I enjoy all of nature, including birds, here in the Middle Atlantic States. And I like observing most kinds of birds, especially Tundra swans, Canada geese, snow geese, pintail ducks, ring-billed gulls, flocks of blackbirds, turkey vultures, two kinds of migrant hawks, black skimmers, sanderlings and laughing gulls. These birds are all easily seen because they are large, or live in the open, or both. And they all are common here at least part of each year.
Tundra swans, Canada geese, snow geese and pintail ducks are related waterfowl that pass through this area during their early spring migration, though some Canadas are permanent residents here. The majestic swans in their gatherings of a few individuals, dozens or scores of birds and the magnificent Canadas in their flocks of scores or hundreds are graceful and beautiful in their V's and long lines powering swiftly across the sky. And both those noisy species are exciting to see taking off into the wind from land or water, group after group, and parachuting down on out-stretched wings, again into the wind, to the ground to feed on vegetation or impoundments to rest, preen and socialize. The stately swans and geese are never quiet.
Snow geese flood the air, ground and certain impoundments of this area from mid-February into March. Their vast numbers make whole fields white as if snow fell only on those particular ones. And when great hordes of snows take to the air at once with a racket of excited honking and wing flapping, the landscape behind them disappears as if behind a blizzard. There is nothing like the overwhelming blaring of tens of thousands of snow geese together in the air, or anywhere, to cause such a height of excitement among people.
Nuptial flights of lithe pintail ducks are interesting to see when migrating through this area during February and March. A female pintail will take off in swift flight from a pond or field with about a half dozen pintail drakes along with her. The hen circles the water or ground in swift, erratic flight for a few minutes and the male that can keep up with her best gets to be her mate for the season. When several females and their pursuing wooers at once swing over an impoundment several times then zip down to the water again, they create an interesting show.
I like to watch ring-billed gulls float gently down to fields being plowed in spring. Each gull lands in the furrow just behind the plow to catch earthworms and other invertebrates that were turned up. But as that gull is procuring food, other gulls drop into the furrow just behind the plow and ahead of the gulls already in that ditch. The result is a continuous pinwheel of ring-bills seeking a place in the furrow right behind the plow to have first shot at the upturned food. Those feeding gulls are intriguing to watch.
Massive floods of purple grackles and red-winged blackbirds are overwhelming in fields from late February into early March. Rivers of these two species called blackbirds pour into this area and flow over the fields to consume anything edible to them. And when they take off or come down in another field, their tremendous numbers shut out the background as effectively as snow geese or a blizzard.
While the birds are pouring low across the fields, one sees innumerable red flashes like licking flames in a black furnace. That red is the shoulder patches of male red-winged blackbirds that otherwise have black plumage.
Purple grackles also have black feathering. But their plumage shines with iridescent purple, green or bronze in the light.
Soon the red-wings and grackles trickle away from their main floods to nesting habitats in this area. The red-wings make grassy nurseries in farmland cattail marshes and the grackles build mud and grass cradles in coniferous trees in suburban areas.
Turkey vultures are interesting to watch forming lazy circles in the sky. These large, scavenging birds soar effortlessly on high, tipping their slightly upturned wings from side to side to maintain position and balance in the wind or air currents. Though vultures are not the prettiest birds on Earth, they are quite graceful and masterful in the air. Their soaring is like poetry or good music.
Migrating hawks are also inspiring to see on high, but particularly broad-wings, northern harriers and sharp-shins. In September and October, broad-wings almost daily migrate south-west to Mexico and northern South America. Each sunny morning they rise from the tree tops they spent the night in and soar across the landscape as they feel for a rising column of air, a thermal, warmed by the sun. When one or a few broadies feel a thermal they spiral up in it and peel off to the southwest at its top. Gravity slowly pulls the hawks down, so they must find another thermal to give them lift without expending a lot of energy. This they do day after sunny day until they reach northern South America early in November.
Migrant northern harriers are also interesting to watch hunting mice and small birds along their travels. When hunting, those large hawks beat their wings just enough to stay a few feet off the ground and moving forward slowly into the wind as they watch and listen for prey. Then they swing about in the wind and power into it again while being on the look out for victims.
All the species of birds discussed above can be spotted inland. But there are a few other types of birds, seen mostly along the sea coast, I like to observe. Black skimmers are intriguing to watch as they forage for small fish in the surface water of harbors and inlets behind barrier islands off the ocean. The lower mandible of each skimmer's beak is longer than the upper one. The lower part of the bill is dipped into the water's surface as the bird flies and when a small fish is felt against the beak, the bird snaps it shut to grab the fish. Several skimmers skimming back and forth, back and forth, just above the water is exciting to see. I never grow tired of seeing them.
Sanderlings are sandpipers that winter in little flocks on beaches along the oceans. When a wave slides up the beach, the sanderlings all run together up the beach ahead of it. But when the wave recedes down the beach, the sanderlings, their black legs moving quickly like those on small, mechanical toys, all run after it to pick up and consume any tiny invertebrates left behind. This is how wintering sanderlings feed all day, every day and it is amusing to watch.
I think laughing gulls are the icon of summering birds along the Atlantic sea coast. They are everywhere in abundance along the shore, standing in groups on beaches and parking lots while watching for food, or floating gracefully into the wind while doing the same. And they'll eat almost anything, including handouts from humans. Much of the time these common gulls with black heads call to each other, which sounds much like raucous laughter. Their cries dominate the sounds of coastal beaches, and the salt marshes where they raise young.
These are my favorite birds to observe. Perhaps some readers have other parts of nature they enjoy watching as much as possible.
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