Bird of the Week - XXV

This week's "Bird of the Week is the Carolina wren. Twenty years ago, it would have been very rare to see a Carolina wren in Reading. Now, they are fairly common around town. This bird is a great example of range expansion, that is living organisms expanding the range in which they live. The Carolina wren is a bird of the Southeast but now can be found in all most all of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire and southern Maine. It can be found in a wide range of habitats, from swamps to forest to residential area. They requires moderately dense shrub or brushy cover. They eat primarily insects, but can be found around winter bird feeders eating suet.

The Carolina wren is a small, buffy, songbird with rusty colored underparts. It oftens holds it tail in the upright position and it has a white eye stripe. The sexes look alike with the male slightly larger. The Carolina wren's song is a very loud, clear, 3-syllabled chant, like "tea kettle - tea kettle - tea kettle." It is one of the few birds that will sing in the dead of winter.

The Carolina wren is quite creative as to where it will nest and roost at night. It will nest in hanging plants, tipped over flower pots, nest boxes, it will even nest in garages if the door or window is kept open. Last winter, I had a Carolina wren roost (sleep) in my Christmas wreath hanging on my front door! Here are plans you could follow to build a shelter box for Carolina wrens, or other small birds, to use at night.

Photos taken from Cornells All About Birds.

Parker Family Science & Nature Field trip

On Saturday, February 28th, I led the 11th annual Science & Nature of Winter field trip for Parker students and their families. 40 people joined me as we first headed for Salisbury State Park on the shores of the Merrimack River. We were hardly off the bus when we saw several Harbor seals hauled out on the rocks enjoying the sun. I set up the spotting scope and every one got wonderful looks at them. There were also Common eider ducks, Red-breasted mergansers, Herring & Greater black-back sea gulls, and 2 Common loons in the river.

As we drove over to the bathrooms, we saw several cars pulled over to the side with a bunch of people looking through spotting scopes and cameras at something. A Snowy owl! We got off the bus and slowly walked over to where people were observing the bird. I again set up my spotting scope and the kids and their families got superb looks at the owl from about 150 feet! Rarely do you get to see a Snowy owl that close. The bird watchers and photographers there were great to the kids, inviting them to look through their scopes and cameras, too. One photographer got several beautiful photographs he took from his car to show everyone.

Our next stop was at Deer Island located in the middle of the Merrimack River. Here we ate lunch in the sun out of the cold wind. When we first got there there were no Bald eagles, however, after about 20 minutes, 2 adult male Bald eagles flew in and circled around for a few minutes before drifting away. There was also a Red-tailed hawk soaring overhead.

We next headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. We slowly drove down the refuge road, eyes open for anything, but there was little wildlife visible. We stopped at the Hellcat Trail boardwalk where we first went up the observation tower and then next we walked the boardwalk trail. The day was bright, clear, and sunny and we had spectacular views from the top of a dune. We could even see Mt. Argamenticus in York, Maine.

As we headed off the refuge, we made one last stop at Parking lot #1 so we could do some winter beachcombing. Various types of sea shells were found along with a lot of over interesting things, including a clump of wrecked lobster pots. Tangled up in them was a fishing reel and several fishing lures that one of the kids salvaged.

All in all, the trip was very successful and the kids and their families had a great time! Many thanks to the Parker PTO for funding the cost of the bus!

As kids send me photographs they took, I'll post them to this entry. Photos were taken by Collin, Peter, Noah. The first 2 Snowy owl photos were taken by a teacher friend of mine of these 2 birds being released at Salisbury State Park. They were captured at Logan airport and relesed here.

Bird of the Week XXlV

This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Common grackle. The Common grackle is a large blackbird, approximately 12 inches long with a wingspan of about 16 inches. It is an iridescent black all over with a long tail that looks keel-like in flight. It's eyes are yellow and it has a fairly long, black bill. The head, neck, and breast are a glossy, purplish-green or blue. The female is slightly smaller and less glossy than the male. It's song is a harsh, unmusical "readle-eak," like a rusty gate

It spends the winter in southern United States and is one of the earliest returning migrant birds, often returning in March along with flocks of Red-winged blackbirds. It forages (eats) on ground, often in large flocks with other blackbirds where it will eat insects, other invertebrates, grain, seeds, acorns, and fruit. The Common Grackle is an opportunistic forager (hunter of food), taking advantage of whatever food sources it can find. It will follow plows for invertebrates and mice, wade into water to catch small fish, and sometimes kill and eat other birds at bird feeders.

The Common grackle breeds in much of central and eastern United States and Canada, living in a variety of open areas with scattered trees, including open woodland, boreal forest, swamps, marshes, agricultural areas, urban residential areas, and parks.

Potential and Kinetic Energy

Potential energy is the stored energy of position or its chemistry. Potential energy can be changed to kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy in moving things. A wind-up toy sitting on a table has potential energy. You wind it up and let go and it moves. The potential energy changed to kinetic energy. Substances like wood, coal, oil, natural gas, and gasoline have stored energy because of their chemistry. They can burn. When they burn, they give off heat and light energy. Potential energy can change to kinetic energy either slowly or very quickly. All energy starts out as potential energy.

Bird of the Week - XXlll

This week's Bird of the Week is the Red-winged blackbird. Perhaps the most abundant bird in North America, the Red-winged blackbird is one the the earliest returning migratory birds in our area. After spending the winter in the southern part of the United States, they arrive back here in Reading from the end of February through early March. I had 2 singing in my backyard this morning, February 23rd!

The Red-winged blackbird is a medium-sized songbird that has a moderately long, slender bill and a medium length tail. The male is black with a bright red to reddish-orange patch on it's wings. The female is totally different appearance, looking a lot like a large, dark sparrow. It's song is a harsh, gurgling trill described as "kon-ka-reee".

Red-winged blackbirds breed in a variety of wetland and grassy areas, including swamps, marshes, meadows, and fields. The male Red-winged blackbird flashes and displays the red patches (epaulettes) on it's wings to attract a mate. The males vigorously defend their territory, chasing any birds that comes into it, trying to drive them away.

About 75% of the Red-winged Blackbird diet is seeds. During the breeding season, they also eat insects, especially dragonflies, mayflies, and caddis flies as they emerge from their aquatic larval stage. In winter, grain is an important source of food, and many birds feed on corn stubble and at feedlots.

Photos taken from All About Birds.

Bird of the Week - XXll

This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Cedar waxwing. This beautiful, medium-sized songbird looks like it was hand painted. It has a crest on top of it's head and it's face has a black mask edged in white. The tip of the tail is yellow or sometimes orange and most Cedar waxwings have red wax droplets at the end of their wings. The name "waxwing" comes from the waxy red appendages found in variable numbers on the tips of the secondaries of some birds. The exact function of these tips is not known, but they may serve a signaling function in chosing mate.The males and females look nearly alike.


Cedar waxwings are frugivorous, meaning that they are fruit eaters. Most of its diet is made up of berries, especially in the winter. Berries play a large role in the cedar waxwing's breeding, social and migratory behavior. Cedar waxwings will perch on a branch and pluck berries or it will hover in the air and grab berries. In the northern part of their range, the cedar berry is a large part of their diet. Cedar waxwings will sometimes pass berries to one another as they perch in a line on a tree branch. Occasionally a cedar waxwing will become drunk or even die from eating berries that have fermented. The cedar waxwing will also eat sap, flowers and insects. They occasionally wait for an insect to fly by and then take off after it and catch it in the air.


Look for Cedar waxwings in winter around fruiting trees. They will often be found in flocks.
Photo from Terry Sohl.

Citizen Science project - The 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count will take place during the weekend of February 13 - 16, 2009. This four-day event engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.
Participants count birds anywhere for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report their counts, they fill out an online checklist at the Great Backyard Bird Count web site. As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how this year's numbers compare with those from previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see. A selection of images is posted in the online photo gallery.
To participate, plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, February 13–16, 2009. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time. You may find it helpful to print out your regional bird checklist to get an idea of the kinds of birds you're likely to see in your area in February. You could take note of the highest number or each species you see on this checklist.
3. When you're finished, enter your results through their web page. You'll see a button marked "Enter Your Checklists!" on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count (February 13, 2009). It will remain active until the deadline for data submission on March 1, 2009.
Here are the results from 2008.