BirdWalk Newsletter 5.14.2017

Walk conducted by Perry Nugent Newsletter Written by Jayne J. Matney

“Motherhood is the most challenging as well as the utmost satisfying vocation in this world.” Nita Ambani

Photo by Angie Bridges

You have heard it before, but it is true: None of us would be here without our moms. But unlike humans who give birth to their young, when it comes to , all birds come from the mother’s egg. The pairs will court and build nests in order to get ready for parenthood. For some species, preparation is elaborate; for others, the preparation is quite simple. The need to find safe, appropriate places to nest their eggs and young is obvious, but this too can vary among species. The eggs that form inside the body of a bird need to be deposited outside the body for the parent’s survival. If held inside, the size and weights of these eggs would otherwise make it difficult or impossible for the female birds to fly, save enough energy, find food effectively, and survive predators Therefore, they must be laid. Once the eggs are laid, usually it falls upon the mom to give them the utmost attention. However, the more we investigate motherhood amongst birds, we realize that there are some species that “shmirk” their responsibilities, such as many of the species of cuckoos, the screaming cowbird, and the African bird called the “whydah”. These birds drop their eggs in other bird nests to be incubated and raised by other hardworking mothers! The opposite is true of the Barrows Goldeneye of British Columbia. These females will actually steal baby birds from mothers of other nests and care for them. They prefer to horde more birds. Only Photo by Ted Jennings half of her “troop” may be her own!

On another part of the spectrum, some species of birds designate “team mothers”. For example, the White-winged and the Arabian Babblers are species of birds that practice sharing the load for raising the young. This makes it easier to raise young Regurgitation and Feeding of Young Photo by Angie Bridges within a grouping of birds- all of the birds are “mothering”! Some mother birds simply get to take it easy after hatching their young. The Argentine Cuckoo Duck, for example, gets off fairly easy because the babies, once they hatch out, are completely self-sufficient and have no need for mothers at that point. These mothers do not need to hone-in on any great parenting skills. But in general, and in most cases, the mother bond with her Photo by Angie Bridges babies is most strong. While incubation is occurring, latest research shows that many mom species of birds are actually already communicating with their young before hatching! Like many vertebrates, the bonding and communication is developing as the baby is developing- in a bird’s case, inside the egg. According to an article “The Life of Birds” in Parenthood by Gareth Huw Davies on PBS Channel, “The chicks of the American White Pelican tell their parents when they are too hot or too cold by giving loud and clear distress calls from inside the eggs. This helps the parents incubate the eggs correctly; they respond to the calls by turning and re-settling on the egg.” In addition, some babies still within the egg are also learning from the mom their necessary calls prior to arrival! The Cornell Lab of Ornithology reveals that two species of fairywrens “can hear their mothers and even learn elements of her calls while still inside the eggs.” According to a new article with The Auk: Ornithological Advances, “Mom at Rest” Photo by Angie Bridges “many birds learn their songs from their parents …. getting a head start……they start learning to imitate their parents before they even hatch.” Dr. William Feeney of the University of Queensland goes on to say, “Prenatal vocal learning has rarely been described in any , with the exception of humans and Australian Superb Fairywrens”.

Photo by Norma Armstrong

Fun Facts:

 Hummingbird eggs are so tiny, they are only .2 grams in weight, while the extinct elephant egg weighed 9 kilograms.  Because of the shape of eggs and the components and thickness of the shell, the egg is specifically made to withstand allotted amounts of pounds of pressure necessary for the parent to not crack the eggs when incubation occurs. A swan’s egg can withstand 26 pounds of pressure and the ostrich egg, 120 pounds of pressure!  The oldest known wild bird is “Wisdom” and she is an albatross living in the Midway Atoll and observed by the U.S. Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. She is at least 66 years old to date. She has proven to be very healthy, but also very fertile! Albatross usually lay one egg per two years. Wisdom is thought to have had 30-36 chicks in her lifetime so far, and she is not finished! She had another hatchling this year!

Here at Magnolia Plantation, we have the unique pleasure of watching the mothering phenomenon go on in our rookeries. This property is an ideal place for nesting and raising young for so many species of birds. Watching the mothering process go on in these nests gives us another way to connect with nature around us. This can be seen not only in birds, by the way…..

Mom and Baby Alligator Photo by Guenter Weber

“Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” Barbara Kingsolver

On Sunday morning, May 14th 2017, 5 participants. It was a beautiful day with 33 species accounted for by sight or sound. The rookery is still booming with activity. The Great Blue Heron and Anhinga babies are about “Parenting Lessons” Photo by Jo Frkovich half grown, the Great Egret young are still very small “puff balls”, while the Little Blue Heron nests are showing eggs but not little ones yet. The Snowy Egrets and the Black-crowned Night Heron are sitting their nests as well, but being more secretive about it. Wood Duck are being seen mostly in Ravenswood, which include ducklings.

Wood duck mom and her ducklings Photo by Cathy Padgett

Flying over Ravenswood, three Red-shouldered Hawk stayed together in a grouping. American and Fish were also fly overs at Ravenswood and the Audubon Swamp areas. Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Northern Parula, and Northern Cardinal verbalized everywhere on the property! The Blue- gray Gnatcatcher were everywhere they could find tree cover. The Yellow- throated Warbler were seen mostly near the cabins, while the Pine Warbler were spotted in the front parking lot and along the Oak Grove trail. The Prothonotary Warbler were being seen near the swamp cemetery, however they are being secretive about their nesting location- for good reason. The White-eyed Vireo were finally accounted for at the bamboo garden. The Downey Woodpecker and the Pileated Woodpecker were being seen in the forested areas. Black and Turkey Vulture circled periodically overhead. The Tree Sparrow were finally spotted high overhead as the participants sat at the picnic tables at the end Photo by Jo Frkovich of the walk. Rounding out the rest of the counted birds were: Common Moorhen, Laughing Gull, Blue , Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Common Yellow-throat, Mississippi Kite, Red-winged Blackbird, and Common Grackle.