What”s left for the late birds? Insects and seeds – Late-migrating birds travel great distances for food

Published 6:47 pm Monday, November 24, 2008

By Frances Wood

On Birds

If the early bird gets the worm, what’s left for the late bird?

The parade of spring nesting migrants begins in February and extends into June, each arrival perfectly timed to the availability of that species’ favorite food. For later migrating birds, often those traveling the greatest distances, there’s lots left to eat: flying insects such as bees and wasps and tasty thistle seeds, as well as some leftover worms.

Back on Feb. 28, a rufous hummingbird — the first of the spring migrants — buzzed my deck where I hang out a sugar water feeder. This species times its arrival to correspond with early flowering salmon berry blossoms. In March swallows swoop into town feasting on early hatching insects.

In April and May the not-so-early birds including warblers, grosbeaks and tanagers pull in to begin nesting duties. By then vast numbers of flowers are filled with nectar, countless insects have hatched, grubs wiggle in the ground and food abounds.

Now it’s June, the tail end of spring migration. Who are the “late birds?” And why do they arrive so late?

The most common June arrivers are Swainson’s thrushes, American goldfinches and flycatchers. Many believe the Swainson’s thrush’s song is the most beautiful in nature, definitely worth waiting for. Plain brownish birds, they’ve just completed a marathon migration from as far south as Argentina, a darn good reason to arrive so late. Reclusive behavior makes Swainson’s thrushes hard to observe, but their upward spiraling, lyrical song is so lovely you’ll stop in your tracks to enjoy. Listen for their soul-haunting, mysterious song along wooded ravines, often near water, such as East and West Mercer Way.

American goldfinches also have an excuse for their tardiness. These bright canary-yellow and black songsters depend on thistledown to line their nests and they feed their young protein-packed thistle seeds. They must wait until the thistle plants have gone to seed.

Finally, the flycatchers. I can hear you bird-watchers groan. Often difficult to see and frustratingly hard to identify, these are not our favorite birds. They all seem to look alike: small, plain grayish-greenish-brownish birds. Listening for their vocalizations is the key to identifying flycatchers.

I recently calculated that I’ve written more than 100 bird-watching columns, and — you can thank me up to now — never focused on flycatchers. Sorry, but I can’t discuss June migrants without mentioning them.

The first of the spring flycatchers began arriving from Western Mexico more than a month ago, the Pacific-slope flycatcher. Like other flycatchers, it perches upright on a branch and sallies out to snatch a flying insect in its mouth, then returns to the same branch to eat it. The Pacific-slope flycatcher prefers the understory in moist woodlands and shady canyons. After settling in, the male announces its territory with an up-slurred “psee-yeet.”

The olive-sided flycatcher arrives next. It has a dark wash on its sides, but still looks basically like the others. This guy, probably dry-throated from consuming furry bees, clearly announces, “Quick, THREE-beers!” I can see how the female, busy building a nest on a hot June day, could find that appealing. They both migrated all the way from Central and South America, not a bad excuse for tardiness.

The last flycatcher to arrive, and the last one for this column — I can hear your sigh of relief — is the willow flycatcher. Look for this species in treed edges of open parks and pastures. The male willow flycatcher sneezes out a clear, “Fitz-bew.” Somehow the female willow flycatcher finds that appealing and joins him on the nesting territory. They also recently journeyed from Central and South America.

The old saying that the early bird gets the worm emphasizes the need to be prompt. A good practice if you want the prize of a worm. However, if worms aren’t your cup of tea, and you’d rather wait for bees, wasps, thistle seed and late hatching insects, then follow the June migrants’ strategy — better late than never.

Frances Wood is lead writer for BirdNote, a two-minute radio program featuring the intriguing ways of birds, heard daily on KPLU at 8:58 am. She can be reached at wood@whidbey.com.