The Night Before Christmas: Bird Edition

Because I haven’t blogged in a few months, I thought a good way to get back into action would be to write a bird-themed Christmas poem. This poem is about some of the birds who live at the World Bird Sanctuary, where I work as a naturalist. My position involves caring for birds of prey, which includes a lot of food prep and cleaning! I also get to play a part in some really cool work, such as training raptors for flight shows and working with a young raven named Mayhem. I did a couple of “Owl Prowl” shows recently and also had the opportunity to take a Bald Eagle to an Eagle Scout ceremony! If you are in the St. Louis area, come check out the sanctuary (Admission is free!). I hope you enjoy the pictures and the poem! Have a wonderful Christmas!

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the site,

All the raptors were stirring as snowflakes took flight.

Spending quality time with Reese the Great Horned Owl.

The food bowls were placed in enclosures with care.

The storks were quite quick to make their bowls bare.

The parrots were talking, their voices quite loud.

Performing for peanuts in front of a crowd.

The barn owls were nestled, all snug in their beds.

While visions of rodents danced in their heads.

The falcons were chasing their food on a lure.

Their flights looked like dances, with wing-beats so sure.

Zorro the Aplomado Falcon. Photo: World Bird Sanctuary.

The vultures were jumping, their food could not flee.

The hawks started screaming, one jumped on a tree!

MacGuyver the Harris Hawk decorates a Christmas tree. Photo: World Bird Sanctuary

The owls started hooting as the sky became dark.

The eagles were cackling, oh how Max did bark!

Working with Max the Tawny Eagle.

I heard Nemo exclaim as I walked past the Kite

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a great night!”

Nemo the African Grey Parrot.

 

 

The Wonderful World of Owls: Part II

In my last blog post, I wrote about owls that live underground and Snowy Owl chicks that grow faster than the national debt. Now I’m ready to reveal the world of ghost owls and talk about how young owls can climb trees. As usual, there will be no puns or ridiculous stories in this post.

Barn Owl aka “Ghost Owl”

Barn Owls are sometimes known by the nickname “Ghost Owls” due to their white coloration, their nocturnal nature, and their raspy screeching. Barn Owls get their name from their tendency to hang out with nobles at large chain bookstores in barns. They are found almost worldwide, though they are in decline in some regions. Barn Owls stand around a foot high and generally weigh a little over a pound. These owls have excellent hearing, as their heart-shaped facial disk helps funnel sound toward their asymmetrical ears, creating a parabola effect which amplifies sound waves. Lab experiments have revealed that Barn Owls are capable of finding prey in total darkness! They are also great at controlling pests like mice and rats, as they often prey upon small mammals. Like other owls, they swallow prey whole and cast up pellets of indigestible parts, such as bones. Their call is a raspy screech and they sometimes produce low chittering noises. To be honest, we should probably name them screech owls, as the calls of actual screech owls sound quite pleasant.

In my experiences working with Barn Owls up close, I’ve seen that they are wonderful fliers with beautiful buffy brown and white wings. The babies on the other hand, are balls of fluff with gray faces. I’m currently helping to raise a baby barn owl and two young barn owls that were born at the World Bird Sanctuary. The two youngsters are actually different races – Orion is American and Whisper is European. Orion is noisy and boisterous, often climbing around his enclosure, while Whisper is quieter and well-behaved. The baby is growing up fast and her feathers will soon start filling in.

Orion and Whisper looking out the window.

So can young owls really climb trees? Yes they can! Owls that are not yet ready to fly need a mechanism to escape danger from the ground. Some young owls are able to spread out their wings and use their beak and talons to climb up trees! Check out this news article that includes pictures of a young Great Horned Owl that climbed up a tree after falling from its nest. You can also search for climbing owl on Youtube and see some short videos of owls in action! Below is a Barn Owl that decided to shimmy up a tree.

Now that you’ve learned about Barn Owls, maybe you can visit a nearby barn at night and find an owl! Though I’ve handled these owls, I’ve never actually seen one in the wild. Perhaps I will find one soon! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to dress in white tonight and make raspy noises while climbing up a tree.

 

My Neighbors are Raptors

I recently began working with the World Bird Sanctuary on a project to improve their trail network. The sanctuary cares for many birds of prey and is located in the St. Louis area in Missouri. Check out their Facebook page to see cool pictures and videos! My work with birds began with an internship at the sanctuary in 2010. That experience stirred my passion for conservation and birds and influenced the career decisions I’ve made over the past 6+ years. From handling a Golden Eagle, to marching up to 12 miles a day in the hot sun along the Gulf Coast, to being held-up at gunpoint while doing bird surveys on a Navy base, I’ve had some interesting experiences working with birds. Besides, who wouldn’t want to spend their life working with birds after being bitten and scratched by ravens, hawks, eagles, owls, and vultures? Cleaning up bird poop and preparing fine meals by gutting fish, rabbits, rats, and venison is also a bonus.

Some of the raptors that I worked with during my internship in 2010.

I’m staying on site and my room is connected to a building which houses some of the raptors which are trained for education. Many of the raptors kept at the sanctuary either cannot be released into the wild due to injuries, or have been raised by the sanctuary for educational purposes. During the day, many of the birds here spend time outside in weathering areas, which allow them to get some fresh air and sunshine. At night, they are moved indoors and provided dinner. Seeing powerful birds up close and playing a part in their conservation is an awesomely rewarding experience! There are also a number of birds staying in mews, which are structures built to house raptors. Right now, my neighbors include Bald Eagles, hawks, owls, and vultures. There are also two young Barn Owls next door that will potentially become educational flyers and ambassadors for the sanctuary. Finally, there are two Thick-billed Parrots which like to pretend they are Laughing Kookaburras. As you might imagine, my “neighborhood” is not very quiet!

A few of my new neighbors. Clockwise from top left – Livia the Red-tailed Hawk, Patriot the Bald Eagle, Desi the Hooded Vulture, and Goblin the Barn Owl.

Last night, I had a very tiny visitor – a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. There are a number of songbirds that live in the area as well as some groundhogs, possums, and a family of Raccoons! I’m fortunate to have such interesting neighbors and am looking forward to working closely with raptors again. As I’m finishing this blog, I can hear Orion (one of the young Barn Owls next door) making loud rasping noises. His roommate Whisper is quieter and rarely makes a sound. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make a bunch of bird calls and eat some rats to fit in with my neighbors.

 

 

Return of the Falcons

After a long hiatus, I’m back to blogging! After the 3 or 4 people who read this post stop cheering (or groaning; as long as I get a response I’m happy), I’ll talk about what I’ve been doing over the last few months. Life has been crazy since I decided to go back to school after a six-year break. I’m pursuing a master’s degree in biology and am excited that I get to study falcons! I managed to convince my advisor, through relentless email spamming and crying outside his door, to allow me to do my research on American Kestrels.

American Kestrels are the smallest falcons in North America and are sometimes called “sparrow hawks”. Like most birds of prey, kestrels exhibit reversed sexual dimorphism, which means that the females are larger than their male counterparts. Males are easily distinguished from females by their blue wings, black-tipped rufous tails, and more buffy-colored underparts. Both sexes have striking black lines on the face, which act as eye black to reduce glare from the sun. I’m not 100% sure that’s true, but it seems like a reasonable explanation.

Most American Kestrels prefer open habitats, such as farmlands, scattered woodlots, and pastures. Kestrels are well adapted to agricultural fields and will often spend their days perched on power lines, searching for tasty morsels to devour. Though they are small, kestrels have a fierce appetite and have been known to take down beavers and mountain goats. One time, a particularly aggressive kestrel in Boston killed a porcupine and used the quills to kebob a few mice. At any rate, kestrels primarily feed on insects and small rodents, but will also eat songbirds, snakes, lizards and an occasional dragon . . . fly.

The usual method of hunting for a kestrel involves sitting on a perch and scanning the area for potential prey. One cool exception to this is when a kestrel engages in “hover-hunting”. Basically, a kestrel “hovers” by facing into the wind and using outstretched wings and a fanned tail to stay in place. Below is a clip showing a kestrel hover-hunting. The kestrel in this clip is a European species because I couldn’t find very good video of American Kestrels. I normally can’t stand Europeans and their stupid metric system, but I do like kestrels. If you can’t sense the sarcasm, you should probably stop reading this post.

Kestrels really are beautiful birds and I’m happy to have the opportunity to study them. My research is going to focus on an interesting behavior called tail-pumping. In my next post, I’ll talk about potential explanations for why kestrels pump their tails and provide some information about the breeding behavior of kestrels. I’m hoping to use a video camera during my research to document the social life of kestrels and produce a new reality TV series. If people can become famous for acting like idiots on camera, why can’t kestrels become famous for being beautiful and smart? May you soar like a kestrel!

How to Identify Backyard Birds: Part 3

What’s the difference between a hawk and an eagle?  What about a vulture and a falcon?  If you’ve ever spent sleepless nights wondering about such questions, then this blog is for you.  If you love to watch birds of prey or want to know more about them, then this blog is for you.  If you want to learn a few more tips on how to identify birds you might see in your yard or at the park, this blog’s for you.  If you like watching cartoon birds, this blog’s for you.  And if the only thing you like about birds is shooting them or eating them, well, I just might have something that suits your fancy.  In the third post in my bird identification series, birds of prey are the focus.  Now on to the birds!

In my last post on identifying birds, I mentioned the importance of looking at the shape of a bird’s body and bill.  Let’s use those features to examine birds of prey.  First of all, what are the differences between hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures?  Here is a picture to illustrate some of the differences.

 (Silhouettes picture from Hilton Pond Center)

Here is where looking at the shape of a bird can really come in handy.  Take a look at the silhouette of the falcon.  Notice that falcons have narrow, point wings and a long thin tail.  If you’re wondering what in the world a buteo or an accipiter is, don’t worry, I’ve hidden a secret message in this blog that explains them.  A harrier is a kind of hawk that has a face shaped similar to an owl, which allows for a great sense of hearing.  Ospreys are pretty cool birds that I have often seen when vacationing in Florida.

(Top – Northern Harrier photo from http://www.birds.audubon.org.  Bottom – Osprey photo copyright Kim Taylor, VA, August 2009)

Ospreys are unique among raptors in that they dive to catch fish.  Their wing shape is also different from most hawks.  Pay attention to the ‘M’ the body seems to form while in flight.  Ospreys are usually found near bodies of water and due to their fish-hunting efficiency, are often the target of eagles who are hungry for an easy meal.  Bad pirates!  Now do you want to know what a buteo is?  I’ll tell you as soon as the U.S. is no longer in debt.  Okay, okay.  Buteos are hawks which have large, broad rounded wings and fan-like tails.  Most hawks that you see soaring over your neighborhood or in the country are buteos.  Accipiters are hawks that dwell in wooded areas and have short wings and long tails that enable them to quickly fly through the trees.   Because they spend a lot of time in the woods and tend to shy away from heavily inhabited areas, accipiters are seen less often than buteos.  Here are some pictures to help you visual the differences between these two groups of hawks.

(Left – Red-tailed Hawk, Right – Cooper’s Hawk.  Photos from Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Take a close looks at the hawks above.  Which one is a buteo and which one is an accipiter?  Check out the size of the wings and the shape of the tails.  The Red-tailed Hawk is a buteo and the Cooper’s Hawk is an accipiter.  Red-tailed Hawks are prevalent throughout the U.S. and can be seen in almost any habitat.  I often see Red-tails perching on a tree or powerline near roads.  Cooper’s Hawks, often called sparrowhawks, are shy birds but there is a female that has been visiting my house lately and even landed by my patio.  She is possibly being attracted by the tasty buffet of songbirds feeding on birdseed.  I should also point out the presence of bands on the Cooper’s tail, which can prove helpful in identification.

Okay, here is another test, see if you can figure out which of the birds below is a falcon, which is a buteo hawk and which is an accipiter hawk.

(Pictures from Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Now let’s take a quick look at eagles and vultures.  Eagles are heavy raptors with long wings and large, hooked bills.  Vultures are not as large as eagles and have smaller heads and bills.  Here are some pictures for comparison.

(Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Obviously, vultures and eagles have very different heads.  Here the Turkey Vulture’s pink head stands out.  But if you saw these birds flying high in the air, shape and flight patterns would be important.  This is an example of where behavior comes into play.  Vultures tend to flap their wings in short bursts and soar in a v-shape with wobbly flight patterns while the flight of eagles is more level with slow, powerful wing movements.  Also, the Turkey Vulture’s wingspan is around 65-70 inches while Golden Eagles, like the one shown above, have wingspans between 73 and 86 inches.  Discerning between vultures can be tricky as immature Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures both have grayish heads.  Black Vultures are a bit smaller and tend to fly with their wings flat, instead of the v-shaped posture of the Turkey Vultures.  Also, Black Vultures have white primary feathers near their wingtips.  Think of them as wearing gloves.  Here are pictures for illustration.

Most of the time you would be able to distinguish an eagle from a hawk by the size and coloration of the bird.  Besides their larger size, eagles also have larger beaks.  In the U.S. we only have two common eagle species, so if you have the eyes of a hawk you would easily pick out an eagle with practice.  Of course, identification can be very tricky with immature Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles, but that’s a topic for another time.

(Left – Golden Eagle, Right – Zone-tailed Hawk –> Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Well, I’ve decided to write one more blog on identifying birds which will be posted this week.  I still want to examine behavior and habitat and songs.  I’ll also tell a few stories about my birding adventures.  In case you’re wondering, a roadrunner is a real bird that runs through the deserts of the western U.S.  Could a coyote catch a roadrunner?  Who is the greatest cartoon bird of all time?  I’ll have the answers to those questions and more in my next blog!  One more thing, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology just came out with a really cool bird ID app.  The app is free and helps you identify birds by asking questions and showing pictures.  If you have an iphone or ipad, be sure to this out –> Merlin Bird ID

When Hawks Attack

Birds have always fascinated me.  I especially have enjoyed working with and studying raptors.  No, not velociraptors.  I tried working with them but they became too aggressive and started trying to eat my research assistants.  I liked most of my assistants so I sent the velociraptors to the Bermuda Triangle and haven’t seen them since.  Part 2 of my blog series on birds of prey (click here for part 1), will take a look at some of the wonderful members of the hawk family.

Have you ever been watch a TV show or a movie where a bird of prey is circling in the skies?  Perhaps the camera scanned up to show a vulture in a western or an eagle in the wilderness.  Then you hear the powerful screaming call of the bird which sounds something like “Key-eee-air!  Guess what?  That’s not the call of a vulture or an eagle.  Most vultures don’t make calls and Bald Eagles sound much wimpier.  That famous call is actually coming from a Red-tailed Hawk.  If you want to hear the call for yourself, click here.  The Red-tailed Hawk is the most common hawk in North America and can often be seen perching on telephone poles or trees along highways.  Why do these hawks hang out around highways?  Let’s just say they really enjoy fresh meat.  When they’re not feasting on roadkill, these opportunistic hawks hunt small mammals, birds and reptiles.  One time, my sister was visiting a zoo and was observing the prairie dog exhibit.  Suddenly, a Red-tailed Hawk swooped down, grabbed one of the poor prairie dogs, and flew off!  Everyone there was pretty shocked but this just illustrates one of the reasons why these hawks are so successful.  The destruction of forest habitat doesn’t affect Red-tails as much as other hawks as they are very adaptable and thrive in open areas.

(Red-tailed Hawks that I handled at the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis.  Notice the distinctive tail for which the hawk is named.)

A close relative of the Red-tailed Hawk is the Augur Buzzard.  Now many Americans tend to equate the term ‘buzzard’ with vultures.  Buzzards are actually species of hawks that live in Eurasia and Africa.  Most likely, earlier settlers in America called vultures ‘buzzards’ because they appeared similar to the buzzards in Europe.  Anyway, Augur Buzzards come in two phases; light and dark.  The dark ones are often brooding and angry while the light ones are cheerful and playful.  I worked with an Augur Buzzard at the World Bird Sanctuary and she was a very well behaved bird.

(Augur Buzzard)

Another cool hawk is the Swainson’s Hawk.  This bird breeds in western North America and spends its winters in Argentina.  Swainson’s Hawks migrate in huge flocks and according to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, some individuals may travel as many as 6214 miles!  These hawks sometimes eat grasshoppers and I think it would be quite entertaining to watch a young hawk attempt to catch a fast grasshopper.

(Swainson’s Hawk)

Finally, I come to my favorite hawk of all, the Harris’ Hawk.  Why is the Harris’ Hawk my favorite hawk?  Let me tell you!  First of all, the eyes of Harris’ Hawks change color with each season.  Sky blue in the winter, light green in the spring, red in the summer and orange in the fall.  Okay, I made that up.  But it would be totally awesome if it was true.  Harris’ Hawks are unique among raptors in that they often hunt in packs.  Sometimes they will all converge on their prey and other times, one hawk will flush out a rabbit while the others wait in ambush.  Hunting in packs has proven to be much more effective than when the hawks hunt alone.  The only problem is, sometimes the hawks disagree on what they want for supper.  “Hey Johnny!  Let’s go get a rabbit!”  “No Benji, I’m in the mood for something reptilian tonight.”  Harris’ Hawks often live in family groups and will even help a couple raise young.  The best part about Harris’ Hawks, in my opinion, is that they stack!  What happens is one Harris’ Hawk will land on a cactus.  Then another will ball up his/her talons and land on the first hawk’s shoulders!  Sometimes a third hawk will then stack on the first two!  What is this good for?  Scientists aren’t completely sure.  Some think that the hawks stack to gain a better perspective of their surroundings when they are not flying.  Another possibility is that stacking is a bonding exercise that helps establish hierarchical order.

When I interned at the World Bird Sanctuary, I got to interact with several Harris’ Hawks.  They were well behaved birds with great personalities and a lot of fun to work with!  Sometimes when I would get a Harris’ Hawk ready for training, he/she would excitedly jump up and down on my glove.  Several times I got to engage in a falconry training exercise called a ‘hawk walk’.  I would walk outside while a hawk followed me around.  Then I would call the hawk down to my glove where it would receive a tasty reward.  Then I would release the hawk and the process would continue.  I’ve posted this picture before but for your entertainment . . .

(birds-of-prey tumblr)

Feel free to switch the term ‘Harris Hawking’ for stacking.  You can Harris Hawk dishes or pancakes or movies.  You can also name your fantasy football team, ‘The Stack Attack’.  Endless possibilities are now at your disposal!  Also, there is an incredibly cool experience called parahawking where you can paraglide with Egyptian Vultures or Harris’ Hawks!  Google parahawking and you’ll find some awesome videos!  My next post will dive (pun intended) into the world of Falcons and Eagles.  May you scream like a Red-tailed Hawk and may your children enjoy grasshoppers like a Swainson’s Hawk!  Wait, did that come out right?