Baby birds a joy of summer

As I walked through my yard this week, I noticed some birdcalls that are only heard at this time of year.

There were the raucous calls of Ravens, familiar year-round, but this time they were accompanied by rather plain cackles, repeating on a higher note. These are the calls of the young Ravens, recently fledged; learning to fly, find food and generally how to be Ravens. They can be spotted in family groups, usually two adults with two to three young of the year. Visibly all the same, the young are poorer fliers, more vocal but with less variety in calls, and generally more clumsy than their experienced parents.

The Redpolls have also fledged (left the nest) and are visiting my feeders. They differ somewhat in appearance from the adults in that they do not have the red cap and are more streaked overall. This coloration will change to full adult plumage in the first fall or winter molt. They, too, behave like the kids they are, not as fearful of humans as their parents. This behavior will change as they spend time observing the adults to learn how to survive. Their chips are only a poor mimicry of the adult calls.

The young Black-capped Chickadees and Juncos resemble their parents. Close observation shows slightly muted colors and again, a less sophisticated demeanor. They flutter around and call much more than the adults, sounding reasonably close to the calls we are familiar with in these species.

This period just after fledging is an important one in the lives of birds. They have been in the nest, being cared for and fed by adults for a few weeks. Now they must fly to survive, find food and shelter and avoid predators. All these are learned behaviors. If a baby bird is found out of the nest, this is one of the reasons it is so important to first leave a baby bird where you find it and let the parents care for it. No matter how well humans care for a baby bird, we cannot teach it the survival skills needed. A bird reared in captivity and released when ready must either find others of its species to learn from, or fend for itself and learn by trial and error.

As of this writing the Tree Swallows in their nest box have not yet fledged, but judging by the frantic insect hunting and protective attacks of the adults, and the noise from the house, they are nearly ready. The energetic chips of the young, heads poking out of the, house attract the parents bringing food. They will not stick around; their departure will only be noticeable by the absence of activity and chirping. Walking near the nest box for the last week has required frequent dodges and ducks to avoid the dive-bombing adults.

Soon the Sandhill Cranes will treat us to the first visits of their young, from the nest they build each year in the nearby marsh. Unlike the birds mentioned above, the cranes are not ready to fly off on their own once they leave the nest. Birds such as Ravens and Swallows have altricial young, which means they are born naked and helpless. They completely rely on their parents for care until leaving the nest, and for a short time after. Ducks and shorebirds have precocial young, they are born with down, able to walk and search for food by themselves. They do still rely on parents to teach them life skills, and will stay with them until fully feathered. Cranes fall in between. The young are downy, and able to walk almost right after hatching.

But they will be fed by their parents for a few days to weeks, even though they may leave the nest area. We will see the chicks when only a few days old as the parents stop by for a meal of cracked corn. The chicks will be herded into cover if there is any threat around. It’s a pleasure to watch them grow quickly, begin to take off on their own and become fully feathered adults in time to migrate south in September.

One of the real joys of summer is seeing, and hearing, the new baby birds leave the nest. So if you notice more birds around, watch for the young learning to be birds.

Nancy Wade is member of the Mat-Su Birders and Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center. Send birding questions for her column on birding to alaskaflamingo@yahoo.com.