Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus bachmani

The Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) is a striking shorebird found along the rocky coastlines of the Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Baja California. It is easily recognized by its entirely black plumage, long, bright orange-red bill, pale pink legs, and yellow eyes encircled by a red eye-ring.

Key Characteristics:

  • Size: 15–17 inches (38–44 cm) in length
  • Wingspan: ~28 inches (71 cm)
  • Weight: ~1.3 lbs (600 g)
  • Lifespan: Can live over 15 years in the wild

    Habitat and Behavior:

  • Prefers rocky intertidal zones, where it forages for mussels, limpets, and other shellfish.
  • Uses its powerful bill to pry open or hammer through shells.
  • Often seen in pairs or small groups, and pairs are monogamous, defending their territory year-round.

    Conservation Status:

  • Considered a species of concern due to habitat loss, oil spills, and human disturbances.
  • Population is relatively small but stable, with an estimated 10,000–12,000 individuals worldwide.

    The Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of coastal ecosystems, particularly in rocky intertidal zones. Its role includes:

    1. Predator Control:

  • As a specialist feeder, it preys on mussels, limpets, barnacles, and other intertidal invertebrates, helping to regulate their populations.
  • By consuming dominant species like mussels, it prevents them from overpopulating and outcompeting other organisms, maintaining biodiversity in intertidal habitats.
    2. Indicator of Ecosystem Health:
  • Since it relies on clean, undisturbed coastal environments, its presence (or decline) can signal changes in intertidal ecosystem health.
  • Sensitivity to oil spills, pollution, and human disturbance makes it a key species for monitoring environmental impacts.
    3. Seed Dispersal and Nutrient Cycling:
  • By breaking apart shellfish and disturbing substrate while foraging, it helps redistribute organic material in the ecosystem.
  • Waste and leftover prey shells contribute to nutrient cycling, benefiting smaller scavengers and microorganisms.
    4. Prey for Predators:
  • While adults have few natural predators, eggs and chicks are vulnerable to gulls, ravens, raccoons, and foxes, making them a part of the coastal food web.
  • Sunday, June 2, 2013

    Black-billed Cuckoo


    Black-billed Cuckoo

    Coccyzus erythropthalmus


    • It is a cuckoo.
    • She will find other bird's nest and lay her eggs in it.
    • They family east of the Rockies along the edge of wooded areas.
    • South America is their choice to migrate. 
    • This cuckoo will occasionally be a visitor to Europe.
    • Their nest can be found in shrubs or in a small tree, even found near the ground.

    • These birds wander and feed in trees or shrubs. 
    • They mostly eat insects, particularly tent caterpillars, but in addition they like some snails, berries and other birds eggs.
    • Their call is a fast continual cuucuucuu
    • Adults have a black beak and a tail that is long and brown. 
    • The head and the upper parts of its body is brown and the breast underparts are white. 
    • The eye has a red ring around it. 
    • Youngsters are dull, and the ring around the eye is green.

    Red-shouldered Hawk

     Red-shouldered Hawk  Buteo lineatus

    • Red-shouldered Hawks will come back to same area every year and usually same nest. Story has it that one lived in a territory every year for 16 years in south California.

    • Both male and female will build each nest or freshen up a previous year’s nest.

    • The American Crow will often attack this hawk, however payback has been known to happen. They have a rivalry at which they take food from each other and take after each other. And both will team up to chase  a Great Horned Owl out of their area.

    • When they reach 5 days old, these nestling hawks are able to shoot their poop out of their nest. If you find the poop on the ground you know that an active nest is around.

    • The Red-shouldered Hawk has 5 subspecies. The 4 forms in the eastern USA  reach out to each other, however the western form are over a 1000 miles away. Largest is the northern form. The southern Florida form is the palest, having a gray head.

    • They live in bottom land hardwood stands in the eastern USA. Also in  deciduous swamps, and conifer forests.

    • They hunt and kill other animals in the forests.  These hawks eat mostly small mammals, amphibians, lizards and snakes.




    Friday, September 21, 2012

    Tufted Titmouse

    Tufted Titmouse 

     Scientific Name Baeolophus bicolor

    Tip:

    The word titmouse comes from the Old English words, tit (a tiny animal or entity) and mase (little bird), basically denoting 1 very small bird.

    Tip: Plural of titmouse is titmice.



    tufted titmouse song

    The Titmouse’s tune is a fast-repeated, distinct whistle: peter-peter-peter. These birds continue doing this for about 12 times in sequence or possibly up to 36 songs presented each minute. Females sometimes perform a calmer form of the song.

    tufted titmouse call

    Titmouse calls tend to be high-pitched and mechanical. A real tickly, chickadee-like tsee-day-day-day is among the most typical. Tufted Titmice additionally offer picky, scolding call sounds and, anytime predators happen to be spotted, a strong irritation call which alerts other titmice on this threat.

    tufted titmouse food

    Tufted Titmice feed on primarily insects during the summer time, such as beetles, wasps, ants, stink bugs, treehoppers and caterpillars, and also snails and spiders. They likewise feed on acorns, nuts, beech nuts, seeds and berries. Studies with the birds show they constantly pick the biggest seeds they are able to while scrounging.

    tufted titmouse nest

    Nest Information -Titmice construct cup-shaped nests within the nest hole making use of moss, damp leaves, bark strips and grasses. They will cover that cup using very soft elements for example fur, cotton, hair and wool, in some cases pulling hair right from living animals. Natural scientists evaluating older nests have discovered opossum, mice, horses, raccoon, dogs, red squirrels, fox squirrels, rabbits, cats, cows and hair from humans in their nests. The nest building will take 6 -11 days. Tufted Titmice nest either in a natural hole or occasionally an older woodpecker home.

    tufted titmouse habitat

    Tufted Titmice stay in deciduous forest or perhaps varying evergreen-deciduous woodlands, usually in locations having a thick cover and lots of tree varieties. They're also frequent in orchards, suburban areas and parks in the eastern United States. Usually discovered at low heights, Tufted Titmice are typically almost never experienced at heights over 2,000 feet. in the eastern United States.

    tufted titmouse eggs

    Its eggs tend to be less than one inch long and tend to be cream colored or white having light brown or light purple patches.

    Saturday, September 15, 2012

    Cedar Waxwing

    Cedar Waxwing

     Bombycilla cedrorum



  • Cedar Waxwing couples search for nesting locations with each other, however the female definitely makes the selection.
  • Cedar waxwing the baby birds will be born helpless, naked and blind.
  • A cedar waxwing nest usually includes 4 to 5 eggs that are incubated to a time period of 12 and to 14 days.
  • The Cedar Waxwing favors woodland perimeters or even open forests for a basic home.
  • They also love parks, orchards and gardens having shade trees plus stay in places that alders, maples and dogwoods flourish.
  • cedar waxwing definitely will grab insects in order to include some proteins in their eating routine.
  • The cedar waxwing will rapidly take flight out of their perch and catch insects in the air to enjoy.
  • Insects such as stoneflies, mayflies, moths and dragonflies fall prey to the cedar waxwing.
  • The Cedar Waxwing really is a brownish bird having a crest plus a black face mask.
  • The Cedar Waxwing is among the handful of North American wild birds which specializes in feeding on fresh fruits.
  • The Cedar Waxwing is surely a stylishly attractive bird having distinctive markings.
  • From time to time a cedar waxwing may become intoxicated or maybe die as a result of feeding on berries which have spoiled.

  • The cedar waxwing also will eat flowers and sap.
  • The majority of the cedar waxwing eating habits includes varieties of all types of berries and fruit.
  • Exclusively the female cedar waxwing sits on the eggs, and it is given food from the male while sitting there.
  • In the wintertime, the cedar waxwing can be found all over the southern part of Canada, all over the United states and southwards as far south as Panama.
  • Appearing extremely sociable birds, the cedar waxwing is frequently observed in flocks ranging in proportions of 5 to more than 45.

  • Making a nest requires a female Cedar Waxwing 5-6 days and nights and could call for over 2,600 separate travels into the nest.
  • They sometimes spend less time by using nest components from different birds' nests, such as nests of Yellow-throated Vireos, Robins, Yellow Waeblers, Eastern Kingbirds and Orioles.
  • Not like numerous birds which regurgitate plant seeds of fruit they will eat, the cedar waxwing eliminates the plant seeds within the excrement.
  • Open woodlands, hedgerows, orchards, thickets and community gardens would be the favored environments of the cedar waxwing.
  • Monday, September 3, 2012

    Great Horned Owl

    Great Horned Owl

     Bubo virginianus















  • A Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) which had been Identified with a band around a leg in the The United States survived 27 years and nearly 7 months.
  • is going to take sizeable prey, also other aggressive wildlife.
  • has been a frequent target of being a nuisance from flocks of Crows.
  • stands out as the largest sized owl inside Canada And America.
  • is certainly most active at night.

    Please watch video for more information, abd click on video to expand.

  • tracks down and feeds on mammals such as rabbits, skunks, mice, woodchucks, squirrels and rats, fish and birds like quail, geese and ducks.
  • a sizable owl which might be reddish brown, gray or white and black .
  • is actually a brutal hunter which favors the sit and wait strategy.
  • the great horned owl cannot shift their eyes sideways, however its neck can be so manageable that it may rotate its head enough to view immediately right behind it.
  • a big bird that is 19 to 26 inches long having a wingspan as much as 6 ft.
  • it makes use of the nests of many other birds like the Red-tailed Hawk.
  • is really a solo bird with the exception of at the time of mating time of year.
  • usually weighs about 3 to 4 pounds, the female owl getting bigger than the male, but the male has a deeper voice.
  • are not able to rotate their head entirely about, just about ¾ of the way or 270 degrees.
  • referred to as the tiger from the sky due to its ferocious character and capacity to catch a multitude of animals which may be much larger or more substantial compared to the owl.
  • is among the handful of species which from time to time preys upon skunks.
  • is definitely the sole predator to eat Skunks having consistency.
  • can be found all over the continental United States, plus Alaska.
  • the feathers on the body differs regionally, from light to darker.
  • its vision is excellent, equally in the daytime and also nighttime.

  • in spite of their name, the great horned owl really doesn't possess horns.
  • is going to dive straight down having its wings folded away and grab a victim using its talons.
  • Sunday, September 2, 2012

    Black-capped Chickadee

    Black-capped Chickadee

    Poecile atricapillus










  • Typically the Black-capped Chickadee possesses a somewhat long-tail the very same colors as the wings minus the whitened trimming.  

  • This Chickadee would rather live in places with woodlands like recreational areas, willow thickets, as well as cottonwood growth of trees without underbrush.  

  • The chickadee is usually 4 to 5 inches long and has a wingspan of 6 to 7 inches long.  

  • A chickadee jumps from limb to limb feeding on the bugs, caterpillars and also spiders it finds on trees and shrubs.  

  • The Black-capped Chickadee is readily identified by the small plump body, good black color top and covering on the chest and white colored cheeks.  

  • That chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) possesses a black top which comes right down to the base of the eye and the top of beak.  

  • A chickadee will have one mate so when a couple binds, they will stay with each other forever.  

  • A Chickadee may be found in Canada, Alaska plus the upper half of the USA.  

  • Maine selected this black-capped chickadee to be the official state bird in 1927.  

  • For one little bird, it possesses a insatiable urge for food.    

  • The Black-Capped Chickadee boasts fifteen distinct songs.  

  • Any time you are constructing a birdhouse for your Black-capped Chickadee, it might be beneficial to make it of red cedar.