Seventeen Hundred Ducks in Willows Veterans Hall!

Sometimes, rarely, I find enjoyment in nature without setting foot outside. I had just such an experience this morning as I enjoyed the honor of being a judge of the 2010 California Junior Duck Stamp Competition.

Held in Willows, California, myself and five distinguished judges representing State and Federal wildlife agencies were treated to over 1700 pieces of art created by students from kindergarten to high school senior age from throughout the state.

Artists could choose from any North American species of duck, goose or swan and many chose colorful species not normally seen in our area including Long-tailed Ducks, Harlequin Ducks, King Eider, even the endangered Hawaiian Nene Goose and Central American Masked Duck. Most common subjects were the ornate Wood Duck and the ubiquitous Mallard. The majority of the pieces featured poses typically seen in waterfowl art: flying, landing, feeding, swimming and preening; standouts for me were works featuring detailed head shots, juvenile birds or posterior views.

Age groups were divided into K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. Within each age set works were systematically narrowed down until three first, second and third place pieces were identified along with sixteen honorable mentions. At the culmination of the judging all first place works were judged against one another to determine ‘best of show’. This years honor went to a Union City youth for his watercolor of Fulvous Whistling Ducks.
Every drawing, sketch and painting was terrific, from the more basic illustrations of the kindergartners to the incredibly life-like or beautifully stylized watercolors and oils of the older students. Many of the winners were students of private art-schools, dedicated to developing their creative talents from a very young age.

It’s a rare day indeed when I can claim to have enjoyed a day indoors in lieu of viewing wildlife in its natural surroundings… today was one of those rarities.

Dawn Chorus

I went out early this morning to soak in the orchestration of the ‘dawn chorus’. This term refers to the combined songs of many birds in the first hour of light. The reason for the intensity of the music is the desire of male birds to defend their territorial claim over a patch of feeding, breeding or nesting space, as well as to attract a mate to that space by proving their vitality through the strength of their song. Females may vocalize at this time as well, letting males know of their presence and locations. Sound also travels best at dawn and there is less competition from other non-avian noise.

Two birds heard from my doorstep in the dawn hour are Wrentit and Bewick’s Wren. The competing songs of these two different species has been the subject of study. According to Gareth Hew Davies “they manage to alternate their singing bouts so that they are never in direct conflict. The Bewick's wren starts the session in the morning and dominates the airways for the first hour. The wrentit stays quiet to avoid competition, but gets his turn to sing in the second hour, after which the Bewick's wren starts again. And so this astonishing sharing of the stage goes on”.

Fans of the morning bird chorus, especially in the U.K. join organized dawn chorus walks, sometimes beginning as early as 4 am so they can catch the first songs of the new day. International Dawn Chorus day is held on the first Sunday in May in England. In areas of human-caused bird decline (introduction of predators, competitors and conversion of natural habitats to homes) the dawn chorus is noticeably diminished.

Students of bird song hypothesize that species with larger eyes begin vocalizing first as their eyes perceive the lightening sky before their smaller eyed cousins.

For more on Bird Song visit http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/songs/index.html

Black-throated Gray Warbler: Herald of Spring

One of our favorite heralds of spring time made it’s first, if brief appearance in one of the giant old black oaks on our property this morning. Just as Liam was heading off to a basketball tournament he detected it’s melodious song and ran into the house to let me know. The bird stayed just long enough for me to enjoy one good rendition of it’s tune before moving up the ridge. As an early arriving migrant this individual will have the advantage of choosing the best ‘territory’ before others of it’s species arrive.

Where have they been throughout the winter? According to Snowden’s Annotated Bird List for Butte County a small percentage (a distinct subspecies) over-winters locally, but they are hard to find as they are mostly silent until the spring. The majority of our breeding season black-throated grays are short-distance migrants, wintering in central to southern Mexico.

Even during breeding season they are most easily located by their songs. As tree-top feeders they are typically seen high overhead gleaning insects from the leaves and needles of oaks and pines.

Fortunately for us, black-throated gray warblers are designated a conservation species of least concern, meaning that the population is considered stable or increasing. We’ll enjoy their songs not only for the next four months (until breeding season is over) but for many years to come