If you see a live American Flamingo (phoenicopterus ruber) in Perkasie, call a zoo. In fact, most of the live flamingos in the US are either in zoos or escaped from them. The only pink Flamingos native to the area are the plastic variety. I included this plastic, pink Flamingo because our nextdoor neighbors (who provided the green and gray paints for the wall) requested a pink Flamingo. Painting the lawn ornament variety was the only way I felt I could include it in a “Birds of Perkasie” mural in good conscience. Plastic Flamingos are still regularly spotted in the Perkasie area. It was originally designed by Don Featherstone of Union Products in 1957. He won a Nobel Prize in Art for this in 1996, since it had become such a pop icon. In his acceptance speech for the Nobel, he said that he had been frustrated for years trying to sell fine art, so he decided to give people what they wanted with the plastic Flamingo: junk art. It was the biggest selling lawn ornament for decades. Now, it is being rivaled, but not replaced by the Garden Gnome.

Family: Flamingo

Despite its name the Canada Goose (branta canadensis) is also native to the US. Animals and plants are often named after the location of the person who first takes the effort to scientifically classify them. For example, we have a Virginia Rose in our yard that was present in the wild in Pennsylvania before there was a Pennsylvania. I’m explaining this, because of the current, nativist culture in much of the US. It’s also good to remember that the first European language to be spoken in what was later to be the United States was Spanish. In Delaware “The First State”, the language spoken in the first European settlement was Swedish.

So when Canada Geese become pests in the parks, don’t blame Canada. They did over-populate Lake Lenape at some point and Perkasie imported Swans to cull their population. The problem was, swans are costly and they apparently got poached. There are several sites on the web which sell plastic or styrofoam swan decoys to scare geese away. But it is important to remember that they were here first. Canada Geese reside in the area year round, although it may not be the same Geese. In the winter, many of the Geese which summer in Canada migrate south. Many of the Geese which summer here migrate further south to the Carolinas and Florida.

Family: Ducks and Geese

The American Tree Sparrow (spizelloides arborea) is native to North America, but it is not particularly associated with trees. It is the northernmost bird on the mural, even nesting on the arctic tundra, above the tree line. It winters in the northern half of the lower 48 states, excluding the west coast. In the winter, it eats mostly seeds and berries. In the summer, it eats mostly insects. It travels and nests in flocks.

Family: New World Swallows

The Eastern Bluebird (sialia sialis) declined dramatically in the second half of the 20th century due to suburban sprawl destroying habitat and suitable nesting sites. They usually nest in hollows of trees. Many times this is an abandoned Woodpecker’s nest.  Eastern Bluebirds have made a significant recovery due to a campaign of making and mounting backyard birdhouses, designed specifically for them. A female Bluebird typically lays and raises two broods a year. Most Bluebirds die in the first year, due to freezing, starvation or being killed by larger birds or mammals.

Family: Thrushes

The Eastern Kingbird (tyrannus tyrannus) prefers to live on the edges of woods, clearings, river groves, roadsides, etc. It needs trees for nesting and open space for hunting. In mating the male will put on quite an aerobatic display, doing somersaults, zigzags, quick ups and downs and flips in the air. During this display, the small patch of bright red feathers on his head is seen. In the summer, nesting pairs will be spread out. These birds can be seen perching on wires or fences, and they eat all manner of insects, bees and wasps. In the winter, they live on the edges of tropical forests in flocks and eat mostly berries.

Family: Tyrant Flycatchers

The Northern Flicker (colaptes auratus) is one of the few woodpeckers that migrates. Even so, it is common throughout Pennsylvania year round. Its range includes most of North America, parts of the Cayman Islands, Cuba and Central America. My painting depicts a female clinging to the left side of a tree and a male in the center. It flashes a bright splash of color on the undersides of its wings when it flies. In the eastern portion of its range, this is yellow. It the west, this is red. On the Great Plains, both are seen.

Family: Woodpeckers

The Northern Saw-whet Owl (aegolius acadicus) is commonly present in Pennsylvania woods year round. It is one of the smallest owls, being about the size of a Robin. Adults are 6-3/4″-8=3/4″ (17–22 cm) long with a 16-1/2″-22-1/4″ (42–56.3 cm) wingspan. It is native to North America and was named by settlers for the male’s mating call which sounds like a saw being sharpened on a whet stone. It can go on for hours. Its hearing is peculiarly good at precisely locating the source of sounds. This is attributed to its assymetrical placement of its ears. Think Stephen Colbert.

The Saw-whet Owl prefers northern coniferous forests and is very cold tolerant. It swoops down on its prey (almost exclusively small mammals) from a high perch.

Family: Owls

The Red-shouldered Hawk (buteo lineatus) is not as common in this area as it used to be. It is a woodland hawk. The clearing of more land for urban and suburban development has led to its decline. Populations are stable now, with some in southeastern PA year round. The shrill call of this hawk means that its presence is more often heard than seen. Many eastern Blue Jays have learned to expertly imitate this call, providing an effective deterrent to other birds entering their territory.

Family: Hawks and Eagles

The Barn Swallow (hirundo rustica) has that unmistakable Swallow shape that allows it to swoop and glide through the sky. This painting is as if from slightly above, as the bird flies over an untamed field of grasses and wildflowers. It builds its nest mostly in manmade structures: garages, bridges, wharves and, of course, barns. Its breeding range includes most of the lower 48 states and half of Canada. It is also common in Europe and Asia. It winters in South America and Africa. It feeds on many and various flying insects, including house flies and horse flies. It catches and eats them in mid-air.

Family: Swallows

The House Wren (troglodytes aedon) makes up for its dull and unassuming colors with its lively songs and constant activity.

It is named “House” Wren for its tendency to live near people on structures and in birdhouses. It competes for suitable nesting spots with the non-native House Sparrow.

Family: Wrens

The Eastern Phoebe (sayornis phoebe) is so named because of its call: “fee-bee”. That call is one of the first harbingers of spring in their breeding range, as it is one of the earliest birds to migrate. It tends to nest near water, for the abundance of insects. It is a Flycatcher.

The male defends its territory, which may include two nests, by singing, especially early in the morning.

Family: Tyrant Flycatchers

The Black Vulture (coragyps atratus) is in the Perkasie area year round. As global warming has progressed, its range has moved northward.  It forages by flying high over the ground looking for carrion or for other carrion eaters. It can be quite aggressive and has been known to drive off Turkey Vultures and take their food.

These two remind me of the pair of old guys wisecracking on the Muppets.

Family: New World Vultures

Only adult, male Blue Grosbeaks (passerina caerulea) are actually blue. Juvenile and female Blue Grosbeaks are light brown. It is a good practice to familiarize oneself with the appearance of females of species to be a more effective birder. They are larger than Indigo Buntings. Perkasie is on the northern edge of their summer breeding range. They winter in the tropics. They feed mostly on insects and seeds, sometimes foraging along the ground, sometimes snatching insects out of the air in mid-flight.

Family: Cardinals / Grosbeaks / Buntings

Perkasie is on the northern edge of the year-round range of the Red-bellied Woodpecker (melanerpes carolinus). It is omnivorous and has adapted well to town and suburban development. It nests in hollowed out dead wood, in trees or old fence posts or nesting boxes. The male may start hollowing out several potential nests. The female then selects which one to complete and use. Despite its name, any red on the belly is faint and most of the time not visible.

Family: Woodpeckers

In the early 20th century, the Wood Duck (aix sponsa) was threatened with extinction. This was the result of the loss of too many large trees and over-hunting. The Wood Duck nests in trees near water. The duck was brought back by a concerted effort to restore habitat and a campaign to provide thousands and thousands of wooden nesting boxes scattered throughout its potential range. A hunters’ conservation organization, Ducks Unlimited, is responsible for much of this work. They are a non-profit, chapter organization. Much of the restoration of habitat has been funded through the sale of duck stamps to hunters. Many of these have become collector’s items, along with larger sized prints of them.

I was thinking of painting a duck stamp with a Wood Duck on it, when I was reminded of this 29 cent US postage stamp from 1991. I decided to paint it instead.

Wood Ducks are beautiful birds. They are also tasty, if a bit greasy and small. My folks had a hunter friend, as I was growing up in Minnesota. My mom was a very skilled cook. This hunter traveled the world shooting wild game. He would accumulate it in our freezer, then invite 20 or so friends to our house, where my mom, B.J., prepared and served a wild game buffet.

Family: Ducks and Geese

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (sphyrapicus varius) is more likely to be seen in Perkasie in the winter than during the summer, yet it has been sited in the warmer months, as well. It is climate threatened and has disappeared from several areas of its southern range. As its name indicates, it drills holes into tree bark in order to drink sap. It also eats the insects that are drawn to the sap. In the winter, it feeds on fruits and berries.

Family: Woodpeckers