3 October 2019 – Common Yellowthroat

This AHY male Common Yellowthroat got no farther than the main north entrance of the Noble Research Center today.

1 September 2019 – Ruby-throated Hummingbird and trapped Painted Bunting

There was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the northwestern alcove and a stunned and trapped Painted Bunting at the south entrance. The Painted Bunting was able to perch on its own and all signs this morning would indicate it recovered and moved on.

27 August 2019 – Mourning Dove

I found an immature Mourning Dove at the northwestern alcove this morning.

23 August 2019 – Indigo Bunting and Mourning Warbler

As storms rolled through overnight, I assumed I might find a casualty this morning. There were two: a completely rain-soaked female Indigo Bunting in the southwestern alcove and a completely dry and fluffy Mourning Warbler at the south entrance under the rain protection provided by the portico’s overhanging roof. The latter was an AHY male with fat = 3.

18 August 2019 – Painted Bunting

I found another Painted Bunting this morning, this time in the southwestern alcove. This one looked to be a second-year female with a still-evident brood patch.

 

15 August 2019 – Painted Bunting

I did not do a survey yesterday (14th), but this Painted Bunting at the main north entrance looked as if it had been in place since at least yesterday morning. Nonetheless, it will be recorded as a casualty of the 15th.

9 July 2019 – Painted Bunting

This AHY female Painted Bunting in post-breeding condition (dried-up brood patch) met her end at the main north entrance, and was partially obscured in some bushes. This is why I don’t just check the ground; I look everywhere a bird body could end up.

Two migrants to kick off the second week of July is not what I’d call a good sign. So far, I’ve already documented 23 casualties in 2019.

Painted Bunting is the 3rd most abundant casualty on my list (26 individuals over 10 years). Only Ruby-throated Hummingbird (34) and Lincoln’s Sparrow (51) have been more often found at this site.

8 July 2019 – Louisiana Waterthrush

Although I consider July to be spring/summer, today’s casualty screams fall migrant. I was saddened this morning to find the pinnacle of avian evolution, Louisiana Waterthrush, at the far northwestern corner of the Noble Research Center.

This bird looked pretty good on the outside, but it was pretty rank. It’s Monday and the bird came in at some point between Friday afternoon and this morning. The relatively bob-tail has me thinking that it might be a HY bird, but I’m not sure.

31 May 2019 – Carolina Chickadee

Heading into June and, as I’ve seen in previous years, there is evidence of resident birds dispersing in late spring. Here is another Carolina Chickadee, and another female with a brood patch, that apparently met her end during a bout of post-breeding dispersal.

26 May 2019 – Indigo Bunting

This second-year male Indigo Bunting met its end at the southwestern alcove today.

24 May 2019 – Louisiana Waterthrush

Every day there is a casualty discovered is cause for a twinge of sadness. Some are worse than others, however, especially when our personal biases are affected. My internal monologue on noticing any dead bird is a classic Midwestern ope, but today it escalated to motherf****r! as I got close enough to see what it was lying in front of a glass entry on the northwestern corner of the Noble Research Center. Yep, it was the pinnacle of avian evolution, a Louisiana Waterthrush.

I would be remiss not to mention the unusually rainy, cool spring we’ve enjoyed here in the Southern Plains, and this week flooding has turned deadly. Here in Stillwater, we topped 7″ of rain on Tuesday, with roads and schools closed. But our saturated soils didn’t result from one super storm. Check out these 30-days totals:

In fact, we’re a solid 20″ above average for the year:

This is a pattern of rainfall that often washes out waterthrush nests, built along the banks of streams. Having returned at the end of March, it could easily be the case that our local waterthrushes have attempted to nest, and been flooded out, at least three times. Perhaps a scenario like that might explain how a second-year (check out the feather wear) female (she at least attempted nesting – check out the brood patch) Louisiana Waterthrush ends up outside its territory in unfamiliar habitat to die at a window on the 23rd/24th of May? Is this a local movement to find a new territory less prone to flooding and give it another go? Is this a bird that has given up for 2019 and was on her way to molt and prepare for southbound migration while other birds are still streaming north? These intimate details of birds’ lives provide endless fascination for me and, of course, can lead to new and interesting directions for research that can help these birds better survive their forays into human-dominated landscapes.

Besides the feather wear and brood patch, there were a couple of other interesting things about this bird. It had fat in the furcular hollow! Floods don’t keep waterthrushes from foraging well, despite their threat to nests. Still, actually accumulating fat is hormonally influenced, and it strikes me as odd for a bird to accumulate fat outside of migration. This bird also showed obvious trauma to the tip of the bill, indicating a window strike at full speed. I can’t quite tell if the mark on the right pectoralis major is a contusion from collision or the beginning of the progression of brood patch loss. Many questions . . .

23 May 2019 – no casualties but two bonus warblers

The Noble Research Center claimed no new victims overnight, but there was a dead Ovenbird at the Food and Agricultural Products Center this morning, and Eric Duell pointed out a dead Common Yellowthoat on the north side of the Kerr-Drummond complex.

Common Yellowthroat, second-year female: extreme feather wear. Fat = 2.

17 May 2019 – no casualties, but a bonus Summer Tanager

There’s a small alcove on a northeast corner of the Food and Agricultural Products Center across a parking lot from the Noble Research Center that often lures birds to their death. Today, it was this second year Summer Tanager.

13 May 2019 –Tennessee Warbler, Painted Bunting, and some other stuff

My walk to the Noble Research Center revealed two window-killed birds outside the Food and Agricultural Products building, a male Yellow Warbler and Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

I also found remains (wingtips) of the Summer Tanager and Indigo Bunting that were scavenged from the southwestern alcove.

New casualties this morning were a SY male Painted Bunting in the southwestern alcove and a male Tennessee Warbler (9.5g, fat = 1) in the northeastern alcove.

15 November 2018 – Orange-crowned Warbler and Lincoln’s Sparrow

We had a serious cold front move through on November 11–12, dropping temperatures and a decent inch or so of snow. This was unusual in that we’ve pretty much had snowless winters for the past couple of years (a couple of ice storms and no more) and that it happened so early in the season. We were probably a week or so ahead of peak autumn color here; now all of those leaves are stuck to the trees and browning. Although brief, it was a hard freeze. Birds were caught a bit unawares too, as the results of today’s survey suggest.

First, there was a Lincoln’s Sparrow in an odd spot, along the northern exterior wall. This bird looks like it had been there for a bit, like maybe it had been buried under the snow and I had missed it.

Next was an Orange-crowned Warbler (AHY-male) in the northwest alcove.

 

26 October 2018 – Chipping Sparrow and trapped Lincoln’s Sparrow

Amazing that this was just the third Chipping Sparrow I’ve found in 9 years of window collision monitoring.

The Lincoln’s Sparrow was in the portico, flew west and took a sharp right, only to get re-trapped.

10 September 2018 – Magnolia Warbler

This morning in the southwestern alcove I found the third Magnolia Warbler on the project. This monster was 7.5g, fat = 0, and looked to be a HY male.

 

 

13 August 2018 – Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Casualty number two of the fall 2018 migration was this waterlogged Ruby-throated Hummingbird at the southeast alcove.

23 July 2018 – Painted Bunting

All carcasses remain in place, and I was saddened to discover this new one: a second-year male Painted Bunting at the main north entrance.

As the molt sequences in this species defy my ability to explain in a coherent fashion, suffice it to say that this was a male Painted Bunting born in 2017. He spent his first winter somewhere in Mexico or Central America and returned to the Great Plains to attempt his first breeding season this spring & summer of 2018. Along the way, he molted some feathers, but he had not taken on the dazzling blue and scarlet and citron of an older male, i.e., one more than two years old. He looks to have been beginning that process, however: Check out the blue feathers coming in on the face and crown and the contrast between the green-edged secondaries that have grown in more recently and the dull browns of his primaries that were the set he grew while in the nest last year.

This poor guy was probably on his way to northwestern Mexico where he would take advantage of the monsoon-driven flush of productivity to give him the fuel to finally replace those primaries in August and September. Then he would head down further south to spend the actual winter before coming back here next May.

Alas, he didn’t make it – all because of a stupid window.

 

3 July 2018 – American Robin

Although American Robin is one of the most commonly reported window strike victims, this is only the second time I’ve had one at the Noble Research Center. I found this fledgling/local bird in the northwest alcove.

20 May 2018 – two little green birds

Though they might have come in yesterday (when I didn’t check), there were two birds in the southwestern alcove today: a Tennessee Warbler (AHY-U, fat = 2) and a Painted Bunting (SY-U <probably female>, fat = 2).

 

There was also a bonus at the Food and Ag Products Center: a window-killed Yellow-billed Cuckoo and a trapped Black-and-white Warbler. The warbler flew off fine as I approached.

15 May 2018 – Magnolia Warbler and a trapped Clay-colored Sparrow

I found a trapped Clay-colored Sparrow today in the southwestern alcove. Upon release in the relative safety of a nearby shrub, the bird flew off another 5m or so to another shrub, where it perched strongly.

Less lucky was the Magnolia Warbler I found in the northwest alcove. This bird, a female with fat = 3, was just the second of this species documented on this project.

14 May 2018 – Baltimore Oriole

I found just the second-ever Baltimore Oriole on the project today, at the main north entrance. This was a SY female (fat = 2, 33.5 g) showing extreme feather wear and asymmetrical flight feather molt. See especially the difference in the 2nd tertiary (S8, if you prefer) between the left and right wings.

Note – a dull-plumaged female Baltimore Oriole can be difficult to distinguish from Bullock’s Oriole. This bird was easy to discern as Baltimore owing to brightest yellow in the center of the upper breast/throat (instead of higher on the cheek/malar), more brownish rather than grayish upperparts, and dark centers to brownish feather of the scapulars.

10 May 2018 – Painted Bunting

The hint of yellow at the gape suggests that this might be a second year (SY) bird, but it is seriously bright green. I’ll tentatively call it an SY-U because it looks to be that the brightness of the green is not a reliable character for discriminating between adult females and young males.

Trauma at the bill tip evident.

30 April 2018 – Indigo Bunting

I found this ASY male Indigo Bunting at the southwestern alcove this morning. Fat = 2 and possible impact mark on the culmen.

19 August 2017 – Painted Bunting

I actually discovered it on my 8/20 survey, but this poor little bird on the 20th was already seething with maggots so I’m comfortable calling it an 8/19 casualty. This was a second year male.  Check out the feather wear on his primaries.  He was headed south to molt and then continue on further south.

7 August 2017 – Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Well that didn’t take long.  Here’s a HY male Ruby-throated Hummingbird I found this morning at the main north entrance.

I can kinda see the bill grooves – baby. Also, lots of buffy edges to the crown feathering..

p6 sharp and pointy – male.

Spotty throat with one ruby feather – male.

On an even more sombre note, this was unofficially the 300th casualty on this project.

Spring/Summer 2017 was busy

As I’m about to head out for a conference this week, spring and summer monitoring comes to a close.  I’ll begin August 2017 the 9th consecutive year of (mostly) daily monitoring for window casualties at the Noble Research Center on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.

It’s been a busy spring.

Beginning Mar 1st, here’s what has turned up at the Noble Research Center.

Dead Birds

1. Indigo Bunting – 5
2. Painted Bunting – 5
3. Ruby-throated Hummingbird – 3
4. Lincoln’s Sparrow – 2
5. Mourning Dove – 2
6. Nashville Warbler – 2
7. Orange-crowned Warbler – 2
8. Baltimore Oriole – 1
9. Chipping Sparrow – 1
10. Eastern Meadowlark – 1
11. House Wren – 1
12. Northern Parula – 1
13. Tennessee Warbler – 1
14. Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 1

That’s 28 individuals of 14 species, and damn, that is disheartening.

On the plus side, my commitment to checking almost every day has put me in position to save a few birds by getting them safely away from the building and taking them someplace secure to rest and recuperate for a bit. I can’t guarantee that all 6 of these survived the ordeal, but they seemed to be in good shape when I last saw them:

1. Northern Cardinal
2. Common Yellowthroat
3. Mourning Dove
4. Song Sparrow
5. Yellow Warbler
6. Carolina Wren

 

 

30 June 2017 – three casualties

I was out of town from 21–30 June and no surveys were run during that time.  On June 30th, however, I heard from Dawn Brown and Corey Riding that there were three casualties at the southwestern alcove of the Noble Research Center: a badly decayed Northern Parula (adult male), a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and a female (with brood patch!) Indigo Bunting.  It’s possible that the bunting came in on the 30th, but the others were clearly killed prior to that date. (Photos by Dawn Brown.) This is officially the first Northern Parula found on the project.

31 May 2017 – Indigo Bunting

Chalk up another second-year male Indigo Bunting as a window-kill victim at the Noble Research Center. This bird had fat = 1 and CP = 2.

15 May 2017 – Two SY Painted Buntings

May 15th was another odd one, and I’ll be glad when this pulse of window-killed migrants is passed.

SY male Painted Bunting found at 8:00 am.

SY-U Painted Bunting found at 3:40 pm.

 

On my morning survey, I found a SY male Painted Bunting at the southwestern alcove, and right in front of a treated pane.  (The bird off to the left is May 12th’s Indigo Bunting.)

SY male Painted Bunting found at 8:00 am.

 

That’s bad enough.  The building cost a Painted Bunting and the ABC bird tape apparently did not steer it away from danger.

Then I heard from Dawn Brown later in the day (~3:45 in the afternoon) that she had found and collected a Painted Bunting at the same location.  When I got there moments later, the Indigo Bunting was gone (so it was removed sometime during the day on the 15th), and Dawn handed me a bag with this bird inside:

SY-U Painted Bunting found at 3:40 pm.

Ugh – a second dead Painted Bunting. This one was more difficult to sex but also clearly an SY bird.  Note the beak damage on both individuals.

12 May 2017 – Indigo Bunting

Will Jessie alerted me to this SY male Indigo Bunting at the southwestern alcove. I left the bird in place for several days (and the ants had gotten to it before I did).

10 May 2017 – Painted Bunting and Nashville Warbler

Today I found a SY Painted Bunting at the main north entrance and a Nashville Warbler at the northwestern alcove.

Remnants of a fleshy gape reveal this Painted Bunting to be a SY.

Pointy beak, yellow throat, and bold white eyering on gray hed = Nashville Warbler.

Painted Bunting at the main north entrance.

These rects sure look truncated though.

Molt limits on display: green tertials contrasting with brown primaries.

Damage to the lower mandible.

Nashville Warbler at the northwest alcove.

 

9 May 2017 – Indigo Bunting and Chipping Sparrow

Rounded the corner and immediately noticed this Indigo Bunting.

Over at the southeast alcove lay this Chipping Sparrow. Can you see it?

Found another SY male Indigo Bunting today at the main north entrance, plus the survey’s first Chipping Sparrow at the southeast alcove.

7 May 2017 – Indigo Bunting and trapped Yellow Warbler

With special guest stars James O’Connell and David Mallen, today’s survey turned up a male Indigo Bunting and a trapped Yellow Warbler at the main north entrance. (No photo of the warbler; it was a male.)

Let’s take a closer look at that Indigo Bunting:

He’s pretty blue, but his molt limits reveal him to be a second year (SY) male.

Those three big feather visible on the folded wing are the tertials (aka, secondaries 7, 8, and 9 from outer to inner.

Tertials from above. On the right wing, 7 and 9 are brownish and worn but 8 is fresh and blue/black. Tert #8 has been replaced but 7 and 9 are originals from when this bird was a baby last summer. On the left wing, 8 and 9 have been replaced but #7 is original.

Paper plate and packing tape makes it a bit easier to see some things.

Left wing: alulua, greater coverts, secondaries 5 and 6, and terts 8 and 9 have been replaced. Primary coverts, primaries, and secondaries 1,2,3,4, and 7 are orignal.

Close-up of head showing trauma to lower mandible from collision.

 

The multiple obvious molt limits on this bird illustrate two generations of feathers on the same individual, some of which grew in last summer and some which have come in quite recently.  This confirms the age of the bird as second year (SY).

28 April 2017 – Indigo Bunting

Sad to think that this spectacular specimen of an ASY male (fat = 2) Indigo Bunting safely crossed the Gulf of Mexico a few days ago but could not safely navigate the Noble Research Center.

 

 

Indigo Buntings, of course, have no blue pigment.  Blue is produced by birds through light reflectance – it’s structural color, not pigment.

You might think, then, that Indigo Buntings would look really cool in UV light.  They don’t, unless you think charcoal looks cool!

20 April 2017 – Orange-crowned Warbler

Surprisingly, the 277th casualty on this project was just the 4th Orange-crowned Warbler, which is a common migrant here in central OK. This one was an ASY male with fat = 1. I first spotted him from about 80m away.

 

Check out this guy’s truncated rectrices, blunt-tipped primary coverts, and his pointed primaries:

 

The most exciting thing about him, though, is that this old guy actually had an orange crown.  I’ve never seen one so orange, which makes me wonder if this fellow was closer to 10 years old than merely “ASY”. It is so sad to see such a vibrant, mature, elder statesman of a warbler cut down by something so stupid as a window.  He deserved better.

22 September 2016 – Indigo Bunting

The photos illustrate how obvious it is to find many of the carcasses at the Noble Research Center.  Today it was an Indigo Bunting in the southeast alcove.

This was a hatch-year bird and probably a male owing to the faint bluish tinge in the wings and tail.  Were those blushes of color resigned to the upper tail coverts, female would be a bit more likely.  Fat = 0 on this bird.

 

5 July 2016 – Red-eyed Vireo and Indigo Bunting

Today I found a Red-eyed Vireo in the southwestern alcove and an Indigo Bunting at the main north entrance.

 

The Indigo Bunting was a second-year male with zero fat and an impressive contrast of old and new feathers. I left him in place for a removal trial.  The Red-eyed Vireo, an ASY female with a brood patch and no fat, is the first vireo I’ve ever recovered as a window-kill from the NRC.

8 May 2016 – Tandem Painted Buntings

Today there were 2 Painted Buntings, both second-year males with 0 fat, dead on arrival at the main north entrance of the Noble Research Center.  I left the left one in situ for a scavenging/removal trial.

30 May 2015 – Tufted Titmouse

 

Imagine you are holding a deck of cards.  Now toss that deck on the floor and look at all 52 of them.  Now imagine that each one of those cards represents a different species of bird.  There are sparrows, warblers, thrushes, woodpeckers, etc. With the addition of a Tufted Titmouse this morning, there have now been 52 different species of birds killed in window collisions at the Noble Research Center since I started keeping track in 2009.

Of course, this isn’t the first time I’ve featured Tufted Titmouse on this site: On 24 May 2012, I found a Tufted Titmouse at the Kerr-Drummond residence hall immediately to the west of Ag Hall.  That was unusual in that it was a female with a brood patch and she had actually lain down fat (I scored her as a 1).

Today’s bird was similar:  She was a second-year female with a drying brood patch and fat I would score as a 2.

According to Yogi Berra, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”  My watching has just suggested to me that 100% of the Tufted Titmice that have struck windows on this campus have been females in the last week of May with some fat accumulation in the furcular hollow and a brood patch suggestive of having recently produced fledglings.  Is this post-breeding dispersal?  Wandering to find a mate for a second brood?  Wandering after loss of a brood? Dispersal to a molting area?  Questions abound, but with my n = 2, it looks like the beginnings of a pattern to me.