Bird of Spring: Ruby-throated Hummingbird


(Photo by Dan Vickers - click HERE to enlarge view)

by Lenny Borg

"When my uncle, John Borg, entered the garden department of a Home Depot, he never expected to find a ruby-throated hummingbird enshrouded in sticky spider’s silk. In that the tensile strength per weight of spiders’ silk approximates that of steel, the bird was unable to free herself. Even when Johnny removed her from the spider’s lair, she remained wrapped in silk." READ MORE... 

 

10 Avian Species Common to the Preserve:

Northern Cardinal

8.7” long, Year-round Resident. Like the robes of Catholic cardinals, males are bright red; females are greyish-tan. With powerful bills for cracking seeds, they are common at feeders but also eat fruits, beetles, bugs, grasshoppers, moths and ants. These excellent songsters are so territorial that they will attack their own reflections in glass for hours at a time.

Carolina Chickadee

4 ¾” long, Year-round Resident.Known for their call of chick-a-dee-dee-dee, it is greyish above, whitish below with a black cap and bibs contrasting with white cheeks. The sharp little bills of these acrobatic cavity nesters glean insects, spiders and their eggs. They also frequent birdfeeders, where higher-ranking birds bump those of lesser status.

Tufted Titmouse

6.5” long, Year-round Resident. Titmice, whose name means “small bird,” are grey above, whitish below with a black smudge on the forehead and prominent black eyes. To line their nests, titmice pluck hair from live hosts –both animals and people. They eat insects, but also seeds from feeders, often caching them in cracks.

Northern Mockingbird

10” long, Year-round Resident. With a long, slender torso, tail and legs, they are grayish above and whitish below with a dark narrow line through the eye. These omnivores are often found near the intersection of mowed grass and pavement. Highly territorial, they dive bomb dogs, cats – even humans. The gifted songsters can imitate anything—even car alarms—repeating phrases three or more times. 

Great Blue Heron

38-54” long with a 6’ wingspan, Year-round Resident. The largest of herons often feeds at the pond, eating any creature it can swallow. The lightning-quick jab of its dagger-like bill is dangerous; so, do not pick up any injured heron. Nesting can occur singly but is usually in large mixed colonies on relatively inaccessible islands or peninsulas.

American Robin

10” long, Year-round Resident. Grayish upper parts and black head contrast with reddish-brown breast and pot belly. Eating primarily earthworms in warm weather and fruit in winter, they run rapidly, pause to check for prey and predators, and then run a few more steps. Tiffany has trademarked the name of “robin egg blue” for its shopping bags and gift boxes.

Eastern Phoebe

7” long, Year-round Resident. With drab upper parts that are darkest at the head, they frequently bob their tails up and down and issue an insistent call of “phee-bee.” Phoebes dine mainly on flying insects caught in midair and berries plucked in winter. As they often nest under bridges, they are seen near Rickenbacker Bridge. If you remain motionless and quiet, our curious phoebe might even light on your head or shoulder. 

Eastern Towhee

8 ½” long, Year-round Resident. The hood, back, wings, and tail are black for males but brown for females. Both have white bellies with rusty flanks. They nest and feed on or near the ground—exposing insects, beetles, and spiders by grasping leaf litter and then hopping backward with it. Listen for its call of “tow hee.”

Red-headed Woodpecker

9.25” long, Year-round Resident. The only North American woodpeckers whose entire heads and necks are red, they nest in the dead tree near the Community Garden. The diet is primarily botanical, but they also drill for beetles and even catch flying insects in mid-air. Not singers, they drum to establish a territory or attract a mate.

Song Sparrow

6” long, Year-round Resident. These streaked, stocky sparrows have rounded heads and tails and often a large central breast spot. Watch for them flitting between tall weeds and low branches in the field near the Community Garden. The males sing while perched at shoulder level, pumping their tails with each wing beat. To uncover food, they scratch the ground.

 

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.

Do you have photos to share?

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.


Watching for a fish dinner to float through this rocky passageway in the evening.
Photo by Nancy Jones.

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.

 

Migratory Visitors

Hot news of the day at Blue Heron! We have 5 migratory blue wing teal ducks here today (3/29) on the Roswell Road pond. Barbara, who is an Audubon birder, identified them and said they have probably stopped off on their way north for the summer.

 

Blue Heron Feather??

This photo is (we think) a blue heron feather found floating in our pond on Saturday, 6/9/12. Jamie Hawk at Atlanta Audubon seemed to concur that it is most likely a primary flight feather from a Great Blue Heron.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently has a live feed of a blue heron nest at: www.allaboutbirds.org/cornellherons. Very cool!!

 

Documents and Links of Interest

Blue Heron Resident

Here is a recent blue heron photo at our pond, curtsey of Libba Shortridge.

 

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