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February 2016 Volume 21 (6)
Audubon News !1
What’s Inside African Hornbills 1
Field Trips 2
Priority Bird: Wood Duck 3
Coffee Conservation Update 4
Wildlife Fund 4
Great Backyard Bird Count 5
Mixed-species flocking 6
Accipiter ID 7
News from Cornell 8
Upcoming Events 02/04 Hornbills
02/06 Clark’s Creek Grnwy.
02/12-15 Great Backyard Bird Count
02/20 Pee Dee NWR
02/21 Lower McAlpine Creek Grnwy
02/25 Four-mile Creek Grnwy.
02/27 Ribbon Walk NP
02/27 Woodcock Walk
03/03 Monthly Meeting
Who’s New? Marissa Folk
Alice Lee Garner
Michele Issel
Barry Rowan
Sarah and Chris Holman
Mecklenburg Audubon Society | P.O. Box 221093, Charlotte, NC 28222
AUDUBON NEWS
Hornbills are not only usual-looking birds, they also have one of
the more bizarre breeding habits of any bird. Presumably as a strategy to reduce nest predation, female hornbills seal them-selves inside their nest cavity by building a plug in the nest en-
trance. With only a tiny hole through which the male feeds his mate, female hornbills spend several months cramped in a tiny
chamber. Meanwhile, the male must provide a constant supply of food for his mate and the offspring she produces inside. Dr. Mark Stanback Professor of Biology, Davidson college will discuss a
number of aspects of hornbill breeding biology, including male/female conflict, constraints on egg production, and nest site
competition.
Join us Thursday February 4, 7:15 PM at the Tyvola Senior Cen-ter (2225 Tyvola Road). to learn more about another amazing member of the avian species. Refreshments & fellowship begin around 6:45 PM.
ABA Bird of the Year Chestnut-collared Longspur is a
bird of open country. It breeds in a part of the continent where few birders live and only a few more regularly visit. But on territory it’s
nothing short of spectacular, per-forming elaborate aerial displays in which it launches itself 40 feet into the air and, descending slowly
with tail spread, sings its delightful slurry warble the whole
way. More than any of our previous Birds of the Year, it’s a “birder’s bird”. It’s a species that
requires, and rewards, effort.
More at http://aba.org/boy/
February 2016 Volume 21 (6)
Audubon News !2
Field Trips All Mecklenburg Audubon Field Trips are free and open to the public. Directions for all trips can be found on the Mecklenburg Audubon website - meckbirds.org/trips/trips.html. Please remem-ber to contact the trip leaders several days before the trip. If you don’t, you may not receive information about last minute changes or cancellations. Also, if they don’t know you are com-ing, they might leave without you!!
Saturday, February 6th - Clark’s Creek Greenway 1/2 Day • Easy • Contact: Judy Walker [[email protected]]
This little birded greenway has produced some interesting including multiple singing Winter Wrens. Meet in the parking for the greenway on Mallard Creek Rd. at 8:30 AM.
Saturday, February 20th - Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge All Day • Moderate • Contact: Tom Ledford [[email protected]]
If you couldn't make the Pee Dee CBC this will give you an opportunity to see what you missed. This is always an interesting trip. We are never sure what we will find. Since folks come from all corners of the Charlotte area, we will meet at 8:30 AM at the bathrooms (main entrance off of Rt. 52) instead of trying to car pool. Bring a lunch as well.
Sunday, February 21st - Lower McAlpine Creek Greenway 1/2 Day • Contact: Matt Janson [[email protected]]
We will be looking for waterfowl and woodland winter birds. Meet in in the parking lot of Pikes Nursery at 8:30 AM.
Thursday, February 25th - Four Mile Creek Greenway 1/2 Day • Moderate • Contact: Ron Clark [[email protected]]
This two-mile stretch walking through a variety of habitats always pro-duces interesting birds. Meet at 8:30 AM in Johnston Rd. parking lot.
Saturday, February 27th - Ribbon Walk Nature Preserve 1/2 Day • Moderate • Contact: Ron Clark [[email protected]]
This area is mostly wooded, and includes three ponds and a large field. We'll cover about 1 1/2 miles. Meet at 8:30 AM in the parking lot on Hoyt Hinson Rd.
Saturday, February 27th - Woodcock Walk Evening • Easy • Contact: Matt Janson [[email protected]]
Our annual trek to see dancing Woodcocks will be the second half of a double header bird walk day. We will meet at 5 PM in the parking lot of Sherman Branch on Rock River Church Rd. From I-485 take exit 41. Go east (left) on Albemarle Rd. First left will be Rocky River Church Rd. Park-ing lot will be on the left shortly after Camp Stewart Rd.
KEY TO PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY
Easy - Trails are level to slight grades usually paved; .5-3 miles walking
Moderate - Trails can be uneven with some hills; 2-4 miles walking.
Strenuous - Trails vary greatly; 4+ miles of walking.
* Trails are handicapped accessible.
American Woodcock | Ron Clark
Cedar Waxwing | Jim Guyton
Winter Wren
February 2016 Volume 21 (6)
Audubon News !3
Beautiful and unique, this duck of woodland ponds and
river swamps has no close rel-atives, except for the Man-
darin Duck of eastern Asia. Abundant in eastern North America in Audubon's time,
the Wood Duck population declined seriously during the
late 19th century because of hunting and loss of nesting sites. Its recovery to healthy
numbers was an early triumph of wildlife management.
Habitat: Wooded swamps, rivers,
ponds. Favors shallow inland lakes, ponds, slow-moving
rivers, swamps, mainly those surrounded by deciduous or
mixed woodland. Often in places where large trees overhang the water, creating
shady conditions. Also in open marshes within generally
forested country.
Diet Mostly seeds. Feeds on
aquatic plants and their
seeds, fallen seeds of trees and shrubs, also insects and
crustaceans. Acorns are a major part of diet in many ar-eas. Also comes to fields to
feed on waste grain. Young feed mainly on insects and
other invertebrates.
Feeding Behavior Forages in water by taking
food from surface, submerg-
ing head and neck, occa-
sionally up-ending; also by walking on land.
Nesting Courtship displays of male
involve postures that show off
colorful plumage. Nest sites are in large tree cavities near water, up to 65' above
ground. Cavity lined with down. Rarely nests in hollow
fallen logs, barn lofts, crevices in rocks. Uses artificial nest boxes, even when these are
placed low in open marsh.
Wood Ducks lay 9-14 eggs,
sometimes 6-15. Dull white to pale buff. Females frequently lay eggs in each others' nests,
sometimes in "dump nests" where no incubation ever
takes place. Incubation is by female only, 25-35 days. Young: ducklings remain in
nest until morning after hatch-ing. Clinging with sharp claws
and bracing with tails, young climb to cavity entrance, jump to ground. Female tends
young. Two or more broods
may combine. Young are tended by females for 5-6
weeks, capable of flight at about 8-9 weeks. 1 brood per
year in north, often 2 in south.
Young Ducklings remain in nest until
morning after hatching. Cling-
ing with sharp claws and bracing with tails, young climb
to cavity entrance, jump to ground. Female tends young. Two or more broods may
combine. Young are tended by females for 5-6 weeks, ca-
pable of flight at about 8-9 weeks. 1 brood per year in north, often 2 in south.
Migration Northern birds migratory;
southern females may be
permanent residents. Move-ments of males variable; pairs form on wintering grounds
and male follows female to nesting range, so a male
might migrate far north one spring and only a short dis-tance the next, depending on
the origin of his mate for that year.
Meet a NC Priority Bird Wood Duck Aix sponsa
©Richard Griffin
February 2016 Volume 21 (6)
Audubon News !4
Update: Coffee Sales & Conservation For over three years the Mecklenburg Audubon Society Coffee Club has sup-
ported the vital mission of protecting tropical bird habitat by buying and drinking Smithsonian Migratory Bird
Center certified ‘Bird Friendly®’ Birds & Beans coffee. A portion of the MAS
Club’s coffee sales have gone into a fund to support more shade grown and organic farms achieving Smithsonian’s
“Bird Friendly” certification.
Working with Birds & Beans coffee, the
first new farm certification assisted by MAS funding was closed in October 2015. This farm, Utila, in the Sierra de Managua region of Nicaragua, was about to move out of
coffee farming before Birds & Beans came into the picture.
The funding fuels a continuing project to help preserve up
to 50,000 acres in Central America of true shade coffee and organic farms and their adjacent tropical forest lots in a tru-ly sustainable state – good for birds, farm families and rural
workers, and the Earth we all share.
A great big thank you to all that have purchased Birds &
Beans coffee from MAS or donated money to our conserva-tion of land in Central America. Without your continued support, we could not make this critical difference for mi-
grating and endemic birds.
Jan Fowler & Bill Duston
Tax season is upon us and the Wildlife Commission is asking taxpayers to think "wildlife con-
servation" when filling out their North Carolina state tax in-
come form this year. Donating a portion of their refund to the Nongame and Endangered
Wildlife Fund on line 30 will help support nongame wildlife re-
search, conservation and management, including moni-toring populations of golden
eagles, managing habitat to benefit bog turtles, surveying
for gopher frogs, developing captive breeding techniques for mussels, and for research
and future restoration efforts. More
Wood Duck Conservation Early in 20th century, species was thought to be threat-ened with extinction. Main cause of decline probably loss
of nest sites due to cutting of large trees, combined with hunting pressure. Legal protection and provision of nest boxes helped recovery; many thousands of nest boxes
now occupied by Wood Ducks in U.S. and southern Cana-da. In recent years, apparently has been expanding
range in north and west.
More information: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/id
February 2016 Volume 21 (6)
Audubon News !5
New York, NY, Ithaca, NY, —
With the El Niño weather phe-nomenon warming Pacific wa-ters to temperatures matching
the highest ever recorded, par-ticipants in the 2016 Great
Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), may be in for a few surprises. The 19th annual GBBC is taking
place worldwide February 12 through 15. Information gath-
ered and reported online at birdcount.org will help scien-tists track changes in bird distri-
bution, some of which may be traced to El Niño storms and
unusual weather patterns.
"The most recent big El Niño took place during the winter of
1997-98," says the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Marshall Iliff, a
leader of the eBird program which collects worldwide bird counts year-round and also
provides the backbone for the GBBC. "The GBBC was
launched in February 1998 and was pretty small at first. This will be the first time we'll have tens
of thousands of people doing the count during
a whopper El Niño.”
"We've seen huge storms in western North America plus an
unusually mild and snow-free winter in much of the North-
east," notes Audubon chief sci-entist Gary Langham. "And we're seeing birds showing
up in unusual places, such as a Great Kiskadee in South Dako-
ta, as well as unseasonal
records like Orchard Oriole and Chestnut-sided Warbler in the Northeast. We’re curious to see
what other odd sightings might be recorded by volunteers dur-
ing this year’s count.”
Though rarities and out-of-range species are exciting, it’s
important to keep track of more common birds, too. Many
species around the world are in steep decline and tracking changes in distribution and
numbers over time is vital to determine if conservation mea-
sures are needed. Everyone can play a role.
"Citizen-science projects like
the Great Backyard Bird Count are springing up all over the
world," says Jon McCracken, national program manager at Bird Studies Canada. "More
and more, scientists are relying on observations from the public
to help them gather data at a scale they could never achieve before. The GBBC is a
great way to get your feet wet: you can count birds for as
little as 15 minutes on one day or watch for many hours each day at multiple locations-
-you choose your level of in-volvement.”
Learn more about how to take part in the Great Back-yard Bird Count at birdcoun-
t.org
Look for El Niño Surprises During the GBBC
HOW TO COUNT THE BIRDS: Easy as 1-2-3! ❶ Count birds anywhere you
like. We recommend at LEAST
15 minutes—or even longer if you wish. Keep track of the numbers and species of birds
you see and how long you watched.
❷ Make your best estimate of how many birds you saw of each species. For example, 5
Northern Cardinals, 3 Ameri-can Crows. Huge flocks may
be a challenge, but your best guess is still valuable.
❸ Enter your list(s) online at BirdCount.org. Put in a new checklist:
--for each new day
--for each different location
--for the same location, same day, if you counted at a differ-ent time of day
For more detailed info: http://goo.gl/eUlqHI
Note: Look for the “Submit Observa-
tions” tab on the Great Backyard Bird
Count (GBBC) or eBird website. You
can start entering bird lists at midnight
local time on the first day of the count
from anywhere in the world
February 2016 Volume 21 (6)
Audubon News !6
Mixed-species FlockingIt’s not uncommon in the
winter to find birds of several
species flocking together. One reason may be that such flocking increases the number
of eyes & ears available to detect predators and may
confuse them as many indi-viduals flee at once.
Next to predator defense,
the most popular hypothesis to explain the formation of
mixed-species flocks is an in-crease in feeding efficiency. Flocks may function to over-
whelm territorial defenses, be-cause moving groups are able
to feed in areas from which single individuals would be ejected by the ‘owner’ of the
territory. Having more individ-uals searching for food also
increases the likelihood that a rich feeding patch will be lo-cated. By moving together,
the birds with the same sorts of diets can avoid areas that
have already been searched for food. Individuals in mixed flocks can also learn about
new food sources from other species; tits have been ob-
served to visit the site where a woodpecker was pecking at bark and to begin pecking at
the same spot. Finally, by as-sociating with birds of different
species that have somewhat different food preferences and foraging techniques,
each individual faces less competition than it would in a
flock of similar species.
If the feeding efficiency hy-
pothesis is cor-rect, then the amount of flock-
ing should be re-lated to the
availability of food; when food is super-abundant, little can be
gained by flocking. A test of this hypothesis was carried out
in two Ohio woodlots. One woodlot was left undisturbed; the other was provisioned in
early November with an am-ple supply of sunflower seed
and beef suet. Downy Wood-peckers, Tufted Titmouse, Car-olina Chickadees, Brown
Creepers, and White-breasted Nuthatches all participated
much less frequently in mixed-species flocks in the provi-sioned woodlot than they did
in the control woodlot. This result supports the hypothesis
that increased feed efficiency is a major cause of mixed-species flocking.
Similarly, flocks may occur because one species, in the
course of its feeding, flushes prey that can be caught by others.
There are other interesting aspects of mixed-species
flocks. For instance, some species appear to take the lead in forming the flock - to
serve as ‘nuclear’ or ‘core’ species. Such species often
have conspicuous plumages or behavior. The Titmouse in
plays this role. Mixed-species flocks in North America are seen primarily in the non-
breeding season. They tend to have a rapid turnover of
species when they are just beginning to form in the late summer as migratory species
depart or pass through from more northern locations. It is
not in the temperate zones, however, that such flocking reaches its highest develop-
ment. Mixed-species flocks are a dominant feature in the
tropical moist forests - so much so that their arrival can quickly transform an almost bridles
patch of forest into an area alive with activity and calling.
The composition of these trop-ical flocks and the complex relationships among their
members are just beginning to be understood. Some of ‘our
‘birds join these flocks on their wintering grounds in Central & South America, and provide
one reason for everyone in-terested in birds to make at
least one trip to a tropical for-est.
Source: Birder’s Handbook
The leader of the Flock
February 2016 Volume 21 (6)
Audubon News !7
Tricky IDs - Accipiters Sharp-shinned (Accipiter striatus) & Cooper’s (Accipiter cooperii) hawks commonly prey on feeder birds, and
are frequently reported during the Great Backyard Bird Count. Despite their common occurrence, these hawks present a significant identification problem for many beginning and intermediate (and even more advanced!)
birders. Throughout the year, there is great variation in plumage and in size for these two species. Therefore, per-haps more than any other similar-looking pair, no single field mark is likely to distinguish one species from the other. Instead, the careful observer must use a combination of field marks and draw from the overall “gestalt” of the
hawk for proper identification. No field guide will substitute plenty of practice in the field for this pair.
Sharp-shinned Hawk SIZE: A small, jay-size hawk (avg.
10-14” long), with dark gray back, a rusty-barred breast, a slender
square-tipped tail. Sexes are similar, but female is larger in size. Therefore, size often unreli-able.
BODY SHAPE: Broad chest and narrow hips lend the
bird a more regal appearance. Center of gravity is often high
TAIL: Tip of long tail is square, showing prominent corners. The outer tail feathers are usually the longest (or nearly so). Don’t mistake thin white terminal band
with grey above as the “broad white band” of Coop-er’s. Note: tail tip of soaring bird appears rounded.
HEAD FEATHERS: Feathers on crown and back of neck are dark, giving the bird a “hooded” appear-ance.
SOARING: Short rounded wings are pushed forward at the wrists, so that the small head barely extends past the wings.
FLIGHT: Typically flies with
several quick wingbeats fol-lowed by a short glide. When compared to the Cooper’s Hawk, the Sharp-shinned’s wing beats are erratic, more difficult to count.
Immature Sharp-shinned Hawks •Brown backs and streaked underparts.
•Heavy, bold (reddish) streaks on underparts, espe-cially on lower breast and belly.
•Yellow eyes (adults have red eyes). Usually has a pale stripe above the eye.
Cooper’s Hawk SIZE: A medium, crow-size
hawk (avg.14-20” long) with a dark gray back, a rusty-
barred breast, dark cap, and a long, rounded tail. Sexes are similar, but female is larger in size
BODY SHAPE: Broad chest and thick body lend the bird a thicker, “scrappy” appearance. Thick, tubular
body has a lower center of gravity than Sharp-shinned.
TAIL: In fresh fall plumage, its long tail is rounded at the tip with a broad white band. The middle tail feathers are usually the longest.
HEAD FEATHERS: Feathers on crown are black and feathers on back of neck are pale, giving the bird a “capped” appearance. Feathers on back of head often raised, giving it a crested look. (This is never seen on the
Sharp-shinned.)
SOARING: The large, angular head projects far beyond the wings giving the bird a cross-like appearance.
FLIGHT: Often flies with slower wing beats followed by a short glide. The slower, regular wing beats are easily count-ed when bird flies overhead.
Immature Cooper’s Hawks •Brown backs and streaked underparts.
•Finer streaks mostly on upper breast; lower belly mostly white.
•Yellow eyes (adults have red eyes). Lacks stripe above the eye.
•Often has reddish cast on side of head and nape.
February 2016 Volume 21 (6)
Online Birding
Audubon News !8
MAS Executive Board President: Ken Kneidel [[email protected]] Vice President: Jim Guyton [[email protected]] Treasurer: Dave Hooten [[email protected]] Secretary: Leslie Wieser [[email protected]] Field Trips: Jim Guyton [[email protected]] Education: Lauren Schexnider [[email protected]] Communications: Christy Hill [[email protected]] Membership: Bill Rowse [[email protected]] Conservation: Jim Pugh [[email protected]] Hospitality: Marsha Howden [[email protected]] Members at Large: Jan Fowler [[email protected]]; Matt Janson [[email protected]]
Tom Ledford [[email protected]] Newsletter/Web: Judy Walker [[email protected]]
Audubon News is published monthly from September through May by the Mecklenburg Audubon Society, a chapter of National Audubon. Local members receive the newsletter via postal mail and/or electronic mail. It is also posted on the Mecklenburg Audubon website - meckbirds.org.
Cornell’s annual Spring Field
Ornithology course is celebrat-ing its 40th anniversary by
reaching out to those who cannot take the course in per-son at the Cornell Lab of Or-
nithology in Ithaca, N.Y. For the first time, lectures will be
available online to anyone, anywhere. Though species native to the Finger Lakes Re-
gion of New York will be dis-cussed, course lectures are
also packed with information about bird identification, mi-gration, nesting, and other
topics that are relevant to anyone hoping to improve
their bird-watching skills.
The eight-week course is tak-ing place March 23 through May 15. Visit birds.cornell.edu/sfo to learn about the course
schedule, lecture topics, fees, and weekend field trips where in-person participants may put
their new skills into practice and enjoy the company of
other learning bird watchers.
Bird Academy is ready to help you understand birds. It's the new name of the All About
Bird Biology website and the fresh face of online learning at
the Cornell Lab.
The name change reflects our commitment to offering
you a steady stream of new courses and free quizzes along
with the exploratory fun of our continuing interactive feature series. Please check out the
redesigned site and stay tuned for new Bird Academy releases.
Along with in-depth interac-tive features, All About Feath-ers, All About Bird Song, and All
About Fancy Males,
extensive media library, and colorful articles, we now offer Be a Better Birder tutorials
and the Home Study Course in Bird Biology.
Psst: Their newest addition is an is called Build A Bird and is an interactive site that lets you
explore bird anatomy. With 100+ parts to play with, you
can build a bird, learn how the parts fit together and function, or flip to flashcard mode to see
how many bird bits you can name.It's really fun and infor-
mative. Try it at - http://cornel-l.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=b35ddb671-
faf4a16c0ce32406&id=4d97bcc0d4&e=4cafcd617c
