A Nashville Warbler From Head to Toe

Wood warblers are among the most beautiful and elusive birds to observe.  During fall migration they become even more challenging, with many changing from their brilliant breeding plumage into more subtle neutral shades, making it harder to both see them and to distinguish species.

The Nashville Warbler, shown above and below, is one warbler species that does not dramatically change in the fall, but retains much of its breeding plumage coloration. This warbler is named after Nashville, Tennessee, the location where it was first observed in 1811, by Alexander Wilson, the man who named the species.  Since Nashville is my birth place and where I spent my childhood years, my curiosity has always peaked when hearing reports of both Nashville warblers and Tennessee warblers as they migrate through Tennessee, but until last weekend, I had never seen either.  Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of seeing both these species for the very first time, and up close, at a banding session at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge.

Birds are truly beautiful from head to toe and this beauty becomes even more amazing while viewing them at close range.  I never fail to marvel at the shimmering iridescence that is often hidden even in plumage that gives the bird an overall neutral appearance.  Since the work of banding is primarily to document a bird's presence, health and other information used to understand the overall health and status of a species population, not much time is available for photographing during a busy banding morning.  But since this Nashville Warbler was our last banded bird for the session and quite alert and spunky, we had opportunity to admire and enjoy him.

His color details include:  a clear and prominent white eye-ring, pale gray plumage on the head that blends into deep olive on the back and wings (no wing bars), a brilliant yellow throat and belly, a hidden "chestnut" crown (male) and the repetition of that beautiful yellow on its foot pads.

When painting an image, an artist strives to create unity with color and contrast, and with the repetition and mixing of colors that unite the finished work.  In nature we find this same unity occurring naturally, as though a Divine Artist has picked up a brush and painted each bird with the most incredible skill and beauty.  Add to this the complex function of each unique characteristic that is found in a bird species, and you have what I consider to be one of the greatest wonders of nature.    

This particular male Nashville warbler had a crown patch the hue of deep red wine hidden beneath his gray feather tips.  The reddish color actually occurs mid-way in the feather, with the tip and base being gray. From my position, light enabled me to see the red color glowing through the gray feather tips, though if you looked down on the head, there was only the appearance of gray.  And who gets to see the beauty of a bird's foot pad, but the birds themselves and those of us lucky enough to be present at a banding table!

Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge is a haven for migrating birds.  Planted in warm season grasses with many seed and fruit producing shrubby areas, fruit and berry trees along edges, and native wildflowers, it provides both abundant food sources for migrating birds and a wintering-over spot for birds that remain in the Tennessee Valley during the winter.  

Right now the refuge is awash with vibrant fall colors in native wildflowers that are both beautiful and produce an abundance of seeds for birds and other wildlife.

Below, you can see seeds emerging from what I believe is a tickseed sunflower, a member of the Aster family.

And below, emerging seeds in the flower heads of White Crownbeard. This was only my glimpse as I was leaving the refuge. I'm looking forward to returning soon for a long leisurely hike and a better look at this year's fall season bounty.

Links and Resources:

Click on the links to see more about bird-banding and Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge.
You may also enjoy visiting the Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge website.
More of my posts on warblers can be found at these links:  Wood Warblers and New River Birding and Nature Festival
Visit Cornell's information pages on the Nashville Warbler and the Tennessee Warbler
Information about the tickseed sunflower

The Beauty of Hummingbird Feathers

As long as these little jewels are around, I feel compelled to step outside and spend time among them, especially knowing that in only a few weeks they will be gone.

Above you see a male ruby-throated hummingbird guarding his nectar source by perching on top of the "flower".  And I had a delightful time capturing the images you see below.

I was standing near the holly, a place where hummers like to settle, either to hide until they can approach the feeder or to wait in order to ambush other hummers arriving.  I discovered by accident one morning, that they ignore me if I'm already there when they arrive.  I'm very visible but quiet, standing with camera ready, so that when I actually do take an image, I'm moving very little.  Busy and intent on feeding or defending their nectar source, hummingbirds land near me.  If they didn't notice me before and are uneasy, they may move to a different twig, but generally they ignore me.

In this position, I am also directly across from a feeder that hangs from a shepherd's hook.  In the images above and below, you see a hummer guarding that feeder by perching on the end of the hook.  In the morning light, even though overcast, I was in the perfect spot to capture these images.  

And I wanted you to see these beautiful feathers.  Rows and rows of gorgeous, emerald feathers that glisten many hues, even in overcast light.  Though the male's flashy ruby throat is dazzling, you have to agree that the ruby-throated hummingbird's emerald feathers are among the most beautiful you've ever seen.  (click on any image to enlarge)

I also had a chance to sketch hummingbirds last weekend.  Attempting this was exceptionally satisfying.  Keep in mind, ruby-throats beat their wings at 40-80 beats per second, and can move at speeds of 30-50 mph.  They were kind enough to hover and perch some while I sketched, but mostly they were on the move, any stillness quickly meeting disruption.  There certainly was no waiting around for a hummer to appear.  It was fascinating to watch them in this way, to turn off symbolic memory and actually search for the details, limiting focus and honing memory to try to catch one solid detail--the line of the back, the distance between neck and wings, the shape of the top of the head, how that beak connects to the face.  Fascinating to feel the adjustments your vision and memory make, realizing you only get a glimpse, less than a second to get it down.

For more about this sketching experience visit:  Sketching Hummingbirds in Flight at Vickie's Sketchbook.  To see more of my hummingbird images on this blog visit:  ruby-throated hummingbirds.  

Hummers Swarming

When I arrived home from my office last evening, around 7:00, my feeders were swarming with hummingbirds.  I use that term both because of the large numbers, and the buzzing of that many wings all at once!  Amazing to experience in all aspects.

Three of the six feeders I had out were empty, so I quickly refilled them, then settled in a chair to watch the activity.  Hummers jockeyed for feeder position and then just as suddenly, settled quietly in groups of seven or more until the next addition came along disturbing the whole group.  A crisp gusting wind arrived along with the dimming light. We had a front coming through and the temperature had already dropped to 57 F, headed for around 52 F later.  And, while this is not terribly cold, it represents a considerable and sudden drop for this time of year in east Tennessee.

There were clearly more hummers converging on the feeders all at once than I had witnessed on any other evening this week.  I managed to catch as many as nine in some of the photos you see here, but there were more above and below the feeders than I could capture in one image.  Multiply that by six feeders, with at least four to six approaching and feeding on each, and you have an idea of the numbers I was seeing.

What a spectacle and a privilege.  Since the light was getting very low, I snapped a few images with the flash, thinking that I was probably accomplishing nothing.  But even though the color of the birds changed from their normal emerald green to gold, the images didn't turn out as bad as I initially thought.  I actually like the way the flash lit up their wings.  So, I'm sharing them with you just to give you a bit more of the experience.

The individual images you see below, were taken earlier in the week in better light conditions. I enjoy trying to capture flight images and will show these to you in another post. I use the images for art reference, useful even when they aren't so clear, but also because I enjoy seeing the magnification through the lens.  Sketching these birds while I watch is my next goal.  I think I'm close.  I've certainly watched them enough!

I've had one male at the feeders for the past few days that has a warning chirp considerably different from the others.  It sounds a bit like the rhythm of a chickadee call, but higher pitched.  In a synchronous moment, I managed to capture an image of him at the same time I heard his voice.  It wasn't until I looked at the image that I realized his lower beak is damaged, bent so that it doesn't completely close.

These are not exactly the details you want to see, but I comfort myself in seeing that he seems healthy and preened, and has done a fair job of establishing his place at the feeder, guarding from the top from time to time.  In fact, I've seen several males guarding from that position this season, maybe because of the heavy migration numbers.  This one was in the middle of all the fray.  I expect he, along with many others, said their goodbyes to this feeding station, and I'll be seeing a fresh group of faces with first light.

The Hummingbird Days of Summer

This has become one of my favorite times of year.  Not necessarily September's weather, but because a wonderful mob of hummers is passing through.

Just about any morning I have the opportunity, you will find me sitting on the patio, coffee in hand, sometimes camera, with hummingbirds all around me as I watch the interactions at the feeders.  And the juvenile antics add a big plus to the pleasure.  Just a day ago, I looked out the window before going out and found one juvenile perched on the top of the feeder he was guarding, and another one perched on the shepherd's hook with the feeder he guarded hanging below him.  And today, I noticed two adult males feeding at the same time on one feeder.  It's fascinating to know that subtle hummer communication made that possible, when otherwise, they would be embattled.

Unlike the northeast, we have needed rain badly in east Tennessee.  So this evening when a storm moved in, I sat out under the shelter of the deck, enjoying its approach. Our temperature had reached 97 F, the humidity making that feel like 100 degrees of suffocating air.  The storm blew in packing 30-40 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph and within an hour the temps had plummeted to the low 70's.  A welcomed change.  As the wind picked up, I watched as several hummers tried to reach the feeders by flying into a headwind.  It pushed them backward.  This was not easy to watch.  But their quick adjustment was heartening.  After several attempts, they would adjust direction, sometimes moving to a different feeder to get a better angle or a different wind effect.  As soon as the wind slumped, it seemed like hummers were falling out of the sky, and not peacefully either.  They arrived again with full attitude until the gusts picked up again. Amazing creatures!

And my favorite moment of all this week happened when I was just standing in the right place at the right time.  A petite little female landed on the feeder right in front of me.  She was so close I could have reached out and touched her.  I didn't move, just stood there watching her, in awe of her beauty.

A special moment in the hummingbird days of summer.

Links and resources:

For more information about hummingbirds and their migration click this link to my posts on Ruby-throated hummingbirds.  And to see more of my hummingbird art, visit my bird gallery.

Late Plantings, Hummingbirds and Skippers

Though its late in the growing season, I had the urge to plant flowers earlier this week, a few of my favorite perennials--coneflowers and coreopsis.  I think the urge may have been prompted by simply seeing these flowers at one of my favorite garden shops, while earlier in the season I had been unable to find them.

Skipper on Lantana

But also, the increase in hummingbird activity was an encouragement.  As migrants pass through, I'm eager to provide plenty of energy-producing nectar to help them along their journey.  Males were guarding the feeders yesterday, three at a time, dividing the four feeders into their three separate territories.  It's fascinating to watch, each showing disinterest in the activity at a feeder only a few feet away from the one they're guarding. Today, it was clear there are also plenty of juveniles coming through, fanning tails and chirping loudly as they encountered each other.  Delightful company while I'm working in the flowers, sketching, or just enjoying the patio.

And today, while photographing a Silvery Checkerspot, I became intrigued with the skippers that are visiting the flowers.  In the past, skippers have struck me as drab brown butterflies of little interest.  But today, through my camera's lens, I saw them in an entirely different way, with subtle color, expressive big eyed faces, and the appearance of floppy antennae.

Silvery Checkerspot on Coreopsis grandiflora, above.  I think the seed pod is exquisite, too, with that mop of orange!  In the images below, skippers on white and purple coneflowers.

I have Kaufman's Field Guide to Butterflies of North American, but I'm making no attempt to identify which skippers you see in these photos.  Roughly one-third of all butterflies fall into the skipper family, a species group with subtle distinctions and high-speed flight patterns, providing a welcomed challenge to experienced butterfly enthusiasts.   I'm a beginner, so I'll welcome ID help from those of you out there who have skipper experience.

Tonight, I've been watching the reports as hurricane Irene progresses northward up the east coast, and feeling concern for friends and family, as well as, all of those in the path of this storm.  Sending heart-felt wishes for safety and comfort as people endure storm-related hardships in the hours ahead.

Below, one of my watercolor sketches of a white coneflower.  

Links and resources:

To see more sketches of the garden, visit, Coneflowers at Vickie's Sketchbook
Information on skippers from Bug Guide and Wiki
Wiki on Coneflowers
Wiki on Coreopsis; this particular variety is Coreopsis grandiflora.
Kaufman's Field Guide to Butterflies of North America

Purple Martins--The Excitement of Fledging

If I needed any reminder of why watching birds is so compelling for me, my visits to the purple martin colony gave me exactly that.  Tons of fun, new information, and surprises!

For example, haven't you always heard that purple martins are loved by landowners because they are insectivores and eat lots of mosquitoes?  This notion turns out to be a compelling myth.  They do eat lots of insects including dragonflies, damselflies, June bugs, beetles, grasshoppers, cicadas, and many others, but they rarely encounter mosquitoes.  In an intensive 7-year study conducted by the Purple Martin Conservation Association, no mosquitoes were found among the 500 different food items purple martins brought to their young.  The simple reason, purple martins hunt for food in flight, high up in the sky during the day and mosquitoes hang out in low, damp places during the same hours.  And in actually, purple martin landlords love purple martins because they love purple martins!

Female purple martin study

Even though, I had seen images, I also was in disbelief about the huge size of the dragonflies that martins capture while on the wing.  I thought, surely we don't have dragonflies that large in Tennessee, maybe west or north of us.  But that doubt was quickly abated as I witnessed martins bringing enormous dragonflies to their young.  

And as the nesting season progressed into late July, I had the pleasure of seeing curious nestlings poking their heads out of gourd cavities as they watched all the activity going on around them.  If you've ever visited a martin colony, you know there is plenty of activity, especially when fledging is in progress.  

I spotted one nestling that was so curious she was stretching far out of the gourd opening, moving farther and farther out until she was precariously perched on the deck. I felt certain she was going to fall off.  But with all that curiosity and the instinct to fly, she suddenly spread her wings and off she flew on her first flight with Mom following and vocalizing in close pursuit!  Breathtaking.  I was so excited.  I had just watched a purple martin nestling fledge!

And what happens once all those nestlings fledge?  Martins remain at the nesting colony site for a while during the fledging period while the young strengthen their flying skills, but soon after, members of the colony move on to communal roosts as they begin migration to South America.   For early nesters this migration begins in June, for others it is occurring now.  A given roost may have birds from many different areas, and the members of the roost will change daily.   The roost shown in the video below is in Nashville, TN and was photographed in August of 2010.  In June of this year it was reported to have more than 10,000 martins gathering.  An incredible sight and sound.  (There is no sound on this video).


Links and Resources:
To listen to purple martins vocalize visit Cornell's page on purple martins.
Visit the Purple Martin Conservation Association's page on the purple martin roost.
To see all my posts on my observations of this colony visit:  purple martins.  The most recent post will be first.

You may also want to visit my Purple Martin with Prey painting and watch it take shape at Vickie's Sketchbook.

Purple Martins--Nesting Behavior

It is always amazing to me when a bird hangs in there, remaining on the nest while a nest-check is taking place.   

One of the tasks of a purple martin landlord is checking the nests to record progress or problems as they look after the welfare of their purple martin colony.  On one of my visits this summer to a martin colony in my area, I had the pleasure of being present for one of these nest checks.  Not only was it intriguing to see the array of twigs, leaves and other items the martins add to their nests, but also to see the several martin females that remained on their nests while the nest check was in progress.  Keep in mind, the rows of artificial gourd housing are lowered with a pulley-like system, so the bird is not only remaining on the nest through this lowering process, but through other nest checks until the portal in her gourd is finally opened for viewing.     

Personally, I call that courage.  But it is also true, that when landlords visit their birds on a regular basis, the birds become familiar with the landlord and are not alarmed when nest checks take place.  The purple martin's historical reliance on housing provided by humans and preference for the safety of living near human activity, may also help foster this trust.

In my last post I showed you a purple martin female trying to maneuver a long twig into her nest cavity.  Now, take a look at the pine cone in the nest above, and the image below.  The cone was almost the size of my hand, clearly larger than the smaller, more oblong cavity opening that it was maneuvered through.  

One has to wonder how a martin managed to grip an object this size, let alone, pull it into the nest cavity with an opening no larger than the one shown below!  

And then there's the leaves.      

A universal habit of purple martins is the addition of fresh green leaves to the nest, beginning with the completion of the loose nest structure and continuing until the eggs hatch.  Both the male and female participate in this activity, but observations seem to indicate that males become more preoccupied with this task. 

Above, you see a female martin plucking a maple leaf, and below, a male martin perched with a pear leaf before taking it into the nest. 

A report on the Purple Martin Conservation Association website gives some delightful descriptions of this leaf gathering activity (link provided below).  Practical theories for why fresh leaves are added to the nest include parasite control and thermal regulation, but the real purpose for adding the leaves remains a mystery. 

August 9th:  Update--Pine cones added by hand not beak!

Because the pine cones seen in the above nests did not make sense as nesting material, and one is quite large, I inquired about this occurrence at the Purple Martin Conservation Association, and also with the colony landlord.  Many purple martin landlords collect pine straw and place it in the nesting cavities prior to martin nesting activity to encourage nest selection.  Pine needles are often raked into a pile, and along with them, some pine cones.  When grabbing a handful of straw to place in a nest through the opened portal, sometimes a cone that is not open won't be felt.  This is what the landlord believed happened, especially in the case of the larger pine cone.    

Coming up:  More fun stories about purple martins!

Links and Resources:

Purple Martin Conservation Association:  Green Leaves and Martins

To see all my posts on this colony visit:  purple martins.  The most recent post will be first.

Visit my Purple Martin with Prey painting and watch it take shape at Vickie's Sketchbook.

Purple martin eggs and babies

Purple Martins Finding a Summer Home

South Austin, TX--Saving Martin Babies from Heat