Monday, May 26, 2014

NWA 5/2 - 15/2014

A Northwoods Almanac for May 2 – 15, 2014 

Merlins – the Wizards of the Raptor World
Bob Kovar in Manitowish Waters called on 4/26 to say he’d just watched a merlin swoop down and take a black-capped chickadee from one of his feeders. He’d never seen one before and was truly impressed at its speed – the poor chickadee just never had a chance. Mary and I saw a merlin across the road from our house in Manitowish on 4/23, and I had seen one in the backyard of Lori and Mitch Meyer’s home in Mercer on 4/22. So, merlins are clearly migrating through, and a few will likely stay in the area to nest.
Most folks have never seen a merlin. It’s a small falcon, just a tad larger than a kestrel, and breeds throughout the northern forests and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. The sexes differ in adult plumage, with adult males one-quarter smaller than females.
Still often called the “pigeon hawk” because in flight it can be mistaken for a pigeon, its species name (columbarius) also refers to pigeons.
Merlins are quite uncommon in the Northwoods, but are slowly increasing. I most often see them nesting in the abandoned nests of crows or hawks in white pines along a lakeshore. The merlin’s most common call is a loud, insistent Ki-Ki-Kee (Kek-Kek-Kek) which is given by both sexes. They’re really noisy, and easily identified by this call.
Most folks are thrilled to see one until they learn that merlins feed predominantly on small birds, which they generally catch in short, quick flights. An opportunistic hunter, they’ll grab flying insects like dragonflies, recently fledged young birds, and nestling birds. Remarkably, they’re also known to hunt with other species (e.g., juvenile sharp-shinned hawks), eat carrion, and hunt bats at cave openings.            
They’re also known to hunt cooperatively. One researcher observed 30% of hunts done in pairs, generally a male and a female, where one merlin flies beneath the canopy and then climbs to flush the birds, while the other flying behind follows up with the attack. Those who dislike non-native house sparrows will be pleased to know that the diet of urban breeders is predominantly the house sparrow. But whatever songbird they’re catching, no raptor is faster or more maneuverable in tight spots than a merlin.

Late April – Skiing, Paddling, Hiking, Snow Shoveling
            Late April is a great time to enjoy a wide variety of outdoor recreation since the weather is so crazily unpredictable – you just have to go with the flow and enjoy what you’re given. On 4/24, Mary and I birded on Powell Marsh during an off-and-on light snow, then Mary and Callie skied in the afternoon on crust snow while I paddled the flooded Manitowish River with a couple of friends.

Variations on a Junco Theme        
Dark-eyed juncos, one of the most common North American songbirds, range across the continent from northern Alaska south to northern Mexico, and right now they are THE dominant bird under most Northwoods feeders. They’re familiar to just about everyone because of their ubiquity (a recent estimate set the junco’s total population at approximately 630 million), tameness, and conspicuous ground-foraging at feeders. In 1831, Audubon stated that “there is not an individual in the Union who does not know the little Snow-bird.” Its plumage is characterized by white outer tail-feathers that flash when the bird takes flight and by a gray or blackish “hood” and dark back that contrast with its whitish breast and belly.
Varying plumage and bill color make them confusing to bird watchers, but also to taxonomists, with whom they have earned a reputation as a “nightmare” because of their variability.
Until the 1970s, juncos were split into 5 distinct species. The American Ornithologists’ Union then lumped those 5 species together into one species, so now each group bears the scientific and common name that it previously bore as a species: the slate-colored junco is by far the most common group that we see.
The males migrate earlier than females during the spring, with most migratory males arriving on their breeding grounds well before the females. You can tell the genders apart – the females tend to be much paler than the males.
Juncos usually nest on the ground, but in highly variable places that offer the most cover, like small depressions on a sloping bank, under a protruding rock, among roots (especially on the vertical surface of the root ball of a blown-down tree), under fallen tree trunks, at bases of bushes or trees or ferns, or on supports beneath buildings that are elevated on pillars, and even in barns or lofts between hay bales. We’re near the southernmost edge of their nesting range, so fortunately some will stay with us throughout the summer.

Sightings (FOY – first-of the-year)
4/14: FOY Eastern phoebe in Manitowish. Dan Carney in Hazelhurst also saw his FOY phoebe, this one gathering spiderwebs to build a nest.
4/15: FOY fox sparrows in Manitowish, which continue in good numbers as of 4/28. Jim Sommerfeldt in Lac du Flambeau reported the area’s FOY American kestrel which he watched giving chase to a flock of juncos. He also observed a barred owl sitting atop one of his feeder poles at 2 a.m., perhaps hoping to grab one of the flying squirrels that visit his feeders.
4/16: Pat Schwai near Fifield and Jim Sommerfeldt in Lac du Flambeau reported the FOY yellow-bellied sapsucker in our area.
4/16: Linda Mastalski reported the FOY killdeer, noting that he was “in the middle of Highway 51 by the main Hazelhurst intersection, looking very bewildered. He'd fly a few feet, walk around this way and that, fly again. Couldn't find his grassy spot.” 
4/17: Ron and Pam Ahles reported seeing their FOY common loon on the open water under the bridge crossing on the Pike/Round chain in Price County. They also observed four trumpeter swans near the same bridge.
4/18: I saw my FOY merlin at Mitch Meyer’s home in Mercer, and we had a partial albino fox sparrow in Manitowish. Wil Conway sent me some excellent photos of buffleheads and a pied-billed grebe in the Lac du Flambeau area.
4/19: Mary spotted our FOY kingfisher and yellow-bellied sapsucker in Manitowish. Pussywillows also popped today. John Randolph reported the area’s FOY Hermit Thrush on the northeast shore of Bolger Lake.  He also observed at least 46 male common mergansers at the Kawaguesaga Lake Dam in Minocqua, as well as about 10 male ring-necked Ducks and about 6 male hooded mergansers.
4/20: We saw our FOY killdeer, pintail ducks, rusty blackbirds, yellow-rumped warblers, white-throated sparrows, and northern flickers, plus another merlin across the road from our house. Pat Schwai near Fifield also reported her FOY white-throated sparrow.
4/22: Mary heard our FOY saw-whet owl calling at night in Manitowish.
4/23: The FOY winter wren was singing in Manitowish Waters. Dan Carney reported 20-25 yellow-rumped warblers and a gray-cheeked thrush in the Hazelhurst area.
4/23: On a non-birding note, Sharon and Dave Lintereur in Lake Tomahawk have made maple syrup for many years and they sent me this note: “Have talked to people who tapped and the sugar content is way down this year. Talked to a gal yesterday and she said it is taking about 70 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup; usually takes about 40 . . . One guy I talked to down in Tomahawk taps 150 trees and normally makes around 40 gallons, this year he made 23.” Does anyone know what causes sugar content to vary in sap in any given year?
4/25: Jean Hall reported a lone evening grosbeak at her feeders in Arbor Vitae, a sighting that two decades ago wouldn’t have meant a thing given how many there were at everyone’s feeders then. Courtney Wright reported hearing her first common loon of the year near Buckskin Lake in Minocqua. I suspect the bird was on a scouting mission to see if any lakes were open and found out the bad news.
4/26: A morning hike on the now snowless dikes of Powell Marsh yielded a modest number of these FOYs: American bittern, tree swallows, American widgeons, and black ducks. Dan Carney in Hazelhurst reported a FOY eastern towhee. Pat Schwai in the town of Fifield observed her FOY golden-crowned kinglet. Mary Madsen on Twin Island Lake in Presque Isle reported her resident loon returned undoubtedly “relieved to find the open water our lake's aerator provides. Several Trumpeter swans have been enjoying the open water for some time too.”

Coming Soon to a Feeder Near You
            The first two weeks of May usually usher in a legion of migratory birds. For instance in Manitowish, May 7 is the average date of return for ruby-throated hummingbirds and rose-breasted grosbeaks; May 8 for Baltimore orioles, and May 12 for indigo buntings. We usually just think of Mother’s Day as a day we definitely want to be out looking for birds.

            Most songbirds returning in May are neotropical migrants, meaning they are returning from wintering grounds in Mexico, Central America, or South America. The trigger for their departure from there is the photoperiod, or length of daylight, which sends them winging north into weather they have no ability to anticipate. Rainy or snowy weather, north winds, and cold can all conspire to ground them despite their instinctual urge to push for their breeding grounds. So, the wildcard this spring is what our low temperatures, iced-up lakes, and snowy woodlands will do to delay their arrival. A week of 60s or 70s with southerly winds would work magic. In the meantime, however, many are in a holding pattern down south until the weather breaks.

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