Enamored

On Tuesday, September the 16th, I was walking along the new Arboretum Trail near Lake Washington Blvd when I heard a very loud, repetitive sound. I glanced at the passing vehicles. Could it be some sort of mechanical failure? The sound was as loud as a water pump when the bearings fail - but more rhythmic, on and off, not the constant nerve-racking squeal of dry bearings.  

A moment later the sound caught up with me and passed me by. It was now coming through the treetops near the south side of Union Bay. It was the loudest, longest and most raucous call of a Belted Kingfisher I had ever heard. I couldn't see the bird. My pace quickened. Luckily, I was on my way to the Bay for my last kayaking trip of summer. Hopefully, if I hurried, I might catch up with the full-throated kingfisher and find out what all excitement was about.

Adult females wear a chestnut belt and are, on average, slightly larger than the males. There can be significant weight variation, so in any particular pair, the male may still be the larger bird. 

The chestnut belt (or its absence in the males) is the most reliable method to determine the gender of a Belted Kingfisher. This is one of the few instances when the females of an avian species are more colorful than the males. This unique arrangement is called reverse sexual dimorphism. You can learn more about it by Clicking Here.

A kingfisher's physical design looks like a mix n' match project. They weigh approximately twice as much as an American Robin and yet they have virtually no legs and little tiny feet. It makes me wonder were is the hummingbird who is missing its feet.

(From a vehicular perspective, a Belted Kingfisher reminds me of a large American-made four-wheel-drive pickup barely balanced on tiny little Mini Cooper wheels.)

It took longer than I hoped to stow the trailer in my kayak, assemble the paddle, put on the life jacket and pull out my camera. Finally, I was on the water. I paddled around the point and into the backwater around Elderberry Island. I paddled slow and quiet. I assumed any loud noise or flashing of my paddle might flush the kingfisher. At which point, I would simply see tail feathers disappearing in the distance.

To my surprise, there were two of them and they were completely enamored with each other. I was irrelevant, which is just the way I like it, especially when it comes to bird watching.

Immediately, my mind began racing! Was this a territorial skirmish? Were these two birds of the same gender fighting over fishing rights? Were they two birds of opposite gender expressing a reproductive interest in each other? Were they two young siblings mock fighting? Was it a young bird demanding food from a parent? What was I seeing?

I quietly paddled back and forth, left and right, turning the kayak and trying to watch their behavior between the obscuring branches. For over an hour, I watched as they flew circles above my head. They were both calling loudly, virtually nonstop. The lead bird would land at one of three bare treetops and then the other one would fly up and chase it off its temporary perch. 

Later, while studying the photos at home, I decided this one was most likely a young female with the beginnings of a chestnut belt and a mix of color in her upper belt which implies a first-year bird.

 

The more scruffy looking of the two also had a mix of rufous and blue feathers in its 'upper' and only belt. This told me it was also a first-year bird but most likely a male since I saw no hint of a lower belt.

I watched carefully to be certain it was not always the male chasing the female. They definitely took turns pursuing each other. During the whole time, neither bird was quiet or still for more than a minute or so. There was no way this type of behavior could be sustained. What I was seeing was extremely intense behavior. At one point, one of them flew down skimmed about a foot the surface of the water. The other one followed close behind.  

It was hours later when the light went on. I suddenly realized this was most likely a seasonal behavior. As Summer fades away the number of daily light hours declines. In September we reach a point where the length of the day is very similar to early Spring. Specifically, on September 16th we had just over 13 hours of sunlight, which was almost the same day length we experienced on April the 6th.

The theory, as I understand it, is that the length of the day sets off hormones in the birds which initiate the need to breed. Sadly, in the fall it is only a temporary hot flash. As the days continue to grow shorter the urge passes quickly. I suspect that in these two, first-year birds, they were intensely experiencing feelings which they had never felt before. They were literally flying in circles, calling nonstop and clearly unable to concentrate on hunting, eating, grooming or anything else.

Not long ago my friend Wendy reminded me of a poem which speaks to this phenomenon. It  was written by Sharon Stiles in 1973. It is, 

"The Autumnal Recrudescence of the Amatory Urge

When the birds are cacophonous in the trees and on the verge,

Of the fields in mid-October when the cold is like a scourge.

It is not delight in winter that makes feathered voices surge,

But autumnal recrudescence of the amatory urge.

When the frost is on the punkin' and when leaf and branch diverge,

Birds with hormones reawakened sing a paean, not a dirge.

What's the reason for their warbling? Why on earth this late-year splurge?

The autumnal recrudescence of the amatory urge."

Have great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city!

Larry

Going Native:

Without a well-funded Environmental Protection Agency, it falls to each of us to be ever more vigilant in protecting our local environments. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. I have been told that even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape. I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors and local businesses to respect native flora and to support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:

1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.

2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (If natives plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)

3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.

4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.

My intention in my weekly post is to include at least one photo each week and visually challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms. 

Is this creature, seen in the Union Bay Natural Area, a native?

Scroll down for the answer.

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Great Golden Digger Wasp: According to Merrill A. Peterson's excellent insect reference, 'Pacific Northwest Insects', this species is not native to Western Washington - see page 478. I am very curious what its presence at the Union Bay Natural Area means. Is this creature, which is native to Eastern Washington, just a wild-haired wanderer or does it represent a fundamental shift? Could its presence be related to global warming and a drying trend in Western Washington?

Be sure and click on the golden highlighted link. This wasp is a very interesting little creature.

Update:

'Hi Larry,

Nice find! Someone else sent me an observation late last summer from out along the Willapa Bay. I agree with your statements about possible explanations, but there is also another one. My descriptions are based on what's been documented in the literature and citizen portals and specimens in museums. So, rather that being based on complete info regarding distribution, those descriptions are best viewed as "documented from" descriptions. It may be that it's been living in W WA for centuries or longer but that it's scarce enough here that it's not been documented until recently.

Best Wishes,

-Merrill

Merrill W. Peterson

Professor and Chair

Biology Department

Western Washington University

...'

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The Email Challenge:

Over the years I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements regarding my posts. Even more frustrating when they go to 're-sign-up', hoping that will enable them to once again start receiving the announcements, they get a message which says 'Sorry, you are already signed up.' Google has not responded to my requests for help with this issue. 

My functional workaround is to set up my own email list and each week I manually send out a new post announcement. If you are experiencing the issue and would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Thank you for your patience!

My email address is LDHubbell@comcast.net

Headless In Seattle

This headless owl photo, taken on Friday the 13th, certainly seems like a fitting introduction to today's post.

Personally, I find this photo a bit more chilling. I suspect this is precisely what a rat, rabbit or squirrel sees prior to its demise. The perfectly heart-shaped opening of the mouth most likely induces feelings of paralytic fear, not love. The suddenly sightless eyes are no longer needed once the prey is in 'hand'. The reflective blue nictitating membranes slide into place and protect one of the owl's most impressive superpowers - its night vision. Its other spooky powers include eerily silent flight and superb hearing. I wonder if Barred Owls can hear our hearts beating, even when we can't.

Another of the owl's spooky skills is the ability to twist it neck and head into seemly impossible angles. Secrets of owl skeletal design are explained on The Owl Pages.

I was lucky when the owl turned around. It provided the opportunity to see what happens when an owl's head disappears.

The owl uses its exceptionally flexible neck to reach over its back and preen feathers which would otherwise be inaccessible. 

Like most birds, the owl grasps a feather near its base and then pulls the length of the feather through its bill. 

This cleans, straightens and returns the interlocking velcro-like feather barbs into their optimal arrangement.

The owl does the same type of preening...

 ...on its more easily accessible feathers when the head is facing forward.

Sometimes accessing the correct feather requires moving a leg out of the way.

For head feathers, the talons become the only option. It would seem wise to close the eyes during such an endeavor. It makes me wonder if owls ever accidentally blind themselves with those deadly sharp talons.

It is interesting to note how the talons can be safely stored away. All the points fold inward like predatory origami. No doubt this is what happens when owls are feeding their young in the nest.

When birds hold their feathers erect it reminds me of humans shivering and having our hairs stand on end. I suppose for birds it allows easier access for preening.

These three photos make me think Scary...

 ...Sleepy...

 ...and Wise. My anthropomorphising makes me wonder where the owl left its walking-stick.

The owl was sitting near a major trail in the Arboretum on a lower branch of an oak tree. I found this unusual because they normally prefer to sleep through the day on the inner branches of Western Red Cedars, or some other dense conifer. They like to be hidden among the shadows and undisturbed while they snooze through the daylight hours.

In addition, Steller's Jays were busily harvesting acorns overhead and occasionally calling out indignantly about the deadly predator sitting silently below. After a while, I finally realized that the owl was consistently looking down at the ground. At first, I thought maybe a passing squirrel or something was attracting its attention.

Finally, I noticed the swarm of flies attracted to a brown body camouflaged among the pine cones and wood chips. Given the color of the fur I suspect it was the remains of a Rabbit. Most likely, the owl had eaten what it could and then being unable to carry the weight decided to spend the day overhead. Perhaps, it was prepared to defend its kill while waiting to feel the need for a second meal.

At times the owl closed it eyes and gave the impression of being oblivious.

Other times, with its wide-eyed stare it certainly seemed aware of every creature within earshot. It was obvious that the level of awareness was not mutual. I watched as humans, dogs and even squirrels passed by without noticing the deadly...

 ...and often headless-looking predator sitting silently overhead.

Congratulations on surviving Friday the 13th. Sadly, Halloween is coming.

Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city!

Larry

Going Native:

Without a well-funded Environmental Protection Agency, it falls to each of us to be ever more vigilant in protecting our local environments. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. I have been told that even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape. I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors and local businesses to respect native flora and to support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:

1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.

2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (If natives plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)

3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.

4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.

My intention in my weekly post is to include at least one photo each week and visually challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms. 

Is this creature, seen in the Arboretum, a native?

Scroll down for the answer.

***************

Common Whitetail: Yes. Common Whitetails are native. The pure white tail indicates this is a male. For more information from our gifted and kind local expert, Dennis Paulson, click on the highlighted name.

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The Email Challenge:

Over the years I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements regarding my posts. Even more frustrating when they go to 're-sign-up', hoping that will enable them to once again start receiving the announcements, they get a message which says 'Sorry, you are already signed up.' Google has not responded to my requests for help with this issue. 

My functional workaround is to set up my own email list and each week I manually send out a new post announcement. If you are experiencing the issue and would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Thank you for your patience!

My email address is LDHubbell@comcast.net

Growing Expectations

Rama, our newest Union Bay Osprey, is packing her bags - notice her bulging crop.

Hope, Rama's mother, has already headed south. Adult females may begin migration as much a month before the adult males, according to Birds of North America Online (see citation below).  Even though Ospreys mate for life they choose to winter separately, with the female apparently further to the south.

 You may want to notice the nearly uniform brown of Hope's wing feathers. 

In a hatch-year Osprey, like Rama, the brown wing feathers are trimmed out in a buff color which fades to white and then wears away or is replaced by the basic brown feathers of an adult.

Here is a late-June photo which shows Rama's father, Stewart, to our right. Hope is in the nest. This would have been just about the time Rama first broke out of her egg. 

Even though Stewart's chest feathers are bit ruffled they are not spotted with brown like Hope's. Mature males generally have pure white chests. In Rama's case, her chest is spotted like a female, however, in hatch-year birds, this may not be a reliable indication of gender.

This, early July photo, shows the parents from the backside, which makes their lack of white-trimmed feathering quite obvious. It was not long after this that I caught my first photos of Rama. You can see the photos and read the original post by Clicking Here.

By mid-August, Rama was not quite as large as Hope. Rama is on the left and Hope is on the nest. A young Osprey's rate of growth is phenomenal.

Their initial growth rate may only be surpassed by growing expectations.  Lately, I have not seen any of the four adult Osprey who have been 'summering' around Union Bay. Apparently, both of her parents have headed south. Rama appears to be totally on her own. If so, she must find all of her own food, watch out for predators, like Bald Eagles, and prepare for her first solo journey to Mexico. Surprisingly, this is not unusual for an Osprey - who is only two months old.

On Wednesday evening, Rama did exactly what she was supposed to be doing. She landed at the nest and ate a nice long meal. No doubt every calorie she consumed will improve her odds of successfully migrating south.

With wings spread and seen from behind, the light-colored trim on her feathers is even more obvious.

I am also always amazed by the length of an Osprey's wings, especially relative to their small slender bodies. They are the only local avian species, which I know of, that can dive out of the air, end up three feet underwater, grab a good-sized fish, then simply shake off the water and immediately take to the air. Their strength/lift to weight ratio certainly must put an eagle to shame.

After eating Rama moved out of the nest and over to the west end of the light pole. The white striping on the lamp-cover made it easy to predict her pending need for internal, spatial venting.

Afterward, she began twisting and turning and...

...exercising her wings. 

The day before my friend, Jeff, and I saw her stop and momentarily hover just above a paved drive north of the Union Bay Natural Area. It was odd behavior for that location. Adults tend to do their hovering above the water while waiting for a fish to approach the surface. Maybe Rama was just curious about something she had never seen before. 

The photo above actually catches another behavior which may indicate Rama's youth. Notice how her right-wing is pushing down while her left-wing is pushing back. I believe she is still refining her coordination. The good news is she is feeding herself and her parents evidently trusted her growing skills enough to leave her on her own.

Soon she flew off and took a spin above the IMA Soccer field. 

It is amazing to consider that she may have never flown further than a few miles but shortly she will leave on a journey during which she will travel thousands of miles. 

Birds of North America tells how young Osprey, carrying radio transmitters, have been tracked flying south over the Atlantic Ocean. Apparently, in spite of shifting winds and the lack of landmarks, the young birds stay on a fairly precise heading which takes them to their desired destination. They must have some type of internal compass.

Rama's nest site is immediately south of N.E. 45th Street and it is constantly buffeted with traffic noise and exhaust. For Hope and Stewart to select this site, and successfully raise her in this situation, demonstrates that Osprey can live quite closely with humans. Rama's success gives me hope. Maybe, humanity and nature can learn to live in harmony.

It feels like our future with nature, maybe somewhat similar to Rama's pending journey. She will be flying to an unknown location, while we are headed for an unknown future. Rama has the advantage of having an inborn compass. This week. I have been wondering what humanity might use as an inner compass to guide us as we strive to reach a harmonious relationship with nature?

In a word, I think our compass is empathy. To live in harmony with nature we must be aware and care about the lifeforms around us. On an individual basis, this is challenging - as a global human society the challenge can feel overwhelming.

Luckily, this week I was reminded of the United Nation's sustainable development goals. It is reassuring to know that there is a global organization, with empathy for humanity and nature. Essentially, they are building a map to lead the way. Click Here to learn more. On a global level, I think our number one opportunity to induce change is to vote for leaders with empathy for nature and us. 

Locally, we can also encourage our leaders to be empathetic and to help restore natural habitat in the city. This last week, Joshua Morris and Seattle Audubon graciously hosted a piece about restoring Arboretum Creek. Click Here to read how investing just a few moments of your time could really help!

Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city!

Larry

Recommended Citation

Bierregaard, R. O., A. F. Poole, M. S. Martell, P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten (2016). Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.683

Going Native:

Without a well-funded Environmental Protection Agency, it falls to each of us to be ever more vigilant in protecting our local environments. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. I have been told that even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape. I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors and local businesses to respect native flora and to support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:

1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.

2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (If natives plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)

3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.

4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.

My intention in my weekly post is to include at least one photo each week and visually challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms. 

Is this creature native, seen this week in the Union Bay Natural Area, a native?

Scroll down for the answer.

***************

Praying Mantis:  I believe this is a non-native, European Praying Mantis. Click on the colored named to read a very interesting post about Praying Mantis'.

***************

The Email Challenge:

Over the years I have had many readers tell me that Google is no longer sending them email announcements regarding my posts. Even more frustrating when they go to 're-sign-up', hoping that will enable them to once again start receiving the announcements, they get a message which says 'Sorry, you are already signed up.' Google has not responded to my requests for help with this issue. 

My functional workaround is to set up my own email list and each week I manually send out a new post announcement. If you are experiencing the issue and would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Thank you for your patience!

My email address is LDHubbell@comcast.net