Drilling Downy Woopecker

At this time of year I often hear tapping coming from stands of phragmites and cattails. A little searching along the dike road of my local patch, John Heinz NWR, Philadelphia, soon revealed a female Downy Woodpecker hammering away for stem boring insects. 

Our smallest woodpecker is able to cling with ease to these narrow stalks and eat foods that larger woodpeckers cannot reach. The Downy’s sharp bill is able to bore small holes and with its long, barbed, sticky, agile tongue, able to pull out a larvae. It was interesting to watch it move from one stalk to another, seemingly knowing just which ones contained larvae. 

Next time you see a Downy exhibiting this behaviour note the sex of the bird. In winter Downy pairs tend to divide their feeding territories and it is often the females that feed at lower levels, with males being more active higher up in trees.

© adrian binns / WildsideNatureTours.com

How Sniper Got Its Name

The word sniper comes from a common wetland bird, the snipe. When flushed, these cryptic gamebirds of marshes zig-zag their way into the sky.

In days of yore, when rifles were not very accurate, you were considered an excellent marksman if you could shoot one, and given the name sniper.

Wilson's Snipe © adrian binns / WildsideNatureTours.com

What's in a Name? Semipalmated….

The name Semipalmated, as in Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus derives from the latin semipalmatus meaning half (semi) palm (palma) referring to the partial webbing between their toes, as can be seen in this photo.

photo © adrian binns / WildsideNatureTours.com

The Yellow-rumped Warbler's favourite berry

We see a large influx of Yellow-rumped Warblers during the fall months as they move through the Delaware Valley and Mid-Atlantic region. They are without a doubt the most numerous fall migrant warbler.  While the majority of our wood-warblers head to tropical climates for the winter, many Yellow-rumps overwintering in our area.

They are often found actively foraging in flocks feeding on insects and small berries that have a high fat content.

Two of these plants are amongst their favourite foods, Bayberry or Wax Myrtle, hence the name of the Eastern subspecies, "Myrtle" Warbler, and Poison Ivy, pictured here. The berries of both these plants are timed to ripen when the 'butter butts' move through, giving the birds the fuel they need to sustain them through the colder winter months.

photo © adrian binns / WildsideNatureTours.com

#100 Keeping an Eye On.... Little Blue Heron and Snowy Egret

photo © adrian binns
BIRDING with BINnS™, Backyard, Nikon Birding Tips, Nikon ProStaff, Wildside Nature Tours

#86 Sapsucker Holes

Did you ever wonder who created those neat rows of tiny holes on the bark of a tree?  This is the clever work of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a member of the woodpecker family, and uncommon winter resident in our area.

The birds drill into the bark in order to release the sap from inside, hence their name. These interesting hole designs - that also can be rows of squares - do not damage the tree.

Hummingbirds are attracted to sapsucker holes not to consume sap, but to feed upon the insects that are also drawn to the sweet liquid. The insects provide a valuable source of protein for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds as they migrate northwards to their breeding grounds.

It's amazing that the efforts of one sapsucker can have such wide-reaching affects!

photo © adrian binns

#85 Field Tip: Irruptions

In the birding community, "irruption" is the word used to describe an irregular, migratory movement of a large number of birds that does not normally occur in a given area.

Irruptions do not apply to all species, but are known to occur with crossbills, siskins, purple finches, redpolls, bohemian waxwings, red-breasted nuthatches, and also some owls.  By definition, irruptions are irregular, but studies show that they occur in cycles of approximately 2-10 years.

Species irruptions occur when food sources are poor on their wintering grounds, compelling the birds to spread out more widely than usual, and in larger numbers.  Finches and other seedeaters move in as a result of poor crop production.  Owl irruptions coincide with cyclical crashes of rodent populations, which happen to rely upon seeds.

Interestingly, irruptions do not always involve the same species at the same time, and are not related to cold winters.  While last winter there was an irruption of Saw-whet Owls, this winter we are currently experiencing an irruption of Snowy Owls, which are being reported in unexpected areas throughout the Delaware Valley region, much to the delight of birders!

photo © adrian binns

#84 Backyard Tip: Put your Xmas Tree to use

Now that the holidays are over, here is a wonderful suggestion for what you can do with your Christmas Tree.

I see so many placed out on the curb, and know that homeowners are missing out on creating a small micro-habitat for birds.

Do not discard your evergreen tree. Instead, I place mine outside near my feeding station. This now provides an additional place for the birds to hide, and find protection from the elements and predators.

photo © adrian binns

#83 Field Tip: Gumballs and Goldfinches

Walking a stretch of road through my local patch, I came across an expansive stand of Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua. This common, deciduous tree of the east-southeast grows straight and tall, reaching 100 feet in height, thriving in moist areas. 

Their picturesque, star-shaped leaves have long dropped by this time of year, exposing numerous spiky "gumballs" that attract birds, particularly finches in winter.

Gumballs are the fruit of the Sweetgum tree, and each one holds up to 50 small black seeds, a favorite of American Goldfinches, Carolina Chickadees, and Pine Siskins.  Their small fine bills adeptly pry open the prickly gumball to get to the food inside.  

I marveled at the amazing acrobatics of birds hungrily searching for seeds, often hanging upside and jumping quickly from gumball to gumball.  Look for them this winter at your local park or woods - they are great fun to watch! 

 photo © adrian binns

#82 Backyard Tip: Introducing Suet

Most birds have a high metabolic rate, and suet (or fat) plays an important part in their diet. Suet produces enough energy to help birds sustain higher activity levels, for longer periods between meals, during the longer, colder winter months.


While suet can be offered in a cage feeder or mesh bag, I prefer to rub the suet directly into crevices and holes on a snag (as in the photo) that I have placed near my feeding station.

Many birds enjoy suet, but I find that it is those that tend to cling to tree trunks - woodpeckers, creepers, nuthatches, wrens, titmice and chickadees - that are readily attracted to my suet, and it is not long before I have to gladly replenish the supply.

photo © adrian binns

#81 Old Names, New Names

I have been looking through records dating back to the 1950's of bird species seen on my "local patch" - John Heinz NWR at Tinicum, in Philadelphia. Of interest were the names that some of these birds were known as, only 50 years ago.

Whistling Swan, Pigeon Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, Upland Plover, Long-billed Marsh Wren and Short-billed Marsh Wren were what Tundra Swan, Merlin, American Kestrel, Upland Sandpiper, Marsh Wren and Sedge Wren, respectively, were called in those days.

Myrtle Warbler was, and still is, an abundant migrant here in the east, but that was the old name given to Yellow-rumped Warbler, which was once 'split' into two species, the other being Audubon's (in the west). There is talk that they may once again be 'split' in which case it would go back to being known as Myrtle Warbler.

One bird that did regain its old name (from the 1950's) is Common Gallinule (above). Until recently this was known as the Common Moorhen. The naming committees are in the process of straightening out all the common names of birds around the world, so that no two species have the same name, as was the case with this bird.  So the North American bird gets its old name back, Common Gallinule, and its European counterpart (a seperate species) now goes by the name of Common (or Eurasian) Moorhen.

photo © adrian binns

#80 A Murmuration of Starlings

During the winter months flocks of black birds can be seen congregating in large numbers, well into the thousands, especially late in the day before they go to roost.

These aerial displays, produced as they twist and turn in unison, can be nothing short of mindboggling. As the formation dances, and the cloud of birds lightens and darkens, it reminds me of watching the northern lights, another of natures truly spectacular wonders.

What's in a name? A group or flock of starlings is known as a murmuration, from the word murmur, meaning to utter a low continuous indistinct sound. This describes the rustle of thousands of pairs of starling wings perfectly.

#79 What's in a Name: Kiskadee

I recently visited the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, where I was delighted to become reacquainted with beautiful birds that I don't see in SE Pennsylvania.  Several common species seen foraging around feeders have peculiar names related to sounds that the birds make!

The Great Kiskadee, distributed widely from southern Texas through South America, is named for its distinctive, three-syllable song, 'kis-ka-dee.'

The large and gregarious Plain Chachalacas are also named "onomatopoeically," meaning that their name imitates the four-noted cackle that it makes. Central American Indians gave them this name upon hearing the same loud, screechy sounds that birders do!

photo © adrian binns

#78 Conservation Tip: Building Birdboxes

I spent a wonderful morning with a group of PA Young Birders constructing birdboxes and discussing the importance of natural and manmade cavities for many species.

Our bird boxes help supplement the decline in natural cavities by providing a suitable alternative for cavity nesting birds like bluebirds, wrens, chickadees, titmice and tree swallows.

This activity offers a great way to engage and teach kids about habitat and conservation, and is a fun family project for the holidays.

photo © adrian binns

#77 Field Tip: Scratching Sparrows

My wintering sparrows have returned in full force. White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Junco's in particular seem to be all over the backyard. 

While many birds feed by pecking the ground, sparrows have a slightly different method. If you watch them carefully you will notice that they use both legs to move backwards, enabling them to scratch the surface, in order to unearth or expose a seed. 

photo © adrian binns

#76 Keeping an Eye On..... Blackpoll Warblers

The last of our wood-warblers, Blackpolls, have now departed my yard in the Delaware Valley (PA/NJ/DE)  on a long and arduous journey to their wintering grounds.


Blackpoll Warblers breed in boreal forests across Canada and in the northeastern United States, and winter east of the Andes in northern South America. A distance of 5000 miles away!

Their fall migratory route takes them over the Atlantic on a transoceanic non-stop flight lasting up to 4 days and covering over 2000 miles! They are truly the champions of long-distance wood-warbler migration.

photo © adrian binns

#75 Conservation Tip: National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge Week was officially on the calendar October 9-15, but really, every week is National Wildlife Refuge week!

With over 550 refuges in the United States, encompassing millions of acres of habitat, there is always somewhere to go, and something to see at a wildlife refuge.

Autumn is a great time to get outside and enjoy colorful fall foliage, see raptors soaring overhead, watch waterfowl paddling in cold waters, and peer at insects crawling on flowers.

Whatever your interests, National Wildlife Refuges offer wonderful resources to get outside and get back to nature!

photo © adrian binns

#74 Field Tip: Connecting Kids to Birds

There is nothing more wonderful than a kid's smile when he/she is really looking at birds. From the first sighting to the hundredth, kids are amazed by the interesting behaviors of our feathered friends.

From majestic Bald Eagles soaring in the sky, to brightly-colored American Goldfinches feeding on sunflowers, birds are easy to see and watch all year long in a variety of habitats.

Birding is an accessible hobby to kids in every location, demographic and background. It requires little money (a simple pair of binoculars to start) and only a willing and enthuasiastic mentor to guide the kids along. Take a kid out birding today and start a lifetime connection to birds!

photo © adrian binns            

#73 Backyard Tip: Safflower Seed

The easiest way to attract Cardinals is to introduce safflower seed to your feeders. This large white seed is their favorite!

Safflower has the added benefit of being too bitter for squirrels, and too hard to crack open for gregarious blackbirds, such as grackles and starlings - all species we associate with quickly depleting the backyard feeder stock!

While it is one of the more expensive seeds, I prefer to fill a feeder with just safflower to see which other birds it attracts. I have seen House Finches, Tufted Titmouse, chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Mourning Doves and woodpeckers. A more affordable way to introduce safflower is to purchase a seed mix that includes safflower, and these species will readily enjoy picking them out.

photo © adrian binns

#72 Field Tip.... The Warbler that acts like a Flycatcher

The American Redstart is the most active of our wood warblers, with boundless energy, hovering, flitting about with wings half open, pirouetting,  conspiciously fanning its tail, flashing its bright colors (orange in males, yellow in females) as it darts from limb to limb, all in an effort to flush potential prey.

The way it acts while foraging could be interpreted as flycatching, and this is not the only unique feature of the American Redstart. It also has long rictal bristles at the base of the broad bill, suggestive of a flycatcher. These bristles act as sensors to help the bird catch flying insects and protect the eyes from debris and damage.

photo © adrian binns