Despite a recent name change to Rock pigeon, ordinary city pigeons are not a species that attracts the attention or admiration of birders. But in many different arenas – scientific, sports and military– pigeons have proved their mettle and demonstrated amazing abilities.

Although not as popular as in the past, pigeon racing is still practiced in may cities across the US. The American Racing Pigeon Union boasts 700 affiliated clubs that regularly hold races in which pigeons, released from a specific location, find their way back to their home lofts. They often travel distances of 300 or more miles and can even find their way after being released from locations they’ve never visited before. This amazing homing ability has been recognized by humans for millennia; it wasn’t just by chance that Noah released a dove to bring back news of dry land to the ark.

Armies throughout history have also tapped pigeons for their message carrying abilities. In World War I, the US Army Signal Corps obtained 600 carrier pigeons that it used to transmit messages in the field. The most famous of these intrepid flyers was Cher Ami who is on display in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Flying through heavy enemy fire and receiving a shot to the breast, Cher Ami delivered his message saving the “Lost Battalion” which was surrounded by enemy troops and under fire from their own artillery. In WW II, the first news of the D-Day invasion was carried across the English Channel by a pigeon called Paddy. Some of the first recognizance photos taken behind enemy lines were taken by pigeons carrying cameras attached to their breast muscles. Some countries, including Iraq, still employ pigeons in their armies today.

The navigational skills of pigeons (and of birds in general) have long fascinated scientists who have performed thousands of experiments with homing pigeons in the lab and field. Results indicate that homing pigeons have a number of skills they put to use as they find their way. Like many animals, they have deposits of magnetite in their brain which are thought to detect the earth’s weak electro-magnetic field much like a compass needle. Pigeons also use a number of visual cues, in particular the sun as a guide. Studies in another unloved species, starlings, suggest that birds use their internal biological clock to compensate for the sun’s apparent movement across the sky during the day.

Rock pigeons also have excellent abilities to distinguish and remember various landmarks. When tested with slides of various buildings in Oxford, England, pigeons were able to remember the ones associated with a reward for long periods of time. Other studies have shown pigeons capable of distinguishing the various letters of the alphabet and even the painting styles of Monet and Picasso. In the latter study, pigeons not only recognized paintings they had already been shown, but were able to correctly classify new (to them) paintings by these artists and also paintings by other impressionist and cubist artists! Although less well substantiated, pigeons may also use their sense of smell and ability to hear infrasounds (very low frequency sounds) as guides when they home.

It all goes to show that even the most common and unassuming of species often have very remarkable qualities that add another dimension to our appreciation of birds.

As bird watchers, we think about many aspects of the lives birds lead, such as their habitat preferences, migration patterns and breeding behaviors. But one topic most birders’ rarely ponder is birds at sleep. Considering that many birds spend about 50% of their lives asleep, it means we are in the dark regarding one of their most common activities. The dean of tropical bird studies, Alexander Skutch (who died in May 2004 just one week before his 100th birthday), did investigate birds at rest and in 1989, published a book describing the sleeping habitats of a variety of bird species. (Birds Asleep published by University of Texas Press). More recently, scientific studies from a number of research groups have revealed some fascinating aspects of bird sleep.

During sleep, birds are more vulnerable to predation and, among birds that sleep in large flocks, the individuals at the periphery of the group are most at risk. Niels Rattenburg, who studied sleep disorders in people before graduating to bird work, videotaped sleeping mallards in a lab situation. He found that, while the birds at the center of a group sleep soundly, those towards the edges are likely to sleep with one eye open and the corresponding half of their brain awake (determined by brain wave activity). At the same time, the other half of their brain was in deep sleep. Throughout the night, these mallards would periodically awaken and turn around, switching the eye that was open and the part of their brain that was alert. Although mallards are able to get by on this “unihemispheric sleep”, the researcher speculated that the edge birds are not as well rested as those at the center of the group. Rattenborg has recently turned his attention to sleep during migratory periods when normally diurnal passerines change their daily cycles and fly throughout the night. He has been studying White-crowned sparrows that migrate from the southwestern US to Alaska each spring. He estimates that during their several weeks of migration, White-crowns get only about one third as much sleep as they do during non-migratory periods. Knowing how dazed and uncoordinated sleep-deprived human beings are, Rattenborg compared the learning ability of sparrows during this period with that during non-migratory times. The test was learning a specific sequence of three key pecks and the sparrows actually preformed best during the migratory period, when they were getting the least sleep. Frank Moore and colleagues, have observed migratory Swainson’s thrushes taking periodic cat naps (of 1 minute or less in duration) throughout the day and think this behavior may help them overcome some of the sleep depravation. They have hypothesized that perhaps the birds are even able to take such “micro-naps” during flight! These results may help to explain how migrating birds can fly all night and be able to feed well enough the next day to fuel next night’s flight.

On another front, scientists researching song learning have also become interested in the time birds spend asleep. Using state of the art equipment, Daniel Margoliash and his associates are able to record the activity of individual nerve cells in the brains of zebra finches. Their results suggest that during sleep, zebra finches mentally replay and refine vocalizations learned during the day and that these silent rehearsals are an important step in development of mature song. Margoliash suspects that “songbirds dream of singing”. Of course, at this time of year, I am also dreaming of birds singing. And it’s nice to know that songbirds put their sleeping hours to good use so that despite a few sleep-deprived weeks of migration, they will be ready to put on a great show for us again this spring.

Weather disturbances over the ocean sometimes offer opportunities for birders to see pelagic species from land. Sustained onshore winds, “northeaster” storms and hurricanes can force these birds inshore or even over land areas.

Finding these storm-blown wanderers is a matter of timing, location, and good luck. The time to be afield is during the later stages of the storm or immediately after the storm has passed. Pelagic birds driven inshore will quickly head back out to sea as soon as the unfavorable winds change. Viewing conditions during storms are sometimes severely limited by rain and wind, and tidal flooding or storm damage can make vantage points inaccessible (and dangerous!). By checking the wind direction, storm track, and tidal conditions, one can decide where to go during those critical hours as the storm passes. This does not always mean heading for the coast. During a September hurricane in 1960, 48 sooty terns circled over the rooftops of Salisbury, and later that same day, as the storm cleared, a bridled tern was seen with sooty terns near the Salisbury airport, and an exhausted Leach’s storm-petrel was on the Wicomico River off Riverside Drive.

Unless the storm center passes over the Delmarva land area, the coastal viewing locations are usually the best:

1. Lewes-Cape May Ferry even in normal weather can yield interesting species such as Wilson’s storm-petrel (June-Sept.), parasitic jaeger (Sept.-Oct.), and razorbill (Jan.-Feb.).

2. Cape Henlopen State Park, with several ocean and bay overlooks that are usually accessible in storms, is a good place to search for jaegers and rare terns.

3. Indian River and Ocean City Inlets have strong tidal flows that provide feeding opportunities for many seabirds including storm stragglers. The viewing areas are excellent if weather conditions allow access. These inlets are good for the alcids and black-legged kittiwakes in winter.

Coastal Ponds such as Gordon’s Pond in Henlopen State Park, Silver Lake in Rehoboth, Mulberry Pond at

Assawoman Wildlife Area, West Ocean City Pond, and the Rum Pointe and Eagle’s Nest Golf Course ponds are attractive to red and red-necked phalaropes.

5. Ocean Overlooks along Delaware’s Seashore State Park and the Assateague Island National Seashore offer additional seawatch opportunities. In May of 2000 a yellow-nosed albatross showed up in the Assateague surf without any apparent assistance from oceanic storms.

6. Coastal Bay vantage points in Sussex and Worcester Counties are worth checking if the barrier island points are not accessible.

Inland locations should be checked, especially if the storm center passed inland or if the winds were very strong. After finding nothing of note at the Ocean City Inlet during a furious February northeaster, we were pleased to spot a black-legged kittiwake in a Whaleyville farm field.

1. Large Ponds and Flooded Farm Fields during and immediately after a storm offer resting areas for exhausted oceanic migrants caught over land.

2. Rivers and Chesapeake Bay Headlands should be watched for storm stragglers working their way back to the ocean. Vantage points like Vienna, Bivalve Harbor, and Roaring Point on the Nanticoke River, and Haine’s Point at Deal Island could turn up a good bird or two

So, when a storm moves into our area, turn on the weather radio, get out the DeLorme maps, plot your strategy and hope for good luck. At least you will not have to worry about seasickness!

Sam Dyke

Leader: Sam Dyke, 410-742-5497.

_{Note: All field trips, except the Christmas Bird Count, start at Asbury United Methodist Church, east parking lot (Wesley Drive) in Salisbury, unless otherwise noted. Trips with alternate meeting places will be timed to coordinate with the Salisbury schedule for those who wish to meet there. Please contact the trip leader.}

Contact the compiler: Sam Dyke, 410-742-5497.