The birds are safe...for now

Alva and Ivor have moved into their new home and have learned what walls and windows are. Alva was especially interested in what a toilet was though might have it confused with her water dish. Since we have moved from our canvas palace (aka the yurt) our kitties are locked up and hunting is over till further notice. Though the kitties have taken up bird watching, becoming increasing more obsessed with seagulls. We might have to work on our identification in the down time between hunts.

Fox Sparrow

Like clock work, Jess comes home... bird next day

We have had this one before... remember messy spot on the chest. Check out the thick beak which sparrows have compared to other species.

Did you know... A group of Fox Sparrows are collectively known as a "den", "flock", and "slyness" of sparrows.  Adults are known to perform a broken-wing display to lure potential threats away from the nest. The Fox Sparrow is larger than other sparrows. They scratch in leaves for insects and seeds and often make so much noise that they sound like a much larger animal.

Lets talk bird feet today

This is a perching bird and you can see the four toes with one "backwards than the others"

"stellar-squirrel-three-winged-sparrow"

So this was a tricky one. What bird has claws, three wings and a head? looks like the kitties have killed the one and only know species  " stellar-squirrel-three-winged-sparrow"

The claw...

The stellar jays tail feather and sparrow head. He kind looks alive if you don't look below the head

Its a twofer

Fox Sparrow and  Hermit Thrush

Note the difference in beaks....

The Hermit Thrush

The Hermit Thrush is rich brown on the head and back, with a distinctly warm, reddish tail. The underparts are pale with distinct spots on the throat and smudged spots on the breast. With a close look you may see a thin pale eye ring.  The female builds the nest from grass, leaves, pine needles, and bits of wood, with mud and lichen around the outside. She lines the nest with finer plant materials and willow catkins. The finished nest is 4–6 inches across, and the cup is 2–3 inches wide and 1–2 inches deep. The female takes 7–10 days to build the nest.

Hermit Thrushes hop and scrape in leaf litter while foraging. They perch low to the ground on fallen logs and shrubs, often wandering into open areas such as forest clearings or trails. Sometimes a Hermit Thrush will cock its tail and bob it slowly, while flicking its wings

Fox Sparrow, we have had this one before. Remember the "messy" spot in the chest area.  There it is!

The Fox Sparrow can appear in four different colorings depending the time of year and area observed.  The sooty form as seen here is dark brown all over and breeds along the Pacific coast to the Aleutian Islands. It forages for insects and is a ground forager. It also nests on the ground.

 

The Long Tailed Vole

Thanks to Alva I awoke to her meowing and a long tailed vole. I am beginning to see a pattern here... I leave and the kitties do not go hunting (or do not bring it back to the house) and the day after I return, they bring home a kill for me.

Voles, moles, mice and shrews oh my... much to learn about.  There are seven species of voles in Alaska. Voles are mice that have shorter tails and live in and eat grass. Voles are the base of many food chains, weasels, marten, owls and hawks, gulls and northern pike! Voles are scientifically different from mice because their molars are flat-crowned with an enamel pattern of alternating triangles or a zigzag. Voles live for about one year. Female voles can produces six litters per year and begin breeding within 3-6 weeks. Watch out... voles can have fleas and ticks along with Giardia which us humans can become infected.

  

 

  

 Voles are "game" here in Alaska. The season for voles is open year round and there is no bag limit.

 Happy hunting



juvenile sparrow that just left the nest

This was a tough one.  I wondered if it could possibly be a juvenile pine siskin due to a light yellow coloring on the chest. But it didn't feel like the right fit. So I asked one of my favorite birders and was directed towards a sparrow. Possibly a song or lincoln sparrow that has just fledged.

I would like to take this opportunity to talk about birds beaks.  Bird beaks are essentially a compact layer of epidermal cells (horny sheath) molded around the bony core of each mandible,
the upper and lower jaws. In nearly all birds, unlike mammals, both upper and lower jaws can move  

Varied Thrush with surprise guest

I came home to another varied thrush. It was the largest thrush Ive seen yet. I did not want to take pictures of the bird in low light conditions so I covered the bird till morning. When I opened the container a tick was in the bowl. I did not think there were ticks in Southeast Alaska because people have told me there were no ticks here and since I have never seen any on myself or my pets. But I was wrong....   ADF&G informed me there are ticks here and they do attach to dogs and cats. You can see them on deer and bears also. They never have heard of a case of lyme disease in southeast though.  

Shrew

 Shrews are the smallest of the mammals. They are often mistaken for mice but are insectivores, not rodents. They are found throughout Alaska, even on some isolated islands.   Shrews are found everywhere except Greenland, Australia, southern South American and some Pacific islands.

Shrews are small, ranging in size from 74-158 mm (3-6.5 inches) total length. Their tails are typically from one-quarter to one-half of their length. They weigh from 1.5-20 grams (a penny weighs 3 grams). Most are a grayish-brown coloration with a paler colored belly.  Shrews are short-legged and have a long pointed nose with long whiskers. Their teeth are tiny, white with reddish-brown tips, but sharp for attacking and eating prey. Their tails are hairy in young shrews but usually naked in old adults.  Their eyes are tiny and vision is poor, but they have acute senses of smell and hearing.

Shrews are solitary except when breeding, mainly terrestrial, and live under the grass and leaf litter. They are active throughout the year and burrow through the snow during the winter. Most shrews prefer moist habitats, and the water shrew is often found in streams, ponds, and marshes.
The breeding season is from March to August. Two to 10 young are born after a 17 to 28 day gestation period. The young are born naked and blind in a nest of grass. The young are weaned after 3 weeks. Females generally have several litters per year. Shrews live from 12 to 18 months.

Savannah Sparrow

Good morning Jess (though next time Alva, I'll just take a coffee in bed) can you figure out where I found this bird this morning?

The Savannah sparrow is found in temperate coastlines to tundra and has 17 recognized subspecies.

Savannah Sparrow is a small songbird (4.3–5.9 in) with brown or grayish-brown overall. It has streaking on back, breast, and flanks with a yellowish eyebrow stripe (see above). Distinctive stripe down center of crown (see above) Dark line extending from back of each eye and from base of bill to back of head. Small bill. Often runs on the ground like a small mouse. Silly bird.

Clutch size ranges from 2-6 eggs which are pale greenish, bluish tan or even white with speckles and streaks. Color varies widely even within population and sometimes even within clutches.

Golden Crowned Sparrow

I was walking into the yurt with Andrew Kirby and we were talking about my bad cats and how he doesn't like that they kill things when Sancho comes out of the door with tail feathers and two legs sticking out of his mouth. Busted! Even the dog is into birding now. Yellow crown sparrow, bordered by black with a gray face and chest. It has white wingbars, back brown with black stripes and a long tail. 



 

The Golden-crowned Sparrow pecks and scratches at the ground to forage, occasionally picking at foliage or jumping into the air after an item. Paired males and females forage together, typically with male following female. The species flies with fast wingbeats when crossing between patches of cover, but often drops to ground and runs for cover when alarmed. While not foraging, this sparrow can be seen perching on the tops

 of trees or shrubs.  -

Note the tail feathers by Alva's whiskers. Very interested pets.

Fox Sparrow

I walked into the yurt with Liz Ford and we were discussing how the cats haven't killed anything for a few months when we looked down and discovered that there were feathers everywhere! A fox Sparrow's feathers. This fox sparrow was much darker brown/black then the last fox sparrow which was reddish brown but both were about 7''.  

Fox sparrows are heavily spotted to streaked on their chest region and I found out that have a spot on their chest where all the spots come together and make a bigger "messier spot".

A similar species the song sparrow has an all dark bill, notice the fox has a light lower mandible.

The Deer Mouse

Deer mice are round and slender, ranging from 2 to 4 inches long (not including tail), a pointed nose and large and black eyes (this guys eyes are closed so I'll have to take their word on it) Ears are large with little fur covering them. Body is bicolored with a light brownish-reddish top and white underbelly and feet. Tail is short, distinctly bicolored (dark on top and light on bottom), and covered with short, fine hairs and can be two to five inches in length if present. Their soft fur can vary in color, from white to black, but all deer mice have a distinguishable white underside and white feet.

Omnivorous, but prefers seeds, nuts, berries and insects

Reaches sexual maturity in as little as five weeks. Will produce two to four litters a year, usually during warm months. Typical litters contain three to five individuals, but may have as many as eight. Typically live two to twenty-four months, but can live as long as eight years in captivity.

Deer mice are nocturnal, so Ivor must have been up last night.

Dark-eyed Junco (5)

Dark-eyed juncos are sparrows spending the majority of their time foraging on the ground flashing their two all white outer tail feathers as they hop along the ground looking for fallen seeds. They are one of the most common North American birds ranging form Alaska to Mexico and California to New York. Their population was estimated at 630 million individuals (SWAG)

The oldest dark-eyed junco recorded was 11 years and 4 days

Juncos breeding North of Yakutat Bay are slate gray with a white belly; those from Yakutat Bay south have a black (male) or gray (female) hood, reddish brown back. I have not observed any gray juncos in the area. Ten or more are observed on a daily basis foraging on the ground for food.

Fox sparrow 2

Another Fox Sparrow (97% sure) Came home from work and there were feathers everywhere.

A similar species, the Song Sparrow has an all-dark colored bill and the Fox Sparrow has a lighter lower mandible. The interior subspecies of fox sparrow has a bright reddish brown tail that contrasts in color with the back feathers. Fox Sparrows are smaller and darker brown in southeast Alaska than those found to the North.

Habitat preferences is shrubs and branches. Usually nests under shrubs or low in trees. Eggs are 2-4 in number and pale green with reddish markings. Two broods per year. 12-14 days of incubation followed by 10-11 fledgling days.

Golden crowned-kinglet

This morning while I was filling my coffee cup to run out the door to work when Alva greeted me with her find. A Golden crowned-kinglet. Alva is still pretty weirded out when I take her treasure away and "play" with it. I didnt have much time other than take some pictures so I wrapped the bird in plastic wrap and threw it in my bag. On the way to work I saw shawn and asked him what he might think it is. Latter he called suggesting a ruby crowned kinglet which is a very good guess! Hey James and Lisa- check out the cd on the player

Small birds 3.1 - 4.3 cm in length. Slightly bigger than a humming bird.

Golden crowned-kinglets winter in Canada and Alaska. Usually have two lg broods per year 8-9. Female feeds lg. brood on the first day after the brood leaves the nest only then she starts laying the second set of eggs for the year.

Nostrils are covered by a single tiny feather

Yellow crown and orange center in males. (This is a male) Look at that color! Dull olive color on rest of body.