Sycamore Grove Farm, Madison County

​There has been some research on whether birds remember people – specifically their faces and their voices. Two studies published in Science Daily attribute this skill as “key to the bird’s ability to survive.” Members of the crow family were the birds most often attributed with this ability. Another study published in Science Illustrated found this behavior was not limited to birds with high cognitive abilities. Even pigeons, which the study described as “not exactly the most ‘highly cognitive’ birds,” were able to differentiate between individual humans.

I have observed this ability among a number of species during my morning bird walks. It all began several months ago when I started bringing a small amount of birdseed to scatter at one of my “bird watching” stops. This area abuts a sycamore grove on one side, a barbed wire fence on a second side and an open hayfield on the third side. The flat surface of the fence posts offers a smooth surface for seed. I also scatter a small amount on the ground.  

I usually wear the same hat and coat – and I confess that I talk to the birds as I walk down the slope from our house to this watching area. There is a large damaged cedar tree that had its top broken off in a storm this winter which I pass to get to my stop. Every morning this tree is filled with cardinals, titmice, chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, red-bellied woodpeckers and blue jays – and sparrows on the ground. Over the last month or so some of the birds from this tree have flown toward me, turned around and returned to the tree. It was almost like they were letting me know they had been waiting for their morning “snack” and were excited to finally see me coming. This morning was exceptional! Over 15 different birds flew toward me, circled behind me and returned to the tree. It included a beautiful male hairy, several cardinals, a nuthatch, and a red-bellied woodpecker. It was also humbling to see how my small efforts each morning have now become a regular and valued part of their day. 

I should make a brief mention of the crows who recognized my husband when we lived in Maryland. We often threw out bones for the crows in the morning. The crow family made fast work of them. Several times, however, my husband would then walk out to get the newspaper – and one or more of “our crows” flew over and tried to get his attention by calling and flying around. This was precipitated by the arrival of one or more vultures who were interested in the bones. Clearly these crows were requesting his assistance in getting rid of the competition. So my husband and I can add our experiences to the scientific observations that birds do indeed recognize people! 

Birding tip of the day: 
Starting tomorrow The Bird Cast will begin providing information on migratory behavior. This is an amazing tool to alert you when birds who left last fall will be migrating back into our area and beyond. You can personalize the reports generated all the way down to your county. Be sure to check it out.

Happy birding!
​
Charlene

Sycamore Grove Farm, Madison County
​
Bluebirds are one of my favorite “small birds” (and I have a lot of favorite small birds, including juncos, goldfinches, nuthatches, titmice and chickadees). Its cheerful “chur-lee chur-lee” is immediately recognized by those who know and love these little guys. The bluebirds at Sycamore Grove love to sit on our barn’s weathervane, giving them a good view of the different areas where they may find insects – their main food source. 

Eastern bluebirds in Virginia usually don’t migrate. A small percentage may move short distances south but most remain on their breeding territories all year round. What we may see soon (late February or early March) is the bluebirds that breed further north, some going all the way up into Canada. 

Our local bluebirds begin looking for nesting sites as early as late January to early February. Nest-building and breeding begins in March and can run through August. I have been seeing several pairs of bluebirds investigating one of our nest boxes for the last few weeks. 

We have two bluebird houses on poles in open areas. Last year we had three fledgings of baby bluebirds from one nest. The second nest was commandeered by tree swallows, which are among the other birds that frequently use bluebird nest boxes. 

Sycamore Grove Farm,
​Madison County

Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) migrate to Virginia each fall to winter over in our state. Their nickname is “The Snowbird” – just like all those Northerners who head down to Florida at the first sign of cold weather. These birds find our temperate winter climate to be “downright balmy.” But most of them will be heading back north to Canada to breed and rear their young in late March or early April. A small number will remain here to breed in the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains.

According to my field notes, the first junco appeared at our farm last fall on October 26th. Over the next two days I only recorded one junco – then on October 30th I saw 6 juncos. They frequently drink at our bird bath and are constantly under our bird feeder, quickly snatching seed that drops down on the ground. Stan Tekiela describes their eating behavior in his excellent local bird guide – Birds of Virginia Field Guide: “Most comfortable on the ground, juncos will use both feet to “double-scratch," exposing seeds and insects.” 

You can read more about these snowbirds on the Cornell Lab’s “All About Birds” site: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco/overview

Juncos are one of the 138 species of American or New World sparrows. Juncos have a long life span. They can live to 11 years old. Compare that to some of the other sparrows we frequently see here in Virginia: the life span of the house and song sparrows (3-5 years), the grasshopper sparrow (7 years) and the white-throated sparrow (9 years). 
Juncos are considered very social and will gather in flocks of two dozen or more birds. They will often join mixed flocks with chickadees, sparrows and kinglets.

And consider this: dark-eyed juncos tend to return to the same area each winter. Chances are that many of the juncos you are seeing at your feeder this winter were here in previous years. And they usually remain within an area of about 10 acres during their entire winter stay. So when you “say goodbye” to your juncos this year, remember you will probably see many of them again next fall.

Birding tip of the day:
Unless it’s pouring down rain, I go on my morning bird walk each  morning. I always take my cellphone so I can use the Merlin app – both to confirm sightings as well as to become aware of birds that I haven’t yet seen. On rainy days I find that inserting my cellphone into a Ziploc bag is a great way to keep it from getting wet – and it doesn’t affect the ability of Merlin being able to register bird song. So don’t miss out on that early morning walk just because of a little rain!

Happy birding!

Charlene Uhl

One of the most valuable techniques that I learned from a fellow ORMN birder – Lynne Leaper – is to make regular stops during your bird walk. Stop on a regular basis and just watch and listen. Lynne recommended 5 to 15 minutes and I have found this technique to be an amazingly effective way to see more birds and other animals in nature.

On September 4th of last year, I was standing at one of the fence lines on our property. I regularly put a small amount of seed on the top of the fence posts and scatter some on the ground to attract birds. All the seed is usually eaten within 10-15 minutes and I move on. On this morning as I was standing very still and observing the birds, I saw something move to my right. It was a small, immature groundhog which had come out of nearby undergrowth. It may have been drawn to the bird activity. Since they also have a keen sense of smell, it may have smelt the seed. It cautiously walked to the scattered seed and began to eat. My slightest movement, however, sent it scurrying back into the thick brush.

After several weeks of this behavior the groundhog became acclimatized to my presence and associated it with a food source. For the next month and a half, it came almost every day. October 17th was the last day I saw it. Since groundhogs have a lot of predators (including hawks, foxes, and coyotes, all of which we have seen on our property), I assumed it had been killed and eaten. Then this morning the groundhog appeared – over three months since I last recorded its presence – and started to eat seed just as it had last fall. It was a little more skittish but not like its first few weeks last fall.  Apparently this groundhog had been hibernating and is just now coming out of its burrow. What I found after researching is that groundhogs, while primarily herbivores, are opportunistic eaters and will actually eat small birds. They can also climb trees! I have seen this more than once here on our farm.

I look forward to journaling many more interesting observations during my morning bird walk.

Birding tip of the day:
Keep a written journal so you can look back and find information on birds’ behavior (when and if they migrated into or out of your area) and the behavior of other animals that are a part of the habitat.  It will prompt you to use your observations to do research and learn more about your own property. I also record weather (cloud cover, air temperature, chill factor and humidity). I note if there is dew, frost, or snow on the ground and any other unique things (i.e. the date our field is cut, raked, and bailed). I started journaling during Basic Training Class and have found my observations to be an invaluable and specialized source for information on the natural world right here on our farm.

Happy birding!

Charlene Uhl