Birds in the city. (Grosse Ile, Cadillac: hotel, houses, construction)

[Coldjensens]

For the past several months, when I leave the city in the evening, I hear a raucous chorus of birds. It is really loud. Looking up, I see them all over the tops of the buildings, In every nook and cranny. Thousands of them. For a while they were so loud at the Book Cadillac building I thought it must be a recording the hotel was playing over loudspeakers for some reason. Then I realized it was the same around a lot of different buildings. Then I spotted the birds. They are everywhere.



I have never noticed this before. Maybe because pre-covid there was so much people noise downtown at night that I could not hear them. We are surrounded by forests at home. We have nowhere near this number of birds. I wonder what could attract so many birds to downtown? Is this new, or were we just not able to hear them before?

[jackmichigan]

It would help if you knew what kind of birds that you saw. There isn't much good habitat downtown, so any birds that stick around would need to be a very tolerant species, such as House Sparrows. That's about the only species that I've ever noticed in abundance in the downtown area. It's migration time, so if your observations are really more recent, that would open up the possibilities, but not too much. Another noisy species which gathers in large flocks would be Starlings. Both Starlings and House Sparrows are non-native species and tend to thrive in human environments.

When I worked downtown, it was always sad to see Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and other remarkable birds dead on the sidewalks in the spring and fall. During night migrations, especially, many birds collide with the buildings which we've built up into their skies. Millions of birds die each year from collisions with windows, buildings and towers.

[canudigit]

I was thinking of starlings too. They seem like they can thrive anywhere, in fact I think the are considered a pest by some folks, and a good sized flock of them can sound like something out of a Hitchcock movie.

I was also thinking of grackles, but I'm not sure they're as hardy in an urban setting and they're bigger. They are also loud to the point of being raucous sounding if there are enough of them.

[Coldjensens]

I can see them nesting in the ornamentation at the tops of the buildings, but not enough to make out what they are. I will try to remember to bring my binoculars one of these days.

[jackmichigan]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

I can see them nesting in the ornamentation at the tops of the buildings, but not enough to make out what they are. I will try to remember to bring my binoculars one of these days.

They're probably House Sparrows--although I usually see them nesting in buildings closer to the ground. They make very messy nests and you can usually see grasses hanging out of the cavities that they nest in.

Living on Grosse Ile, you should get a bird identification book. I recommend Peterson Field Guides - Eastern Birds. That will include just about all of the birds that you'll ever see in Michigan.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by jackmichigan

They're probably House Sparrows--although I usually see them nesting in buildings closer to the ground. They make very messy nests and you can usually see grasses hanging out of the cavities that they nest in.

Living on Grosse Ile, you should get a bird identification book. I recommend Peterson Field Guides - Eastern Birds. That will include just about all of the birds that you'll ever see in Michigan.

We have a number of Michigan bird guides, not sure whether that is one of them. When we see a neat bird, it is usually because we are out doing something, so we do not have the option to run and get a book. By the time we get back inside, we usually forget about it. We do not get too many birds near the house. I put out a bird feeder for my Dad's benefit, but then Downey woodpeckers came and put holes in our house. They also chase other birds away from the feeders (except blue jays). Even after I take the feeder away, the woodpeckers stay. They are really hard to get rid of without killing them. I captured one in a net and took it off the island to relocate it, but it had a heart attack (I assume) and died by the time I got someplace to let it go.

Aren't swallows the ones that dive bomb you when you get close to their nests? I do not see the birds downtown doing that. They are quite noisy though. I do not see/hear them during the day, only at night.

[jackmichigan]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Aren't swallows the ones that dive bomb you when you get close to their nests?

A number of bird species will dive bomb you if you get too close to their nest. If you have Tree Swallows nesting in a "Bluebird" box, they will most certainly do so if you get too close.

[NoMansLands]

Woodpeckers leave healthy dry wood alone, they are mostly only interested in wet wood where there are bugs.
https://sfwconstruction.com/why-do-w...damage-houses/

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

For the past several months, when I leave the city in the evening, I hear a raucous chorus of birds. It is really loud. Looking up, I see them all over the tops of the buildings, In every nook and cranny. Thousands of them. For a while they were so loud at the Book Cadillac building I thought it must be a recording the hotel was playing over loudspeakers for some reason. Then I realized it was the same around a lot of different buildings. Then I spotted the birds. They are everywhere.



I have never noticed this before. Maybe because pre-covid there was so much people noise downtown at night that I could not hear them. We are surrounded by forests at home. We have nowhere near this number of birds. I wonder what could attract so many birds to downtown? Is this new, or were we just not able to hear them before?

Its winter. Many bird species gather in flocks in the non-breeding season. Once breeding season starts in spring they tend to separate into pairs in preparation for nesting and rearing chicks. That's the time of year when they get territorial (which is the main reason they have more elaborate calls (songs) at that time of year...to announce/defend their territory and display their good genes to females) and then defend nest sites. Yes, swallows and many other birds dive bomb intruders that get too close to nests. When nesting season is over, their territoriality tends to break down and all those pairs and those successful pairs with chicks of the year start gathering in flocks again. These birds are not defending nests or territories so they aren't dive bombing intruders.

The time of day also plays into it. Many flocking birds gather into communal roosts at night especially in non-breeding season. More eyes and ears to detect threats. Communal roosts can be used night after night for months. What may be attracting them to the area at night is lack of threats/predators. Its possible they shifted to that area recently because something disrupted a traditional roost site somewhere else. Industrial facilities (think factories, electric utilities, orchards, mills, feedlots, bulk grain storage and other commercial agriculture sites) can haze communal roosts to force them to move. Communal night roosts can be so huge they cause structural damage to large trees and even some buildings. You can imagine the cleaning.

Starlings, cowbirds, blackbirds, crows, gulls, ducks, geese, swans, herons, vultures, bald eagles just to name a few species that roost communally at night. About the calls you are hearing. Those are not territorial "songs", they are simpler social calls to other members of the flock. I wouldn't say English sparrows are "loud and raucous", neither are pigeons (aka rock doves which is what "city pigeons" are). Certainly not swallows. They feed on flying insects. They tend to migrate a lot farther south for winter. Not too many flying insects available during Michigan winters especially in the city.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by NoMansLands

Woodpeckers leave healthy dry wood alone, they are mostly only interested in wet wood where there are bugs.
https://sfwconstruction.com/why-do-w...damage-houses/

Nope. In out house they are interested in nesting space. They make holes, pull out the insulation and move in. Not wet no bugs. Just a nice warm hole to live in.