September/October 2009 Letters to the Editor
Letters from the September/October 2009 Issue of WildBird magazine.

Tropical Marvels
Thanks for your excellent issue about birds in Central America (March/April 2009). This part of the world is truly marvelous for birding and well worth visiting. Birding visitors will be overwhelmed by the charms and beauty of our birds. Their visits will help the national economies, and some of the money spent will find its way to bird conservation through organizations such as Asociación Ornitológica de Costa Rica.

Roy H. May Jr.
San José, Costa Rica


Raptor Jargon
We enjoyed your recent raptor issue (July/August 2009), which was passed along to us. May I suggest that somewhere on your pages you include a glossary? For example, I know what “soaring” and “flapping” are, but what is “kiting”? What is a “kettle”?

Frank & Helen Myers
Middleton, Wis.

With help from Adventures With Austin columnist Jeff Bouton — a former raptor researcher — we can define these terms. “Kiting” involves the bird angling its body into the wind at a 45-degree angle; it doesn’t flap its wings, and it looks like it’s hanging in the air like a kite on a string.

“Kettle” describes the sight when a large number of raptors spiral together on a thermal. Seen from a distance, the birds’ distribution and numbers almost form a column in the air. 


Photography Allegations
Once again, you have disappointed your readers by rewarding photographers that photograph nesting birds. The Prairie Falcon on page 8 of the July/August 2009 issue is obviously being harassed at its nest. It is screaming and has fresh blood on its legs. I’m sure it dropped its prey in the midst of protecting its nest from an intruding photographer. Please be more responsible in choosing photographs!

Also, the Merlin on page 17 is diving on a plastic owl decoy, not “flying south” as the caption suggests, and the eagle on page 26 is a Bald Eagle, not a Golden Eagle.

Matthew Merkle
Boise, Idaho

Jim Zipp of JimZippPhotography.com responds: Having been a licensed raptor bander and having operated a hawk banding station for 18 years, I share your concern for birds of prey. Your assumption about the Prairie Falcon, however, is incorrect. Blood on birds of prey is common year-round. This bird was not photographed at an active nest; it was summer, and nesting had been completed.

I am in total agreement with you on nest disturbance and feel that no photograph is worth endangering the welfare of the birds. Even when banding, I only banded migrant hawks, not nestlings.

The Merlin was, in fact, well on its way south along the New Jersey coast in fall migration, as the caption says. The bird is, however, taking a moment to look closely at the plastic owl that never blinks. Owl decoys have been used at times over the years at many well-known hawkwatches from the Goshutes in Nevada to Hawk Ridge in Minnesota to Hawk Mountain in Pennsylvania. Every once in a while, a migrating hawk will decide to come in for a little closer look at the owl, to the delight of the birders and hawkwatchers present.

The eagle labeled as a Golden is a major goof on my part. Of course, it’s an immature Bald Eagle. I'm sorry for any confusion that slip might have caused. Happy birding!


Reader Request
How do I keep Bronze-headed Cowbirds from depleting seeds from my two feeders?
The finches are having a hard time feeding with the cowbirds there. Is there anything I can do?

Caryn Aring
Idaho Falls, Idaho

WildBird readers: What advice can you offer Caryn? Please send tips to wildbird@bowtieinc.com.