December in Nature

NATURE in december

story and photos by Matt Perry

Sometimes my mother would decorate our Christmas tree with a diverse flock of glass bird ornaments, and I think I appreciated it more than anyone else in the family. Some of the bird ornaments looked like they represented actual species, but the vast majority did not. They were merely generic bird shapes painted in vivid colors. I recall that a few resembled peacocks and one looked like an exotic kind of kingfisher. Regardless of ornithological accuracy, they were nice to see and they certainly looked more convincing nestled in the branches of a spruce than an ornament shaped like Santa or a reindeer. Our cats found the birds intriguing as well and more than once brought down the entire tree while trying to take one away. Of course, my hope during December is to have the outdoor trees festooned with real birds, and the more species the better. Most winter specialty species are not reliable visitors to the Mohawk Valley and it’s not unusual for several years to go by between their visits. One quintessential winter visitor to the region’s feeding stations is the Evening Grosbeak. In the 1970s through the early 1990s, the Evening Grosbeak would be seen nearly every winter. They would gather at feeders and snarf down sunflower seeds at a prodigious rate. These large black, yellow, and white finches were true winter luminaries and almost everyone looked forward to their arrival. They became rarities in the region by the mid 1990s, but some of us that live in higher elevations can still count on them showing up en masse about every 3 to Flock of Common Redpolls feeding on Gray Birch seeds

5 years. Their visits south are prompted by a lack of food in Northern Canada, they produce a bright warbled their normal home range in the northwestern for- song which sounds to me like the mixture of the ests. The bright trilled calls of Evening Grosbeak Purple Finch’s song and that of the Eastern Blueflocks are often heard before the birds are seen. bird. When here, they give simple call notes, usuThis year I began hearing them fly over in late ally consisting of two or three short, trilled notes. October, and that tells me at least some of us will Like all the other finch species that come through have them in our yards in December. There are Central New York, they are highly social birds and early indications that the winter of 2020-21 will associate with each other in tight flocks. We are be a big year for them. well overdue for a visit from this lovely species

The movements of Pine Grosbeaks are also and given that the local supply of their favorite hard to predict. Their visits to the Mohawk Valley foods is plentiful, perhaps this is the year. Be sure are even rarer than those of the Evening Gros- to look and listen for them in the appropriate habbeaks. A full decade can go by between their itat. visits. The male Pine Grosbeak has mostly russet There are a host of other winter specialties to plumage on the head, breast, and back. The rest look for in December. Most of them are species of its body plumage is gray. All sexes and ages of finch and include the Common Redpoll, Hoary have darker wings and show bold white wing Redpoll, White-winged Crossbill, Red Crossbill, bars. The adult female is much grayer overall Purple Finch, and Pine Siskin. Of those species, but has a russet or yellow-green head. Colors are the Common Redpoll, Purple Finch, and Pine also variable in juveniles. When in our region the Siskin are sure bets for this winter, and you can Pine Grosbeak is not usually associated with pine watch for them at your bird feeders. The Bohetrees but is more typically encountered in decid- mian Waxwing is not a finch species, but it shares uous seed or fruit-bearing trees. They adore cra- their nomadic lifestyle. They come into the region bapples, thornapples (from hawthorns), and are in force perhaps once a decade. Their plumage is particularly fond of seeds from ash trees. They like that of the common Cedar Waxwing but is only rarely show up at bird feeders, which means more ornate and colorful. Like the finches, they even when they are in our neighborhoods, we may travel in flocks, which sometimes number in the not know it. As usual, I am most often alerted to hundreds. They are partial to berry crops and other their presence by hearing their calls. In the breed- fruits. They may descend on a grove of laden bering season, when they are in their home range in ry bushes and strip them clean in an hour. Bohe-

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mians are voracious feeders that tend to gorge themselves and then move on. They do not frequent bird feeders and so when they are in the area you may not know it. That is unless you regularly monitor appropriate fruit-rich habitat. The call of the Bohemian Waxing is an insistent and distinct flat trill, something like the ring of a toneless alarm clock. As is the case with the Pine Grosbeak, we are well overdue for a visit from these marvelous nomads and, based on the amount of fruit-laden bushes we have in the area, this could be the year that marks their return.

With plumage somewhat resembling that of a Mockingbird, the Northern Shrike is not your average brand of songbird. It is a predatory species that makes its living primarily by consuming other songbirds. During the summer, the shrike is found in forests in the far northern part of the continent. In late fall and winter, in years when prey is hard to come by in the north, the shrike may travel south to the northern half of the US and sometimes to the Mohawk Valley. The species’ carnivorous tendencies and the fact that they sometimes impale their prey on thorns has earned them the nickname of “Butcherbird”. We haven’t seen one at our Nature Sanctuary in seven or eight years, but I am hopeful one will spend at least part of this winter with us. If you’re fortunate enough to hear the shrike vocalize, you would hear a combination of shrieks, whistles, and trills, but most of the time they remain mute when away from their breeding grounds. I can sometimes discern their presence by the mobbing behavior of jays. Blue Jays dislike shrikes, and when they locate one, they may dive at it mercilessly in an attempt to drive it away. It is the same treatment they give to small hawks and owls. It has been nearly a decade since a Northern Shrike graced the nature sanctuary with its presence and so maybe we will have one stop by in December. We shall see.

Many other bird species utilize our region’s habitats and enrich our lives in December. All of them are much more than ornaments in colorful feathered packages. They are important actors in the environment and fascinating animals that possess distinct habits and behaviors. Understanding them helps us to better understand ourselves and how we act in the environment. In the best of worlds, our appreciation of them will incentivize us to make our shared habitat more beneficial to them, not just in winter, but throughout the year. • Common Redpoll

Male Purple Finch

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