Tag: natural history

Red Breasted Merganser

On By Mike and Christy2 Comments

RBM_902314756

Looking fine as can be in his breeding plumage a male Red-Breasted Merganser swims quietly along in the cattails confidant he will attract a mate.

“Courting males salute a female with head held high and then curtsy to the female by tipping up and putting their rear in the air with bill held high. In response to the male’s gesture, the female often jabs him with her bill. Courting males also shake their head side to side to get the attention of a female. Once the female accepts the male she stretches her neck out while holding her bill down and then lowers her neck again in a bobbing motion. They form a monogamous bond for the breeding season, but the male takes off at the beginning of incubation, leaving the female to tend the young alone. Males head to secluded waters to molt their feathers before migrating south while females tend to molt near the breeding site.”  1

References:
1. The Cornell Laboratory of Orinthology, All about birds Website, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory

A close second

On By Mike and Christy8 Comments

A-Close_second_12123

Earlier this week we featured the Mountain Chickadee who by our accounting is the most prevalent species hanging around our neighborhood this winter. A close second,  and perhaps on some days the most prevalent species, is the Red-Breasted Nuthatch. Sitting quietly in an old spruce this particular Nuthatch presented us a nice photo opportunity on a warm March afternoon. It won’t be long before they scatter to higher grounds and prepare for breeding season but until then we savor the opportunity to listen to their honk-honk-honk from the trees nearby.

Strutting their stuff

On By Mike and ChristyLeave a comment

Strutting their stuff

Two male goldeneyes working hard to impress a female in the late afternoon light. These guys will likely only be around here a few more weeks. As spring arrives most of the waterfowl leave my area. Their yearly coming and going gives rhythm to life. Have a great trip north and someday we hope to join you.

 

For the next couple of weeks we will be posting some of our favorite posts from the past as we take a small respite from the digital world.

A curious case: The Color of Baby Coots.

On By Mike and Christy16 Comments

Coots_1

Why do American Coot chicks who develop into mainly greyish-black birds as adults begin their lives with such a splash of color? 1

That is a question a team of biologists have been asking for quite some time and, as is typical in science, the answer was not what they first expected. Previous studies conducted by this same laboratory concluded that coot parents preferentially feed chicks that display brighter coloration. The goal of the present study was to determine why this was the case.

The researchers noted that coots lay between 8-10 eggs and these eggs hatch in the order they were laid. Additionally coots are nest predators and lay eggs in other coots nests. One hypothesis was that the chicks hatched from predatory eggs were the more brightly colored chicks and thus would have gotten fed more. This turned out to be false. The researchers discovered that the chicks hatched from the latter laid eggs were the more brightly colored. Typically chicks hatched latter in a brood have to catch-up to their larger siblings if they are to survive. The researcher noted that if these smaller and brightly colored latecomers survived the parents would use their coloration as a way to preferentially feed these chicks more and allow them to catch-up to their earlier siblings. 2

A wonderful survial strategy reveled in a nicely done study. Hat’s off to science and to the coot.

References:

1. University of California – Santa Cruz. “The mysterious case of the ornamented coot chicks has a surprising explanation: The bright colors of the chicks of American coots help their parents choose favorites, according to a new study.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 December 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191231111817.htm.

2. Bruce E. Lyon, Daizaburo Shizuka. Extreme offspring ornamentation in American coots is favored by selection within families, not benefits to conspecific brood parasites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2019; 201913615 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1913615117

 

Black-billed Magpie

On By Mike and Christy10 Comments

Magpie_2314_bw

Noisy yes, but oh so beautiful, especially in flight, a Black-billed Magpie sits quietly on a snowy afternoon. The magpies in our area are very skittish and difficult to sneak up on for a photograph. We see them all the time but even a quick look in their direction has them flying away.

“Historically associated with bison herds, it now lands on the back of cattle to clean ticks and insects from them. Large predators such as wolves are commonly followed by black-billed magpies, who scavenge from their kills. The species also walks on the ground, where it obtains such food items as beetles, grasshoppers, worms, and small rodents.”

Intelligent and pretty good looking and a fine way to brighten a cold snowy day.