Insight: Flocks of flickers

December 29: Today Kimberly and I took part in the Christmas Bird Count centered on Fremont, Ohio.  We saw only ten Northern Flickers for the day, but eight of those were together in a flock.  

Flickers aren't usually considered to be very sociable, so when we saw three fly across the road within a few yards of each other, we were surprised and we stopped to look.  Within the next few moments, another five flickers followed.  For a minute, all eight of the birds were visible.  They were perched in three adjacent trees, and all the birds were several yards apart.  But since we hadn't seen any other flickers within miles of this spot, it was clear that they really were associating with each other, and that as loose as their grouping was, it qualified as a flock.  The eight flickers soon left these trees, and they left one by one, but they all flew in the same direction, going toward a particular spot on the edge of a nearby woodlot.  

I've often seen loose flocks of eastern (Yellow-shafted) flickers flying together in migration.  When I lived in Arizona, I would sometimes find loose groups of western (Red-shafted) flickers foraging together on the ground during migration seasons.  A winter flock like the one we saw today is something I've encountered only a few times.  The Birds of North America account (Wiebe and Moore 2008) says that the species is "Not social but may forage in loosely structured groups at any time of year."  If more birders were specifically watching for this behavior, we might learn more about the situations in which it occurs. 

Question: value of phragmites?

Phragmites (Common Reed) - Often a damaging, invasive weed in Ohio marshes, but potentially also a food source for some wintering birds

December 24: Today I was reminded of a question that first occurred to me a couple of years ago.  I was birding along the edge of a marsh north of Oak Harbor, and I flushed a flock of about 30 American Tree Sparrows from a big patch of phragmites.  I've found flocks of these sparrows in this habitat before; are they mainly using it for cover, or are they actively feeding on the phragmites seeds?  

Phragmites australis itself is a problematic plant.  The species is native to North America, but in recent decades it has become dangerously invasive in many regions.  Here in northern Ohio, marshes that used to be varied and full of life have turned into solid stands of phragmites, crowding out other plants and supporting relatively little wildlife.  Research has shown that the invasive phragmites is actually an alien strain, introduced here from other continents.  Managers of some wildlife areas in Ohio have gone to great effort and expense to control phragmites, to maintain some room for other species.  

Of course, some species of birds will find a way to take advantage of almost any plant.  Tall, dense stands of phragmites provide a certain amount of shelter for birds in winter.  I've often found flocks of American Tree Sparrows in such places.  Once when I had time to watch such a flock for a while, I saw that the birds were actually perching on the tops of the swaying stalks and evidently feeding on the seeds of the phragmites.  Today I watched the birds to see if they would do the same thing, but apparently I had approached them too closely; they would not go back to feeding while I watched, and eventually they flew farther away to an area where I could not follow.  So this will be a question for future observation.  American Tree Sparrows are very common near Lake Erie in northern Ohio in winter; how important are the stands of phragmites as a food source for them?  

Question: Celebrating the wind?

December 21:  Continuing the streak of bizarre weather we've had so far this "winter" - temperatures are still above normal, but the most notable thing about today was the powerful wind.  It seemed to be shifting somewhat but it was mostly out of the northwest; for at least part of the day, sustained winds were at least 30 miles per hour, with gusts above 40 mph.

Most of my "birding" today was done from inside, except for forays out to look around briefly and to fill the feeders on the leeward side of the house.  But in my time outside, and in watching out the windows, I saw surprising numbers of birds flying around - seemingly more than I would on a day of normal weather.  Canada Geese and Tundra Swans were up flying around, Rock Pigeons (usually not around here) and Mourning Doves were flying, Red-tailed Hawks came by repeatedly, and flocks of blackbirds and starlings were flying around all day.  Flocks of House Finches and American Goldfinches were arriving in the yard and then departing again repeatedly, even though leaving here means flying a considerable distance across open fields to the next likely feeding spot.  

If I hadn't been watching, I would have assumed that such a windy day would have kept bird activity down.  It almost seemed as if the birds were flaunting their ability to handle these powerful, gusty winds, and perhaps flying even more than usual.