[mou] Pine County Birds

[Alt, Mark]

I returned to Pine County this morning with Richard Peet, we were after
the elusive singing of two species, Pine Grosbeak and Northern Shrike.
We found that since our CBC in the area on the 12/29, the Grosbeaks have
exploded in population.  We went to one feeder house on Townline road
well east of Kerrick where we saw a flock of 30 Pine Grosbeaks and 7
Evening Grosbeaks. I have never been able to see the plumage variation
in such detail or in such variety?  By using my Sibley text, I attempted
to discern which subspecies I was seeing.  The males I saw mostly fit
into the interior west race, with the gray mottling extending well up
the breast. Two were a striking russet color, orange red; Sibley doesn't
do it justice, as in most of the orange hues in the book. The color is
more of an orange buffy, hard to describe.  These birds are probably
first year males.  No singing, many call notes mixed with Evening
Grosbeaks sharply trilled calls, redpolls chirruping and chortling, and
a beautiful male Purple Finch. There were more than 100 birds actively
feeding for most of the day.
Shrikes were not to be found this day, but we will return, I read a
paper yesterday postulating that the winter song of the Northern Shrike
has a singular purpose - to lure in passing passerines to their
destruction, a siren song so to speak. Both sexes sing in this way and
there is conjecture that the loose phrases of its song are mimicry of
alarm calls for birds they have been around. I have heard the song twice
in my life, both birds were perched high in treetops, appearing to hunt.
The softness of the warbling reminded me of a whisper song, definitely
not the full volume you would expect from such a large passerine. I
think this is fascinating, and cannot wait to record it.  I wonder if
they sing more often than we think, but we in cars do not hear it?  If
anyone finds a bird that is singing and regularly found, please post it
so we can try and get it recorded before it returns to its Tundra
homeland. And the next time you see a Northern Shrike perched high,
surveying the territory, try and get in ear shot of it so you can
witness this amazing behavior. The complexity of the birds we see every
day never fails to impress,=20


Mark Alt=20
Brooklyn Center, MN=20
mark.alt@bestbuy.com=20
"Birds and their songs are important to me, they add to my enjoyment of
life"=20