northeast-flora-and-fauna

These Deptford Pink flowers were in bloom last spring. You might think "These are pink flowers; they were named appropriately", but there is some controversy about their name . They get their name from a 17th century British naturalist who saw pink flowers in Deptford, which is in part of London. But these days it's believed that the flower we call the Deptford Pink did not exist in London at that time. Either he was seeing an actual Deptford Pink that was out of range [1], or (as many people theorize) he was seeing a related wildflower, the Maiden Pink . This is how the Deptford Pink got named after a place where it didn't exist. Based on the London naming, you've probably guessed that this isn't a native wildflower but is at least naturalized and arguably invasive. Depending on who you talk to, some consider any introduced plant/animal to be invasive while others will call the less aggressive introduced species "naturalized". Ultimately these wild...

I've talked about Red-bellied Woodpeckers before ( people thinking they're Red-headed Woodpeckers and housing disputes with European Starlings ), so today I'm going to show different views of the same individual. This 1st view might give a person the impression that the entire head is red, perhaps leading them to believe this is a Red-headed Woodpecker. February 10, 2023 at the Raritan Water Power Canal Photo 263680633, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) This same individual seen from below and from the side looks quite a bit different; the red head feathers could be missed entirely. February 10, 2023 at the Raritan Water Power Canal Photo 263680618, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) And as birds that spend time foraging on tree branches, they'll sometimes be in awkward (from a human perspective) position while searching for food. February 10, 2023 at the Raritan Water Power Canal Photo 263680623, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-...

Here's a picture of a European Starling from last autumn. These are generally the birds of murmuration fame [1]. In the picture this starling is in its winter (non-breeding) plumage. This consists of dark but speckled feathering; in breeding plumage they lose the speckles but gain a shiny look like this pair . Although we're used to many birds having breeding and non-breeding plumage, some birds like our European Starlings also change their beak color durinng the year. In warmer weather their beaks are a light yellowish color but in winter it becomes essentially black. It's possible that the black beak, containing beak-strengthening melanin , may help them crunch hard seeds during the winter. (In the summer they preferentially eat softer invertebrates.) Depending on the angle, their beaks can look fairly long. If someone who's not very bird-knowledgeable tells you they have a "black woodpecker" in their yard, they might really be seeing a starling [2]. Octob...

For Superb Owl Sunday , I'd be remiss if I didn't spotlight an owl, wouldn't I? Here's an owl someone pointed out to me; it's an Eastern Screech Owl sheltering in an old tree cavity. Though Eastern Screech Owls do nest in tree cavities, given this picture is from December I suspect the tree cavity was merely providing a secure place to spend the daylight hours. These guys have both songs and calls . The songs are mostly used for romance, sometimes being a trilly sound and other times sounding vaguely like a horse winny. The calls are more about territorial warnings to other owls or battle cries when defending their young; the calls can be pretty screechy. If you annoy them, they might also snap their beaks at you. They have an odd relationship with European Starlings . Though Eastern Screech Owls will prey on the starlings, European Starlings will also bully the owls out of a nesting spot. (It's possible that the ESOs will sometimes pick off a lone starling, th...

Late last fall I thought I was taking a picture of (part of) a flock of European Starlings , and that's mostly who was up there. When I got home though I saw an infiltrator/visitor in their midst, an American Robin . Both these species like to flock, but there are differences. European Starlings will sometimes team up with grackles and blackbirds to form those massive flocks of small birds you sometimes notice from far away. I'm not sure how big a robin flock can get. Though I frequently see them together, I usually see them in smaller groups like 2-15 robins. My impression is that if there are other birds around, it's more of a coincidence than birds actually flocking with the robins, though it's difficult to know how the birds consider each other. My impression is that starlings are frequently bullies around bird feeders, but I don't see robins at feeders a lot so it's difficult to know how these species interact . And generally speaking, birds like being in g...

Here's a House Finch that seems to be trying to determine the most delicious, savory sunflower seed to eat. Especially at a well-stocked bird feeder, it's okay to be choosy. I've shown House Finches before , but they are neat looking little guys. One thing that might surprise people is that even though they are native to North America, they're not really native to the east . They were a West Coast bird that some people started keeping illegally as pets, and probably some of them were released here, perhaps when the law was closing in on their owners. From there, they relatively rapidly spread throughout the eastern/central US, and are now one of the continent's most abundant wild birds. Presumably because they are native to part of North America, they don't have the notoriety of invasive species like the European Starling or House Sparrow . July 18, 2021 at Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary Photo 148188091, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's a singing European Starling . They are probably the #1 invasive bird species in North America, only rivaled by the House Sparrow . They were intentionally introduced in Central Park in NYC; legend says it was so that all the birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare could be enjoyed here in the US. The original 60 that were released now form a population estimated around 150 million birds. Unfortunately their success doesn't come free, as they've replaced native bird species as they've carved out a home here. Starlings are considered mimics, able to imitate other birds like meadowlarks, jays, and hawks. Their own songs seem to be a busy, jumbled collection of warbles, whistles, trills, rattles, and chatters . They're not the most melodious singers in the bird world, though it's possible to appreciate their vocalizing dexterity. July 14, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 148187900, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's a Red-bellied Woodpecker I met last March. These guys don't seem to be migrators; my field guide says their range is the same in summer and winter. I suspect this means there are still insects to be found in trees all year round, even if they're not necessarily active in winter. As the most common woodpecker in my area with a red head, a fair number of people refer to them as Red-headed Woodpeckers, but that's a different species entirely (and one with an even redder head). Despite looking quite different, the Red-headed Woodpecker is the closest NJ relative to the Red-bellied Woodpecker; they're both in the same genus (Melanerpes). I mentioned recently that the European Starling isn't a terribly popular bird. One reason is that they'll attack native birds like the Red-bellied Woodpecker in order to take over tree cavities that the woodpeckers created since both species are cavity nesters. The starlings are a little bigger bird, but their success a...

Here are a couple European Starlings . It's hard to tell the sex of starlings, so I can't tell you this is a potential breeding pair. This is their breeding plumage though, which is mostly black with a sheen to it. (Non-breeding plumage is lighter and more speckled.) This is an introduced species, and thus isn't overly popular in the birding and naturalist community. (Apparently they were introduced by fans of William Shakespeare who wanted Americans to be able to experience all the birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare.) As sometimes happens, European Starlings are doing better here in North America than they're doing in their home range in Europe. They are known for their large, coordinated murmurations . March 3, 2021 at the Raritan River Greenway Photo 120274252, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)