Bushtit

One of the most enjoyable things for me to watch this winter is when a group about a dozen busy Bushtits arrives to take control of the two seed cylinder feeders in our Aldea backyard. They love the nuts and make themselves known by chattering and exhibiting a constant frenetic movement. Their acrobatics are fun to watch and then quickly the party is over and the flock vanishes—the yard returns to silence.

On cold mornings they puff out their feathers and look like tiny gray down fluff balls as seen in some of the photos. In Aldea I have only seen the “inland race” variation with gray cap, gray body parts, and brownish ear patch. Bushtits have a long tail and a tiny bill. The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is similarly-sized and I have seen gnatcatchers perching in the Honey Locust trees in summer. But the gnatcatchers I have seen traveled only in pairs and have an obvious blue-ish tail. 

Bushtits are always in groups of at least 8-10 and much more frantic. Bushtits groups can total up to 50 birds in the winter and then they pair off in the breeding season. Bushtits are a year-round resident in most of New Mexico.

Bushtits construct a hanging, woven-basket nest with a hole high up on the side of the nest and a passageway to the nest chamber at the bottom. It can be up to a foot long. The nest is generally built of spider webs, moss, lichen, and other plant material.

Five views of Bushtits. Click on photos to enlarge

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White-crowned Sparrow

The White-crowed Sparrow is a frequent backyard visitor to our yard in Aldea. Although their numbers seem to be a bit lower this winter, they are showing up on occasion. They seem to enjoy perching in one of the Honey Locust trees out back, but I have not observed if they are dining on the suet baskets, seed cylinders, or other feeders in the yard. They do like the fresh water we put our every day, but it is not always a draw in the colder months.

White-crowned Sparrows are easy to spot with their highly-graphic black and white crown and pink-orange beak. They have a small white patch under their beaks. The rest of the bird is gray and brown that successfully blends in with the ground and dried grasses, especially in winter. The back and upper wings have interesting striping. 

White-crowned Sparrows do a characteristic hop-scratch on the ground as they search for insects, seeds, and berries. They have a very distinctive call more noticeable in the warmer months. The White-crowned Sparrow is one of the best-studied songbirds in North America. Much of our knowledge of bird song and development is based on studies of this species.

The name “sparrow” comes from the Old English “spearw,” meaning “a flutterer”. Sparrows have between 1,359 to 3,352 feathers depending on the season. And that is not counting the downy underfeathers. This fact is from a 1935 research report by Alexander Wetmore I found in “100 Birds and How They Got Their Names”.

A group of sparrows is known as a “crew”, “flutter”, “meinie”, “quarrel” and “ubiquity” of sparrows. These collective nouns are the same for juncos.

Three views of a White-crowned Sparrow perching in a Honey Locust tree in winter. Click on photos to enlarge.

Spotted Towhee

Continuing with my “well-designed” birds theme, one bird that fascinated me once we settled into Aldea in 2014 is the Spotted Towhee. I see them on my walks around Aldea all year round and love their scolding catty call and their distinctive behavior of staying on the ground and scurrying away—not flying. The Spotted Towhee is the towhee I see most frequently although we have had Canyon Towhees and Greed-tailed Towhees in the yard depending on the season.

On the male, the red eye surrounded by a head of black feathers creates a mysterious regal air about the bird for me. The females are duller in general with more brown or washed-out black head and feathers. The beautiful rufous or dull orange-rust color on the sides contrasts with the black and white spotted wings and an underside of white. The black tail has a white end-tip. It is really a very striking bird.

The four photos below are of a male gorging himself on thistle seed. He chased all the smaller birds out and just sat there feasting while the juncos and goldfinches chattered disapprovingly from higher up in the tree. I love watching the dynamics the thistle feeder has facilitated. It has made me fully appreciate the term “bird watching” and helped me quietly observe and appreciate the birds’ antics and tugs-of-war.

The towhees also do a double-scratching dance on the ground as they sift through the dried leaf litter in the backyard. On the ground they mostly seek out insects and seeds, although they are known to go after small lizards and snakes. The male Spotted Towhee can frequently be seen and heard singing proudly from the very top of juniper and other trees throughout Aldea.

Last summer we were fortunate to have an adult visit the front yard escorting a recently fledged juvenile. The juvenile makes a very unique high-pitched squeeze-toy like sound. I had never heard that before. The adult and the juvenile were both dining on the freeze-dried meal worms I added to the fresh saucer of water I place on the flagstone walk every morning. This freeze-dried meal worm “soup” is a favorite of the towhees and the bluebirds, along with robins and blue jays. It also attracts small lizards in the summer warmth.

A group of towhees are collectively known as a “tangle” and a “teapot” of towhees. It would be interesting to find out where “Teapot of Towhees” originated along with the name Towhee.

Four views of a Spotted Towhee in the thistle feeder. Click on photos to enlarge.

Dark-eyed Junco

Among the more “well-designed” birds in my view are the Dark-eyed Juncos. Coming from a graphic design background, I can appreciate their black heads and the various beautiful shades of cool grays, warm grays and brownish to pale peachy-rust colorations on the rest of their form. A real inspiration for a future painting or design composition for sure.

I especially like the contrast of the juncos as they hop on top of fresh snow and leave their telltale tracks. Their unique snow impressions and trail are easy to spot. This winter, I am seeing a lot of juncos, sometimes a half-dozen or more, feeding on the dried seeds of the native grasses in our back yard. They are enthusiastic ground feeders. But the minute I put up the thistle feeder in December, the juncos were there chasing away the goldfinches and intently gorging themselves for what seemed like hours. 

The juncos also like the suet baskets, but the thistle feeder is their favorite when not scratching on the ground where the snow has melted away revealing dried grasses, seed morsels and berries.

There are many geographic variations of the Dark-eyed Junco, although all have a pinkish bill, dark eyes, white belly, and dark-centered tail with white outer feathers. The white on the tail is especially noticeable when they fly about. The Oregon form has the darkest hood or head, which is the variation I am seeing the most in Aldea this winter. I will keep a look out for the other variations and will update the blog when newcomers arrive on the scene.

Dark-eyed Juncos are in northern New Mexico year-round. But it seems that I mostly see them in the winter ground feeding and at the feeders. Dark-eyed Juncos range throughout North America, but they mostly migrate from Canada in the winter.

A group of juncos is known as a “crew”, “flutter”, “meinie”, “quarrel”, and “ubiquity” of juncos. Gotta love “Ubiquity of Juncos”.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Lesser Goldfinch

It is so satisfying and soothing when hearing the pleasant calls of goldfinches announcing their arrival in the yard. I love the distinct, sweet calls and the more gentle demeanor of the goldfinches we are seeing now in Aldea. The Lesser Goldfinches particularly seem to be in abundance this winter along with Pine Siskins.

There are usually several of the less exuberantly colored females clinging to the thistle seed feeder at various times throughout the day. The more brightly colored males with the black cap seem to be in short supply this winter and they have been very skittish tending to hide more alone in our Rocky Mountain Juniper tree. 

There is one one male at times but I have not been quick enough with my camera to snap a few frames. I will add a photo as soon as I capture an image suitable for posting.

In addition to seeing Lesser Goldfinches at the thistle feeder, we are observing them dining on the dried native plant seeds and seed pods as shown in one of the photos.

Aldea is located at the very northern part of the Lesser Goldfinches year round range. They move throughout the rest of northern New Mexico and into Colorado in the summer. Since we just recently put up a thistle feeder, it will be interesting to see if they remain here all year long.

It is also interesting to note that a group of goldfinches has several collective nouns, including a “007”, “charm”, “rush”, “treasury”, and “vein” of goldfinches. My personal favorite is “A Treasury of Goldfinches” as they are a golden, valued treasure!

Click on photos to enlarge.

Pine Siskin

Pine Siskins in Aldea Backyard

Pine Siskins are here in Aldea this winter in increased numbers from last winter. They are easy to attract if you hang up a thistle seed feeder. And if you keep it clean and well stocked with fresh seed. Attentive hygiene is important with thistle seed feeders as the seed can go bad in short order— and that’s bad for the birds. 

I have always been fascinated at how Pine Siskins blend into the brown and grey tones of the coyote fences as they grip them sideways or upside down. One has to look for them carefully. Pine Siskins generally hang upside down to feed like goldfinches also.

As with many smaller birds, I find that by taking photos of these very active birds and then later studying the results on a large monitor makes me appreciate their beauty more fully. It is a great way to clearly see the brilliant yellow flashes of color on Pine Siskin wings and tail as well as their unique striping and markings. Here are a few photos taken within the last week.

Pine Siskins are year round residents in northern New Mexico although they are more visible in the winter when they move around in small groups from feeder to feeder. A group of Pine Siskins has many collective nouns such as a “charm’, “company”, and “trembling” of siskins or finches.

Photos:  Pine Siskins in Aldea Backyard. 

Click on photos to enlarge.