Author: Linda Kervin

Linda Kervin is the voice for Bridgerland Audubon Society on Wild About Utah. She has worked as a research technician on a diversity of biological projects from birds to bees, agriculture to ecology. She spends as much time outdoors as possible, wandering the mountains with her dogs and tending her xeric garden. She also serves as treasurer for Bridgerland Audubon Society.
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Songs of the Western Meadowlark, Poorwill and Canyon Wren

Songs of the Western Meadowlark, Poorwill and Canyon Wren: Western Meadowlark. Courtesy US FWS https://images.fws.gov. John and Karen Hollingsworth, Photographers
Western Meadowlark
Sturnella neglecta
Courtesy US FWS
John & Karen Hollingsworth,
Photographers, images.fws.gov

Common Poorwill. Courtesy Dominic Sherony, Photographer, Licensed under CCA-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported Common Poorwill
Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
Dominic Sherony, Photographer
formerly linked to: https://www.birdphotos.com/photos/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=85245
Licensed under
CCA-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported

Canyon Wren, Catherpes mexicanus, Courtesy & Copyright © 2007,Lou Giddings, Photographer Canyon Wren
Catherpes mexicanus
Courtesy & Copyright © 2007,
Lou Giddings, Photographer
UtahBirds.org

Everyone recognizes bird-watchers by their binoculars. Bird-listening, on the other hand, takes nothing more than your ears, and attention to Nature’s sounds. Listening for bird songs may require your concentration at first, but soon it becomes second nature. Some common birds of Utah are more easily found and known by their song than their appearance.

The Canyon Wren is one of my favorites. This tiny cinnamon-brown bird weighs little more than a marshmallow, but it belts out a cascading song big enough to reverberate off the rocky cliffs and slopes that are its home.

[Kevin Colver recording: Birds of the South West Canyon Country, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections]

You may not see the canyon wren, but try conversing with it by whistling its song in reply. Listen year-round for its song throughout Utah and our neighboring states, particularly in canyons with rocky walls.

Nocturnal birds are seldom seen but commonly heard. Owls are an obvious example, but so is the

Common Poorwill, a migrant whose call is diagnostic throughout Utah.

[Kevin Colver recording: Birds of the Rocky Mountain Foothills, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections]

Poorwills are camouflaged ground-nesters. On summer evenings, though, you may occasionally see them settled on pavement, their eyes reflecting headlight beams, looking like glowing coals.

Bird song can help distinguish between related bird species too. On the eastern Great Plains, both Eastern and Western Meadowlarks co-occur. The plumage of these two starling-sized species is nearly identical, but their songs differ dramatically. The eastern species sings but a few clear notes, but our western meadowlark sings a beautiful musical warble.

[Kevin Colver recording: Birds of the South West Canyon Country, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections]

Meadowlarks reside here year-round, typically in grassy areas, pastures and foothills. Their backs are brown, but the male’s chest is a brilliant lemon yellow. Males are frequently seen singing their cheerful song atop a fence post. And that is another reason for listening to birds, for the sheer pleasure of their song.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Graphics: Courtesy US FWS images.fws.gov
Recordings: Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections
Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon Society
Voice: Linda Kervin, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Western Meadowlark, UtahBirds.org, Utah County Birders, http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/ProfilesS-Z/WesternMeadowlark.htm

Common Poorwill, UtahBirds.org, Utah County Birders, http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/Profiles/CommonPoorwill.htm

Canyon Wren, UtahBirds.org, Utah County Birders, http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/Profiles/CanyonWren.htm

Western Meadowlark, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Meadowlark

Common Poorwill, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Poorwill/overview

Canyon Wren, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canyon_Wren

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Scuds

Scud
Amphipod – Gammaridae
Courtesy US EPA

Scud
Great Lakes Amphipod
Courtesy USGS
David M. Knott, Photographer

Tiny scuds abound in Utah’s waters, their flattened, flea-like bodies allowing them to scramble and tumble giddily under the surface. These crustaceans in the order Amphipoda can be up to ½ inch in length. Also known as freshwater shrimp and side swimmers , scuds look like minuscule, flattened shrimp with orderly ranks of leg-like appendages. Some of these legs can grip and are used for climbing and to anchor in the water. The front 2 pairs have tiny flaps to clasp their food while dining. The middle legs are for swimming. The hindmost legs can be used to kick off against surfaces propelling the scud forward.

All this exuberant movement helps scuds dodge predators and provides them with their common name. To scud under sail is to move swiftly before a gale. The blowing foam at the crest of waves is called scud. Evasive acrobatics are vital since scuds are a favored food of many fish. Half of a trout’s annual diet can consist of scuds. No wonder anglers use lures that mimic them.

Scuds coloration matches their habitat with browns and greens most common. When newly molted they are semi-transparent and baby blue. The female has a brood sac called a marsupium where she holds her eggs for fertilization and incubation. Fertilized eggs are usually bright orange. The newly hatched young are tiny versions of their parents.

In Utah, look for scuds in still water and in the calmer water along edges of streams and rivers. Prime habitat offers an abundance of submergent vegetation for concealment and plenty of plant and animal debris on which to scavenge. Our alkaline waters are rich in dissolved calcium carbonate which scuds incorporate into their chitinous exoskeleton.

To get a good look at these fascinating acrobats, catch them with a simple aquarium net and place them in a pan of water with some vegetation.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Graphics: Courtesy US EPA and USGS
Theme: Courtesy & Copyright Don Anderson Leaping Lulu
Text & Voice: Linda Kervin, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Other Wild About Utah Pieces by Linda Kervin

https://www.epa.gov/bioiweb1/html/amphipods.html *(Updated 12/04/2023 Courtesy The Wayback Machine)

https://www.pond-life.us/pond-life-crustaceans-1.html (Updated 12/04/2023 Courtesy The Wayback Machine)

https://www.troutnut.com/hatch/71/Arthropod-Amphipoda-Scuds (Updated 12/04/2023 Courtesy The Wayback Machine)

https://www.flyfishersrepublic.com/entomology/crustaceans/freshwater-shrimp/ (Updated 12/04/2023 Courtesy The Wayback Machine)

A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America by J. Reese Voshell Jr. https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Common-Freshwater-Invertebrates-America/dp/0939923874

Field Guide to Freshwater Invertebrates of North America by James H. Thorp https://www.amazon.com/Field-Freshwater-Invertebrates-America-Academic/dp/012381426X

Guide to Aquatic Insects & Crustaceans by Izaak Walton League of America https://www.amazon.com/Aquatic-Insects-Crustaceans-Walton-America/dp/0811732452

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Seed Dispersal

Maple Seeds
Courtesy & Copyright © 2011
Linda Kervin

Milkweed Seeds
Courtesy & Copyright © 2011
Jim Cane

Burdock Flower
Courtesy & Copyright 2009 Jim Cane

Burdock Hooks
Courtesy & Copyright 2009 Jim Cane

Autumn is a season of travelers. Birds migrate south. Deer, elk and antelope move to their wintering grounds. Many plants finish maturing seeds designed for transport to favorable new habitats. Seeds come in a kaleidoscope of shapes and sizes: their structure reveals their means of dispersal.

Many plants rely on the wind to loft their seed to fertile ground. Due to wind’s fickle nature, few of these seeds actually make it to a suitable site, so to compensate they are produced in abundance. Some seeds, like those of dandelion and milkweed, have a downy fluff which floats aloft with the slightest breeze. Others utilize wing-like appendages on the seed capsule, as in maple, ash and pines. The seed is heavier than the blade shaped wing, causing a spiraling motion which propels seeds farther than mere drifting.

Another strategy for seed dispersal is to entice animals to ingest the seed. Some plants like cherries, junipers and grapes do this by imbedding their seeds in a nutritious and tasty pulp. Others, like many grasses, achieve the same end by the placement of the seeds. As grazers consume the foliage, they inadvertently ingest seeds at the same time. Hopefully the seeds end up some distance from the parent plant, deposited in their own dollop of manure to aid seedling growth. Some seeds require a trip through the digestive tract, where the impervious seed coat is eroded away so that the seed can absorb water and germinate. Ants disperse seeds that have a patch of nutritious tissue, the aril, that they gnaw off before discarding the seed.

Another means of dispersal relies on a chance encounter to hitch a ride in an animal’s fur. The seed coat has clinging hooks, hairs or spines that latch onto fur or clothing. Many noxious weeds including burdock, hound’s tongue and cheatgrass use this type of dispersal, so be careful where you groom and dispose of their seed.

Grasses don’t run and pines don’t roam, but plant seeds have many tricks to gain mobility.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Jim Cane &
            Courtesy & Copyright Linda Kervin
Text: Linda Kervin, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Seed Dispersal
https://andromeda.cavehill.uwi.edu/Dispersal.htm (archived link)

Wind Dispersal
https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/plfeb99.htm

Seed Dispersal by Animals
https://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/range556/…

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Migratory Birds and Coffee

Western Tanager
Courtesy & Copyright © 2010
Michael Fish

For many of us, the day has not truly begun until we hold a warm mug of richly flavored coffee in our hands. But how often have you considered where that coffee comes from and how its culture impacts wild Utah?

We tend to think of migratory birds as our residents who take a winter vacation to the south every year. But it is more truly the other way around. They are representatives from groups of tropical birds who venture north to take advantage of less crowded nesting and a seasonal abundance of food for their young. For instance, of the 49 species of true tanagers, only 4 summer in the United States. Much of our coffee originates in Central and South America and its production directly affects birds who fly north to nest in Utah.

Traditionally, coffee bushes are grown under a diverse canopy. Some of the trees in the overstory yield timber, others fix nitrogen and still others like papaya provide food. This multi-tiered habitat supports a wide variety of birds that is only exceeded by undisturbed tropical forest itself.

About twenty years ago, coffee production changed radically with the development of varieties that tolerate full sun. This has allowed huge areas of land to be cleared of forest and planted exclusively to row after row of coffee bushes that demand intensive management. More fertilizer and pesticides are needed leading to toxic runoff. Soil erosion increases. Much lovely bird habitat has been destroyed for this barren coffee monoculture. Many migratory bird populations are in trouble due to the loss of their forested winter habitats.

But there is hope for coffee lovers because many farmers still grow coffee in the traditional way. These grower-owned farms tend to be smaller and provide a more reliable income for the farmer due to the diversity of crops. Soil quality is maintained while providing critical habitat for tropical frogs, insects, plants and birds. When purchasing coffee, look for bird friendly or shade grown or certification by Rainforest Alliance or Smithsonian. Our warblers, tanagers and thrushes will thank you.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Michael Fish
Text: Linda Kervin, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Shade-Grown Coffee, National Audubon Website, https://web4.audubon.org/bird/at_home/coffee/

Song Bird Coffee, American Birding Association, https://www.aba.org/shadecoffee/songbird.html

Some Coffee-related Resources, American Birding Association, https://www.aba.org/shadecoffee/whattodo.html#Coffee-related%20Resources

Why Migratory Birds are Crazy for Coffee, Migrants and Coffee: What’s the Connection?, National Zoo, Smithsonian Institution, https://nationalzoo.si.edu/scbi/MigratoryBirds/Fact_Sheets/default.cfm?fxsht=1

Why Migratory Birds Are Crazy for Coffee, Atlanta Audubon Society, formerly: https://atlantaaudubon.org/aaswww/sgc/sgcfacts.htm

Smithsonian-Certified Shade Grown & Bird Friendly Coffee, Caffe Ibis, https://caffeibis.com/