Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Sunday Sept 28, 2014

Climate Change Will Make Birds Extinct

The birds of today will not be here tomorrow, if we are not careful. Climate change is very serious business, which started DECADES ago with the breech of the ozone layer. Little did we realize that we would be paying for it in a very serious way.

For those businesses that want to deter geese from leaving presents, there is a very easy fix. Try this inexpensive and non-invasive way to do it, and life will be better for all concerned.

Peregrine Falcons are major predators of shorebirds, but they are very resilient in their fight for life. They have adapted, and this is what they are doing in order to survive.

Great Egrets are all over Boomer Lake, as they are fattening up for migration. There are about twenty of them out and about now, and since the ecology of the lake is excellent, there is nothing to fear about them pulling too much fish out of that body of water. Due to the slightly higher than normal seasonal temperatures, and adequate rain over the summer, the fish have been proliferating to a high degree. There are plenty of mosquitoes in the air and the fish have been jumping to take them early in the mornings. I have witnessed very large fish, and that is serious business, which proves that they are well fed.

There was a juvenile Snowy Egret at The Northern Reaches this morning, right in the midst of several Great Egrets. I suspected that we could have young at the local rookery, since I saw a couple of adults about two months ago. The urge was controlled to inspect the area, and I’m glad that I did in view of this exciting news. Not only is the rookery growing, but it is hosting other herons, besides the Great Blue Heron and the Great Egret. This is not unusual to have multiple egrets nesting together, and it also proves that there is safety in numbers in a healthy environment. Since there are few predators in this location, it is ideal for these birds to be together in the same rookery.

There are still a large number of juvenile birds all around the lake, and least surprising, is the European Starling. This non-indigenous bird is termed a pest and legally can be taken home as a pet. However, I’d like to touch upon the inherent beauty of this egg-thieving bird, and let you know what the bird looks like as a youth, as its looks confuse a number of people that aren’t used to seeing it. It has a mix of color between the adult and the juvenile right now, and if one looks quickly, it can appear to some to look something like a Northern Flicker. These really are pretty birds, even though they are detrimental to nesting birds, as they love to eat eggs.

There are still lots of Brown Thrashers and Northern Cardinals hanging on to pre-migration time, many of them still juveniles. Most everyone recognizes the beautiful adult male cardinal with the beautiful crest. The female and juveniles are brown-red, but still have the same shape as the adult male, so it isn’t hard to determine that they are the same bird.

The stately and serious appearing Brown Thrasher is a mimic, just like the Northern Mockingbird. I have seen it sitting in the trees spewing all sorts of sounds to make it sound like another bird, and today, it chose to sound like a hawk. It learned that trick from our local Blue Jays.

The young Red-winged Blackbirds are taking on the coloring of their parents, and one can now differentiate the males from the females. They have also been getting extra food and will be on the move shortly.

Even the House Sparrows are taking on non-breeding plumage, yet the pairs still remain together, unlike many other birds that tend to separate themselves for seasonal reasons.

This is a juvenile Common Grackle. This area has both the common and the Great-tailed Grackles, which have a size difference due to the length of the tails and a slight difference in color. I have always found their iridescent coloring to be striking and in the sun, they are simply gorgeous birds.

Our time has come to an end, but we’ll get together again next week. In the meantime, keep your eyes on the ground, and your head in the clouds. Happy birding!