Following up on the interesting notes and encounters related to this year's Painted Lady irruption, as well as David's request for predation by birds feedback, I have an interesting (at least I thought so) anecdote to add to the mix. Unfortunately for me, I've been swamped with work so far this fall, so haven't had the chance to get out any place more exotic than our house here in southwest Denver (Denver Co.) – I work from home. Fortunately, however, we only live a block from Huston Lake Park, and have a big yard, so the urban birding is actually pretty good.
Enough of my woes, and on to the story. Yesterday (Sat., 23 Sept.) morning while working away, noticed a SAY'S PHEOBE out back, then surprisingly he was joined by a juvenile WESTERN KINGBIRD. After watching the Kingbird catch, beat the...poop…out of, then down a large grasshopper, I watched him take after a Painted Lady only to turn back at the last second. So, the young bird's instinct, and the insect's toxic coloration seemed to be in play. However, a little later the Pheobe took after, caught, then ate one of the butterfly's as its wings fluttered to the ground. Sooo, could considering a Painted Lady prey be a learned behavior? I thought it was interesting that two species from the same family, one that specializes in eating insects, behaved so differently – so there's one to ponder David.
While on the topic of feeding behavior that I hadn't observed before, also yesterday we had an adult male DOWNY WOODPECKER climbing around and hanging on ripe locust tree seed pods like a parrot. He drilled into and fed on its seeds, at least that's what it looked like. Has anyone noticed animals besides squirrels exploiting this overly abundant crop?
So there's the story – waiting for the second half.
Go Broncos,
Doug
Denver
24 Sept.'17 So. Alcott St., Denver, Denver Co.
Canada Goose – 8
Ring-billed Gull – 1
Rock Pigeon – 20
Eurasian Collared-Dove – 4
Downy Woodpecker – 1m
Northern Flicker – 3 "Red-shafted"
Say's Pheobe – 1
Western Kingbird – 1 imm
Blue Jay – 5
Black-capped Chickadee – 4
American Robin – 1
White-crowned Sparrow – 1 imm "Gamble's"
Red-winged Blackbird – 10
House Finch - 10
From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Maureen Blackford
Sent: Friday, September 22, 2017 8:40 PM
To: daleatherman@msn.com; COBIRDS
Subject: RE: [cobirds] Painted Lady butterfly fact sheet
While driving south on I25, there were numerous painted lady butterflies. We stopped at a rest area just north of Trinidad, where a female Brewer's Blackbird had a painted lady in its mouth. It dropped it when we pulled up, but came back for it after we parked and got out of the car. It grabbed the painted lady butterfly and fly off. It consumed it on the opposite side of the road.
Maureen Blackford
Boulder County
-------- Original message --------
From: DAVID A LEATHERMAN <daleatherman@msn.com>
Date: 9/22/17 8:31 AM (GMT-07:00)
To: COBIRDS <cobirds@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [cobirds] Painted Lady butterfly fact sheet
http://bspm.agsci.colostate.edu/files/2013/03/Painted-Lady.pdf
bspm.agsci.colostate.edu the name "thistle caterpillar" is sometimes given Figures 4, 5. Painted lady larvae. An older larva is at the top a young one at the bottom. |
Since so many birders are noting the big crop of Painted Ladies, I thought referral to the excellent fact sheet by Whitney Cranshaw is in order. Like the note on Arthropods of Colorado website by Mike Weissmann that SeEtta mentioned, Whitney has communicated to the plant listserv the same story: the big influx of butterflies is locally produced, probably most of them being raised on thistles, although they feed on a lot of other common plants in our area. The initial cloud-seeding is by migratory individuals from the Southwest in spring, but then they either do OK up here or have a bumper crop like they did this year.
I'd be interested in any reports of birds eating painted ladies. My impression is they are not as sought after as some other common butterflies, say whites and sulfurs. Of course, monarchs are mostly avoided but not totally.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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