Tybee Gray Kingbird update

Not quite as exciting as banding oystercatcher chicks, but still worth noting. The female gray kingbird is sitting on her nest in the top of a palm tree in the parking lot of the Ocean Plaza Resort. She did not, after all, make a nest in the sign.

Female Gray Kingbird on nest

Her mate keeps watch nearby, often perched on the sign itself.

Gray Kingbird keeping watch

One hazard of nesting above a parking lot is cars and car mirrors. I watched as presumably the male attempted to drive off the intruder reflected in the windows and mirrors.

Gray kingbird on car mirror.

American Oystercatcher chicks are banded!

I had the great privilege of accompanying Tim Keyes and Chris Depkin with Georgia DNR and Danny Carpenter with Tybee DPW to the North End of Tybee this morning to band our 2 young American Oystercatcher chicks. They were about 28-29 days old, with one chick being a bit larger than the other.  I wondered how they would accomplish the task.

We were lucky to find both chicks with an adult hanging out on the beach, rather than back in the dunes. As we watched, a second adult flew in bringing food which it gave to one of the chicks. Chris and Tim positioned themselves carefully.

Chris hangs out in the dunes

Tim walks toward Chick# 1 with the net.

I was given the task of keeping an eye on Chick #2 while they went after Chick #1, so I didn't actually see the capture. I just looked over and Tim was holding Chick #1.

Success with Chick #1

The adult was nearby watching and was obviously not happy with the situation. Tim handed off the first chick to me while he focused on "2, who fortunately ran towards him, rather than back into the dunes. Soon that one was also in hand. Danny Carpenter with Tybee DPW and I each held a chick while Tim and Chris set up their mobile banding lab on a log within the roped off area.

Tim and Chris take measurements

Danny Carpenter holds one of the chicks after it is banded.

Taking measurements

Each chick was fitted with a silver US Fish and Wildlife metal band on the lower left leg, and each was given two red plastic bands - one on each upper leg, since oystercatchers stand on one leg a lot.
These two are now HH and HJ, with the first H underlined. All oystercatchers banded in Georgia are banded with red bands. Each state up and down the east coast has its own color.

Oystercatcher Chicks can now be identified as Red HH and Red HJ

For 8 years now, I have been studying the flocks of American Oystercatchers on the north end of Tybee and taking photos and reporting banded birds. This is the first time I've gotten to be present at the banding.

Diana holds HJ before its release.

Once both birds were banded, weighed and measured, it was time for the next tricky part - the release.  We could see an adult waiting nearby on the sand. We walked down towards the water, with Danny and I each carrying a chick. Then we went up to towards where the parents stood and each knelt down to place our charge gently on the sand. Immediately, both chicks ran towards the parent and all three went towards the dunes and inside the roped off area. Success!

Adult and now-banded chicks are reunited.

Oystercatcher chicks HH and HJ back on the beach wearing their new jewelry.

American Oystercatcher surprise on Tybee North Beach

A friend and I went out to the North Beach this evening hoping for shorebirds at the 8.1 foot high tide. We dd find Sanderlings, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers. However the treat of the evening came after we spied an American Oystercatcher standing on the beach.

American Oystercatcher adult

I wondered what it was doing there as I expected most to be on territory with nests and eggs or chicks by now. Then, a boat-tailed grackle landed on the beach, not particularly close to the oystercatcher. It immediately flew over and began harassing the grackle, driving it farther away. This made me think even more seriously that this bird must be on territory and may have a nest nearby.

Then, glancing back toward the dunes, I spied something small that almost blended with the sand.
It was Chick #1!

American Oystercatcher Chick #1

As this bird vanished into the vegetation, I spied Chick # 2 walking towards the log where the
parent bird had been standing.

American Oystercatcher Chick#2

Soon this bird too returned to the dunes. I also saw a second adult join the first and follow the chicks
into the dunes. Later, 3 crows flew over and both adults took to the sky, aggressively calling and bothering the crows to make sure they left the area.

Chasing away the crows!

My friend and I hung out a while and later saw one adult walk out onto the beach where it was joined by one of the chicks.

Adult and juvenile American Oystercatchers.

In the 15 years I have been back in Savannah, this is the first time I have seen a pair of Oystercatchers with chicks on the North End of Tybee.

On Tuesday afternoon, after I voted at the American Legion on Tybee, I went over to the Ocean Plaza Resort to check on the Gray Kingbirds. On May 4th, I had seen one adult and was hoping that its mate had arrived. After circling the parking lot, I noticed a kingbird-shaped bird sitting on the sign for the Dolphin Reef Restaurant. Bingo! Then a second bird flew in carrying a stick and flew to one of the Letter Es in the word REEF. I continued to observe.

Gray Kingbird pair on the sign

It appeared that one bird, the male?, stood guard on the corner of the sign, singing from time to tiime.

 

 

 

Gray kingbird sings

The second bird was actively flying back and forth, bringing, checking and arranging sticks.

Gray Kingbird leaves the sign

This bird would occasionally go sit in the sign and peer out, before flying off again. Then both birds would leave and be gone awhile before returning.

 

 

 

Gray Kingbird surveys the scene

Seems like an interesting nest choice - certainly away from possible predation by raccoons or rat snakes!

Gray-cheeked Style Thrushes in Forsyth Park

I went to Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah this morning, partly because James Fleullan reported seeing Veery and Swainson's Thrush there. I wandered around and finally found an American Redstart, a Blackpoll Warbler and a Red-eyed Vireo. As I was headed towards my car on the west side of the fountain, approaching Whitaker St., I spotted a thrush. It had a brownish back, two-toned bill, grayish face and no buffy eye ring. I attempted to get photos.

Gray-cheeked Style Thrush - First Bird

Then I spotted a second bird a bit further away. My first impression was that it was a bit more red-brown than the first. I got a couple of more distant photos.

Gray-cheeked style Thrush Number 2

Gray-cheeked style Thrush #2

After that, someone came by walking a dog and both birds flew into a nearby tree. They eventually came back down, then flew again. I started following and photographing and got confused as to which bird was which. Here are a few other images. Comments appreciated!

Long-tailed Duck and More!

Well, it seems like I've been too busy watching birds to blog about them! It was a busy time for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Chatham County so far has logged 163 species which is quite an accomplishment, thanks to the hard work by many including Stan Gray, Larry Carlile, Dot Bambach, Beth Roth, James Fleullan, Steve Calver, Steve Wagner, Tim Miller, Mary Sweeney-Reeves, Charra Sweeney-Reeves, Russ Wigh, Shannon Fair, Andre Coquerel, John Mark Simmons, and many more.

I planned to have a bit of a rest this morning but got a call from a friend informing me  that he had been seeing a male Long-tailed Duck at the Crab Shack over the past week. So off to the chase. I went to the Shack, found only a black scoter and many rock pigeons, and headed for the beach.
After helping a couple from Buffalo find their life Purple Sandpiper, and admiring them taking baths,

I went to the YMCA for some time on the treadmill.

Purple Sandpiper bathes

After the Y, I did one more check of the Crab Shack. No duck. Then, 4/10 of a mile from my house, I crossed a small bridge over Chimney Creek. Glancing to the left, I spied something white in the water. Expecting a male bufflehead, I was thrilled to find the Long-tailed Duck. A neighbor let me walk out on her dock so I could get photos as the duck was actively feeding in the creek. Nothing like being lucky!

Long-tailed Duck in Chimney Creek, Tybee Island

Long-tailed Duck shows off his tail

Great reflections of a Long-tailed Duck

I saw this handome duck in full breeding plumage in Alaska in the summer of 2012.

Long-tailed Duck - Barrow, Alaska, 2012

Another highlight from the count was watching a Bald Eagle at Grove Point Plantation in Georgetown. It had a nest nearby and was not happy about us being there to count ducks.

Bald Eagle expresses itself.

Hutchinson Island "Reserve" has been a gold mine.

I was in Virginia after Thanksgiving when I saw that Steve Calver and Russ Wigh were posting about all the birds they were seeing on Hutchinson Island. The Reserve is a section of the island that was intended to be a high-end housing development that floundered with the real estate slowdown. Now there are lots of weedy fields and ditches that are great for sparrows, Killdeer, snipe, meadowlarks, shrikes, and more. Last winter, the area even had 2 Western Kingbirds.

When I got back, I stopped by the Reserve on Tuesday, Dec. 3rd. Savannah Sparrows were abundant, as were Swamp, Song and Chipping Sparrows.

Savannah Sparrow

I was thrilled to find several Vesper Sparrows. I got a couple of distant photos that day and better looks and photos on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013.

Vesper Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Steve Calver showed up and spotted a Clay-colored Sparrow. I was able to relocate and get a couple of distant photos.

Clay-colored Sparrow

 Ogeechee Audubon had a field trip to Hutchinson Island on Dec. 8th. In spite of the cool, foggy, overcast weather, 15 people showed up. The best bird of the day was a Dickcissel - either female or young male. It perched low in a bush and most folks got good looks in the scope. The bird was relocated later that afternoon by several other birders.

Dickcissel

Dickcissel

Other fun sightings included an Osprey flying by with a large fish, more than a dozen Wilson's Snipe that flushed out of the wet fields, and a Loggerhead Shrike.

Osprey carries a big fish.

Loggerhead Shrike

Other birds seen in the area by others included Field Sparrow, Painted Bunting (green birds), Winter Wren and Yellow-breasted Chat.(in brush pile at entrance to Race Track)