Category: Birds

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Sound Can Brighten the Dingy Days

Red-winged Blackbird Male Courtesy Pixabay, Nichole Linzmeier, Contributor
Red-winged Blackbird Male
Courtesy Pixabay, Nichole Linzmeier, Contributor
For many of us who love the outdoors, the first half of March is a least favorite time of year. It’s a drizzly season. In northern Utah’s urban valleys, the lingering patches of snow are tinged with dirty gray that mirrors the dingy sky. Winter has lost its cleansing power, yet the budburst and first blooms of springtime are still weeks away. But if we close our eyes and listen, nature still can brighten the dingy days. A week or so ago, my wife and I stopped by a wetland we like near the Great Salt Lake. It had snowed the day before, and the marsh was half frozen. The remaining open water was packed with wintering waterfowl – pintails and coots and gadwalls and geese. We rolled down the car window to listen, and were greeted by the glorious cacophony of red-winged blackbirds.

That’s the bright side of early March. It’s a time when the early songbirds start to exercise their vocal chords. You might hear the complex warbling of a house finch, or the sweet piping “hee-did-it” of the black-capped chickadee. But to me, nothing says springtime like a blackbird’s song in an awakening marsh. It’s not a pretty sound, but it’s boisterous and exuberant. It embodies the joy of springtime.

But why now? Why not wait till things warm up a bit? And how do they know, when the nights can still be frigid and the days can still be dreary, that it’s time to gear up for spring?

The answer has nothing to do with temperature or precipitation. It’s a trick of the light. Or more specifically, the length of the day. For birds, that’s the most reliable calendar. When the time between sunrise and sunset reaches a certain number of minutes, photo-receptors in the avian brain trigger the production of hormones. That stimulates their sexual organs, telling the male blackbirds it’s time to get feisty. They begin to stake out nesting territories, singing their superiority to brothers and cousins. By the time the females arrive a few weeks later, they’ve sorted things out and are ready to mate and raise babies.

Unfortunately, not everything in nature uses daylength as an alarm clock. Plants and insects respond better to temperature. As the world’s climate changes, tree leaves emerge earlier, and so do the creatures that love to eat those tender spring shoots. The downside of change is exemplified by the plight of the European pied flycatcher. These birds spend the winter in Africa, flying north when daylength triggers the urge to migrate. For centuries they’d arrive just as caterpillars were emerging to feed on new foliage – a perfect source of protein to feed their hatchlings. But since daylength hasn’t changed while the climate has, now the flycatchers’ timing is off. Food is scarcer. Fewer nestlings survive.

Scientists have a name for this: phenological mismatch. We’re seeing more and more examples in nature where the timing of life events is off. It’s likely that a few species will adapt. Birds that get antsy early – jumping the gun on migration – will be favored by natural selection. But evolution takes time, and many species will suffer. In the meantime, we can take heart in knowing we can still count on songbirds to brighten this dreariest of seasons.

I’m Mark Brunson, and I’m wild about the sounds of Utah nature.

Credits:

Images Courtesy Pixabay, Nichole Linzmeier (Linzmeier1), Contributor https://pixabay.com/photos/bird-red-winged-black-bird-red-5276962/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections and J. Chase and K.W. Baldwin. https://upr.org/
Text: Mark Brunson, https://www.usu.edu/experts/profile/mark-brunson/
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Faherty, Mark, Never mind the temperature, increasing photoperiod means birds are singing louder and longer, CapeandIslands.org owned and operated by the WGBH Educational Foundation (“WGBH”), February 21, 2018, https://www.capeandislands.org/in-this-place/2019-02-20/never-mind-the-temperature-increasing-photoperiod-means-birds-are-singing-louder-and-longer

Larese-Casanova, Mark, Blackbirds in our wetlands, Wild About Utah, May 26, 2011, https://wildaboututah.org/blackbirds-in-our-wetlands/

Birds on the wing, Living on Earth®, World Media Foundation, March 19, 2010, https://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=10-P13-00012&segmentID=6

Early spring is causing a mismatch of food, News, Cardiff University, April 30, 2018 https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1168289-early-spring-is-causing-a-mismatch-of-food

Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, Profiles, UtahBirds.org, http://utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/ProfilesL-R/RedWingedBlackbird.htm
    Photo Gallery: http://utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/BirdsL-R/RedWingBlackbird.htm
    ID & Song: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id

Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus, Fieldguide, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Department of Natural Resources, https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=agelaius%20phoeniceus

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Nature Journaling: A Steller Idea!

Steller's Jay on Branch Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
Steller’s Jay on Branch
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
Across my years of exploring the majestic outdoors with young children, I’ve experimented with nature journaling. I always have grandiose ideas. Ideas of what I want their entry illustrations to look like, ideas of what I hope their written words will sound like, and ideas about what memories I hope their journal will encapsulate.

The Steller's Jay we Discovered in the Cemetary Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
The Steller’s Jay We Discovered in the Cemetery
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

Steller's Jay in Cemetery Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer Steller’s Jay in Cemetery
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

As usual, kids surprise me.

What I think kids should focus on is rarely the object of their attention, and the way their journal ends up, both intellectually and physically, never resembles my lavish intentions.

If you’ve ever tried nature journaling with young children outdoors, you’ve probably realized that instead of the eloquent John James Audubon’s entries with magnificent illustrations of birds and poetic texts, what really manifests – if the child hasn’t lost their writing utensil altogether – is a half torn page, muddy and damp from being haplessly set in the dewy grass, with only the resemblance of barely decipherable images or text.

However, if you can accept the physical condition of the journal, with all its imperfections, you may come to find the true beauty and originality in the children’s thoughts, which usually ascend to places beyond our adult imagination.

The following nature journal entries are from 2nd-grade students (7-and-8-year-olds) and centered on a Steller’s Jay they discovered while birding at the Logan City Cemetery.

Across my years of exploring the majestic outdoors with young children, I’ve experimented with nature journaling. I always have grandiose ideas. Ideas of what I want their entry illustrations to look like, ideas of what I hope their written words will sound like, and ideas about what memories I hope their journal will encapsulate.

As usual, kids surprise me.

What I think kids should focus on is rarely the object of their attention, and the way their journal ends up, both intellectually and physically, never resembles my lavish intentions.

If you’ve ever tried nature journaling with young children outdoors, you’ve probably realized that instead of the eloquent John James Audubon’s entries with magnificent illustrations of birds and poetic texts, what really manifests – if the child hasn’t lost their writing utensil altogether – is a half torn page, muddy and damp from being haplessly set in the dewy grass, with only the resemblance of barely decipherable images or text.

However, if you can accept the physical condition of the journal, with all its imperfections, you may come to find the true beauty and originality in the children’s thoughts, which usually ascend to places beyond our adult imagination.

The following nature journal entries are from 2nd-grade students (7-and-8-year-olds) and centered on a Steller’s Jay they discovered while birding at the Logan City Cemetery.

  • Steller’s Jay Steller’s Jay you are so naughty
    and above your eye you have a spotty
    You steal food; we give food, you with a bad mood
    But rarely I see you because you hide from my view.
     
  • Steller’s Jay Steller’s Jay black and blue
    crest like a mohawk
    in the sun, in the light, in a tree
    flying out on a Thursday afternoon your colors shine
    Steller’s Jay Steller’s Jay what a pretty sight.
     
  • You’re flying, I’m finding
    It’s day but you’re night
    You’re so pretty like flowers
    You’re hiding but I’m still finding
    You can hide but I’ll still find
    It’s getting late so I have to leave.
     
  • Oh in the graveyard you blend in to the night
    Your colors scare any visitors away from the house of the dead.

I am Dr. Joseph Kozlowski, and I am wild about outdoor education in Utah!

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer, Used by Permission
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver and including contributions from Anderson, Howe and Wakeman
Text:     Joseph Kozlowski, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University https://edithbowen.usu.edu/
Additional Reading Links: Joseph Kozlowski & Lyle Bingham

Additional Reading:

Joseph (Joey) Kozlowski’s pieces on Wild About Utah:

Steller’s Jay, All About Birds, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Stellers_Jay/overview

Steller’s Jay Cyanocitta stelleri, Utah Bird Profile, Utah Birds, http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/ProfilesS-Z/StellersJay.htm
Other Photos: http://www.utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/BirdsS-Z/StellersJay.htm

Rhodes, Shannon, Wild About Nature Journaling, Wild About Utah, June 22, 2020, https://wildaboututah.org/wild-about-nature-journaling/

Kozlowski, Joseph, Simple Suggestions for Kids in the Field, Wild About Utah, February 12, 2024, https://wildaboututah.org/simple-suggestions-for-kids-in-the-field/

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You Can Be a Part of the February Global Bird Count!

Everyone Can Be a Part of the February Global Bird Count! Courtesy Cornell Lab of Ornithology on behalf of Great Backyard Bird Count, birdcount.org
How many birds can you find?
28th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count
February 14-17, 2025
birdcount.org
Image: Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
© Jim Merritt / Macaulay Library

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch Courtesy & Copyright Hilary Shughart, Photographer Gray-crowned Rosy Finch
Courtesy & Copyright Hilary Shughart, Photographer

There are deeply concerning drops in bird populations, and shifting migration ranges and patterns are changing before our eyes, but on the bright side, the crisis presents a strong reason and opportunities for even the most novice birders to be a part of the solution, to contribute to environmental conservation through community science. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada urge us to walk into nature and count birds for the mid-February Global Bird Count known as the Great Backyard Bird Count. February is the month to help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations, and the data collected will help bend the curve for bird survival.

“Spend time in your favorite places watching birds–then tell us about them! In as little as 15 minutes notice the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit them to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world. If you already use eBird or Merlin, your submissions over the 4 days count towards GBBC.”

Everything you need to know will be shared in a free online webinar, so “Get ready to flock together for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)! Panelists will explain how to participate in this exciting global event and how participation might extend past your back door. Discover how to join a group taking part in the GBBC and explore fun ways to involve kids. From bird ID tips to counting birds with ease, this webinar is your ticket to an engaging and confident GBBC experience.”

We’ve posted links for local parks and trails with eBird printable checklists, and it’s encouraging to see the number and variety of species accessible right in town, and in our nearby National Forests and Wilderness Areas. Will you see American Robins, Black-billed Magpies, and Northern Flickers? Can you tell the difference between the American and the Lesser Goldfinch, or the Mountain and Black-capped Chickadee? Will you get lucky and spot a Gray-crowned Rosy finch feasting on black oil sunflower seeds in your own backyard?

There’s no time like the present to establish new traditions for connecting with nature and being part of the solution to the climate challenge. There are ample online resources for new and experienced birders, and in addition to the four local Utah Audubon Chapters, the Birding in Utah Facebook group provides a birding community with expert help with learning how to identify birds even in blurry photos. Team up to be a part of the constellation of community scientists documenting history, and weaving a safety net to ensure that birds have the places they need to thrive today and tomorrow.

I’m Hilary Shughart with the Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I am wild about the National Audubon initiative to promote community science for Bird-Friendly communities, and I am Wild About Utah!

Credits:
Images: Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus, © Jim Merritt / Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: Courtesy & Copyright Hilary Shughart
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver
Text: Hilary Shughart, President, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Hilary Shughart and Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Other Wild About Utah pieces authored by Hilary Shughart

Global Bird Count in February, Great Backyard Bird Count, https://www.birdcount.org/

About the Great Backyard Bird Count, Every February, count for as little as 15 minutes in your own backyard to help expand our understanding of birds. National Audubon, https://www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-backyard-bird-count

Global Bird Count in February; Great Backyard Bird Count, Birds Canada, https://www.birdscanada.org/bird-science/great-backyard-bird-count

eBird Field Checklist Sue’s Pond–Logan River Wetlands and Shorebird Playa (178 species), Cache, Utah, https://ebird.org/printableList?regionCode=L586105&yr=all&m=

Who Likes What: The Favorite Birdseed of Feeder Regulars and Rarities, Here are the top three seed choices for a variety of species, per a scientific observational study of 1.2 million bird feeder visits. National Audubon, https://www.audubon.org/news/who-likes-what-favorite-birdseed-feeder-regulars-and-rarities

Birding: The Basics & Beyond (1 hr 12 mn video), Natural Habitat Adventures & WWF(World Wildlife Fund), https://www.nathab.com/traveler-resources/webinars/your-daily-dose-of-nature/birding-the-basics-beyond/

Bridgerland Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count Page, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/birding-tools/birding-events/great-backyard-bird-count/

Howe, Frank, Rosy Finches, Local Bird Spotlight, The Stilt, Bridgerland Audubon Society, December 2009, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/documents/BAS-Stilts/Stilt-2009/Vol%2038%20Image%2010.pdf

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gray-crowned_Rosy-Finch/overview#

“Get ready to flock together for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)! Panelists will explain how to participate in this exciting global event and how participation might extend past your back door.”
Beyond the Backyard: All About the Great Backyard Bird Count Webinar, Thursday, February 6, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Eastern, AND Wednesday, February 12, 3:00-4:00 pm Eastern https://www.birdcount.org/webinar/

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Close Encounters vs. Survival

Close Encounters vs. Survival: Dusky Grouse Dendragapus, obscurus Courtesy US FWS, Ryan Hagerty, Photographer
Dusky Grouse, Dendragapus obscurus
Courtesy US FWS, Ryan Hagerty, Photographer
Just about everyone loves seeing wildlife in its natural habitat. Usually, we see animals at a distance – near enough to recognize, but not near enough to touch. There’s always that temptation, though, to get a closer look, to have that truly memorable close encounter.

Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus, in Snow Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Ruffed Grouse in Snow
Bonasa umbellus
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Some years ago, a friend and I went cross-country skiing in Utah’s Bear River Range. It was one of those magical winter mountain mornings – the forest still and silent, snow falling very lightly around us. After a while we stopped for a snack in the shelter of a large fir tree. For a few minutes we chatted quietly, then we just listened. I heard a small rustling noise above me, looked up, and was surprised to see a grouse, perched calmly on a branch next to the tree trunk, so close that if I stood up straight, I could almost look it in the eye. I tapped my companion on the shoulder and pointed, then we grabbed our skis and moved slowly away, hoping not to disturb the bird any more than we already had.

Of course we were tempted to stick around, enjoying a memorable close encounter with a wild bird that many Utahns will never get to see in their lifetimes. But we were right to resist temptation.

So, what was this bird doing, anyhow, taking a risk by staying so close to two humans? First of all, it was a forest grouse. Utah has two species of these vaguely chicken-like birds, dusky grouse and ruffed grouse, and they both tend to avoid ground predators by sitting quietly in dense foliage rather than flying away like most other birds would.

But staying this close? That brings me to the second reason. It was winter. Animals that remain in Utah’s mountains year-round face a special challenge: balancing the need to eat with the need to keep warm. Foraging for food requires energy. During the growing season, there’s usually enough to eat to easily meet a daily calorie requirement. But in winter food is scarcer, and for plant-eating animals, the food that remains has a lower nutrient content. Not only that, but keeping warm also requires energy, and it’s harder to keep warm if you’re moving around in freezing weather, away from shelter. If the reason you’re moving around is not to find food but to escape a potential predator, that loss of calories is hard to make up.

Dusky grouse have a diverse plant diet in the warmer months, but their winter diet consists almost entirely of Douglas-fir and pine needles. It’s an abundant food source, but not an especially nutritious one. So, if they can escape a potential threat by standing still, instead of expending calories by flying to another tree, they’ll choose the energy-conserving option.

That same principle of energy conservation applies to other animals that are active in winter. The less they move around in the open air, the better. For mammals that are too heavy to walk on the snow surface, such as deer and elk, it takes extra energy to flee from a predator – or from a winter recreationist – while slogging through deep snow. By winter’s end, the cost of fleeing from possible dangers can add up – maybe even making the difference between survival and starvation. That’s why, when we’re out enjoying Utah’s backcountry in wintertime, we should always resist the temptation to have a close encounter of the wild kind.

I’m Mark Brunson, and I’m wild about Utah’s winter wildlife.

Credits:

Images Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service, Ryan Hagerty, Photographer, https://www.fws.gov/media/dusky-grouse-2
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Friend Weller, Utah Public Radio upr.org, and audio Courtesy & © Anderson, Howe and Wakeman
Text: Mark Brunson, https://www.usu.edu/experts/profile/mark-brunson/
Additional Reading: Mark Brunson and Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah pieces authored by Mark Brunson

Miller, Matthew L., The Grouse in Winter, Cool Green Science, The Nature Conservancy, https://blog.nature.org/2014/01/16/the-grouse-in-winter/

Environmental Impact of Winter Recreation, American Trails, https://www.americantrails.org/resources/environmental-impacts-of-winter-recreation

Winter Range Disturbance Fact Sheet 17, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Mule Deer Working Group, Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and Utah Department of Natural Resources, State of Utah, https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/mule_deer/mdwg-17_winter_range_disturbance.pdf

Leavitt, Shauna, Western Forest Grouse, Wild About Utah, November 5, 2018, https://wildaboututah.org/western-forest-grouse/

Carpenter, Chuck III; Farnsworth, Skyler; and Dahlgren, David K., “Forest Grouse in the Fall” (2020). All Current Publications. Paper 2080.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/extension_curall/2080
also https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/upland/forest_grouse_in_the_fall.pdf