| INTERESTING ODDS & ENDS |
| I have found birders to be "information junkies" when it comes to learning about birds. So, on this page I'll attempt to share "bird facts" with you. Some facts you may already know and some may be new, interesting and fun. Enjoy! And Please Share!! Read something interesting? Send me an email & I will post it! Thanks! |
| Essays / Backyard / Tips & Quiz / Links / Sightings / Conservation / Bird ID / Featured Bird / My Photos / Seasonal Spots / Home |
| Sooty Shearwater Longest Migrant (Birder’s World Magazine, December 2006) Even further flying than the Artic Tern, the Sooty Shearwater flies an average of 39,300 miles a year; flying in figure eights across the entire Pacific Ocean. Tagging of birds showed the “Shearwaters flew up to a 565 miles each day and foraged for fish, squid, and krill from the ocean’s surface to as deep as 225 feet. After leaving New Zealand in early April, a few birds traveled to the coast of Chile, site of another shearwater breeding colony. All birds soon moved north to one of three wintering areas – off the coasts of Japan, Alaska, and California….on their return trip, all crossed the equator through a relatively narrow 1,240 mile corridor in a 10 day span…” More research information is available at www.toppcensus.org. |
| Cold Weather Birds Adapt to Winter Weather (Wild Bird Magazine, January/February 2007) -A Good Down Jacket: “Birds can thermoregulate, or control their body temperature, by raising and lowering their contour feathers.” This means birds “fluff up” in cold weather to trap warm air and help insulate their bodies. The feathers are coated with oil from special glands that help “keep warm air in and cold air out.” Also, many cold latitude birds possess a “thick, insulating layer of feathers” that further help to keep them warm. -Winter Weight: Cold weather birds put on fat to help dealing with cold temperatures. During the night that fat reserve may be depleted, so feeding during the day is critical. -Jump Starting the Day: Many birds “adapt to cold weather by lowering their body temperature in a state of regulated hypothermia or “torpor.”. They can lower their heart rate and breathing and in the morning slowly return to normal again. -Snow Shoes: Some birds have special feathered legs, and some birds can control the blood flow to their feet and legs “which allows them to tolerate exposure to the cold.” The blood is then warmed again when returning to the body. -Birds of a Feather: By flocking into tight groups the group’s combined heat source allows for warming. Many birds do this at night while sleeping, some do it during the day as well (ever see a group of ducks out on the icy cold water?). -Shelter: Roosting sites such as tree cavities, brush piles, and even in the snow itself will help insulate against the cold air. -Stocking Up for Winter: Caching food is common in many birds; nuthatch, woodpeckers, shrikes, jays, chickadees. |
| What is Commensalism in Birds? (Bird Watcher’s Digest, November/December 2006) Commensalism is a term used to indicate a relationship between “…two organisms, in which one benefits and the other is unaffected.” . An example is in hunting involving Merlins and Northern Harriers. While Harriers hunt small mammals over meadows and fields, they will often flush small birds which are usually of no interest to them. A Merlin that shadows a Harrier, will then be benefited by snatching these small birds out of the air. Cattle Egret will also shadow cattle as they graze, eating the insects that are disturbed by the cattle’s progress across the fields. Sometimes this behavior can be between a bird and an inorganic object. For instance; Cattle Egret will also follow tractors in the field for the same purpose. And Merlins have been known to follow trains which flushes small birds up as it passes. |
 |
 |
| A Site About Long Island Birds & Birdwatching |
| 15,000 Birds Tested, No Bird Flu Found (Birder’s World Magazine, December 2006) “After months of government-sponsored monitoring this year in the United States and Canada, involving the testing of more than 15,000 birds, not one wild migratory bird has been found carrying the worrisome highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus.” The low-pathogenic form, which is “not a health hazard to people” was found in 2 Mute Swans in Michigan and in Mallards in Maryland and Pennsylvania. These results reinforce the belief of Smithsonian Institution ornithologists that migratory birds may spread this virus. “Instead, the more likely source…will be the legal or illegal import of an infected bird.” |
| Freedom Tower Windows Planned with Birds in Mind (Birder’s World Magazine, December 2006) “The 1,776-foot Freedom Tower that is being built on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City will feature window glass intended to minimize collisions by birds. The textured glass, which is still being developed, will use prisms to “look as solid as stone to a bird,” says Jeffrey Holmes of the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. The New York City Audubon Society pushed for bird safety to be an element of the building’s design. |
 |
| Noise Pollution & Bird Song (Bird Watcher’s Digest, November/December 2006) Studies have shown that traffic noise, industry, airplanes, lawn mowers, etc. are “actually making changes in some aspects of their (birds) vocalizations to compensate for the excess noise…” “Clear song transmission is critical to most birds because their reproductive success may depend on it.” Bird song can also resolve male conflicts for territory. Researchers in North America, using the Song Sparrow (found over most of NA in both urban and rural habitats), studied these birds’ songs with regard to noise level frequency and energy. “Song sparrows singing at noisier locations had higher-frequency low notes and had relatively less energy (amplitude) in the low-frequency range of their songs….results clearly indicate that song sparrows songs varied in their low frequency in relation to levels of urban noise.” Interestingly, while modifying low frequency, other parts of their songs remained fairly constant. The repercussions of singing at higher frequency are increased rates of oxygen consumption and energy expenditure. “Besides translating into being forced to acquire extra energy to sing louder, its inherent risks, such as predation, could also lead to decline in individual health.” More worrisome could be that “not all bird species living in noisy urban environments possess the ability to adapt and change their song frequencies to maintain their populations.” |