In times of stress or uncertainty, I turn my attention to nature.
It not only beckons me to come outdoors and walk off that anxiety, it is a living, evolving landscape of art and science that is beautiful and inspiring, with impressive powers of perseverance.
It has drama and danger and constant small miracles, and it invites all of us to enjoy the wonder.
Today, let’s chat about birds.
The hummingbirds are gone for the season. The blue jays just stopped by the feeder. And, the other day, I was photographing a tree creeper attached to my patio door screen when it suddenly flew onto my sweater, seemingly hugging me for a second or two.
Even before COVID, I was an admirer of birds. I feed them, photograph them and walk wide circles around their nests in springtime. I like their songs and their energy. And I like the way they seem to look out for each other, one of them scattering seeds from the feeder for the others to gobble up on the lawn below.
My backyard sits along a wetlands so often we see egrets, geese, ducks, hawks and blue herons, in addition to smaller, more common flyers. The space is always busy.
Though birds are magnificent creatures year-round, autumn enables us to pay closer attention.
With the leaves gone and the landscape muted, it’s easier to spot activity.
I’ve also begun noticing oddities about birds in fall.
Some leave on migration. Some dig in for the long winter. Some take to the skies in mystic formations.
And, it seems, birds are always in the news.
A recent report in New Scientist magazine revealed that “many migratory birds use Earth’s magnetic field as a compass.”
According to the article, Richard Holland, scientist at Bangor University in the United Kingdom, said the information tells Eurasian reed warblers “not only where to go, but where they are” on a mental map.
So much of nature is scientifically ahead of mankind even without the benefit of technology.
I reached out to the DuPage Birding Club (dupagebirding.org) with some questions about the local aviators we might encounter now that summer is gone. The club is one of the area’s largest birding organizations. It holds monthly meetings, publishes a newsletter and hosts several field trips each month around the area.
President Robert Perez said there are two groups of birds that live in the Chicago area during winter: resident species and migratory species.
Resident, or year-round, species include blue jays, northern cardinals, black-capped chickadees and white-breasted nuthatches.
Migratory species that live far up north in Canada head south to spend their winters in our area. Those include red-breasted nuthatches, dark-eyed juncos and purple finches, to name a few, he said.
How does something so small survive the Chicago area’s bone-chilling temperatures?
Perez said, “Birds can fluff up their feathers to better insulate themselves, making them look fatter in winter. Some birds will go into controlled hypothermia to lower their body temperatures to conserve energy. Other birds will roost together to share each other’s body heat.”
It was on a chilly day in January that two bald eagles landed in the wetlands behind my backyard. I took about a thousand photos and confirmed that they were eagles with the local forest preserve center. The pair stayed for several hours before soaring off. I haven’t seen them since but I keep a hopeful eye out.
What about those mysterious formations in the sky?
Migrating birds form “V” formations, Perez said, because this enables them to “draft” off each other.
“If you watch birds carefully, they take turns with who is in the lead position. By switching off, they conserve energy,” he said.
But what about those weird shifting formations in the sky that seem to spell out “Surrender Dorothy” to those of us below?
Those, he said, are starling murmurations.
For a number of reasons, he said, “European starlings do this in the fall and winter when large numbers of them come together to roost. Much like schools of fish, birds do this to avoid predators. It’s easier for birds to avoid hawks and falcons by flying like this. They also do this to exchange information and to stay warm.”
Why do birds “line up” along power lines?
Perez said, “One way birds stay warm is by roosting side by side to share each other’s body warmth. They also congregate on power lines to communicate with each other and rest.”
This past summer, a dove crashed into my kitchen window. Because this is sometimes a problem in summer, I have plastered stickers on the panes to help them understand there is a glass barrier. Still, every now and then, one hits the window and is stunned by the collision.
On this particular morning, the stunned dove landed on the sill. Within a minute, another dove came along, perched beside the motionless creature and began pecking at its body, the way a human might shake someone who has fainted. A few minutes later, both birds flew off together.
I asked Perez how often birds help each other through difficult situations.
“When moving in flocks, they’re constantly communicating with each other to make the group aware of the location of food, danger and other things,” he said. “Some species partner to take care of young too.”
Humans can help birds by supporting organizations that protect nature.
Perez said although birds can find food on their own, putting seed out in the winter makes it easy and convenient for them.
High protein sunflower seeds help them store energy and fat needed to survive the winter. Putting up bird houses also provides them with a convenient shelter during cold snaps, he said.
Their beauty and energy instill in me a kind of confidence. If they can survive the cold dark winter, not to mention the presence of larger, more menacing threats, maybe so can I.
Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years. She can be reached at donnavickroy4@gmail.com.
