Authored by Phil Doerr.
June, and the distractions of our exciting and often very colorful spring migrants arriving and passing by in waves overnight is mostly over, so now we can concentrate on our nesting or soon to be nesting locals. “Birdcast.info” has completed the spring 2023 run with, often stunning, nightly radar displays of the millions of birds that pass over us on their way to northern nesting habitats. Not to be outdone, our Bird of the Year (BOTY) the American Goldfinch is arguably the most colorful of our local breeding birds. (Northern Cardinals may beg to differ!)
American Goldfinch male, breeding plumage. Photo by Bob Oberfelder
With summer truly here, American Goldfinches are now focused on nesting and the number of courtship chases we began to observe in May is increasing. Pairs are getting serious about locating nest sites, and females will soon begin nest construction, requiring 6-7 days. They’ll look for dense shrubby thickets, and wooded edges in which to work their magic of twig placement and weaving of spiderweb into a sturdy yet soft but strong cup lined with some of the same downy material collected from thistles and milkweeds. Another few days for egg laying follows with about 2 weeks of incubation before synchronous hatching takes place. Then it’s all high intensity seed collection to stuff the always open mouths demanding to be filled with thistle and other seeds. After 2 weeks as nestling the youngsters “fledge” (leave the nest). They remain in the care of dear old dad another few days while they perfect flying abilities and learn how to locate seeds! With fledging, Mom, sometimes moves on to another partner and another nesting cycle which increases her annual and lifetime productivity, and that in part compensates for the fact goldfinch females are out-numbered by males in the population.
Goldfinches are among the latest nesting of our locals, because they are almost exclusively seed eaters, and hold off the energy sapping breeding effort until summer, when native annual and perennial plants are mature, producing lots of nutritious seeds. Goldfinch beaks and their acrobatic ability to dangle on vegetation render them especially adapted to extracting thistle, teasel and other small seeds from mature seed heads. Native asters and sunflowers are seed favorites as well.
To help American Goldfinches we are reminded of the importance of pollinator gardens with native asters, coneflowers, and that we can replace part (or all!) of our lawn with natives! Pollen, seed producing wildflowers, plus native trees (esp. oaks!) make for a healthy wildlife friendly habitat around our homes.
As with many small songbirds, goldfinches are occasionally parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds, which leave their eggs in the nests of a “host” species to raise their chicks. The victimized birds don’t seem to recognize the intrusion and feed cowbirds chicks rather than their own. Furthermore, host species chicks are typically booted from the nest by cowbird chicks, and they die. Unlike for many parasitized songbirds, however the “just outcome” here favors the goldfinches. Because goldfinches are adapted to bring only seed to their chicks the cowbird chicks which require animal protein in the form of “bugs” and spiders to thrive, soon starve.
During June, Keep an eye for goldfinch behaviors such courtship chases and males singing from conspicuous perches suggesting nesting is imminent.
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May 31 ended our 2023 Lights Out Wake! Campaign, but September will initiate the return south flight beginning for many birds and when we will again need to think about dimming the outdoor lights and encouraging building managers to do the same 11pm-6am ‘til November30!
Thanks for what you do to conserve birds and all wildlife! It is the way…
Phil Doerr, Wake Audubon Board ([email protected])
Authored by Phil Doerr
If you’ve been fortunate enough to have these dainty little seed-eaters frequenting your winter-spring seed and suet feeder offerings you have likely noticed many of them have transformed to a sometimes blindingly brilliant yellow! These bright birds are of course the males adopting their breeding season colors. While the yellow body feathers are emerging
the buffy wing bars of winter have flaked off, leaving the much brighter white wing bars remaining to enhance the yellow/black contrasts. In late April and May you may be seeing birds that look like this at your feeders! Keep your “nockies” and camera handy!!
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Courtship begins in the spring when one or several male birds chase a female. Sometimes several males will chase a female, which allows her to select a mate that demonstrates the best “fitness”, or vigor (=faster, or more aggressive, or??). The female may take off in an apparently evasive maneuver while the male(s) pursue. During this courtship period, a pair (once a choice is made!) may fly in a circular pattern with the male singing. These behaviors may begin in late spring and continue into June. Again, be sure to keep your “nockies” handy when out and about as you might catch the birds engaged in these aerial antics. Also keep in mind these are very late nesters so pair bonding may still be happening in June with actual nesting usually in July or later! The birds seed diet has them waiting ‘till well into summer, when primary seed producers (especially thistles) have matured and there’s plenty to feed growing youngun’s.
American Goldfinches are typically monogamous but some females change mates after producing their first brood. The female may then leave the nest to begin another brood with a new male while the first mate stays to look after the fledglings. This behavior has evolved in many species to allow females some “bet hedging” that may diversify the genetics of her offspring and increase the likelihood some will have the “the right stuff” to enhance their survival probabilities and ensure her lineage continues. And as it happens most American goldfinch populations have more males than females and this strategy helps balance that evolutionary scale.
To signal that his territory is taken, a male will sing and patrol from perch to perch. He may also cruise around the territory and do a low flight followed by an undulating flight with wings close to his body as he dives down and then spreads them again as he flies upward in several loops. At this time the males are truly spectacular as illustrated by these males Bob Oberfelder “captured” in May 2015, and August 2016 when the wings are almost completely black.
Some Goldfinches will choose to nest in small groups in adjacent shrubs or small trees, a behavior that may reflect good seed sources nearby, and suitable nesting substrate. Predator avoidance may also be enhanced with more eyes present. Again be alert, and if you pinpoint a likely nest area with a male singing, look for additional goldfinches and more nesting.
Also watch for goldfinches that may be working low in weedy areas harvesting thistle down and spider webs to use in nest construction. If you spot this behavior, you may be able to see where a nest is being built.
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Thanks for all your interest in birds! And please consider reducing outdoor light use at night
(11pm-6am) all during May when migration traffic often exceeds 200 million birds in motion every night!
Phil Doerr, Wake Audubon Board ([email protected])
Authored by Jeff Beane, trip leader.
15 April 2023 (9:00 a.m. – ca. 5:30 p.m.)
NC Sandhills (Moore, Richmond, and Scotland counties)
Participants: Jeff Beane, Louise Belk, Mary Frazer, Ernie Hahn, Stephanie Horton, Michelle Measday, Tess Moody, Dave Powell, Stephen Prior
We had a great time.
We saw many wildflowers.
Unusual find of the day: Mary spotted this Venus Flytrap in an area west of the species’ known range, in a county that has been intensively surveyed by botanists for decades. Flytraps are transplanted by well-meaning but misguided plant enthusiasts, and given that this is an extremely well-known botanical site, several the state’s botanists agree that this occurrence probably represents an introduction.
Vertebrate Species Observed (list is probably incomplete)
Fishes
Elassoma evergladei Everglades Pygmy Sunfish (at least 2)
Amphibians
Necturus punctatus Dwarf Mudpuppy (several juveniles)
Notophthalmus viridescens dorsalis Broken-striped Newt (1 adult)
Eurycea arenicola Carolina Sandhills Salamander (1 larva)
Pseudotriton m. montanus Eastern Mud Salamander (1 adult)
Acris gryllus Southern Cricket Frog (several seen and heard)
Hyla andersonii Pines Barrens Treefrog (a few heard)
Pseudacris crucifer Spring Peeper (tadpoles seen)
Rana [Lithobates] clamitans Green Frog (a few heard; a few tadpoles seen)
Rana sphenocephala Southern Leopard Frog (many tadpoles seen)
Reptiles
Kinosternon s. subrubrum Eastern Mud Turtle (1 juv.)
Sceloporus undulatus Eastern Fence Lizard (1 adult)
Cnemidophorus sexlineatus Six-lined Racerunner (1 dead adult)
Eumeces [Plestiodon] fasciatus Five-lined Skink (1 adult)
Eumeces [Plestiodon] inexpectatus Southeastern Five-lined Skink (1 juv.)
Heterodon platirhinos Eastern Hognose Snake (1 adult female DOR)
Pituophis m. melanoleucus Northern Pine Snake (1 telemetered adult male)
Birds
Aix sponsa Wood Duck
Colinus virginianus Northern Bobwhite
Zenaida macroura Mourning Dove
Archilochus colubris Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Cathartes aura Turkey Vulture
Colaptes auratus Northern Flicker
Dryobates pubescens Downy Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus Red-bellied Woodpecker
Tyrannus tyrannus Eastern Kingbird
Lanius ludovicianus Loggerhead Shrike
Vireo flavifrons Yellow-throated Vireo
Vireo griseus White-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus Red-eyed Vireo
Corvus brachyrhynchos American Crow
Cyanocitta cristata Blue Jay
Baeolophus bicolor Tufted Titmouse
Poecile carolinensis Carolina Chickadee
Tachycineta bicolor Tree Swallow
Sitta pusilla Brown-headed Nuthatch
Thryothorus ludovicianus Carolina Wren
Polioptila caerulea Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Turdus migratorius American Robin
Dumetella carolinensis Gray Catbird
Mimus polyglottos Northern Mockingbird
Sialia sialis Eastern Bluebird
Haemorhous mexicanus House Finch
Spinus tristis American Goldfinch
Peucaea aestivalis Bachman’s Sparrow
Pipilo erythrophthalmus Eastern Towhee
Spizella passerina Chipping Sparrow
Spizella pusilla Field Sparrow
Icterus spurius Orchard Oriole
Parkesia motacilla Louisiana Waterthrush
Setophaga americana Northern Parula
Setophaga discolor Prairie Warbler
Setophaga dominica Yellow-throated Warbler
Setophaga pinus Pine Warbler
Setophaga ruticilla American Redstart
Cardinalis cardinalis Northern Cardinal
Mammals
Sigmodon hispidus Hispid Cotton Rat
Authored by Phil Doerr
With the “Ides of March” safely behind us, our American Goldfinches have really become just that! Or nearly so! Gold! Lotsa Gold! Recall that our Goldfinches performed a complete molt (replaced all their feathers!) in the fall becoming relatively drab, but males are now, in spring, replacing their body feathers with the brilliant yellow breeding colors! If you’ve been keeping an eye on your feeders, the transition is beginning to show in many males.!
This year, late February to early March was warm enough that daffodils, azaleas, trout lilies, and a whole lot of other spring ephemerals were blooming. We’ve had a really warm, early onset of spring, with a pattern of warm fronts added to general climate warming influences. True to form, March then gave us several cool (cold?) systems that slowed the onset of spring.
The birds do require lots of nutritious seeds to accumulate the energy needed for this transition. In some areas this need may explain the persistence of goldfinches at our seed feeders in spring and early summer. Goldfinches are especially fond of thistle seed. In the wild, and at feeders where during winter “finch years”, they may have to battle with large flock of Pine Siskins for access. A “finch year” is when large numbers of siskins, purple finches, and evening grosbeaks move south for the winter due to widespread food crop failures in northern forests. .
Now, in addition to noting that some of our winter feeder visitors (eg, purple finches, dark-eyed juncos) are departing to return to northern breeding locations, we’re seeing other changes.
If we’ve been cultivating our native pollinator gardens (maybe even converting portions of our lawns to wildflower meadows?) we might have seen the Goldfinches hanging onto the dried-out seed heads of the coneflowers left from last season. The important operative here is that we’ve indeed kept all the dried stems of the native wildflowers and “weeds” from last year all through the winter, and until spring “green up”. This undisturbed habitat is crucial to the survival of all our native invertebrates that will feed all the birds and other wildlife that populate our yards and woods. Many of these micro-critters overwinter in hollow stems or the leaf and grass litter in the garden and woodlot edges.
Furthermore, fireflies and native bees overwinter in the litter and first couple inches of ground cover, so it’s important to leave that substrate undisturbed until these critters have emerged, the bees to seek out early blooming plants. Consider leaving your garden cleanup to the very last moment before you cultivate or freshen for the spring. Generally, we should avoid mulching with heavy materials like wood chips, because most invertebrates are unable to burrow in that medium. An undisturbed light natural leaf mulch is best for most native species.
For now, enjoy the goldfinches at your feeders, and watch for migration arrivals and passing birds in your area. Check out https://birdcast.info for migration forecasts and real-time radar tracking of ongoing migration events. Check your yard and nearby wooded areas daily for overnight arrivals. And remember to observe the Lights Out Wake protocols of dousing exterior lighting between 11pm and 6pm so that migrating birds are not confused and crash into buildings or homes.
Thanks for all you do for birds! For the birds! It is the Way!
Authored by Phil Doerr
The Bird of the Year, American Goldfinch, is a frequent visitor to our late winter feeders, which you may have noticed, often sharing the largess with purple finches this year. So, keep the “nockies” handy to check out your finches! Have purple finches joined, or even supplanted the house finches? Your ever reliable goldfinches will most likely “weather” the purple storm and mingle readily with these boisterous groups.
American Goldfinch female enjoying an icy winter perch (photo by Bob Oberfelder)
But Wait! Be alert! You may recall, that a worrisome, and potentially dangerous situation can develop among these birds when they mob our feeders. Mycoplasma gallisepticum is a bacterium causing respiratory disease in several bird species, including goldfinches!. Mycoplasmosis is especially prevalent in house finches, presenting as red, swollen and crusty eyes. Birds mobbing feeders may, unfortunately, “share” the disease by rubbing against feeders, where infected birds have fed. In harsh weather there may be significant losses, but many birds do recover infection.
So, what do we do? Mainly we keep alert! Watch your birds feeding, relish their beauty and enjoy their behavioral interactions and displays. Learn the secrets of goldfinch plumage change, because “any minute” some males will begin brightening and incorporating some bright yellow in fresh feathers. This awareness also allows us to detect the appearance of Mycoplasma (or other diseases) in any of our finches so we can react! Once detected there are several things to do:
1-Take the feeders down, and clean thoroughly with disinfectant.
2-Keep feeders down for 2 weeks (but no worries, the birds will return within hours of restarting feeding.
3-Contact Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at Project Feeder Watch (feederwatch.org) to report the disease and perhaps the join the Lab’s Feeder Watch program and learn about the science of bird feeding.
4-When re-starting your feeder program consider increasing the number of feeders, or spreading them to reduce crowding and hence disease transmission. Consider avoiding tube feeders as there are data suggesting this configuration enhances opportunities for disease transmission as birds rub against the feeder while actually feeding. Table feeders can present similar hazard.
5-Plan to take feeders down once a week or so to thoroughly clean, disinfect, and dry.
6-Keep the area underneath feeders clean and free of waste, hulls, droppings etc.
7-Clean and disinfect any water features/baths regularly.
Now here’s another alert. Do not remove or cut out any of the long dead plant stems from last year’s pollinator gardens, flower beds, or so-called “weeds”, and don’t mess with the ground level detritus! Don’t do it!! -Not until spring is really truly here! This is really important !More next month!
Thanks for checking us out! Keep watching our American Goldfinches and all their winter buds!
Authored by Phil Doerr
In recent years the inventory of usable nest boxes had deteriorated so a couple years ago the Wake Audubon Society acquired the lumber to construct new boxes, collaborated with Yates Park and Crowder Park to assemble the boxes, and then this winter, nest boxes were either repaired or replaced by NCSU Leopold Wildlife Club (and Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society) members assisted by Yates Park Staff. The Leopold Club has for generations provided enthusiastic support and especially labor for projects at Yates Mill, while monitoring the nest boxes nearly every spring since 1947.
Male and female Wood Ducks on nest box at Historic Yates Mill Pond. Photograph vy Larry Zoller
The above photo of a pair of Wood Ducks was recently “captured” by Larry Zoller at Yates Mill Historical County Park. These ducks are enjoying the benefits of the wood duck nest box program at Yates Mill Pond
That success being the news to share with Wake Audubon members, many of whom frequent Yates Mill Pond, I thought a bit of history appropriate. The wood duck boxes were in place when I came to NCSU in 1973 as a bright eyed assistant professor. Dr. Fred Frederick Schenck Barkalow, Jr was the Wildlife Biologist /mammologist in the then Zoology Department. He and the Leopold Wildlife Club began the wood duck nest box program shortly after his arrival in 1947. Then, Wood ducks were a very much depleted species throughout their range and were in the early stages of recovery from near extinction due to extensive logging and drainage of bottomlands in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The NCSU nest box program was one of thousands introduced to facilitate recovery. Dr. Fred served as faculty advisor to the Leopold Club from the early days until I arrived and succeeded him in that role, which I happily filled until my retirement in 2007. Over the decades countless wood ducks fledged at Yates and contributed to the remarkable range wide recovery of the species. Every year a couple pairs of screech owls also used the wood duck nest boxes and fledged numerous young. And every spring a new class of NCSU wildlife graduates fledged!
Authored by Phil Doerr
In winter, American Goldfinch females and males really look alike, as males drop the very distinctive black wing feathers and brilliant yellow body plumages. By now (February) males have molted and replaced the bright yellow body feathers of late August w/ the drab plumage that will see them through winter. Females do the same but it’s not so noticeable! It’s a definite advantage to be less visible to predators as the birds forage leafless treetops and fields in groups of a dozen or more. Some winters when we have “finch years” goldfinches may be seen in tree tops or at feeders, in the company of a hoard of pine siskins. Siskins are by comparison a bit smaller, and with some yellow wing and tail feathers that contrast with a streaky brown head and body.
Male American Goldfinch in Winter
Female American Goldfinch in Winter
Goldfinches (and other finches) that regularly visit our thistle seed and sunflower feeders in winter are known from banding studies to make the rounds of available feeder stations within a 4-mile radius. This behavior seems to decrease the likelihood that the birds will encounter an empty feeder! This semi-nomadic behavior also keeps the birds moving about in more natural agricultural and woodlot areas with seed producing grasses, forbs, wildflowers and a variety of “weeds”. In flight, groups can be heard vocalizing their “potato chip” call. Keep an eye out for these wonderful winter wanderers and see if you tell the males from the females at winter feeders.
Cautionary… There’s a downside to the observed finch behavior we’ll consider next month
Thanks for caring for the birds, they do tell us to “Act on Climate!” Spread the word!
Authored by Phil Doerr. Wake Audubon Society is pleased to share among members and anyone else interested, our exploration of this delightful year ‘round resident of Wake County.
American Goldfinch pair at Mid Pines Road, Raleigh, NC Photo by Phil Doerr
This prim, spectacular pair were seen and “captured” in late July along Midpines Road in Wake County, of course! The male (left) sports his breeding best plumage, as summer is the nesting season for goldfinches. The males sing and display in early summer to attract females and defend territories from competitors. The female (right) is not as bright, a feature rendering them less visible to potential nest predators. They are likely the most seed dependent species we know of, and often forage “weedy” grass and forb dominated areas in fallow fields, and roadsides where infrequent mowing allows wildflowers and grasses to develop.
The goldfinch habit of frequenting roadsides in all seasons, and bird feeders in winter make them one of the most familiar birds in our area. Catkins and seed pods of alder, and sweetgum are another spot to observe goldfinches in winter where they dangle up-side-down on the ends of branches high overhead. So this winter, make it a habit to check out those weedy roadsides, or high sweetgum “balls” where these dainty little birds forage, and give a listen for their high pitched “potato chip” calls especially in flight.
In coming months, begin to consider ways we can help goldfinches survive and prosper. It’s quite easy.
Thanks for visiting!
Phil Doerr, Wake Audubon Society Board Member
From Canberra, Australia, Christmas Day 2022
6. Tell your local government about your commitment to vultures and vulture-safe practices.
Turkey Vulture photo by Bartow
Black Vulture photo by Bartow
Wake Audubon is fortunate to have a lot of fantastic volunteers. Our Treasurer Michi Vojta’s volunteer service is so extensive that she recently was awarded a Lifetime Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). Congratulations, Michi!
Michi volunteered to serve as our Treasurer, a critical and demanding officer position, in 2020. She does a great job of staying on top of our finances and keeping the rest of the board informed while finding time to be involved in other ways from conservation activities to community outreach. In addition to her boundless energy, Michi shares insightful feedback and creative ideas about how we can do our work better. We cherish her contributions and are delighted that she’s being recognized for her service.
Recipients of the Lifetime PVSA have donated over 4,000 hours of their time in eligible volunteer service. Michi has selflessly given more than double that during the last 30 years. Here’s what Shannon Robinson, PVSA Coordinator for Cary Homeschoolers, shared about Michi at a recent award ceremony:
“Michi Vojta served as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Kenya from 1993-1996 as the local forester/agroforestry specialist. In addition, she organized field days on Solar Cooking and other fuel efficient stoves, built mud stoves, organized and hosted free eye clinics with a nearby hospital, and implemented a penpal exchange program involving around 60 students from 8 Kenyan schools and 30 students from Oregon.
After returning to the US, she volunteered over 1000 hours with the 1999 Special Olympics World Games here in Raleigh and coached youth soccer, moving up with the same group of girls through 5 or 6 seasons. In 2005, she served again with Peace Corps Response, working in New Orleans with those impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
Michi still volunteers regularly in her community, through City Parks, local public schools, Wake County and NC Senior Games. She has been a recipient of the silver Presidential Volunteer Service Award for the past 5 years, averaging 344 hours of service per year.
During the past year alone, here some of what she’s been involved with:
Michi helped paint a mural in downtown Raleigh to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9-11. She participated in litter pickups at Lake Johnson and Crabtree Creek. On one day, her team collected 905 pounds of litter! She planted trees, daffodils, and tulips at Pullen Park. She volunteered at the Dorothea Dix 5K, the Raleigh Parks Fall Festival, and several special events at the NC Museum of Natural Science, including Bug Fest and Darwin Day. Michi worked extensively with the West Raleigh Citizen Advisory Council, attended monthly Tree Advocacy meetings, frequently assisted the Friends of the Athens Drive Community Library, and served as Treasurer on the board of the Wake Audubon Society. Michi spent many hours monitoring and caring for wild bird boxes. She distributed food via the Food Ark and helped with numerous staff appreciation events at Ligon Middle School.
I contacted some of the organizations that Michi works with to offer them an opportunity to send their thoughts, and the response was overwhelming. Here are some of their comments.
Mary Abrams, the President of the Wake Audubon Society, said “Michi brings her endless energy to our conservation activities and community outreach”
Aleix K Murphy from Ligon Middle School emphasized “Michi is a rock star!!”
Yevonne Brannon from the Athens Drive Library offered “You can always count on Michi to be front and center in any effort to help neighbors.”
Sheila B. Jones from Wake County Soil and Water Conservation said “Michi’s community spirit and passion for embracing sustainability is unmatched!”
Representatives of the West Raleigh Citizen Advisory Council shared their thoughts, too!
Jane Harrison said “Michi has an encyclopedic knowledge of issues that matter to her neighbors.”
Don Procipio offered “Michi has been a dedicated, conscientious and key contributor to the West Raleigh CAC for many years.”
Laura Ritchie said “Michi is an integral part of our community, we admire all her hard work!”
Michi has logged a staggering 10,070 hours of service, though we all know the real total is much higher. As Joe Hartman said, “Michi’s energetic commitment to the whole community’s common good is one-of-a-kind.”
I am deeply honored to announce that Michi has been named a recipient of our highest distinction, the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Michi, thank you for all that you do in our community. Congratulations!”
We couldn’t have said it better–we’re grateful for your service and proud to have you on our team!