Montshire Minute: Local Birds

Originally aired during the week of March 22, 1999

Monday

Folks taking part in Montshire's birding course, which begins Monday, March 29, will be looking for common marshland birds. One of these is the American woodcock, which, as Aldo Leopold relates in his book A Sand County Almanac, provides a very dramatic and entertaining mating ritual. The show begins about this time of year, with performances scheduled for dawn or early evening. From the spectator's point of view, the lighting leaves something to be desired, and seating is not cushy. In fact, the cast may not show up at all on some nights, depending on the weather. So it's not exactly Broadway, but it's worth a little inconvenience during an evening or early morning stroll to seek out a clearing in a shrubby wetland area, find a seat on a convenient log or rock, and look for the sky dance of the woodcock. Call the Museum in Norwich if you'd like to join us as we look for this elusive bird.

Tuesday

The woodcock is not a noble looking bird. It is squat and round, measuring less than a foot in length, with a bill about two inches long and large eyes set far back on its head. Only during mating season, in the dim light of dawn or dusk, does the male woodcock show enthusiasm for flying. The bird will select a bare spot with moss or sand as its launching pad. His flight is preceded by a series of throaty calls, after which he soars as high as 300 feet into the air, making wider and wider circles as he rises. At the peak of the ascent, the woodcock may appear to be hanging for a moment in mid-air. Finally he tumbles down, softly warbling on his way, and righting himself a few feet above ground. These acrobatics, repeated over and over again, are intended to impress the females. The usual length of the performance is about an hour, perhaps longer on moonlit nights. Ah, how romantic!

Wednesday

Soon, many types of songbirds will be on their way back to northern New England, and we'll be looking for these species later on in the spring. Some birds, called neo-tropical migrants, nest here after traveling thousands of miles from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. If you live by the Connecticut River, you may see the birds returning before your neighbors in the highlands. This is because, according to a study funded by the Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the birds use the river as a flight route as they north. Bottomlands along the river tend to warm up first, and the resulting plant and insect life provide important food for the tiny marathon travelers! Montshire's spring birding course is just getting started. You can join us for a look at common marsh birds on March 29 - just give us a call at 802 649-2200 to register.

Thursday

Spring will soon be here and the hills will be alive with the sound of chirping. The Black and White Warbler, the Veery, the Indigo Bunting, and the Red-Eyed Vireo are just some of the local birds returning to New England from their wintering grounds to the south. Listen and watch for them, because their songs and colors will be brightening up the forests and maybe even your backyard. The Black and White Warbler can be found almost everywhere in New England. Unlike some birds, this one builds its nest on the ground, sometimes hidden in the roots of a tree. The Black and White warbler can be identified by the striking black and white stripes along its back - it's sort of the zebra of the bird world. Warblers are long-distance flyers - some have been known to travel nonstop over the Atlantic from New England to South America - that's 3700 kilometers!

Friday

During the 1980s, conservationists began to be concerned about the declining population of migratory birds. They discovered that bird habitat was rapidly being lost in North America nesting areas and in wintering grounds in the Caribbean and Central and South America. One problem in our area is forest fragmentation, which occurs when roads, houses or other human developments intrude on bird habitat. Even if there is no net loss in forest area, the amount of forestland that borders on open fields and human settlements increases. This can be deadly for migratory birds that have short breeding seasons and prefer to nest deep in the forest. Their eggs are more vulnerable to predators. Cowbirds, which thrive in open fields, also lay their eggs in the songbirds' nests. When the eggs hatch, the larger, stronger cowbirds eat the food their unwitting foster parents bring back to the nest.