About that "tickled" penguin...

A snippet of the above video has been circulating with the "tickled penguin" tag - the first minute is just an introduction of Cookie, a little fellow with bumblefoot on his right foot (which is bandaged). From the one minute mark on, it's... well... Cookie working his penguin charms on the hand of an unidentified object of affection.

*cough*

Yeah, tickling. That's what the kids call it these days...

unusual bat experience

This year we've seen quite a few Hoary Bats (Lasiurus cinereus) around Marathon and Post Park this spring; Matt even spotted one roosting in a cottonwood at work! After finding a dead one, we figured our adventures covered full range of Hoary Bat experiences - I've picked them up (dead) at a wind farm, I've seen them (alive) in the wild and I've seen them flying in the wild. Thankfully they're pretty distinctive in flight if it's still bright out!

Anyway, this photo is *not* a normal occurrence from what we can tell - it's all I could bear to snap one shot before gloving up to play in the cacti. Apologies for the odd angle, it was taken so the face would be visible, which was sort of from above, looking down between the prickly pear pads.

April 12, 2011

Matt had pulled up in front of the house after going to the gym, it was dark, a bat swooped down in front of the headlights.... and then didn't swoop back up. Voila. He summoned me outside, so I grabbed camera and gloves (mostly for the cactus!) and snapped the shot above before pressing down on the lower cactus pad. With one REALLY ferocious hiss, the bat took off toward the headlights. Happy ending!

I'm not sure if the bat sustained any injuries from the momentary loss of momentum, being suspended in giant spikes and whatnot, but there was no blood on the spines and my initial impression was that the wing membranes were not punctured. Can't say the same of the fuzzy body, but I hope the dense fur was enough to cushion the poor critter! There was just no way for it, on its own, to get lift without doing damage - and my understanding of their physiology, while limited, leans toward "can't take off from ground level" and thus is unlikely to be able to levitate from a mass of spines. I had grabbed a stick nearby in case its feet needed to be raised so it could take off from a hanging position, but apparently that was unnecessary.

Perhaps this cactus is on its way to being a carnivorous plant - beware the cacti in Brewster County, they're already trying to eat Hoary Bats, who knows, humans could be next!

Window kill: Lark Bunting

Of the creatures inhabiting our freezer, Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) was one I didn't anticipate would have been a window kill. Most Lark Buntings are seen in distant flocks, uttering a feeble "what? wheep?" sort of call; this female is far closer than any I'd ever have expected to see. Bird-in-hand is an interesting departure from in-field observation.

A dear neighbor found it at a residence on the west side of town... she brought it to me and we discovered a few things. Lark Buntings have two different shades of down feathers. Gray under the back, black under the belly. The outermost four primaries are nearly black, the rest are dark brown.

Note: state and/or federal permits are required to pick up birds.
Our permits are through Texas A&M; the collection date for this bunting was 1 April, 2011 from NW Marathon, Brewster Co. Texas.

Roadkill: Loggerhead Shrike

Since the freezer is getting crowded, it seems like a good time to share a few more of the inhabitants... it's educational, or something. Perhaps this would be a good time for Matt to post about these lovelies and how they earned their "butcher bird" nickname. A closeup on that beak perhaps gives a slight indication?

Without further fuss, SeeTrail presents Roadkill: Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) - a predatory songbird of open areas and pointy shrubs; all the better to impale prey upon.

Note: state and/or federal permits are required to pick up birds.
Our permits are through Texas A&M; this shrike was collected with their permit ~20 miles north of Study Butte, Texas on 23 March, 2011.

Tis the season; a bird is trying to get into my house

This photo is neither flattering to subject nor situation; you'll have to assume that the window is as darkly tinted and highly reflective as any window can possibly be. The building is not a house in this case, but the gift shop at the Persimmon Gap entrance to Big Bend National Park. The title stands for weary googlers who are searching for a reason that a bird might be trying to get into their houses and/or attacking their windows (and side mirrors on cars! Easily enough prevented with paper or plastic bag securely placed over side mirrors, but then shiny hubcaps get the attention...)

The charming, witty, amorous suitor in the photo below is a Common Raven, making soft gutteral noises and bill-clacking to the lovely, svelte raven-in-the-mirror. At least we can only assume that charming and witty are attractive to ravens... the sweet nothings sure sounded charming.

Many of the questions I get about birds & windows are based on the assumption that the bird is actively trying to get into their house. Having not seen every situation on the planet, I can't rule that out, but in every situation that I've personally seen, the bird "trying to get in" is either defending territory by trying to attack the intruder it sees (itself), or, as is the case with the raven above... the poor critter just wants to say 'hello' to the attractive creature in the reflection.

The instinct for a bird to approach its reflection is pretty basic, like a baby in front of a mirror. There is no need for fear, panic, alarm, etc. While taping a piece of paper over the window might stop the bird from attacking that particular spot... well, there's still the rest of the window, right? This is good and bad; it means the bird can still attack a lot of window, but it also means that there's a lot of room to play.

Click here for an example of a Northern Cardinal attacking a window - via birds and buildings.org ...apologies for the gratuitous linking, as their photo is from my first round of undergrad adventures, but it demonstrates the "single piece of paper" theory in action (and failure).

One of the most simple examples of effective bird deterrence is this: the humble post-it note. Spacing them in a checkerboard pattern across the inside of a window is about as temporary and easy as it gets. Depending on the bird, it may only try to attack the window for a week or two; some may express territorial behaviors for a month or more.


















Both of the post-it note photos are courtesy of Pauline Saribas, who used the design to prevent lethal window strikes (as opposed to territorial strikes) - but the idea is the same; make the window as unattractive of a suitor/challenger/flying space as possible. The large "x" shape is unlikely to deter many strikes, lethal or not, because there's too much room around the shape, but if the entire surface was checkered the number of strikes would certainly go down. Hopefully the best "attacking" spots would be well concealed, thus ending the reign of Pecking Cardinal, Swooping Flycatcher, Flailing Mockingbird, and Heartthrob Raven.



















While a bird attacking a window is a nuisance to humans, perhaps, it is a distraction from what the bird should be doing - raising young, defending their territory from real birds, and generally going about their business. It is NEVER acceptable to kill the bird as a "solution" - it dooms their offspring and is illegal.

Go with the easy on, easy off, inexpensive, temporary and otherwise humane option of post-it notes. You can unleash your creativity with bright colors, bold patterns, crafting them into fun shapes and designs, and maybe even get the territorial bird away from your window(s). It could, however, get your neighbors wondering!

Other sites relevant to birds and windows:
FLAP.org has a section on "prevent window kills" with some very nifty links - they address a lot of things that do *and* don't work, as well as *why*

Project BirdSafe - for home & office - you don't have to be in Minnesota to appreciate their guidance!

This is geared mostly toward architects, but under "INFORMATION ABOUT
BIRD-SAFE DESIGNS" the "solution options" have some really cool
examples of modified windows - birdsandbuildings.org

Feel free to leave a comment or drop an e-mail if you'd like help addressing collision issues - territory or otherwise - it's always worth kicking around ideas to find what works in different situations!

Yard listing!

Our previous Marathon yard list probably got posted somewhere on this blog a while back... but the new house hasn't had any yard listing updates that I can recall. So here's one: Zone-tailed Hawk! Oh heck yes, my friends!

Inca Dove 9/1/10
Eurasian Collared Dove 9/1/10
Barn Swallow 9/1/10
Turkey Vulture 9/3/10
Prairie Falcon 9/3/10
White-winged Dove 9/4/10
Cliff Swallow 9/4/10
American Kestrel 9/7/10
Bronzed Cowbird 9/7/10
House Finch 9/7/10
Common Nighthawk 9/7/10
Lesser Nighthawk 9/7/10
Great-tailed Grackle 9/9/10
Lesser Goldfinch 9/9/10
Western Tanager 9/10/10
Cave Swallow 9/14/10
House Sparrow 9/14/10 est
Wilson's Warbler 9/26/10
Osprey 9/26/10 - 4/2/11
Summer Tanager 9/26/10
Black-chinned Hummingbird 9/26/10
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 9/27/10
Broad-winged Hawk 9/27/10
Blue Grosbeak 9/27/10
Upland Sandpiper 9/27/10
Curve-billed Thrasher 9/27/10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 9/28/10
Brewer's Blackbird 10/3/10
Cassin's Kingbird 10/4/10
Common Raven 10/5/10
Canyon Towhee 10/7/10
Red-shafted Northern Flicker 10/10/10
Chihuahuan Raven 10/16/10
Anna's Hummingbird 10/28* (ID on 31st)/10
Common Poorwill 11/9/10
Cedar Waxwing 11/19/10
Allen's Hummingbird 11/20/10
Great Horned Owl 11/?/10
Red-naped Sapsucker 12/11/10
Verdin 12/11/10
Groove-billed Ani 12/18/10
Bewick's Wren 12/21/10
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1/5/11
Red-winged Blackbird 3/8/11
Hermit Thrush 3/18/11
Lark Bunting 3/30/11
Belted Kingfisher 3/31/11
Chipping Sparrow 4/1/11
Vesper Sparrow 4/2/11
Zone-tailed Hawk 4/5/11

We've really lucked out with this yard (and counting things seen from the front slab, here at the Double Bacon), but counting things seen from the yard was really taken to a new level with today's find. We were turning from Hwy 90 on to G when a vulture caught my eye and I asked Matt to pull over. The light just wasn't right, the dihedral just wasn't strong enough, the flapping was just too... flappy. Wings, a bit too pointy. Tail a bit too longish. Then it banked. Ohhh yes, the white band on the tail, the yellow feet, then it drifted closer so we could see the fine barring on the primaries and a bit of molt in the right wing. So we jumped back into the truck as it drifted west and raced back up to the house. Yeah, we're nerds. But it DID drift back east! So as it passed 1/2 a block to the north, we could make out all of the details and pick our jaws off the ground. Hopefully it'll stick around for the summer =)

'The Slab' is now a porch

Our fond transition from "the little house on the corner" to "The Double Bacon" has been an interesting one. Inside photos from 'before' are quite a contrast to the (sorry, no photos yet) 'after' results... and things are constantly changing as temperatures change and plants get kicked out to enjoy the fresh air.

We finally met our landlady earlier in the month and she tracked down the best carpenter in town and The Slab has been turning into a porch ever since then.



One of these days we'll even figure out the hammock situation ;-)

Lights out, please!

'Lights Out' policies save thousands of migratory birds from fatal attraction

The link above has a really well rounded discussion of how turning down/off lights can help birds during migration - and how the ones who don't make it can still make a difference to science. The Chicago window monitoring methods are enviable, mostly due to the great participation they have. Other cities have a really hard time getting projects started and sustained.

The video, of course, starts with a drawer of really flashy not-North-American birds, but otherwise does well to be informative.

In case it gets bumped in the future, here's the text (apparently there's no way to embed the video):

'Lights Out' policies save thousands of migratory birds from fatal attraction
by Leslie Trew Magraw
March 17, 2011

Leslie Trew Magraw/MEDILL

The Chicago skyline has become less deadly since many of its most prominent members have adopted "lights out" policies during peak migration times.

As the Loop prepares to dim its lights to save thousands of avian lives, volunteers with the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors ready themselves to pound the city streets in the early morning hours to pick up migratory birds that have collided with buildings.

Mid-March marks the beginning of the spring migration season in the area, and most prominent members of Chicago’s skyline are instituting a “lights out” policy to prevent migratory birds from being drawn to the city’s glow.

“We know that the Lights Out program is inevitably saving thousands of lives,” said Annette Prince, director of the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors. “When cities are lit up at night, they attract birds to buildings that they would have avoided otherwise. They’ll circle [the buildings] and get confused. It’s a fatal attraction for them.”

Participating buildings turn down their lights from 11 p.m. to sunrise during the peak months of bird migration -- from mid-March to early June in the spring and from late August to mid-November in the fall.

Most song birds migrate at night using stars to navigate, the twinkling lights of the Chicago skyline disorient and distract, leading birds away from the open sky and into harm’s way.

The American Bird Conservancy estimates that up to a billion birds collide with buildings each year, making it a leading cause of death for thousands of species.

Joan Bruchman, a volunteer who canvassed the Loop looking for injured and dead birds with CBCM before buildings started dimming their lights, said: “When we first started, there were birds all the time. Now I find very few birds during the dark part of the [monitoring trip].”

A building doesn’t have to be tall to be dangerous to birds; it just has to have glass. Any building that has a window -- whether reflective or transparent -- can be a lure, according to David Willard, an ornithologist at the Field Museum.

Willard, who also acts as a bird monitor, said that the more glass a building has, the bigger risk it poses to birds.

“McCormick Place [which has one of the highest bird mortality rates in the city] is a kind of squat building – it’s only a couple of stories high – but it has an extensive expanse of glass,” he said.

For the past 34 years, Willard has circled the building each morning looking for the previous night’s casualties. “The total number being killed at McCormick Place because of lights being out is now a quarter of what it used to be,” he said.

Even though there has been a dramatic decrease in bird deaths since buildings have adopted lights out policies, other factors continue to pose problems for birds.

The collision monitors have been noticing that many birds are hitting buildings after first light.

Chicago offers green space along the lakefront and river that provide prime resting and feeding grounds for wing-weary migrants. Unfortunately, that puts them in “proximity to buildings with huge amounts of glass and dangerous reflections,” according to Prince.

Buildings that have landscaping either outside or inside can also act as lures for birds. “It’s the combination of having windows – and an attractive area for the birds to be drawn to in the mornings,” she said.

Willard said it’s often what is inside the buildings – and not the lights or the glass outside and what it reflects -- that draws birds into harm’s way.

“If you’ve got a bank with a big, essentially tropical, garden in the lobby and a bird that’s stressed after a night’s flight, those birds will see what looks like a great place to forage inside the lobby and have no way to know that there’s a pane of glass between them and it,” Willard said.

In addition to dimming lights at night, Prince said many buildings are dimming their lobby lights in the early morning hours, moving plants away from windows and putting temporary netting or paint on the windows during peak migration months.

“It will kill the best of a species and the worst of a species.”

Prince said many people rationalize the problem by arguing that bird collisions are somehow the result of natural selection – that it’s nature’s way of weeding out the stupidest or the weakest birds. She said that line of thinking is simply wrong.

“Glass is something that [birds] have not been evolved to understand,” she said. “Birds have been here thousands and thousands of years, and we’ve had glass skyscrapers for what’s just a drop in the time span of these birds’ evolutionary history.”

Many scientists believe that studying bird vision could lead to insights about how to improve glass so that it will pose less of a problem for birds.

Since birds see in ultraviolet, some manufacturers are making glass that reflects light in that part of the spectrum. Willard said, “There’s some thought that you could put patterns in the glass that would have no aesthetic effect on how you or I would see the building – and the bird would see something that looks like a window screen or bars or something [that would tell it to avoid the glass].”

Guardian angels for birds

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors volunteers help salvage some of the birds that had been injured after colliding with downtown buildings. The group operates as a non-profit sister organization under the banner of the Chicago Audubon Society.

Each migratory season, the monitors rescue thousands of stunned birds and take them to Willowbrook Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Glen Ellyn for treatment and release. Prince, who has headed up the all-volunteer organization for the last five years, said approximately 80 percent of the birds taken in for treatment survive to fly another day.

Volunteers typically start their rounds before dawn and then circle back to check for dead and injured birds once the sun has risen. Having to wake up early can wear on the volunteers.

Glenn Gabanski, a retired math teacher who has volunteered with CBCM for more than five years said: “Some mornings I say this is the last year I’m doing it. But here I am starting up again. It’s because of the value to the birds and also to the value to science, that I keep going.”

The group operates an emergency hotline (773-988-1867) and encourages people to report injured birds.

“I think the reason that we’ve been able to respond and pick up as many birds as we have been is people know about it. People are happy to call the number,” Prince said.

She said that many of the calls come from building managers, security guards, doormen and people who work or live downtown. “They’ve had a long history of seeing these birds at their buildings – and they will call us to come help,” she said.

Prince said the first step in saving an injured bird’s life is containing the bird and moving it to safety until a volunteer arrives to take it to a rehabilitation center. “Half the battle is getting the bird picked up,” she said. “If they’re laying in the street, they can be run over by cars. If they’re on the sidewalks, they can get stepped on. They’re so small and unnoticeable that it’s easy to miss them.”

There are non-human dangers for injured birds, too. “Predators come in the mornings looking for these injured birds,” Prince said. “The crows and the gulls go up and down the same areas that our monitors go.”

The collision monitors are interested in recovering both the injured birds and the birds that have already died. The fallen birds are taken to the Field Museum where they become part of the museum’s specimen collection, are stripped down to a skeleton and added to a sample set used to study changes over time, or prepared and shipped out to be incorporated into other scientific research projects.

Willard oversees the birds once they arrive at the museum. "[They] give us a much more complete understanding of the biology of birds," he said. "Because as much as is known, it's still surprising how much isn't."