Showing posts with label Pine Siskin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pine Siskin. Show all posts
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Sunday, November 15, 2020
Saturday, November 14, 2020
Monday, November 9, 2020
110920 November's Heartthrobs
110220 Pine Siskins
One of the usual irruptives for the winter, the regal Pine Siskin has a colorful suit jacket. Usually in the company of the American Goldfinch (below), these beauties are well remembered at many feeders. An uncommon song was coming from the male, which is usually quiet this late in the season.
110720 American Goldfinch
This female American Goldfinch was one of several in the area.
Saturday, October 3, 2020
Saturday, September 26, 2020
Friday, February 7, 2020
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Monday, October 28, 2019
Post-Rain Adventures still Continue with One Shorebird
Pine Siskin atop Bradford Pear
Yellow-rumped Warbler in Northern Catalpa
102619
0822-0929/48-50 F/clear/NW-7/87-86% RH/29.80-29.83 Hg and falling
After two solid days of rain, it was certainly necessary to get out for a while to look for birds, as I knew they would be out there. On the water we had both Pied-billed and Horned Grebes, the American Coot, Ring-billed Gulls, Ruddy Ducks, and a few Double-crested Cormorants with most of them heading south.
Songbirds comprised large numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers, a half dozen Eastern Bluebirds, a few Pine Siskins with a couple of fall plumaged American Goldfinches, several Chipping Sparrows, and last but not least a Savannah and a White-crowned Sparrow. The Carolina Chickadees were there as a welcoming committee, but no unusuals were there...yet.
Greater Yellowlegs
102719
0815-0934/50-55 F/clear/SE-9/83-8-% RH/29.72 Hg and steady to 29.81 Hg and rising
Today there were both the Bewick's and Carolina Wrens, American Goldfinch, Western Meadowlark,
38 Yellow-rumped Warblers with most of them in the air, my first Dark-eyed Junco of the season staring me down in a tree, and the Greater Yellowlegs that I saw from Heron Cove. It was so far away, I thought that I had a yellowlegs or Solitary Sandpiper, so I had to go see for myself what was among the ten Killdeer.
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Oklahoma Irruptive Species Profile: Pine Siskin
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The Pine Siskin often associates with the American Goldfinch, and can be a common nomadic winter bird in Oklahoma. But as an occasional compatriot, its presence can vary on a yearly basis. It feeds upon insects, buds, seeds of many conifers, as well as what could be left upon deciduous trees.
Sometimes displaying yellow wingbars, this finch enjoys thistle and will be at your feeder when it is present. Large numbers of this migratory bird can appear sporadically and it is usually due to lack of food in its normal habitat. They have a remarkably high metabolism and will eat constantly. They are generalist feeders, so almost anything will please them. Mineral deposits will also send them to roadways and roadsides in order to eat these sparse flecks from road salt. However, the newer melting agents are made of less worthy chemicals, which could cause them physical angst or worse. They also tend to be run over in the roadways, leading to added mortality.
Pine Siskin
Boomer Lake Park, 2014
During times of breeding in the northern states, mountains, and the Boreal Forest, they are a known Brown-headed Cowbird host. Forest fragmentation has increased this probability, so they tend to have their young survive much better through appropriate forest management, where large swaths are not clear cut and replanted the following spring.
These songbirds are often afflicted with salmonella which can be common at bird feeders, a reminder to keep them very clean, much more than normal during inclement weather. Cats should be keep away from feeding stations, and they are also victims to other predators like raptors, crows, and red squirrels. They will do well in a yard with much cover, especially shrubs and enjoy ornamental conifers. They also enjoy remains from leftover sunflowers, weeds, and thistle plants.
Friday, October 5, 2018
Long Term Effects Regarding Late 1960s Eastern Spruce Budworm Outbreak
One of the finest pieces of work in the field of ornithology that I have found was begun in the late 1960s and the effects are still being seen today, including even more research potential regarding the eastern spruce budworm.
One can only imagine that never has such material led to wide reaching data as this, but it continues to excite as well as direct us into more extensive information than thought possible even a half decade later. History is being written regarding this, even this far in the future with additional crossbill subspecies.
I shall touch upon the highlights and try to fill in the blanks regarding modern eBird data gleaned through public information, as well as include what we may expect in the future with global warming continuing to thwart the avian world. It is common knowledge that many species of animals, not just birds, are moving in a north and easterly direction. It will both be interesting and likely shocking to see what the next half century will bring, especially regarding the survival of both generalist and specialist birds, especially along mountain ranges where the crossbills are even likelier to wander into the deep southwestern states and Mexico.
Numerous small scale studies have been put together and expounded upon with then trending spruce budworm defoliation, Christmas Bird Count (CBC), and Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data as a junction of the original phenomena.
It was never dreamed initially that this information would reach such heights in the investigation process, nor that it would affect the movement of seven distinct species by the time it was considered at an end.
It was not suspected that global warming or climate change really existed at the time or how quickly the forward motion of the laying of eggs by the eastern spruce budworm, followed by climactic action could lead to such a large scale defoliation.
Because these infestations became larger over time with the right recipe--warm dry springs and large scale conifer forest with the correct percentage of white spruce, balsam fir, and black spruce--one infestation quickly flowed into another, only enlarging.
As the years passed, one pesticide replaced another to attempt to kill off the budworm, of course to no avail. Replanting the forest was attempted with likely infected seedlings, large scale fire suppression, and extensive clear cutting all around the eastern portion of the US, where many individuals depended upon wood heat over the winter from southern Canadian provinces, including the New England states.
To make a long story short, there was a forest collapse and many of the dead trees were felled. Outbreaks were minimized with the planting of least susceptible trees like jack pines and black spruce, but this change also affected birds that preferred living and nesting within the balsam fir. At that time, the rare irruptions of Black-capped Chickadee and Red-breasted Nuthatch, occurred in a synchronized manner, and it was assumed that since food sources collapsed, the affected birds would seek sustenance elsewhere.
Ebird as well as CBC data was utilized, picking up trends of irruptions which went from every other year to some that were more or less often, and affected other birds such as Red- and White-winged Crossbills, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Siskin, and Purple Finch. The finches and grosbeaks followed the increase of the budworm expansion, which the other five species increased and decreased inversely.
The interesting thing about the Black-capped Chickadee irruptions was the fact that it was discovered that they shared three contact zones with the Carolina Chickadee and hybridized as intermediate species, as a result of the events.
The Boreal Chickadee, which is even more northern than the other two, also got in on the action and periodically came to southern New England, New York and Pennsylvania as well as the south central states as another irruptive species.
The Pine Grosbeak was believed to have come south at the end of the budworm infestation and it was caused by destruction of the Boreal Forest. This was why it appears that it has not been continual.
The crossbills are believed to have declined due to large scale budworm destruction, but these days, Red Crossbills have a much larger range than the White-winged Crossbill ever did with their current ten species. The white-winged Crossbill never had such a large irruptive pattern.
There were also spruce budworm warblers, like the Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Cape May, and Tennessee Warblers. They will still periodically show up during outbreaks in the southern states.
So, in a nutshell, we are still observing from time to time, the aftereffects of many birds that were initially affected by the change in their habitats. They are still predisposed to wander as irruptives as the circumstances dictate.
I wish to thank Nicholas Bolgiano, Zach, Falls, Erskine, Morse, Crawford, Jennings, Hagan, Hussell, Patten, Burger, Sauer, Blais, Raske, Kettela, and the many other individuals that invested the thousands of man hours in order for us all to benefit from their tireless efforts for the good of ornithology. You are all a credit to your schools and your research papers that opened the doors for us all. May we remotely aspire to your teachings.
For More Information on the Red-breasted Nuthatch:
https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/10/oklahoma-irruptive-species-profile-red.html
For More Information on the Pine Siskin:
https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/10/oklahoma-irruptive-species-profile-pine.html
Sunday, November 9, 2014
The North Meets the South, Long May They Fly
Great Blue Heron in Flight
Great Blue Heron Fishing
American Goldfinch, Non-Breeding Plumage
Pine Siskin
Northern Mockingbird
American Goldfinch, Non-Breeding Plumage
American Crow
Ring-billed Gull
Double-crested Cormorants
Great Blue Heron
0745-0930/46-51 degrees F/Partly Cloudy/Light and Variable Winds
Look what advanced from the northern states--hordes of American Goldfinches, the Pine Siskin,
more Double-crested Cormorants, and the ducks are inbound, as we speak. There has even been a lone Broad-billed Hummingbird around Stillwater, which is very rare for any hummingbird during this time of year. Watch and wait. See what you might discover...
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