Buchanan County Bird Club Newsletter
Editors Roger & Lynda Mayhorn
Spring Arrivals on Compton Mt
A Yellow-throated Vireo (photo), a summer resident here on Compton Mountain, arrived on April 30th. On the same day we heard our first of the season Wood Thrush and a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We had our first of the season Yellow-breasted Chat and two Whip-poor-wills on the evening of May 4th. There were also a couple of Whip-poor-wills at the Mountain Top Golf Course a couple of miles away.
Roger Mayhorn
In Search of Nesting Eagles
On May 5th David Raines and I went in search of a Bald Eagle's nest we had heard about from two separate sources. One of the sources was from BCBC member Cheryl Thompson, who heard about the nest from her cousin. It was said to be located on the Big Sandy watershed, an area where no Bald Eagle nests had been previously reported.
David and I found two adult Bald Eagles in the nest area, but the foliage on the nest tree was too dense to see the nest. The tree was also perched atop a sheer cliff . The adult birds had been seen sitting on the edge of the nest in February and March, so the prospects for this being a real nesting pair of Bald Eagles is very good Roger Mayhorn
Purple Martins on Compton Mountain
After having a Purple Martin house up for 5 years with no Purple Martins using it I was beginning to get a bit discouraged. Then on May 7th a pair of martins came in to check out the house (left photo). The Tree Swallows nesting in the gourds below the house didn't like it at all, and tried in vain to run the martins away. The pair of martins moved in. Sometimes a second female could be seen with the pair. Sometimes there were as many as nine Purple Martins at the house at once, though I don't know where they came from. On May 21st while the martins were away I lowered the house (It's on a pulley) to look in and found two compartments with completed nests of straw and mud. After that I often saw the pair of martins flying to the tops of nearby trees and plucking leaves, which they carried back to place in the nest. I learned from Johnnie Ratliff that this is common behavior for martins and though there are several theories it is not known why they do it.
On June 25th when I again checked the house I found 4 healthy, baby martins of different sizes. They are asynchronous, which means unlike most other birds their young don't all hatch at the same time. In early July a young one could be seen poking its head from the nest compartment entrance. On July 12th the first of the four nestlings fledged. On July 14th the last 3 nestlings after sitting for awhile on the porch of the martin house (right photo) flew for the first time. The family still returns to the house at night, but in a few weeks they will all head to South America to spend the winter. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that next year I will have many more nesting pairs of martins.
Roger Mayhorn
Purple Martins in Grundy
Lynda and I were glad to finally get one pair of martins, but Johnnie and Betty Ratliff really have the martins. With three large martin houses, some smaller houses and several gourds they have 56 nesting compartments and this year most of them were full. Johnnie called and said "There's something you need to see" so Lynda and I went down just before sunset. As the sun dropped low into the west the Purple Martins began streaming in to the Ratliff's' yard. Most of the young martins had fledged and there were over 200 birds flying around, sitting on electrical wires and trying to crowd into the houses for the night. It reminded me of watching hundreds of Chimney Swifts pouring into a chimney during fall migration. Even a few martins can be noisy, but during all of this the large flock was making a constant racket, chortling, gurgling and chirruping. It was a sight and sound to behold.
Johnnie and Betty have been "martin landlords", as people who host martins are known, for many years. They have built their colony over that time. They started out with 14 birds back in the 1960's and now have hundreds. Johnnie monitors the houses to make sure that insect pests such as blowflies and mites that can harm baby martins are not present, and to protect the martins from invading House Sparrows and European Starlings. Sometimes when cold rainy weather comes after the martins have returned in the spring he makes alternative foods available since the martins mainly feed on flying insects and may die without their food supply. Sometimes during nesting a young martin will get pushed out of the house or fall from the house porch. Johnnie puts the baby martin on a towel on the end of a long pole and gently lifts it back to the house. Sometimes, if he can't figure out which nest the bird goes to, or if the adults won't accept it, he hand feeds the bird until it can fly on its own.
When Johnnie lowers the houses to check them Betty is on hand with pencil and paper to take down the data from each compartment, the number of eggs, number of young, etc. They have kept records of their martins ever since they started. Being a martin "landlord" involves commitment and work. The martins at the RATLIFF INN are in good hands.
The Hunters Get Their Spring Birds
By May 11th Tom and Laverne Hunter had many of their usual resident birds. Those included Black-and-white Warbler, Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Great Crested Flycatcher (photo), Red-eyed Vireos, Blue-headed Vireos, House Wrens, Chipping Sparrows, Scarlet Tanagers and Eastern Wood Pewees.
Red-shouldered Hawks Fledge
I posted this photo on May 13th of one of two Red-shouldered Hawks nestlings here on our property on Compton Mountain. Later in the season I could often hear the young ones calling, and the adults would sometimes fly over our yard carrying rodents. I checked the nest again around July 1st, and the young ones had left the nest, but could still be heard in the surrounding trees. A pair of Red-shouldereds nest in this area every year.
Roger Mayhorn
Annual Magee Marsh Trip
From May 16th through May 20th Buchanan County Bird Club members made their annual trip to Magee Marsh on Lake Erie to watch the spring migration. Twelve birders birded Magee Marsh and surrounding areas of the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Ottawa County in northern Ohio. The group had to put up with rain the first couple of days but in spite of the weather logged 137 species. This was the first time birding the area for a few of the birders, and the others were pleased to have them along. It made for a more enjoyable trip. Don Carrier got the nice shot of the Mallards during the trip.
A Walk in the Park
On May 16th David Raines and his father, Ernest, too their usual walk in the Breaks Park. They used this opportunity to see which birds were about in the park. They found Eastern Wood Pewee (photo) Great Crested Flycatchers, American Robins, Ovenbirds, Wood Thrush, Hooded Warblers, Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Swainson's Warbler.
They also found an Eastern Towhee, a flock of ten or more Cedar Waxwings devouring the fruit of a Serviceberry Tree, A Blue-headed Vireo, a Red-eyed Vireo, a Scarlet Tanager and a Black-and-White Warbler.
Banding an Eagle
Buchanan County Bird Club member and photographer, Tom Hunter was on hand on May 23rd when biologist Jeff Cooper of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Dave Kramer of Virginia Tech banded the single eaglet in the Burkes Garden Bald Eagle nest in Tazewell County. Jeff Cooper climbed 70 feet to get to the eaglet and lowered it for banding. BCBC member Dave Worley and president of the Bristol Bird Club was also present along with other members of the club. Tom took some fantastic photos of the whole event. They can be found at the following address.
http://www.pbase.com/opiehunter/burkes_garden_eagle_banding&page=1
Large Visitor
Betty Ratliff took this photo of a very large Green Frog that showed up in the Ratliff fish pond. Johnnie and Betty have a beautiful yard pond that Johnnie built, and every year some frogs move in to enjoy it. Even though Betty enjoys having frogs in their pond, and considers them almost pets, she wasn't so sure when this huge one suddenly appeared there. In fact she thought Johnnie had placed a fake frog there as a joke. She soon realized it was real and finally became accustomed to having it there. The frog continues to enjoy the pond. One day Betty was surprised to see the monster gulp down a smaller frog.
Red-tailed Hawk - Jays - And Snake
On May 27th Jerry Thornhill was working in his backyard when he heard Blue Jays squawking. He looked up to see 3 Blue Jays chasing a Red-tailed Hawk that was carrying a 2 1/2 foot Black Snake. The hawk landed in a tree, and the Jays continued the harassment until the Red-tailed once again took to the air and flew off still clutching the snake. Evidently the hawk was trying to find a quieter spot to have his lunch.
/ The Bluebirds
The Eastern Bluebirds are doing well this year with many young ones fledged. I suppose the warm weather along with all of the rain has brought about record insect numbers, so parents can easily find food for the nestlings. This photo was taken in one of the nest boxes on the Bluebird trail on Compton Mountain. Notice that the nest has been built completely with pine needles. If pine needles are available they seem to be preferred for nest building, but if they aren't then dried grasses and rootlets are used.
I will be giving a report for this year's Bluebird nesting season in a later newsletter.
Roger Mayhorn
SPainted Tanager?
I took this photo of a male Scarlet Tanager when it came to visit our yard stream on Compton Mountain.. What is striking about this bird is the shiny look it has, as if it had been painted with enamel paint. The bright red combined with some lighter feathers showing through give the bird this effect. The photo has not been digitally manipulated except for cropping.
Roger Mayhorn