Pine Warbler
photo courtesy of Sharon Milligan
1/5/01
This article appeared in the Sun Herald in January 2001 - some outdated information will be marked with an *.... but kept for historical interest.
*There were three Pine Warblers in my back yard today. That event is food for thought. Give the thought process free reign and it could be worth about 1,500 words, the length of a column. I like to call it bird-reading.
Bird-reading is not a new idea; it consists of interpreting what we see in the context of existing conditions. In this case, it is the relationship between birds --- namely my Pine Warblers --- and the weather and availability of food.We should talk about the Pine Warbler first. It is a common permanent resident here. Although many bird names leave us clueless, the Pine Warbler is, as its name implies, closely associated with pine trees. I would have difficulty remembering the last time I saw a Pine Warbler that wasn't within a few wingbeats of a grove of pines.
You should know that my yard is bereft of pines. Not only that, but it is definitely not heavily wooded bottom land, an orchard, a thicket or a woodland edge, all secondary habitat choices for the Pine Warbler in winter. Although there are scattered pines in the neighborhood, there hasn't been a Pine Warbler in my yard since the late 1970s, when there was a vacant lot, replete with pines, next door.
I can go further with this notion. If you understand that bird song can be heard and identified for about a quarter of a mile in any direction from its point of emanation, I believe I am correct in stating that NO Pine Warbler has nested within a quarter mile of my house for many years, else I would have heard its trill. And --- Moreover --- But ---
Like the acorn that doesn't fall far from the tree, resident Pine Warblers here in the Deep South don't stray far from the grove they hatched in. At least in my experience.
So that leads to another thought. Although our Southern Pine Warblers are non-migratory, the birds that breed from Maine west to Minnesota and places in between ARE migratory. They are considered short-distance migrants, meaning that they might come this far south, but are not trans-Gulf migrants. Thus I arrive at the conclusion that "my" Pine Warblers are migrants from farther north and strangers on the Coast.
Naturally, they are looking for food, ideally, insects and spiders. Second choices: pine seeds, grass, weeds, maybe some berries. *It doesn't take an environmental scientist to realize that we are in the throes of an unusually cold winter; how many overnight freezes does it take to decimate insect life and destroy weed seeds and berries? The yard at Hartford Place, being neither deep forest nor bottom land, has, for the time being, sunk to the bottom of a natural food void.
And so we come to third choices: feeding station offerings such as suet and other soft foods, largesse from the backyard birder. These three Pine Warblers were making for two items: a suet cake on the platform feeder and a chunk of stale coffee cake, especially the sugary icing.
Naturally, they weren't alone. There's a growing assortment of birds that are not regular customers, although I must admit that none of them has warranted the analysis I gave to the Pine Warblers.
*I am hearing from lots of readers, though, about oddball birds at the feeders --- A Black-and-white Warbler (rare but regular in winter) at suet and Eastern Bluebirds, forsaking their persnickety penchant for soft raisins cut in small pieces, and going straight for a lump of bird pudding. The caller also mentioned that he had had a bluebird house in place for years, but not until this year has a bluebird given it notice; then there were three going in and out of it --- no doubt checking its possibilities as a nighttime roost. Natural cavities and nest boxes provide bluebirds some protection against the cold. I have read that during extreme cold or icy conditions, they just pile into an available roosting site by the numbers, and borrow each other's body warmth. Even then, they sometimes do not survive.
I also lifted a tidbit from Stacy Peterson, as follows (but abbreviated): *"After failing to find Fox Sparrow the past two winters on the Mississippi Coast, I have now seen two within the past five days. The first was at Port Bienville; the most recent was at my house, kicking among the leaves."
The Fox Sparrow is uncommon in northern Mississippi and rare here in the southern counties during winter. It has been years since I have seen one; it could show up at a feeder. *A probable Black-headed Grosbeak is hanging out at Nancy Madden's feeding station in Gulfport. This bird of western origin is also a rarity at any time.
Of course, hummingbirds continue their selective quest for winter gardens and nectar feeders.
Bird feeding in general has become more than an altruistic venture on our parts. It has become a virtual necessity. The presence in our yards and at feeding stations of improbable birds only underscores a serious situation that won't correct itself anytime soon. If you are currently feeding birds of any ilk, now is no time to slack off.
It is especially serious for insect-eaters. With that in mind, and because I have repeated the recipes over the phone many times in the past couple of weeks, I include the following recipe. Forget the single batch; double it or triple it. Although there are several versions of it, this one is called "marvel meal."
Combine 1 cup peanut butter (unsalted), 1 cup vegetable shortening (lard, melted beef suet or bacon drippings), 4 cups cornmeal, 1 cup flour. Mix into a shapeable dough and serve it up in suet feeders or on a feeding shelf, or smeared on the side of a rough-barked tree. I also recommend about one-half cup sugar in the mix; when I am low on cornmeal, I have used instant grits.
The recipe for hummingbird nectar is 4 cups of water to one cup of sugar (no honey, no sugar substitutes, no food coloring). Bring to boiling, cool, and store in refrigerator. Zap those feeders as they freeze. I've been putting out pounds and pounds of white proso millet for ground-feeders, and bag after bag of black oil sunflower seed. Stale bread, cake, doughnuts, etc., while not having much in the way of nutritional value, will at least help fill the void for a few birds, or squirrels. Items such as raisins, currents and dried fruits and berries will appeal to fruit and berry eaters. Peanuts make the day for titmice, woodpeckers, jays and many others.
One winter, after seeing an out-of-season oriole in the yard, my desperate search for something it might eat yielded some candied pineapple, which I hung from a branch. It was a big hit, not only with the oriole but with other fruit eaters.
One last thought: *this morning, the fountain and shallow pool were frozen solid. I noticed a single goldfinch on the deck; that was a surprise. Until the bird flew up to the rim of a large bucket of water meant for the canine contingent. It, too, had frozen over, and I saw the goldfinch reach down and attempt to chip into the ice with its bill. Needless to say, I was quick to make amends. The point here is that when water freezes over, the result is a drought condition. Birds will seek out water wherever they can find it.
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