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City Living – Right of Passage

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CEI_5945

There has always been an age-old issue of conflicts between humans and wildlife; us against them. In the past, we got rid of the “problem” swiftly but with little thought as to the long term consequences. Now, we have expanded and concentrated our population to the point that we are noticing the impacts. We have [...]

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A Bestiary: Part Eighteen ~ Songbirds: Warblers ~ Chestnut-sided Warbler

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'A Bestiary . . . Tales From A Wildlife Garden' continues, as hundreds of migratory songbirds have returned to the northeast and Flower Hill Farm where they are busily finishing off nests and incubating their eggs. Songbirds or perching birds, more scientifically known as passerines, are of the order Passeriformes and make up more than fifty percent of all bird species. I open this section of songbirds by sharing some of the awesome warblers that visit and breed here in our diverse wildlife habitat. Warblers or 'wood warblers' are small, have brightly painted plumage and are mostly insectivorous songbirds. The nomenclature can be confusing as there are Old World Warblers, New World Warblers and Australian Warblers. In Peterson's Field Guide 'Warblers' it is stated "There are some 115 species of New World warblers, of which slightly more than half occur in North America north of Mexico." I have only sighted a little over a dozen warblers in our Western Massachusetts habitat thus far. The Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica, is an ideal warbler to begin this series . . . as it stands out from other warblers . . . easily recognizable by the greenish-yellow cap and the bold reddish-brown chestnut streak down its side. When opening my studio window, during the dawn hour, nearly two weeks ago, I counted twenty-one different species trilling in the new day. Like an orchestra tuning up before a performance, each bird sings out its own special song in unison transporting this listener to a state of awe and wonder. The Chestnut-sided Warbler's warbling song was among those I could pick out. Sometimes one of his song's (rather polite) ending "pleased, pleased, pleased to MEETCHA", sung mostly when attracting a female, helps to identify this uniquely marked warbler and this particular rendition may help the male in securing a mate too. Chestnut-sided Warblers prefer to breed in a shrubby understory of a second growth deciduous wood. The female chooses a location . . . building her nest about 6 feet up in a shrub or small tree. The pair will raise two broods and may build the second nest near to where the first brood was successfully reared. A fine male above, perching on a mountain-laurel, beautifully displays his dark mustache or perhaps more like a sideburn. This female or juvenile male Chestnut-sided Warbler does not have a full line of chestnut going down its side, as seen in the adult male, and the overall appearance is less vibrant. The black lines through the eye and going down the side of the face is also not developed in this warbler. It can be confusing to identify the sexes as their plumage changes throughout the seasons. I seem to have startled the warbler as she stretches into fear and a different persona. I have enjoyed greeting and observing these warblers for several years now and it is possible the same birds are returning year after year. From greenish-yellow, crowned head to the tip of their tail, the Chestnut-sided Warbler reaches just over four inches long. I often see the small passerines gleaning insects and arachnids from leaves in our shrubberies and have read that the Chestnut-sided Warblers will also harvest berries in their winter habitat of Central America. A female preparing a delectable dinner of centipede for her brood of three or five. These little warblers flit about rapidly through the shrubs at Flower Hill Farm . . . making them a challenge to capture as the foliage and their markings creates a capable camouflage. One early spring morning a few years ago, while working in the blueberry field, I sighted these two male Chestnut-sided Warblers competing for the rights to this 'territory'. They seem to come to an understanding rather quickly allowing the winner to get back to the important business of attracting his mate. He promptly perches on a higher blueberry branch and begins composing sweet chirrups and warbles. All through the breeding period, Chestnut-sided Warblers add to the musical sounds within the gardens. I hope I am wrong but it seems to me that there are less songs filling the air so far this year. Perhaps the cooler spring here is the cause . . . though scientist have been documenting declines in songbirds since the 1980's . . . Partners in Flight is one organization of many that is working on conservation for our beloved migratory songbirds. I have sighted the Chestnut-sided Warbler in the blueberry fields again this spring and hope to be able to capture some new images too. I cannot imagine life without this thrilling transformation that our migratory songbirds bring each spring. Joining others through education and outreach can help make a difference in protecting our birds by more people learning about the importance of planting native plants.

  ‘A Bestiary . . . Tales From A Wildlife Garden’ continues, as hundreds of migratory songbirds have returned to the northeast and Flower Hill Farm where they are busily finishing off nests and incubating their eggs. Songbirds or perching birds, more scientifically known as passerines, are of the order Passeriformes and make up more [...]

Filed Under: Birds, Native Plants, Wildlife, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Management Tagged With: , , ,

The Mathematics of Nature

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Freezing fog on a maple stem.

Nature can be mapped with a mathematical formula called a fractal. If you wore paisley shirts in the 80s and 90s you know what a fractal is. A fractal is simply repeating a pattern over and over for infinity, like a snowflake’s edges repeat smaller and smaller, crystallizing out forever – we see a circle [...]

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Filed Under: Climate Change, Conservation, Nature Video, Wildlife Garden, Wildlife Management