White Birds Everywhere!

"What are all of those white birds out there?" I have been getting asked this over and over for the past week. I want to say "well, if you would have read my blog entry back in July of 2011 you would know the answer!"  However, I know that people do not have time to read bird nerd blogs. The beautiful white bird is a Great Egret. The thing is, back in July I had never seen more than one Egret at a time. This past Monday I came to work and there were FIFTEEN of them at the lake outside the bookstore. 15? Yes. That is correct. And to top it off there was even a Great Blue Heron standing off to the side. Here are some photos:

I took the photos above with my phone so I couldn't really zoom well.

I used my 'real' camera for this one.

So why are there so many of these snowy white Great Egrets at our lake? From what I have read it seems like they frequently hang out in groups while nesting or feeding in order to stay safe and protect themselves and their young against predators. That seems to make sense to me. I am no expert birder so I do not know if this large flock of birds is a family or if any of them are babies or mates.

Someone told me they think the Egrets are around because they like to eat Geese eggs. I believe this to be just a myth because the Canada Geese around here don't seem to mind the Egrets at all. In fact, here they are relaxing together:

And in this picture you will see an Egret, a Great Blue Heron AND some Canada Geese:

Egret is to the left. The Great Blue Heron is the one in flight.

I have continued to be amazed all week at the beauty of these birds are the grace in which they move. I've always appreciated how pretty they are but now that there are so many in one area my appreciation is tenfold. As an employee of this college I feel honored to play 'hostess' to so many wonderful creatures. I hope I am not the only one who feels lucky to have these visitors around. They sure seem to be enjoying themselves.

Here they are on their own private island! (Yes, that is the water fountain!)

Another poor quality picture (thanks to my phone).

Mourning Dove

Imagine you are a bird and you want to build a nest. What kind of place would you scope out for your new home? A tree? A bush? Or how about a pile of rusty metal scraps piled on concrete behind a school building? Well, one brave pair of Mourning Doves decided to go with the 'metal junk' option and seem to be perfectly content with their selection.
 

Metal 'junk' behind VAB. The bird nest is highlighted by a yellow circle.



The male dove was very busy hopping all around the pipes while the female stayed in her nest.

The first day I saw this pair of birds I figured they would leave once art students started moving around pieces of metal or after passers by started making noise around their nest. However, it's been about a week and every time I walk past the area Mama bird is sitting there poking her little head out of the messy pile.

They do not have any eggs yet so she let me get close for this picture. Isn't she so beautiful?

As you can see from the close-up picture, Mourning Dove nests are pretty messy. Maybe this is why they feel so at home in such a messy structure! The nest of a Mourning Dove is a flimsy platform of twigs, grass and pine needles with little insulation or lining. 2 white eggs are laid which hatch after about 14 days. Mourning Doves tend to be unbothered by human activity and don't seem to mind nesting closeby.

Mourning Doves have always been one of my favorite birds. I remember hearing them in the morning as a kid and thinking they were called 'morning' doves because they were the first bird I would hear when I woke up. Their soft "Cooo -oooo- oooh" is comforting to me, but apparently other people find it mournful because this is where the mourning dove actually got its name.

Another thing I have always enjoyed about Mourning Doves is the sound their wings make when they take off in flight. Kind of squeaky--almost sounds like a rusty hinge. No other bird I have observed sounds quite like that. If you don't know what I'm talking about--take note. The nest time you see one you will hear it!

Something sad to me is that Mourning Doves are the most frequently hunted species in North America (20 million are harvested each year). But even being the most hunted game bird there is an estimated population of 350 million Mourning Doves, making them one of our most abundant birds in the US. Can you imagine how many there would be without the hunters? (we could all have our own flock!)

So the next time you are around the Visual Arts building on campus you should take a walk around the metal area and say hello to the Mourning Doves. Just be careful not to disturb the nest site and don't move any of the metal scraps for the safety of the birds and yourself!

For more information on Mourning Doves or any bird species, visit my two favorite birding websites:

www.allaboutbirds.org
www.whatbird.com

Eastern Meadowlark

"Is that a flag or a bird?" 
This might sound weird, but it is the question I asked my coworker Andrew as we walked past the grassy area by the Visual Arts Building on our way to the orange parking lot one day. I thought for sure the bright yellow object I spotted amongst the earth colored grasses and bushes must be one of those flags that are used to mark the ground when doing construction or digging.

See, don't they look just like birds? 

Then all of a sudden the yellow thing moved its wings and I knew it was a bird. I wasn't sure what kind so I threw down my bag so I could get out my binoculars (yes, I ALWAYS carry my binoculars with me) while Andrew kept an eye on the bird so it didn't get away before I could identify it. Luckily the bird didn't fly far and I was able to get a great view of the pretty little guy.

This is what he looked like.  (c) Gerrit Vyn

After getting a good look at the bird and taking a mental note of its features (longish beak, pinkish legs, black "V" on throat, yellow neck and belly, etc.) I was later able to identify it as an Eastern Meadowlark. 

Lucky for me, the bird had been singing or I would not have been able to distinguish him from the very similar Western Meadowlark. These two birds are almost identical and unless you hear them sing it can be impossible to tell them apart--especially when you live in the Midwest and either bird could potentially be visiting.

Eastern
Meadowlark
© CleberBirds,

Western
Meadowlark
(c) Jana Thompson

Something interesting to note is that the Eastern Meadowlark is actually not a Lark at all. Larks are from the Alaudidae family. The Eastern Meadowlark, however, is a member of the Icteridae family with Blackbirds and Orioles. It is important to know that when identifying birds you cannot always rely on the name to classify them. 

Even if you don't find this scientific naming stuff interesting, you can probably agree that this bird is pretty neat looking. I know that I was very pleased to discover this bird since I had never seen one before. Also, I can now add this bird to the list of species that attend our community college!

Beautiful wing display.(c) Jim Chagare

Now that I know who this bird is, I see and hear him everyday. Every morning on my way into the bookstore I recognize his song and shortly after hearing him I can spot him perched up in the grass just chirping away. Also, I have discovered he has a lady friend and they are both regularly singing to each other and flying around that same grassy area I originally spotted them (the side of the VAB building). It makes sense that they like this area so much since the Eastern Meadowlark's typical habitat includes grasslands, hay fields, pastures and prairies. They feed on mostly insects, especially crickets and grasshoppers, which are easily found in that area. It also makes sense that I see the birds in pairs because the males typically have two mates at a time (occasionally three) during breeding season. So the lady friend I see him with just may not be the same one each time. 

Speaking of breeding, Eastern Meadowlarks build their nests on the ground in the grasslands and fields. Their nests are made of grass, pine needles, plant stems and even horse hair. It is dome-shaped with a side entrance and both parents take turns incubating their 3-7 eggs. 

Copyright © 2009 JungleWalk.com

I really hope the meadowlarks have a successful breeding season this Spring because I would love to see more on campus in the future. Once you see their vibrant color and hear them sing you will surely understand.

I end this blog today with a piece of artwork from Charley Harper, one of my favorite artists. He is known for his bird art where he used 'Minimal Realism' to depict wildlife.  (www.charleyharperprints.com) Here is his version of a nesting Eastern Meadowlark:

Charley Harper "Eastern Meadowlark"