LIVING BIRD Cornell Lab of Ornithology SUMMER 2011 Living Bird / Summer 2011 1 IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE WITHIN REACH THE NEW CL COMPANION 30 Memorable moments happen when you least expect them. Nature has its own rhythm; chance encounters cannot be planned. For special moments that can be shared and remembered you need more than just a piece of equipment; you need binoculars that are a reliable companion. You need CL Companion binoculars that are always at hand whenever you need them. ANY TIME the extremely light, compact construction ensures exceptional manageability and simple handling PERFECT VIEW impressive viewing comfort and proven SWAROVSKI OPTIK quality guarantee truly memorable viewing experiences PERFECT LOOKS distinctive product design for optimum handling SEE THE UNSEEN WWW.SWAROVSKIOPTIK.COM SWAROVSKI OPTIK NORTH AMERICA LTD. 2 Slater Road, Cranston, RI 02920 Phone2 Living 800 426 Bird 3089, / Summer Fax 401 2011 734 5888 [email protected] www.facebook.com/swarovskioptiknorthamericabirding IVING IRD LSummer 2011 Volume 30 / Number 3 B Features 14 Bad Vibrations by Mary Woodsen In a noisier world, some birds fight noise with noise. Our Mission: To interpret and conserve the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, 22 Going Nutty for Acorn Woodpeckers by Marie Read and citizen science focused on birds. Why is that strange woman hiding behind the restrooms with a camera? 28 The Enchanted Isles by Gary Kramer A brief sojourn on Ecuador’s famed Galápagos islands. Columns & Departments 4 Letters 39 Birding Products by Ken Rosenberg 6 Around the Lab 41 Books for Birders 8 ScienceScope by Stephen J. Bodio by Caitlin Stern 46 A Naturalist’s 10 Spotlight Notebook by David S. Wilcove by John Schmitt 22 Front cover: Tim Kuhn captured this intimate portrait of a singing male Red-winged Blackbird in a local marsh where the birds were singing and displaying, vying for the attention of females. Back cover: An adult Tree Swallow feeds one of its young. Wildlife photographer Tim Kuhn was kayaking when he noticed the young swallow begging from its parents, and he took several pictures of the bird being fed. 28 Living Bird / Summer 2011 3 LIVING BIRD Letters Summer 2011 Volume 30 / Number 3 Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief: Tim Gallagher A Design Director: Kat Dalton NN Assistant Editor: Miyoko Chu kansas River, four miles from the Saguache C. K Neighborhood Spats Science Editor: Hugh Powell Mountain Range. On my creek there are From the Editor Technical Editors: Kevin J. McGowan Kenneth V. Rosenberg ERN several mature narrow-leaf cottonwoods Neil Losin’s “There Goes the Neighbor- Staff Writer: Pat Leonard hood!” (Spring 2011),which discussed ter- Publications Assistant: Jennifer Smith and about 20 more mature cottonwoods e had the pleasure of working with an editorial intern on this issue of Living Contributing Editors: Stephen J. Bodio ritoriality in bird communities, was a top- Jack Connor in the campground next to me. A dozen Pete Dunne ic that fit right in with the events taking Bird. Only he wasn’t the average intern—i.e., a university student on sum- Mel White or more years ago a Lewis’s Woodpecker David S. Wilcove spent two days in one of my tall ponde- place in my yard. I had been monitoring mer break. Far from it. Peter Cashwell is a bird author and distinguished Editorial Intern: Peter Cashwell W Advertising Manager: Susanna Lawson rosa pines but never showed up again. Two a nestbox occupied by Mountain Chicka- educator in mid-career. When he recently had a chance to take a sabbatical leave from his years later, a single bird stayed for a few dees, which were already busy raising their Administrative Staff teaching position at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia, he decided to come to the Cornell Lab young. The female seemed to be staying Louis Agassiz Fuertes Director days and then was gone. But then last year, John W. Fitzpatrick after 10 years without any sightings, two in the nest most of the time taking care of Ornithology to learn how a bird magazine is produced. Senior Director, Administration & Business Operations Adriane Callinan Lewis’s Woodpeckers spent the summer of the young, while the male made fre- I was familiar with Peter’s writing and had greatly enjoyed his book, The Verb, ‘to Bird’: Sight- Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy here, feeding mostly on beef suet from a quent trips back and forth. On each trip Sean Scanlon ings of an Avid Birder, but his résumé really caught my eye…especially some of the items in his weathered wood feeder eight feet up on a he would bring a worm or insect and take Senior Director, Communications list of previous jobs: comic-book critic, rock musician, improv comedy accompanist, radio an- Miyoko Chu dead tree trunk. The birds spent much of away the little fecal sacs found inside. Director, Individual Giving nouncer. So I knew if nothing else he would be an interesting and entertaining addition to the Scott Sutcliffe their time together, often within two feet From time to time Violet-green Swal- Director, Program Development & Evaluation of each other. They never came to the suet lows would swoop past the box and occa- staff—which he certainly was, but he also did journeyman work, writing, editing, proofreading. Richard E. Bonney, Jr. feeder on the deck. By October they were sionally perch just above or below the box Director, Multimedia And he sang a few songs, cracked some good jokes, and became part of the Cornell Lab family. John Bowman gone. while I photographed all of these goings- Director, Bioacoustics Research Program This year there were two birds again, on. All of a sudden the drama intensified But sadly, all good internships must come to an end, and Peter has since left us and returned Christopher W. Clark Cooper’s Hawk Alert Director, Bird Population Studies briefly, but after being attacked repeatedly as one of the swallows headed straight for to the hinterlands of Virginia from whence he came to rejoin his wife and two sons. André A. Dhondt I really enjoyed “Silent Alert” in the Spring by other birds, one woodpecker left and the hole in the nestbox, apparently in- Director, Citizen Science From the staff at Living Bird, thank you for all of your help, Peter. Janis Dickinson tent on taking over the nest for himself. 2011 issue of Living Bird. We have a Coo- did not reappear. The other took com- Tim Gallagher Director, Marketing per’s Hawk that hangs out in our backyard mand of the area, driving away all other “Nothing doing,” said the chickadee as he Mary Guthrie Editor-in-Chief Director, Information Science stalking our feeder birds. It is hard for me birds—Red-winged Blackbirds, European met the swallow head on in midair. With Steve Kelling when I see him dining on a Lesser Gold- Starlings, grackles, House Finches, Black- a little patience and a whole lot of luck, I Director, Fuller Evolutionary Biology Irby J. Lovette finch, leaving a small pile of yellow feath- headed Grosbeaks, Bullock’s Orioles, captured this image. I found Neil Losin’s article “There Goes You are definitely correct, a Red-winged Director, Conservation Science the Neighborhood” perfect for two pur- Blackbird would never mistake a Great Kenneth V. Rosenberg ers on the lawn, but I tell myself hawks Lesser Goldfinches, Downy and Hairy JESS ALFORD Director, Education have to eat, too. woodpeckers, anything that came to the TIJERAS, New MEXICO poses. First I started noticing and think- Egret for another blackbird, and the two Nancy M. Trautmann ing more about what I see myself when J species are not competing for the same food We have enjoyed his antics. He will feeder or within 10 feet of it. Several times ESS Director, Macaulay Library birding—for example, a comparatively Michael S. Webster stand on the grass, gazing up into the a Stellers’s Jay stopped to look—from a A source. In this case, the adult Red-winged LFORD small Red-winged Blackbird harassing a Blackbird is probably concerned about hav- Administrative Board bush, and then run under it, causing the distance of 20 feet; for a minute a Clark’s Edward W. Rose III, Chair little birds to shoot out the top. The Coo- Nutcracker perched seven feet above huge Great Egret. No one would construe ing such a large bird in the vicinity of its Philip H. Bartels Austin H. Kiplinger Andrew H. Bass Kathryn M. Kiplinger per’s Hawk has been a great photographer’s where the Lewis’s Woodpecker was feed- that as mistaken identity. They do occu- nest. This kind of behavior takes place all Robert B. Berry David S. Litman James R. Carpenter Linda R. Macaulay model, and we really enjoy watching him. ing. When a Black-billed Magpie came py the same habitat but probably do not the time when hawks, owls, house cats, and Scott V. Edwards Claudia Madrazo Alexander Ellis III William K. Michener to the feeder tree the Lewis’s Woodpecker have the same diet. So, what is the conflict other predators come around. But a Great William T. Ellison Edwin H. Morgens ANN C. KERN Russell B. Faucett Leigh H. Perkins, Jr. fled, returning immediately when the over? Equally valuable was the manner in Egret can also be a threat. These large wad- John H. Foote H. Charles Price BANNING, CALIFORNIA Alan J. Friedman Elizabeth T. Rawlings larger bird left. In the morning the Lewis’s which the article was written, describing ing birds are opportunistic feeders, and it’s H. Laurance Fuller Maria Schneider Ronald R.