Hurricane winds battered Florida's birds

Q: Did Hurricane Ian wipe out the birds on the Gulf Coast of Florida?

A: When Ian slammed into the southwestern Florida coast with sustained winds of 150 mph, it destroyed islands and coastal areas with a vengeance. Resident birds and other wildlife have evolved with these autumnal storms, and know to seek out sheltered places to ride out the winds, but Ian's strength posed an unusual threat. Migrants were passing through, as well, and we won't know what effect the hurricane had on their populations until possibly next spring. However, reporting sites like eBird listed many fewer reports of migrants in the storm's aftermath. The big worry in hard-hit areas is that the food supply for resident birds, like cardinals, blue jays and mockingbirds, was wiped out. There no longer are shrubs with berries, and nuts and insects disappeared with the trees. Birds that rely on fish, like osprey, herons and egrets, are finding bays and inlets full of pollution and sediment. Starvation is now a real threat.

Cardinals eating peas

Q: In the late summer we noticed male and female cardinals rummaging in our pea vines. They became very proficient, first just pecking the pods, then eating peas within the pods, finally pulling pods off to eat the peas. They scattered the empty pods at the ends of the rows. We don't mind sharing the peas with cardinals, but sparrows began imitating them, and we had to hope they lacked the cardinals' skills.

A: I love this story, as it shows how smart and innovative birds can be. I hoped the birds left enough peas for the humans, and you confirmed later that the sparrows ate only the peas that dropped to the ground.

Loons in winter

Q: Where do our loons go in the winter?

A: That's a good question with an evolving answer. It used to be said that Minnesota's common loons spent the winter in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of Florida. Juvenile loons were known to linger for a year in the Gulf before migrating back. But we now know more: Because the DNR's Nongame Wildlife Program under Carrol Henderson got funding after the 2010 British Petroleum massive oil spill, researchers were able to attach satellite transmitters to adult and juvenile loons. They learned that youngsters travel to the Canadian Maritimes as 1-year olds, then back to the Gulf in the fall. They follow this pattern for another year before, presumably, returning the following spring to the areas where they hatched. So a young loon you saw last summer might not be back in your area until 2025. Adult loons spend the winter on the Gulf and around the coast of Florida, then return to Minnesota in spring.

Do owls migrate?

Q: Do owls migrate, like songbirds do?

A: I wish the answer were more clear-cut: About half of the owl species we host in our area are migratory, and the other half aren't, but there are exceptions and qualifiers in every case. The tiny saw-whet owl, as well as long-eared owls and short-eared owls, migrate in winter, but a few remain in the area all year. Our resident owls, the great horned, barred and Eastern screech-owls, stay around all year. And three species we think of as northern owls, the great gray, Northern hawk owl and snowy owl, show up in our area on occasion.

Roadside pecking

Q: As I drive to our cabin I see all kinds of smallish birds along the country roads, pecking at the ground. What are they up to?

A: You're seeing birds compensating for their lack of teeth. Those roadside birds are usually the species that consume seeds and nuts, which have hard outer shells. The birds land along roadways to eat bits of grit to help their gizzards grind up those seeds. You're probably seeing goldfinches, juncos, migratory sparrows and snow buntings engaging in this digestive behavior.

Cardinals get redder

Q: We watch the cardinals at our feeders very closely and wonder if we can tell when they've molted their feathers for the year.

A: Like many birds, northern cardinals grow new feathers in late summer and early fall. Food is abundant at this time, and they need extra calories to support the energy-draining molt. If you look closely, you'll see that cardinals — males, especially — look a little drab in late fall. This is because many of their new head and neck feathers are tipped with gray, giving the feather extra strength. During the winter, as these tips wear away, cardinals appear more and more brilliant. Males are at their peak brilliance by midwinter, as mating season approaches.

Readers write:

On bird intelligence — Terry Kreeger, retired wildlife veterinarian in Bovey, Minn., sent this observation: A few years ago, he and a friend were deer hunting near Grand Marais. He noticed, from his deer stand, a pine marten traveling through the nearby ravine and a goshawk landed in a tree about 30 yards behind the marten. "When the marten started moving, the goshawk would follow, and when the marten stopped to search, the goshawk would land. My hunting partner said he'd seen the same thing from his stand. Our interpretation is that the goshawk was hoping the marten would, intentionally or purposely, flush a ruffed grouse, which the goshawk might then catch. I've repeated this story to many wildlife biologists and they agree that this behavior by the goshawk was intentional and probably very productive."

On birds and grief — Julian Sellers, St. Paul, observed mourning doves nesting on his backyard pergola several years in a row. One day, walking from the garage to the back door, he noticed two mourning doves perched near each other, close to the remnants of their nest. "As I recall, there had been two chicks, but all that was left were some feathers. The adult doves remained in place as I walked close to them, and they remained in that position for hours. I believe they were living up to their name."

Sally Critchley, Roseville, recalls a recent news story about birds apparently grieving: "It was about a pair of mallard ducks at a Roseville intersection. The male duck got run over and the female appeared to be grieving nearby for a long time."

St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, who volunteers with the St. Paul Audubon Society and writes about nature for a number of newspapers and magazines, can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net.