I know that last week’s column was depressing. Bad news, no matter how carefully delivered, is still bad news. I also understand that it is easy to wrap unhappy thoughts up in an emotional package and put it “away” where you don’t have to think about it. It makes sense, really. No one could get on with the business of life if they allowed bad things to paralyze them.
This week I hope to offer some encouragement. I want to keep the story of the decline of birds going, but I want to offer hope of one possible outcome that requires all of us to band together in a genuine effort to change American culture. The hope that I’m speaking of is the birds than haven’t disappeared. They are still with us, which means that they aren’t gone … yet.
So, it is with a true sense of irony that I now report that I have set a new record for the number of species that I have observed in my yard in the month of September. Last year, I set a record of 41 species that I though would stand for a long time. But this year, September was something special.
Every single weekend was nice and because of the random ways that calendars work out, there were five of these nice weekends in the month. I also made personal decisions to stay home every weekend and get my butt down to my “thinking chair” every day that I could manage. With an increased effort and a lot of luck on my side, I was able to set a new record of 47 species.
Obliterating a record in that fashion requires the appearance of totally unexpected birds; birds that I refer to as “x-factor” species. These are birds that are on the checklist, but simply don’t visit the tiny speck of Earth that I call “my yard.” This year I saw several x-factor species, but one in particular stands out: a bird called a northern parula (Setophaga americana).
One of our most spectacularly beautiful warblers, the northern parula will burn itself into your brain if you are lucky enough to see it. I haven’t seen one of these birds in over 25 years, but that sighting was seared into my consciousness. It was springtime, I was visiting my parents’ house in Amherst, and an adult male was singing in a tree above the garage.
The bird in today’s photo is an immature male. He is gorgeous, but he hasn’t hit his peak. Next spring the blue feathers on his head will intensify in color and he will develop a “necklace” or a “cravat” of brick-red feathers with a black trim. Blue head and wings, yellow chin, red throat and yellow breast — if you ever see an adult male you will remember him for the rest of your life.
The northern parula is a peculiar species when it comes to its breeding range. These birds breed from Florida up to southern New York, they ignore Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and then resume their breeding in New Hampshire, Vermont and points north to southern Canada. I have no idea why we are a “flyover” state, but we can only see parulas during migration. My brother, who lives up in Maine, probably sees these birds on a daily basis while I only catch a glimpse every quarter century.
The northern parula is especially interesting when it comes to nest building. This species prefers forests that are filled with lichens (think Spanish moss in the southern US and old man’s beard up north) and females use these lichens to build nests that are almost like that of a Baltimore oriole. This structure is so valuable that a female may actually use it year after year if she is successful in raising her chicks. In this regard, female parulas are very much like female phoebes.
As is the case during migration, by the time I report a bird sighting, the bird is already gone. However, there are “winter” birds that are starting to arrive, so there are plenty of interesting things to go out and look for. I’ve already seen juncos and white-throated sparrows in my yard, so keep your eyes open. Columbus Day weekend is just a week away. so get outside and enjoy nature. Even better, enjoy nature with that warm feeling you get after you’ve contributed to an environmental organization.
Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 22 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service and the Massachusetts State Parks and currently teaches high school biology and physics. Visit speakingofnature.com for more information, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.