northeast-flora-and-fauna

I saw this Northern Cardinal last summer but can't figure out what he's got in his beak. This seems to be a common issue with cardinals for me. I suppose this is because our diets are quite different, with cardinals eating berries that would make me sick, vegetation lying around on the ground, and (of course) bugs [1]. Northern Cardinals do have a pretty strong bite, so they probably can break through some of the softer shells that you might not expect them to be able to crack. I remember at Duke Farms' bird banding programs they would remark about how easily disgruntled cardinals would bite them and break the skin.  July 4, 2023 at Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary Photo 301260443, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] I probably relate better to the gull that steals your French fries.

This Northern Cardinal appeared to be contorting himself to get some sort of snack off this tree. Similar to this Eastern Bluebird , I can't tell exactly what the cardinal was eating. Though in general they will eat "leaf buds", I'm fairly sure their inclination to do so varies from plant to plant [1], and I don't know what plant this was. And of course, I can't rule out that there was some sort of tasty bug who had the misfortune of getting spotted by the cardinal. All I can say for sure is that something certainly got the cardinal's attention. Birds are probably unusually hungry this time of year: Some birds may have recently migrated back to the area, expending lots of energy. Northern Cardinals are around here all year long, though they may be doing small migrations within their winter range [2]. Even if this cardinal was here all winter, winter probably isn't considered a "season of plenty" for birds, and he might very well relish food ...

Here's a Blue Grosbeak I met last May, and it's yet another bird-that's-blue in my area. The males are nearly as blue as one of their local relatives  [1], the Indigo Bunting . I think you're supposed to distinguish between the 2 species due to: The proportionately large beak of the Blue Grosbeak. The rufus wingbars of the Blue Grosbeak. Seen together (which I've never done) the Blue Grosbeak is bigger. More distantly related to the Blue Grosbeak are the Rose-breasted Grosbeak and the Northern Cardinal; they're all in the cardinal family  (AKA cardinal-grosbeak family [2]). As I mentioned in my Rose-breasted Grosbeak post, the name "grosbeak" comes from the French "gros" meaning large, not the English "gross" meaning repulsive. Blue Grosbeak's breed in our area but they prefer to spend the winter in warmer climes. They're generally considered to be "uncommon but widespread". May 4, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 27856...

Despite seeing Orioles, Blue Jays, and Cardinals 1 day this past spring, no baseball was being played. Of course, Orioles , Blue Jays , and Cardinals are different birds than Orioles , Blue Jays , and Cardinals . (It's doubtful that any of the birds I've mentioned would be particularly good at baseball since they all weigh less that a baseball [1]. In recent years a number of sports teams have changed their nicknames/mascots due to concerns about offending a group. We could eliminate all of that if every team switched to using bird names instead; at least I've never heard a bird complain that a team nickname demeaned them [2]. We could have heated battles between Juncos and Buntings, Scaups and Mallards, Cuckoos and Roadrunners. May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 278556506, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 278557219, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 278557422, (c) jpviolette, some ri...

These two birds (and other birds) were foraging in a Duke Farms meadow after a controlled burn had been done (probably weeks before). You can still see blackened plants out in the meadow, though also some green suggesting grow-back was already occurring. I'm not sure what effect a controlled burn has in the short term for birds. I'm sure some arthropods and seeds burned. On the other hand I'd imagine some arthropods will begin to move in, and certainly the burn increased visibility for foraging birds. Though I'm uncertain what the short term effects are, long term these controlled burns are probably the most natural way to retain a meadowland [1]. The 1st bird is the frequently-seen American Robin . March 24, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 269154677, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) Not far away was the easily-recognized Northern Cardinal . March 24, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 269154677, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] Left to its own devices,...

Here's a male Northern Cardinal dining with a female House Finch [1]. Both of these birds have stout beaks for the same reason; they both need them to crush the seeds they like to eat: Birds of a feather, flock together.   Birds of a beak, similar food they'll seek. As adults both species mostly eat fruits and seeds, though adult cardinals won't pass up a tasty mealworm . Finches are more committed to a vegetarian lifestyle, though even they won't pass up eating insects (like aphids ) that are easily accessible. The difference is much starker with what they consider baby food; cardinals will feed their hatchlings as much protein-enriched insects as they can, while finch hatchlings get primarily vegetarian meals. Despite the somewhat similar beaks, they're not particularly closely related. The Northern Cardinal is in the cardinal family (surprise!) while House Finches are in the finch family (double surprise!). Our current understanding is that cardinals are more...

Here's a Northern Cardinal I met last December. These birds are in (surprise!) the cardinal family . Though they're not generally a threat to humans, there are exceptions. With their stout beaks and biting force, they are one of the most "feared" birds among bird banders [1] who deal with passerines. (They can apparently draw blood.) Of course, if you're not holding one in the hand, this danger drops off to virtually nonexistent. Though we didn't have an especially cold winter, this picture was taken back in January, and the weather may have been relatively cold. Many birds floof up their feathers in cold weather, giving them a rounder, softer look than when temperatures are warm. This fella looks a little rounder than I'd usually expect from a Northern Cardinal. January 27, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 263365684, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] Bird banders catch small birds, usually in nets that resemble extremely fine badminton nets. Th...

Here's another American Goldfinch I encountered last winter. Though the eye-popping neon-yellow breeding plumage isn't there, this 1 is more easily recognized as a goldfinch because he's still probably the yellowest bird around. (The previous winter goldfinch I showed was probably a female.) As fairly committed vegetarians, American Goldfinch probably adjust better to wintertime foraging when insects are scarce. Aside from the cold, their biggest complaint about winter might be that they get sick of hearing their American Robin and Northern Cardinal neighbors whining about how they'd love a fat caterpillar or a juicy moth for months on end. January 26, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 263364365, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

For Throwback Thursday, here's a good follow up to yesterday's Northern Cardinal ; it's a male Scarlet Tanager , our 2nd reddest bird [1]. Although our tanagers are related to our cardinals, grosbeaks, and buntings, don't expect all the family members to be red since most are not (and some are blue) [2]. I mentioned in my Northern Cardinal post that the males are bright red all year round; not so for the Scarlet Tanager. These birds only look shockingly colorful during breeding season, wearing a dull yellow plumage the rest of the year. Though my understanding is that there are quite a few Scarlet Tanagers around here, they're kind of hard to spot since they favor treetops for their foraging and socializing. That's why the below are my best pictures of this bird. May 15, 2016 at Washington Valley Park Photo 5330987, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) May 15, 2016 at Washington Valley Park Photo 5330990, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC...

Here's a Northern Cardinal picture from last December. Similar to yesterday's post of a Gray Catbird , the cardinal had food on his mind, and I suspect those are more Multiflora Rose berries in his mouth. (At least those look like Multiflora Rose thorns on some of those branches.) Note that I said his/he; only the adult males have the flamboyant red plumage, and while some birds (I'm looking at you, American Goldfinch ) only have bright plumage during breeding season, the Northern Cardinal males look this way all year round. This is an interesting evolutionary "choice" that the Northern Cardinal has made. I'm sure their bright coloring has attracted unwanted attention from Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks , it probably does ensure that only the strongest, wiliest males survive to breeding season to pass on their genes to the next generation [1]. Although Northern Cardinals are common enough that we may take them for granted, people who haven't seen ...

Here's an American Goldfinch (presumably) trying to hide from the local paparazzi (me). As you can see, her efforts were only partially successful as she hid behind an old flowerhead.  I suspect that goldfinches would still have their breeding plumage this time of the year (they are late-season breeders), and the plumage doesn't look bright/vibrant enough to be a male. Goldfinches are still around here in the winter, but it's a little hard to recognize them in their winter disguise (winter plumage). If you saw any of these guys this winter, you were seeing American Goldfinches. (There were a few of the much larger female Northern Cardinals in the video too.) Incidentally, flowers like these (some of them were Purple Coneflowers (aka Echinacea)) are popular with small seed-eating birds like goldfinches. Those flowerheads have (or maybe had) seeds in them that can provide a convenient food source for birds. September 14, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 168281140, (c) jpviolette,...

Every year I have the intention to learn more about the plants growing in my area, but then get distracted by the birds, herps, and insects moving around out there. But here's a wildflower that's distinctive enough and named appropriately enough that I can usually pick them out even from a distance: the Cardinal Flower . Though they're supposed to be fairly common, I can't say that I see them a lot. That might be because they do best in damp areas with moist, rich soil, while I'm more likely to be found in drier fields and woods. I traditionally see a few of them at Duke Farms' Great Meadow, which can be damp after rain. They (similar to the Northern Cardinal bird) are believed to have gotten their name from their red color that resembles the wardrobe of church cardinals . They are in the bellflower (aka bluebell) family of flowers. It's considered toxic, though like many potentially dangerous plants it has been used medicinally by Native Americans (presum...

Here are a couple American Goldfinch pictures. These are males wearing their vibrant yellow-and-black plumage. Females, juveniles, and non-breeding males all have more subdued coloring. I've occasionally heard of people reporting an American Goldfinch sighting as a "escaped canary", and the Domestic Canary is somewhat related. I suspect that some people just don't think that such a colorful bird would be flying around in the wild in NJ (selectively forgetting about birds like Northern Cardinals ). These birds are considered one of the strictest vegetarians in the passerine world. While many passerines preferentially eat insects, and most will at least supplement their diet with insects, for American Goldfinches it's all about seeds. One consequence of this is that they're seldom a victim of brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds , since the cowbird nestlings can't survive on the American Goldfinch's non-insect diet. July 25, 2021 at Duke Farms Ph...