Cedar Waxwing Behavior (1 Viewer)

By ROBERT A. CULBERT

A number of people have found cedar waxwings behaving rather oddly – weakly flopping around on the ground. Several of these weakened birds have been caught and taken to Gus Ben David at his World of Reptiles and Birds in Edgartown.

Mr. Ben David reports that these birds are starving because all the juniper and holly berries that normally are plentiful through the winter have been eaten. Why is this? We have large wintering flocks of robins, bluebirds and cedar waxwings that eat the same berries.

And now that the birds have eaten them all, the birds must depend on other sources of food. Robins can be observed on the ground in the woodlands, eating bugs that are near the surface of the leaf litter on warm days. They will also frequent road edges on the colder days - perhaps the ground near the roads is warmer, so the bugs are closer to the surface. And bluebirds have learned to feed on suet, so they can hang out at suet feeders, which they never did 15 years ago.

But the cedar waxwings have not yet changed their foraging behaviors - they do not switch to an insectivorous diet until later in the spring, when insects are more abundant. So the waxwings are starving.

Perhaps it is a harsh message, but that is how nature works. There are risks of starvation for birds that attempt to spend their winter on the Vineyard. If you are so inclined when you find a weakened cedar waxwing, and can catch it, Mr. Ben David invites you to bring the bird to him. The two individuals that were brought to him are now recuperating nicely.

Bird Sightings

The most notable bird of the week is an adult bald eagle observed by Randy Francis and his son Brandon at the Head of the Lagoon on March 18. On that same day I observed a large flock of crows harassing something near the Shellfish Hatchery, but by the time I got around the point of land everything was gone and all was quiet. The crows were probably mobbing the eagle.

Spring migration has definitely arrived.

Several reports have been made of returning ospreys. Tim Baird was the first to spot one on March 15 at the Boch pole on Edgartown harbor. Shane Ben David has also observed this osprey. Robin Bray reports an osprey flying over the Mobil station in downtown Edgartown on March 17 (not your typical habitat!) On March 19, Suzan Bellincampi reports that an osprey has returned to the pole at Felix Neck. And Liz Thompson reports two ospreys have returned to the pole at Lake Tashmoo on March 20. Gus Ben David reports the first osprey in the state showed up on March 3 somewhere on Cape Cod. The earliest Island record this year is Woody Bowman's sighting of an osprey (reported in last week's column) at Seth's Pond around March 10.

Shorebirds that nest on the Vineyard are also back. John Nelson reports a lone piping plover at State Beach by the big bridge on March 15. Sheila and Tim Baird report American oystercatchers on the Edgartown side of Sengekontacket Pond on March 17, and Scott Stephens observed one oystercatcher in Menemsha on March 21.

Catherine Dietz called in a report of an immature indigo bunting at her feeder on March 19. That splash of blue is always a welcome find at a bird feeder in March!

We have several sightings of miscellaneous winter resident birds. The black vulture is still hanging around and was observed over the NStar building by Gus Ben David on March 15, and I observed it flying over my yard on March 16. Happy Spongberg reports the first tufted titmouse in her yard this winter on March 16 - it was drinking water at her bird bath but was not feeding at her feeder. Sonya Norton reports a gigantic red-tailed hawk - all fluffed up to protect it from the cold - perched near the edge of Vineyard Haven harbor on March 15. Margaret Curtin and Nancy Weaver had close-up views of a lone male long-tailed duck in full breeding plumage on March 18; this individual was not in its usual offshore location, but rather in Lagoon Pond near the herring run.

And, last but not least, we have no new reports of the marbled godwit in Menemsha. It was last reported on Sunday, March 11. Please call the bird hot line at 508-627-4922 if you have seen the godwit or if you have any other sightings to report.

Robert Culbert is an ecological consultant living in Vineyard Haven.

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USDA to Poison Six Million Red-wings

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to kill by poison 2 million blackbirds a year for three years starting this Spring.

The poisoning threatens to kill numerous other birds including the steeply declining populations of grassland songbirds. The Department is conducting the blackbird poisoning in an effort to reduce sunflower crop damage in the Northern Plains (i.e., Dakotas). The Audubon Society, as do we (Wild Birds for the 21st Century), oppose the blackbird-poisoning program because it cannot be justified on economic or scientific grounds.

APHIS's (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - part of the USDA) very own studies have not shown that killing large numbers of Red-winged blackbirds is effective in reducing damage to sunflower crops. Blackbirds are estimated to damage about one to two percent of the $300 million annual production of sunflowers.

It should be further noted that poisoned birds leave poisoned fields which the public must pay to clean up. (See Murder in the Midwest, 1990) Perhaps it's time we asked how many Congressmen and women, and major Administrative Personnel hold stock in AgriBusiness and its collaterals.

To be of immediate help to stop this program, please contact Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and urge her to end the poisoning of red-winged blackbirds in North and South Dakota: [email protected]

Wet weather this spring may have briefly delayed this plan. Red-winged Blackbirds are beautiful native American birds. They are a protected species and have a right to be here. Perhaps you could lose your taste for edible sunflower seeds for awhile (David's, owned by ConAgra Foods is the largest producer), or other products.

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