SEASIDE SPARROWS

Seaside Sparrow, see also below

“There is a Seaside Sparrow up at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, want to go along to look for it?” The call came in just as I was leaving for a medical appointment and was not able to join my friend for the Seaside Sparrow search. But the call got me thinking about Seaside Sparrows and sparrows in general. Yes, I know, sparrows are ho-hum birds and not on everyone’s list of favorites, but the conversation got me wondering about how many species of sparrows there are in North America, and what the range of Seaside Sparrows is that it was regarded as an unusual species here near Vero Beach just north of St Lucie County.

Quick answers: 1, there are 34 species of sparrows in North American, not counting the introduced ubiquitous invasive House Sparrow and the also introduced but very local Eurasian Tree Sparrow found only around St Louis, Missouri. And 2, as to the range of the Seaside Sparrow, and why it is regarded as unusual along east coast Florida, curiously, two apps on my mobile phone show it as not even being here at any season, and a third app, as well as Cornell’s “All About Birds” page on the internet show Seaside Sparrows as being a strictly wintertime visitor to east coast Florida.

Whichever is correct, the Seaside Sparrow is pretty much a strictly salt marsh grasslands bird, and anywhere it might be found in Florida is probably highly unusual. Here in Florida the most common sparrow is the Savannah Sparrow. Other highly sought after sparrows include the Bachmann’s Sparrow, the Grasshopper Sparrow, which has both the winter time migratory subspecies, and the rarer Florida non-migratory subspecies, the occasionally seen Swamp Sparrow and the even less occasionally seen Clay-colored Sparrow. Up north at our Pennsylvania home the Song Sparrow is common year round and in the winter White-throated Sparrows and sometimes Fox Sparrows show up at the feeders. Most other sparrow species require some effort and searching to find.

When I began searching my files for photos of Seaside Sparrows, which I knew I had taken, I was surprised to find that all my photos were from the period 2009 to 2013, and I don’t believe I have seen any since then.

The species is fairly common during the breeding season in the salt marshes of south-western New Jersey along the Delaware River estuary which is where all of these photos were taken. Also interesting is the fact that Cornell’s website on the Seaside Sparrow lists seven subspecies of Seaside Sparrows whereas the Sibley app on my phone only shows four. Most rare of these subspecies is the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow of the Everglades which we have searched for but never found and, of course, have no photos to share with you. The Dusky Seaside Sparrow once was found only in Florida in Merritt Island and in the salt marshes of the St John River but was ultimately declared extinct in 1990.

My friend reported back that he was unsuccessful in locating the Seaside Sparrow at Pelican Island NWR, but since it was confirmed by two of Florida’s best birders and seen sporadically over several weeks with much effort by a number of additional birders, he is going to try again.

Meanwhile, even though I would love to see one again and upgrade my photos, at my age and with my walking difficulties I will let my current photos do the job. While sparrows are not the favorite birds of anyone I know, they certainly present a challenge to both find and identify. For the intense birder finding all the different species is a true challenge, not to mention the additional challenge of delineating the different subspecies within each main species.

When it comes to sparrows think of them like this: Painted Buntings, Roseate Spoonbills, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Swallow-tailed Kites, Wood Ducks, and similar birds are the movie stars of the bird world; egrets, herons, owls, bitterns, and other similar species are the stage crew that make the bird world interesting; and sparrows, finches, and other similar more common species are the audience that makes up the rest of the show. We sometimes like to look through the crowd at a show to see if there is anyone there we recognize. Isn’t it a thrill when we see someone in the crowd that we know?  That’s sparrows for you. Finding the unexpected or hard to find individual in the crowd can be very exciting. So we should all keep looking. And sometimes actually finding.

For more about Seaside Sparrows, see: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Seaside_Sparrow/overview.

For more about Pelican Island NWR, see: www.ircgov.com/Departments/General_Services/Parks/Conservation/PINWR.htm

For more about the extinct Dusky Seaside Sparrow, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusky_seaside_sparrow

BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCHES

Brown-headed Nuthatch

The January Zoom meeting of the St Lucie Audubon Society featured an outstanding program on the Brown-headed Nuthatch. As the speaker pointed out, St Lucie County is just south of the southern edge of the Brown-headed Nuthatch’s range which accounts for why we have never seen one in St Lucie County

. Back in the 1990’s when we would vacation in Florida and in the early 21st century after we became Snowbirds I often wondered why when searching wonderful appropriate pinelands habitat all along the Treasure Coast I never saw any Nuthatches of any kind. Simple answer – there weren’t any here. Brown-headed Nuthatches are the closest to St Lucie County when reaching the Southern edge of their range in Osceola County, northwest of Vero Beach, but White-breasted don’t extend into Florida at all, and Red-breasted barely reach Florida, and then only in the western part of the Florida Panhandle.

This discussion of the range of the Brown-headed Nuthatches explains why it was particularly exciting when on February 4th, 2019, on a St Lucie Audubon field trip to Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County we discovered a small population of Brown-headed Nuthatches, undoubtedly at the very extreme southern edge of their range (top).

In all there were probably five different Brown-headed Nuthatches in the group, including this one (photo 2) which I suspect may have been a female or a juvenile because of the lighter colored head. We also saw another one in the typical upside-down position (photo 3, note the white spot on the back of the neck) on the tree trunk.

While these photos make the birds appear larger than they really are because the photos are severely cropped, these birds are all very small and difficult to locate as they blend in with their surroundings quite well. The SLAS January Zoom speaker made those of us on that field trip feel very gratified at finding this small group because of how scarce these birds are. Jewel and I did once, years ago, find a couple of Brown headed Nuthatches at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, but that was well before I was taking photographs of birds. (We may have been the only people among the large crowd at the Alligator Farm even remotely interested in looking for Brown-headed Nuthatches.)

Back in 2013 we also saw a few in the Everglades where a re-introduction program had been started in 1997, which has subsequently proved to be quite successful. (photos 4 and 5) We have also seen and photographed Brown-headed Nuthatches at the very northern edge of their range in Delaware. (photos 6 and 7)

Interestingly, both White-breasted Nuthatches and Red-breasted Nuthatches have much more extensive ranges and are much more common. Both species can regularly be found at bird feeders in their home ranges whereas I am not aware of Brown-headed Nuthatches being found at bird feeders. I suspect some Reader will probably prove me wrong on this. In any event all Nuthatches are quite interesting and fun to watch, although in Pennsylvania on our farm we do tend to take White-breasted Nuthatches for granted as they are always present at our feeders. Our Maine friends say the same about their summer Red-breasted Nuthatches.

The February SLAS Brown-headed Nuthatches program speaker pointed out that the species often stays in close-knit family units with young from previous years often helping to raise the current year’s offspring. Brown-headed Nuthatches are also unique in their use of tools, sometimes using a tough piece of bark to pry open other pieces of bark and even carrying a particularly good piece from tree to tree to use. I’m not sure whether the Nuthatches in photos 4 and 5 below are carrying a tool or some kind of food. Tiny little birds, the Brown-headed Nuthatches remain high in Pine Trees and are often difficult to find. Their call sounds like a squeaky toy.

Nuthatches are fun little birds, great to watch and hyper-active. If they were humans we would definitely regard them as type A personalities. You know, like those folk who just go-go-go all day long. I have always admired and even sometimes envied friends who have the ability to just keep going all the time, like Nuthatches, particularly now that I seem to certainly enjoy that afternoon nap. But then again, it does take all kind of folk to keep the world around us interesting, and it certainly would not be the same if everyone was hyper-active all day long like Nuthatches. Three cheers for those us who sometimes like to stop and smell the roses. And now it’s time for my nap.

For more about the reintroduction of Brown-headed Nuthatches in the Everglades, see: www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/brownheadednuthatch.htm.

For more information on Brown-headed Nuthatches, see:https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Nuthatch/overview

HART BEAT: HOVERING

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

When it comes to birds that hover for a living, hummingbirds are the absolute kings. That doesn’t mean that some other species don’t also utilize hovering in their feeding techniques, at least occasionally, but hummingbirds must use hovering as their primary means of maintaining their place in front of a flower for a relative extended period of time in order to satisfy their need for nectar.

While here, east of the Mississippi, we only have one species of hummingbird, the Ruby-throated, every other species of hummingbird throughout the world (actually hummingbirds live in North, Central and South America only) has the same ability to hover in place as it feeds on nectar producing flowers and chasing insects. This male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (top) demonstrates its ability to hang in place almost as if standing still as it checks which flower it wants to feed upon. This young male, (photo 2, below) showing its one patch of red on its developing throat patch, shows how hummingbirds can come up from below a flower to get just the right angle for feeding. And finally, this female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, with no red on its throat (photo 3) attacks a flower from above and is able to hover in a down position for an extended period of time as it sips nectar from a flower from above it.

Hummingbirds have the unique ability to hover in place for a seemingly long period of time, but are also able to fly backwards, forward, and sideways as well as remain in one position, up or down, while they are feeding. They are truly amazing fliers.

Second only to hummingbirds in the ability to hover is the Kingfisher (photo 4). However, Kingfishers ability to hover is limited to hanging in one place and in one position, usually over a possible fish strike, while waiting for the fish to get in just the perfect spot for the Kingfisher to attack. They are not able to fly in all the different directions that hummingbirds can fly.

Similar to the kingfishers, Osprey (photo 5) also are able to hover for brief periods of time, probably while waiting to plunge dive for a fish. However, I have not observed any Osprey hover in one place for as long a time as kingfishers are able to hover over a fish strike.

Like kingfishers and Ospreys some species of terns sometimes hover briefly over a possible fish meal before diving down for it. Particularly Caspian Terns (photo 6) and Forsters Terns seem to utilize this brief hovering technique. And Snail Kites, such as this female, (photo 7) hover briefly sometimes before dropping down to pick up an Apple Snail.

Several years ago, Jewel and I were out with friends enjoying a pontoon boat ride on the St Lucie River when suddenly out of nowhere a drone started circling our boat. We searched both shores but could not see any possible drone operator anywhere in sight. I must say it was a very eerie feeling to know that someone was spying on us even though we were being very circumspect. We also, somehow, felt quite vulnerable.

While the drone continued to circle around and hover over our boat for some time, even as we continued moving, we did begin to ignore it after a short while as there was nothing we could do about it. (Perhaps you may have seen one of those videos where an eagle has attacked a drone flying in or about the eagle’s domain and the eagle knocked it out of commission while the drone filmed the attack. We did long to be able to do something like that, but didn’t have the eagle’s capabilities.)

The drone invading our privacy made me wonder whether a fish swimming under a hovering bird is ever aware of the bird above it, and if so, what the fish must feel about its privacy being invaded. Right up to the point that the fish becomes the bird’s next meal. It’s a harsh world out there, and truly amazing the adaptability of birds to develop feeding techniques that work for them. Just as we humans sometimes have to go to more than one store to purchase all the groceries we need. Simply another technique we humans have developed for our feeding needs.

For a video of a Red-tailed Hawk attacking a drone, see: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=hawk+attacks+a+drone+video&type=E211US885G0#id=1&vid=5c670abdf65c4d1ffd7acb73ef112732&action=click.

HART BEAT: GEESE IN FLORIDA

White Pelicans dwarfed these Snow Geese, a rare sighting in Florida.

Realistically there are no geese in Florida.

Throughout most of eastern North America the only geese that are native and common north of Florida are Canada Geese and, in the winter, Snow Geese and Brant.  Ross’s Geese sometimes appear and rare and unusual geese such as Cackling Geese, a Mallard-sized version of the Canada Goose, Barnacle Geese and Pink-footed Geese occasionally create quite a stir among birders most winters. More technically speaking, Canada Geese and Snow Geese range maps do show both species sometimes sneaking over the borders from Georgia and Alabama into the most northern part of Florida occasionally in the winter.

With that background, you can imagine our amazement on December 16th of this year when on an excursion to the T. M. Goodwin Wildlife Management in Fellsmere we stumbled upon a lone birder who told us she was looking at a couple of Snow Geese. (top). The Goodwin WMA is only open on Thursdays, and even more unfortunately will be closing for the foreseeable future for extensive construction work, apparently extending well into next summer. Even more unusual was the fact that with only two Snow Geese present, they did represent both the very common (up north) white morph and the much less common (anywhere) blue morph. They were hanging out with a large flock of White Pelicans and were dwarfed by the Pelicans when standing in front of them. (photo 2)

Of the three species that are not supposed to be in Florida at all, south of the northern border of the state, all three have afforded the opportunity for photos in the general Treasure Coast area, but only one, interestingly the least likely, has ventured into St Lucie County in my experience.  This Brant, (photo 3) was found and photographed on South Hutchison Island on the eastern shore of the Indian River. As Brant are high Arctic breeders and venture only along the east coast in winter between Massachusetts and North Carolina, finding one here in Florida was quite an experience.

The only Canada Goose (photo 4) I have ever seen in Florida was at the Vero Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant several years ago before all the open water ponds were filled with plant growth. Of course, that does not count all the decoy Canada Geese (photo 5) that developments anchor out on their ponds to discourage ducks and geese from congregating there. To my observation, like Great Horned Owl decoys on docks in the Indian River that property owners mount to keep gulls away, these decoys do not have the desired effect whatsoever.

But this doesn’t mean that Florida does not have any geese at all. Egyptian Geese from zoos and private collections have escaped into the wild and have become successfully established as a self-sustaining breeding population, particularly here in south Florida. It seems to me that they have increased their numbers and are spreading north. Recently one appeared here in the condo complex where we spend our winters (photo 6) and we have found a pair with young as far north as Sebastian, (photo 7) in Indian River County just north of Vero Beach. They seem to love the manicured lawns and ponds of developments.

Large flocks of Canada Geese and Snow Geese can blanket fields and almost darken the sky when they take flight. Brant gather along the Atlantic coastline and sometimes in fairly large numbers. They are much more numerous and in larger flocks on the west coast from Canada all the way south to the Baja Peninsula. I have not yet encountered flocks of Egyptian Geese and wonder if that is something we may see in the future.

Meanwhile we can enjoy the rare geese we see in Florida and be glad they aren’t gathering in the numbers sometimes seen up north where goose excrement in some public parks can be a terrible nuisance, particularly when it is spread far and wide over popular walking paths forcing walkers to do the goose poop slalom.

Like so many other things in life a few of something can be very attractive and exciting, but when they reach huge numbers they can become overwhelming and almost a scourge. Think snow instead of Snow Geese: a small amount of snow can be attractive and create a landscape that is an inviting one to enjoy and for artists to capture on beautiful paintings. But if it becomes a blizzard that will blanket your world for months, tie up all activities, create all kinds of dangerous conditions and problems and eventually devolve into a muddy mess, it can produce memories that encourage many of us to fly south like the birds to avoid such potential circumstances.

Also, there are some who might well think of some of us Snowbirds as “rare birds.” But then, those who think that of us as individuals aren’t referring to our scarcity, but rather to some of our individual characteristics. Like when I do something really stupid and my wife calls me a turkey. But then again, turkeys are not really all that rare here in Florida.

For another Hart Beat column featuring a Snow Goose, see: www.stlucieaudubon.org/hart-beat-2021?offset=1625112060057