Telling Swallows from Swifts

Tree Swallow, Beaverton, Oregon, 18 May 2011 by Greg Gillson.

Many beginning birders struggle to differentiate swallows from swifts. Even separating the different swallows from each other is one of the first identification challenges a beginning birder faces. No doubt part of it is that both swallows and swifts are most-frequently seen darting rapidly through the air, backlit against the sky. If you can't follow them or even find them in your binoculars, how are you to identify them and see those subtle field marks?

As Kenn Kaufman says, in his new Field Guide to Advanced Birding (2011), it's not so much that swallows are misidentified, but "simply left unidentified."

But, then, how do some birders identify them nearly instantly as they fly high overhead, not even using binoculars? They differ subtly in behavior, habitat and niche, seasonality, and voice. Structurally, the wing bones are different so that the flight styles are notably different. Specifically, swallows flap more slowly and swoop gracefully, while swifts have more direct flight with rapid wing beats and brief glides.

Swallows

Behavior
Swallows are often seen flying through the air darting after insects, or seen sitting on wires.

Habitat and niche
Most swallows are usually found over open country or water. They can feed low to the ground or quite high in the sky, sometimes over cities or forests. They frequently perch on telephone wires, bare tree branches, fence lines. Most are cavity nesters in trees, nest boxes, cliffs, or banks, some creating enclosed mud nests on cliffs, barns, or porches.

Flight style
Feeding flight consists of graceful glides, banking, and turns interspersed irregularly with snappy, irregular deep flapping on flexible, broad-based, pointed wings. Commuting flight is more direct, interspersing several flaps with short pauses or brief glides with wings partially open (or nearly folded so that the tips of the wing are back near the tail).

Shape
Swallows have very short necks and very short, broad bills. They have rather short tails--look at the photo of the flying swallow below and note that the white undertail coverts (body feathers) come nearly to the end of the tail. Swallows have pointed wings. Look how far the flight feathers extend past the rump in the photo above. But notice that it is only the the outer part of the wing that is long. The inner arm part of the wing is exceedingly short compared to the outer "hand" portion of the wing--look how close the wrist is to the body! The base of the wing is quite wide, creating rather triangular shaped wings in flight.

Seasonality
In the Pacific NW, swallows are present in good numbers primarily from late March to early October, with some species arriving earlier (late January), with stragglers occasionally seen through the winter west of the Cascades.

Voice
Swallows have various chirping and grating calls, strung together into "songs" that can't be considered very musical!

Tree Swallow, Forest Grove, Oregon, 6 July 2007 by Greg Gillson.

Swifts

Behavior
Swifts are almost only seen flying through the air darting after insects. They have weak feet and are not able to perch on wires or tree limbs.

Habitat and niche
Depending upon species, swifts are found over open country, towns,  forests, or cliffs. They usually fly quite high in the sky. They fly into and cling to the insides of chimneys, cracks in cliffs, or hollow trees. During migration thousands may converge at dusk to roost for the night in old stone chimneys at favored locations.

Flight style
Direct flight with rapid wing beats interspersed with occasional set-winged glides.

Vaux's Swift, Forest Grove, Oregon, 22 September 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Shape
The arm bones of swifts are so short that only the outer hand is present--very much like the wing of a hummingbird. Flight is thus twinkling with rapid wing beats on stiff, narrow pointed wings. The tail on Vaux's swifts are short to nearly absent; others have forked tails.

Seasonality
In the Pacific NW, swifts are present from mid-April to early October.

Voice
Swifts have squeaky, chipping calls.

Vaux's Swift, Hillsboro, Oregon, 3 August 2008 by Greg Gillson.

Range in the Pacific Northwest

The following are the locations where swifts and swallows are most often encountered in the Pacific Northwest.

Tree Swallows are abundant over ponds. They use nest boxes placed very near water.

Violet-green Swallows are found in town and over forested lands. They nest in holes under eaves or nest boxes in yards.

Barn Swallows are found in country and towns, nesting in open barns and sheds.

Cliff Swallows nest under barn eaves and cliffs.

Banks Swallows nest in colonies in river banks. They are rather rare west of the Cascades.

Northern Rough-winged Swallows nest in river banks.

Purple Martins are rather rare and local in the Pacific Northwest, along the coast, Columbia River, and mountains.

Vaux's Swifts are regular over towns and forests.

White-throated Swifts are local over cliffs and rimrock in the Great Basin.

Black Swifts are rare in mountains.

VOE and taking notes

San Diego Co., California, 4 November 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

"Gray back. Yellow-green breast. Light under tail and belly. Throat and side of head yellow. Head olive with yellow eyebrow and central crown stripe. Pink legs. Short tail. Bill straw with dark-ridged upper mandible. Dark eye."

Does the description above sound like it fits the bird in the photo? The California Bird Records Committee thought it did. Unfortunately, I wasn't submitting a report of the bird in the photograph. My report of a rare bird was rejected. Fortunately, I had VOE (verifiable objective evidence) in the form of a rough sketch made soon after seeing the bird that allowed the record to be accepted upon resubmission. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

In my previous post (VOE and reports of rare birds) I discussed including a brief description when reporting a rare bird to your online email list.

But there is good reason to make such notes in your birding notebook each time you see a rare bird. I know, few birders keep a field notebook of bird sightings. And most are nothing more than a list of birds seen during the day. My note taking took on added meaning after reading Van Remsen's article ("On taking field notes" American Birds, 1977). But my dedication to note taking and the amount of effort I put into it varied greatly over the years.

Lately I've been copying my historical bird records into eBird. I have entered checklists from 1972-1982 now. That was some time ago. And my enthusiasm sometimes exceeded my expertise. So, when I came across my own notebook report of a rare species, I wanted to have VOE (Verifiable Objective Evidence)--a description whereby I could judge the accuracy of my own sightings over 30 years ago. What did I have? Well, in accord with Van Remsen's suggestions, I had underlined unusual birds in my notebook. Rare birds? They were double-underlined. Descriptive notes? Rarely. And usually incomplete.

Sometimes my notes confirmed the bird I claimed. Other times my descriptions indicated I had seen a different bird than I had claimed. Most times, though, I had no description. Was I correct or not? Who knows? Those records don't go into eBird.

So what about the bird and description above? Well the bird in the photo is a female Red Bishop, a native of Africa that escaped their cages and established populations in southern California. That's what the Records Committee thought my bird might be. If I had included a copy of my notes for that day in October 1983 that included the head sketch I made, it would have been accepted right away.

 



 

My field notes do accurately describe a Worm-eating Warbler, but NOT ONLY a Worm-eating Warbler. As you can see, my notes could also describe a female Red Bishop! My description didn't have anything about shape of the bill that would have cleared up the ambiguity. Rare bird descriptions always first need to answer the question "why was it a warbler?" before going to the eyebrow and central crown stripe that would separate one warbler from another. This is true whether one is submitting a report to the Rare Bird Records Committee or writing your own notes that you might question 30 years later.

VOE and reports of unusual birds

"May I see your license, registration, and proof of insurance, please?"

What does this officer want? Verifiable Objective Evidence. Business records verifying compliance to environmental regulations, tax statements for the last 7 years, proof of residence after moving to get your driver's license updated. All these are familiar situations that require VOE, some form of documentation that gives evidence of something.

Birding is the ultimate form of trust. I trust that you actually saw the bird you told me you saw. You trust that I didn't just make up a rare bird to get attention. In England (Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book), the term "stringer" is used to describe a birder who claims rare birds that no one else believes--untrustworthy, whether a deserved reputation or not.

Birding email lists are popular, with people of varying skill levels reporting common birds at their feeder or experts reporting the results of their latest rarity chase. When planning my precious birding time, I may want to look for rare birds that someone else found recently--perhaps a bird I've never seen before. If someone reports a "good" bird far away, I want to at least believe that the bird was identified correctly before I invest my time and fuel to go look for it.

So what do I make of a birding report from a birder I've never heard of, at a place rather distant, with 4 or 5 rare birds on it? An expert birder who just moved into the area? Or a beginner with more enthusiasm than accuracy?

It doesn't take much VOE to help me make up my mind. With the advent of excellent digital cameras, it'd be great to have a photo. But a simple description of the bird, written soon after the observation, would be nice. Don't tell me that you are very familiar with the species from somewhere else. Don't tell me you're positive of the identification. Tell me what you saw--not what you concluded. You don't have to write a Bird Records Committee-worthy description. Just tell me enough of what shape, color, field marks, calls, and behaviors you observed and let me draw a conclusion as to what the bird was.

The importance of writing descriptions of rare birds for my own personal records was brought to my attention recently. My next post (VOE and taking notes) will articulate.

The wing

Black-footed Albatross, off Newport, Oregon, 15 May 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

The wing of birds is analogous to the arm of humans. This is most evident on longer-winged birds like the albatross above. They have a shoulder, elbow, and wrist. They have similar bones--a humerus in the upper arm, and radius and ulna in the lower arm. The hand, or manus, is composed of several fused hand and finger bones--it's more like one long finger.

Primaries are attached to the hand. Primaries are numbered from inner to outer, P1 to P10 in the photo above. Birds have from 8-11 primaries, depending upon species. In general, most non-Passerines have 10 primaries; most Passerines have 9 primaries.

Secondaries are attached to the ulna. Secondaries are numbered from outer to inner. Birds have a variable number of secondaries depending upon the length of the wing.

Primaries and secondaries are called the flight feathers of the wing, or remiges. (The tail with its retrices, are also considered "flight feathers.")

True tertials or tertiaries are feathers attached to the humerus, the bone from shoulder to elbow. They are not considered to be flight feathers, or remiges. Very long-winged birds have more tertials than shorter winged birds. Some bird families, including shorebirds and gulls, have modified tertials that are longer and distinctively marked.

In many smaller birds the humerus is so short as to be lacking separate tertial feathers. However, sometimes the inner 3 secondary feathers on passerines are called tertials when differently shaped or colored than the other secondary feathers.

Black-footed Albatrosses have 10 primaries, 25-29 secondaries, and numerous tertiaries or tertials.

 

Western Gull, Beaverton, Oregon, 17 February 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Most gulls have 10 primaries and 24 secondaries. They also have some true tertial feathers.

 

Vaux's Swift, Forest Grove, Oregon, 22 September 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Vaux's Swifts have 10 primaries, but only 6 (or 8, if you count very tiny) secondaries.

The very different lengths of the parts of the arm cause different styles of flapping.

Learning about birds... at your feeder

Male Spotted Towhee, Beaverton, Oregon, 27 November 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

For improving one's birding skills, Kenn Kaufman (Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding) recommends a bird feeder as a learning tool. Even a common species observed closely over time can teach about age and gender differences, molt and plumages, hybridization, and individual or population variation. Learning how to observe these items on common birds will let us more quickly and accurately identify rare birds--a source of joy and excitement for many birders.

Earlier this year I learned something very interesting by observing the birds at my feeder. Although perhaps not surprising, I observed a subspecies of Spotted Towhee not previously documented in western Oregon. I wrote about it here: (Barely spotted towhee gets super spotted visitor).

Now that I am attune to this particular ID challenge, I was ready today when I again spotted an unusual towhee visitor to my feeder. The top photo shows a resident male Spotted Towhee, typical of those found in western Washington and Oregon, the so called Oregon Towhee (Pipilo maculatus oreganus).

The ID of the above bird is straightforward. Compared to all other populations it has fewer spots on its scapulars and wings. The rufous sides are darker than other populations. Finally, the spots on the undertail are very small, perhaps restricted to only the outermost tail feathers of each side of the tail.

Compare the bird above with the bird below, seen about 15 minutes apart in the same tree--photographed through my very dirty window!

 
Male Spotted Towhee, Beaverton, Oregon, 27 November 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

This bird is paler orange on the side and undertail coverts. It has more and larger spots on the scapulars and wings. Obviously, the white tail spots take up more than half the tail and are spread out on at least three of the outer tail feathers.

This bird matches one of the "Interior" forms of Spotted Towhee. The new National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Sixth Edition has range maps showing the various subspecies of Spotted Towhees.

Without a specimen to measure fine variations, it is only speculation as to which exact subspecies may be represented. And due to individual variation, even a specimen may not be unequivocally decisive in this matter. However, it is sufficient to separate the Pacific form (to which the Oregon Towhee belongs) from the Interior form to report this to eBird. In fact, birders in Washington are noting the winter influx of the Interior form of Spotted Towhees into western Washington where, as in western Oregon, they were previously undocumented.

These new winter distribution records are found, not from scientists studying specimens or conducting field research, but by amateur bird watchers at their backyard feeders!

What's in your feeder?

Advanced birding means learning the basics

When we learned our native tongue we grew into it slowly. We spoke it at home. We slowly added vocabulary through primary school. There comes a point in middle school, though, when we are finally taught the parts of speech--nouns and verbs, how to diagram a sentence, etc. At the time we thought this unnecessary--we already knew how to read and speak--so what's the point? Learning the parts of speech and how words go together to form sentences is especially important if we try to learn another language when we are older. To advance to learn another language, or to use our native tongue properly, in all circumstances, we go back to basics and learn the rules.

Most of us came to bird watching the same way. We started slowly at first, perhaps at a home bird feeder. Then we moved farther afield and added more species. But there were always a few birds that escaped our attempts to put a name on them. Perhaps it is those streaky sparrows that give us trouble, or female ducks, or immature gulls. Like language, in order to advance in birding, we need to go back and learn the basics. We don't need to memorize more field marks (build a bigger birding list or "vocabulary")--we need to learn how to look at birds and how they are put together.

Advanced Birding, 2011 by Kenn Kaufman.
Birding Essentials, 2007 by Jonathan Alderfer and Jon L. Dunn.
Birding Basics, 2002 by David Sibley.

The books above are quite similar, all excellent, and all serve the same general purpose... to teach us how to advance in our bird spotting and identification skills. But notice that "advanced" to these authors is synonymous with understanding the "essentials" and the "basics" of identifying birds.

For argument's sake, let's define an "advanced birder" as one who can quickly and accurately identify nearly every bird seen... near or distant, well-studied or barely glimpsed, or even heard-only. (There are, of course, some individual birds that even experts can't name after extensive study, but we're not talking about those right now.)

Identifying nearly every bird you can see is not about memorizing some secret and subtle field mark. First and foremost, it is about learning the basics of how to look at birds and "understanding what you see and hear," as is the subtitle of Kaufman's book.

Like a toddler learning the parts of the face, a birder needs to intimately understand the parts of a bird, including feather groupings and names. These are often called "topology" in the introduction of many field guides. As Kaufman says, "understanding the visible structure of the bird may do more than anything else to enhance your skill at identification."


   

Recognition and Identification

I've been thinking quite a bit, lately, about how birders identify birds. Well, actually, by "lately" I mean the past few years--but more so in recent months.

Two blogs discussed this topic in June. A post by Blake Mathys on the ABA blog (How do we identify birds?) and by Ann Nightingale and Dave Irons on the BirdFellow blog (The Recognition vs. Identification Gap) provide an introduction to this topic.

My thoughts ponder the following types of questions.

Why can one person accurately identify a distant and poorly-glimpsed bird, while the person next to him, with the same view and apparently equal field experience and desire to identify birds, has no idea what the bird might have been?

Everyone does it; it's not just beginners who misidentify birds. Why do some experienced birders, who know all the correct field marks, sometimes badly misidentify a common and well-seen bird?

Why does a bird photo sent to the local bird discussion list generate so many diverse (and strongly held) opinions about what it is--even though it is unambiguously identifiable?

I think the answer to these questions comes down to two different reasons.

One reason is that some birders recognize birds based on clues in addition to the standard "field marks" listed in the book. Besides the plumage description (color pattern, wingbars, etc.) in the field guide, each bird comes with a certain shape, a set of behaviors, a certain habitat and specific niche within that habitat. Flying birds have a characteristic flight pattern. And most birds are not silent. And we're seeing them on a certain date, a specific season or time period during the year. (Birds in photos lack these supporting additional clues, thus why they sometimes fool even the best birders.)

Of course, each birder brings with them their own unique set of experiences with the birds they've seen in the past. Certainly, the more time in the field each birder has, the more opportunity they have to form patterns of bird recognition. Thus, to get better at bird ID, spend more time watching birds. (Duh.)

But to a large degree, shape, habitat, niche, behaviors, flight style, songs and calls, and status and distribution can be precisely described--they aren't totally subjective. They can be taught and can be learned--even without direct field experience with the bird under consideration. [See the series of posts: Seven methods of identifying birds.]

Oh, and the second reason some birders have trouble getting to the "advanced" level (meaning quickly and accurately identifying nearly every bird they see)? A future post ("Advanced birding means learning the basics") discusses this.

ABA blog: Ten Ways to be a Better Birder

A recent post by Ted Floyd on the ABA blog was quite interesting. Titled "Ten Ways to be a Better Birder," the article makes for some thought-provoking reading.

Some of the things you have no control over. For instance, you can't go back and start birding at a younger age.

But I think that point number 5, on understanding status and distribution, is worthy of a future discussion. So also are points number 2-4, learn vocalizations, understand behavior, and put down your binoculars ("go naked").

Bird songs and calls

Singing Marsh Wren, Forest Grove, Oregon 2 June 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

Listen. Do you hear it?

No, because this is a photo without sound. But I hear it in my mind.

Here's a link to a sample song of Marsh Wren.

O, what a quiet world this would be without birds! Well, quiet except for human-made sounds. When we think of the sounds of nature, we usually include the calls of birds.

Many birders have trouble identifying bird songs and calls. No wonder; it takes just as much (or more) work than learning to identify birds by sight. And there isn't a workable "field guide" to bird songs and calls.

However, Nathan Pieplow, on the EarBirding blog, wrote this brief guide to
describing what you hear. He writes "How to identify bird sounds in six easy steps." Great stuff.

This gives a framework for describing bird sounds. Even playing a recording of a bird song doesn't help you remember it, if you can't describe it to yourself--if you can't hear it in your own mind when the bird is no longer singing.

Michele, at Northwest Nature Nut recently recorded 50 seconds of audio at the Ridgefield wildlife refuge, in her post:Ridgefield bird songs of May. How many different bird songs and calls can you pick out? I heard 11 species and in the post's comment field recorded the first time I heard each species and the second count of the recording when it calls, so you can compare. Try it!

Seven methods of identifying birds: Conclusion

Western Meadowlark at Newport, Oregon on 7 March, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

We have now concluded the Seven methods of identifying birds.
[Answer to Quiz 7: Turkey Vulture]

To improve your bird identification skills you will want to practice using all 7 of these clues that birds give to you.

How did you do on the quizzes? They were designed to be fairly easy and to show that you already use these 7 methods to some degree.

Remember that your view may not allow you to identify the bird to species with each method. In some cases you may get to just the family, such as nuthatch or gull.

Obviously, if the bird doesn't sing or fly while you observe it, you can't use that method this time.

Let's review, using the bird in the above photo.

The Western Meadowlark in the photo above can be identified using all 7 methods.
1: Color and pattern-- The yellow breast with black breast band instantly identifies this bird as a meadowlark.
2: Structure-- The flat head with sharp pointed bill nearly as long as the head, plump body, and short tail identify this bird as a meadowlark.
3: Feather-by-feather-- The yellow on the submustachial stripe identifies this bird as Western Meadowlark, rather than Eastern Meadowlark. Also, if you could see the outer 3rd tail feather, it would have much less extensive white on it than an Eastern Meadowlark.
4: Sounds-- The flute-like song of Western Meadowlark is quite different from the rising and falling whistle of Eastern Meadowlark.
5: Expectation-- No Eastern Meadowlark has ever been found in the Pacific Northwest. Any meadowlark here must be Western Meadowlark--though you are certainly welcome to look.
6: Behavior-- Lone or paired pudgy, short-tailed birds sitting rather horizontally on a fenceline or telephone wire in open country will separate most meadowlarks from similarly sized and shaped birds, including starlings.
7: Flight-- Meadowlarks fly distinctively in rather level flight with periodic bursts of flapping and brief glides on rounded wings.

Seven methods of identifying birds: #7: Flight style

This post continues the discussion of the Seven methods of identifying birds.
[Answer to Quiz 6: American Dipper]

Flight style

Flight is such an important behavior that I consider it separately. How fast are the wing beats? Are the wing beats continuous or with a pause between bursts? How far above and below the body do the wing strokes go? Is the flight progression straight, undulating, or irregular? Are the wings rounded or pointed? Are the wings held straight out or forward at the wrist and swept back?

Does the bird fly in a flock or singularly? Is the flock 'v' shaped, rounded, or a straggling line?

For more information see the article on separating Cedar Waxwings and Starlings in flight.

Quiz) This bird soars unsteadily for long periods of time, with its wings in a dihedral.

Next: Conclusion

Seven methods of identifying birds: #6: Behavior

This post continues the discussion of the Seven methods of identifying birds.
[Answer to Quiz 5: Western Meadowlark]

Behavior

Observing how birds behave can quickly narrow down a bird to the correct family. Then, even if you don't see all the plumage field marks, you can still identify it based on minimal plumage patterns, but well-seen behavior. For instance, though Hutton's Vireos and Ruby-crowned Kinglets are very similar in plumage, their behavior is enough to separate them.

Does the bird walk or hop? Does it flick its wings or wag its tail? Does it pick at the surface or probe deep into the mud? Does it hitch itself up the tree using its tail as a prop or walk freely?

Quiz) A bird bobbing on a rock in the middle of a mountain stream in the West, walks into the water and disappears below the surface.

Next: Flight style

Seven methods of identifying birds: #5: Expectation: Status, Distribution, Habitat

This post continues the discussion of the Seven methods of identifying birds.
[Answer to Quiz 4: American Bittern]

Expectation: Status, Distribution, Habitat

When you see a bird it is not usually necessary to compare it with every bird in the world in order to come to a reasonably accurate identification.

Each continent and bioregion has primarily unique bird species.

During the year, the amazing miracle of migration will mean that at some times of year, certain birds are just not present locally at all, even if common at another time of year.

You wouldn't look for a rail in a tree, or a woodpecker diving into a lake.

Quiz) A flock of meadowlarks in Montana.

Next: Behavior

Seven methods of identifying birds: #4: Sounds

This post continues the discussion of the Seven methods of identifying birds.
[Answer to Quiz 3: Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers]

Sounds

Some birds sing to attract a mate or declare their territory. Some birds have alarm calls, feeding calls, and flight calls--all different. In woodpeckers, drumming takes the place of song, and the drumming pattern of many woodpeckers are unique. Certain birds make distinctive sounds with their wings or tail feathers.

Some people do have poor hearing. But most people just need practice listening. You already know some bird sounds, even if it is only Old MacDonald who has a duck that goes "quack, quack." Build from there. Find a sound you don't recognize and track it down. Add it to your auditory birding repertoire.

Quiz) A deep, resonating, bubbly "oong-ka-loonk" coming from a grassy marsh in spring.

Next: Expectation: Status, Distribution, Habitat

Seven methods of identifying birds: #3: Feather-by-feather analysis

This post continues the discussion of the Seven methods of identifying birds.
[Answer to Quiz 2: American Avocet]

Feather-by-feather analysis

In several families of birds, identification is aided or clinched by noting either individual feathers or feather groups. Such is the case for gulls and shorebirds. Sometimes in-field study of the specific feather group patterns can determine age, which then eliminates other certain species at the same or different age.

When you are discussing scapulars or tertials or molt, you are using this method of bird identification.

Quiz) The internal pattern on the tertials of juveniles of this long-billed shorebird easily separates these two species.

Next: Sounds

Seven methods of identifying birds: #2: Structure

This post continues the discussion of the Seven methods of identifying birds.
[Answer to Quiz 1: Western Tanager]

Structure:

The end plates of the Peterson field guides are silhouettes: "Roadside Silhouettes" and "Shore Silhouettes." These show size and shape among most of the different orders of common birds.

The section "How to Watch Birds" in Peterson's field guides gives an excellent primer on structure of bill, tail, and wing. Don't skip the introductory material in field guides!

Earlier this spring I wrote a post, Dabbling duck silhouette quiz, which uses shape alone to identify female ducks.

Quiz) This medium to large slender bird has extremely long legs, very long neck, and long, thin, upturned bill.

Next: Feather-by-feather analysis

Seven methods of identifying birds: #1: Color and pattern

This post continues the discussion of the Seven methods of identifying birds.

Color and pattern:

This is the basis of the "Peterson System" of bird identification. The Peterson System illustrates birds all in the same pose, with patternistic drawings. Arrows then point to the unique area of color or pattern on a bird that separate it from similar species. Wing bars, eye rings, eyebrow stripes, tail spots, and all such feather groupings are used in a stylized way to aid identification. Ingenious.

Newer birders start here. Sadly, many never advance because they don't learn the remaining methods of identifying birds. And it doesn't help that some "field guides" are arranged by color, effectively preventing bird watchers from advancing further.

Quiz) A yellow bird with black wings and tail and red face.

Next: Structure

Seven methods of identifying birds: Introduction

Western Meadowlark at Newport, Oregon on 7 March, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Are you amazed at the skill of some birders in identifying quickly-viewed and distant birds? Whether they know it or not, they are likely using a combination of up to 7 different methods in identifying birds.

Would you like to improve your bird identification skills? Then you will want to use all 7 of these clues that birds give to you.

In fact, you may already be using these methods to a small degree.

In each of the discussions that follow there will be a quiz example of each method. See how many of the quiz birds you can identify. Then practice and hone your skills by concentrating on using each of these different methods on every bird you see.

Next: Color and pattern

What makes Mount Tabor such a good place for migration?

Dusky Flycatcher, a rare spring migrant west of the Cascades, Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon, 7 May 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

Yesterday I talked about Mount Tabor park in Portland, Oregon. I asked: "What makes Mount Tabor so good for Neotropical migrants? When is the best time to visit?"

The information here applies specifically to spring migration in the lower valleys west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest. But it also applies more generally to the entire the West Coast.

The insectivorous Neotropical migrants that breed in or migrate through the Pacific NW--warblers, vireos, tanagers, orioles, buntings, grosbeaks, flycatchers, and others--winter in western Mexico or central America. As days become longer and spring arrives, with trees leafing out and insects hatching, bird migration begins.

The first migrants arrive in mid-April (swallows by April 1), but many do not arrive until early May--each species is different (and predictable). Migration is usually over by the first week of June. In most species, adult males arrive first, adult females a few days later, and first-year birds (hatched last year) often a bit later.

Birds migrate first through the warmer lowlands, then move north or upslope as it becomes warmer. So, for instance, migrants may appear on the coast first, western valleys next, east of the Cascades later, and the mountains lastly. In years with heavy snow pack, mountain breeders may remain unseasonably late in nearby lowland areas (into June).

In general, a species of bird will arrive in Eugene, Oregon a week before Portland. Then a week later they arrive in Seattle. It seems there are always a few scouts--individual birds well in advance of the main movement. Finding these first of year (FOY) migrants is a fun challenge for many birders.

These birds migrate primarily at night. They don't want to fly into strong headwinds, thus wait for winds from the south. In the Pacific NW, that means unsettled weather in spring. Clear skies in spring are accompanied most often by cold winds from the north, impeding migration.

If a cold front is over you at dawn, all migration will stop at this front--you'll have an incredible "fall out" of migrants. So, wise birders watch the weather and weather maps in spring.

Migration proceeds in "waves" as the weather promotes or impedes migration.

But why is the city park of Mount Tabor so good for migrants?

Mount Tabor's top is just over 600 feet elevation. This old volcanic cone, now covered in trees, rises sharply 400 feet higher than the surrounding city of Portland. When dawn ascends, migrating birds over the industrial, commercial, residential landscape of Portland see the green slopes of Mount Tabor and land there. It is an island effect.

As the sun hits the eastern part of the mount first, insects wake up and warm up there first. As the warm air rises, insects move upslope. So migrant bird activity is often most observed first on the east and southern exposures near the top of such hills where the tired and hungry birds have a needed food source. In order to see birds best, it helps to have openings, such as a clearing or parking lot near the top of such hills.

So, what time of day are we talking about? Soon after dawn. In early May, arrive by 7 am on cloudy days, earlier if sunny. By 9:00 am, activity may be over. Birds have eaten, so they sleep the rest of the day away, preparing for the next night's migration to continue on their journey.

A visit to Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon

Birders enjoying spring migration on Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon, 7 May 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

Today I joined an Oregon Field Ornithologists' public field trip to Mount Tabor, in the middle of Portland, Oregon. Shawneen Finnegan and Dave Irons led the trip, and it was joined by almost 20 others.

This was my first visit to Mount Tabor, thus I was glad to have experienced local guides showing us the best birding areas.

The purpose of the field trip was to view Neotropical migrants. Migration is best with unsettled weather. Today was such a day, with 95% cloud cover and occasional sprinkles. Birds were actively moving through the tree tops, backlit by the overcast skies. Thus, while it was good bird migration weather, it was not good bird photography weather.

We didn't have a "fall out"--a spectacular migration event with thousands of birds of scores of species arriving overnight. Still, we did have good numbers of birds.

I saw several species for the first time this year, including several flycatchers: Hammond's, Dusky, and Olive-sided. The Dusky is a rather rare migrant west of the Cascades. But some migrate through the west side lowlands and then move upslope as spring advances up the mountains. We also saw a couple Pacific-slope Flycatchers.

 

Olive-sided Flycatcher, Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon, 7 May 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

Other birds included a rare west side (of the Cascades) Calliope Hummingbird, which I did not identify. I heard, but never saw, a Western Tanager. There were various sparrows on the slopes, identified as migrants as they weren't in habitats or areas that they would be found in during winter or breeding season. A couple of Warbling Vireos were evident in the budding big leaf maples. Numerous Hermit Thrushes were present, as was an early Swainson's Thrush.

Most conspicuous were the warblers: I saw perhaps a dozen Nashville Warblers, 30 Orange-crowned Warblers, a couple MacGillivray's Warblers, numerous Black-throated Gray, Townsend's, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, several Wilson's Warblers, and a single Hermit Warbler. These birds sing and call during migration, making warbler watching an enjoyable annual spring event.

Bird list on eBird (52 species).

 

Townsend's Warbler, Mount Tabor, Portland, Oregon, 7 May 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

What makes Mount Tabor so good for Neotropical migrants? When is the best time to visit? That's a topic for tomorrow.