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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