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Tuesday, April 11, 2000
Blackbirds singin' in the light of day, but just passing through
Birders wonder: What has happened to the large flocks of other spring migrants usually seen here?
Despite no significant appearance of spring migrants in Corpus Christi, this spring has not been at all silent, thanks to extended visits at hospitable feeders all over town by red-winged blackbirds.
Most of these birds have not yet come into their finished breeding plumage. The red and yellow patches on their wings do not always show up well and they may look like plain black birds. Females are difficult to identify because they are very unlike males. They are brown above and heavily streaked below, with a white line over each eye. Males arrive several weeks before females - they do not travel together.
Red-winged blackbirds are flocking birds. Any description of them that does not mention this gives an incomplete impression. They move in large assertive, highly vocal flocks. In fact, part of their scientific name, Agelaius, means flocking.
What they say is "oka-leeee." It comes across in a buzzy chorus of enthusiasm for whatever birdseed is provided. Birders sometimes complain because these hungry little birds can clean out the supply in short order. Their enunciation becomes better when males are claiming territories. Then they sit on the highest twig they can find, broadcasting resumes.
However, they're not here to stay. They are only passing through on their way to marshes and sloughs from Atlantic to Pacific coasts where they will nest in bushes and small trees. Besides birdseed, red-winged blackbirds eat tremendous numbers of small insects.
Oh, there have been sightings of other spring visitors ... a few yellow-throated warblers, northern parulas, black-throated greens, and Nashville warblers. Several orchard orioles have paused at Blucher Park and at least one indigo bunting. Scissor-tailed flycatchers were at Packery Channel park. What is going on?
Some possibilities about the birds:
1. They are passing safely over our heads and are already half way to their breeding destinations;
2. it is the dreaded silent spring, the year when birds perished on the way to or on their wintering grounds; or,
3. they have simply not yet arrived from the south. Patience has never been my long suit.
Meanwhile I make almost daily trips to Packery Channel park and drop in at Blucher Park whenever possible.
At last Sunday's Spring Birdwalk we found a sleeping Chuck Will's widow. Instead of diving away in alarm, the bird sneaked a sly peek at us from slitted eyelids and, staying where it was, pretended we were not there.
Migrating Chuck Will's widows are one of the special pleasures of South Texas. They are large nocturnal birds that resemble common nighthawks. They sometimes end up in garages where they drop in exhaustion, scaring the owner out of her wits by flying up when the garage is entered. If startled, they open enormous, harmless, whisker edged maws and hiss in what they hope is a terrifying way.
The Audubon Outdoor Club will meet at 7:15 tonight at the Museum of Science of History. Rachel William will give a program on bird rehabilitation.
Phyllis Yochem, a Corpus Christi
resident, has studied birds of Texas since 1960.
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