Mute Swan

   Today I had to go to Olive Branch, Mississippi on business. During the trip I drove through a small city park. In the pond, along with the Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and the Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) and a couple of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens), I spotted something a great deal larger than anything else on the pond. Very unusual here and a delight to see and photograph, an adult Mute Swan (Cygnus olor). Very impressive.

Mute Swan

   These are truly majestic water birds. The white body and long white neck glide through the water. The way to differentiate it from other swans is the diagnostic color pattern of the head. The adult has an orange beak and a black face. This bird is very unusual for this area, which is why I took a picture. I saw this one in Desoto County in northern Mississippi. Last year Berry and I spotted one behind a storage building here in Memphis.

Robert

photos courtesy of rfowler

Lovely Figs

   The Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) living in our magnolia tree are enjoying the figs as the first crop ripens in the sun. I walked near the fig tree and spooked someone. A mockingbird squawked sharply and flew from the fig tree to a branch of the magnolia. Moving up under the shade of the tree and looking up, I could see what had been happening. And I knew who the culprit was.

Part of a Pecked Fig

   The mockers may nibble some of my figs. They are delicious. I planted it in the yard to share the fruit with the birds. Just yesterday I snagged a dozen figs off the tree and served them with ice cream when my family came to dinner. Bon appetit, indeed!

Robert

photo courtesy of rfowler

Differentiating Vultures

   I had to go to the little nearby town of Oakland, Tennessee on business yesterday. During the trip I saw a Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) soaring over the pine trees along the side of the highway. Turkey Vultures (Catbartes aura) are much more common around Memphis, which is why I mention the Black Vulture here. Vultures, or buzzards are enormous birds, larger than the average house dog, jet black with seven foot wingspans. They are carnivores which predate on carrion; their beaks are shaped like a can-opener so they can tear open roadkill quickly.

Black Vulture

   These two buzzards are easy to differentiate when they are airborne. The "black" vulture has white or gray fingers at the ends of its wings. The "turkey" has white or gray feathers all along the trailing edge of its entire wingspan. So, just catch your vulture in flight and let it totter to one side in the wind. Easy, easy.

Turkey Vulture

Robert

photos courtesy of wikipedia

On the cylinder

In the wintertime we have three kinds of woodpeckers visit our backyard. They tap the pines for sap. I put bread inside a metal cylinder and hung it outside of my office. Today it was used by one of our woodpeckers.

It was the Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus). It was a juvenile. He pecked inside the holes for bread, then flew to a pine tree.

Robert

photo courtesy of lwilliams

Lady's Night

   We fill our birdbath each day with fresh water and in the 100 degree heat it is irresistable to birds. In the span of several minutes there were two female American Robins (Turdus migratorius), a large Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus mimus) and two special guests this afternoon, two female House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). Yes, it was "Lady's Night" at the birdbath.

Female House Finch

   At first I blew off the female House Finches as just a couple of female English Sparrows (Passer Domesticus). We have a family of English Sparrows living in a birdhouse on the west side of the house. Then, Berry noticed the brown stripes on the breast and the shape of the beak and declared it to be the female version of the House Finch. Add that to the list of birds who have visited ye olde watering hole at our house.

Robert

photo courtesy of helman

Cooper's Hawk right down the Block

   I was driving home, coming down my own street and there was a puddle of water where a neighbor had been watering his thirsty lawn. As I approached, I spotted a juvenile Cooper's Hawk (Accipter cooperii) standing in the middle of puddle, drinking fresh water.

Cooper's Hawk

   This magnificent bird is a medium sized hawk with gray wings. This one had a slight orange tinge to its belly. We see them often in the countryside, but this is the first one I have seen inside metropolitan Memphis.

   We have a small wading pool in the backyard for the dog to stay cool in the summertime. I wonder... from the sky, this little Coopers Hawk could easily have seen the reflection of light off the water. He is certainly welcome at our house anytime.

Robert

photos courtesy of dlink

Answer to the Riddle

   We found the source of the Mockingbird's aggression. It wasn't the ripening figs after all. I spotted a mocker with a worm in its beak standing on an azalea bush near my car. I stepped back and watched as it jumped down into the azalea bush and fed the worm to a chick hidden in the bush. I could bearly see the squirming chick through the azalea blossoms. What a lovely resting place, surrounded by flowers ! The mockingbirds have been protecting a fledgeling.

Robert

Defend yourself !

   There is a team of Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) that have begun making aerial swoop attacks against me any time I am in the front yard. I walk to get the mail; I am attacked. I check the ripeness of my figs; they swoop down at my head. I walk out of the garage and down the driveway; again I am the target of aerial bombardments from the mocker air force.

   The Northern Mockingbird is famous for its amazingly varied songs. It can imitate the sound of other birds. In fact it has so many different songs in its repertoire, that the tremendous variety of songs it can sing is an easy way to identify the mockingbird by sound, without having to actually see the bird.

But I have noticed that during these aerial attacks, the mockers do not sing. They glare down at me and make a single loud sharp chirp. Then another mocker will respond from another perch. I interpret this as defensive behavior, but I cannot perceive the nest or nestling that they are defending.

Northern Mockingbird

   One mocker is stationed on the roof of the house. One is stationed in the magnolia tree. And the third is parked in the Leland Cypress tree. They may be defending nestlings, but I think it is the figs. Last year the Mockingbirds helped us eat the yummy figs on that fig tree. I am certain the birds are aware of the figs in that tree and they surely see them quickly ripening.

   If you visit my house, save yourself ! Wear a hat.

   Robert

photo courtesy of rfowler

Empty Nest

It looks as if the American Robin ( Turdus migratorius ) chicks have fledged. Today the nest is empty. It was time for the chicks to fly away.

All three chicks started as eggs. We don't have a precise date for the laying of the eggs. We noticed the mother sitting for long stretches on the nest and suspected there were eggs there. But we did not see the chicks until nine days ago. They were fed worms by both parents. They got plump, and looked crowded inside the nest. And then... today, we saw an empty nest.

Good luck to them.

How to Identify a Mississippi Kite

   In Memphis it is not difficult to find a Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis). You need but look up. This hawk-like bird looks black against the sun as it soars like a kite in the sky, but it is actually deep gray in color. Berry and I saw one perched on a casino sign one time and focused our scope on it to get a close-up view. It's eyes are very expressive. It has a black mask around its scarlet eyes.

   The Mississippi Kite flies very high in the air, higher than most other birds of prey. Then it swoops quickly to catch insects and small birds.

Mississippi Kite

   Here is how to identify this magnificent bird. It's easy. Note that the tip of each wing comes to a point. In mid-flight the tail of the Mississippi Kite will almost be a perfect triangle. Remember, it will seem to have a black profile in the sky, but you may be able to tell the head is slightly lighter than the body. If you look very closely, you will sometimes notice a small notch in the feathers of the trailing edge of each wing.

   That is a Mississippi Kite. Have fun birding !

Robert

photos courtesy of christopher