Migration – SIB

Bird of the Week: Chucks-will’s-widow

Each spring, Seabrook Island Birders receive many requests for us to identify the bird that makes this sound. Even if you have never seen this bird, chances are if you live or spend time in the spring on Seabrook Island, you have heard him after dusk and before sunrise! The bird we are hearing is the Chuck-will’s-widow, a “cousin” to another in the Nightjar family, the Eastern Whip-poor-will who makes this sound.

Local Seabrook Island residents began hearing this spring migrant at the end of March! Where are you hearing this bird?

We’ve published a number of articles regarding this curious bird. Back in 2020, one of our members found a nest and saw the young on their property. Learn more by reading these articles:

https://seabrookislandbirdersdotorg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=7753&action=edit

https://seabrookislandbirdersdotorg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=7783&action=edit

And in the spring of 2021, we published this story about another Chuck-will’s-widow nesting site, including a video:

https://seabrookislandbirdersdotorg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=9613&action=edit

Below is a blog we have “recycled” from April 2, 2017, so you can learn more about the Chuck-will’s-widow and the migration of these fascinating birds.

And remember, just email us or “Ask SIB” if you have questions about birds you are hearing or seeing!

Originally Published April 2, 2017

On Friday, we asked if you could identify a bird by its song. It was first reported on Seabrook Island early last Thursday morning by George Haskins. The answer: the Chuck-will’s-widow. This bird winters as far south as Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean and breeds in pine, oak-hickory, and other forests of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. They tend to live in more open areas than the similar Whip-poor-will, which are not common here on Seabrook Island.

Scientist continue to learn much about the migration of birds, especially with the advancement of technology such as using radar, acoustic, electronic and optical technologies. Spring migration starts as early as January and continues into June. Birds generally take off shortly after sunset, some flying all night and landing just before dawn the next morning. Others will fly nonstop for 60-100 hours as they flyover oceans and continents. Some nights there could be hundreds of millions of birds flying over North America.

Citizen Scientists like all of us are a great resource for migration information as we document bird sightings using the Audubon/Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: eBird.org. This data is also available for anyone to view. This link will open the eBird page to view the historical bird observations for all species by month for Charleston county. For example, the Chuck-will’s-widow is shown below to arrive in March and is gone by the end of November.

You can also drill down to view a map of locations where a bird has been documented, like the Chuck-will’s-widow map below. Notice the red bubble was a sighting of a Chuck-will’s-widow documented by Aija Konrad on 3/31/17 near the tennis courts.

Chuck-will’s-widow map of sightings on Seabrook & Kiawah Island, SC from eBird.org

Six years later, you can see how many more Chuck-will’s-widow sightings have been documented on Seabrook and Kiawah Islands!

Another great website to learn more about bird migration, including a forecast each week for four geographic regions in the country, is Birdcast.info, a site created by Cornell.

Article submitted by: Nancy Brown

Migration Forecast

Weather maps are a familiar sight. We check the forecast to see what to wear, whether or not to wash the car, or to see if our beach day will get rained out. Doppler radar shows us storms marching across the country, tracks lightening strikes, wind speed and direction, and provides real-time predictions of bird migration.

Bird migration?

Meet the BirdCast website. BirdCast develops and maintains tools that predict and monitor bird migration. These include forecast and real-time bird migration maps that predict how much, where and when bird migration will occur, using radar measurements from the US weather surveillance radar network.

As most birds migrate at night, real-time data shows intensities of actual nocturnal bird migration between sunset and sunrise. And you can get specific data by state and county.

For example, I’m writing this on April 15th at 11:00pm and there are 120 million birds predicted to fly over the continental United States tonight. The map is color coded to show the areas of heaviest traffic.

What about local activity, can I see what’s happening right now? South Carolina currently has 3,841,800 birds in flight with 1,169,100 already crossed, and Charleston County currently has 70,400 birds in flight with 135,300 already crossed.

Interesting data for scientists, for sure. But how is this helpful to the average backyard birder? Well, first it’s just a cool site to play around with. You’ll be amazed at the depth of available data, and I’ll warn you, it’s a little bit addictive.

And those birds have to come down at some time to rest and refuel and that’s usually in the early morning hours. Go out at sunrise and you’ll notice new visitors to your backyard, hear unfamiliar birdsongs, and with a little luck and a good pair of binoculars, you’ll be able to add a few more birds to your life list.

For a unique perspective of migration, go outdoors and sit quietly in the cool night air and see if you can hear them passing overhead. Last year my husband and I were lucky enough to hear flocks of Bobolinks flying over Seabrook Island during fall migration. Fortunately for the observer, birds vocalize while on the wing, making night flight calls that can aid in their identification.

So how accurate is it? It’s now Sunday. April 16th, and here’s a look back at what actually happened in Charleston County last night.

With peak migration occurring over the next few weeks, this is the perfect time to give BirdCast a try. As you can see from the data we’re in the early days of migration, with May giving us much to look forward to. So give it a shot. Check the birdcast for your area, head out into the night to listen, get up a little earlier to go birding, and see if you can catch a glimpse of your overnight travelers.

Sources: Audubon – The Sights and Sounds of Nighttime Flights

BirdCast website is where you can start your own migration exploration!

Submitted by Gina Sanders

You can now stream “Red Knots in the Southeast US” on SIB’s YouTube Channel

Seabrook Island Birders (SIB) hosted an event on Thursday March 23, 2023, featuring Fletcher Smith from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, speaking about the importance of our beach for the migrating shorebirds, particularly the Red Knots. More than 80 people attended, but we know many of you could not. If you missed the program, or just want to view again, you can stream it on SIB’s YouTube Channel:

Timeline:

00:00 – 1:55 Introduction
1:55 – 40:00 Fletcher Smith Presentation
40:00 – 50:00 Q&A
50:00 – end Closing

Program Description:

For years we’ve told the remarkable story of the 9000 mile Red Knot migration, flying from Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America to the Arctic to breed, and making an important stop at Seabrook to rest and fatten up. But did you know that many Red Knots spend entire winters in the southeastern United States along the Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina coasts, including Seabrook Island?

Please join us to hear Fletcher Smith discuss this subspecies of Red Knots that rely on the Southeast coast’s developed beaches for most of the year before flying to the Arctic, like their more famous brethren, to breed. Fletcher has been a migratory shorebird researcher for more than 20 years, working from the high Arctic to the South American wintering grounds. He is currently a wildlife biologist with Georgia Department of Natural Resources, researching and monitoring shorebird populations along the Georgia coastal islands. Through this work, he is very familiar with the Red Knots at Seabrook and Kiawah Islands.

Fletcher will review the life cycle of Red Knots, and their breeding season and wintering ecology. His focus will be the critical linkage that Seabrook and Kiawah provide as a stopover during all Red Knot migration, and why this is so important to this threatened species.

Speaker Biography:Fletcher Smith has worked with a diversity of bird species throughout the western hemisphere, following migrants from their breeding to winter grounds. His research projects include work with Whimbrels, Red Knots, Marsh Sparrows, and neo-tropical migrants. Fletcher currently is a wildlife biologist with Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Northland College in Wisconsin, a private liberal arts college with a progressive focus on the environment and sustainability.

Letter from SC-DNR

Please read the letter below from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to learn how important our beaches and habitats are to the migrating shorebirds. If you would like more information about the Seabrook Island Shorebird Steward Program, contact us at sibstewards@gmail.com.

March 21, 2023

Hello Shorebird Partners,

Shorebird migration is underway and Red Knots have arrived on South Carolina beaches! The Red Knot is a federally threatened shorebird that spends the winter primarily south of us, as far south as Brazil and Argentina. In the spring knots stop over to feed and rest as they migrate north to their nesting grounds above the Arctic Circle. The beaches of Seabrook and Kiawah Islands are especially important for knots to rest and refuel as they migrate. A recent study conducted here of Red Knots revealed that 41% of the entire population passes through Kiawah and Seabrook Island’s beaches!

Red Knots in breeding plumage. Photo by Ed Konrad

Red Knots will be in South Carolina until the end of May and will be molting their drab grey feathers into rusty, red plumage, just in time for the breeding season. Since they expend energy to molt and need to fatten up to travel all the way to the Arctic, they need to gain weight as fast as they can. While on the Seabrook and Kiawah Island beaches, they feed on small coquina clams, also called Donax, which occur in the intertidal zone.

Red Knots feeding in the intertidal zone of the beach. Photo by SCDNR

Please help us in welcoming these global travelers by walking around feeding and resting birds on the beach. Keep pets away from flocks and do not cause these migrants to fly unnecessarily.

The Red Knots have experienced a population decline of over 85% in recent decades and knots rely on the beaches in South Carolina as safe havens. This season, researchers will continue to survey flocks and resight birds that are banded with field readable flags. You may see Shorebird Stewards on the beach who can tell you more about Red Knot migration and why our South Carolina beaches are so special for these creatures.

A banded Red Knot takes flight. Photo by Ed Konrad

To learn more about Red Knots check out the upcoming Sea Island Shorebird Festival webpage. https://www.seaislandsshorebirdfestival.com/

Sincerely,

The South Carolina DNR Shorebird Team

Final Reminder – Register for “Red Knots in the Southeast US” on March 23rd

Red Knots in the Southeast US:
Acting Locally, Thinking Globally

Speaker: Fletcher Smith, Georgia Department of Natural Resources

DATE: March 23, 2023,
LOCATION: Lake House Live Oak Hall (Max: 100)
SCHEDULE:
7:00pm Registration & Refreshments
7:30pm Program
8:30pm Q&A and Program Close
COST: Free for 2023 SIB Member; $10/guest
(Learn How to join SIB)

Program Description:

Be sure to register so you won’t miss this exciting event!

Also, it is not too late to join or learn more about the Seabrook Island Shorebird Steward Program! We invite you to visit the Seabrook Island Birders webpage (www.seabrookislandbirders.org) and visit the Shorebird Stewards tab. Sign up with your spouse or a friend, or meet new friends during the upcoming training sessions. Send an email to SIBStewards@gmail.com to join the group or ask for more information. It is a rewarding experience that you will surely come to cherish.

Learn about “Red Knots in the Southeast US” on March 23rd

Red Knots in the Southeast US:
Acting Locally, Thinking Globally

Speaker: Fletcher Smith, Georgia Department of Natural Resources

DATE: March 23, 2023,
LOCATION: Lake House Live Oak Hall (Max: 100)
SCHEDULE:
7:00pm Registration & Refreshments
7:30pm Program
8:30pm Q&A and Program Close
COST: Free for 2023 SIB Member; $10/guest
(Learn How to join SIB)

Program Description:

Be sure to register so you won’t miss this exciting event!

Join SIB: February Movie Matinee

February Movie – Register Here

Scott Weidensaul, A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds
Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Location: Zoom Only

Watch the replay of the Zoom event featuring Scott Weidensaul, a renowned bird migration expert, and author of more than two dozen books on natural history. These include New York Times bestseller “A World on the Wing,” and Pulitzer Prize finalist “Living on the Wind.” He’s a contributing editor for Audubon and is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society. An active field researcher, his studies of migration have taken him all around the world.

Even as scientists make astounding discoveries about the navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans or fly above the highest mountains, go weeks without sleep or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch, humans have brought many migrants to the brink. Based on his newest book “A World on the Wing,” author and researcher Scott Weidensaul takes you around the globe — with researchers in the lab probing the limits of what migrating birds can do, to the shores of the Yellow Sea in China, the remote mountains of northeastern India where tribal villages saved the greatest gathering of falcons on the planet, and the Mediterranean, where activists and police are battling bird poachers — to learn how people are fighting to understand and save the world’s great bird migrations.

Movie Matinees

Seabrook Island Birders (SIB) hosts Movie Matinees each month on the second Tuesday at 4pm. The events are now often being held both in-person and virtually.

Please register for each event to let us know how you want to attend. After you register, you will receive an automatic confirmation with a link for Zoom, which will be resent the day of the event. If you requested to attend in person, you will receive a email reminder the day prior the event. Please let us know if you need to cancel. Water and snacks will be provided at in-person events. Feel free to bring your own beverage.

Watch: SIB Launched 2023 with Worldwide Bird Migration, author, naturalist and ornithologist

Scott Weidensaul was the guest speaker, via Zoom from his home in New Hampshire, at the first gathering of Seabrook Island Birders for 2023. We met at the Oyster Catcher Community Center for some social time and discussed his book “A World on the Wing” published in 2021. We had 37 people present in-person and 21 via Zoom. Scott joined early enough to hear Bob Mercer update us on the activities of our own Shorebird Steward Program and then he presented a 50 minute program on worldwide bird migration. This was followed by questions on the use of technology in monitoring migration, the physiological changes in birds around migration and if there will be information gathered that can be applied to human medicine, and whether we understand how a young bird learns to migrate.

Scott is a naturalist and ornithologist involved in many projects researching bird migration. He is also a writer, having published many books and articles on birds and the migratory process. The recording of the program is available on our YouTube Channel for one month if you are interested in viewing it. If you prefer, SIB will feature Scott’s presentation during our next Movie Matinee (only virtual) at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2023. Register to watch it with us on Zoom.

During the program, Scott Weidensaul mentioned a few websites you may want to explore:

www.motus.org – The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. Motus is a program of Birds Canada in partnership with collaborating researchers and organizations.
https://www.projectsnowstorm.org/ – Dedicated to the study and research of the movement of Snowy Owls

Additional information on Scott, his prior publications, interviews and his current activities is available on his website, scottweidensaul.com.

Join Seabrook Island Birders and be the first to know about our upcoming programs and activities, seabrookislandbirders.org.

SIB “Bird of the Week” – American Robin

American Robin – Turdus migratorius
Length: 10″; Wingspan: 17”.Although generally this bird is thought to be a sign of spring in the more northern sections of North American, during the winter this migratory bird loves to hang in the warmer areas of the South gorging on our berries!

American Robin - C. Moore — American Robin – C. Moore

The Robin is among the most abundant bird species on the continent, with a population estimated at more than three hundred million. It lives in almost every habitat, from forest to tundra, from Central America to north of the Arctic Circle, from sea level to 12,000 feet.

The American Robin was mistakenly named after its smaller, orange-breasted European namesake by Early American colonists. The American Robin is not in the robin family but is actually a thrush, part of a group of songbirds that includes bluebirds, veeries, hermit and wood thrushes. These birds often possess attractive plumage, spotted breasts (particularly in the young) and insectivorous diets. At ten inches long, the robin is the largest of the American thrushes and is often used to describe and judge sizes of other birds since it is so commonly recognized. Its orange breast sets off a black tail, a black head with white around the eyes, a yellow bill, black-and-white-streaked throat, grayish brown back and white undertail. Male colors are bolder than those on the female and, true to form, juvenile robins have spotted breasts. Look carefully the next time you see a robin and you will notice what a beautiful bird it is!

With autumn comes a southward migration, although some robins can be found wintering in even hostile climates, eating the berries remaining in wooded, densely vegetated areas. According to Lex Glover, a S.C. Department of Natural Resources wildlife technician, the population of robins in South Carolina swells each fall and winter, as robins move in from the northern states and Canada, sometimes on their way to Florida and the Gulf States.

“We can have pretty intense flocks of them, scattered through the coastal plain,” he says. “When we do Christmas counts, you’ll see large numbers of robins either first thing in the morning or the last thing in the evening, often going into bottomland hardwood areas where there is plenty of cover, and maybe cedars and evergreens so they have a place to roost. I have also seen them in plowed fields, with sparrows and blackbirds mixed in with them.”

Just before the New Year, one of our members, Ellen Coughlin, sent us the picture below to ask us to confirm the identification of the birds. She said, “They were in the back yard and over the lagoon as well as fighting over the bird bath on Dec. 23. There were easily 100-150 of them. Flying around like they were drunk. This is the second time this event has occurred. The last time the birds were red winged blackbirds and it was about three years ago. Same weird behavior, diving bombing us as we stood on the enclosed screened in porch.” As you might remember from last weeks blog on Cedar Waxwings, some birds eat so many fermented berries they become “drunk.” According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, ” When Robins eat honeysuckle berries exclusively, they sometimes become intoxicated.”

American Robins - Ellen Coughlin — American Robins – Ellen Coughlin

In fact, just days before Ellen’s email, a birder staying at his parent’s house on Bohicket Creek reported, “I watched flocks of robins flying from Wadmalaw Island to Johns Island at dawn, and then again from Johns Island to Wadmalaw Island at dusk. I would guess the flyway was about a half-mile wide, so I couldn’t monitor the whole thing, but multiple estimates of the number of robins passing overhead in my binocular’s field of view led me to a count of 300 per minute for 40 minutes (the flight lasted somewhat longer) for a report of 12,000 robins. I’m confident that estimate is low, though it’s easy to over-estimate the number of birds for species that fly in loosely-organized flocks.”

Keep your eyes and ears open for these common winter birds on Seabrook Island. We are still seeing flocks of them flying overhead or eating berries atop trees and bushes throughout the island!

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

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birders: American Robin

American Robin – Ed Konrad

Range Map for American Robin – Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Article submitted by: Nancy Brown 2017, resubmitted by SIB
Photographs provided by: Hud Coughlin, Ed Konrad, Charles Moore
Source: South Carolina Wildlife

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.

Watch the Replay: Felicia Sanders’ “Hemispheric Flights of Migratory Shorebirds”

Did you miss the live version of our program with Felicia Sanders on Wednesday, February 16, 2022? Good news! We’ve recorded it and you can watch it at your convenience from any place at any time! Just click below:

Program Description: Each year millions of shorebirds migrate to Arctic breeding grounds from wintering sites in South & Central America and southern North America. SC beaches are important sites for these long-distance migratory birds. Many know the Red Knot’s journey – Arctic tundra to nest, southern South America for winter, AND a stop in SC to refuel. But what about Whimbrels, Dunlin, Sanderlings, and Semipalmated Plovers that also nest on the northern Arctic shores? What are migration routes of Seabrook’s shorebirds? Where do the birds spend the rest of the year? How do banding, innovative tagging & tracking technology, and peoples’ reporting help identify birds’ exact movements and locations? Watch as Felicia Sanders, SCDNR partner and SIB’s good friend, takes a fascinating look at the diverse countries & habitats shorebirds encounter on their global journeys!