FOAM LAKE BIRDING
No. 164
This week I
had a call from a fellow birder asking me if I had been involved in observing
and identifying an Hepatic Tanager this past
summer near Prince Albert. This particular tanager is an uncommon summer
resident of the pine forests in the mountains of Arizona
and adjacent areas let alone Canada. This sighting near Prince
Albert is only the second in Canada
and the first in Saskatchewan. I informed my friend that I had not seen the Saskatchewan bird but that I had seen an Hepatic Tanager
in the Madeira Mountains
of southern Arizona.
Meanwhile
reports have come to my attention of other rare or uncommon bird sightings in
our area. A Black Headed Grosbeak was
seen in the Yorkton
area this past summer. I have seen quite
a few of them in the US
but my most memorable sighting was of a spring male singing away in the poplar tree
in our backyard. Its song is a mellow
version of the Robin's. Another bird
sighting of interest was of a pair of Barred Owls in the Madge Lake Area. These eastern forest owls have slowly spread
westward along the Boreal Forest and similarly treed areas farther south. The last of the rare birds that has been
brought to my attention is the Rosy Finch.
The sparrow-sized Rosy Finch is a bird of the Rocky
Mountains where it lives and breeds along the snow line in the
summer. Occasionally during extremely
harsh winters they will spread out over the plains usually in close proximity
to the US/Canada border. In Saskatchewan they are most commonly seen in the Cypress
Hills region but, recently one was seen in the Yorkton area.
I have been fortunate enough to see them in both Banff
and Jasper National Parks but not locally. A word of caution when identifying rare
birds. Make sure that you have a good
quality bird book, a knowledgeable witness and, if possible, good quality
pictures. Wishing to see a rarity often
creates an exotic bird out of a common one.
Recently, I
have had several local people tell me that they never realized that nuthatches
lived around here and that they did not know what nuthatches looked like. There are two species of nuthatches around
here, the Red Breasted and the White Breasted.
Both birds have the unique habit of feeding upside down as it were. Their feet are designed to allow the nuthatch
to climb down trees head first and when they come to feeders they tend do the
same. The more common one is the Red
Breasted. We have a pair regularly at
our feeders and I am sure that other yards with feeders have them too. Although common in towns in the winter they
disperse into rural areas during the summer for breeding.
Both birds
somewhat resemble chickadees with the Red Breasted a little more so and an
inexperienced birder would probably identify it as a chickadee. The easiest way to identify nuthatches is by
their unique feeding habits. A second
characteristic is the flight pattern.
Most birds fly directly from one point to another but not the nuthatch. It often takes off in one direction only to
change direction several times in mid flight.
It reminds me of the flight pattern of a butterfly. As far as field marks go it is the easiest to
consult a bird book. In size the Red
Breasted compares to a chickadee while the White Breasted compares to a
sparrow.
This week I
have included pictures of both nuthatches.
The picture of a Red Breasted Nuthatch sitting in a tree was taken two
weeks ago while the picture of a White Breasted Nuthatch feeding was taken two
years ago. Both were taken in our
backyard.
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