Birds of the Bible - Part Two

Dr. Steve Carr has been been a birder since 1949. He has studied birds on all seven continents, and was on the board of directors of the Salt Lake Birders and the Utah Ornithological Society (UOS). He is also a past president of the UOS and is currently the Secretary of the Utah Bird Records Committee.

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This next session deals entirely with the birds that were proscribed as food by Jehovah, through Moses, in the Old Testament. In fact, most of the birds mentioned in the Bible are those prohibited by the Mosaic Law to be eaten. Moses instructed the Israelites in Leviticus, chapter 11, then reinforced the message in Deuteronomy, chapter 14. Jewish rabbinical authorities are at odds as to why the prohibition. Some say the Mosaic Law of foods was to test the Israelites as to their faithfulness. Others think it had to do with the possibly poisonous nature of the birds (or other kinds of animals) so therefore was a health measure. As you read along, you’ll see that most of these birds are either scavengers, eating all sorts of potentially poisonous things, or birds of prey that eat unclean mammals and reptiles, or wading birds that eat poisonous amphibians in addition to fish (which were edible according to the Mosaic Law).

As we did in Part One, we are comparing the different versions of the Old Testament below.

Eagle	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:13	Eagle	Eagle	Eagle	Eagle
Dt. 14:12	Eagle	Eagle	Eagle	Eagle

Several large eagles inhabit the Middle East. This is the White-tailed Eagle, a fairly common eagle in Palestine. In this case, all four versions agree on Eagle.

Ossifrage	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:13	Ossifrage	Vulture	Vulture	Vulture
Dt. 14:12	Ossifrage	Vulture	Vulture	Vulture

The British King James Translators apparently didn’t know what this bird was, so just left an earlier Latin word. Later translators have discovered that the word is ‘Vulture.’ Ossifrage, (Latin components), ossi = bone; frage = break. This is Latin for the “break-bone” bird.

The Eurasian Lammergeier (Bearded Vulture) is a large vulture that takes bones high in the air and drops them repeatedly onto rocks below to break them, so it can extract the marrow from the bones.

Osprey	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:13	Ospray	Black Vulture	Osprey	Black Vulture
Dt. 14:12	Ospray	Black Vulture	Osprey	Black Vulture

The Osprey is strictly a fish-eating bird, which may not have been prohibited, even though it belongs to the general hawk/eagle order. A Vulture of some kind is more likely correct.

The Old World vultures are in a different family from the New World ones, and, like the new world Black Vulture, there is also an Old World Black Vulture, found in Turkey. The bird mentioned, however, may be the Griffon Vulture, which is fairly common in the Middle East.

Vulture	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:14	Vulture	Red Kite	Kite	Falcons
Dt. 14:13	Vulture	Red Kite	Kites, various	Falcon

There is quite a variety of identifications to this verse.

The Eurasian Kestrel may be the Falcon that the Jewish Torah translates. It is common in both Europe and the Middle East – to the King James translators as well as the Jewish translators.

Kite	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:14	Kite	Black Kite	Falcons, various	Kite
Dt. 14:13	Kite	Black Kite	Falcons, various	Kite

There is a general consensus to Kite in most of the versions.

The Black Kite here, a slim type of soaring hawk, is common in Middle East, although not in Great Britain. 

Glede	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:14	(not mentioned)	(not mentioned)	(not mentioned)	(not mentioned)
Dt. 14:13	Glede	Falcon	Falcons, various	Buzzard

The Glede is an archaic name for the Red Kite that is found in Western Europe and the U.K. but not the Middle East. The Red Kite is similar to the Black Kite but, naturally, has more rufous coloration.

The Hebrew word is ‘Buzzard.’ There is a common Long-legged Buzzard in the Middle East that is a buteo. Buzzard may be a little more generic than Glede, but is probably more accurate. Also, Buzzard does not mean ‘vulture’ in Europe nor the Middle East, like it often does in North America.

Raven	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:15	Raven and kin	Raven, any kind	Crows, various	Raven, varieties
Dt. 14:14	Raven and kin	Raven, any kind	Crows, various	Raven, varieties

“Its kin or kind” refers to crows and jays – all which are scavengers.

The Hooded Crow is extremely common in Israel and the Middle East.

Owl/Ostrich	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:16	Owl	Horned Owl	Ostrich	Ostrich
Dt. 14:15	Owl	Horned Owl	Ostrich	Ostrich

This verse shows the difference in translations. There is a great difference in size between the largest Owl and the Ostrich. We’ll mention several Owls later on. The correct identification is undoubtedly Ostrich.

Nighthawk	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:16	Night Hawk	Screech Owl	Nightjar	Nighthawk
Dt. 14:15	Night Hawk	Screech Owl	Nightjar	Nighthawk

General consensus is that this interpretation is some form of Goatsucker.

This is the European Nightjar, a common migrant seen in Eurasia.

Cuckow/Gull	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:16	Cuckow	Gull	Gull	Sea Gull
Dt. 14:15	Cuckow	Gull	Gull	Sea Gull

None of the authorities seem to know what the word Cuckow is, but it probably isn’t the Common Cuckoo of Europe, which also breeds in Palestine. The name in the Jewish Torah is ‘Seagull’, as is at least one footnote in one edition of the King James version.

Aside from the King James version, the other versions have ‘Gull’ or ‘Seagull.’ This is the Black-headed Gull of the Middle East. (In the Spanish translation of the King James version, this word is ‘Gaviota,’ which means ‘Seagull.’)

Hawk	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:16	Hawk, and kin	Hawk, any kind	Hawks, various	Hawks, variety
Dt. 14:15	Hawk, and kin	Hawk, any kind	Hawks, various	Hawk, variety

As can be seen, there is no disagreement here with the basic identification. There are a large number of buteos, accipiters, kites, falcons, and harriers, any or all of which could be accounted for by the general term of Hawk.

Little Owl	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:17	Little Owl	Little Owl	Owl	Little Owl
Dt. 14:16	Little Owl	Little Owl	Owl	Little Owl

Again, there is basic agreement as to some kind of Owl, or probably small owl.

There is an actual species in Eurasia called Little Owl, shown here, in the same genus as the Burrowing Owl of the western hemisphere.

Cormorant	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:17	Cormorant	Cormorant	Cormorant	Cormorant
Dt. 14:16	Cormorant	Great Owl	Ibis	Cormorant

A little bit of disagreement is seen among the versions. The bird mentioned is probably not a large owl, as big owls are mentioned in other verses. It probably isn’t an ibis, of which there are a couple of species.

There are several types of Cormorants in Eurasia, the most common is the Shag, shown here.   

Great Owl	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:17	Great Owl	Great Owl	Screech Owl	Great Owl
Dt. 14:16	Great Owl	White Owl	Screech Owl	Great Owl

Basic agreement is that of a large Owl.

There are several large Owls in Europe and Asia. The Northern Eagle Owl, related to the Great Horned Owl of the western hemisphere, is especially common in Palestine.

Swan	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:18	Swan	White Owl	Barn Owl	White Owl
Dt. 14:17	Swan	Desert Owl	Desert Owl	White Owl

This is an obvious mistranslation in the King James version, as the Swan belongs to the ‘Duck-Goose-Swan’ family, which are used for food and, apparently, always have been.

The Barn Owl is the only large, white Owl in the Middle East, and is obviously more likely than the Swan. (Photo by the author)

Pelican	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:18	Pelican	Desert Owl	Desert Owl	Pelican
Dt. 14:17	Pelican	Osprey	Buzzard	Pelican

There is quiet a variety of translations for this bird. Even though Pelicans and Cormorants are thought of as being strictly fish-eaters, apparently there is some other reason for their prohibition. There are three kinds of pelicans in the Middle East, such as the Great White Pelican.

Gier Eagle	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:18	Gier Eagle	Osprey	Buzzard	Bustard
Dt. 14:17	Gier Eagle	Cormorant	Cormorant	Bustard

A King James footnote states that the Hebrew has ‘Vulture.’ Some Jewish authorities think it is most likely the Egyptian Vulture, yet the Jewish Torah has Bustard, which is not even distantly related to any of the other birds in this verse.

Why the Torah has Bustard is unknown. This is the Houbara Bustard, the only really common Bustard to be seen in Israel.

Stork	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:19	Stork	Stork	Stork	Stork
Dt. 14:18	Stork	Stork	Stork	Stork

The translators were unanimous with this identification. White Storks are fairly common in Palestine. Other storks can be found in the Middle East, but not in Israel.

Herons	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:19	Heron	Heron, any kind	Herons, various	Herons, variety
Dt. 14:18	Heron	Heron, any kind	Herons, various	Herons, variety

Heron and variety include Egrets and Bitterns. The common Gray Heron of Eurasia is very similar to the Great Blue Heron of the Americas.

Lapwing	King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh Torah
Lev. 11:19	Lapwing	Hoopoe	Hoopoe	Hoopoe
Dt. 14:18	Lapwing	Hoopoe	Hoopoe	Hoopoe

The King James translators apparently had no idea what the interpretation of the original Hebrew word was, as the Northern Lapwing is not even distantly related to the Hoopoe. And, although they can both be seen in Palestine, the Lapwing is very uncommon there but is common in Great Britain. The Hoopoe, on the other hand, is fairly common in the Middle East and continental Europe but uncommon in the U.K.

The Northern Lapwing is in the Plover family, which nowadays generally are considered to be edible, although they are small.

The now generally recognized Hebrew word, previously translated as Lapwing, is Hoopoe, a completely different and unusual bird, more closely related to woodpeckers, that subsists on insects, like beetles, etc. The bird spends most of its time on the ground. The Eurasian Hoopoe is one of the most distinctive birds in the eastern hemisphere. Some colorations appear to be an almost bright peach color with the outstanding contrast of black and white wings and tail. When excited or when flying, the long backward-directed head feathers are erected into a prominent crest over the top of the head. Then there is the unusual call. The bird produces a call that sounds like, “upupu, upupu, upupu,” with the accent over the second syllable. In fact, this peculiar burping call is the genus name for the bird – Upupa. 

Hopefully, these two articles on the Birds of the Bible have served to increase one’s understanding of how birds were considered in ancient days. Apparent, also, is that the birds that we see today in the eastern hemisphere are essentially unchanged from 2000-3000 or more years ago. We can postulate that the same effect can be understood concerning the western hemisphere as well. As much as birders, particularly, and the populace in general enjoy the birds we see and hear, we realize that the enjoyment and appreciation of our feathered neighbors extends as far back as knowledge exists and will project that far into futurity. The last article in this series will discuss many birds seen in the Middle East at the present.

References: All photos in Birds of the Bible – Part Two are borrowed from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

Birds of the Bible - Part One

Dr. Steve Carr has been been a birder since 1949. He has studied birds on all seven continents, and was on the board of directors of the Salt Lake Birders and the Utah Ornithological Society (UOS). He is also a past president of the UOS and is currently the Secretary of the Utah Bird Records Committee.

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This presentation is a three-part article discussing the birds mentioned in the Bible as well as some birds observed during a tour through parts of the Middle East. We trust that no one will be offended, as Christians, Jews, and Muslims accept part or much of the Old Testament. Christians also believe the New Testament. Agnostic or atheistic birders may not be interested in either tome but, considering that the Bible is an established work of literature, they might find the avian subject matter of interest, especially when different interpretations of the same bird are noted. I will quote numerous passages from four different authorities, namely: the King James Version, the New International Version, the Catholic New American Bible, and the Jewish Tanakh Torah. Of interest is a disclaimer from each of them to the effect that, “The precise identification of some of the birds is uncertain.”

Bird or Birds - These words are used 42 times in the Old Testament, 7 times in the New Testament.
Fowl or Fowls - These words are used 74 times in the Old Testament, 11 times in the New Testament.
There are many usages of the generic words “Birds” and “Fowl” even before the birds, themselves, are named: Gen. 1:20-22; 2:20; 6:7, 20; 7:3, 8, 14, 21, 23; 8:17-20.
Turtledove or Turtledoves or Turtle, Pigeon or Pigeons - These terms are used 66 times in the Old Testament, 11 times in the New Testament. All references to ‘Turtle’ in the Bible mean ‘Turtledove,’ not the reptilian tortoise.

The first bird mentioned by name in the Bible is the Raven (Gen. 8:7). Noah sent it forth till the flood waters dried up.

There are a couple of Raven species in the Middle East – this is the Brown-necked Raven, a common species.

Then Noah sent out a Dove (Gen. 8:8, 11-12)

This is the common Turtledove, basically a summer resident in Palestine. 

(Chronologically, the next series of birds will be discussed in the next part, Birds of the Bible – Part Two)

Ex. 16:13 mentions Quail that covered the camp of Israel in the Wilderness of Sin. (Also see Num. 11:31.) 

This is the very common Eurasian Quail.

1 Sam. 26:20 talks about the king of Israel hunting partridge in the mountains.

This is the Sand Partridge, probably the most common partridge in the Middle East, somewhat reminiscent of the introduced Chukar into the western US. (Photo by Lior Kislev)

Job 39:13 The Peacock was known for its fine plumage. (Also see 1 Kgs. 10:22; 2 Chr. 9:21.) Being native only in the Far East, it was undoubtedly an ornamental bird 3000 years ago like it is now.

Job 39:13 The Ostrich was known for its feathers and plumage. It was also known for its habit of laying its eggs and going off without incubating them, letting the sun incubate them (Job 39:13-18). The species used to be more common than now. Even with the prohibition against eating Ostrich meat in the Kosher diet, there are two Ostrich farms in Israel today.

This is the Common Ostrich of the Middle East and Africa.

Ps. 84:3 Sparrows are mentioned 40 times in the Old Testament alone. And, it’s thought that the translators used “Sparrow” for any small, insignificant bird they encountered in the Old Testament.

The common Dead Sea Sparrow.

Psalms 102:7 mentions a Sparrow that sings from the rooftops.

The Psalms reference to the house top is thought to be the common Blue Rock Thrush, which typically sings from the flat-roofed house tops in the Middle East.

Bird Migration was known and understood in Old Testament times:

Jer. 8:7

King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh
Stork	Stork	Stork	Stork
Turtle (dove)	Dove	Turtledove	Turtledove
Crane	Thrush	Thrush	Crane
Swallow	Swallow	Swallow	Swallow

These birds know the appointed times (to migrate). Notice the extreme differences in interpretation from the original Hebrew. White Storks are common in Palestine. Other storks can be found in the Middle East but not particularly in Israel.

If crane is the correct interpretation, this is the Demoiselle Crane, a common migrant through Palestine.

If the bird mentioned is a Thrush, it could be the Fieldfare shown here, fairly common in Israel.

The Swallow mentioned is the Barn Swallow, common throughout the Northern Hemisphere. If Swift is more correct, it would be the Common Eurasian Swift. Both birds migrate through Israel.

Also mentioned in Job 39:26 is the Hawk that knows when to fly to the south. There are several hawks that migrate in addition to several that are permanent residents.

Next are some Birds that will inhabit the ruins of Babylon.

Isa. 14:23 mentions the Bitterns that will inhabit the desolate marshy areas.

This is the Little Bittern, the most common bittern in Babylon (Iraq) and the Middle East, similar in appearance and in the same genus as the Least Bittern of the Americas.

Here are some more verses that mention the birds that will live in the ruins. Notice the differences of translations among the birds, many of which don’t even come close to being reconciled with one another.

Zeph. 2:14 mentions bitterns and cormorants that will roost on the lintels or capitals of the ruins of Babylon. The only time a Cormorant would do that would be if a building were on a cliff above the sea, which Babylon wasn’t.

Isaiah 34:11,15; Jeremiah 50:39

King James Version	New International Version	Catholic New American Bible	Jewish Tanakh
Cormorant	Desert Owl	Desert Owl	Jackdaws
Bittern	Screech Owl	Hoot Owl	Owls
Owl	Great Owl	Screech Owl	Great Owls
Raven	Raven	Raven	Ravens
Vultures	Falcons	Kites	Buzzards
Owl	Owl	Ostrich	Ostrich

Although one would not expect to see a cormorant perched on a building, that is the natural place for a Jackdaw. Even nowadays, one can see Jackdaws on practically every building in Jerusalem and other large Middle-eastern cities at least once during a day.

Have you ever seen a Bittern roosting on the edge of a building? This is Hume’s Owl, a moderate-sized owl of the desert that would perch on a desolate ruin of a building. (Photo from IsraBirding.com)

Eagles are mentioned 30 times in the Old Testament, and only twice in the New Testament, actually and metaphorically. Sometimes it is difficult to know what is being referred to. There are several species of eagles in the mountains and deserts of the Middle East.

The King James Micah 1:16 mentions “…baldness as the eagle.” The American Bald Eagle, which, of course, is not bald, does not occur in the Middle East, and all Eurasian eagles’ heads are fully feathered. However, notice that the Jewish version refers to “...as bald as a Vulture.”

The Lappet-faced Vulture of the Middle East and Africa is completely bald. Again, the Hebrew renders a more accurate interpretation.

Besides the Birds discussed in the Old Testament, there are several references in the New Testament, most of which are generic, referring to plain “Birds” or “Fowls.” (Matt. 6:26; 8:20; 13:4;13:32; Acts 10:12)

There are a number of specific birds mentioned in the New Testament. Doves, pigeons, and sparrows are mentioned several times in various ways. Besides doves (mostly Turtledoves) being mentioned, Pigeons are also considered as an alternative type of sacrifice to the doves.

In a very pedestrian comment, Jesus says that he would gather the people of Jerusalem as a Hen gathers her Chickens (Matt. 23:37). Chickens have been domesticated from their wild African ancestors for well over 3000 years. 

Then there is the prediction of Jesus that Peter will deny him 3 times before the Cock crows. (Mark 14:68-72); and its fulfillment (John 18:27).

One last verse of interest.

The King James version has Jesus saying, “Wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” But, the more recent versions have ‘vultures gathering around a carcass.’ We know the habit of vultures gathering around a carcass, while eagles are more of a solitary species, even though, at times, they may resort to feasting upon carrion.

Griffon Vulture 

References: All images in Birds of the Bible – Part One were borrowed from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted. The original post included images purchased from VIREO by the guest author, but VIREO asked that we remove them as the purchase was only authorized for education presentations, not including the web. So, if some comments below referring to pictures don't make sense anymore, now you know why.

A Tale of Two Teal

Digiscoped with HTC Incredible Android phone.

A couple weeks ago I found this teal in a small pond near my home.  I watched it swimming from both sides for over five minutes and didn't see any hint of the vertical white bar on the side of the breast that is distinctive for North American Green-winged Teal.  This made me wonder if it was a Common Teal, considered the Eurasian subspecies of Green-winged Teal by most American authorities, but considered a separate species by Europeans.  Common Teals have a white horizontal stripe on their sides, rather than the vertical white bar.  While watching this bird, I never did see a white stripe.  The breast seemed paler and more washed out, less brightly pattered than most Green-winged Teal, but otherwise I didn't see anything else that might tell me what it was.

Back at home, looking at David Sibley's page on how to identify Common Teal, he noted that the breast of the Common Teal is "paler and grayish, less buffy" than a Green-winged Teal and that the white stripe on Common Teal can be covered up by their scapular feathers.  Based on these two criteria, I put word out on the Jerseybirds listserv that there was an "apparent" Common Teal at the pond.

Well, over the next week I checked the pond every day and didn't see the bird.  Then I did see a Green-winged Teal with a very pale white vertical chest bar.  I did not think that was the same bird I had before, since though pale, the bar was fairly obvious.  Nobody else saw a Common Teal on that pond, while several others noted the teal with the pale bar--some even suggesting that this might be a sign that the bird was a hybrid or integrade Green-winged X Common Teal.

I didn't know what to think.  Were there really two birds, or had I just not seen this same bird well enough the first time?  Finally, this week, I saw a bird again with no bar or white stripe!  I watched it for five minutes from several angles as it swam around the pond.  Finally, at just the right angle I could see the faint vertical bar.  At this point, I had to conclude that I must have been seeing this same bird off and on, and that the faint vertical bar might be almost completely inconspicuous in some instances.  I had to send out a new message to amend my previous email and admit that the bird at Demott Pond was most likely just an odd Green-winged Teal.

A few folks emailed me to say that this pale-marked bird might be a hybrid.  Since there was a Common Teal and an apparent hybrid teal being reported in Newtown, PA about an hour away, I stopped by there on my way to work this week and took a look at them.  There was for sure a bird with a bright white horizontal stripe (Common Teal) as well as another bird that looks a lot like my Demott Pond teal--with only a pale white vertical bar on each side of the breast.  I don't know if that was the supposed hybrid bird or not.  I've got more research to do on that, I suppose.

So, a fun ongoing learning experience, even if it isn't fun to have to retract a public identification!

The Big Year Give-Away Winners!

Congratulations to Carol Casavant & Bree Janke, winners of The Big Year DVD and bino give-away here at BirdingIsFun.com. Thanks for playing!

The rest of us can go out and buy the movie on January 31st on DVD and Blu-Ray. I can't wait for the birders to start making lists of all the birds seen in the movie, lists of all the error and inaccuracies, and so on. It'll be fun!

Special thanks to Greg Miller (the real man that inspired Jack Black's character) and Mandy Rodgers of Think Jam for allowing me to host this give-away.

Birding by Staying Put

from Learn Outdoor Photography

Yellow-rumped Warbler

When I was a beginning birder, my normal birding pattern was to go some place and walk around.  Of course, walking around is essential for good birding.  But too often as a beginning birder I would see a bird, try to photograph the bird, and then move on, without any consideration of why that bird might be there.  It didn't occur to me that the bird may have chosen his location for a very good reason, like an abundance of food, and other birds may be sure to find the same spot as well.

Northern Cardinal

Cedar Waxwing

About a week ago, I was at Mead Gardens, and I happened to find a Cedar Waxwing in the top of a tall tree.  This was the first Cedar Waxwing I'd seen this calendar year, so I stopped to take a terrible picture of the bird through lots of branches.  As I did so, about a dozen more came to keep him company.    Then I noticed that there were berries in the bushes at around eye level, and so I figured good things were going to happen, and I decided to stay put for a while.  At first all I wanted was a good picture of a Cedar Waxwing, but over the next hour or so, I found myself in the midst of perhaps a hundred birds.  There were so many that it was hard to follow just one.  I ended up counting 20 species of birds from one location (including flyovers), and I even found a lifer there--an Orange-crowned Warbler.

Orange-crowned Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Here's a list of what I found:

1. Red-shouldered Hawk 2
2. Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
3. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
4. Downy Woodpecker 3
5. Eastern Phoebe 1
6. Carolina Wren 1
7. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
8. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
9. American Robin 3
10. Cedar Waxwing 50
11. Black-and-white Warbler 1
12. Orange-crowned Warbler 1
13. Palm Warbler 5
14. Pine Warbler 1
15. Yellow-rumped Warbler 15
16. Northern Cardinal 2
17. White Ibis (flyover)
18. Turkey Vulture 1 (flyover)
19. Osprey 1 (flyover)
20. Mourning Dove 1 (flyover)

That morning reinforced what I believe is a good birding practice.  When you see a bird, look around you and consider what may have drawn the bird to that place.  It may be an area of significant bird activity. Stay put for a while, and you may find that there are a lot more birds in the area than you saw initially, and if you're observant, you may be richly rewarded for your patience.

My Snow(ish) Birds

Alberta weather has always been highly variable, but this month has given new meaning to the words.

For most of January we were basking in temperatures five to seven degrees above normal. The last day we had any measurable snow was Dec 21, meaning our winter has also been unusually dry. In mid January, a huge prairie grass fire, accompanied by strong winds, closed down major highways and caused the evacuation of a small town.

On January 3, we actually set a new temperature record, glorying in a sunny +15C (60F). Eight other centers in the province also set records that day. Many of us never bothered even digging out our winter coats.

The local rare bird alert has been an interesting read. Cinnamon teal, green winged teal, redhead, gadwall, lesser scaup, northern pintail, belted kingfisher, hermit thrush, varied thrush, turkey vulture, trumpeter swan and killdeer appeared on the January bird list. Except for the killdeer (15 reported at once), most of these sightings were of single birds.

All good things come to an end however, and on Jan 15 winter finally remembered we were here.

The temperature nosedived to around -20C (-4F) at noon, with a slight wind. You might imagine the yard would be quiet, with the birds huddling in the warmest spots.

So what did I see?

Maximum fluffing. Fluffing their feathers is one way birds keep warm, trapping more insulating air near the body. And boy did I have fluffed birds.

The grackle that has been making sporadic visits this winter showed up at the black-oil sunflower feeder in the morning. He wasn’t this big a week ago.

Two highly fluffed mourning doves appeared at the sunflower chip feeder on the deck.


The black-capped chickadees were more hyper active than usual so I couldn’t get a photo, but they’re even cuter in maximum fluffiness!

Then in the afternoon, I glanced out the window and counted eight robins. Really, really, fluffed robins. Poor things.


Even the normal winter birds were fluffed with the rapid change in temperature. This poor little downy was nearly twice his actual size, and the red-breasted nuthatch was a fluffball.


Unfortunately old man winter wasn’t satisfied with just -20C. That first cold night we had moon dog, an indicator of continuing clear, cold weather. Sure enough, the third week of January brought a couple days with a ‘high’ temperature of -29C (-20F), which dipped down to -35C (-31F) at night. The dog never got her walk on those evenings, but she didn’t seem to mind.

Our normal winter birds moved to the feeders enmasse. Feeders were being refilled as soon as they emptied, sometimes twice a day. Everyone is reporting a yard full of common redpolls, they’re still at all my feeders both front and back. If I haven’t found a hoary redpoll it wasn’t for lack of time spent peering at busy little red-topped birds all day.

Then the bohemian waxwing cloud moved in – I had about 20 in my mountain ash, but they were spread over several yards that I could see, and possibly the whole neighborhood. There is not a mountain ash berry remaining for blocks.

As I write this, temperatures are climbing back into the plus digits, meaning that small trace of snow we received last week will soon be gone. The grackle, doves and robins are still here. Now the local bird alert is reporting a possible early migration, with thousands of ducks showing up in the last few days.

Would anyone care if I just hid under the bed until things go back to normal?

I have no idea what to look for in my yard. Winter birds? Summer birds? Robins are usually a great indicator of spring, but seeing them on a -20C day kind of blew that out of the water. How will I know when it’s spring?

Ah, I know. It will be spring when the first insects show up in the yard. Of course!

Uncovering The Big Year With Avery Delacroix

This just out from the publicists for The Big Year Movie coming to DVD. I don't know if I should be offended or just laugh. Decide for yourself.

Bufflehead: Photos and Migration Patterns

Bufflehead composite image by Robert Mortensen

Check out those iridescent shades! A whole rainbow practically in one little face.

My eBird records indicate that I have only seen Buffleheads on 40 occasions. I thought it would be more than that. The handsome male Bufflehead featured in the photographs above was recently observed at my lunch hour birding patch along the Jordan River in Salt Lake City. I saw 100+ Buffleheads once at Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park in Idaho back in Nov 2009 and I have seen them in pretty good numbers at Farmington Bay WMA here in Utah.

Being a wintering duck in the places I have lived, I was curious about its migration patterns. Below is an animated eBird sightings map I made.

Stream of consciousness as I watch and ponder the animation: 

Major migration movements occur in May and October, just like one might expect. Late fall and winter sightings in Hawaii are pretty cool to know. Not shown are some sightings in the UK too. Some Buffleheads make it all the way into Mexico during the North American winter. In June, they get very far north near the Arctic circle. The west coast appears to host Buffleheads year round. I still wonder how much the lack of eBirding in July-September affect the quality of the map, not too mention the less populated and the challenging logistics of birding in the extreme and vast north of this continent to collect data for eBird.