HB Trees

Since September 2020 on the last Thursday of each month, birding enthusiasts descend upon the Urban Forest. They use an application called eBird to count all birds they spy during their visit. Here’s what the eBird website says about the impact their efforts have:

“eBird plays an increasingly important and diverse role in applied science and conservation. eBird data contribute to hundreds of conservation decisions and peer-reviewed papers, thousands of student projects, and help inform research worldwide. Applications of eBird data range from research and monitoring to conservation planning, including tangible conservation actions such as site and habitat management, species management, habitat protection, and informing law and policy … we are committed to ensuring that your data will be put to the best use possible for research, conservation, and education.

“eBird data document bird distribution, abundance, habitat use, and trends. Birders enter when, where, and how they went birding, and then fill out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during the outing.”

Boundaries of the HB Urban Forest survey are: HB Central Park Dog Park and equestrian stables to the north, Edward’s to the east, Ellis Avenue to the south and Goldenwest Street to the west. Bird reports are submitted by lead birder Lena Hayashi.

SEPTEMBER BIRD OF THE MONTH:
Black Phoebe

Photos by James Kendall. Essay by Betty Kanne

The Black Phoebe is a favorite resident songster in our parks, yards and nature corridors wherever a water source is present.  The sharp whistled call of the Black Phoebe is a very typical sound along creeks and ponds throughout the southwest. They abundantly sing out their name, phoe-be, phoe-be!, boldly declaring their vibrant presence.

Solitary feeders, they are “wait-and-sally” flycatchers, usually waiting on low perches for an insect to come into view and then flying out, grabbing it and returning to the same perch. There, it will wait, watch, and pump its tail.

Observers will notice that it catches insects in mid-air, or may hover while picking them from foliage or sometimes from water’s surface. They feed on a wide variety of insects including beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, wild bees, wasps, flies, moths, caterpillars. Indigestible parts of insects are coughed up as pellets.

The dapper appearance and stately stance of this distinctive flycatcher make a lasting impression upon the observer. It has mostly black-appearing, dark sooty-gray upperparts and a white belly ending at the upper breast with an inverted ‘V’ surrounded by a dark sooty-colored throat area. Black Phoebes have a very large, squarish head that frequently shows a peak, like many other flycatchers. Adult males and females look alike. Juveniles have reddish-brown edges on feathers on their backs, most conspicuously on the edges of the wing coverts. Both parents actively feed their fledgling chicks and juveniles until maturity.

Black Phoebes are generally non-migratory, permanent residents in our community. The Black Phoebe is territorial, monogamous and pairing may last for up to five years. Their joyful calling, striking beauty and persistent insect suppression capabilities make them a valued year-round presence in the Urban Forest.

AUGUST BIRD OF THE MONTH: Yellow Warbler Photos by James Kendall; Bird of the Month essays by Betty Kanne

Warblers are generally recognized as the tiny, flashing, colorful jewels of the forest. They are typically few in number and often artfully conceal themselves until the male decides to dramatically reveal his presence in vibrant song. Each species of warbler has a unique, memorable song that signals his arrival, his presence, and his intention. The distinctive, repeated, whistled-note song of the Yellow Warbler is often remembered with the mnemonic “sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet!”.

The Yellow Warbler’s bright, sunny coloring along with its sparkling song are a delight to the eye and music to the ear as locally breeding, as well as migrating, Yellow Warblers make their presence known in the Urban Forest.

The male Yellow Warbler is noted for its vibrant yellow plumage with fine chestnut breast streaks. Females and immatures are a much drabber yellow but the beady black eye and stout bill help to confirm the species identification.

Yellow Warblers thrive in a riparian habitat where nearby bubbling streams and waterways are edged with willows, sycamores and other deciduous trees providing abundant insects and nutritious caterpillars to feast upon as they flit nervously through the thicket offering snatched glimpses of dazzling yellow feathers.

The female builds a small round nest in the leafy tree tops for her small clutch of eggs. Unfortunately that nest is often surreptitiously targeted by the female Brown-headed Cowbird, a nest parasite, who will secretly, quickly lay her own egg in that nest to be incubated, hatched and fed unwittingly by the Yellow Warbler parents alongside their own smaller, more vulnerable chicks. The nest parasitism of the Brown-headed Cowbird, along with a dramatic loss of suitable nesting habitat has led to significant population declines of Yellow Warblers.

We value the role of the Yellow Warbler in keeping crop destroying insect and caterpillar populations in check just as we welcome their striking beauty and vibrant song in our parks and forests. Watch and listen attentively for this beguiling songster as you stroll through the towering trees of the Urban Forest.

Urban Forest Monthly Survey
August 31, 2023
31 species, 271 individuals observed

Lena Hayashi, Betty Kanne (eBirder), Dave and Sharon Telford, Jim Kendall, and Jim Currie were the surveyors.  We began at 7:30 AM. It was a humid, initially overcast day in the mid-70s. The species count continues to be low this month now that breeding season is over, and most birds stop singing and molt their feathers.  The year-round residents are still here, just quiet and hiding.

We did enjoy a noisy family of Hooded Orioles that come here to breed but will be migrating south soon.  Also, we were all glad to see an American Kestrel as we were finishing our survey.  He perched on the sign reading, “Environmentally Sensitive Area DO NOT ENTER Stay on Trail.”  He is hunting and many ground-feeding birds are the reasons why!

Don’t forget to click the link to view the photos on the eBird list below to see the AMKE. HOOR photos, and many more!

A highly anticipated harbinger of spring is the March/April arrival of the male Hooded Oriole, with its brilliant golden-yellow plumage and its noisy whistles and staccato chatter. The vibrant yellow hood with striking black mask has earned this slender member of the blackbird family its well deserved name.

The male is soon followed by receptive females in drabber olive-yellow plumage, providing effective camouflage as she artfully weaves her elaborate, pendulous nest carefully sewn beneath palm tree fronds, swaying 20-30 feet in the air. There, the female will incubate 3-4 eggs, followed by both parents diligently feeding the small clutch of begging hatchlings for two weeks before successfully fledging.

The Hooded Oriole feeds on a large variety insects, flower nectar, and ripe fruit. The sleek, colorful 8” bird regularly visits hummingbird feeders, acrobatically hanging upside down to drink the sweet nectar. It will also eagerly feast on a cut orange half heaped with grape jelly if provided near backyard feeders, making the Hooded Oriole a perennial neighborhood favorite that will be sorely missed when September’s shorter days remind the migrant to return to coastal Baja Mexico and Central America where it will spend its winter months.

Observations

It was a cold, overcast morning at the Urban Forest.  Temperatures never rose past the mid 50’s with the slight chilling breeze.  Surveyors were: Lena Hayashi, Betty Kanne (eBirder), Debra Gala, Dave and Sharon Telford, and Jim Currie. Birds were quiet and few except the House Finches, adults and juveniles, flocking together.

It was a great accomplishment to mow acres of invasive mustard from the fields.  Kudos to the workers!  Hoping fall planting will include some native plants, especially the California sagebrush in some of the areas to provide habitat for the endangered California Gnatcatcher.

MAY BIRD OF THE MONTH:
Song Sparrow

Bird of the Month essays are written by Betty Kanne with photos by James Kendall.

The Song Sparrow is a much beloved year-round resident in the Urban Forest and adjacent verdant patches. They are readily seen as they walk or hop on the ground and flit or hop through branches, grasses, and flowering plants. Song Sparrows stay low and forage secretively, but males boldly hop up to exposed perches, including limbs of small trees, to sing. And it is in song that this diminutive bird truly stands out.

In fact, the Song Sparrow species derives its very name from its colorful repertoire of songs. The male’s vibrant song consists of a combination of repeated notes, quickly passing isolated notes, and trills. The songs are very crisp, clear and precise, making them easily distinguishable by human ears.

The male’s persistent songs, six to eight per minute at dawn in spring are associated with the maintenance of territory and the attraction of a mate. Because males and females look essentially alike, it is in their divergent behaviors that we perceive the marked differences.

The mated pair selectively searches for nest sites together. Suitable nest sites are usually hidden in grasses or weeds, sometimes placed on the ground and occasionally as high as twelve feet, quite often near a water source. Not afraid of human habitation, Song Sparrows sometimes nest close to houses, often hidden in dense flower beds and shrubs.

Song Sparrows eat many insects and other invertebrates in the summer, as well as seeds and fruits all year round. The lush and varied growth within the Urban Forest provides a bountiful habitat, ideal for the continual foraging and annual breeding needs of this most welcome sprightly songster.

Urban Forest Monthly Survey
April 27, 2023
54 species, 464 individuals observed

After being blown and rained out in February and March, April turned out to be a grand day to bird the Urban Forest.  Though it was overcast and cold, seven of us enjoyed counting more species than ever before.  A record number of 54 species!

Spring has sprung and we took our time to enjoy not only the birds but also the beautiful gardens and the lush vegetation and enormous growth the rains have provided throughout the forest.  All the personal care and effort the volunteers put into this area do not go unnoticed!  More habitat is taking over the spaces where only wild mustard used to grow.  Hopefully, the fields dominated by the invasive Black Mustard can be plowed down before they set seed, to control its explosive regrowth next year.  Single-species stands may look lovely at first sight but such expanses growing up to 6’ tall “produces allelopathic chemicals that prevent germination of native plants. The spread of black mustard can increase the frequency of fires in chaparral and coastal sage scrub, changing these habitats to annual grassland.” (quoted from www.cal-ipc.org under Brassica nigra).

Thanks to all my surveyor friends, especially Josh and Pema, who with their enthusiasm, acute hearing and eyesight, and knowledge of plants and animals, make surveys more productive and enjoyable for all. – Lena

APRIL BIRD OF THE MONTH:
House Wren

Keep your eyes and ears open as you experience spring in the Urban Forest. A House Wren will most willingly serenade you if you slow down and just listen.

A springtime stroll through the Urban Forest delights the senses with the overwhelming beauty of vibrantly colored wildflowers and sweetly scented blossoming trees and bushes. Yet, for many, it is the auditory delight of birdsong surging at dawn, continuing through to dusk that most assails our senses engendering curiosity as to which birds are singing and what messages their sweet, varied songs and calls convey.

The diminutive House Wren stands out for its sheer vocal prowess and dynamic energy. The small, inconspicuously plumaged House Wren might otherwise be difficult to notice as it flits through the dense foliage were it not for its loud, fast, jumbled musical song. The hyperactive male House Wren may perch openly and energetically sing its effervescent, bubbling songs ten times a minute to impress, attract and retain a mate throughout the spring breeding cycle. Pairs of House Wrens successfully breed throughout the park utilizing natural tree crevices and man-made nest boxes. 

The House Wren is shy, but notoriously curious, spontaneously popping up in the open, holding its checkered tail straight up, cocking its head questioningly. 

Keep your eyes…and ears open as you experience spring in the Urban Forest. A House Wren will most willingly serenade you if you slow down and just listen. 

Observations

1. Mallard

   Number observed: 7

2. Mourning Dove

   Number observed: 3

   

© Lena Hayashi Macaulay Library