Wood Thrush
One of the great joys of living on a large block of forest is hearing the songs of Wood Thrushes almost every day from late April to late July. The ones in this video were all on our property near Easley, and the nest was near our home. While easy to hear, Wood Thrushes are shy birds, and nearly all of the clear views I have had of them were short-lived, especially if my camcorder was with me. Notice that all of the video of prolonged singing was captured when the bird was partially hidden by vegetation.
The Wood Thrush is a medium-sized thrush with a song whose beauty rivals that of any other bird. Males defend relatively large territories in wooded areas throughout the eastern half of the United States, and females, which are similar in appearance, take the responsibility for nest building.
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Dickcissel
During my spring 2010 visit to Missouri, Carl Gerhardt took me to the Bradford Farm Extension and Research Center, just east of Columbia. Dickcissels were abundant and I must admit that it was not very difficult to get representative footage of this handsome grassland and farmland species. I absolutely love the first clip, where the smooth light-brown background nicely complements the male’s reddish-brown wing feathers.
The staccato song of the Dickcissel usually sounds like dick-dick-ciss-ciss-ciss, and this typical or “classic” song pattern is represented by the first recording below. However, there are numerous variations, some sounding noticeably different from the classic pattern (e.g. the song of the bird in the video and the last two recordings below):
Dickcissel songs, classic pattern. 25 May 1994, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge near Stafford, Kansas. Recorded by Lang Elliott.0:00 / 0:00
Dickcissel songs with coyote howls. 8pm, 12 May 2005, Prairie State Park near Mindenmines, Missouri. Recorded by Lang Elliott.0:00 / 0:00
Dickcissel songs ending with trills. 18 June 1993, Taberville Prairie Conservation Area near Rockville, Missouri. Recorded by Lang Elliott.0:00 / 0:00
Dickcissel’s range over much of the central United States. While they are uncommon or rare in many areas, they are locally abundant in others.
Ovenbirds are common in a large block of forest owned and managed by the University of Missouri near the town of Ashland. This Spring I heard at least five males calling along a public road that runs through this preserve, and I was lucky to get video and sound from two males. They shared this area with numerous Worm-eating, Northern Parula and Kentucky Warblers. Ovenbirds have a subtle beauty. Their white breasts with black spots remind me of a Wood Thrush, but they are much smaller and have a broad, dull-orange, black-bordered crown stripe. Their song is similar to that of the Kentucky Warbler, and sometimes I get them mixed up. The Kentucky Warbler’s song seems more melodious and even-keeled, while the song of the Ovenbird is more staccato and ends in a crescendo. Ovenbirds breed in a large part of the eastern two-thirds of the United States. Solitary sandpipers are usually one of the first shorebirds I see headed south to their wintering grounds in Mexico and South America. This bird was filmed a few days ago (July 18 2010) a mile or so from my house in western Maine. As their name implies, they are often found alone or in small groups. They prefer fresh water with a muddy shoreline where they feed on a variety of insects and invertebrates. Solitary sandpipers breed mainly in the Canadian boreal forest into Alaska. One amazing fact about this shorebird is that they nest in trees. This is a unique behavior among North American shorebirds. They are mainly silent but will give a high pitched weet, weet, weet, call in flight or when alarmed. Creating video portraits of birds can be very pleasurable indeed, especially if one has high quality material to draw from. Thus was the case when I constructed my portrait of the Eastern Towhee (Rufous-sided Towhee), using footage gathered around my hometown of Ithaca, New York, during both 2009 and 2010. My mouth watered as I worked with the introductory clip, where I had intentionally placed the bird off-center to accommodate the title—I absolutely love the rich yet delicate hues drawn-out by the muted light of the understory. The second clip, too, excited me greatly, with its bright and intense colors brought alive by direct sun. Working with the sound track was also fulfilling. Luckily, my friends Beth Bannister and Bob McGuire had recorded with sound parabolas while I did the videotaping. So all the songs and calls are clean and clear. I then added a pleasing ambience (dawn chorus) from the same general location, giving the sound track spaciousness and masking sudden transitions. I trust you will enjoy the show! The call of the Eastern Towhee sounds like tchweee or toweee, which accounts for the species’ common name. The song is generally three-parted and is often likened to the phrase “drink your teeeeee,” which I refer to as the “classic song pattern.” Each male has several different song types in his repertoire (up to ten or more in the South but only two or three in northern areas), and many of these song patterns may deviate considerably from the classic pattern. Usually, he will sing one song type for a couple of minutes before switching to a different pattern. However, at the break of dawn when a male first begins singing, he will move through his song repertoire more rapidly. Note in the following recording how the male cycles through several (four) different song patterns within his first minute of singing:
The Eastern Towhee was recently split from the Spotted Towhee of the West. It ranges over most of the eastern half of the United States:
Though not as flashy as its cousin the Baltimore Oriole, the Orchard Oriole’s chestnut-red feathers seem almost iridescent when illuminated by a low angle sun (just after sunrise and just before sunset). The following footage was gathered on May 7, 2010 at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area not far south of Columbia, Missouri. While the male sang his warbling song a few times for us, he mostly gave calls, particularly his raspy chack or chackack alarm calls and his trademark chick-SEE! The song of the Orchard Oriole is a lively warbling with a wide pitch range that includes rich piping notes and guttural sounds.
Note: Recording to follow shortly Here is a recording of an Orchard Oriole giving excited alarm calls, ranging from simple chuck notes to brief rattles:
The Orchard Oriole ranges throughout the eastern half of the United States but is notably absent in most northern areas.
Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, North of St. Louis along the Mississippi River, is famous for its King Rails. In July females lead their chicks out in the open to feed, and so these normally elusive birds are relatively easy to see. I have wanted to visit the refuge to see the rails for some years now, and finally the encouraging posts on the internet from St. Louis birders pushed me over the edge and I went to the refuge on July 13, 2010. I was lucky to meet some of these individuals in person as well as to see and film the rails. The King Rail is the largest North American Rail and was first described by John James Audubon. These are primarily fresh-water birds, whereas their close relative, the Clapper Rail, occurs mainly in salt marshes. Their range is centered along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, but they are found in scattered places throughout the Midwest and East. Worm-eating Warblers are common on our property in near the Missouri River. There are several breeding pairs, most of which favor the sides of forested, steep ravines. Worm-eaters usually arrive here about mid-April, about the same time as the Morel Mushrooms begin to appear. A double treat for my wife, Dayna, and me! These males were filmed during April and May of 2009 and 2010 in central Missouri: The trilled song of Worm-eating Warblers is very similar to that of Chipping Sparrows, but you can usually guess which species you are hearing by the habitat. Worm-eating Warblers favor dense woodland, where Ovenbirds and Northern Parula Warblers are also common. Chipping Sparrows are common in more open habitats and often come to feeders. Worm-eating Warblers breed in the eastern third of the United States.
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Ovenbird
click for large map with color codesSolitary Sandpiper
click for large map with color codesEastern Towhee
Eastern Towhee singing at dawn, 6am, 27 May 2008, at Long Pine Key Campground in the Everglades National Park, Florida. Recorded by Lang Elliott.0:00 / 0:00click for large map with color codes
Orchard Oriole
Orchard Oriole songs, 5:30am, 27 May 2005, Prairie Rose State Park, western Iowa. Recorded by Lang Elliott.0:00 / 0:00Orchard Oriole calls. 7:30pm, 24 April 2005, Tall Timbers Research Station near Tallahassee, Florida. Recorded by Lang Elliott.0:00 / 0:00click for large map with color codes
King Rail
click for large map with color codesWorm-eating Warbler
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