A close eye

  

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris), 31 December 2023

The cave-dweller and the king

The light was getting dim, but it was fun to see this wren and kinglet up close while walking near the Russian River yesterday (25 November 2019).  Both were feeding on the ground, loosely associated with a small flock of sparrows:

 

Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)

 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

P.S.  "Trogolodytes" means cave-dweller and "Regulus" refers to a king.

A little rusty

 

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris), photographed on Bodega Head, 12 October 2019

 

Jewels, streaks, petals, and rocks

I felt lucky to join a LandPaths' hike to The Cedars (near Cazadero) today (11 May 2019).  Lots of wonderful scenery and observations...and many photos to sort through.  Here's a preview — just a few pictures that caught my eye on the first time through the photos.

 

Hoffman's Jewelflower (Streptanthus glandulosus ssp. hoffmanii)

 

Muir's Hairstreak (Callophrys muiri)

 

Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni)

 

Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus) — a distant photo, but this is my first Rock Wren photo from Sonoma County.  It was singing at the top of an open rocky ridge.

P.S.  I first went to The Cedars in April 2015.  If you'd like to review some of those photos, you can start with the post called "Among the rocks" on 25 April 2015 and continue forward until 1 May 2015.

 

Springtime in the willows

 

Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) in the willows (Salix sp.), Bodega Dunes, 2 March 2019.

I liked the view from farther away, too: 

 

Gleaning

 

Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii), 1 January 2019, actively searching for insects among the leaves and branches.

 

A busy Sunday afternoon

After Sunday chores, I took a short walk at Sonoma Valley Regional Park (in Glen Ellen).  There was a lot of breeding bird activity, and insects were visible in sunny spots.  [It reached 90°F in Cotati today!]

Here's a selection of images to represent the walk:

 

Juvenile Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) — note the shorter bill with yellowish color at the gape

 

Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) with a bright green caterpillar in its bill (it flew into a nest hole with it, likely to feed young) 

 

Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) nectaring on Dichelostemma

 

Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis) — look for the prominent white edges on the hind wings

 

Unidentified robber fly (Asilidae) with amazing metallic orange eyes!  Robber flies are sit-and-wait predators that feed on other insects.  (If you are familiar with this species, I'd love help with the identification.)

Although not from today, here's an older picture of a different robber fly.  It had just captured a butterfly in the Bodega Dunes (photographed 18 August 2010):

 

Prout's brown?

 

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), photographed on Bodega Head on 14 September 2014

I loved the subtle barring on the wings.  The Birds of North America account said the coloration of the upperparts could be described as brown, cinnamon olive brown, or "Prout's brown."  I wasn't sure what Prout's brown was, but eventually located a definition that said it was a dark olive brown.  Which do you think is the best match?

 

So many songs

Remember the Marsh Wren photos from early January?  (If not, this is one of them and you can review others here.)

 

Last week I recorded a Marsh Wren singing just before dark.  Below is an audio file so you can hear its complex song sequence. 

A single Marsh Wren song only lasts 1-2 seconds.  But an individual Marsh Wren has a very large song repertoire and may sing over 100 different song types.  And they often sing one song after another after another.  According to the Birds of North America account, the highest rate of singing is about 20 songs per minute.

If you're not familiar with it, a Marsh Wren song might sound a little unusual at first.  It's made up of short notes and buzzy trills and squeaks and gurgles.  And each time the wren sings it puts all of those components together in a different way.

When you listen to this recording, there are a few different things you can do.  Appreciate the diversity of Marsh Wren songs.  Count the total number of songs in the recording.  Choose your favorite song.  And listen to see if you think any of the songs repeat.  (This is like trying to find two snowflakes that look alike!).  Remember to turn up your volume.  I found it easier to appreciate these songs by closing my eyes when listening to them.


mawr by nhbh


I counted fourteen songs during this minute and a half recording.  I didn't hear any songs that repeated, but it was challenging to know for sure.  Later I read that Marsh Wrens might not repeat a song until after 5-6 minutes have gone by, so it's probably not surprising that there aren't any repeat songs in this short recording.  It's interesting to wonder about why Marsh Wrens sing so many different songs!
  

Dusk bath

Several times during the last few weeks we've encountered Bewick's Wrens (Thryomanes bewickii) taking dust baths along trails at dusk.

Tonight I had a funny encounter with one.  I didn't have a picture for the blog tonight.  I had gone for a quick walk after work and was almost back to the car and was beginning to wonder what I was going to do about the blog.  Would I have to skip a night?  And then this little wren scooted out onto the trail and started taking a dust bath.  But it saw me and flew right back into the shrubs.  No time for a picture.  

I wondered if I stayed very quiet and motionless if it would come back out again.  I waited and waited — no wren.  Then I looked away, wondering if I should wait any longer, and when I looked back, the wren was there on the trail taking a dust bath!  I raised my camera to take a picture and it flew off.  Was there any chance it would return a third time?  I waited and waited.  And what do you know, one more time the wren dashed out, landed in the path, and started fluttering around on the ground.

It was almost dark by this time, and the wren was some distance away, so this isn't a great picture.  But oh, well, it's still an interesting story and an introduction to dust bathing in wrens!

 

Then I had lots of questions.  For example — If a bird takes dust baths, does it take water baths, too?  Is there a benefit of one over the other?  How many species of birds take dust baths vs. water baths?  Do birds take more dust baths in drought years?  The other day I watched a bobcat rolling in a warm patch of bare soil — how common are dust baths in other animals?  Did people get inspired to take bark-chip baths by watching birds take dust baths?  ;)


I did a tiny bit of reading about dust bathing behavior in Bewick's Wrens and learned a few facts:

- They take dust baths in loose, fine-grained soil or mud.
- They most often take dust baths at dusk.
- Dust baths are thought to control the accumulation of lipids on their feathers (which may affect insulation) — and possibly to control parasites.  The latter is apparently more controversial in that it hasn't been proven.  It has been hypothesized that dust may control parasites by suffocation, dislodgement, or abrasion (followed by desiccation). 

Waiting for the tide

Earlier this week during one of the big tides (~ 7 ft. high, one of the biggest of the year), I noticed a few Marsh Wrens (Cistothorus palustris) temporarily displaced by the high water.  

I photographed a couple of them in different habitat types while they were waiting for the tide to recede.


Perched in Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis):

 

Peering out from behind some Pickleweed (Salicornia pacifica) at the very upper edge of the salt marsh: 

 

At the top of the vegetation in a brackish water marsh:

 

On Bodega Head during the breeding season, Marsh Wrens are typically associated with deeper, freshwater marshes that support dense stands of Bur-reed (Sparganium eurycarpum) and Panicled Bulrush (Scirpus microcarpus).  But in winter, their habitat use broadens, and they may also occur in salt marshes — as in the second picture above!

For a little more information about Marsh Wrens, you can review the post from 18 February 2012.

"Cave-dweller"

Okay, I'll admit it — after a long day of traveling back from southern California, I feel a little bit like crawling into a dark cave and sleeping for while.  So tonight I'll leave you with another "cave-dweller."

 

This is a House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), photographed on Bodega Head on 5 October 2013.  The genus, Troglodytes, is sometimes translated as "cave-dweller."  The "cave" portion of the name likely refers to either the nest cavity or the dense vegetation or dark crevices that the birds favor.  [The species name, aedon, means "nightingale" and is a tribute to their complex song.]

 

 

Although more common elsewhere in Sonoma County, House Wrens are considered rare migrants and winter residents on Bodega Head.

Morning song

Bird song has increased noticeably during the mornings in the last few weeks.  Yesterday I recorded this species outside of our house in Sebastopol.  Although small in size, it's known for its loud and complex song.  Do you recognize it?

(To see the audio files, click on the title of the post above to go directly to the web page.)


pawr2 by nhbh


This is a Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus).  Here's another clip.  This time the wren sings twice with about a 12-second pause in between.

pawr3 by nhbh


In the next recording the wren sings twice again, but with only a very slight pause in between...and note that a Brown Creeper sings during the pause!

pawr by nhbh


Last September, I took a few photos of a Pacific Wren in Owl Canyon on Bodega Head.  So you can visualize the singer of the songs above, one of those photos is below.

 

To review the post from the fall and to learn a little more about Pacific Wrens, click here. 

The smallest

 

Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus)

I love this quote: The Pacific Wren "seems as much a part of the forest floor as the mosses, huckleberry vines, huge logs, and upturned roots of his surroundings."  (Taylor and Shaw 1927)

Note the small size, short bill, and short tail.  Pacific Wrens are only 8-12 cm long (3.5-4.5 inches) — they're the smallest of the wrens.  The tail is often held upright.  With a good look, you can see the buffy supercilium (eyebrow stripe) and barring on the wings, underparts, and tail.

 

Pacific Wrens are often heard, but less frequently seen.  They tend to prefer forests and are often associated with water (e.g., streams, rivers, bogs, or swamps).  There's not too much of this habitat on Bodega Head, but you can find a little bit in Owl Canyon (along Westshore Road before you get to Campbell Cove).

Pacific Wrens are often on the move — hopping about from log to log, appearing here and there among low shrubs and dense vegetation.  I felt lucky to get a few shots!

 

Curtis Marantz and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library have provided a wonderful recording of the Pacific Wren's amazing song.

More often heard than seen

Marsh Wrens (Cistothorus palustris) nest in freshwater and brackish water marshes on Bodega Head.  They are very vocal — even more impressive than Bewick's Wrens, individual male Marsh Wrens on the West Coast can learn up to 200 different songs!

The Birds of North America account begins by stating that Marsh Wrens are more often heard than seen — an accurate description for this visually elusive species.  They are often hidden among cattails, sedges, or rushes.  I was happy to get a few photos today.  The first is the best, but the others allow you to see different angles, field marks, and behaviors. These images were taken in the marsh opposite Westside Park.

 

 

 

 

 

You can listen to a marsh wren song here.

Compare with Bewick's Wren (photos posted on 12 February 2012).

The little bird with the large repertoire

John James Audubon named Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) after his friend and British engraver, Thomas Bewick.  This wren occurs in both shrubland and dune habitat on Bodega Head.  Note the conspicuous white eye line and long tail.

Although relatively small, (Bewick's Wrens are ~13 cm long) wrens are known for their loud songs.  I still have some trouble identifying Bewick's Wrens by song, and now I know why.  Each individual male has a large vocal repertoire and sings between 9-22 different songs!  This variability is impressive and makes field identification by sound a bit challenging.  

Below, this is the same male singing from two different positions (photographed 11 February 2012).

 

 

Below, the wren found a caterpillar in the willows by Campbell Cove/Hole-in-the-Head.

 

To hear examples of Bewick's Wren songs, visit the Macaulay Library and search by species.