Mallard Lake Birding

Just four days prior to the Helicopter flight we have been posting, I had joined a small group of birdwatchers for a nice walk through Mallard Lake in search of birds.  Either in flight or perched on branches, birds are a beautiful and challenging project.  Here a robin poses in profile and an egret soars in full flight.

From the Nest to the Hand

When the volunteer turned his wrist he touched the breast of the bird and said that she was a mother who had given birth. And he showed the evidence: the coat of feathers covering her breast slips open at the touch of his finger, exposing the underlying skin, if that is the right word.

I was amazed. Just a beginner at birding, I had no idea of the complexity of the process, and if you had asked me, I would have answered that a bird on the nest used its entire body as a sort of cover or blanket to provide the warmth. I had no idea that the body changed in such a spectacular manner, allowing the much warmer core of the mother to be readily available to the babies who will be adults in weeks.

Perhaps everyone else knew all this, but I thought it was a wonderful and clear way to learn something of value. My photographer's instincts would like to thank this female woodpecker for the lesson in the beauty and power of nature.

Prepared for the Release

The bird we were checking in the prior post, a Gray-Cheeked Thrush, was in great health and ready to be released. Clearly none the worse for wear, we see a different hand grip by the naturalist, firmly but gently holding the legs as the bird looks around and is readied for release. Then the hand is lifted, the legs are released, and the Thrush flies off into the trees, banded for identification and having helped teach us a wonderful biology lesson.

The banding table was just beyond the Willowbrook building and exhibit area, right near the bridge leading to the trails and lots of opportunities to walk over a mile looking for birds. Next post will see some of the species migrating through Willowbrook in May, 2009.

Holding Migratory Birds

Seen here is a bird being checked for age, injuries, gender and so forth. That same grip we saw in the previous post, with the wrist turned over, allows access to the front of the bird and if you look closely at the bird's right leg in the foreground, you will see the band that has already been attached at the very top of the leg. The naturalist will generally band the bird first, in order to allow the bird to be set free in case the bird becomes agitated. While this bird appeared not to be at all uncomfortable, we were able to look quite closely at things such as the wings.

It was determined that this bird is a second year bird, born in 2008, and the wing photograph is the telling detail. Just above the naturalist's thumb, the strip of darker brown wings is identified as the first year wings, clearly a different color than the second year wings. Only in a situation such as this could an amateur like me learn that and see its effect in full color right before my eyes. And now, thanks to the blog, right before your eyes as well!