Frozen falls and frozen birds

Yesterday was bitterly cold in central Ohio. The day began about 7 F, and warmed into the low teens. Yet winter and subfreezing temperatures brings its own charms, and frozen Hayden Run Falls is one of them. I figured it would have been transformed into a cascade of ice, and sure enough that was the case.

A closer view of the Hayden Falls ice sculpture. I wrote about this place late last fall, and shared some images of the falls when the water is freely flowing. Just CLICK HERE for that.

Below the falls, towards its confluence with the Scioto River, Hayden Run was mostly unfrozen. This pair of Mallards rested and foraged in the stream. Although it still seems - and is! - wintry, spring is very much in the air. The daylight lengthens and stretches the days, and ducks are entering courtship mode. This drake was quite attentive to the hen, and tailgated her constantly as she swam about.

Nearby Kiwanis Park produced lots of birds, as it nearly always does. Being a sucker for charismatic chickadees, I can seldom resist imaging them if the opportunity arises. This is a Carolina Chickadee, which is common over the southern three-quarters of Ohio. North of their range lies that of the Black-capped Chickadee.

Scads of American Robins were evident on this day. While we've had many all winter, it seems that their ranks have been bolstered by new arrivals in the last week or so. This bird was feather-fluffed to truly rotund dimensions as it did its best to stave off the biting cold. He - it is a male - and his comrades were feasting on the fruit of the nasty invasive nonnative European highbush cranberry, Viburnum opulus var. opulus. The robins and other frugivorous birds are vectors for the spread of these weedy invasives, unfortunately.

I've said this before and I'll say it again - the American Robin is one of our showiest birds, bar none. Were it a major rarity, everyone would go ape at the sight of one. But it's easy to get jaded to the commonplace and ignore birds like robins. Thus, when I espied this extremely cooperative chap, I resolved to do my best photographic portraiture work and really try to bring out his handsomeness.

The image was made with the tripod-mounted Canon 5D Mark III and 500mm f/4 II. A 1.4x teleconverter allowed me to reach in even closer. Single point focus was shifted to the upper left of the grid and placed squarely on the bird's eye. Settings were f/8, 1/640, ISO 800, and +1/3rd exposure compensation.

A trip to the tail waters of Hoover Dam revealed many fowl cavorting in the icy waters. My favorite, perhaps, was this flashy drake American Wigeon. Or in hunter parlance, the "baldpate".

I've long been partial to these kleptoparasitic dabblers. It isn't uncommon to see thieving wigeon out in deep water associating with diving ducks such as scaup, Redheads, or Ring-necked Ducks. When one of the divers returns to the surface with a billfull of succulent plant matter, the wigeon attempt to snatch it away. That's one way to get at food that lies in the depths beyond one's reach.

One more wigeon photo, just because. It was 7 or 8 F when I took this image, with a gusty breeze cooking across the water. The tough wigeon seemed utterly unfazed. I wasn't, though, and resorted to hand warmers in the gloves, and noticed that my camera's controls were getting a bit sluggish after an hour or so in the elements.

Tomorrow is supposed to bring a high of 37 F. Spring is rapidly approaching, and with it the wild yo-yo weather of late winter and early spring in the Midwest.

Carolina Chickadee

Inquisitive Carolina Chickadee peers out of a nest box at an interloper (me). Chickadees are easily enticed to nest nearby if suitable boxes are provided.

Chickadee nests are plush beds of moss interwoven with plant fibers and perhaps the fur of your dog.

Recently fledged Carolina Chickadee. A worthy addition to any landscape.

The Columbus Dispatch
Friendly, frenetic chickadees put on a show
Sunday, May 2, 2010

"Come up and see me sometime."

"Mmm, I will, my little chickadee."

So went the exchange between W.C. Fields and Mae West at the end of the 1940 movie classic My Little Chickadee.

The latter line was delivered by Flower Belle Lee (West) to Cuthbert J. Twillie (Fields).

Real chickadees are a long jump cuter than Fields ever was, and they rival West in flashy good looks.

Not only are chickadees cute, they're bold, inquisitive and charismatic. I once was toting my scope and tripod through a wooded patch and looked back to find a chickadee hitchhiking along, perched on a tripod leg.

We have two species of chickadees in Ohio: the Carolina and the black-capped. Those in and around Columbus are Carolinas; the black-capped occupy the northern quarter of the state.

The two look almost identical and are best told apart by voice. Black-cappeds have a distinctly slower, huskier chick-a-dee-dee-dee call. Their clear, whistled song has two parts; that of the Carolina has four parts.

Occasionally during winter, black-capped chickadees wander as far south as Columbus.

These 10-gram, black-bibbed acrobats are a treat to watch.

Chickadees search tirelessly for insects among the branches of trees and shrubs, often dangling in impossible positions as they seek their quarry. They also accept our handouts and are frequent feeder visitors. If you're patient, chickadees can be trained to alight on your hand and take seed from your palm.

Fortunately for us, Carolina chickadees are among our most common birds. Adaptive and opportunistic, they fare well in the city and suburbia. Trees and shrubs help immensely: Chickadees prefer foraging in woody plants, and native plants support far more beneficial insects than non-native ones do. You can help chickadees and other birds by selecting native plants.

Chickadees nest in cavities, often making use of old woodpecker holes. They readily adopt suitable nest boxes and can be enticed to breed close to homes.

Their nests, hidden within the cavity's confines, are things of beauty. Most people don't loaf on a bed as luxuriant as a chickadee's nest. The cavity is stuffed with the softest moss available, and the eggs are nestled in a down-filled central cup. Animal hair is often intertwined, and pugnacious chickadees have been known to land on basking dogs and pluck tufts of fur.

Create a wildlife-friendly yard and slap up some nest boxes. Maybe you'll have a little chickadee come up and see you sometime.

Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at jim.mccormac.blogspot.com.