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Bard's Land
Bird by BERD
Let’s appreciate the birds we have on campus, through the words of former Audubon professional and Bard’s Assistant Director of Program Development Fred Baumgarten:
October 2007
Even the most casual observer will hardly fail to notice the 'fallout'
of blue jays coming through the Bard campus these next se veral weeks.
They are seemingly everywhere, restlessly moving from tree to tree or
overhead. An even more impressive spectacle may be seen down by the
river, as flocks of dozens or hundreds may be seen migrating southward.
Blue jays are what are known as partial migrants, meaning that some
proportion of the species' population undertakes a seasonal migration
(estimated in blue jays to be perhaps 20 percent), while many
individuals remain as year-round residents. Some of the jays we see
in winter may be local residents, while others coming from north of
here may join them. Birds that breed here in summer may join the
migrating flocks departing from this area. And the distance these
birds migrate may vary considerably.
If this all sounds a bit confusing, there's a good reason.
Surprisingly for such a common and familiar species, the blue jay's
migratory behaviors are still largely a mystery to scientists. It is
not even well understood why blue jays migrate, since they are capable
of wintering in the north. Hypotheses regarding the age ratios of
migrating individuals and attempts to correlate food availability and
migration have not yielded conclusive results.
One thing we do know is that blue jays habitually follow rivers on
their southbound migrations; thus the great advantage of watching the
migration from a perch verlooking the Hudson, such as Blithewood.
The blue jay is the only is the only jay in much of the eastern United
States. Students from other parts of the country may know the several
species of scrub-jays or the Steller's jay. The jays are members of
the family Corvidae, which includes (at Bard) the American crow, fish
crow, and common raven. All three of these latter birds are
non-migratory, year-round residents.
September 2007
While you are all arriving at Bard from points near and far, for many birds and other wildlife the opposite is already taking place. Even though to us humans it feels like the Dog Days of Summer, shortening days and cooler nights are spurring migratory animals into action, and many are already on the move.
Migration is all business, for many species an epic journey of hundreds or thousands of miles – a test of endurance and survival. Those species that aren’t migrating yet are in a frenzy of feeding to fatten up, literally, for the southbound flight. Generally birds also begin gathering in larger and larger flocks and roosts at this time of year, since they no longer need to defend a breeding territory.
Some species to look for around the campus as they migrate this time of year are swallows (mainly barn swallows and tree swallows), ruby-throated hummingbirds (look for them wherever you see a patch of nectar-bearing flowers, such as trumpet vines and jewelweed, aka forget-me-not), and Baltimore orioles. Animals other than birds that are also migratory include several types of butterflies – most famously, the orange-and-black monarch – and dragonflies such as the green darner and black saddlebags.
There are some exceptions, notably the American goldfinch, which is in the midst of nesting this time of year. Goldfinches feed themselves and their young exclusively on seeds, so they wait for late summer when sunflowers and thistles ripen and their seeds are abundant.
A note of caution – seconding Security Chief Ken Cooper: When exploring the outdoors, exercise extreme caution before wandering off campus or into the woods. Follow Ken’s guidelines absolutely. Also be alert for, and keep a respectful distance from wild animals such as foxes, as well as birds, and always check yourself for ticks.
May 1, 2007: Now's the time to get to Know Your Raptors!
I’m not talking about Bard’s sports teams – though there’s nothing wrong with that – but the real raptors: birds of prey. Few of nature’s spectacles are, well, as spectacular as catching sight of one of these impressive birds, which you can often do even without binoculars.
There are several species of raptors that can be readily observed in the skies over our campus; some are here year-round, while others are just arriving for the breeding season. Below is a sampling:
The *red-tailed hawk* is our most common raptor. It is a large bird with a robust body, a round head with a “hooded” appearance, and broad wings often held in a slight dihedral (a “V”) when the bird is soaring, which it frequently does. From below, the underparts often appear light, except for a dark band across the belly and various markings on the wings. A glimpse of the upperside of the tail, brick or pale reddish, usually clinches identification. Redtails feed primarily on small to midsize rodents, less often on pigeons and other birds.
The *broad-winged hawk* is smaller than a redtail, though it has roughly similar proportions—both are Buteos, stocky hawks with broad wings. This species is just arriving from its wintering grounds in South America. It breeds in the woods around Bard and is often revealed by its call, a piercing, plaintive, upslurred whistle – /pi-tseeeee./ Broadwings feed mainly on insects and small rodents.
 The *sharp-shinned hawk* is the smallest of three bird-hunting hawks (Accipiters) found in our area. In flight it looks a little like a letter T – long tail and relatively short wings. Its characteristic flight cadence consists of a few quick flaps followed by a glide.
Accipiters are less likely to soar like Buteos. They feed largely on small songbirds, which they often chase in flight, using their long tails like rudders to maneuver among trees.
Our smallest falcon, the *American kestrel* is frequently sighted perched on utility wires along our roadsides. A true falcon, its flight is swift and direct, its wings tapered to a sharp angle. The tail is
rather long, though not as much as a “sharpie’s.” A bird of open fields, a kestrel often hunts by hovering in place (redtails also do this) before dropping down on its prey. Dragonflies and other insects are a
mainstay of its diet.
*Bald eagles* and *golden eagles* both occur in the Bard area. The former is more likely to be seen in winter along the river than it is at this time of year. The golden eagle is rare in our region (much more
common in the western U.S.), but a pair has historically nested at nearby Stissing Mountain in Pine Plains, 15 miles east of the Bard campus. Both eagles are massive birds. The adult bald eagle, our
national symbol, is relatively easy to identify, but younger birds (they take four years to mature) can be confusing.
*Turkey vultures *and *black vultures* also inhabit the skies around Bard, though they are not, technically speaking, raptors – both because they are carrion eaters, not hunters, and because DNA evidence has revealed them to be more closely related to storks than to hawks! Nevertheless, they are very large, soaring birds. The turkey vulture has very long, two-toned wings that it holds in a pronounced dihedral, rocking back and forth as if finding its balance. The black vulture, a relative newcomer to our area, has a considerably more compact build; its wings are slightly bow-shaped, with a triangular white area near the tip, and its tail is very short. It never tilts from side to side and frequently soars in tight circles. (Turkey vultures tend to soar in wider circles or drift slowly along ridgelines.)
April 16: Walking down the path to the Campus Center while being drenched by the April storm’s chilly downpour, you could hear, somewhat incongruously, robins merrily singing from the trees. But despite the unseasonable weather, it is spring after all, and besides, those robins may have had good reason to rejoice: the walkway was alive with dozens of wriggling earthworms, no doubt forced out of the ground by the saturating rains. 
Have you ever really looked at a robin? That may sound like a silly question, since just about everyone knows this very common bird. But try to conjure up the image of a robin in your head, and then look closely at the next one you see. You might be surprised at the details you didn’t catch – the white below the red breast, shape and length of the tail, contrast (or lack of it) between the head and back, plumage differences between male and female, color and shape of the bill, or how the bird looks when it flies. This kind of exercise is valuable even for the experienced birdwatcher, teaching the discipline and practice of careful observation.
The same goes for the song. The caroling /cheerily-cheer-up/ of a robin is a good “index” song to  learn. Several of our more colorful migrants, such as the scarlet tanager and rose-breasted grosbeak, both of which will be arriving on our campus any day now, sing songs that are most  easily compared to the robin’s—the tanager’s like a “robin with a sore throat” and the grosbeak’s a slightly mellower warble, but with a similar cadence. If you tune into those songs you’ll have a good chance at seeing some of our most spectacular songbirds!
By the way, the American robin is quite different in appearance from its European counterpart, the latter the original “robin redbreast.” The European blackbird, amusingly enough, is a first cousin of our American robin, similar in build and behavior—but all black (and not at all related to “our” blackbirds…).
—Fred Baumgarten
*Sing for Spring!*
February 21: Whether you believe the groundhog or not, spring is coming to our region – as it does every year at this time. This morning *eastern bluebirds* were singing all around Sottery Hall (just behind Ludlow and next to the faculty/staff parking lot). Joining the chorus were *dark-eyed juncos* and *black-capped chickadees*.
It would be nice to think that the taste of springtime warmth is the cause of this joyful  sound, but that’s not entirely true. The expanding photoperiod – aka, longer days – signals spring to many of our birds, regardless of the weather. In fact, some species that are easily seen around the Bard campus, such as the *red-tailed hawk*, are getting ready to begin nesting.
So whether or not the weather turns cold again, you can look up and listen to find signs of spring all around. Here’s a brief field guide to the songbirds we’ve mentioned:
 *Eastern Bluebird*: beautiful songbird, smaller than a robin, with a bright blue back, orange breast, and white belly. The song is a rather low, quick, throaty warble. Flocks of bluebirds are seen in many places around campus, including at Sottery, in the woods alongside Stevenson Gym, and behind the Publications Office adjacent to the Sawkill Creek.
*Dark-eyed Junco*: A sparrow-size bird with slate gray upperparts and a  bright white belly. When it flies, it flashes white outer tail feathers. The song is a gentle trill, often given from a high perch. Juncos are seen all around the campus and often sing from the large trees on the Main Campus.
 *Black-capped Chickadee*: Small, acrobatic songbird with a black cap, white cheeks, black throat, whitish underparts, and gray-and-white upperparts. In addition to their /chick-a-dee-dee-dee/ calls, chickadees have a melodious springtime song – two clear whistled notes, the second a whole tone lower than the first.
/—Fred Baumgarten/
There is growing scientific evidence that global warming is impacting birds and wildlife. Over the next few decades, we may find we lose some species from New York as well as see new colonies. Models predict that those we may lose or whose ranges might shrink are ones that eat insect pests. To review how climatic summer ranges of some species might change, visit http://www.eany.org/gw/songbirds.pdf
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