Mahoosuc Bird Notes: Mixed winter flocks - The Bethel Citizen

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Black capped chickadee. tsaiproject photo

The hardy birds that spend winters in Maine rely on a unique set of skills and behaviors to survive. Take, for example, the mixed winter flocks now at your feeders. Birds that normally are highly territorial and compete fiercely for food and nest sites during the spring, change their behavior and can be found traveling together when the snow flies. This works because by traveling in loose flocks, these birds increase the odds of finding the food they need during Maine’s long, hard winters.

Think about it. During the spring and summer, Black-capped Chickadees (photo by tsaiproject) can find what they need within a 2-acre plot. However, in the winter, this bird weighing less than half an ounce, must expand its range to 25 acres or more to find what it needs. By banding together with other birds which also must expand their range, it means that when one finds food, chances are they all do.

This only works because each has evolved unique feeding behaviors they rely on during hard times. Nuthatches, recognizable by their head-down behavior, are often seen in these groups moving around and down the large tree trunks and branches. They constantly probe behind bark looking for wintering beetles and weevils. They readily come to bird feeders and store food to help them get through the winter. One type of nuthatch (the red-breasted) shows a preference for coniferous trees while its white-breasted cousin prefers hardwoods.

The Brown Creeper presses flat against tree trunks and tends to move up and around looking for some of the same things that nuthatches eat. They prefer more mature coniferous trees. This foraging behavior may allow it to access food that nuthatches aren’t as likely to find.

Woodpeckers moving with this group may eat similar food, but they avoid directly competing by foraging on different parts of the tree using different tools. Woodpeckers flake off bark and probe deep into cracks and crevices that other birds can’t. If an insect eludes them, they can drill into the bark in pursuit. The dainty Downy can search for food at the end of small branches, shrubs and flower stalks. The Hairy Woodpecker, bigger and heavier, sticks to larger branches.

Finally, the tiny Golden Crowned Kinglet stays high in conifer trees where it looks for caterpillars and other insect larvae. Though seldom seen at feeders, I look and listen for them in large trees nearby when I have chickadees at my feeders.

I marvel at how these creatures adapt. The challenges they face serve as a reminder of why we need to preserve wide swaths of healthy forest and fields to ensure they continue to survive and thrive.

James Reddoch, of Albany Township and Boston, leads birding events for the Mahoosuc Land Trust. Visit Mahoosuc Land Trust at 162 North Road, Bethel, ME. To learn more visit www.mahoosuc.org. To contact James, send your emails to [email protected]

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