MV NATURE
NATURE in AUGUST
The warning call of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is distinctive
story and photos by Matt Perry Making the transition from July to August is always difficult for me. It is the time when most songbirds cease to sing and the summer soundscape is taken over by insects – primarily crickets, grasshopper, katydids, and cicadas. The changeover is a culture shock to me since I get so accustomed to knowing where birds are based almost entirely by their vocalizations. Deprived of the most obvious vocal clues, suddenly I must rely on visual sightings to confirm birds. That is not to say that birds become completely silent in the latter half of the summer; birds still vocalize, they simply stop using their breeding/ territorial songs. Warning calls, begging calls (given by hungry juveniles), and contact notes can still be heard, although deciphering these calls and assigning them to specific bird species can be problematic. For example, the begging calls of Yellow Warbler fledglings are remarkably like those given by Chestnut-sided Warblers, which are nearly identical to those given by American Redstarts. Also, the warning calls of Dark-eyed Juncos, Indigo Buntings, Field Sparrows, and Common Yellowthroats are all similar enough to cause some confusion or at least leave us with some doubt about who pre-
cisely we are hearing. Then again, some calls are highly distinctive and leave me with no doubt as to who is producing the sound. The rattling warning calls of the House Wren, the bright squeak call of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and the “chip-bur” call of the Scarlet Tanager are examples of bird sounds that are easy to assign to specific species. Juvenile Baltimore Orioles produce a three or four-note begging call that is also highly recognizable and when I hear it, I have no doubt who is asking to be fed in the branches above me. There are lots of juvenile birds active in August especially in a habitat rich with food resources. Most of these young birds fledged in June and July and by early August they are busy honing their foraging and hunting skills. These birds will be migrating soon and their primary objective is to build fat reserves large enough to fuel their marathon southward journeys. Most of these songbirds have only a few
weeks to fatten up before heading to the tropics and to regions they have never seen before. Watching a Redstart family is somewhat like watching a small mixed flock containing multiple warbler species – their plumage varies that much! The plumage of the juvenile American Redstarts looks something like that of the adult female Redstart and not much like that of the adult male. The adult males have mostly black plumage with orange markings on the wings and tail, while the female and immatures are greenish with yellow markings. You can sometimes distinguish female immatures from male immatures by the presence of small black spots on the male’s throat. All Redstarts (regardless
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