You can laugh and make fun of me. This is simply me geeking out about the vast mixture of bird species that hang out in my backyard in Hendersonville. And I have lots of spare time while I am home for winter break. My mom has built up a bird sanctuary for her to spy on the various mated pairs from the kitchen and back porch. Unfortunately, it has also become a squirrel sanctuary, and although the white squirrel is a big captivating experience for tourists in this area, they are constantly seen as a nuisance flipping their tail all the way up the bird feeders. So I have compiled some personal experiences and what I've noticed to facts on Nat Geo or other bird sites. Not very extensive research but good to come back to.
Bluejay- Cyanocitta cristata : These guys are bullies. They are big birds, but generally pretty smart. At the zoo where I "interned" ('was enslaved to' would probably be synonymous here) there were two Black-throated Magpie-jays (related to bluejays) that were incredibly intelligent birds; playful too. Anyway, bluejays supposedly do not receive their color from pigments like most songbirds do (there is a neat article somewhere on BBC about how the chemicals for pigmentation in songbirds are making them 'weaker' but 'more attractive'). Instead, their blue color is derived from the internal structure of their feathers and an interaction with light. This is supposed, I need to find something to back this up.
Edit: found the website on BBC due to Melise's inspiration for me to search for it. It's here. Enjoy! Also, here is a site for bluejay feathers and other facts.
Chickadee, Black-Capped- Poecile atricapillus: These guys are incredibly social and widespread. Everybody has seen and heard this species of chickadee, not to mention they are pretty darn cute too. They make a raspy chicka-dee-dee-dee that is lower pitched and slightly slower than a Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis), which we also have. They are all over the place in the winter, and their contrast with the snow is beautiful!
Northern Cardinal- Cardinalis cardinalis
Wren, Carolina- Thryothorus ludovicianus
Titmouse, Tufted- Baeolophus bicolor
Catbird- Dumetella carolinensis: These guys are related to mockingbirds and thrashers. They repeat songs of other birds and even frogs and will sing them for up to 10 or so minutes but do not repeat the notes as many times as a mockingbird does. The catbird's own call is exactly what the name would suggest-it sounds like a raspy "mew" from a cat; except for bird-like. They're primarily grey but have a black cap on their heads and black tails. Diet consists of mainly insects and any available fruits/berries. Interesting fact, catbirds will eat poison ivy. "Dumetella" (their genus) means "small thicket" which is where they are usually found.
White-breasted Nuthatch- Sitta carolinensis
American Robin- Turdus migratorius: I don't know why there are so many robins that come around the feeders. They eat insects, not seeds. They do always tend to hang out on the ground instead of actually taking seeds from the feeders so maybe it is simply a good spot to find some grub. In the winter they become much more gregarious. According to Nat Geo they group at night up to almost 250,000 robins at one time. Crazy! Females tend to have a more orange breast and males red but they tend to look very similar.
Towhee, Rufous-sided (Eastern)- Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Great Horned Owl- Bubo virginianus : I love owls. Simple as that. If I could be transformed into an animal it would probaby be a Snowy Owl or Eurasian Eagle Owl. These guys weigh about 3-4 pounds. We have one in the woods outside of our house someplace and I want to go searching for it soon. The first time I held the Great Horned Owl that SFL rehabilitated it was so powerful. Their talons are tremendously sharp and backed up by an even stronger grip (about 30 lbs of force). Through my glove R2 had left me with a bruise from digging his beak into my wrist. To compare their eyes (which can't move) if you kept the same ratio and placed them in our skulls they would be about the size of tennis balls! Extra vertebrae in their spine help them to turn their heads between 180 and 270 degrees in each direction. And the tufts of feathers on their tibia and tarsus allow them to be silent predators. Several other birds will sometimes run an owl out of an area before it has a chance to prey on them. Nothing like "Big Mama" from Fox and the Hound!
Woodpecker, Pileated (Dryocopus pileatus)- We had one a long time ago, they are amazing to see so close up. When you see this bird think of Woody the Woodpecker from the old cartoon. Their call is similar to a loud, really obnoxious laugh. They can be easily spotted by the red crest superiorly on their head.
Woodpecker, Red-Bellied(Melanerpus carolinus)
Yellow-Shafted (Northern) Flicker- Colaptes auratus: A type of woodpecker. This bird got me into wildlife rehabilitation my senior year of high school when I found an injured one in our backyard. Dad and I took it to someone in Brevard but it had died by the time we made it there. From there I eventually gained contacts to Falling Creek where my interest in birds (primarily raptors) increased. Flickers mainly eat insects but uncharacteristically form woodpeckers they don't always get their food from pecking holes in trees. They eat lots of ants and are known to use acid in ants to rub on their feathers (anting).
Eastern Phoebe- Sayornis phoebe
Eastern Wood Pewee- Contopus virens : Probably one of the cutest birds. I saw one over the summer perching on a low branch. It startled me because it was so close to my head. But as I marveled at its beautiful gray-olive plumage it entertained me with a couple of soft, quick "pee-wee's" before it flew off. It was in no way similar to the call usually heard, which is high-pitched and loud. It is hard for me to identify this bird (honestly, almost all birds) because it looks so similar to other pewees, phoebes, and flycatchers.
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