young birds

Young orioles showed up this morning moving through the tree foliage in a loose group -- presumably all in a family. The easiest way to find young orioles is to listen for their distinctive calls. The first time I heard the double (tew-tew) or triple (tew-tew-tew) calls, I was genuinely puzzled as it resembles no other normal bird song or call. These birds

-- they usually come in small groups -- always strike me as quite greenish perhaps because of reflected light from the leaves. If you look in the guide books, you won't find anything that quite matches this color and at first I thought I had something exotic. A closer look reveals the oriole shape and structure, wing bars, pointy bill, etc. The closest match in print is probably Orchard Oriole but our birds are Baltimores, not Orchards (Orchards turn up here only once in a while). Usually the young Baltimores travel with one or the other adult. whose presence gives the game away. The calls -- distinctive young Baltimore sounds -- seem designed to help the orioles, young and old, to stay together but are also a kind of begging: "I'm over here, dad, and I'm hungry! Additionally, these excursions seem designed to help the young birds learn how to find food for themselves.

The Congress of Young Crows has been regularly reconvening in the open area in front of the house. There are at least eight or nine birds that participate in these events so these are individuals from more than one nest. At first, I thought they might be looking for food. They occasionally peck at the ground or even fly into low bushes where they seem to be nibbling at berries or insects. Sometimes they stand quite still on the ground facing away from the others with heads tilted back and beaks open as if waiting for someone to come and fill it (as they are standing in full sunlight, perhaps they are sunbathing). As I watch these congregations, I have become convinced that they are mainly practice socialization for young birds. There is a certain amount of hopping around and even some flying up on to branches and jumping or flapping back down again. And there is an almost constant sequence of vocalizations in that nasal honking tone that is typical of young American Crows. They are, I think, sorting out their places in crow society!

Eric Salzman

P.S.: Mike Higgiston reports a White-breasted Nuthatch at his place in East Quogue which reminds me that I forgot to mention the calling (singing?) Nuthatch on yesterday's report of our Grace Estate birdsong walk.