Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Audubon Society
(NSVAS)
What Birds Do You See?
Summer is coming...have you heard the tweets, chirps and cackles in the early morning just before sunrise? Have you watched the birds visiting to your yard, feeder and birdbath? Birds are everywhere!
Local birds to watch for:
- Blue Jay - Red-winged Blackbird
- American Goldfinch - House Sparrow
- Purple Martin - Gray Catbird
- Eastern Bluebird - Tufted Titmouse
- Northern Mockingbird - Black-capped Chickadee
- House Finch - Northern Flicker
What birds have you seen in your yard? Visit a local park or the VA State Arboretum to see more!
THE BLUE JAY
The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a North American jay, a bird with predominantly lavender-blue to mid-blue feathering from the top of the head to midway down the back. There is a pronounced crest on the head. The color changes to black, sky-blue and white barring on the wing primaries and the tail. The bird has an off-white underside, with a black collar around the neck and sides of the head and a white face. It is mainly a bird of mixed woodland, including American beech and various oak species, but also of parks and gardens in some towns and cities. Its food is sought both on the ground and in trees and includes virtually all known types of plant and animal sources, such as acorns and beech mast, weed seeds, grain, fruits and other berries, peanuts, bread, meat, eggs and nestlings, small invertebrates of many types, scraps in town parks and bird-table food. Any suitable tree or large bush may be used for nesting, and both sexes build the nest and rear the young, though only the female broods them. There are usually 4–5 eggs laid and incubated over 16–18 days. The young are fledged usually between 17–21 days. Blue Jays typically form monogamous pair bonds for life.
The voice is typical of most jays in being varied, but the most commonly recognized sound is the alarm call, which is a loud, almost gull-like scream. There is also a high-pitched jayer-jayer call that increases in speed as the bird becomes more agitated. Blue Jays will use these calls to band together to drive a predator such as a hawk away from their nest.
Blue Jays also have quiet, almost subliminal calls which they use among themselves in proximity. One of the most distinctive calls of this type is often referred to as the "rusty pump" owing to its squeaky resemblance to the sound of an old hand-operated water pump. In fact, they can make a large variety of sounds, and individuals may vary perceptibly in their calling style.
Like other corvids, blue jays may learn to mimic human speech.
As with other blue-hued birds, the Blue Jay's coloration is not derived by pigments, but is the result of light refraction due to the internal structure of the feathers; if a Blue Jay feather is crushed, the blue disappears as the structure is destroyed. This is referred to as structural coloration.
Blue Jays in captivity have been observed using tools.
information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Jay
FEEDERS THAT ATTRACT SPECIFIC BIRDS
TUBE FEEDER WITH BLACK OIL SUNFLOWER goldfinches chickadees woodpeckers nuthatches titmice redpolls, pine siskins ADDING A TRAY TO THE TUBE FEEDER WILL ALSO ATTRACT cardinals jays crossbills purple finches white-throated sparrow house finches white-crowned sparrows TRAY OR PLATFORM FEEDER -- WITH MILLET doves house sparrows blackbirds juncos cowbirds towhees white-throated sparrows tree sparrows white-crowned sparrows chipping sparrows TRAY OR PLATFORM FEEDER -- WITH CORN starlings house sparrows grackles jays juncos bobwhite quail doves ring-necked pheasants white-throated sparrows PLATFORM FEEDER OR TUBE FEEDER AND TRAY -- with PEANUTS cardinals chickadees grackles house finches titmice house sparrows sparrows starlings mourning doves white-throated sparrows jays juncos NIGER THISTLE FEEDER WITH TRAY goldfinches house finches purple finches redpolls pine siskins doves chickadees song sparrows dark-eyed juncos white-throated sparrows NECTAR FEEDER hummingbirds orioles cardinals tanagers woodpeckers finches thrushes FRUIT orioles tanagers mockingbirds bluebirds thrashers cardinals woodpeckers jays starlings thrushes cedar waxwings yellow-breasted chats HANGING SUET FEEDER woodpeckers wrens chickadees nuthatches kinglets thrashers creepers cardinals starlings PEANUT BUTTER SUET woodpeckers goldfinches juncos cardinals thrushes jays kinglets bluebirds wrens starlings HANGING PEANUT FEEDER woodpeckers chickadees titmice
Source - US Fish & Wildlife Service (http://library.fws.gov/Bird_Publications/feed.html#4)
Don’t forget to provide fresh water for your bird friends in addition to food. A wide, shallow metal pan with a lip (such as a baking pan) at least 2 inches deep and not deeper than 3 inches can serve as a makeshift bird bath and watering hole. Place in a sunny spot near your feeder with some large stones in the bottom. Change the water in the pan every 3-4 days and clean once a week or so.
Reporting from the Blandy Bluebird Trail - 2006 Observations
Kaycee Lichliter
This year marks the third season since Greg Baruffi and I have taken on the duties as coordinators of the Shenandoah Audubon Blandy Bluebird Trail. Through the dedication of 40 volunteers, it has been possible for the project to evolve to include various studies from different scientific research institutions/ organizations.
This was the second year of participation with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Incubation Rhythm Studies project. The data we generate feeds into a database which scientists use in universal research projects. For example, at our local level, one data logger placed in an inconspicuous shady location at Blandy has revealed temperature extremes from 32.9° F to 110.3° F between 4/29/06 and 8/3/06. Interestingly, there were 13 days during the breeding season with temperatures recorded above 100° F, and several broods were lost from what we believe to be due to the extreme heat. This is just one type of data that scientists will use to piece together an overall picture of global environment.
One trail section (30 of the 110 nest boxes) was utilized by Sarah Rockwell, an intern from the University of Maryland working in conjunction with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Sarah is studying the costs and benefits of migratory vs. non-migratory Bluebirds. She captured and applied unique color combination bands on adult Bluebirds and collected toenail clippings, feather pulls and blood samples. Techniques to analyze the isotope content create a “fingerprint identification” which places the bird in a specific geographic region while the feather and toenail growth was taking place. Sarah hopes to continue her project for a three to four-year period.
Greg and I have recently received our Federal permits from the USGS Bird Banding Lab in Laurel, Maryland to color-band the Bluebird hatchlings in conjunction with a project of the Virginia Bluebird Society. Furthermore, over the past season, we have also utilized different trail sections for experimenting with predator guards and deterrents, including dog hair and coyote urine distributed at the bases of nest box posts. These two projects are to be ongoing indefinitely.
As busy as the volunteers have been, the birds have been even busier this season. Of the 110 nest boxes, 108 were utilized for at least one nesting attempt. (See more data below) Now, as the birds prepare for winter or head south, Greg and I will begin scrutinizing the data, submitting reports, and making plans for next season to do it all over again. Hats off to all those involved in making the BBT a successful research project and for providing valuable habitat for our native cavity nesters!
|
Species |
Eggs Laid |
Fledged |
Success Rate |
|
Eastern Bluebird |
298 |
222 |
74.1% |
|
Tree Swallow |
256 |
180 |
70.3% |
|
House Wren |
440 |
264 |
60.0% |
|
Tufted Titmouse |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Carolina Chickadee |
17 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
1014 |
666 |
Overall Success 65.68% |
If you are interested in joining the Blandy Bluebird Trail team this upcoming season, please contact
Kaycee Lichliter at kayceelichliter@hotmail.com or Greg Baruffi at gbaruffi@yahoo.com.
If you are a Member of the National Audubon Society…SHENANDOAH AUDUBON NEEDS YOU!
Dear National Audubon Member: Your local chapter of Audubon would like your support. It is the local chapter that carries the message of conservation and environmental awareness to the community around us—and we need your help! Unfortunately the member information we receive from NAS is not always current or correct.
We need your email address, phone number, and a correct mailing address.
YOUR ASSISTANCE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED! THANK YOU!