Goldenrod Soldier Beetle

Here is another insect from my Saturday stroll along Carleton College’s Lyman Lakes. This critter is a Goldenrod Soldier Beetle. These beetles are found in late summer, especially August. They are found in fields and gardens. They feed on flower nector—this one is on Bee Balm. They do not injure plants and do not bite or sting people. They do occasionally invade homes, where they can be swept or vacuumed. These beetles also eat other insects, like grasshopper eggs, aphids, and small caterpillars (wimastergardener.org) and, thus, are good to have in your garden.

Hummingbird Clearwing

During a short walk on Saturday along Carleton College’s Lyman Lakes, I photographed this Hummingbird Clearwing, a moth that mimics hummingbirds. Actually to me it appears to mimic three hummers—the green head reminds me of a Ruby-throated, the brown body and wings look like a Rufous, and the abdomen is reminiscent of South American coquettes.

Hummingbird Clearwings are day-flying moths and hover while the sip flower nectar. This one is at Bee Balm—they also feed at honeysuckle, snowberry, hawthorns and various fruit trees (butterfliesandmoths.org). The moth is found in gardens (where they do no damage) and city suburbs across much of North America.

Clay-colored Sparrow

This Clay-colored Sparrow perched on a White Indigo in Carleton College’s arboretum prairie (the same field as the Field Sparrow about which I recently posted). These sparrows are abundant in shrubby prairie-lands in the northern Midwest and southern Canada. Only the conversion of these grasslands to agriculture, heavy livestock use, or urban development threaten this species.

This bird obligingly perched on a fruiting Wild White Indigo. This plant is popular in gardens and prairie restoration projects. Indigo is a native plant found in southeastern Minnesota and much of the eastern United States. The species benefits a number of insects, including butterflies. The plant, if overgrazed, is toxic to cattle. Most herbivores know to avoid indigo (Nature Conservancy).

Review: Handbook of the Birds of the World: Special Volume

The Handbook of the Birds of the World is an awesome, encyclopedic 16-volume series. Just published is a special, 17th volume, containing an index to the previous books. The usefulness of an index should be fairly obvious, especially one with references of scientific names and common names in English, French, German, and Spanish. The whole series is currently offered by the publisher for a 20% discount, or about $3700 (depending on the strength of the dollar). This price may well seem exorbitant, but works out to 30 cents a page—not bad for a book full of stunning photographs, color illustrations and text covering all the birds of the world. This price is comparable to smaller books covering only single bird families. Installment plans and free shipping are offered by the publisher, Lynx Edicions, along with samples of the format and contests of the books. Note that not all volumes are readily available through other sources like Amazon.com.

Why might someone who does not own this series be interested in this 182-page, $200 index? This book is not like any other I have ever seen.

The book contains a center section of 200 stunning photos obtained from the best bird photographers of the world. I have never seen such amazing images. For examples, a black and white wagtail feeds in a shallow puddle and looks at its mirror image; an Australian White Ibis in flight with its wings outstretched, the bird’s head silhouetted behind the feathers of the wing; a Pelagic Cormorant swimming under water among thousands of fleeing fish.

This book describes 69 new bird species discovered during the series’ publication (from 1992 to 2011). These descriptions contain text, distribution maps, photos, and gorgeous color illustrations, much in the format of previous volumes. The book branches out into the unexpected, covering 15 Amazonian birds never before scientifically named or described. Suddenly the reader enters the world of taxonomic ornithology!

Most birders are aware that avian taxonomy is in a constant state of change. DNA and molecular biology are revolutionizing how we classify birds. This supplemental volume to the handbook includes a long essay on avian classification and how it has evolved in the last 20 years. Another essay discusses where new birds are being found. Most are of limited range in areas of the world that are difficult to explore.

A forward by BirdLife International discusses the history of that august conservation organization, and may be of less interest to the casual reader than are the scientific and artistic sections of the book.

The shortcomings of the whole series are few and far between. There are few or no Illustrations of eggs. Domestic birds, for better or worse, are omitted. The series, having been published in Spain, has an Old World bias to common names (e.g., Brown Creepers are called American Treecreepers—but creepers can be successfully found in the index). Texts describing the bird families of the world tend to be poorly referenced. Overall, however, the series is mind-blowing in its coverage. If you cannot afford the price—the books have been described (by an internet reviewer) as “the world’s most expensive Christmas gift”—consider recommending it to your local or college library.

Another option exists for those of you not wedded to the printed page. The publishers have digitized the whole series, calling it “The Handbook of the Birds of the World—ALIVE” This website will be constantly updated as new ornithological discoveries are made via vetted “wikicontributions." It includes videos. By the publisher’s count, that adds up to 15 million words, 20,617 illustrations and photographs, 10,200 maps and about 100,000 bibliographical references.  The cost for on-line access is 29.95 Euros (about $40 per year), plus a 20 Euro registration fee. Ordering, which can be difficult to find on the publisher’s website, can be accomplished at http://www.hbw.com/pricing. Compared with the high price per volume of the hard copies, and the ease of Internet searching, the option of this digital subscription seems to me to be worth the expense.

Field Sparrow

This Field Sparrow stood at attention among the profusion of yellow Compass Plants and purple Bee Balm of the Carleton College arboretum prairie. Although declining in other parts of its range, Field Sparrows are abundant in the grasslands of southern Minnesota.

I have previously blogged about Bee Balm. Compass Plants are common in southern Minnesota and elsewhere in the eastern United States. They are long-lived, up to a century (Minnesota Seasons.com). Their leaves orient away from the sun, thus often face north and south—thus the origin of the common name. Although I suspect its a good way to get lost, explorers can orient by examining the leaves. Compass Plants do not withstand heavy grazing. Native Americans used this wildflower as a tea and as a tooth paste (USDA). The species is commercially cultivated and are usally grown from seed, needing a few years to mature.

Andromorph White-faced Meadowhawk

White-faced Meadowhawks are abundant dragonflies around Northfield. With their white faces, they are relatively easy to identify. The first photo is of a female, the second is a male. On 1 August 2013, I took the third photo. In the field, I assumed I was seeing a male White-faced Meadowhawk. When I got home, however, I noticed that the face was actually red-tinged. Scott King, my dragonfly expert, responded that the odonate is indeed a White-faced Meadowhawk, but not a male—rather a rare andromorph female. Other dragonflies are often more prone to have andromorphs—but the trait is uncommon in White-faced Meadowhawks.

Scientists do not understand the factors that cause andromorphs. Looking like a male apparently keeps her from constant harassment from males interested in mating. Andromorphs may be more aggressive than dull females, and they often remain less hidden. Males often retreat from andromorphs, thus, compared with other females, food resources may be greater for the andromorph. She just has to convince one mate that she is, indeed, a female. The disadvantage to the andromorph, however, may be that, being brightly colored, she is easier for predators to see.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

While at the 180th Street Marsh in Dakota County, Minnesota, John Holden and I heard and then saw this juvenal Yellow-headed Blackbird. Because of its white belly, black flanks, and tan head and breast, this plumage is poorly portrayed in many field guides. Minnesota and Wisconsin are about as far east as this blackbird breeds in North America. They are become common as you travel west. Most winter in Mexico.

Breeding Yellow-headed Blackbirds are polygynous, with males holding grouped territories. Females pick nesting locations within a male’s territory. Although they usually raise but one brood, females sometimes lay eggs in more than one nest (Twedt and Crawford 1995).

American Coot

Here is a bird that birders might have trouble identifying. Many field guides do not show this junvenal plumage of the American Coot. (Fledglings are black, with orange heads.} In the fall season, birds will molt into the black, basic plumage of adult birds. John Holden and I found this bird, one of several, at the 180th Street Marsh in Dakota County, Minnesota.

Halloween Pennant

Erika and I have observed several Halloween Pennants this summer. This photo is from the Bass Ponds in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Hennepin County, Minnesota. I have previously blogged about this hardy species, tolerant of cool and wet days. (Paulson 2011) reports that this dragonfly’s fluttery, butterfly-like flight and vague resemblance to a Monarch Butterfly’s coloration may be enough to discourage some avian predators. This hypothesis seems like kind of a stretch to me, but, if true, would be an example of Batesian Mimicry, wherein palatable species resemble distasteful ones.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Bathing

Weidensaul et al. (2013) tersely report that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds bathe "in water on leaf surfaces or fine spray.” This hummingbird is bathing exactly in that fashion. Yesterday, Erika and I visited the Funky Garden nursery in Washington Co., Minnesota, just north of the William O’Brian State Park. An employee of the nursery moved a water sprinkler that began to soak a small tree among the flower beds. Twice this Ruby-throated Hummingbird flew up to the tree and perched at the top. It fluttered its wings and ruffled its feathers as it perched.

After its second bath, the bird remained perched for a few seconds as the water receded. Perhaps the bird enjoyed a  bit of warm sunlight before it flew off. If you look closely at the last photo, you may notice that this hummingbird appears to be banded on its left leg. Even greatly enlarged copies of the photo do not positively prove that the bird is banded—try magnifying the photo on your computer (“command +” on a Mac). Does anyone know of someone banding hummingbirds in Washington Co.? Hummingbirds are not banded by the majority of banders since doing so requires special permits and bands.)

Finally, on the right side of the first photo, there is a UFO—an Unidentified Flying Object.  A falling acorn? I might add that, in the first and last photos, the hummingbird appears to be uncharacteristically yellow-breasted. This color is a reflection from the tree leaves.