| From: Brumar89 | 6/20/2024 2:28:14 PM | | | | | |
12 Fiery Red Birds You Might Be Seeing Around Your Yard & Garden (msn.com)
summer tanager singing© Kevin Mcdonald/Getty Images
Wondering which feathered friends have been visiting your backyard bird feeder? There are many scarlet-colored birds that you may be seeing, ranging from beautiful songbirds to cousins of the northern cardinal. If you're eager to identify the fiery red visitors in your yard and garden, we've created a guide that will help you do just that. From scarlet tanagers to vermillion flycatchers to red-faced warblers, there are so many to see. Grab your camera and prepare to snap some photos, so you can figure out which red-feathered beauties are frequenting your feeder.
All of these birds are at least part-time residents of North America, but some are very particular about the habitats they settle in. Residents of southwestern states may be fortunate enough to spot the more exotic birds on this list, but there are plenty of stunning crimson birds to see in other parts of the continent as well. Without further delay, let's take a look at some of the most notable beautiful red birds that you might see soaring around your home.
Northern Cardinal
cardinal on perch© SEHAB0/Shutterstock
When it comes to common red colored birds, few are as recognizable as the stunning northern cardinal. Native to many parts of North America, this bird can be found in both urban environments and secluded forests. Male cardinals have striking bright red bodies and feathered tufts on their heads. Northern cardinals are not deterred by cold weather, so you may spot them in your yard even in the winter. If you wish to see more of them around, you can attract cardinals to your garden by planting greenery that they love.
Pine Grosbeak
pine grosbeak on branch© Pchoui/Getty Images
Found in forested regions of North America, pine grosbeaks are round red-colored birds that are part of the finch family. These birds are larger than they appear to be in photos; in fact, they make other finches look small. They also tend to move slower than other birds, making them easy to observe in trees. Unlike cardinals, pine grosbeaks have patches of red plumage and gray wings with white markings. They are spotted year-round in most of Canada and many parts of the U.S., except for the southern states.
White Winged Crossbill
White Winged Crossbill© Michalicenko/Shutterstock
Keep your eyes peeled for the white winged crossbill in the spring and summertime. In the warmer months, the males molt their feathers and transform into gorgeous shades of red. White winged crossbills are found in North America and throughout Europe. They typically frequent forests, but can also be found in parks and backyard feeders, especially if there are spruce trees present. They travel in big flocks, which are fun to observe, as these birds love to chatter and hang upside down in the trees. Their name comes from their distinctive crossed beak.
Scarlet Tanager
scarlet tanager on branch© Saurabh13/Getty Images
Arguably one of the prettiest red birds on our list, scarlet tanagers are characterized by their stunning scarlet plumage contrasted with their black wingspan and tail feathers. They flock south in the winter and head to the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in the summer months to breed. Scarlet tanagers have a sweet tooth and are known to feast on wild berries. These birds are about the same size as robins and produce a similar call. You just may need your binoculars to spot them, as they love to hangout in the treetops.
Summer Tanager
summer tanager on branch© Paul Lowery/Getty Images
Like scarlet tanagers, summer tanagers are known for their breathtaking appearance. According to Cornell University's Cornell Lab of Ornithology, male scarlet tanagers are the only birds in North America that are completely red all the way through. Another fascinating fact about them is that they are a wasp-eating bird. They catch wasps and bees in their beaks and remove the stinger on a branch before popping them in their mouths. They migrate down to South America and return to the southern and eastern U.S. to breed, where they prefer to hang out in oak trees.
Red-Faced Warbler
Red-Faced Warbler on perch© Griffin Gillespie/Shutterstock
Residents of Mexico, as well as Arizona and New Mexico, may be lucky enough to spot the beautiful red-faced warbler around their homes. These birds have distinct red faces and black crescent on their heads, grayish bellies and dark gray wings. They tend to frequent mature forests at high elevations, and sadly, their habitat is under threat due to logging. Catch them migrating to the tropics from mid-September to April and returning to the U.S. for breeding. They are known to nest on the ground and forage high up in the trees.
Common Redpoll
Common Redpoll in flight© Mirceax/Getty Images
Common redpolls may be little, but they are resilient creatures. They can withstand freezing winter temperatures and are found across Canada and most of the northern and central U.S. They travel in flocks and have bright red markings on their heads that make them easy to recognize. Male common redpolls also have reddish plumage on their bellies. These birds love to visit feeders, so there is a good chance you will spot a group of them in your yard sometime. At night, they are known to dig deep tunnels into the snow for shelter.
House Finch
red house finch on perch© Tony Quinn/Shutterstock
You have likely seen these rose-colored birds in your yard and neighborhood parks. Their song is recognizable and is especially loud when they gather in large flocks, usually in trees and shrubs. Although house finches are not nearly as crimson-colored as other birds on this list, the males are dappled in a reddish shade that makes them easy to spot. Depending on their food source, some male house finches will appear more red than others. They love to visit feeders and hang out in trees at parks and in urban areas.
Red Crossbill
red crossbill on perch© Dark_Side/Shutterstock
These unique birds are found all over North America. Male red crossbills have red plumage and darker reddish wings. They are known to travel far and wide across the continent, frequenting conifer forests, parks, and feeders. Not all red crossbills are the same — experts now estimate that there are eight different species of this bird. Each species has a different size, diet, behavior pattern, and song. Scientists and bird enthusiasts are fascinated by red crossbills for this reason. Keep an eye out for these birds and you may be able to spot the differences between the species.
Vermilion Flycatcher
Vermilion Flycatcher© Carlos Cabal/Shutterstock
These gorgeous red and dark gray birds are most common in the southwestern U.S., as well as Central and South America. However, they are capable of wandering and have been spotted up in Minnesota, Maryland, and even British Columbia. Male vermilion flycatchers have fiery red plumage and feathered tufts on their heads. They are small but fierce predators, waiting on the tops of fences and shrubs to pounce on flying insects as they pass by. It's a bird you will want in your yard if you're looking for a natural insect control solution.
Pyrrhuloxia
Pyrrhuloxia on perch© Wmarissen/Getty Images
These desert-dwelling birds are a cousin of northern cardinals and are also known as "desert cardinals." They look somewhat the same and produce a similar sound. Unlike cardinals, pyrrhuloxias have swatches of red on their faces, wings, and bellies. If you put sunflower seeds into your feeder, you will likely spot them visiting your yard in search of food. Residents of the southwestern U.S., where deserts and mesquites are part of the landscape, may be lucky enough to spot these birds. On hot days, you may even find them trying to enjoy your air conditioning next to your patio door.
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak© The_Rigel/Shutterstock
Male rose-breasted grosbeaks are characterized by the spot on their chest that resembles a bright red rose petal. They are found in forests, woodland landscapes, and backyard feeders all over the eastern and central U.S. and across Canada, from the Atlantic provinces into British Columbia. They migrate south to Central and South America. Stock your feeder with peanuts, sunflower seeds, and safflower seeds, and wait for these unique-looking birds to visit your yard. They have a beautiful song that sounds similar to the American robin, but even sweeter. |
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| From: Brumar89 | 7/7/2024 1:22:15 PM | | | | | |
Beautiful American Goldfinch wearing a wild yellow daisy on its head! American Goldfinches are unusual among goldfinches in molting their body feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again in late summer. The brightening yellow of male goldfinches each spring is one welcome mark of the approaching warm months.
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| To: Brumar89 who wrote (2893) | 7/7/2024 1:23:03 PM | | From: Brumar89 | | | |
Attacked on All Sides: Wading Birds Nest in New York’s Harbor Islands
The migratory birds face habitat loss due to development, predation, human disturbance and climate change.
By Lauren Dalban
July 6, 2024
 A black-crowned night hero is seen in the New Jersey Meadowlands. Credit: Courtesy of Teresa Doss
For bird enthusiasts and average residents alike, the sight of wild, colorful migratory birds like the great egret or the black-crowned night heron, in a dense and loud city like New York is something to behold.
Every spring, these wading birds migrate to the unoccupied islands along the city’s coast, as well as to certain areas on the city’s mainland, to reproduce and forage for food. For the past four years, Shannon Curley, a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell, has traveled out to these islands to coordinate the New York City Bird Alliance’s annual nesting harbor herons survey.
“When you’re standing on some of these islands,” said Curley, “you have to the right, just hundreds of nesting birds, and then to the left you have the New York City skyline. It’s a very unworldly experience.”
Since 1985, the bird alliance has continuously monitored the nesting habits of 10 species of wading birds that appear every spring, and worked to conserve their habitats in the long term. In May 2022, they even observed the more reclusive great blue heron nesting on an island in the East River called Mill Rock–the first confirmed nest in New York County.
“Every time we go out there and we see them,” said Dustin Partridge, director of climate and resilience at the New York City Bird Alliance, “I’m still struck that they’re literally dinosaurs. There are dinosaurs living in New York Harbor.”
The long-standing nature of the survey has not dulled the excitement of those who conduct it.
Though their nesting habits likely predate the city of New York in its modern form, these wading birds consistently face habitat loss due to coastal developments, human disturbance, predation and sea level rise. Their health and behavior can also be impacted by pollutants or contaminants in local waterways.
Currently, these wading birds nest on six of the many small, unoccupied islands along the city’s coastline. Though they are able to acclimate to a small level of human presence, humans entering their area can cause entire colonies of wading birds to abandon an island, or not to return to it the next year.
“Keeping off of islands where there’s signage for nesting birds is important,” said Curley. “We don’t want to lose the colony because one person decided they wanted to go have a bonfire on an island.”
Humans can also have indirect impacts on these bird populations. According to the bird alliance, when local residents release predators such as raccoons into green spaces along the coast, this also has unintended consequences. Raccoons have been known to swim to the islands within reach, preying on the smaller wading birds and their chicks. Birds like snowy egrets and ibises often nest in shrubs closer to the ground, making them more vulnerable to these kinds of predators.
Two years ago, herons abandoned Subway Island in Jamaica Bay, largely due to the presence of raccoons.
“It was once the most abundant and diverse island in Jamaica Bay,” said Partridge. “In 2022, we arrived, and it was silent—there were no birds there. All that was left behind were a lot of raccoon tracks and scat and a few eaten carcasses.”
 Snowy egrets often nest in shrubs closer to the ground, making them more vulnerable to predators like raccoons. Credit: Courtesy of NYC Bird AllianceHuman disturbances and the increase in predators can cause habitat loss for these bird species which have already been extremely impacted by the development of urban coasts for industrial and residential uses. When birds consistently lose safe nesting areas, it can impact their population numbers.
“If they are unsuccessful, year after year, in their reproduction efforts, you may actually be losing birds,” said Joanna Burger, a behavioral ecologist at Rutgers-New Brunswick. “An egret raises one chick instead of three for a number of years, and that overall decreases the population—even though the colony may still be there—because there are fewer and fewer young birds to enter the breeding population.”
These wading birds also face potential contamination of their food supply. They’re top predators—they’ll eat anything from fish, to crustaceans, to amphibians, to rodents. This also means they operate as important indicators of the health of the harbor.
“In 70 years, we have changed the environment along the Jersey Shore and along the Long Island shore,” said Burger. “That’s not a lot of time to have changed the environment for nesting birds that have lived along the coast for thousands of years.”
Herons only returned to the New York harbor islands after the passage of the 1977 Clean Water Act. Heavy metals can accumulate in the herons’ blood, eggs and feathers, adversely impacting their behavior, and alerting the ecologists who study them, like Burger, to the levels of contaminants in local waterways.
Today, metal contaminants are less of a concern as the levels of lead and cadmium found in these birds has steadily decreased over the last half-century, said Burger, largely due to new regulations placed on the use of these metals in paint and batteries.
Since the turn of the century, levels of mercury in birds have not markedly decreased in the same way, due to emissions from coal-burning power plants across the world. Mercury is a “global pollutant,” which means it can travel many miles through the atmosphere before being deposited on earth, often through rainfall.
In April, the Biden administration issued final revisions to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which could lower the amount of mercury emitted from power plants located in the United States.
“People might say that the effect from contaminants is small compared to the effect of [habitat] fragmentation or habitat loss,” said Burger. “And while that is true, it’s still important to reduce every adverse effect we can, because some of them we can’t.”
 A yellow-crowned heron takes care of its chicks on New York Harbor’s Governors Island. Credit: Courtesy of Bruce YoltonAccording to the bird alliance, these birds have been observed foraging as far north as Yonkers, 14 miles north of midtown Manhattan, to feed themselves and their chicks. When beaches, marshes and wetlands are developed for other uses, or lost to erosion, wading birds lose access to food.
In recent years, the New York City Parks Department, in partnership with the Natural Areas Conservancy, has spearheaded projects to restore marshes and wetlands along the city’s coastline, providing important foraging opportunities for wading birds, and nesting areas for migratory shorebirds.
Another urban coast, the New Jersey Meadowlands, the system of wetlands and marshes that border the Hackensack River, is located a couple miles west of New York City. Here, the black-crowned night heron, as well as the yellow-crowned night heron, have been observed since ecological restoration and conservation work began. In New Jersey, these bird species are classified as threatened, though not in New York, which Partridge laments.
According to Teresa Doss, the co-director and chief restoration scientist at the Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute, three quarters of the Meadowlands’ 20,000 acres has been lost to development, much of which can be attributed to industrial and residential use and landfills.
 A juvenile yellow-crowned night heron is seen in the New Jersey Meadowlands. Credit: Courtesy of Mike Turso“We have all these areas that are filled in marshes, but they’re open spaces,” said Doss. “What we’re seeing is, when they’re just left alone, nature automatically just comes roaring back in. We’re looking to see how we can help assist with the recovery of these landfills and create habitat systems that can support a lot of migratory bird species.”
The Meadowlands Institute is looking at bringing in reef balls, artificial coral reefs, to support marine life while also limiting marsh erosion along the coast. Restoring and strengthening wetlands and marshes along the urban coast is not only of paramount importance for supporting nesting herons, which need elevation to survive storm surges, but also for the continuing human presence. Wetlands offer important flood protection for coastal communities, particularly as sea levels rise and rainfall increases due to climate change.
“When you think about the natural infrastructure that’s here, you think about the wetlands that filter the water, that attenuate flood flows,” said Doss. “You think of the forest and the grasslands, which can sequester carbon and help purify water and rain.”
The restoration of wading birds’ habitats also means further protection from flooding for coastal communities.
Urban coasts, even those with an extensive history of environmental degradation and commercial and industrial development, can still host an incredibly diverse array of migratory bird species. Though coastal communities are unlikely to relinquish their real estate to the birds that once nested and foraged freely along the Hudson estuaries, coexistence seems possible.
With expansive ecological restoration of the remaining available green spaces along the coast and in the bay, as well as by limiting human interference in wading birds’ nesting areas, these wild wading birds can continue their yearly pilgrimage to the city’s shores.
“If you picture the wild coasts of Maine, or the beaches of Cape Cod, or any of these wild areas in the northeast,” said Partridge. “To think that New York City has this wading bird population that they don’t have—this area where these high densities of wading birds are out there—to me, that’s kind of magical.”
Attacked on All Sides: Wading Birds Nest in New York’s Harbor Islands - Inside Climate News |
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| To: Snowshoe who wrote (2837) | 7/17/2024 6:16:20 PM | | From: Snowshoe | | | | The white raven has left Anchorage, but its many fans remain hopeful
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The white raven arrived sometime in October last year and quickly attained celebrity status. Paparazzi soon documented its every move. The bird even seemed to play to the cameras and was quite vocal.
But come April, there was silence. The bird left town along with most of the ravens that winter in Anchorage. The departure coincided with the arrival of raucous seagulls.
Wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott has studied these comings and goings. He says it’s normal for the birds to switch out, almost like they’re changing shifts. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it showed up again in mid to late October,” Sinnott said.
On the Anchorage White Raven Spottings Facebook page, many there are many posts from fans who hope this will happen. There’s already a countdown in anticipation of the bird’s return in October. But for now, that’s based on wishful thinking, not any scientific evidence.
18-Month White Raven Calendar $16.00
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| From: Brumar89 | 7/28/2024 11:57:26 AM | | | | | | Birds that migrate from Brazil to Seattle each summer face new threat
July 28, 2024 at 6:00 am Updated July 28, 2024 at 6:00 am
Cindy Barrett, right, and Abby Carter, 11, on a tour with Ballard Kayak & Paddleboard, check out purple martins seen in a nesting colony made up of natural gourds hanging from derelict wooden pilings on Shilshole Bay in Seattle on June 29. “These kayaks allow us to get into some places to see really unique wildlife... (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)More
By
Kate Perez
Seattle Times staff reporter
On the far west side of Ballard in Shilshole Bay — an area typically only accessible by boat, canoe or kayak — dozens of dark purple and blue birds swoop through a forest of decaying wooden poles. Others dive in and out of human-made bird houses from natural gourds that hang from the poles20 feet from the water’s surface.
These are the homes of the purple martin, a bird locals are fighting to protect as nesting areas on the Seattle waterfront become increasingly scarce.
The purple martin, North America’s largest swallow, has migrated to the West Coast from southeast Brazil for generations, arriving in the spring and typically leaving by the end of August. The state doesn’t keep an official tally of the bird’s population, but experts say at least 300 flock to Western Washington each year.The birds are attracted to the West Coast because of its long and warm summer days that allow them to hunt for food for longer periods of time.
A purple martin hangs out on a gourd in its nesting colony in Shilshole Bay in Seattle on July 18. Purple martins are a bird species that are not endangered, but their homes are being taken down throughout the Seattle area. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)
They prefer to make their homes near water in dead trees and logs known as natural snags, or in cavities like woodpecker holes and other crevices in docks and the posts that support them, called pilings. These natural habitats have become harder and harder to come by, though: More and more of these docks and pilings are being removed by state, county and city agencies around the Seattle area, including at Elliott Bay.
Like the poles in Shilshole Bay, some of the pilings are encrusted with barnacles and seaweed. Many have been treated with toxic chemicals to preserve the wood against water decay. When they’re removed, so are the homes of these birds.
Now, a small group of local researchers is racing to protect and relocate the remaining habitat before more pilings are removed in August.
Thousands of purple martins “nested in natural snags and cavities, but then they started declining … as snags became scarcer and scarcer,” said Kimberle Stark, a King County Senior Water Quality Planner.
Natural snags started to disappear from Washington’s coast and near other U.S. waterways as natural forest and coastlines became commercialized and industrialized.
“There’s no natural snags anymore, so [the birds are] completely dependent on people putting up artificial houses,” Stark said.
A purple martin peeks out of a nesting box at another approaching bird at their colony on Shilshole Bay in June. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)
Legacy carried on
Though they are not listed as an endangered species, the purple martin population is low in Washington and considered a Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which means human intervention is necessary for the birds’ success.
A loss of habitat has long threatened purple martins’ ability to reproduce. So has a decrease in insects to hunt and eat due to an increase in pesticide use. The state population dropped so much throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s that a local environmental scientist named Kevin Li started building homes for the birds as a passion project in 1996.
Li is responsible for many of the gourds hanging throughout King County, homes that simulate the natural nesting cavity these birds prefer. After Li started stringing up gourds in Western Washington, the number of birds jumped from an estimated one nesting pair in Shilshole Bay in 1996 to about 32 nesting pairs along the Seattle shoreline, plus 74 more on Vashon Island in 2004. After Li died in 2006, his friends continued his mission.
Jean Power, King County Environmental Lab field science unit supervisor, has been involved with the purple martin habitat restoration efforts since before Li died. Power inherited the project after his death, she said, and now works with Stark and her husband, Carl Bevison, on the project.
“[The birds] suck you in,” Stark said. “Kevin was so passionate about them … You do become kind of obsessive about them.”
A purple martin nesting colony is seen on gourds and boxes on derelict pilings in Shilshole Bay in Seattle on July 18. Purple Martins are a bird species that are not endangered, but their homes are being... (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)More
With their high-pitched, flutelike chirps and dark blue wings, watching the purple martin can be captivating. When they fly, their wings look like silver stars. They often swoop and divebomb each other, squabbling before they return to their respective gourds.
Power and the others maintain many of the gourds. Bevis said he and Power climb on ladders each year in fall or winter and take down every gourd to clean and perform maintenance before the birds migrate back in May. The group also purchases new gourds yearly.
The total number of bird pairs is unknown, since there’s no concerted effort to track them across the state. But Stark estimates about 150 pairs migrate to the sites she and her colleagues maintain, including at spots in the lower Duwamish River, Shilshole Bay and Terminal 91 in Elliott Bay. Stark said this lack of tracking makes it difficult to know how many birds need homes. It also makes it tricky to get support from state agencies.
“It’s kind of unfortunate. They’re a vulnerable species,” Stark said. “There’s no monitoring, there’s no coordination.”
Kayakers paddle past a purple martin nesting colony made up of natural gourds hung from derelict wooden pilings on Shilshole Bay while on a tour of the Ballard Locks in Seattle in June. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)
The biggest issue facing purple martins is a lack of natural habitat, Stark said. Purple martins prefer nesting in colonies in wide, open spaces where they can fly freely and catch insects to eat.
But docks and pilings across King County are increasingly being extracted, since many of these structures have been treated with creosote, a chemical used to preserve wood. The product is tough to break down and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can remain as a tar-like mass in the water. It can also move into the soil and then to groundwater, resulting in dangerous creosote buildup in plants and animals.
Pilings have already been removed along Elliott Bay, and they will have to move gourds from Myrtle Edwards Park before extractions begin on Aug. 1, Stark said. When these pilings are removed from the area by government agencies, Stark and her team try to find nearby locations to relocate the gourds so the birds can find their homes from the previous year.
The Port of Seattle is actively partnering with Stark, her colleagues and other groups to relocate the gourds for purple martins to use in future seasons. Jenn Stebbings, Port of Seattle Habitat Restoration and Stewardship program manager, said the Port has worked with the group to relocate gourds at Terminal 91 close to their original locations.
The gourds now reside on tall, metal poles that are environmentally friendly.
The Port of Seattle has had to consider the trade-offs of removing pilings. |
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