Campus Birds BY HAYLEY RETTIG ART BY MELINA CHRISTENSEN Have you ever wondered why every Friday there’s a crowd of 20 people in front of the Slater Museum? Have you ever been walking around campus and had people with binoculars blocking your path? Have you ever tried to spot whatever they were staring at and not seen anything? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ve had an encounter with the campus bird walks! These bird walks have been occurring on campus since 2016 and are led by Will Brooks (’20). Bird walks are open to anyone and everyone. There does tend to be a slight attendance bias towards science students, but many faculty members and non-science students regularly participate. Sometimes even people from the offcampus community join in. Walks usually last about an hour (depending on the weather) and consist of strolling around campus looking for local birds. Some of the regular stops along the walk include President’s Woods and the large trees near McIntyre. However, not everyone has time to dedicate an hour each week to walking around campus looking at birds. That’s what this guide is for! This is your DIY identification guide to some of the most common birds on campus that might otherwise fly under the radar.
Our first bird is the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). These songbirds are a type of sparrow that can frequently be found foraging on the ground in any patch of dirt on campus, as sparrows often do (1). Juncos are recognizable from their characteristic dark head that makes them look like they’re wearing little robber hoods. Another characteristic trait are their white feathers on either side of the tail, which can be seen when Juncos are in flight. Once you start looking underneath bushes and shrubs, you’ll immediately start noticing these little birds. Their song is a two-note trill that sounds like someone rapidly playing the same two notes on a piano over and over (but a little less musical). While Juncos might not be the flashiest birds on campus, they certainly are some of the most abundant.
ABOVE: Anna’s Hummingbird Another surprisingly common bird on campus are Anna’s Hummingbirds (Calypte anna). Ask anyone on campus who owns a hummingbird feeder and they’ll tell you that they love these charismatic little birds. Anna’s Hummingbirds are no longer than four inches, but make up for their lack of size with their big personalities. Multiple times, there have been hummingbirds that hover no more than three or four feet away from the bird walk group. Anna’s Hummingbirds truly have no fear. These birds have light green bodies that stand out when they’re perched on top of small trees. The males have a set of reddish-pink feathers covering their face and because of their iridescence, these feathers look best in direct sunlight (2). The hummingbirds that you’ll see most often on campus are the males, who set up and defend territories from other rival males. This means if you see a hummingbird hanging out in a certain spot over and over again, you’ve probably just found its territory. One good spot to look is in the smaller trees between Thompson and Wyatt. You can also listen for its song, which consists of high thin buzzing and chipping notes.
ABOVE: Dark-eyed Junco 22 | ELEMENTS
