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Bird Profiles of the Arboretum
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
Best Location to View: Blueberry Pond, Corning Lake, Helen Layer Rhododendron Garden
Color: During breeding season both sexes are a gray with flashes of white in the wings and yellow on the face, sides, and rump. Males are brighter than females. Winter colors are paler brown, bright yellow rump, some yellow on the sides.
Range: During the breeding season occurs in the extreme northern United States, on the east coast and Canada. In the winter this species may be found northern extreme in Ohio, throughout the southeastern United States and as far south as Central America.
Size: 5-6″
Wingspan: 9″
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Color: Cinnamon-brown crested head, black mask outlined in white. Wings tips red waxy but hard to see. Stomach is pale yellow. Gray tail with a bright yellow tip .
Range: North America
Size: 5-7″
Wingspan: 8-12″
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
Best Location to View: Woodland Garden, Old Valley Trail, Woodland Trail
Color: Pale olive above and gray below; black-and-white striped face, bright yellow-orange crown; thin white wing bar with yellow edges to their black flight feathers; black and yellow feet
Range: Across the US and Canada; resident to medium-distance migrants; migrates late fall and early spring; Northern Pacific Coast permanent residents.
Size: 3.1-4.3″
Wingspan: 5.5-7.1″
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Best Location to View: Helen Layer Rhododendron Garden, Woodland Trail
Color: Male: slender body, brown back heavily streaked with white, white eyebrow and under parts; downward curving bill Female: smaller than male, similar colors, shorter bill
Range: Brown creepers range through North America and Central America. Northern populations winter in southeastern United States and northern Mexico.
Size: 5.5″
HF&G Conservation Programs
Holden’s Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow conservation program began in the early 1960’s when volunteers installed more than 200 nest boxes on the property. Formal data collection began in 1965, making Holden’s program one of the largest and longest-running in the state. Both bluebirds and tree swallows suffered population declines earlier in the 20th century and Holden was one of many groups/individuals that recognized the need to conserve these species. Offering nest boxes in high quality habitat, managing competition from non-native species (House Sparrows and European Starlings), providing protection from predators (cats, snakes, raccoons) and managing nest parasites are all vital parts of the conservation effort. Holden’s program has been a volunteer-driven effort from the start. Each year, more than 50 volunteers conduct twice-weekly nest checks, change nests to protect against parasites, manage competing species, conduct maintenance and band young birds. Once the season is finished, volunteers assist entering data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch program, a citizen science program designed to track the nesting success of birds across the US and beyond. Holden recently (2011) added nesting structures for Purple Martins, another species suffering population declines in the US. We now have an established and growing colony of martins at Hourglass Pond in the Rhododendron Garden. Each year, Holden’s program produces several hundred bluebirds and tree swallows and since the start of the program we have fledged roughly 13,000 bluebirds and nearly 11,000 tree swallows.
Use this Birding Journal to keep track of the birds you see in your neighborhood
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Here’s more to explore
July 25, 2023
Bird Banding at the Holden Arboretum
By Mike Watson, Conservation Biologist
Biologists use many tools to study birds and their behavior – binoculars, cameras, automatic recorders – but one of the simplest tools is the leg band. Leg bands have been... more
February 24, 2022
Eagles in Town
By Matt Edwards, Animal Care Specialist
As many people know, Ohio’s bald eagle population has seen a dramatic increase over the past several decades. From a low of 4 breeding pairs in 1979 they had increased... more
January 20, 2022
Birds and Berries
By: Alyssa Zearley, Nursery Technician Berries are an important winter food source for animals. This is especially true for songbirds. While some birds like cedar waxwings eat fruit all year... more
December 30, 2021
Winter Birding at the Arboretum
The forests and gardens transition into a pristine, white canvas in winter- an ideal backdrop for spotting many types of birds that spend the winter season on the property. Here are... more
December 6, 2023
Snow and Dormancy: A Delicate Balance Threatened By Climate Change
By Beck Swab, PhD, Director of Conservation and Community Forestry
As winter blankets the world in a pristine layer of snow, a silent transformation takes place in the natural world. Snow cover and dormancy are interconnected elements in the delicate... more
November 8, 2023
Caterpillars at the Nursery
By M Onion, Nursery Plant Propagator Grower
The nursery at the Holden Arboretum takes care of a great number of species. One polyhouse alone currently contains between 300 and 400 species and cultivars. Among all these plants,... more
October 23, 2023
Holden’s Bat Detectors Reveal (Almost) All of Ohio’s Bat Species Live at the Arboretum
By Mike Watson, Conservation Biologist
Bats are among the most fascinating and most misunderstood animals in the United States. For years, fear of rabies, old wives’ tales, and other myths led to the persecution and... more
September 12, 2023
Beneath the Bark: Dead Wood Helps Wildlife Survive
By Kate Small, Gardener
As the Collections team breaks down fallen limbs obstructing pathways and fells dead trees when necessary, you will see some of the resulting logs lining planting beds in the Layer... more
