Articles

May 22 2019

Unusual cold weather has birds struggling in South Dakota

Author: DakotaBirder • Discussion: No Comments

Five very different birds, but five species with something very much in common. The cool, wet spring continues, with rain and wind in the eastern part of South Dakota, and a late May snowstorm in the western part of the state. It had already been an odd migration given the cool temps that don’t want to give way to spring. Until last Friday (May 17th, songbird migration was noticeably slow, with very few warblers around other than Yellow-rumped. But that seemed to have changed last weekend. On Saturday (May 18th) we had a major fall-out of migrants, with warblers of every kind (I had 20 species on Saturday), vireos, flycatchers, and other songbirds appearing seemingly out of thin air. The birding this weekend was positively SPECTACULAR, and there’s no doubt for me it was the best warbler spotting in the 20 years I’ve been birding.

That spectacular birding has come with a price, however. With cool and wet conditions continuing, you can tell birds are struggling. The problem? I just think there aren’t the usual insects out yet for this time of year. Because of that, you’re seeing species with behaviors you normally don’t see. From a bird photography perspective I guess it’s been great, as the birds have been 1) concentrated, with many birds often foraging in select locations out of the wind and rain, and in areas where a few insects might be, and 2) many species have been down lower to the ground than normal.

Here’s a pictorial of five species I’ve encountered in recent days, five species that all appear to be impacted by the cool wet weather.

In the account of the Great Crested Flycatcher on my main webpage, for “behavior” it states that Great Crested Flycatchers are “usually found high in the tree canopy, more often heard than seen”. Normally that’s true. They’re a quite vocal species, and I do hear them more than I actually see them. However, in the last week, I’ve seen a number of them, down low, foraging in areas that seem rather odd for the species. At both Newton Hills State Park and Good Earth State Park, I’ve seen multiple Great-crested Flycatchers foraging on the ground or in low grasslands. Again, my take is that insects are hard to find in the cool wet weather, leading birds like Great Crested Flycatchers to forage in areas they normally would not. Photo is from May 19th at Good Earth State Park.
While birding Newton Hills State Park Sunday, I saw three Scarlet Tanagers, all foraging within a few feet of each other. Seeing Scarlet Tanagers at Newton Hills isn’t news, as it’s one of the best places in the state to find them. To see three foraging together is unusual, however. Seeing all three ON THE GROUND, foraging as if they were Robins, is definitely unusual. It was a cornucopia of color, with a Red-headed Woodpecker low in the nearby sumac, an Indigo bunting down low, and American Robins and Scarlet Tanagers feeding together as if they were the same species. I’ve seen more Scarlet Tanagers this spring than I remember seeing before, but frankly it’s because they’re using habitats and behaviors they normally would not. Photo is from May 19th at Newton Hills State Park.
On Sunday, I spent quite a bit of time at Lake Lakota, a reservoir right next to Newton Hills State Park. Sunday morning was a nasty day…temps in the 30s, foggy, and cloudy with occasional drizzle. Again, from a photographer’s perspective it certainly played to my advantage, as birds were heavily concentrated along the lake shores of Lake Lakota. That’s been a common theme in the last week, with insect eating birds often found very near water sources. Given their behavior and concentration, presumably it’s because these insect-eating birds are going where the food is, and with the cold weather, it seems insects associated with water bodies are some of the few that are around. There have been a few times over the last 20 years where on a cold May day, I’ve found heavy concentrations of all kinds of swallow species on the ground, and Sunday was one of those days. Sitting on the beach at Lake Lakota were Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and Bank Swallows. At any one time, it appeared that about two-thirds of the birds were perched on the beach, with a few low in nearby shrubs and trees. The other third were swooping over the lake itself, extremely close to the water’s surface as they searched for food. Those on the beach would occasionally move, but not in typical swallow fashion. Several appeared to sometimes be almost walking around looking for food, VERY strange for species that collect their insect prey in flight. It wasn’t just swallows, as other species were also concentrated on the beach, including more Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles than I’ve ever seen in one location before. Given that they were seemingly struggling, I didn’t want to get too close for photos, so the photo above is of a Tree Swallow from a similar situation several years ago, on a very cold morning at Lake Thompson in South Dakota.
Speaking of shorelines along water bodies…while most warbler species were pretty much absent in the area until Saturday, that definitely wasn’t the case with Yellow-rumped Warblers. They have been THICK, but often in areas you don’t associate with warblers. While driving north of Wall Lake in western Minnehaha County last week, I saw many birds perched along a barbed wire fence, occasionally flying out to “flycatch”, capturing insects in mid-air. It was an area with a couple of shallow wetlands, areas that must have hatched some mosquitos or other flying insects despite the cool wet weather. It was an area with nary a tree in sight, yet as I got closer I saw what they were…ALL Yellow-rumped Warblers, in big numbers, hanging out here in a completely open landscape and making do with what bugs they could find. The situation was similar one day when I was looking for shorebirds at Weisensee Slough in western Minnehaha County. Weisensee is the last place I’d think of going to look for warblers, given as it’s a very large wetland/water body, with just no woodland patches on the accessible part along the road. That was a very windy day, shorebirds were almost completely absent (another blog post about shorebird migration perhaps), and with the chop on the water, it was difficult to see many birds out on the lake. Yet as I approached the ONE location along the road with a few very small willow trees, I saw a heavy concentration of Yellow-rumped Warblers, perched on the shoreline itself or low in the trees on the lee side of the wind, trying to capture insects. The photo above is one of those Yellow-rumped Warblers from Weisensee.
On Facebook I’ve been seeing many photos people have posted of their orange and jelly feeders, with big concentrations of Orioles. On the east side of the state, that means Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, while Bullock’s Orioles are also thrown into the mix in western South Dakota. that’s certainly been the case at my feeders as well, as I typically have to fill my two jelly cups every morning. The same thing happened during a cold snap last May, where very hungry, insect-starved Orioles showed up at my feeders in force…also the first time Orchard Orioles joined the Baltimore Orioles in our suburban neighborhood.
Jun 02 2018

Landscaping MVP – Most Valuable Plant (for a birder)

Author: DakotaBirder • Discussion: No Comments

Honeysuckle - Lonicera

A current view of our yard “MVP”, a honeysuckle tucked in a tiny spot next to the garage and front porch. This is a pretty typical view for a visitor to our house in the spring…greeted by a big honeysuckle that is absolutely loaded with beautiful orange blooms. Click for a larger view.

Competition this spring was high.  Who would be named MVP? The long-time, consistent performer who never lets you down? The up-and-comer, inconsistent, but absolutely glorious so far this spring?  Or perhaps some underdog, flying under the radar and gathering votes as the top two split other voters?

When we built our house 11 years ago, I had a blast doing all of my own landscaping. It’s taken a while to “build up” to a mature landscaped yard, but after 11 years, we now are starting to get some trees of substantial size, while the bushes and perennials have matured. During those 11 years, it’s been simply wonderful noticing how the number and diversity of birds in our yard has grown, as the landscaping has matured.

MVP of course is “Most Valuable Plant”, from the perspective of a birder and how attractive the plant is to birds in our yard. When I did the landscaping, I focused VERY heavily on planting shrubs, perennials, and trees that would attract birds. We have a few conifers, for cover and nesting. We have some fast growing birch, trees that have matured quickly and attracted birds, with catkins on our paper birch that are an absolute favorite for finches in the winter. I have sour cherries, viburnum, and other bushes and small trees with berries to attract birds. I have many perennials specifically chosen for the blooms that attract hummingbirds.

But this year’s MVP is the same as the MVP from about the, oh…last 5 or 6 years.  In the front of our house, right by the entrance and front porch, is a little spot perhaps 2 x 4 feet.  It fits in between the curved sidewalk leading from the driveway to the front porch, and the side of the garage.  When I was landscaping, it was kind of a “throwaway” spot, an afterthought, without much room to do anything substantial.  We had a honeysuckle that we actually had indoors at our old house. Not even knowing if it was hardy, I planted it in that location, and didn’t think much of it.

To my surprise, it not only survived the winter, it absolutely THRIVED. The little spot faces the southwest, and with the garage wall blocking any of our cold, South Dakota north winds, the honeysuckle has grown and thrived beyond all expectations.  In that protected location, getting the full blunt of the afternoon sun and being protected from cold, the honeysuckle often starts to bud out by late March.  Last year, IT STILL HAD BLOOMS ON THANKSGIVING!!  That’s NOVEMBER in South Dakota, and an outdoor plant was still blooming!! In the spring, it goes absolutely nuts with absolutely prolific blooms (see photo above), and then continues to bloom during the entire summer and fall.

American Robin Nest - Turdus migratorius

A peek inside the honeysuckle today revealed the American Robin nest, with one hatchling and another that is still in the process of working her way out of its egg.

The reason the honeysuckle gets the “MVP” award? I’m a sucker for hummingbirds, and there’s no feature in my yard, not even my nectar/sugar feeder, that attracts hummingbirds like this honeysuckle. We live across the street from a state park, the Big Sioux Recreation Area, and I often seen hummingbirds coming from the park, making an extended stop at the honeysuckle, and then returning to the park. The blooms also have attracted other birds over the years. This spring I had Orchard Orioles that seemed to like to pierce the blooms for nectar, and I’ve also had Tennessee Warblers do the same.

The plant is also unbelievable thick and lush, with a support structure holding up the extensive number of vines. Within that thick cover, birds have often nested within.  The two most common have been House Finches, and American Robins.  This spring, an American Robin once again built a nest within the thicket of the honeysuckle.  I have SO many Brown-headed Cowbirds in our neighborhood, but I don’t ever seem to find cowbird eggs in the nest in the honeysuckle. I think that’s likely because of how thick it is, and how well hidden the nests are.

MVP!! MVP!! MVP!! For 2018, the long-standing champ takes the crown yet again!

 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris

Ruby-throated Hummingbird foraging at the honeysuckle.

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