Bird of the Month

February: The Great Blue Heron


(photo by Dan Vickers)

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Recent Sightings on the Preserve

Throughout the year a variety of birds either make BHNP their home  or refresh themselves during migrations. We will be sharing sightings of species and/or photos sent in by neighbors and birders:

The Eastern Phoebe:

Photo courtesy Darlene Moore
(see expanded view)

We invite you to submit your stories and/or images of  birds (on or off the preserve) to our webmaster for inclusion on this page. Please include the species name, date and time of day sighted and location. Images can be provided in any format or size.

Ducks raising their young on the Preserve. Photo taken January, 2010.

 

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Birds

Welcome to all "Birders"!

If you are an avid bird watcher or just an amateur our new birding page has offerings just for you. Check this page for recent sightings, our bird of the month, Q's & A's with an Audubon Master Birder, and links for adults and children.

Q&A: Ask an AAS Master Birder

February's question comes from a N. Buckhead resident.

Q: I have lived in the BHNP area since I was a young child, 1964 - present. In the 1st Grade (at D.F. McClatchey School, formerly located on Loridans Dr.), our Teacher had the class memorize flash cards of U.S. birds.  I had never seen many of the South Eastern species on the cards. At the time, I thought the Blue Bird was a myth! In the early '60's, birds with yellow were in the area, but we stopped seeing them for many years.

Now, blue birds are common and I see several different birds with yellow. I have included a bird photo, it's a fuzzy image, but it's a bird I have never seen before (possibly a Brown-headed Nut Hatch?).

My Question to you is: 1) Can you identify this bird? and 2) Can you explain why some species leave an area, for decades, and then return? Is it common for the species? Was there a die-out or illness? Pollution, loss of habitat or food supply?

I thank you for your answer!

A: Congratulations! You have correctly identified a brown-headed nuthatch. Listen for his song, which resembles the sound of a squeaky wheel. These charming, tiny non-migratory birds are in decline because of their dependence upon large mature pine trees for feeding and small cavities for  nesting. Loss of habitat has reduced the supply of both.


(See a larger view - click here)
Photo courtesy Dan Vickers

Occasional “irruptions” (unusually high densities of birds occurring irregularly outside of their normal range) into Georgia do occur for several species, including red-breasted nuthatches, pine siskins, and red crossbills. Most often, the birds have been driven here by severe weather or a shortage of food in their normal ranges.

While bluebirds never actually went away, their populations were diminished in the first half of the 19th century by competition from starlings and house sparrows for a declining number of nesting cavities. Campaigns commenced in the 1960s and 1970s to install boxes for habitation by blue birds have helped restore their numbers to as high a level as ever.

Lenny Borg

Documents and Links of Interest