By Aldona Bird
Rustling and chirping, of brilliant color or subtly camouflaged, feathered life fills our forests and backyards.
Some birds are locals, and stick close year-round. Others are now returning to nest after wintering in warmer climates, while others still stop over on their way to more northerly summer homes.
“New birds will be coming every day,” Caden Haines, WVU wildlife and fisheries senior and student committee chair for the Mountaineer Chapter of National Audubon Society, said.
LeJay Graffious, board member of the Mountaineer Chapter of National Audubon Society, recommends bird watching as a relaxing activity that is “good for the soul.”
“Bird watching is different for everybody,” Graffious said. “It can be whatever you want,” from sitting on a porch to hiking in the woods to spotting feathered friends in downtown Morgantown.
Once people start to pay attention to birds, “you start learning more in-depth of what’s going on outside your door,” Graffious said.
Absent a porch or immersion in a different environment for birding, Dorsey’s Knob, Coopers Rock, White Park, the Core Arboretum and Botanic Gardens are options.
Bird watching can be more than a hobby. Bird counts are a scientific indicator. “When you have a healthy environment for birds, it’s also healthy for people,” Graffious said.
But sometimes, the impact humans and our industrial decisions have on the environment doesn’t do birds any favors. Graffious said before Europeans immigrated to the United States and began manipulating the landscape, natural disasters, such as fires and beaver dam blowouts, kept bird habitats diverse.
Many birds need young forests (seven to 15 years of growth) for nesting or feeding. “Young forests have much more diversity than older forests,” Graffious said. This diversity, such as tree size variety and undergrowth, is key for dozens of bird species.
These species include ruffed grouse, indigo bunting, flycatchers, cuckoos and many warblers.
Graffious said clear-cut logging eventually results in these needed young forests — but can impact other wildlife negatively. The industry has moved more toward selective logging. Along with forest management practices, which tend to involve undergrowth and smaller tree removal, selective logging results in less habitat for many birds.
Injured birds
On a smaller scale, birds can also be injured flying into windows, or when house cats get too close.
“If a bird hits a window, sometimes they’re just stunned,” Katie Fallon, president of the Mountaineer Audubon Chapter and co-founder of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia said.
She recommends putting the stunned bird into a shoe box, and leaving it in a dark, quiet place. After about 20 minutes, open the box (outside), and let it resume it’s life. If it has not recovered, she said take it to the Cheat Lake Animal Hospital for treatment.
Due to COVID-19, the animal hospital is offering curbside drop-offs of animals. Call the number on the door, and wait for staff to come out to get the injured bird.
“Any bird that has been in a cat’s mouth needs to see a veterinarian,” Fallon said. Cats have bacteria in their mouths that can be harmful to birds. They can also break bones or create deep punctures.
Helping the birds
Graffious advised keeping all outdoor bird equipment clean to protect birds’ health. Bird feeders and baths can be great for wild birds, but putting them out is creating an unnatural and closer contact situation. “It’s important to keep your feeders clean, so you’re not transmitting diseases,” he said.
People can also help birds by planting native shrubs and plants, Fallon said. Native plants provide shelter, nesting places and food for many species. “Native plants can be really important for attracting birds,” she said, especially for non-seed-eating birds.
Fallon practices this in her own Cheat Lake back yard, which she said isn’t particularly specialized. “I think I have about 80 species that I’ve seen in my yard over the course of the year,” Fallon said.
Many of these are migratory birds. Fallon said ruby-throated humming birds are returning to the area.
She said humming bird feeders can be refilled with homemade sugar water, rather than buying nectar. Red dyes can by toxic to humming birds, so leave them out and let red color on the feeder attract these birds.
Other migratory birds returning to or passing through West Virginia now include blue headed vireos, barn and other swallows, scarlet tanagers, wood thrush, oven birds along with a variety of warblers among others.
Haines referred to warblers as nature’s gems and jewels. Neotropical song birds, these often brightly colored birds fly south in the winter. Some nest in West Virginia, while others continue their migration up to Canada to breed.
Because warblers eat insects, they don’t visit backyard bird feeders but many are common and can be spotted in a variety of habitats.
Graffious bands birds at Old Hemlock, in Bruceton Mills. He hopes to see again this year the same two yellow and green male hooded warblers he has caught since 2016. “These birds who migrate to South and Central America and Caribbean weigh less than the mass of two nickels yet fly 600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico,” he said.
“The cerulean warbler, which is my favorite warbler, will be back in maybe two weeks,” Fallon said. “The cerulean warbler is coming all the way from Columbia and Venezuela, so they have a pretty far migration.”
Another warbler returning soon is the wood thrush. “West Virginia has more individuals of those two species than any other state,” Fallon said.
Both these birds, among many others, have experienced population declines over the last few decades. Scientists believe this is due to loss of habitat. Due to logging and mountaintop removal, many prime breeding ground sites are no longer safe and available for these migrants. Agriculture has taken away summer habitats.
Fallon said Coopers Rock is a great place to spot these birds, but she has also seen them in her backyard.
Song birds
Haines recommends Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab as a great smartphone app to help identify birds. He said any bird identification book organized by species or color can also be helpful.
Fallon said she likes to use the website eBird to list the birds she spots. She keeps a log while out hiking, and then uploads the list when finished.
“Learning the songs is a great way to identify birds, especially ones you can’t see,” Fallon said.
Birds sing this time of year to set up territories, Graffious said. They are most active at sunrise. The bird chorus travels around the world, creating a continuous connection as the sunrise progresses with Earth’s spin into each new region.
“It’s like a giant stadium wave of bird songs, that waves itself around the world every day,” Graffious said.
Dawn isn’t the only time to listen and watch for birds. Corpuscular birds can also be exciting and interesting for amateurs and enthusiasts alike. Large owls, like the great horned owl have already nested and hatched. Their young will leave the nest soon, and fill the woods with all kinds of strange sounds, according to Graffious.
Screech owls are much smaller, only slightly larger than a fist, and harder to spot, but easy to hear. A Whippoorwill is unmistakable from it’s namesake call.
Fallon said the Common Nighthawk will be returning soon from migration, and it’s “meeping” sound can be heard even in downtown Morgantown as it hunts for insects.
“Every bird had it’s own niche in life,” Graffious said. “As you learn birds, you learn how each one fits into the web of life.”
