Beep-beep.
Yank-yank.
Wheeeeeee-whee-whee-whee-wee.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
I love spring. The neighborhood is ringing with birdcalls!
Clank-clank-clank.
Clank-clank-clank? What's that?!
As I was walking down the street last week, I caught a red-bellied woodpecker tapping on a metal no-parking sign! He quickly moved up to a nearby tree when I walked by. I studied him for a while, intrigued with the spiral pattern he took to climb the tree.
Strange bird, indeed. And what's more, he's quite misnamed: The red-bellied woodpecker actually has a red crown on his head, and a mostly white belly. But he's not to be mistaken for the redheaded woodpecker (rarely if ever seen around these parts), whose entire head is red.
This bird-watching stuff isn't as easy as you might think. But it is fun!
I don't think of myself as a "real" birdwatcher, but I must admit I enjoy watching and learning about our feathered friends, more and more.
I blame these relatively new bird-brained tendencies on my local park director.
Last spring, Christine Craycroft of the Portage Parks District conducted a short educational program on the American Woodcock, also called the Timberdoodle. Reasoning anything with a name like "Timberdoodle" was worth a trip to the park, I went. What a night! It turns out the male Woodcock, a misshapen shorebird, is quite the romancer!
On early spring evenings, the male Timberdoodle seeks to attract a mate by performing a song-and-dance routine. Unfortunately, the little guy has short legs and a long beak. Ungraceful and top-heavy is a bad combination, so he tend to fall over quite a bit as he hops around on the ground. He's not much of a singer, either. His nasally song is a one-note wonder: Beep. Beep. Beep. We counted twenty or so "beeps" that comprised each of his songs. Frankly, he'd failed to impress me to this point. But at the end of the beep-beep song, he takes to the air for what is certainly his better talent: flying.
When he launches skyward (and "launch" is right--he goes STRAIGHT up!) he sails so high he's literally out of sight. But you'll want to keep looking for him (listen for the faint whistle that clues you in to his location) because it's his return trip that is the best part of the show. He spirals down like a drunken kite, performing sideways loop-de-loops all the way down to earth. Where he lands (with a plop) and begins beep-beep-beeping again.
He's an odd fellow, but evidently, this is just what lady Timberdoodles like.
It's a bit late to catch the Woodcock's mating dance routine this year, but there are always good bird-watching opportunities in Ohio. For starters, check out the great resources at:
http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/usohi...
This is a great site for birding in Ohio, with links to Audubon clubs, directions to birding hot spots in Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Columbus, great pictures, and more.
If you prefer learning about the birds of Ohio (or just your backyard) on your own, consider the "Identiflyer." It's a great gizmo you can wear around your neck, about the size of a small pair of binoculars. The Identiflyer plays more than 100 birdsongs, organized on 12 interchangeable song cards--each card holds songs of different species. It's easy to use for birders of all ages and expertise. Get information online at http://www.identiflyer.com/ or by phone at 877-261-6556
Wow, that's incredible!
Every autumn, thousands of songbirds leave parts north for warmer weather. Many of their migration patterns cover up to 3,000 miles! Even stranger, scientists aren't yet sure how they "map" their travels...because much of their flight time is at night, it was once thought the birds navigated like ships of old--by watching the stars. However, further studies showed that the birds made great distance on cloudy nights as well as under clearer skies. So, scientists are still trying to figure out their navigation systems. Maybe being called a "bird brain" isn't such a bad thing after all!
...And This Just In: Science Magazine reported that the prestigious Waterman Award this year (2002) went to Neurobiologist Erich Jarvis at Duke University. Jarvis has recently published work showing that hummingbirds, songbirds, and parrots (the only 3 bird orders known to be capable of vocal learning) may have brain structure that operates similar to that in humans' language development. The Waterman Award, from the National Science Foundation, will allow Jarvis to continue his research on these brain structures. Bird watchers, I suppose, are singing his praises...
Bring the Birds to You!
Make your world more Bird Friendly by visiting A Bird's World, below. Thanks ~ D.
Yank-yank.
Wheeeeeee-whee-whee-whee-wee.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap.
I love spring. The neighborhood is ringing with birdcalls!
Clank-clank-clank.
Clank-clank-clank? What's that?!
As I was walking down the street last week, I caught a red-bellied woodpecker tapping on a metal no-parking sign! He quickly moved up to a nearby tree when I walked by. I studied him for a while, intrigued with the spiral pattern he took to climb the tree.
Strange bird, indeed. And what's more, he's quite misnamed: The red-bellied woodpecker actually has a red crown on his head, and a mostly white belly. But he's not to be mistaken for the redheaded woodpecker (rarely if ever seen around these parts), whose entire head is red.
This bird-watching stuff isn't as easy as you might think. But it is fun!
I don't think of myself as a "real" birdwatcher, but I must admit I enjoy watching and learning about our feathered friends, more and more.
I blame these relatively new bird-brained tendencies on my local park director.
Last spring, Christine Craycroft of the Portage Parks District conducted a short educational program on the American Woodcock, also called the Timberdoodle. Reasoning anything with a name like "Timberdoodle" was worth a trip to the park, I went. What a night! It turns out the male Woodcock, a misshapen shorebird, is quite the romancer!
On early spring evenings, the male Timberdoodle seeks to attract a mate by performing a song-and-dance routine. Unfortunately, the little guy has short legs and a long beak. Ungraceful and top-heavy is a bad combination, so he tend to fall over quite a bit as he hops around on the ground. He's not much of a singer, either. His nasally song is a one-note wonder: Beep. Beep. Beep. We counted twenty or so "beeps" that comprised each of his songs. Frankly, he'd failed to impress me to this point. But at the end of the beep-beep song, he takes to the air for what is certainly his better talent: flying.
When he launches skyward (and "launch" is right--he goes STRAIGHT up!) he sails so high he's literally out of sight. But you'll want to keep looking for him (listen for the faint whistle that clues you in to his location) because it's his return trip that is the best part of the show. He spirals down like a drunken kite, performing sideways loop-de-loops all the way down to earth. Where he lands (with a plop) and begins beep-beep-beeping again.
He's an odd fellow, but evidently, this is just what lady Timberdoodles like.
It's a bit late to catch the Woodcock's mating dance routine this year, but there are always good bird-watching opportunities in Ohio. For starters, check out the great resources at:
http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/usohi...
This is a great site for birding in Ohio, with links to Audubon clubs, directions to birding hot spots in Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Columbus, great pictures, and more.
If you prefer learning about the birds of Ohio (or just your backyard) on your own, consider the "Identiflyer." It's a great gizmo you can wear around your neck, about the size of a small pair of binoculars. The Identiflyer plays more than 100 birdsongs, organized on 12 interchangeable song cards--each card holds songs of different species. It's easy to use for birders of all ages and expertise. Get information online at http://www.identiflyer.com/ or by phone at 877-261-6556
Wow, that's incredible!
Every autumn, thousands of songbirds leave parts north for warmer weather. Many of their migration patterns cover up to 3,000 miles! Even stranger, scientists aren't yet sure how they "map" their travels...because much of their flight time is at night, it was once thought the birds navigated like ships of old--by watching the stars. However, further studies showed that the birds made great distance on cloudy nights as well as under clearer skies. So, scientists are still trying to figure out their navigation systems. Maybe being called a "bird brain" isn't such a bad thing after all!
...And This Just In: Science Magazine reported that the prestigious Waterman Award this year (2002) went to Neurobiologist Erich Jarvis at Duke University. Jarvis has recently published work showing that hummingbirds, songbirds, and parrots (the only 3 bird orders known to be capable of vocal learning) may have brain structure that operates similar to that in humans' language development. The Waterman Award, from the National Science Foundation, will allow Jarvis to continue his research on these brain structures. Bird watchers, I suppose, are singing his praises...
Bring the Birds to You!
Make your world more Bird Friendly by visiting A Bird's World, below. Thanks ~ D.
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