Several kinds of birds nesting in salt marshes between barrier islands along the Atlantic Ocean and the mainland of the eastern United States sing or utter other sounds typical of those unique marshes from April through summer. Each of those sounds is unmistakable, and not only identifies the vocalist, but adds to the aesthetic beauties of salt marshes.
Thousands of acres of tall spartina grass, black needlerush and threesquare, all of which are grass-like, compose those salt marshes along the Atlantic shore and provide shelter for nesting birds. Inlets, back waters and tidal creeks dissect the continuity of those marshes. And there are many acres of exposed mud flats in those marshes when the tides of salt water go out.
Bold, handsome laughing gulls are the most iconic nesting birds of salt marshes along the Atlantic coast. Adult birds of this species have black heads and loud, almost incessant cries that sound like laughter. They snare live small fish and a variety of invertebrates and are scavengers, feeding on dead fish, invertebrates and anything else edible in the marshes and along sandy beaches. And hundreds of them at a time also constantly frequent every beach and boardwalk, where they are seen by most visitors to the shore, for hand outs from well-meaning people.
Male red-winged blackbirds often sing their boisterous "kon-ga-ree" songs while perched on top of high grasses and rushes swaying in the wind. These are striking birds with black plumage all over, except a red shoulder patch on each wing. Brownish, and camouflaged, female red-wings, meantime, spend their time building grass nurseries among the tall grasses and reeds a few feet off the ground, laying about four eggs in each one and incubating those eggs for a couple of weeks. Male red-wings help feed the young, mostly on a variety of small invertebrates.
Male marsh wrens have a loud, rattling song that also commands attention. These wrens are warm brown, with a few short, white stripes on their backs. Marsh wren males build several grass nurseries high in tall reeds and grasses, but the female of each pair picks the cradle she will lay her eggs in. This species consumes insects.
Male seaside and salt marsh sparrows utter faint, buzzy songs, again while perched on wind-swayed grasses and reeds. Seaside sparrows are gray all over, with darker markings and a small, yellow mark behind the beak on each side of the face. Salt marsh sparrows are brown with darker markings and a dull-orange triangle on each side of the face. Both these kinds of sparrows eat insects, small crustaceans and other types of invertebrates in summer marshes. And both these kinds of sparrows build cradles near or on the ground among the marsh vegetation, the seasides more in bottom land niches and the salt marsh species in higher, drier habitats, which reduces competition with each other.
Clapper rails are basically brown and about the size of small chickens, but are vertically thin, like a wooden rail, and have longer legs than those domestic birds. They have a loud call that sounds like "kik, kik,kik,kik, and on and on. Rails mostly hide among the high vegetation where they nest on the ground and feed on fiddler crabs, insects and other kinds of invertebrates. They also emerge from the shelter of high plants when the tide goes out, exposing acres and acres of mud, to ingest crabs and other critters in the mud. And they retreat to the vegetation again when the water comes back. These rails, and seaside sparrows, are the only permanent residents in this grouping of salt marsh birds.
Willets are a kind of large sandpiper that also nests on the ground in salt marshes. They loudly call "pill-willet, pill-willet" and so on. They are gray-brown all over and have large patches of white feathers under their wings that are visible when hey fly. And like most salt marsh birds, willets consume a variety of invertebrates.
Ospreys and great egrets hunt fish in the channels and back waters of salt marshes. Ospreys raise young in trees nearby or on platforms and catch larger fish by dropping from the air on them feet first. Their eight talons, four on each foot, drive into the fish for a secure grip. One can sometimes hear the high-pitched "peeeeeeee" calling of ospreys in salt marshes.
The white and four-foot-tall great egrets are quite noticeable in the marshes, even from a distance. These striking birds wade the shallows to catch smaller fish. Occasionally we hear their low growling as they fly from one fishing place to another in the marshes.
If visiting the shore during summer, listen for these birds of the salt marshes. They help make time along the coast more interesting and enjoyable.
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