Many of you have been recording birds and other natural sounds we've encountered this quarter. If you want post a .wav file, I think we have a way to do that now. Send me the file and I'll post it via our course website, linked to the blog.

Click here to link to sound clips.

https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/timbillo/28979/200363

It's been a few weeks since we've been out at Union Bay as a class, but there were definitely some new birds there this Thursday despite the rain.

ORANGE CROWNED WARBLERS were out and on singing on territory. A WARBLING VIREO was feeding and singing in the small trees just after the signs at the entrance to the area. Surprisingly, a female COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was hanging out in there too, feeding. I think some have already seen this impressive species around the marsh, but seems like the densities of some of these migrants are really picking up now.

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were still abundant in the Cottonwood trees around Union Bay, and some of the GOLD FINCHES, although less abundant now, seem to be settling in to some of the smaller trees, perhaps looking for nest sites? 

I heard my first WILSON'S WARBLER of the year in the bushes outside my house, and Jen reported from my neighborhood that WESTERN TANAGERS may be back now too.

There have been reports of STRAY SHOREBIRDS dropping down at the Union Bay ponds too to rest and refuel on their way north, although we didn't see any yesterday.

Finally, Kiran, Sara, and I discovered a KILLDEER NEST which appeared to be abandoned--perhaps disturbed by one of the restoration parties at Union Bay. Here is Kiran's picture:

The eggs were cold, but apparently well enough camouflaged that they haven't been discovered by crows.

Great Blue Heron

A particularly fruitful morning with my camera in the Union Bay natural area. Birds don't seem to be as unnerved by a one human group. I hunted all morning for a good shot of one of these guys, and had just given up hope, when I was rewarded for my efforts. Lucky for me, I was not as important as the breakfast swimming under the surface.

Mallards

The gods smiled on me again when a mother duck broke cover with her adorable fuzzy kids. I practically had them eating right out of my hand. Mallards are fearless.

Marsh Wren

From Elan. Very cool bird photography site with some nice pictures of various kinds of birds and their prey--hawks, herons, rails, etc., and grebes and coots trying to get airborne. Thanks Elan!

http://birdlightwind.com/

Plus a hilarious Youtube video of a raven that has discovered how to reel in a fisherman's fishing line and steal his fish:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0w9q125TSI&feature=related%C2%A0

Images from Grays Harbor Field Trip!

Brown Pelicans over Grays Harbor, with the Olympic Mountains as backdrop.

BIOL 444 students admiring a flock of Brown Pelicans over Grays Harbor from the Westport Jetty.

Portraits of Wandering Tattlers. Note short yellow legs and barred belly and flanks.

Mr. White-Crowned Sparrow confronting danger and ready to kick some rump on his home turf...

Brownheaded Cowbird

Marsh Wren gathering nesting material from a cat-tail

The striking wing patterns of the Black Turnstone in flight

Joel Williams doing some extreme birding, looking for the Wandering Tattlers

Ribes (currant) in bloom on the Westport Jetty

Peer TA Annica Carlson, giving an impromptu lesson on bird internal anatomy.

One of the many thousands of Dunlin that pass through Grays Harbor every year on their way from South America to the Arctic and back again.

Pelagic Cormorant. Note white rump patch.

A regal-looking Savannah Sparrow.

Female Surf Scoter

Male Surf Scoter

Nape of the Male Surf Scoter

American Robin

Golden-Crowned Sparrow

Black Turnstone

Bufflehead male and female

Caspian Tern hangout.

Common Loon in alternate plumage.

Meta-tool use in New Caledonian crows

Here's an interesting PBS documentary on crows (I just remembered the interesting section in this video about meta-tool use when I read about the previous post talking about crows fashioning a hook spontaneously). It also features the University of Washington's Prof. John Marzluff in a few parts.

For the section concerning meta-tool use, skip to 14:20 in the video. It's super cool and documents New Caledonian crows being able to use tools to get other tools to access their reward, something that even primates have difficulty doing. In Tim's earlier linked pdf to tool use in crows, they mention that it is difficult to "distinguish between behaviour shaped by known or easily conceived experiences of reinforcement (i.e., trial-and-error learning) and behaviour which appears to result from an abstract process of inference". The quick meta-tool use trial in the video seems to point to the latter.

The Amazing Mimicry of the Superb Lyrebird

You have to check this out, if you haven't seen it before!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y

Thanks to Kiran for sharing!