Last Wednesday (1/5/11) was a busy day here at the Museum. Besides the sightings of a Barred Owl, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Cooper’s Hawk, two other raptorial birds were seen on the trails of the outdoor areas. Master Teachers Meredith Cochran and Anna Engelke were spotted walking Christopher and Misha, the Museum’s Barred Owl and Red-tailed Hawk. Both the owl and the hawk are birds which were injured in the wild and whose injuries are such that they can not fendRead more
Posts tagged: #Hooded Merganser
Mergs Strut their Stuff!
Today (1/4/11) there were two pair of mergansers in the Wetlands, and they were struttin’ their stuff! As I inspected the boardwalk that leads down into the Wetlands for icy spots this morning, I noticed another pair of mergs on the now mostly open water. The birds were doing their pair bond dance, or courtship display. Although the mergansers appear to already be paired, the males apparently have the need to reinforce those bonds when other males are in theRead more
Mergs and other Birds
On Wednesday (11/3) there were four Hooded Mergansers in the Wetlands, two males and two females. A group of 8-9 Canada Geese dropped in for a few hours on Wednesday as well. Although these geese are of a non-migratory population, they’re usually absent during the summer months, returning in November. And, speaking of mutt ducks… There were many Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets working over the Mimosas next to the mid-way landing on the boardwalk Wednesday (11/3). Seen this pastRead more
Mergansers!
I usually see the Hooded Mergansers for the first time of the season somewhere during the first or second week in November, depending on the weather. The last cold front that came through our area apparently hurried the waterfowl along, bringing cold weather to their summer ranges and shoeing them southward. I got an email from Michele Kloda (exhibits) on Monday saying that she spied the mergs in the Wetlands (11/1). I went down to have a look myself todayRead more
At Home in the Wetlands
Two bird species that have become regular fixtures in the Wetlands, at least during the winter, are Red-shouldered Hawk and Hooded Merganser. Both species can be seen daily, or nearly so, depending on the weather conditions. The Red-shouldered Hawk is present year-round and is the most common hawk species seen at the Museum, often hunting from a perch somewhere in the Wetlands or up in the swamp between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild on the back side ofRead more
Mergs depart, Early Arrivals, and the Dreaded Cowbirds
I hadn’t seen a Hooded Merganser in the Wetlands since March. On the clear, cool morning of the 10th, there was a lone female swimming circles in the open water of the Wetlands. By mid-morning the bird took flight, circled the Wetlands once and headed off in a northwesterly direction. Will the mergansers return? My records suggest not. The third week in April (now) is four weeks later than these birds were observed last year. A buteo soaring across theRead more
A Change is Coming
A pair of Hooded Mergansers are still swimming and fishing in the Wetlands. It’ll be interesting to see how long they hang around. Last spring, they had departed by the third week of March. Red-shouldered Hawks have been putting on quite a show recently. After reporting that I had seen a Red-shouldered Hawk hunting in the Wetlands (see Explore the Wild Journal March 1-15, 2009), without actually capturing the toads and frogs that were breeding at the time due toRead more
Nuthatch Landlords? Hollies under Assault?
There are still two pairs of Hooded Mergansers present in the Wetlands. There is one pair of Canada Geese present. Red-tailed Hawks continue to be seen daily and Cooper’s Hawks have been noticed flying and perching in the vicinity of the previous year’s nest site. And, as mentioned above, Red-shouldered Hawks are once again showing up in the Wetlands. Eastern Phoebes are calling regularly in and around the Wetlands. Phoebes nest on ledges. I’ve witnessed the birds investigating potential nestRead more
There’s Always the Birds…
With the low temperatures of the 15th-18th of this month, the Wetlands iced over enough to force the Hooded Mergansers to take flight and seek bigger water where they could swim and dive for fish. One merganser returned on January 24 and four were in attendance on the 29th of the month. Canada Geese remained as long as there were small pockets of open water. They too finally departed as snow and more cold weather moved in on the 21stRead more