American Robin

American Robin

Today my choice of bird may surprise you because most everyone is already familiar with it. You don’t have to be a bird enthusiast to identify the American Robin. The robin is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan and Wisconsin. Robins are usually the first bird to wake up and sing to us in the morning as well as the last to sing at night. There is even a color named “Robin’s Egg Blue” which almost everyone seems to recognize. It may seem super common, but just because they are numerous and something you see every day, it does not make them any less cool.

I chose to write about these birds today because honestly, they chose me. I was just thinking about which bird to spotlight next on my blog and on my way to my car I was walking by the art building. There is a sidewalk that goes behind the building where the art classes store some of their metal scraps and some other various materials. All of a sudden I see a bird swoop down towards a man coming out the back door of the building. The bird was squawking loudly and had its feathers all poofed up in a huff. The bird flew across to the fence facing the building and continued to chirp an “alert” call. I recognized this sound as the tweet the robins use in my backyard when my dog is approaching a baby bird or a nest. I said to the man “There must be a nest over there.” He was laughing because I think it spooked him. He said the bird had been flying in and out of that area all day. Sure enough, when we walked closer to the doorway there was a nest in the corner of a metal archway above our heads. I’m not sure what the contraption is actually used for. But it really did make a nice spot for the robin’s nest. Hopefully the robins won’t get too bothered by the door opening and closing—but I’m pretty sure they will be just fine because I have seen nests in weirder places!

I think my favorite thing about robins is their nesting habits and their ability to care for their young so diligently. We have a robin family who visits our windowsill (actually it’s above the window) every Spring. It is one of my favorite times to observe nature in my backyard. From the time the robins begin building their detailed nests, until the day the first fledgling hops out of it, the robins provide entertainment and photo opportunities galore. Robins will usually return to the same nesting site every year. They will typically have 2 to 3 broods of eggs in one season. They use the same nest so they take a lot of time to carefully build it. 

It is difficult to determine the sex of an American Robin. Female robins look just like males, except their reddish-orange under parts are duller and their heads are not quite as black as the male. If, however, you see a robin building a nest, it is the female. The female robin chooses the nest site and builds the nest from the inside out. She uses the wrist of one wing to press dead grass and twigs into a cup shape. Robins will use other materials they find including feathers, paper, hair or even yarn. The female bird reinforces the nest using mud gathered from worm castings. This makes the nest heavier and more sturdy. Fine dry grass lines the inside of the nest and it is ready to be used.

The American Robin is the largest of the North American Thrushes. They are commonly spotted in neighborhoods and parks. They are almost always seen hopping around in the grass hunting for food. Robins mostly eat earthworms but they also eat invertebrates, fruits and berries. I even have a robin who visits underneath my bird-feeder and looks for fallen nuts and seeds. Sometimes robins will eat enough honeysuckle berries to become intoxicated. They tend to eat more worms in the morning and the berries in the evening. While bounding across grass the robin will cock his head to the side keeping his eyes on the ground looking for movement from bugs and worms. Often it appears as if the birds are actually listening to the ground but they are really just using their eyes to find prey.

And now for some sad facts. On average, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November. From that point on, about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next. Despite the fact that a lucky robin can live to be 14 years old, the entire population turns over on average every six years. This is all due to many factors. Because the robin feeds on lawns, he can be poisoned by pesticides. Robins are also preyed upon by hawks, snakes, cats and dogs. In fact, my 15 year old mutt Lucy unfortunately got ahold of 2 fledglings this summer and it was devastating for me to witness. After the mom and dad bird took so much time and care to raise and feed their little babies it was really hard to see them get caught by my dog. I guess that’s nature’s way. But many of the babies did survive and they are flying around the neighborhood singing to us today.

Here on campus I have seen many robins:  young fledglings, juveniles and adults. I was especially happy to see the new nest by the art building. There is something really special about a bird’s nest. It makes me proud of the birds and hopeful for their babies. Also, I’m happy to see a new nest on campus because that means ultimately—more birds!

Eastern Kingbird

After over a week of frustration, I have finally figured out what species this bird is. Every day after work while walking to my car I have been hearing a series of chirps from a bird that I did not recognize. I am not familiar with every single birdsong in the area, but I can usually recognize the more common ones. This bird presented me with a challenge though, because I could hear him loud and clear but I could never get a good look at him. I would be able to pinpoint the tree the bird was in, but I could never find the actual singer. I swear after a few days it felt like these birds were actually taunting me. Just as I would get close enough to the tree the birds would fly farther away to the next tree. Yet they would keep chirping as if they were singing how foolish I looked squinting up at them. 

Well this morning to my delight I was able to get a great view of these pretty fellas. My coworker and I were walking in from the parking lot and the birds were soaring over us. There were probably 5 or 6 of them all together. Since they were flying and almost floating above us I was able to see their bright white underbellies and the shape of their tails with a distinctive white stripe on the end. That was my "Aha!" moment. This new SCC bird friend  is the Eastern Kingbird.

The Eastern Kingbird is a medium sized song-bird with black upperparts and white underparts. It's long tail is dark with a bright white stripe on the end. He has a bright yellow-orange patch on his crown that is rarely visible. I was not able to see the patches on the birds on campus. According to my research, the Eastern Kingbird typically perches in an exposed location such as the very top of a tree or on a fence. They live in open areas since they need lots of space for hunting and trees for building nests.

This bird is a type of flycatcher and it's name Tyrannus tyrannus means tyrant. This name seems fitting because the birds are very territorial and are known to chase off birds no matter what their size. In fact, it is not uncommon to see an Eastern Kingbird chasing off a crow, raven or even a hawk. Also, a kingbird was observed to once knock a Blue Jay out of a tree and cause it to hide under bush to escape the attack. Cool!

Eastern Kingbirds feed on insects and typically they will catch them in the air and fly back to their perch. They also eat berries and fruit mainly in their wintering areas. In winter, they can be found along the Amazon. You will only see them here in MO during the summer breeding season. The Kingbirds nest in trees mostly in agricultural areas but can also be found using urban parks and golf courses. Maybe the birds I see everyday are visiting from the "Mid Rivers Golf Course" across the street!

Not only are these birds aggressive, they are also smart. The Eastern Kingbird can recognize and remove cowbird eggs from their nests. (Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests which typically fools the bird into parenting the cowbird young. What lazy parents!) Eastern Kingbirds are also known to hide their nests well and defend their young from predators.  The juvenile kinbirds look just like the adults only their upper feathers are more brownish and they lack the yellow-orange crown.

I am very excited to discover this beautiful bird frequents our campus. Sometimes I start to complain about how far I have to walk from the parking lot to get to my building (especially in the heat) but now I will enjoy looking at and listening to the cheerful chirps of the Eastern Kingbird.  

Great Egret

The Great Egret

When I first saw this beautiful bird on campus I thought I was seeing things. Surely this majestic flamingo-like bird was not in St. Charles, MO! But then a co-worker of mine told me, "Oh yeah, those are here all of the time." You see, I am lucky enough to work at the bookstore here at SCC and we have the perfect view of a scenic lake lake right outside the building. I had noticed geese swimming there before but I had never seen this elegant snow-white bird:  The Great Egret.

You may recognize this bird as the symbol of the National Audobon Society. He is a large, white heron with long black legs and feet, and a straight yellow bill. The Egret has a long neck which it pulls back into an S-curve while flying.

  

The Great Egret is the largest of all egrets which are a type of heron or wading bird. The word "egret" actually comes from the French word "aigrette" and means both "silver heron" and "brush," referring to the long filamentous feathers that can be seen flowing down an egret's back during the breeding season. The egrets use these feathers to attract mates during courtship. These feathers are very beautiful, so beautiful that  the birds were almost hunted to the point of extinction. Plume hunters in the late 1800s and early 1900s reduced North American populations by more than 95 percent. Luckily the birds were soon protected by law and are no longer in danger. I sure am glad they are able to visit us today. It is important to note, though, that the egret is threatened by losing it's wetlands to droughts, draining and mostly pollution.

The Great Egret is a skilled hunter who feeds mostly on fish but also likes to eat insects, birds, small mammals, reptiles and frogs. Maybe that is why the egrets visit our campus. We have a huge frog population and it is very likely that you will see at least one dead frog on the sidewalks no matter what day it is.

Great egrets nest high above the ground in trees. I have not seen a nest or a juvenile egret, but you can tell from the photo above they are pretty darn cute! These birds will roost with other herons and egrets but typically hunt alone or in small, loose groups. Every time I have observed an egret it has been just a single bird. I cannot say whether it is the same bird each time or a new one. Maybe one day I will get lucky and see a pair of them or even a fledgling!

So if you are ever walking around campus and you think you see an albino flamingo or a really skinny stork, chances are it is a Great Egret. Be sure to stop and appreciate it's beauty.