a fish with a hook that then kept the bird from naturally expelling the oversized meal. It would not have been a pleasant death which reminds us all to use care with hooks while fishing.
So how do birds eat large prey? Some birds will shred the item into bite size pieces. That’s likely how this Osprey ate this big fish or this Red-tail Hawk had its squirrel stew.
Without the teeth and chewing muscles that humans have, birds often swallow their food whole. While some birds may rip apart their prey, or they may break up a seed, many species, such as herons and pelicans, are frequently reliant on the ol’ tip your head back and down the hatch method. Bob Mercer saw this Great Blue Heron swallow this fish whole…it took a while but he got it done. We assume the Black-crown Night Heron used the same method for his frog.
I know we watched this Great Blue Heron toss and turn and had this eel wrapped around it’s beak before it finally swallowed it whole on Ocean Winds golf course in April.
An article in the Victoria Advocate explains “A bird that eats fish whole will orient a fish head first when swallowing it so that the fins can’t expand and injure the bird’s esophagus on the way down. Something that all fish-eating birds also share is a specialized digestive system. In order to digest a fish whole, a bird requires a two-chambered stomach. The first chamber secretes acid, which helps break down the bones and scales when the bird swallows a fish whole. The second part of the stomach, called the gizzard, grinds up pieces of food into much smaller pieces.“
Many of us has seen Anhingas spear fish but I haven’t seen the process it uses to eat it. My thought is the “down the hatch method”. As I researched, I didn’t find an answer but did find that in addition to fish they also can eat small turtles or alligators.
Although not “too large”, some seed eating birds also use the swallow whole method, depending upon small stones in their crop to aid in digestion. The crop is a flexible sack just under the skin of a bird’s throat that’s actually carried outside the body cavity. Many species of birds use their crops to temporarily store food making their crop bulge when they “over eat”. I wonder if this Eastern Bluebird with its grasshopper by Palmetto Lake used the shred method or down the hatch method.
Researching this article resulted in me wanting to do more research on how different birds beaks evolved to accommodate what they eat. Stay tuned!
Sources: Flockingaround.com: Can Birds Choke?
Victoria Advocate: Nature Notes: Adaptations of fish-eating birds
Twitter post by Kaeli Swift, Ph.D.
Quaro Discussion: How does a bird swallow a fish whole
Submitted by: Judy Morr
You’ve read numerous “SIB Travel” blogs about birding trips taken by members. SIB members often hear about bird walks, festivals or tours that may interest others but not an official SIB activity. If you hear of something, let us know by sending the information to SeabrookIslandBirders@gmail.com. You can share, even if you don’t plan to attend. When possible, we’ll create a blog to share the information.
South Texas has been on my “bucket list” of places to bird for some time. When I found this trip led by Craig Watson and Pam Ford, I decided it was time to schedule the trip. Jennifer Jerome agreed to go with me. We are sharing the information here thinking other Seabrook Island Birders may be interested.
Their website provides the following description:
Experience some of North America’s top birding destinations during spring on this 10-day Venture to South Texas! Not only will we visit the famed Lower Rio Grande Valley for its myriad specialties, stops will also be made along the coast at Rockport and in the Hill Country.
Our tour begins with a brief sojourn in the Rockport area, where we will bird the coastal marshes and woodlands looking for an array of wintering shorebirds and raptors such as White-tailed Hawk and Aplomado Falcon. We will also enjoy a boat tour out into Aransas Bay, where we should see lingering Whooping Cranes. These magnificent birds are fairly reliable here as they feed on blue crabs in family groups in the maritime marshes.
We then head south to Rio Grande Valley, where we will spend the better part of a week visiting many of the area’s hotspots, including Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Santa Ana NWR, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Salineño Wildlife Preserve, and South Padre Island. We move east to west across the Valley, searching for all the target specialties including Great Kiskadee, Altamira & Audubon’s Orioles, Plain Chachalaca, Tropical Parula, Long-billed Thrasher, and the beautiful Green Jay, among many others. There’s always the chance of a Mexican vagrant straying north of the border, and we will make time to chase any goodies that might be around.
Turning north from Zapata, we trade the Lower Rio Grande Valley for a brief stay in the Texas Hill Country, a rugged area of limestone hills and juniper-oak woodlands. Here, we will look for the federally endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler & Black-capped Vireo, the best area in the country to find them. We should also find Cave Swallow, Bell’s Vireo, Lark Sparrow, and Bewick’s Wren, and we’ll have a chance to witness the spectacle of millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats leaving their daily roost in the evening, an event which often attracts raptors hoping for an easy meal!
Join us for this birding exploration of one of the premier birding regions in the country!
Check out their website here for more information on this and other tours. Let me know if you decide to join Jennifer and I.
Seabrook Island Birders does not sponsor or take responsibility for this or
any trips other than those as official activities of SIB. This is provided for your consideration.
Submitted by: Judy Morr
Monday, August 28 @ 7:00pm
Location: Picnic Table at the back of Palmetto Lake near the Playground
Max: 20
Cost: Free for members; $10 donation to SIB for guests
Note: If weather doesn’t cooperate on this evening, we’ll reschedule later in the week so if you are unavailable on Monday, register anyway and put note in comment you wish to be notified if it needs to be rescheduled.
Please join Seabrook Island Birders for an evening of birding and socializing with your favorite beverage at Palmetto Lake. During the hot summer months birds are more active in the early morning and early evening. We thought that this would be a great location to gather and sit and let the birds come to us. At this location, near the playground, we can relax and watch the herons and egrets fly into their now favorite roosting area. It is mesmerizing to observe the different groups fly into the lake area and then maneuver into their spot. There are a few places to sit at the picnic table, but you will probably want to bring a chair in order to get the best view. There will be SIB members available to carry your chair to our location. Birds that we should see coming into the rookery are Green Heron, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, and White Ibis. We could additionally hear or see woodpeckers, hawks, and passerines.
This is a BYOB and BYOSnacks event. If you are not an experienced birder, this is the perfect opportunity to get some tips on using binoculars and phone apps, and identifying species and bird calls.
As always bring your binoculars and hats. No sunscreen required at this event, but you might want to bring bug repellent just in case.
Register no later than Sunday, August 27th . All registrants will receive a confirmation letter on Monday morning, August 28th.
(*Join SIB : https://seabrookislandbirders.org/join-sib/ )
Program Description:
Why do birds sing? How does song help them decide where to live, with whom to mate? How do individual differences in behavior affect their lives? (What are these “individual differences in behavior” – do birds have “personality”?) By paying close attention to the behavior of individual birds in the soap opera of their lives – what songs they sing, their successes and failures as mates and parents, and how long they live – we can gain a more rich appreciation for the complexity of their lives.
Speaker Biography:
Melissa Hughes is a graduate of Bucknell and Duke University, and teaches Animal Behavior and Ornithology at the College of Charleston. She studied Song Sparrows in northwestern Pennsylvania for over 10 years, and is still learning from those recordings. She has also studied song in Swamp Sparrows, Seaside Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, and Common Nightingales. In addition, she studies communication and aggressive behavior in snapping shrimp.
Be sure to register so you won’t miss this exciting event!
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Green Heron – Butorides virescens
Length: 18″; Wingspan: 26″; Weight: 7 oz.
A relatively common sight on Seabrook Island, the green heron is a dark, stocky bird that appears to hunch over on slender legs, often at the edge of a pond, marsh or stream. Seen up close or through binoculars, it is a distinctive bird with a velvety green-gray back, a brownish burgundy body and a dark cap often raised into a short crest. Its broad, rounded wings are dark grey, and its legs are a bright yellow. In flight, the green heron’s extended neck gives it a front-heavy, ungainly appearance.
The green heron feeds on small fish, crustaceans, frogs, tadpoles or aquatic insects. Sometimes the bird will ‘bait’ its prey, dropping twigs or feathers on the surface of the water as lures. The bird crouches motionless in the shallow water waiting for its prey to approach, then uses its long, straight dagger like beak to snatch up its food when it is within striking distance.
Green herons prefer to nest as isolated pairs or in small groups. The nesting site is usually in a shrub or tree 5-30’ above the ground, but occasionally herons will nest on the ground. Nests are platforms made of sticks: the male will begin nest construction, and then the female takes over while the male continues to forage for building materials for her.
Female herons will lay as few as 3 and up to 7 eggs at a time. Incubation is by both sexes and lasts 19-21 days. Both parents feed the young by regurgitation. Young herons begin to climb out and around the nest 16-17 days after hatching and will make first test flights at 21-23 days. Herons produce 1-2 broods per year.
Green herons are sometimes difficult to detect because of their dark plumage which helps them to blend into shaded areas and vegetation along the water’s edge. Their harsh ‘skeow’ call along with slow beats of rounded wings and an ‘unfolded’ neck in flight are good clues to the observer that you have spied a green heron!
If you would like to learn more about this bird visit:
Article submitted by: Lyn Magee
Photographs provided by: 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.
Question: We heard a commotion this morning, lots of crows and a Red-shouldered Hawk. They flew close enough to count and we had 26 American Crows, all harassing one Red-shouldered Hawk! I wondered why so many crows were ganging up on this individual hawk. I know it’s normal, but that many? – Anonymous birder
Answer: What an interesting observation!
First, mobbing crowds with this large number are not uncommon. One observer L. Kilham once counted 136 crows mobbing a Great Horned Owl in Texas. When not nesting crows gather in nighttime roosts ranging from around 100 birds up to a roost of 2 million crows (am I glad I don’t live near that!). So, seeing this many crows together is not too surprising.
Crows mob a whole host of species. Birds of the World says,
“Species mobbed include Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway), American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, Common Raven, Blue Jay. Also mobs humans, raccoon, gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), fox squirrel (S. niger), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and domestic cat.”
Of course, that leads to the question of why? Note that all of the above are potential predators. Mobbing a potential predator is actually very common in the bird world and is not restricted to crows. I have even seen a Ruby-throated Hummingbird attack a Red-tailed Hawk (not that the hawk, as it moseyed away, even knew the hummingbird was stabbing at its tail feathers). But, for your question, let us focus on crows.
Konrad Lorenz in his book King Solomon’s Ring (1952) recalls an experience where he learned that for Jackdaws, the mobbing behavior cobbles together instinct, experience, and mimicry. The basic story is that after swimming Lorenz stuffed a wet black bathing suit into his pocket. While tending his pet Jackdaws (a European species closely related to crows), he realized the suit was soaking his pants and making him uncomfortable, so he removed it from his pocket. The pet Jackdaw saw the limp black object and attacked Lorenz’s hand instinctively. Lorenze inferred that the Jackdaw is hard wired to attack anything that carried a limp black object, the Jackdaw needed no training. After three such experiences, the Jackdaw no longer needed to see the limp black object before it attacked the hand. Subsequent generations of Jackdaws were taught to attack the hand without provocation.
In 1974, David P. Barash, University of Washington decided to test Lorenz’s observation. He conducted a study where he presented the local crows with a stuffed Great Horned Owl. Some of the times the owl held in its talons a stuffed crow. In others it held a black cloth. In the third series, the owl had nothing in its talons. He learned that the crows consistently attacked the owl, but whenever the owl held a stuff crow or the black cloth, the attack was more vigorous and vocal. His discovery
“…supports Lorenz’s contention that the presence of a black object stimulates corvid aggressiveness towards potential predators although is does not examine the supposed innateness of that behavior. The significantly heightened intensity of mobbing elicited by both the owl-crow and owl-cloth models in comparison with the owl model alone, combined with the similarity of response to the owl-crow and owl-cloth models, suggests that a simple “releasing mechanism,” whether innate or learned, is involved.”
Lesson for birders: When you hear crows freaking out, don’t ignore them, look to see if you can find the predator they may be mobbing.
References
Behavior – American Crow – Corvus brachyrhynchos – Birds of the World
Konrad Lorenz (1961) King Solomon’s Ring Translated by Marjorie Kerr Wilson. Methuen, London. 202 pages
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor Departments of Psychology and Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98190. Accepted for publication 27 August 1974.
Answer by: Robert Mercer
On August ninth, Felicia Sanders, lead Coastal Bird Biologist with SCDNR, sent word that two of the Red Knots tagged with satellite transmitters were headed back south after spending the summer nesting in the Arctic islands of Canada’s far-north. Felicia has been sending updates with maps since early May, when the birds were first captured at Captain Sams Inlet by Felicia’s team of South Carolina and Georgia biologists, supported by shorebird stewards from Kiawah and Seabrook Islands. Three of the 150 captured birds were fitted with the satellite tags that send a GPS location through a satellite link back to the biologists. The third Red Knot was still on its nesting location near Baffin Island as of August 9.
This wonderful map, made by Megan James of SCDNR, shows the flights and nesting locations of the three satellite tagged Red Knots from the May 9 Captain Sams Inlet capture through late July, while they were still on the nesting grounds. As you can see, the orange track is that of (Dark Green MTC, 242656) who has flown 2975 miles since being banded on May 9 and before returning south. The white track is that of the bird, (Lime Green +T9, 242658) who took a detour to Cape Cod and has flown 2910 miles. But notice the yellow track of (Lime Green 5T8, 242657), its zig zag track measures an impressive 4426 miles through the end of July! To understand why, we’ll need to look at the map more closely and factor in some dynamic spring weather.
Back in May, the first transmissions from the tagged knots, showed one, (white track, Lime +T9) had flown to Cape Cod and the other two stayed along the South Carolina coast. Then late on May 22, 2023, the two birds that stayed took off for James Bay, the southern most arm of Hudson Bay. One of the knots, (orange track, Dark Green MTC), flew non-stop and was detected on James Bay on May 25- a distance of about 1500 miles in just over two days!
Both of these Red Knots encountered a strong cold front somewhere north of Lake Huron in Ontario. Dark Green MTC made it through the strong head winds, but the other bird, (yellow track, Lime Green 5T8, 242567), after being buffeted by winds for hours, turned back over North Bay, Ontario on May 24, and flew to Delaware Bay! This reversal would cause it to fly almost 1500 more miles than the other two knots by the end of the summer!
Around May 29, (Lime Green +T9) flew from Cape Cod and arrived at James Bay. About the same time, (Lime Green 5T8) flew from Delaware Bay to join the other Red Knots on James Bay, where they replenished their energy stores. In the first week of June, all three knots flew further north to different locations to breed. Felicia has been able to follow their movements around the nesting ground all summer – something that has been next to impossible to do before satellite tags because Red Knots disperse so widely on very inaccessible islands. Now they are starting their migration back south.
By now, you know about the long distances that Red Knots fly to reach their nesting grounds. This new data from the satellite tagged birds adds so much more detail to that story. For some Red Knots that winter in the southeast US, the trip described here is the bulk of their migration. For others, the journey from here to the Arctic is added to the thousands of miles they have already flown from Tierra del Fuego, South America. As earlier studies have shown, two-thirds of the birds tagged here started to fly directly from South Carolina to the Arctic, but now we see in detail the hardships and formidable endurance required to withstand the weather events that they face. Previous tracking technologies did not work as well in the Arctic to pinpoint nesting locations. Geolocators do not work above the Arctic Circle in 24 hour daylight and nanotags require an extensive network of Motus towers.
The satellite tags will send back data until the birds molt into their winter plumage. With some luck, the tags will stay on long enough to complete the map of these three Red Knots as they return to their winter beaches.
-Photo of Dark Green MTC and maps by permission of Felicia Sanders, SCDNR
-Text & photo of Lime Green 5T8 by Mark Andrews
-Submitted by Mark Andrews, Co-Chair, Seabrook Island Birders Shorebird Stewards
Black Skimmer – Rynchops niger
Length: 18″; Wingspan: 44″; Weight: 11 oz.
We are among a lucky few to have the Black Skimmer along our beaches. As you can see from the map below, this dramatic and beautiful bird populates only a very small portion of the United States.
Aside from its striking black and white plumage, the Black Skimmer is memorable because of its eating style. It is the only bird in America with a longer lower beak than upper. It’s this special feature that enables it to skim the top of the water with its mouth open and the lower bill slightly submerged, feeling for small fish. When one is encountered, the upper bill snaps shut to capture its prey. Because the skimmer uses its sense of touch to hunt, it can successfully forage in all types of light, and even in the dark. That’s an advantage for us human observers since we can watch at any time of day and wonder at the skimmer’s incredible ability to remain a constant distance above the water, alternately gliding and propelling itself along.
Interestingly, the newborn skimmer chick does not have the extended lower mandible. However, after only four weeks, it is visibly longer.
You will be able to pick out the skimmers on the beach in several ways. They are fairly large – 16-20″. They have a very long, low profile because of their short legs and long wings. Their wings actually extend beyond their tail feathers when they are on the ground and account for their relatively large wing span when flying. The sharp contrast of their black and white coloration and their bright red and black beaks also make them easily identifiable.
Probably one of the reasons Seabrookers can see so many skimmers is that there is a large breeding group on Deveaux Bank. As with all the seabirds, they build their nests in colonies, scratching out a shallow depression in the sand. This makes them very vulnerable in areas where beaches are heavily populated by humans. It’s to our benefit that the Deveaux rookery is so nearby.
Don’t miss seeing these unique birds – even if you have to make a special trip to the North Beach.
If you would like to learn more about this bird visit:
Article submitted from prior post by: Marcia Hider
Photographs provided by: 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.
SIB 