Birds

By Tim Sebesta Lone Star College-CyFair

Birds are Important to U.S. Citizens

• We watch them and feed them • We write books about them • We market our businesses with their images • We name our sports teams after them • We choose them as symbols of our patriotism

• 38% of all Americans 16 years and older participate in Wildlife Related Outdoor Activities

• 82% participate in wildlife-watching activities

• 76 Million Americans feed or watch birds spending $29 billion each year

Why Watch Birds?

n  Birds are colorful, interesting to watch or listen to and relatively easy to attract to our backyard.

n  Does not require a lot of specialized equipment, just a good pair of binoculars and a field guide that helps identify the bird.

n  Texas is one of the premiere locations in the country for birdwatching. (614 different species in Texas alone!)

How to Identify Birds

Where Should You Start?

n  1. Begin by identifying the bird to a group. n  Use features like

body shape and size, bill shape, length of neck and legs, and shape of wings and tail.

n  Learn to recognize shapes for quick recognition.

n  2. Use field marks to identify similar species.

Great

Snowy

Cattle

Reddish

Summary on Identifying Birds

n  First, identify the bird at the group level and practice recognizing birds by shape alone.

n  Second, use field marks on the bird to identify the correct species.

Migration Facts

•  778 are migratory •  300 species migrate to Latin America •  19 species of shorebirds migrate 8,000 miles

1 way •  34 species of wood warblers and 22 of the 29

species of waterfowl are shared between U.S., Canada, Mexico

Of the 852 bird species in the United States:

Golden-Crowned Kinglet

American Goldfinch

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet Eastern Phoebe

Orange-Crowned Warbler Cedar Waxwing Dark-Eyed Junco

Common Winter Birds in Houston Backyard

How Did Bird Migration Routes Become Established?

•  Migration is affected not only by food supply, but also by wind and oceans currents. While many birds migrate from northern breeding areas in the summer, to southern wintering grounds (mainly because there is more land near the northern pole than the southern), there are many other migration patterns. Some birds breed in the far south of South America, Australasia and Africa, and migrate to northern wintering grounds. Some birds migrate horizontally, to enjoy the milder coastal climates in winter. Other birds migrate in terms of altitude; moving higher up a mountain in summer, and wintering on the lowlands.

Migration Fun Facts •  The arctic tern flies a phenomenal round trip that can be as long as 20,000

miles per year, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back. The sandhill and whooping cranes are both capable of migrating as far as 2,500 miles per year, and the barn swallow more than 6,000 miles.

•  How do they keep going? Some birds store a special, high-energy fat before the trip. Soaring raptors, for example, may not eat for several weeks as they migrate. Other species eat along their migration routes.

•  How high can they fly? Higher than Mt. Everest. Bar-headed geese have been recorded flying across the Himalayas at 29,000 feet. Other species seen above 20,000 feet include the whooper swan, the bar-tailed godwit, and the mallard duck. Birds fly this high to reach their destinations efficiently. From radar studies, scientists know that birds can change altitudes to find the best wind conditions. To fight a headwind, most birds stay low, where ridges, trees and buildings slow the wind. To ride a tailwind, they get up high where the wind is as fast as possible.

How Do I Get Started? n Many good book and nature stores have an

excellent selection of books, videos, magazines and tapes on bird watching (Wild Birds Unlimited).

n Birding is also a popular Internet subject. n Learn to identify common local species

using your field guide and audio tapes. Consider putting a bird feeder and/or bird attracting native plants around your home.

Viewing Tips

Viewing Tips - Follow these tips from experienced behavior watchers to witness wildlife without startling them or sapping their energy. It's a feeling you'll always remember.

n  Fade Into the Woodwork n  Wear natural colors and unscented lotions. Some birds can

smell! (turkey vulture) n  Remove glasses that glint. n  Walk softly so as not to snap twigs or trample wildflowers. n  Crouch behind boulders or vegetation to blend your figure or

break up your outline.

Where Do I Look For Birds?

Which Field Guide Should I Buy? §  A practical guide will have the picture of the bird,

the verbal description, and the range map all on facing pages.

§  A Texas birder needs a guide that covers bird species

occurring throughout the United States. East meets west and north meets south in our great centrally located state.

§  The National Geographic Society's Field Guide to the Birds of North America is a good one, as are the Sibley Guide, Peterson Guides and the Golden Guide.

Binoculars §  These will help bring the birds closer to you optically so you can better discern a bird's field marks, plumage pattern and color, as well as subtleties of behavior. §  While good optics can be expensive, the choice of brand is very individual. A good guideline is to buy the best optics you can

afford. If you are a beginner, start with a cheaper model and graduate to a more expensive model as your skills increase.

§  Remember, before purchasing an expensive pair, it's important to

try them out yourself to see which size, weight, eye relief, field of view, and light-gathering abilities are best for you.

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/binoculars1.html#binoculars

What Are All Those Numbers?!?

n  Binoculars have a set of numbers on them referring to their magnification power and the size of their objective lens. These numbers are expressed as a formula such as 7 X 35, 7-15 X 30, 8 x 30, 8 x 42 or 10 x 42 are good binoculars for birdwatching.

n  The first number refers to the power or magnification. If this

number is hyphenated it means that the binoculars are capable of a range of magnifications. In the example used above the 7-15 means that the binocular is capable of zooming between 7 and 15 power. Binoculars over 10 power may be difficult to hold steady enough to see the image clearly. Often these binoculars have provisions for mounting on a tripod. With a pair of either 7 × 50 or 7 × 35 binoculars, for example, things 1000 feet away would appear as large as they would if the viewer were standing (1000 divided by 7 = ) 143 feet away. 

Aperture

n  The second number represents the aperture or the size of the objective lens in millimeters. The larger the objective lens the more light it allows into the binocular and the brighter and clearer the image will be. Unfortunately, as objective lenses get larger, the optics get heavier and more uncomfortable to hold.

Eye Relief n  Eye relief is the maximum distance in millimeters that

your eyes can be away from the eyepieces and still see the whole picture. Normal binocular eye relief ranges from 9 to 13 mm. This distance works well for folks with good eyesight.

n  Most glass wearers need eye relief over 13 mm. Binocular manufacturers try to provide this relief through the use of rubber eyecups that can be rolled down. Often this is not enough! Some binoculars are constructed with extended eye relief for glass wearers. Many manufacturers add the letter AB@ the description of binoculars with long eye relief.

How to Use Binoculars

§  Find the subject with your unaided eyes. §  Bring the eyepieces just under your eyes. §  Sight the subject over the tops of the eyepieces. §  Slowly bring the binoculars to your eyes.

Birding Ethics n  Do not to disturb either the birds or their habitat. Walk softly on the

land. n  Stay on established pathways and keep motor vehicles on established

roads and parking areas. n  Avoid harassment; don't disturb birds that are nesting or their nesting

areas. Do not handle eggs or young or stay too long at a working nest. n  Don't over-use playback tapes or screech owl recordings to call birds in. n  Don't trespass on private property. n  Avoid "tree-whacking" to arouse cavity dwellers. n  Divide larger groups of people into smaller, more manageable numbers. n  Support local and national bird conservation organizations. n  Support the Texas Parks and Wildlife Nongame and Threatened and

Endangered Species fund. n  Support the National Audubon Society and Texas Nature Conservancy.

Start In Your Own Backyard! Food n  Bird feeders & plants around your yard that offer

fruits, seeds and habitat . n  Black oil sunflower seed - To attract a diverse

group of birds to your feeder, including chickadees, nuthatches, finches, cardinals and jays.

n  Suet (wintertime)- To attract insect-eating birds such as woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches.

n  Peanuts – Blue jays!

n  Add plants to add to your landscape!

Things To Remember About Feeders n  Birds need an escape route, so make sure you place the feeder near

shrubs or evergreen trees so they can make a quick get-away. Woody plants with thorns are helpful to birds because they provide refuge from predators such as house cats. This can also help keep the feeders out of the rain and food dry.

n  Keep your feeders clean to prevent diseases and deter pests. Disinfect

occasionally with one part chlorine bleach and nine parts lukewarm water and dry thoroughly before refilling.

n  Once you start to provide food for birds, continue throughout the cold

season. It's best to provide only one type of food per feeder. Birds feeding at feeders with mixed seed discard the seeds they do not want while selecting their favorites.

n  Do not feed birds spoiled leftovers, salty snack foods or sugary cereals. n  Cornell Lab Bird Feeder

Start In Your Own Backyard

Shelter n  Shelter can be provided in many ways, including bird

houses or nest boxes (beginning of the year) n  Choosing a bird house will depend on your goal. Do you

want a great looking garden ornament or are you looking to attract a certain type of bird? One other way to provide shelter is with the types of trees and shrubs in your yard.

Things To Remember About Birdhouses

n  Face the entrance hole to the north or east to prevent the birds from overheating if summers are hot in your area.

n  Mount bird houses on poles or posts rather than nailing them to trees or hanging them from limbs, making them less vulnerable to predators.

n  Don't put bird houses next to bird feeders. n  Clean your bird house yearly.

Start In Your Own Backyard Water n  Water can make a difference to the number of birds

visiting your feeders. If birds must fly long distances to find water in the winter, they may choose to stay near their water source rather than coming back to your feeder.

n  Circulating or moving water is more attractive to birds than stagnant water.

n  The easiest way to provide water is by maintaining your bird bath year round.

Useful Websites/Resources

Texas Ornithological Society - http://www.texasbirds.org/ National Audubon Society - http://www.audubon.org/ American Birding Association - http://www.americanbirding.org/ American Bird Conservancy http://www.abcbirds.org/ World Birding Center - http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/worldbirdingcenter/ Bird Links to the World (Texas) http://www.bsc-eoc.org/links/links.jsp?page=l_usa_tx Houston Audubon Society - http://www.houstonaudubon.org/ Outdoor Nature Club - http://www.texasbirding.net/hog/ USGS - http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/infocenter.html Enature - http://enature.com/birding/birding_home.asp Saturday Edition of the Houston Chronicle, Star Section, “Wonders of Nature” TEXBIRDS listserv - http://listserv.uh.edu/archives/texbirds.html http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/

Songs

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/