On The Road – Albatrossity – Well, hush my mouth

Birds open their yaps for lots of reasons, and in the spring or summer that reason is the need to advertise the availability of a nice territory and a willingness to mate. “Here I am; let’s start a family!” is the bowdlerized version of that message. One of the prettiest songs here comes from one of the prettiest birds, the Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris). And for some reason they were abundant around here this summer! Click here for larger image.

A song that is familiar to all eastern USA birders is the “Drink your teeeeeea!” of the Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythopthalmus). This is the standard summertime resident towhee in my part of Flyover Country; further west and north it is replaced by the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus). The latter is also our winter resident towhee, since all the Eastern Towhees vamoose from here in the fall. These two species were formerly lumped together, but the taxonomic deities split them in 1995. Heads up for the listers out there; new data from a hybrid zone in Nebraska could cause them to be lumped again. Stay tuned! Click here for larger image.

Another pretty song and songster – the Northern Parula (Setophaga americana). Unlike lots of warblers these guys sing from spring into late summer around here. Click here for larger image.

Our next melodious songster is a Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia). Besides being the most yellow of the North American Warblers, it is also the most common and widespread. In the summer it can be found from the Arctic to Oaxaca, and from Labrador to the Galápagos. This is not a particularly common breeding bird in Kansas; many Kansas birders are unaware that they might find one of these in mid-summer here! Click here for larger image.

Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) have a territorial song that is not particularly melodious, as well as an alternate song that is very delicate and fine. Sadly, unlike the situation in past years Grasshopper Sparrows were not very common here this summer. But this one, in very worn plumage, was still singing in late July, so maybe it had two or three batches of fledglings this year. Click here for larger image.

Another reason that birds have their mouths open is to beg for food. This young Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) was successful in that endeavor! Click here for larger image.

Whereas this young Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) was not. Its parents scrupulously ignored it, so it found its way to the feeder fairly quickly. Click here for larger image.

This Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) was screaming at a crow that was infringing on its space. Hawks sorta have libertarian tendencies, IMHO. Click here for larger image.

Finally, many birds open their mouths and/or flutter their throats and tongues to cool off on hot days. This young Barred Owl (Strix varia) was a fixture in our backyard for a week or so, sitting in a hackberry tree close to the deck and observing with great curiosity our comings and goings on that deck. This was a hot day, and it was panting like this for most of the afternoon. Click here for larger image.

Another hot bird, this Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus anericanus) made a visit to the bird bath on a couple of consecutive days. This gorgeous species is commonly heard in the woods behind the house, but it is secretive, shy, slow-moving, and reluctant to get out into the open like this. Hopefully a drink at the birdbath helped it cool off, and maybe even figure out that it really isn’t so dangerous back there after all. Click here for larger image.