tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37115342019538389092024-03-14T06:16:35.817-07:00Eugene Backyard BirdsBJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-19208073262283711262013-10-13T12:29:00.001-07:002013-10-13T12:29:13.296-07:00From One Season to Another...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, it's been a while! Sorry, I've been busy working on my <a href="http://oregonfieldnotes.wordpress.com/">other blog</a> and the yard activity hasn't really picked up until recently. It's good to finally see some of our winter friends again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Birds typically begin to move around between mid-August and September, though activity has seemed muted this year. Hatch-year Robins (above) have been occasionally stealing my huckleberries, but southbound fall migrants (Yellow and Black-throated Gray Warblers, Willow Flycatchers, etc.) have been absent from the yard. My lone sighting of a Western Wood-pewee (below) in late August was all that we had. Lame.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Western Wood-pewee was one of the few southbound migrants that moved through this summer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, our winter peeps have not disappointed. Most excitingly, a male Townsend's Warbler has been visiting our suet feeders for almost two weeks. Multiple breeding populations of Townsend's Warblers move through at this time of the year. We typically see one come through between late September and mid-October, and they tend to not hang around. Individuals from the population that comes through in November tend to be those that overwinter in the neighborhood. So it was great to see an individual buck this trend. Townsend's Warblers are one of my favorite winter visitors. Dark-eyed Juncos are also back, pretty much on schedule. The first individual was observed on 9/21 and there are approximately eight individuals at the feeders right now. The first-of-the-season Ruby-crowned Kinglet made a brief appearance earlier in the week, but I wasn't able to get a photograph.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male Townsend's Warbler has been a regular at the suet feeders for almost two weeks</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of the first Dark-eyed Juncos of the winter season</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This funky-looking junco appears to be a molting hatch-year male</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the individuals in the yard at this point are year-round residents that breed in the rural areas and move into urban areas in the late summer. Over the past month, we've had a significant uptick in Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Cedar Waxsings, American Goldfinches, and Spotted Towhees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Flocks of a couple dozen Cedar Waxwings have been roaming the neighborhood recently</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A female Spotted Towhee feeds on cracked corn</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of at least two Downy Woodpeckers that are now regulars at the suet feeders</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my goals this summer was to introduce more natural food sources for hummingbirds. I planted several California fuchsias and penstemons (both in the ground and in pots), and the hummer response has been very positive. As these plants mature and flower more heavily, I imagine that they'll be even more popular. I also planted several manzanitas in the yard this year, in part to provide hummers with winter and early spring nectar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">An Anna's Hummingbird enjoys my Hummingbird Trumpet (<i>Zauschneria garretti</i>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This plant was also popular with the migrant Rufous Hummingbirds. This hatch-year male hung around into the last week of September.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's it for now. More to come in the next month, I'm sure.</span></div>
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<br />BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-8352798345989500812013-09-11T19:07:00.003-07:002013-09-11T19:07:19.313-07:00More on Oregon Field Notes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've recently posted a few updates to my other blog, Oregon Field Notes. Please check it out:</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-91510324472806874382013-08-21T19:37:00.001-07:002013-08-21T19:37:37.411-07:00The Dog Days of Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summer in the backyard tends to be quiet. Natural food sources are aplenty, so the local avifauna has little incentive to concentrate on your property. (We out West have the advantage of very dry summers, and thus bird baths can be something of a magnet. Though one needs a good heat wave to really exploit this.) Despite the slowness, I managed to capture a few memorable moments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously, the main event in late spring and summer is breeding. Several species brought their offspring to the feeders this summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A fledgling Black-capped Chickadee (left) takes suet from its parent. (Note how worn the feathers are on the adult. Raising children is hard work!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Many, many House Finches fed their young at the feeders this afternoon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In August, many began to show up without their mom or dad...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This hatch-year Northern Flicker managed to get at the suet inside the caged feeder. They grow up so quickly!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">An immature male Anna's Hummingbird visits the nectar feeder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Song Sparrow appears to be a molting hatch-year individual, but it's difficult to tell. Song Sparrows have recently moved out of their summer breeding areas. Many winter in urban spots with feeders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first Black-headed Grosbeak in early August (below) denotes the beginning of major change in the backyard. Soon, warblers will be making their way through, followed by a Steller's Jay or two, followed by massive flocks of American Goldfinches (with a few Pine Siskins), followed by Juncos, followed by, Yellow-rumped Warblers, followed by Townsend's Warblers and kinglets... and then it's Thanksgiving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of many Black-headed Grosbeaks that visited the feeders this month</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lesser Goldfinches</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">An American Goldfinch in its breeding plumage. They're now morphing into their more drab basic plumage and we will be hosting <i>many</i> more of them between mid-September and mid-October.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope to see/photograph some migrating warblers in the yard later this month. I'll report back in another month or so.</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-15720858472707965592013-08-15T13:20:00.001-07:002013-08-15T13:27:21.820-07:00Introducing Oregon Field Notes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdEncU3PRZy5VD2MEkVGiVyCfGtu49Vd2FPw6pTAhpOCxe5q0Acq-AOX44Ynnaxlt06R19Wl1S7WZ_Ss4FaKQm-VISV6M7Xie-vq7FquKoLKCCGhi7-rxyhZ-y1qVaSL7SWNqzt_dvVeQ/s1600/DowitcherGrass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdEncU3PRZy5VD2MEkVGiVyCfGtu49Vd2FPw6pTAhpOCxe5q0Acq-AOX44Ynnaxlt06R19Wl1S7WZ_Ss4FaKQm-VISV6M7Xie-vq7FquKoLKCCGhi7-rxyhZ-y1qVaSL7SWNqzt_dvVeQ/s400/DowitcherGrass.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just over a year ago, I posted an account of a recent <a href="http://eugenebirds.blogspot.com/2012/05/malheur-nwr-trip.html">trip to Malheur NWR</a> and it occurred to me that I should document such trips into the field more frequently. However, this site is not the proper venue for that. So I've created an appropriate site for such reports:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://oregonfieldnotes.wordpress.com/">http://oregonfieldnotes.wordpress.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eugene Backyard Birds will co-exist with Oregon Field Notes, with updates of each occurring every six weeks or so. I hope that you enjoy Oregon Field Notes and that it inspires you to get out into the field!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New posts to both sites are forthcoming in the next week or so.</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-10674337863851056922013-07-29T16:37:00.000-07:002013-07-29T16:48:07.147-07:00No, I Have Not Fallen Off of a Cliff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYo9Vkx3AsagbbgC8qQvJiZmoteQIO5vrlNttbt1HCdp4DRlH26HPGewq7Wg_16Eoca65W4Qt1aREq_Ytiy5BPu2yc-rZeBD_8TJ-9hL5cJJM_v3q9-0a8cjjjWwGhm7oaFxXKCf939mJb/s1600/SquirrelFeeder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYo9Vkx3AsagbbgC8qQvJiZmoteQIO5vrlNttbt1HCdp4DRlH26HPGewq7Wg_16Eoca65W4Qt1aREq_Ytiy5BPu2yc-rZeBD_8TJ-9hL5cJJM_v3q9-0a8cjjjWwGhm7oaFxXKCf939mJb/s400/SquirrelFeeder.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When life gets busy and complex, time for blogging becomes scarce. And when there are few yard birds around, apathy becomes a complicating factor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But fear not! The birds have returned and multiple posts are forthcoming in August. Until then...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-64281088253600866462013-05-18T17:07:00.001-07:002013-05-23T11:54:05.741-07:00Restrained Migration<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite our unusually sunny, warm, and dry weather from late March through the first week of May, spring migration seems to have gone in slow motion this year. Or at least that's what my yard has experienced. My first-of-the-season Orange-crowned Warbler didn't appear until mid-April (late March is more typical). My first Rufous Hummingbird didn't show up until the third week of March - about a week later than usual - and I've seen very few hummingbirds since then. Very strange. However, things began to pick up in mid-April and I managed to get a few decent photos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mixed warbler flocks are a harbinger of spring. And while it took a while, I was finally rewarded with a nice flock of Orange-crowned and Black-throated Gray Warblers (above) on a sunny afternoon in mid-April. I was not only able to spend 20 minutes taking photos on my back deck, but also got some much-need Vitamin D!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I'm lucky, I see something really cool and unexpected every spring. Last year, it was a Swainson's Thrush that hung out for about a week, feeding on ivy berries in the neighbor's yard. This year, it was a Townsend's Solitaire that hung out in my neighborhood for two days in late April. Townsend's Solitaires breed in the Cascades and typically winter in Central Oregon. However, smaller numbers winter annually in Western Oregon. This was the first time that I've seen one in this part of the state.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Townsend's Solitaire hung out in our walnut tree for a couple of days in late April.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">An Orange-crowned Warbler forages through vegetation in the neighbor's yard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to the solitaire, other members of the thrush family have moved through the yard recently. In the early morning of 4/21, a Hermit Thrush was observed in the magnolia tree in the backyard. Earlier this morning, a Swainson's Thrush was seen foraging through the neighbor's mature maple trees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flycatchers and vireos are two other families of neotropical migrants that tend to be conspicuous during April and May. While I was not as lucky with them as last spring, both did represent earlier this month. My first Warbling Vireo sighting was on 5/4, a good week or so later than usual. I never seem to get good photos of this species, as they tend to stay higher up in trees that have already leafed out. The other migrant species of vireo that shows up during spring, Cassin's Vireo, rarely shows up to my yard. Hammond's and Pacific-slope Flycatchers are the typical species that arrive in mid-April. Unlike last spring, I did not spot either species in the yard. However, early May rewarded us with a few Western Wood-pewees. When moving through, pewees like to hawk insects from high up in the cluster of Douglas Firs and Silver Maples a couple of yards over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Western Wood-pewee searches for insects from high atop this maple branch</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Swainson's Thrush was foraging with a flock of 10+ Western Tanagers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in April, sparrow movement was very evident. At this time of the year, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows move out of the valley on their way to their breeding grounds. Golden-crowned Sparrows are true migrants that breed in Western Canada and Alaska. White-crowned Sparrow movement is a little more complex, as two different subspecies move through at this time of the year. The local subspecies, <i>pugetensis</i>, is a year-round resident here. Subspecies <i>gambelli</i> overwinters in the Southwest and breeds in Alaska and Western Canada. I spotted a few <i>gambelli</i> White-crowned Sparrows last April, but this year was surprised to only see a single <i>pugetensis</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A breeding plumage Golden-crowned Sparrow forages for spilled seed before moving northward.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9JIPvKzIHvkRMI3YmL2_984meY_EXXRiowvPR2sk53V3f6ckgRZiT2b-05QX1UJAmtBgrav2QcrOfvcFHfedpfw9_qJjwVn4R_si3dQGX5KUs4XM-NjkaN5obzCKcKuvquy0CxmKgLtQ/s1600/WCSparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9JIPvKzIHvkRMI3YmL2_984meY_EXXRiowvPR2sk53V3f6ckgRZiT2b-05QX1UJAmtBgrav2QcrOfvcFHfedpfw9_qJjwVn4R_si3dQGX5KUs4XM-NjkaN5obzCKcKuvquy0CxmKgLtQ/s400/WCSparrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This subspecies <i>pugetensis</i> White-crowned Sparrow hung around for a few days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This White-throated Sparrow was is of two that overwintered in our neighborhood. White-throated Sparrow numbers have increased dramatically in Western Oregon over the past decade or so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grosbeaks have been avoiding my feeders for some reason this year. Black-headed Grosbeaks typically stop in for a bite when they arrive in early May. While I've seen and head them singing in and around yard this month, they've stayed up in the trees. Evening Grosbeaks are loud and gregarious at this time of the year. They usually feed on the the seeds from my neighbor's maple trees. While this year has been no different in that regard, I have not seen a single individual at my sunflower feeder. No fun. Hopefully that will change this fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A bad photo of a male Western Tanager</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of the last overwintering Varied Thrushes from mid-May. I look forward to seeing them again in November.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Migration is just about over and the yard is becoming quiet again. However, I will be making a few trips later this spring and will post the photos in future posts.</span></div>
BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-12031666485963103652013-04-14T17:56:00.000-07:002013-04-20T09:20:37.506-07:00Birdscaping - Part II<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spring migration appears to be in slow motion right now. We've been visited by a whopping <i>one</i> Rufous Hummingbird so far. With little of interest going on, I thought I'd share some of my recent landscaping. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last spring, I began to plant bird-friendly vegetation in my yard and chronicled this in a </span><a href="http://eugenebirds.blogspot.com/2012/07/birdscaping.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">post</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> last summer. I've added much more this winter and hope that the birds will begin to reap the benefits soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sugar-water feeders are a pain in the rear maintain (especially in the summer) and I wanted to introduce naive perennials that the hummers would enjoy - and that I would not have to clean twice a week! I decided to plant a few different species of California salvia (sage) around the yard. This included two cultivars of <i>Salvia spathacea</i> (Hummingbird Sage) and <i>Salvia</i> <i>Clevelandii 'Alpine'</i>. The latter is marginal in our winter fog and thick clay, so I planted it in an 18" pot with a "cactus mix" potting soil and pea gravel. One of my <i>S. spathacea</i> is beginning to grow a flower stalk, so I'm hopeful that they'll do well out here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A young <i>Salvia spathacea</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Salvia Clevelandii 'Alpine'</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Manzanita is perhaps the quintessential evergreen shrub of the West Coast. Their winter/spring flowers are beloved by hummingbirds, and other species (such as Scrub-Jays and Black-headed Grosbeaks) eat their fruit in the late summer. They're also very drought tolerant once established and look great year-round. I took out the overgrown, diseased wax myrtles in our backyard and planted a Howard McMinn manzanita (<i>Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'</i>). Unlike most manzanitas, Howard McMinn is very tolerant of summer garden water. I confidently planted one 3' from my lawn, which gets biweekly water from June through September. To fill a small, sloped area just off my deck, I took a gamble on a Margarita's Joy manzanita (<i>Arctostaphylos 'Margarita's Joy'</i>). This natural hybrid from the Centra CA coast has not been tested up here (that I know of), so it's a bit of a gamble. It's undergone some die-back, but just may do OK after it gets established.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took me a while to find a replacement for the area where my Sitka Mountain-ash once stood. This area is unique in that I can get away with not watering it in the summer (the adjacent lavender needs no summer water and the adjacent grass turns brown by July regardless of how often I water it). So this is my dry spot and I chose to take advantage with a compact shrub that would grow nowhere else on my property. I ended up choosing a <i>Ceanothus thyrsifluorus 'Skylark'</i>, a species of California lilac. It's not exactly a bird magnet (though quail like the seed), but they grow fast and it'll look great in another year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn.'</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Will be about 6' x 6' in five years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arctostaphylos 'Margarita's Joy.'</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This one will be much smaller (~3' x 2').</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Skylark.' </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Has grown 1" or so after being planted a month ago.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a few berry-producing shrubs in the ground. Most are flowering right now and will be producing berries soon...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0S9FaUFduwRytHxr62kbEUajTA_-CYnvZkkxQDfEkjm-3UL30y7KzrAEKsTs8P6qY8JguC9wbRImM0ahY2jp06E0LrAnPZvzLSA9N0FdZwqSo1G4gpHe_cHUvWngtL6-_49Z4dLRho1EV/s1600/GoldenCurrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0S9FaUFduwRytHxr62kbEUajTA_-CYnvZkkxQDfEkjm-3UL30y7KzrAEKsTs8P6qY8JguC9wbRImM0ahY2jp06E0LrAnPZvzLSA9N0FdZwqSo1G4gpHe_cHUvWngtL6-_49Z4dLRho1EV/s400/GoldenCurrant.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Ribes aureum gracillimum</i> (Golden Currant) is a profuse bloomer (even at a young age) that produces hummer-philic flowers in the early spring, and then berries that birds (and humans) enjoy later in the summer.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyzNRLm-NxCPRoS702xxe5I5qBoTtd75SAanaDYYzRPcISF6IYVJcczl7f5vChdfGt4KQACbSiRlKPbvTiPpvka224cK4nhcKiCksw_sQNwozUr2nV-qGQGOT7TZcVJ-7vu90uWjHiXmt/s1600/Huckleberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLyzNRLm-NxCPRoS702xxe5I5qBoTtd75SAanaDYYzRPcISF6IYVJcczl7f5vChdfGt4KQACbSiRlKPbvTiPpvka224cK4nhcKiCksw_sQNwozUr2nV-qGQGOT7TZcVJ-7vu90uWjHiXmt/s400/Huckleberry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Vaccinium ovatum</i> (Evergreen Huckleberry) produces very tasty berries.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZUg7vYLrTGEYlKYdKUSzyIcvL3H4IkRMiZap6pXSWbCVcGcbtq4AfALNvM0Q6lxroL6EefpZt8jC7ZBiD1XPhayhmjyYd9wWK76rWZM-lEWuh5yg1_ZiCabhmkW9OjiUuGuheyh2cBXw/s1600/Elderberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZUg7vYLrTGEYlKYdKUSzyIcvL3H4IkRMiZap6pXSWbCVcGcbtq4AfALNvM0Q6lxroL6EefpZt8jC7ZBiD1XPhayhmjyYd9wWK76rWZM-lEWuh5yg1_ZiCabhmkW9OjiUuGuheyh2cBXw/s400/Elderberry.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Red Elderberry (<i>Sambucus racemosa)</i> grows quickly and is enjoyed by several species of birds.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTPQS6BGd2iNO-oxRkpSNCCGeltkN41mn0zSiyBp742Qkf-ennQ6ykIl1ftWFNnVI5fuJMjmaEpxW0O70UzWNBbLudr9SCtesjvMt6KhrUFZLFVDMmIND1pAhMaFDvdUwv8rAB8-HCfA-/s1600/MahoniaAquifolium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTPQS6BGd2iNO-oxRkpSNCCGeltkN41mn0zSiyBp742Qkf-ennQ6ykIl1ftWFNnVI5fuJMjmaEpxW0O70UzWNBbLudr9SCtesjvMt6KhrUFZLFVDMmIND1pAhMaFDvdUwv8rAB8-HCfA-/s400/MahoniaAquifolium.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Mahonia aquifolium</i> ("Tall" Oregon Grape) in flower - berries are forthcoming.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9_SROgGfiozix3q1qiXUHGpGVPAUBdUzvBiWW_9LnYYnolo9vzRAvFdTZVPK1rG7NmW3cId7cO3XNuvgT5sNm8JWBZOh1D6viW2J_RQrX-XbSagScAC1jURIqldX06o1PbcJ2MgHNIr0/s1600/MahoniaNervosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9_SROgGfiozix3q1qiXUHGpGVPAUBdUzvBiWW_9LnYYnolo9vzRAvFdTZVPK1rG7NmW3cId7cO3XNuvgT5sNm8JWBZOh1D6viW2J_RQrX-XbSagScAC1jURIqldX06o1PbcJ2MgHNIr0/s400/MahoniaNervosa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Mahonia nervosa</i> ("Longleaf" Oregon Grape) beginning to flower</span></div>
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I also have a couple of Saskatoon Serviceberries (<i>Amelanchier alnifolia</i>), but they're just beginning to leaf out. I'll post photos of these later.</div>
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My one conifer is a Mountain Hemlock (<i>Tsuga mertensiana</i>). This is a <b>very</b> slow-growing species: Saplings grow about 0.5" per year, and I'm expecting 4" or so out of my 3.5' specimen this spring. They are native to the Cascades from 4,000-7,000 ft. They do well down here, but get nowhere near the 60-90' that they do in their native habitat. I'm hoping that mine will put on a few inches of growth this spring, and perhaps sprout a few cones next year. Chickadees and siskins enjoy the seeds.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb_XX194Tl9TBGwt29a846EseiqCBpAtQ91zqu1pNvCANiNxpUBTUUz1dYZ1hOilcIvv3XU5BOGNCmD0CCigjeyvQeeJ4iFzuCFNd4uWRx24JAIdP5qOf9sPGqTg9wlEg3IdT-aGdBXdz/s1600/MountainHemlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKb_XX194Tl9TBGwt29a846EseiqCBpAtQ91zqu1pNvCANiNxpUBTUUz1dYZ1hOilcIvv3XU5BOGNCmD0CCigjeyvQeeJ4iFzuCFNd4uWRx24JAIdP5qOf9sPGqTg9wlEg3IdT-aGdBXdz/s400/MountainHemlock.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Mountain Hemlock (</span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Tsuga mertensiana</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will post another installment at the end of the spring, after these have flowered/fruited. And who knows, perhaps I'll even get a couple of pics of interesting migrants on them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Edit: In my haste last weekend, I forgot to thank Bert Wilson and Penny Nyunt at <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/">Las Pilitas Nursery</a> (Santa Margarita, CA) for assisting me in the selection of California native plants that will thrive up here in the Pacific Northwest. Their willingness to answer my (many) questions and their dedication to customer satisfaction is greatly appreciated.</i></span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-84435432296632542482013-03-29T20:21:00.000-07:002013-03-29T20:21:02.617-07:00Spring Has Sprung<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, it's been almost two months. And as you can imagine, I've been incredibly busy lately. In addition, yard activity has been relatively mundane up until very recently. Thankfully, that has changed recently and the weather has also improved tremendously. The next 6-7 weeks will bring a significant amount of migratory movement.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnqdCPItaz96w4ieS_WeSE5iXJ4I0hdtVH7jUOy_0pd6u-NA5p7jIuL0tdp4soVOZcxnXSjaZXzsGpDMFDHX6Nf7eTbinFTfUxPlrjMJjuW1oyDuoK8T0-fR2cRwvresWTFc8gImUyjIn/s1600/RCKI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnqdCPItaz96w4ieS_WeSE5iXJ4I0hdtVH7jUOy_0pd6u-NA5p7jIuL0tdp4soVOZcxnXSjaZXzsGpDMFDHX6Nf7eTbinFTfUxPlrjMJjuW1oyDuoK8T0-fR2cRwvresWTFc8gImUyjIn/s400/RCKI.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Winter residents, such as the Ruby-crowned Kinglet shown above, are currently on the way out. Both species of kinglet, Varied Thrushes, and Townsend's Warblers will be close to absent a couple of weeks from now. Yellow-rumped Warblers will slowly trickle out afterwards. Some of these species are not really "migratory" in the traditional sense. They overwinter in the Willamette Valley and then breed in the Cascade foothills. Of course, other true migrants, such as White-throated and Golden-crowned Sparrows will be moving on shortly as well. We will likely see a few "Gambel's" subspecies White-crowned Sparrows making their way from their wintering grounds in the Southeastern U.S. to their breeding grounds in Alaska and Western Canada next month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first-of-the-season Rufous Hummingbird appeared last week (3/22). (Unfortunately, I was not able to obtain a photo.) I've seen Rufous Hummers in the yard as early as the second week of March, though one day after the third week of March is still within their normal arrival date. In the next week or so, I expect to see our first migrant Orange-crowned Warbler.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVVCflrhopCC-QHOCZOAgyzRMq3kTYJRRVCoKAJ-3I3YXeoa4FUW02svRQCO9eC-fjHkfu0lo10zVHxLo94b13HL56z7OjaxT2ihyphenhyphenPX3BYlu10GGV_AwyTOkM_2c-whiIxwj8s8TSDIdb/s1600/ECDove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFVVCflrhopCC-QHOCZOAgyzRMq3kTYJRRVCoKAJ-3I3YXeoa4FUW02svRQCO9eC-fjHkfu0lo10zVHxLo94b13HL56z7OjaxT2ihyphenhyphenPX3BYlu10GGV_AwyTOkM_2c-whiIxwj8s8TSDIdb/s400/ECDove.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most interesting recent yard sighting was two Eurasian Collared-Doves (above). This was a new yard species, though not really one to get excited about. Eurasian Collared-Doves are invasive species and compete with natives such as Band-tailed Pigeons for food and nesting sites. As long as the number of visting "Euro-Pigeons" remains small, I'm not going to get too worked up about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Golden-crowned Sparrows have been representing in relatively high numbers over the past couple of weeks. My guess is that they're temporarily hunkering down in an area with reliable food as they're molting into breeding plumage. After their molt, they'll move on to their breeding grounds in Alaska and Western Canada. Our two White-throated Sparrows are also still around, also currently in molt.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjuhmW4UyF5aTjCrUfeR60hyjuf5iezooekAS3FTLjJRi0qss5RHnRvXzX-G216-zhynK4VSuCaY5s1ZxsjfXiKXbBSlYedvU6_7YyVrg21KD5RwtJReFFELPgeMMztW2JhgNKjWEBeNn/s1600/GCSparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjuhmW4UyF5aTjCrUfeR60hyjuf5iezooekAS3FTLjJRi0qss5RHnRvXzX-G216-zhynK4VSuCaY5s1ZxsjfXiKXbBSlYedvU6_7YyVrg21KD5RwtJReFFELPgeMMztW2JhgNKjWEBeNn/s400/GCSparrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This basic plumage Golden-crowned Sparrow will look like a breeding plumage GC Sparrow in a couple of weeks.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZSDn_C83MVgNYCF21v3JayIlENwsfi1HSKhkdkFI2yx1DY42RIVDGYh8FfsEXH0QsqwfDo0H1gwCEdtASeT0B6aqPBTC-lleTRIeRtaZxGciMn-LmQ_U95si0tVBJeQeYiLHOv64MjqA/s1600/WTSparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZSDn_C83MVgNYCF21v3JayIlENwsfi1HSKhkdkFI2yx1DY42RIVDGYh8FfsEXH0QsqwfDo0H1gwCEdtASeT0B6aqPBTC-lleTRIeRtaZxGciMn-LmQ_U95si0tVBJeQeYiLHOv64MjqA/s400/WTSparrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">White-throated Sparrows, once rare winter migrants in this area, represented well again this winter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Purple Finches have been a pleasant surprise this month. They typically leave the areas in which they overwinter between February and April, before moving onto their breeding grounds in forested areas outside of the valley. Like many finches, they're erratic visitors. While I typically host at least one per winter season, they're far from a slam-dunk to visit. So I was pleasantly surprised when a half dozen showed up to my sunflower feeders a couple of weeks ago. They've been semi-regular since, with three at the feeders this morning.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MdpcpMTj0cV2dhsW_lfd-vUOqaK_wauA0UPzZ6UOUGfDG3-Zkvp3s7lOnBE2J5N13TZdBTQBz76B0Vjvrcsh4qhl57wXx-etrBlTWAiPGOlOGEu96YruL_8KUmHZayow4fl2dwhUw89O/s1600/PUFIs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0MdpcpMTj0cV2dhsW_lfd-vUOqaK_wauA0UPzZ6UOUGfDG3-Zkvp3s7lOnBE2J5N13TZdBTQBz76B0Vjvrcsh4qhl57wXx-etrBlTWAiPGOlOGEu96YruL_8KUmHZayow4fl2dwhUw89O/s400/PUFIs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A half-dozen Purple Finches at the feeders during the second week of March</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of the regular winter visitors are still around, including Red-breasted Nuthatch, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Spotted Towhee. Numbers of the latter have actually ticked up lately, suggesting that they're poised to move out of the urban areas soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Spotted Towhee feeds on spilled seed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's about it for now. I have a post in the works on native birdscaping and will post again soon (I promise!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Merry Migration...</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-48865002605874092802013-02-03T22:01:00.000-08:002013-02-03T22:01:03.537-08:00Winter Drags On...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oops, it's been a month and a half since my last post! Don't worry, you haven't missed much. January brought us cold, dry weather with a liberal dose of freezing fog. Needless to say, I'm not missing it and am looking forward to spring. That said, January wasn't a <i>complete</i> drag...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Yellow- x Red-shafted "hybrid" Flicker has A LOT of yellow under its wings and tail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Northern Flickers come in two varieties (subspecies): The "Red-shafted" Flickers that are abundant here out West and the "Yellow-shafted" subspecies that predominates East of the Rockies. Red-shafted Flickers have salmon coloring underneath their wings and tail feathers, no coloring on the nape (back of the head), and the males have a red malar stripe ("moustache"). Yellow-shafted Flickers have yellow coloring underneath their wings and tail feathers, a red mark on the nape, and the males have a black malar stripe. The two subspecies interbreed in the Mountain West (hybrids are easy to find in Central and Eastern Oregon) and many of these individuals winter West of the Cascades. Hybrid flickers are common out here in the winter, and the vast majority of them look like Red-shafted Flickers with light red marks on their napes (see photo below). Their plumage implies that they have more Red-shafted "blood" than Yellow-shafted (though that's not necessarily true). So I was very surprised to see the individual pictured above, with very bright yellow underparts and a relatively strong red mark on the nape. It basically looks like a male Yellow-shafted Flicker with a red malar stripe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is more typical of the "hybrid" flickers that we see in Western Oregon. The red mark on the nape is fainter and the coloring under the wings and tail (not shown) is salmon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the past month and a half, Townsend's Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets have become much more frequent in the yard. This usually happens at this time of the year, as natural food sources begin to run thin. I have no doubt that the overnight lows in the low-to-mid 20's that we experienced in mid-January were a major factor. At least two Townsend's Warblers and one (male) Ruby-crowned Kinglet are regulars at the suet feeders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Townsend's Warbler hunkers down in one of the wax-myrtle shrubs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Robins, Varied Thrushes, and European Starlings have also been very regular in the yard recently. This is also about normal for this time of the season. Starlings tend to roam urban areas in large flocks in the early winter, and the other two species tend to loosely associate. I tend to not host many robins, so it's been nice to see them over the past few weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male Varied Thrush has transitioned its died from apples to sunflower chips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A robin snacks on apples in the freezing fog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sparrow numbers have tailed off since November and December, but I'm still hosting two White-throated Sparrows. The tan-striped morph is the most prevalent of the two. Song Sparrows are spotty, I have yet to see my first White-crowned Sparrow, and I haven't hosted a Fox Sparrow since last May. But I am still seeing the occasional Golden-crowned Sparrow. And, of course, juncos are omnipresent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Our resident tan-striped morph White-throated Sparrow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Golden-crowned Sparrows have become less frequent visitors since December.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the stranger things about this winter is the lack of American Goldfinches and House Finches. The latter haven't been around since mid-December and I think I've hosted the former once since mid-November. On the other hand, Lesser Goldfinch and Pine Siskin numbers have been on the rise over the past month. (Most likely owning to the less frequent visits from the local Cooper's Hawks.) An adult male Purple Finch was observed way up in one of the neighbor's Silver Maples a couple of weeks ago, and I observed a female Evening Grosbeak high atop a 100' Douglas Fir a few yards over later that week. But neither visited a feeder. I expect to see more Purple Finches in late March and April, as they begin moving into their breeding areas in the coniferous forests outside of town. Evening Grosbeaks are always a crapshoot. They tend to leave town in May, though I would have a reasonable chance of seeing a small flock next weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A small flock of Lesser Goldfinches energies on a cold January morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This female Evening Grosbeak was calling from high atop a Douglas Fir, but never came down to the feeders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've been fortunate in a number of ways this winter. Red-breasted Nuthatches are one of my favorites and they were very sporadic last winter. So I'm very happy to report that RB Nuthatches have become bona-fide regulars. Same goes for Chestnut-backed Chickadees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interestingly, a couple of regulars from last winter have also become more sporadic this year. Spotted Towhees have been in short supply since the beginning of the year and Bewick's Wren numbers have been overall since the early fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Bewick's Wren was a pleasant mid-January surprise. I took this photo through a dirty window, one-handed, while talking to my mother on the phone. Not bad, considering.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This very young female Anna's Hummingbird has been visiting the nectar feeder since at least November.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I mentioned in my last post, a very young female Anna's Hummingbird has been visiting my nectar feeder since at least November. This confused me a bit, since Anna's Hummers typically breed in February and March. By this time of the year, young females should have a well-defined red gorget (throat) patch and tail feathers that extend beyond their wing tips. The individual shown above is almost certainly less than 6 months old. I didn't realize that Anna's Hummers were opportunistic enough to breed late in the summer. Thanks to Alan Contreras and Stephanie Hazen for this information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's it for now. I hope to see a Fox Sparrow and possibly something rather exotic like a Red Crossbill or Mountain Chickadee later this month. Until then...</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-7730045619935204422012-12-17T13:43:00.003-08:002012-12-17T13:43:39.822-08:00A Hawk-induced Lull<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The late-November wave of fall migrants has finally subsided and the yard is in something of a lull at this point. This happens every December, but this year it has been exasperated by the presence of not one, but TWO Cooper's Hawks in the neighborhood. We had very high numbers of Pine Siskins (flocks of up to 80) from October through late November and this undoubtedly attracted the local accipiters. A large mature female Cooper's has been in the area since at least last November, and I was somewhat surprised to see an immature Cooper's in the neighborhood early last week. I was able to get a good, long look (and photographs) of this individual on Saturday. My guess is that it's an immature male, as it's no larger than a crow. (This individual is noticeably smaller than our regular mature female, and male accipiters are smaller in size than females.) However, it's also possible that it's a hatch-year bird that hasn't reached its full size yet. So who knows. Anyway, it's cool to have two Cooper's Hawks in the neighborhood, even if they occasionally scare some of the other birds off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This mature female Cooper's Hawk was recently joined by...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">...this immature Cooper's Hawk. Both are busy attempting to make meals of juncos and siskins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the presence of hawks has kept some of the regulars away recently (woodpeckers, in particular), life has otherwise marched on. Winter sparrows have begun to filter in nicely over the past month. Three to four Golden-crowned Sparrows been visiting semi-regularly over the past two weeks. The first Song Sparrow in at least a month appeared briefly last weekend. Interestingly, we are still hosting two White-throated Sparrows (one of each morph type). While White-throated Sparrows are common winter feeder birds over much of the Eastern two thirds of the country, they were considered "uncommon" to very uncommon" in Western Oregon up until recently. Oregon Christmas Bird Count data from 1990 to 2000 showed a significant increase in reports. Even after adjusting for increased CBC participation over this time, the number of birds reported per count hour has approximately doubled over that time period. I've hosted two in each of the past two winters and at least one in three of the past four winters. Many others in Western Oregon have also reported WT Sparrows at their feeding stations. I would say that their winter status in this part of the state is now more like "uncommon to locally abundant in preferred habitat." WT Sparrows are particularly conspicuous at this time of the year because they readily use feeders in urban areas. Interestingly, I have no yard sightings of the supposedly more common White-crowned Sparrow this winter season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">These white-striped morph (above) and tan-striped morph (below) White-throated Sparrows have been regulars at the feeders for the past couple of weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other regular member of the sparrow family, the Spotted Towhee, has also been regular since October. At least one male and female are at the feeders daily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other regulars have included Red-breasted Nuthatches, a species that was very spotty last winter. They are one of my favorites and I've really enjoyed their presence. The fruits of the neighbor's large apple tree, which the local Cedar Waxwings inexplicably ignored back in October, have attracted a handfull of Varied Thrushes and at least one Townsend's Warbler. These species both tend to stick around for the course of the winter to eat suet and other traditional bird food, but they're content to exploit natural food sources at this point. Yellow-rumped Warblers (both subspecies, but primarily "Myrtles") are also here regularly, feeding on both suet and the berries of our wax-myrtle shrubs. (Sadly for them, I plan to remove these overgrown wax-myrtles this spring. Hopefully they don't hold it against me.) Ruby-crowned Kinglets have been semi-regular over the past few weeks, and I've seen their Golden-crowned cousins more often than usual over the same time period. Chestnut-backed Chickadees, always somewhat erratic, can be found at the feeders every now and again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male Spotted Towhee is one of at least two individuals who regularly feed on the cracked corn that I sprinkle on the ground.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A "Myrtle" subspecies Yellow-rumped Warbler stops in for some wax-myrtle berries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Species that we've seen less of than usual include Downy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, House Finch, and Bewick's Wren. (Though I often hear Bewick's Wrens singing from the tops of trees in the neighborhood when we get a rare interval of sunshine.) We have not been visited by an Evening Grosbeak since early November and no Purple Finches have visited since spring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This hatch-year female Anna's Hummingbird appears to have a shorter-than-usual tail. At first, I thought that it may have been a female Calliope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week, we welcomed a new yard bird: a <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific_Wren/id">Pacific Wren</a>. It was traveling with a mixed flock with a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. I saw it briefly in the neighbor's ivy patch and it was gone by the time that I got my hands on a camera.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's it for now. I hope to continue to enjoy what we're currently hosting, and I hope to also see a couple of new species. Have a Merry Christmas (or Happy Hanukkah, or whatever you celebrate) and I'll see you next year.</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-91523356883651471842012-11-22T05:08:00.001-08:002012-11-22T05:08:53.893-08:00Winter Birds in Full Force<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've just emerged from a four-day series of winter storms that dumped more than 4" of rain on us. So much for that drier-than-usual fall. Accompanying this typical winter weather has been our typical array of winter birds, some in higher-than-expected numbers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Varied Thrushes, such as the female shown above, breed in higher-elevation coniferous forests and become opportunistic foragers in the fall and winter. For numerous reasons (some of which are not well understood), they often invade the lowlands in October and usually make an appearance in urban areas at this time of the year. It's not uncommon for them to not show up at feeders until December or January (or not at all). The individual shown above was one of two that were feeding on the abundant apples still hanging from our neighbor's tree. (Apples that the local Cedar Waxwings strangely left almost untouched last month.) When the apples run out, I'm sure that these individuals will begin foraging underneath the feeders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've been very lucky with Evening Grosbeaks over the past copule of years. Even more erratically opportunistic than Varied Thrushes, Evening Grosbeaks were (apparently) forced into the lowlands in late 2010 due to a poor conifer seed crop in the Cascades. For whatever reason, they have been conspicuous in the area in the fall/winter and occasional feeder visitors. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lone female (below) at the feeders a couple of weeks ago, and have heard small flocks flying overhead in the early mornings over the past week. Hopefully we'll get another strong showing of them at the feeders this winter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This female Evening Grosbeak was a pleasant early November surprise</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of four migrant Golden-crowned Sparrows that enjoyed a pre-storm feast last weekend</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While Evening Grosbeaks are my favorite winter visitor, I also look forward to the influx of migrant winter sparrows in the fall. With the exception of Song Sparrows and Spotted Towhees, most members of the sparrow family do not nest in the area and can only be reliably spotted in the urban lowlands between October and May. One of the more prominent is the Golden-crowned Sparrow. Golden-crowned Sparrows breed in Alaska and Western Canada, and then invade the Pacific Coast in the fall. There are winters where I do not host them until March or later, but I've been lucky so far this winter season. The first showed up in late September and I had an unusual four in the yard last weekend. Interestingly, I'm also currently hosting a <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-throated_Sparrow/id">White-throated Sparrow</a>. White-throats are common winter residents in much of the Eastern portion of the country, but the wintering population out here is comparatively small. Despite this, they've recently become one of my most common sparrows over the past couple of winters, surpassing the more regionally-numerous <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/id">White-crowned Sparrow</a> and even the very common Song Sparrow. I have no idea why this is, but am not complaining.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also in the "unusual" department, a Steller's Jay hung around the neighborhood for at least the first half of November. Steller's Jays can be found in the coniferous hills on the outskirts of town year-round, but are relatively rare in urban areas in the summer and tend to be transient in these areas outside of the breeding season. I typically see one or two go through the yard in September or October, and that's it. So seeing two in September and hosting one for two weeks in November was definitely out of the ordinary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Steller's Jay hung around the neighborhood for the first half of November</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The presence of Ruby-crowned Kinglets in the yard typically means that winter is upon us</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you see the "usual" flock of chickadees and bushtits at the time of the year, it's a good idea to grab the binoculars and look for accompanying warblers and kinglets. Late November is when I typically see a flock of Ruby- and <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/id">Golden-crowned Kinglets</a> forage through the yard. They came a week early this year. GC Kinglets are notoriously difficult to photograph, as they are tiny, constantly moving, and tend to forage relatively high up in trees. I typically have better luck with RC Kinglets (above), though they're not easy subjects either. With this mixed flock, a <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Townsends_Warbler/id">Townsend's Warbler</a> was also observed foraging high up in one of the neighbor's Douglas Firs. At least one <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler/id">Yellow-rumped Warbler</a> (a migrant Myrtle subspecies individual) has been hanging around the yard for the past month or so - mostly hawking insects, eating berries from my wax-myrtle shrubs, and occasionally picking at suet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As far as "regular" yard visitors go, Pine Siskins have been out in full force. Between 60 and 80 have been at the feeders over the past two weekends. These numbers are about twice what I typically experience during the winter season. However, other finches have been either absent or in very low numbers. Over the past few weeks, I've been able to count the number of House Finches and Lesser Goldfinches at the feeders on one hand. And I'm not sure if I've seen an American Goldfinch since October.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, other species are representing in usual or higher-than-usual numbers. I'm seeing more Dark-eyed Juncos (12-18) than usual. Red-breasted Nuthatches are frequent, with the more elusive Chestnut-back Chickadees being erratic, but still around. Woodpeckers (both Downy and Flicker) are also regular weekend visitors. And after taking a seeming leave of absence last month, Anna's Hummingbirds are very frequent once again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This immature male Anna's Hummingbird is one of at least three that frequents the nectar feeder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of just a few House Finches that have been frequenting the feeders this fall</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given what I've heard regionally, this winter appears to be our best shot of seeing a <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red_Crossbill/id">Red Crossbill</a> or <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Chickadee/id">Mountain Chickadee</a> at the feeders. The latter has been popping up at numerous feeders in Western Oregon recently. I'll keep my fingers crossed!</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-23035284000651723962012-10-28T14:00:00.002-07:002012-10-28T14:00:34.751-07:00Rainy Days are Here Again<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been said that October starts out as one season and ends up as another. That is true here, as it is everywhere, though the transition is typically a more subtle change from sunny and dry to occasionally overcast and drizzly. What we've experienced over the past couple of weeks is much closer to full-force winter: nearly-omnipresent overcast skies and ample rain. By the end of the month we'll have amassed close to 5", almost twice what we typically experience in October. Not surprisingly, the local avifauna is also in full winter mode.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of our typical winter customers, such as the Golden-crowned Sparrow shown above, have already come through the yard. A wave of Townsend's Warblers came through earlier in the month. There is a population that moves through the area in October, followed by another population in November that overwinters in the area. The former population is not always visible, so I was lucky this year. On the same day (10/6), a late Western Tanager was observed making its way through the neighbor's silver maple. Interestingly, a White-throated Sparrow (white-striped morph) took up residence in the area last weekend. White-throated Sparrows are very typical winter visitors out East, but not so much out here. There is a population that winters on the coast, but they're hit-and-miss here in the Willamette Valley. Over the past week, Varied Thrushes have also been occasionally heard calling near sunrise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A White-throated Sparrow makes a somewhat unexpected October visit</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've had several recent hawk visits as well. Earlier in the week, a Red-tailed Hawk was mobbed by several local crows (and a gull) while soaring high over our yard. Red-tailed Hawks are very common in the Valley farmlands but much less common in the city. I imagine that the large flocks of starlings and robins have drawn them into the city limits. A large female Cooper's Hawk has also been visiting the feeders this weekend. This very well may be the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2WCdJ9oLvQX1ai31qprv5-2iAmdG3BN5ncRpa-cL44D54vNCp_Ocsrjb5HZj8ta1AQ5NUXHjiaA0E5vGSC4zANwI1udrmC2kSslcI51CFeO35NmXoruxPv652V3Dbnlg_zfI6JV130lE/s1600/Coopers.jpg">same individual observed earlier in the year</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This "Myrtle" Yellow-rumped Warbler stops in for some suet</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of many Cedar Waxwings that have flocked around the neighborhood over the past month</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our October "regulars" have been out in full force as well. Many of the "Myrtle" subspecies Yellow-rumped Warblers that breed in the interior West make their way to the Pacific Coast in October. This month was typical in that regard. At least two individuals have been visiting my wax-myrtle shrubs and suet feeders. Our neighborhood also hosted the typical early/mid-October Cedar Waxwing flocks. These typically included 20-40 waxwings, which were often associated with a few starlings and/or robins. Spotted Towhees are also back. There is at least one male and one female in the area now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Spotted Towhee feeds on cracked corn</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This "Slate-colored" Juco was a bit of a surprise. I typically host one per winter, but it usually doesn't show up this early.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">American Goldfinch numbers have fallen back to what is expected in winter. However, Pine Siskins have been especially abundant this month. There was a very large fallout a couple of weeks ago, with over 75 counted at the feeders in the middle of the month. This fallout appeared to include most of the western portion of the state. Numbers have dwindled since then, but I'll typically still see 10-15 at the feeders at a time. House Finch numbers have been on the low side, and I have yet to see a Purple Finch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">American Goldfinches (top) and Pine Siskins</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Siskins have been the dominant finch this month</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's about it for now. Hopefully November will bring us more Townsend's Warblres, our first White-crowned Sparrows, and possibly something interesting like an Evening Grosbeak. We'll see how it goes...</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-30155958290765324332012-10-04T13:52:00.000-07:002012-10-04T13:52:56.446-07:00"The Autumn Wind"<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alright, I'm back. It's been almost a month and a half since my last bird-related post and, at this time of the year, that's a season's worth of change. Since late August, the hot and dry dog days of summer have given way to occasional showers, breezy evenings, falling leaves, and lows near 40 degrees. Most of the neotropical fall migrants, such as the Wilson's Warbler shown below, have already come and gone. We're now beginning to see montane breeders move into the area.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Neotropical migrants moved through the yard in modest numbers this summer/fall. The only warbler species that I observed were a couple of Wilson's (above) and an Orange-crowned. No Yellows or Black-throated Grays this season. A few Western Tanagers moved through the neighbor's large silver maples, though did not visit our suet feeder or bird bath. Other neotropicals included a Pacific-slope Flycatcher and a Western Wood-pewee on the same day (8/31) and a Black-headed Grosbeak that tied last year's late record (9/9). I have not seen a Rufous Hummingbird since mid-September.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Black-headed Grosbeak was observed on the late-ish date of September 9th</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Western Tanager prepares to move south.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This female Rufous Hummingbird was photographed in mid-August. Adult females and juveniles frequented the nectar feeder throughout August.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two additional types of movement are commonly observed at this time of the year. The first is the dispersal of local (and semi-local) breeders. One example of this (which I interpret as the "official" end of summer) is the first transient Steller's Jay visit, which typically occurs between early September and mid-October. (It was September 30th this year.) Steller's Jays breed in coniferous areas (especially higher-elevation areas) on the outskirts of town, but can be surprisingly difficult to find around down, even in the winter. Cedar Waxwings also tend to be out-of-town breeders, but return in large flocks in the early fall. They've been roaming the neighborhood in increasing flocks over the past couple of weeks, and I observed at least 40 this morning. Northern Flickers returned from their breeding grounds in early September, as usual, and have since been visiting the suet feeder daily. Pine Siskins have returned a little earlier than I expected. Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bewick's Wren, and Song Sparrow numbers have also increased significantly as of late. One particularly interesting find a couple of weeks ago was a <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/id">Brown Creeper</a>, a new yard bird!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This raucous Steller's Jay stopped by the yard to sample numerous goodies last Sunday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Red- x Yellow-shafted "intergrade" Northern Flicker (note the red mark on the nape and the salmon coloring under the wings) eyes the caged suet feeder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This very alert Cedar Waxwing is one of many that is currently flocking in the neighborhood</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of four Pine Siskins that is currently flocking with the local American Goldfinches</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We've been hosting larger-than-usual numbers of Chestnut-backed Chickadees lately</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Movement by montane (Cascades) and northern (Canada) breeders is also underway. Most of these species (Townsend's and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets, White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows, etc.) are not observed in the yard until late October or November. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see the first-of-the-year Golden-crowned Sparrow foraging under the feeders this past Saturday. Dark-eyed Juncos begin to move into the Willamette Valley in small numbers in mid-September, with increasing numbers the following month. I typically do not host them until October, but there were a few under the feeders last week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male "Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco arrived a litter earlier than expected this fall</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A truly wretched photo of a Golden-crowned Sparrow. This photo was taken in poor lighting, shortly after sunrise. This individual was also molting, and the gold coloring on the crown is just barely visible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, of course, there are the locals. This fall has been a little abnormal in that some of the "regular" finches are in relatively low numbers. I usually host flocks of 70+ American Goldfinches at this time of the year. I didn't see flocks of over a dozen until last week and the low 50s was my highest count. House Finches are also representing in very small numbers right now. Lesser Goldfinch numbers are pretty typical this year. Red-breasted Nuthatches have been regulars for the past month and a half now and I'm hoping to see them more regularly this winter. Downy Woodpecker numbers have been very modest this fall, but I'm optimistic and they'll be more frequent in the upcoming weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of our regular Red-breasted Nuthatches stops in for sunflower seed</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sometimes feeders attract more than birds and squirrels. This individual, named "Poo-poo Robert the Mouse" by my two-year-old (guess who's potty-training right now?), is an occasional visitor to our ground feeder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that's where we stand right now. I hope to see our first Ruby-crowned Kinglet and possibly a Purple Finch later this month. Until then...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-41202497216211241072012-09-22T13:12:00.001-07:002012-09-22T13:14:35.163-07:00Fall Planting<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While technically still on hiatus, I thought that I'd share some photos of our recent fall planting...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Natives:</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Deer Fern <i>(Blechnum spicant)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Longleaf" Oregon Grape </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Mahonia nervosa)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pacific Ninebark </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Physocarpus capitatus)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black Twinberry </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Lonicera involucrata)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Red Elderberry </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Sambucus racemosa)</i></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Non-natives:</u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More accurately, these are species that are not native to the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg110Dux3K3CXq0jVfLCry7422_jeuxrKX0TOJ5DccGe4ddgk8_7V1kKfVj99TPFuERNOCVdgcygJ8GqT2-U0g7SGCB57z9m5l3nUgYcgDRSLtFRq8hzPA1l3QdAbct_PVe5eUIMOQSyolH/s1600/Serviceberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg110Dux3K3CXq0jVfLCry7422_jeuxrKX0TOJ5DccGe4ddgk8_7V1kKfVj99TPFuERNOCVdgcygJ8GqT2-U0g7SGCB57z9m5l3nUgYcgDRSLtFRq8hzPA1l3QdAbct_PVe5eUIMOQSyolH/s400/Serviceberry.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saskatoon Serviceberry </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Amelanchier alinfolia)</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenp2jWa_eJ4XkWLI3Xd4yq7MzjixQSYKnhSROzyd09b0gKELsi5D5JiWV2WBOUmtjU5nytEAGI6FEHERNh3cOxPdwTOONG6Whh3trE4wzmfN1CWi3_VyfA8Yu6o38bOw5iGgvHnD_p6KN/s1600/GoldenCurrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenp2jWa_eJ4XkWLI3Xd4yq7MzjixQSYKnhSROzyd09b0gKELsi5D5JiWV2WBOUmtjU5nytEAGI6FEHERNh3cOxPdwTOONG6Whh3trE4wzmfN1CWi3_VyfA8Yu6o38bOw5iGgvHnD_p6KN/s400/GoldenCurrant.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Golden Currant </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Ribes aureum gracillimum)</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">. The <i>gracillimum</i> variant is native to California.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizJiSLbUvWIA2Zh5QP4HhjEfDYiuYPjqegrDYWpuCqsDbKclYgZ-AEIbG_UHiTFUptXQWeXDyPuyEER6FbfD5hHXoX8yzmClJBJ2z6ykYolwEaBvZQVGHEnM9GITj9550Z_CT-EE1BFWS/s1600/Toyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiizJiSLbUvWIA2Zh5QP4HhjEfDYiuYPjqegrDYWpuCqsDbKclYgZ-AEIbG_UHiTFUptXQWeXDyPuyEER6FbfD5hHXoX8yzmClJBJ2z6ykYolwEaBvZQVGHEnM9GITj9550Z_CT-EE1BFWS/s400/Toyon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Toyon </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Heteromeles arbutifolia)</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. This the replacement plant for my <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQpHiB_Obsp3BZFbFOIMKlq9Ybmj1NW-lM6JIqnn0RIGQ1iP3CP9hKkJgVPfCPEdp5NNNyMIyh5DpebiE7G1PCu7UbIAdpk_AtPKCweHKJGWIL0B9kpRumcB26yXFsDh3_pLzjZY7EvL5/s400/Sitka.jpg">Sitka mountain-ash</a>, which succumbed to fire blight this summer. As members of the rose family, Toyon are also susceptible to bacterial and fungal blight infections, but I will be treating it chemically during the dormant season.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As these get established over the winter, I hope to observe and photograph many interesting birds. I'll be back with a bird-related post in a couple of weeks.</span></div>
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BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-70069127060613046352012-08-24T17:35:00.003-07:002012-08-24T17:35:37.187-07:00Going On Hiatus<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After three unsuccessful attempts to get myself to finish a blog post over the past week, I've decided to take some time off. My heart just isn't in it right now and I need some time to recharge my batteries. (Plus, there isn't a heck of a lot going on in the yard.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2FTHaLz6h53d1Pomp_PuN3IL4hcAE_DcCzdE16MfwpfgGcqRKqoBYNdAdBiEoZtqKbzk82K0FWPxtRV_okgE-HG9-TzIS3zGFA2aX4X5kG4eCE6UoHHl4Ku93OgydwQ-l4_CqjwLhiLS/s1600/RobinJuv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2FTHaLz6h53d1Pomp_PuN3IL4hcAE_DcCzdE16MfwpfgGcqRKqoBYNdAdBiEoZtqKbzk82K0FWPxtRV_okgE-HG9-TzIS3zGFA2aX4X5kG4eCE6UoHHl4Ku93OgydwQ-l4_CqjwLhiLS/s400/RobinJuv.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll leave you for now with this picture of one of two juvenile Robins that visited unexpectedly last weekend. (Unlike out East, Robins are not common here in areas away from bodies of water in the summer.) I hope to have pics for you soon. See you in a month or so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-5092413150591194852012-08-04T15:33:00.003-07:002012-08-04T15:33:33.118-07:00Familiar Faces Return<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This summer may have been the most uneventful on record. Regular summer feeder birds such as American Goldfinches, Lesser Goldfinches, and House Finches were only sporadically present. Thankfully, birds that did not nest locally are beginning to make their way back, some en route to their warmer wintering grounds.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnTEYRJ4SsBuxw_tO5Bq6GF2dn5O1SpKZMvEy0ttfAtSa8LZFx9QqtJSa9YcCG6RrXxp34rNtQPeuiQY6GKLkzQUIZoBgJLaSUmX49TNmU02TL5nnndxEdpA_POzsTL65fCwwrXH-4fE3/s1600/BHGRmale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnTEYRJ4SsBuxw_tO5Bq6GF2dn5O1SpKZMvEy0ttfAtSa8LZFx9QqtJSa9YcCG6RrXxp34rNtQPeuiQY6GKLkzQUIZoBgJLaSUmX49TNmU02TL5nnndxEdpA_POzsTL65fCwwrXH-4fE3/s400/BHGRmale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the more interesting recent observations is the return of the Black-headed Grosbeaks. A movement of them came through yesterday, and I've hosted both sexes of adult, as well as a first-year male, over the past 24 hours. Black-headed typically arrive here in early May, breed near rivers or streams, and disperse in July. Males (above) are typically on their way south by now (the one that I photographed this morning may be the last I see until next year). Females and fledglings hang around for most of August and are usually completely gone by late September.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This hatch-year male Black-headed Grosbeak was the first post-breeding yard visitor of the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male Red-breasted Nuthatch is one of two that's been visiting the feeders frequently since late July.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm also very happy to report that at least two Red-breasted Nuthatches have been frequenting the yard for a good week and a half now. RB Nuthatches are very tame, acrobatic little guys that don't breed in the area and are even very spotty visitors in the winter. For some reason, the second half of summer is the only time that they're reliable feeder visitors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lesser Goldfinches, who have been rather spotty visitors this summer, have made a big comeback this week. A local pair has recently been visiting the nyjer feeder, along with its fledglings. I presume that this is this pair's second brood of the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Lesser Goldfinch extracts nyjer seed...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">...to feed its hungry offspring waiting above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A "horned" fledgling House Finch acquaints itself to sunflower seed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fledgling House Finches have been frequent visitors for the past month or so. These young'uns are easily distinguished by their "horns," which are long downy feathers that they originally grew as nestlings. After a little while, the "horns" fall out and they look like regular House Finches.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Juvenile Western Scrub-Jays have also been representing in large numbers. I counted seven juveniles in the yard one day. As much as I like them, it's nice that they've dispersed a little. They're quite raucous, especially when a perceived threat (predator) is nearby.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVqt96JkVtz13xOaQnTefHU45S71FgNzl3P9oW0nycUixSKwrMUDUcXvnX_sGWe2d3gmtqOd6o7IYJh0Vh1zEINXRgFLA4P4S7rDjw8TB1mgv0ljGjI9-GbXsnjCnINlra8TczaW8poah/s1600/ScrubJayFledgling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVqt96JkVtz13xOaQnTefHU45S71FgNzl3P9oW0nycUixSKwrMUDUcXvnX_sGWe2d3gmtqOd6o7IYJh0Vh1zEINXRgFLA4P4S7rDjw8TB1mgv0ljGjI9-GbXsnjCnINlra8TczaW8poah/s400/ScrubJayFledgling.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This boisterous fledgling Western Scrub-Jay feeds on cracked corn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some other interesting sightings included an adult Northern Flicker foraging through our court with two juveniles. Chestnut-backed Chickadees have been around semi-regularly for a good chunk of the summer. I spotted my first post-breeding Rufous Hummingbird (a female) two weeks ago and have observed a juvenile male at the daylilies since then. I've also been hearing Bewick's Wrens calling from the neighbor's yard recently. Hopefully I'll be able to get photos of these latter two species sometime soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This adult male Northern Flicker was seen foraging terrestrially with two of its offspring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Black-capped Chickadees have been one of the few regular visitors this summer.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Uj2JxN9mSMPEKQj8fBvIp_sIrn96kxebbL3l2foLTuY_TXUNvimSQJdur1sm7uBb3leAm2b0dPkbm7uQvqO8VAZP2or1xKLgDT5j80rPsQKg5kpHDLx-Ein8wYpFemQUIlXAgKWD54Qn/s1600/AMGO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Uj2JxN9mSMPEKQj8fBvIp_sIrn96kxebbL3l2foLTuY_TXUNvimSQJdur1sm7uBb3leAm2b0dPkbm7uQvqO8VAZP2or1xKLgDT5j80rPsQKg5kpHDLx-Ein8wYpFemQUIlXAgKWD54Qn/s400/AMGO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male American Goldfinch is likely in the early stages of nesting. In a month and a half, we'll host up to 100 of them at the feeders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's it for now. In the next few weeks, I should be seeing migratory warblers and flycatchers moving through the area. Wilson's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Western Wood-pewee are the best bets for my neighborhood. I hope to have photos to share.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-38248918174729153832012-07-18T22:06:00.001-07:002012-07-19T15:10:29.718-07:00Birdscaping<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the yard has become more birdy over the past week, there is still relatively little going on. Thankfully, I've kept myself busy for the past month by "birdscaping" our yard. As the name implies, birdscaping is landscaping for birds. Feeders are nice and all, but not all birds eat seed, suet, or peanuts. Providing natural food (especially berries) can help attract species such as waxwings, thrushes, thrashers, and some warblers and finches.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Part 1: Inherited Vegetation</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNiWytD8_Em_lirhxW1Wkdoz85b7aYVqV8Rg7PLeG3jpTJUhMJzcb5xLDn8Cq01ZDG-ucSM8qWq5T0-DmriKqXnePLFWpysT441NWdJb85CUtNriPVRXMJf0JhaVKn2n_U6f-NaDkkt_4/s1600/BlackWalnut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNiWytD8_Em_lirhxW1Wkdoz85b7aYVqV8Rg7PLeG3jpTJUhMJzcb5xLDn8Cq01ZDG-ucSM8qWq5T0-DmriKqXnePLFWpysT441NWdJb85CUtNriPVRXMJf0JhaVKn2n_U6f-NaDkkt_4/s400/BlackWalnut.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we purchased our home last summer, we inherited some bird-friendly trees and shrubs. The most prominent is the mature Black Walnut <i>(Juglans nigra)</i> in our front yard (above). In addition to providing shade to our home, this large tree produces walnuts each summer/fall that are eaten by both birds and mammals. The neighborhood crows literally neglect our feeders in the late fall and focus their attention on the fallen walnuts. (I've heard that other species, such as Flickers, are fans as well, though I've not witnessed it here.) The local Douglas and Western Gray Squirrels also eschew the feeders (yay!) in the fall and focus their attention on the sticky green nuts. Works for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, Black Walnuts present some major drawbacks. The first is maintenance. They grow very quickly and the walnuts are a pain in the ass to sweep/rake up. The large specimen in the front yard requires professional trimming every other year, the walnuts crash down onto the roof in the middle of the night, and it seems that we are constantly cleaning up under the canopy of this tree in October and November. Moreover, Black Walnuts secrete an aromatic quinone compound called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglone">juglone</a>. Juglone is toxic to several species of plants and trees (this helps the tree establish dominance), which of course restricts what one can plant around it. (The grass under our tree tends to look rather sickly by November.) Surprisingly, though, our rhododendrons and our magnolia tree - both of which are sensitive to juglone - seem to not be adversely affected by this tree and our neighbor's smaller specimen. (Knock on wood!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our backyard features a cherry tree on our property, and an apple tree on the other side of the fence (above right and left, respectively). I don't know which species of cherry this is (Black is my best guess), but can report that its berries are currently being eaten by Western Scrub-Jays and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. I have yet to see it yet, but the neighbor's apple tree should be a good food source for Cedar Waxwings. However, the unknown species of ivy that encases the trunk of this tree proved to be a good source of food for a migrating Swainson's Thrush earlier this year.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYkT-JSp-DHGJrYMdJIMrASG2Pjui2CSkI8Mwc_cEwMah_G9waWYQEfDcy3Se3g4MPCml42nYA4e1ZI_WAwYp0WFjrc-GRgNxyUg2Y1Y7VYqtnXI8COqCeyURuPi151b4s36cI5bmkBCW/s1600/Swainsons.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtYkT-JSp-DHGJrYMdJIMrASG2Pjui2CSkI8Mwc_cEwMah_G9waWYQEfDcy3Se3g4MPCml42nYA4e1ZI_WAwYp0WFjrc-GRgNxyUg2Y1Y7VYqtnXI8COqCeyURuPi151b4s36cI5bmkBCW/s400/Swainsons.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A migrating Swainson's Thrush enjoys berries from an unknown species of ivy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our backyard contains two California Wax Myrtle shrubs <i>(Myrica californica)</i>. These are the West Coast cousin of the better-known Southern Wax Myrtle <i>(Myrica cerifera)</i>. I've read that the berries attract several species of birds, including flickers, robins and finches, but have not noticed any of those snacking on the waxy berries. However, many Yellow-rumped Warblers ate the berries on our shrubs last October and November, and they even appeared to prefer them over the suet that I put out. (Incidentally, this is where the name for the "Myrtle" subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler originated. They are the warblers that eat wax myrtle berries.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKI-MlqnlyYIWKRdghI2iyG2zxorpg6up806uJJtW_CEFHJsUuDsht_dLSfFPi0vfYWDz_zaMkUD1lgeYz-jzzHbz8jQDnO0pjf9c9ZiopWLeq5AC_WGoYD594YI2plBUWoznZQZ6vKWv/s1600/WaxMyrtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKI-MlqnlyYIWKRdghI2iyG2zxorpg6up806uJJtW_CEFHJsUuDsht_dLSfFPi0vfYWDz_zaMkUD1lgeYz-jzzHbz8jQDnO0pjf9c9ZiopWLeq5AC_WGoYD594YI2plBUWoznZQZ6vKWv/s400/WaxMyrtle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of our two California Wax-myrtle shrubs <i>(Myrica californica)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A "Myrtle" Yellow-rumped Warbler enjoys the berries of its namesake.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9MYHaBR0w3seahkBEkiYD8I4-dcSyGilb0BQmoDnWTioU3xdgjBcixCPTx_NI934N4RnYKLyNBxKyYL_IN3YueiiD44jkav_VqzCrLJGtpWt4GeJUTgB1gyjtTAc1y8b4vSspn9364OZ/s1600/Daylilly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9MYHaBR0w3seahkBEkiYD8I4-dcSyGilb0BQmoDnWTioU3xdgjBcixCPTx_NI934N4RnYKLyNBxKyYL_IN3YueiiD44jkav_VqzCrLJGtpWt4GeJUTgB1gyjtTAc1y8b4vSspn9364OZ/s400/Daylilly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We also have a couple clusters of daylilies around the yard. They attract Anna's and Rufous Hummingbirds when they flower in July and August. However, they also tend to get a bit overgrown. The cluster above will likely be pulled out this fall and replaced with something more manageable like currant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Part 2: Recent Plantings</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while all of what we inherited is nice, I thought that we could do much better. I had pr</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">eviously purchased and plated a young Sitka Mountain-ash </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Sorbus sitchensis)</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in the backyard of our previous home. Despite an August transplant into the new yard, it not only survived but has grown a good 10" since April. Sitka Mountain-ash is a large shrub that is native to the Pacific Northwest. Its berries are enjoyed by thrushes, grosbeaks, and waxwings, among others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sitka Mountain-ash <i>(Sorbus sitchensis)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">American Mountain-ash </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Sorbus americana)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I prefer to plant native species, I recently decided that I wanted a small tree (something larger than the Sitka) that produces berries. I decided on an American Mountain-ash </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(S. americana)</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which are native to Eastern Canada, New England, and the upper extreme of the Midwest. Their berries support most of the same birds as its western cousin (moose also enjoy their leaves, though I doubt we'll be seeing those any time soon).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We inherited two large photonia shrubs that were both diseased, way overgrown, and shaded our lawn way too much. I was initially reluctant to get rid of them because they provided good cover and perching space for the birds. But they were so freaking ugly and I was getting sick of the far end of our yard resembling a swamp during the rainy months. Many of their branches were also broken during our late-March snowstorm as well. So we had them taken out back in early June. Not only did their removal eliminate the aforementioned problems, but they also freed up more space for useful and ornamental plantings, and made the yard a lot brighter to boot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A shot of our backyard during the Great Snowstorm of 2012. The offending photinias are the large shrubs that are leaning halfway over. The one on the left didn't fully recover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">June, 2012: The photinia-free yard looks a heck of a lot nicer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Oregon Grape <i>(Mahonia aquifolium)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since our yard is relatively small, I only have room for so many large shrubs and small trees. So the rest of my birdscaping was limited to small shrubs and ground cover. I purchased and planted several Oregon Grapes <i>(Mahonia aquifolium)</i> - two larger specimens (5+ years old) and six three-year transplants. As their name implies, Oregon Grapes produce purple berries that have a (very) vague similarity to grapes. Cedar Waxwings and other species enjoy these fruits. One of the nice things about plants of the Mahonia genus is that they'll grow in shade and partial shade. And when you have 40' x 40' walnut tree in your yard, a large percentage of your lot will be shaded for at least part of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The blueish-purple grapes of <i>M. aquifolium</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a smaller version of the Oregon Grape that grows natively out here, often referred to as "Cascades Mahonia" <i>(Mahonia nervosa)</i>. I transplanted three of these from our previous residence. Cascades Mahonia only grows to 1-2' in height and produces berries that are similar to its larger cousin. Unlike <i>M. aquifolium</i>, <i>M. nervosa</i> does not do well in appreciable amounts of direct sunlight. I discovered that more than 4 hours of direct sunlight per day will fry them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Cascades Mahonia <i>(M. nervosa)</i></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">M. nervosa</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> in a location that received a little too much direct sunlight</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since we have a ton of open space around the perimeter of our yard, I figured that groundcover (whether it served as a food source or not) would be helpful to birds that like to stay hidden, such as towhees and sparrows. <i>M.</i> <i>nervosa</i> serves this purpose to an extent, and I also added another native ground cover known as Salal <i>(Gaultheria shallon)</i>. Since one of the plants is already exhibiting new growth, I may add more this fall. Salal spread via wandering roots, so I foresee a lot of pruning in my future. They also produce berries that some species of birds enjoy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Salal <i>(Gaultheria shallon)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With room left over, I figured that a couple of rhododendrons would provide additional cover and perching space for my ground-dwelling birds. They don't produce anything edible, but they're hardy, they're evergreen, and their flowers look really nice in the spring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Anna Rose Whitney" Rhododendron</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Clipinense" Rhododendron. Because it was planted in an area that contains shallow tree roots and sprinkler system piping, I actually planted this one (mostly) above ground. After digging down 2" and filling the hole with soil-forming compost, I surrounded the root ball with compost and then covered the entire thing in mulch. This individual is also near the canopy of the neighbor's Black Walnut, so it should be interesting to see how this one does over the next year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the hummingbirds, we typically hang at least one potted fuchsia. Like the daylilies, fuchsia is a good way to feed the hummers without having to clean out sugar-water feeders twice a week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hummingbirds love fuchsia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last but certainly not least, I decided to plan an ornamental tree. There is a corner just beyond the backyard fence that contained nothing and was literally screaming for a tree. But it had to be something that (1) could grow in partial shade, (2) could survive living under a Black Walnut, and (3) would be thin enough at mature height to still fit in that corner. I settled on Mountain Hemlock <i>(Tsuga mertensiana).</i> These are the dominant species around the rim of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crater_Lake">Crater Lake</a> and I've always loved their blueish-green needles and drooping "curlicue" crowns. Mountain Hemlock are (broadly) native to this region, but they typically grow at 5000' and higher in the Cascades. They are also notoriusly-slow growers, averaging less than an inch per year up to 15'. For this reason, they are typically harvested from the mountains, rather than grown from seed in nurseries. Thus, specimens of appreciable height can be difficult to find. I got lucky and found a nursery in town with a few in the 3' range. I'm sure that mine will not seed for several years and may just reach my height several years afterwards, but I'm happy with my purchase. It's such a nice, picturesque little tree.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mountain Hemlock <i>(Tsuga mertensiana)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's about it for now. I may plant some more this fall and will definitely provide an update on the status of these plantings next spring.</span></div>
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<br /></div>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-70544952734176793282012-07-17T09:17:00.003-07:002012-07-17T09:17:58.412-07:00Snoozefest<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been over a full month and a half since I've last posted and there are several reasons for this. First, it was work, then it was vacation, and then it was a lot of in-state traveling to do landscape photography. But there was one constant and overriding factor: no birds. There isn't much point in blogging when there's nothing to blog about. The last really interesting migrant sighting was on June 6th and relatively few exciting species habe been observed since. So I bring you this boring post. An unexciting - but necessary - chronicle of the part of the summer where no freaking birds are around.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Even in the midst of the massive snoozefest of June and early July, at least one unexpected individual is bound to pop up. This male Dark-eyed Junco (above) was first observed on June 5th and hung around the neighborhood for the rest of the month. The vast majority of juncos breed in the higher elevations (particularly the Cascades and surrounding foothills), but a decent number do have offspring here in the Valley. I have <a href="http://eugenebirds.blogspot.com/2009/08/juncos-raise-cowbirds-and-other-yard.html">hosted fledgling juncos</a> at my previous residences here in town at least twice, so perhaps we'll see little junior juncos begging for food in early August.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Western Wood-pewee hawks insects from high above on a late spring evening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">June 8th was an interesting day. After getting home from work, I noticed a <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Willow_Flycatcher/id">Willow Flycatcher</a> hawking insects from my neighbor's maple tree. Willows are the latest-arriving species of flycatchers here in the spring, with typical first arrival dates in mid-May. I typically don't see them until early June. Barely two hours later, another flycatcher (above) was hawking insects much higher up in the same maple tree. Unlike the Willow, this one didn't come down to my magnolia tree for a good look. After taking several photos against a gray sky as dusk approached and cranking up the exposure in Lightroom to highlight field marks, I finally identified this individual as a Western Wood-pewee (thanks to Alan Contreras for confirmation of the ID). I don't see pewees in the yard very often (maybe once a year at most) so, despite the crappy photos, it was a nice find.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flocks of Cedar Waxwings (above) roamed the neighborhood semi-regularly between mid-May and early June. Again, the quality of my photos were somewhere between bad and terrible, but it was nice to see waxwings again. They'll begin flocking again in the fall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Late spring also bring juvenile starlings to the yard. I'm fortunate to live in a place where I only have to deal with fledglings at this time of the year, plus an occasional roaming flock in the winter. Unlike many urban/suburban-dwellers, they're not emptying my suet feeder every day. Nonetheless, the preponderance of starling offspring left our deck covered in bird dookie, forcing me to take down the nearby suet basket and put up my caged suet feeder at the other end of the yard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A juvenile starling hawgs the suet basket (and likely poops on my deck afterwards).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of at least two juvenile Western Scrub-Jays that have visited the yard this month</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other more pleasant fledglings have also visited the yard over the past month and a half. These include Western Scrub-Jays, Crows, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and Bushtits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Species that have made something of a comeback in the yard recently have included House Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, Bushtits, and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. Red-breasted Nuthatches have also been calling from the conifers in the adjacent yards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A House Finch enjoys sunflower seed on a warm summer day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Our feeders have been a convenient source of food for hatch-year Lesser Goldfinches and their parents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">As the summer progresses, post-breeding dispersal will increase significantly. In addition, early migrant movement will begin in mid-August, so it's possible that I may see a Wilson's or Black-throated Gray Warbler between now and then. I hope to have more stories and better photos to share by then.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-3317886248526164302012-05-31T22:09:00.002-07:002012-06-01T05:57:34.907-07:00Malheur NWR Trip<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't normally post notes and photographs from the field in this blog. (Perhaps I will create a dedicated page for that at a later date.) But with migration movement being minimal here in Western Oregon, my yard is as dead as a doornail at this point. So I figured why not share some photos from my recent trip to <a href="http://www.fws.gov/malheur/">Malheur National Wildlife Refuge</a>. And, heck, it's pretty much impossible to not take a ton of photos of interesting birds at Malheur.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Malheur NWR is located in the high desert (elevation of over 4000 ft) of southeast Oregon, approximately 25 miles south of the town of Burns and roughly 100 miles north of the Nevada border. The refuge is roughly <a href="http://www.fws.gov/malheur/pdf/refugemapwithCPR.pdf">t-shaped</a>, with the northern end consisting of Malheur, Mud, and Harney Lakes, and a relatively narrow strip of land extending approximately 30 miles to the south, ending near the town of Frenchglen. Much of this area consists of small lakes, ponds, and marshes. (Being that this is desert region, I'd imagine that at least some of the marshland is seasonal.) The abundance of water in such a dry area attracts ridiculous number of birds (over 320 species recorded), particularly during spring migration. And the birds attract nerds such as myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Yellow-headed Blackbird is one of the most common migrants at Malheur.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not surprisingly, waterfowl and shorebirds are big here. As I drove past Malheur Lake and the surrounding marsh area on my drive into the refuge on Sunday afternoon, American Avocet, American Coot, Black-necked Stilts, Wilson's Phalaropes, White-faced Ibis, Great Egret, Killdeer, Forster's and Caspian Terns, sandpipers, pelicans, and several species of duck were prominent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">American Avocet</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Black-necked Stilt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">White-faced Ibis</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Wilson's Phalarope</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Forster's Tern</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Long-billed Curlew</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Great Egret</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fledgling Killdeer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While traveling through some of the marshland south of Malheur Lake, this ostrich-looking individual was observed in an adjacent field...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It shortly revealed itself to be a Sandhill Crane...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVotiYpZZfDPq-mGbMOSMYsANbiH12-wNdr1rzKlQh2hLzLww0fKPgyuKJh2MWfkV9SThYJ2ebBwUOgSkMjx0Z2Bnj4tySJLfxFwF0OTqN8fKGdz1Lja_p166_eib0FXq1YbnriM2TcJt/s1600/SandhillCrane-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVotiYpZZfDPq-mGbMOSMYsANbiH12-wNdr1rzKlQh2hLzLww0fKPgyuKJh2MWfkV9SThYJ2ebBwUOgSkMjx0Z2Bnj4tySJLfxFwF0OTqN8fKGdz1Lja_p166_eib0FXq1YbnriM2TcJt/s400/SandhillCrane-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An abundance of water means an abundance of insects. And these insects attract vast numbers of insect-eating migrants, such as swallows and flycatchers. Swallows were in such high abundance at times that they reminded me of the swarms of insects that I used to encounter on summer evenings in Indiana. (Thankfully, no swallows were killed by my windshield.) Tyrant flycatchers such as kingbirds, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">phoebes, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pewees, and a few species of the </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Empidonax</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> genus were also abundant (though not nearly as numerous as the swallows).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Barn Swallow</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOw6ZiHDB2IbSgijyP5dHClYYYQ1UBfHThtW4xhTo0RQ_0b_Z8RzQrk8YSKNMoCqT2wp3dritzMGO8kOkeo_j0QTbn3Sb7-Q4QF0pHFiD58RkIRJvoAKBTMvlFWF2iLiPxYjm80zSKhvhyphenhyphen/s1600/TreeSwallow-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOw6ZiHDB2IbSgijyP5dHClYYYQ1UBfHThtW4xhTo0RQ_0b_Z8RzQrk8YSKNMoCqT2wp3dritzMGO8kOkeo_j0QTbn3Sb7-Q4QF0pHFiD58RkIRJvoAKBTMvlFWF2iLiPxYjm80zSKhvhyphenhyphen/s400/TreeSwallow-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITWbv-8_urujFsZAkXLfqeiHitzD0F2z-sOGFeTwSF0bfFI8lk3G1e5SAG3wVZKlAHwkyVBJ2Wjv4dCSHzP5eALgXgXG3NhQsEGc5Yvbl3wdzGf3L1JANInA1NEkKtmpVp-NojwSM1hG9/s1600/BankSwallow-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITWbv-8_urujFsZAkXLfqeiHitzD0F2z-sOGFeTwSF0bfFI8lk3G1e5SAG3wVZKlAHwkyVBJ2Wjv4dCSHzP5eALgXgXG3NhQsEGc5Yvbl3wdzGf3L1JANInA1NEkKtmpVp-NojwSM1hG9/s400/BankSwallow-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bank Swallow. Widespread, but in small, isolated populations that are not readily observed.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrI02fYhmzzbrJUNhxTBtlSIjNTIZ4ioxuVMlLorfwR8UpZH5FZzE8o_VlclpDTp-0CsnsIFFDSJDjnRljkeD4Ni2NFXo8cQOG2bAfPjMRpflZCqtG5otcyh88dwSu4e5HjNr6R0Nxnxuh/s1600/Empid-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrI02fYhmzzbrJUNhxTBtlSIjNTIZ4ioxuVMlLorfwR8UpZH5FZzE8o_VlclpDTp-0CsnsIFFDSJDjnRljkeD4Ni2NFXo8cQOG2bAfPjMRpflZCqtG5otcyh88dwSu4e5HjNr6R0Nxnxuh/s400/Empid-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Western Wood-pewee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Eastern Kingbirds are not common in Oregon, but a small number do breed in the Eastern portion of the state.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stayed with three other birders at the <a href="http://www.malheurfieldstation.org/">Malheur Field Station</a> (MFS), which was also very flycatcher-happy. The Western Kingbird below is a big fan of MFS.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqXf5jeTriaRynVZGHOqkI16TJ_7H9lfNutdVKXgILaJWbRCjzIorsbERwVwJjrBOahvicoKCeLWVNaMkZjSOFBDzZ1vnjReJ-cVq202adJSZdY6e8xknDboBYJEWES2zAd5eEOGqOLAb/s1600/WesKingbird-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqXf5jeTriaRynVZGHOqkI16TJ_7H9lfNutdVKXgILaJWbRCjzIorsbERwVwJjrBOahvicoKCeLWVNaMkZjSOFBDzZ1vnjReJ-cVq202adJSZdY6e8xknDboBYJEWES2zAd5eEOGqOLAb/s400/WesKingbird-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our mobile home was equipped with small platforms under the awnings, wich made for convenient nesting spots. A pair of Say's Phoebes took advantage of the nesting spot next to our front door, and didn't seem to be bothered by our presence.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopDVMafPSEUSbTS4Uykkwc9PZ74S1mmF1BczuCa8JZasmD7OA8ARsDLDul0Iu0KT2TPOeaCN1lOKBWjy_XxTqT92bcPjsPnNh-gtrF4L0wXr8IeRajPzbJRl7fkGCc8KsZE5efRxfwUr9/s1600/SaysPhoebe-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopDVMafPSEUSbTS4Uykkwc9PZ74S1mmF1BczuCa8JZasmD7OA8ARsDLDul0Iu0KT2TPOeaCN1lOKBWjy_XxTqT92bcPjsPnNh-gtrF4L0wXr8IeRajPzbJRl7fkGCc8KsZE5efRxfwUr9/s400/SaysPhoebe-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One Say's Phoebe hawks insects around the parking lot...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3v3M-pXZb3qV_5-KK5lJv7CvRB2fj1BmKFgmUG_fSM9FV3x8yxXedXFcOTT5m8k3hjMYr0mkdyKFrWk78G-AdvPNvkrI5DDt8ZZRjOgxFbF2J2m1feVY1Yi5AdfD0LQmMsle1P1X1Lj6/s1600/SaysPhoebeNest-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3v3M-pXZb3qV_5-KK5lJv7CvRB2fj1BmKFgmUG_fSM9FV3x8yxXedXFcOTT5m8k3hjMYr0mkdyKFrWk78G-AdvPNvkrI5DDt8ZZRjOgxFbF2J2m1feVY1Yi5AdfD0LQmMsle1P1X1Lj6/s400/SaysPhoebeNest-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">... while the other tends to nest duties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Common Nighthawks can also be found in the area. These birds aerially forage for insects and are most active at dusk and dawn. During the day, they can often be found resting/napping on horizontal tree branches, fences, signs, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> A Common Nighthawk rests on a fence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warblers enjoy insects as well, and it was difficult to not see Yellow Warblers on the refuge. Several dozen of them could be seen in relatively small areas, and it was getting to the point where I could hear their songs in my sleep. Some of the brushier habitats were also good for Yellow-breasted Chat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Yellow Warbler sings atop a small tree at Benson Pond.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-E0Rr7tG0BscYj1FbuO425C9NIyQ7bvrv-2uq-lYFtT8qSoVgymDxmlWKqtM9Z3sC8kj3VE8GLoeTv7oAZCxfkiZmI2Ul5waQ6QfqjjucRDGQ_DVfjU2rJoO2V-P6TgL75at5nsXbnww/s1600/Chat-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-E0Rr7tG0BscYj1FbuO425C9NIyQ7bvrv-2uq-lYFtT8qSoVgymDxmlWKqtM9Z3sC8kj3VE8GLoeTv7oAZCxfkiZmI2Ul5waQ6QfqjjucRDGQ_DVfjU2rJoO2V-P6TgL75at5nsXbnww/s400/Chat-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Yellow-breasted Chat pops up for a second.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Malheur is also home to many small rodents (mice, voles, etc.), which attracts raptors and other predatory birds...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Great-horned Owls</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Immature Red-tailed Hawk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nestling Golden Eagle</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheX5wbbntZ1bQmoWQUi_HG2eNUd_IqY4oV5D9Njekpt2uF0QwTVUzI1iMvCDHXGJXJDs4O3RenXxzvKtTnAbdQdgJXxgoVcFDnwzDC-ZlXzQm-1DYVTeL57L4o0scblqfYAAbDyvjxGAPf/s1600/LoggerheadShrike-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheX5wbbntZ1bQmoWQUi_HG2eNUd_IqY4oV5D9Njekpt2uF0QwTVUzI1iMvCDHXGJXJDs4O3RenXxzvKtTnAbdQdgJXxgoVcFDnwzDC-ZlXzQm-1DYVTeL57L4o0scblqfYAAbDyvjxGAPf/s400/LoggerheadShrike-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Loggerhead Shrike</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The raptor-heavy grassland habitats were also good for species such as Bobolink and Horned Lark. We even spotted a late migrant Lewis's Woodpecker in this unexpected habitat. Black-billed Magpies were abundant in areas closer to human habitation.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47zOwDIUaexP42DBXW8dcoXrf8eTHMWLYh8nUjIGz0SkdDO58grYo0dINa7Udml8hsLO57s-6hYuldfjjvF92Rno90SRFE9aW3iJQfcanu358XtxFQIp2WjuOeKqsu4J19FDpNKK8fX2j/s1600/Bobolink-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47zOwDIUaexP42DBXW8dcoXrf8eTHMWLYh8nUjIGz0SkdDO58grYo0dINa7Udml8hsLO57s-6hYuldfjjvF92Rno90SRFE9aW3iJQfcanu358XtxFQIp2WjuOeKqsu4J19FDpNKK8fX2j/s400/Bobolink-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bobolink</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jTd1YIuf8LDpVEXD9MuRYk74FAcKJnjf4AZ3AUnbNj2YhkP-mWhD9RFK5Y59iOKhWWcbfy25ehlL1NUED4OJ1yq-euskZMG9KIwUY2iC1aKU9RMuD2RdbO52szF6q10NPWWCC-RUOOGW/s1600/Magpie-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jTd1YIuf8LDpVEXD9MuRYk74FAcKJnjf4AZ3AUnbNj2YhkP-mWhD9RFK5Y59iOKhWWcbfy25ehlL1NUED4OJ1yq-euskZMG9KIwUY2iC1aKU9RMuD2RdbO52szF6q10NPWWCC-RUOOGW/s400/Magpie-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Black-billed Magpie</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKpZU7wdlz3A0aJ-b1Ad4CiPDlC4SxdfJMCyiI-Fjv7gqcaKykvqxTsfGZeYFRxxZ9HT5MwQc3KIoxib7aHch38QlQpzb-ntiHKUL_W4gyJMuyxO7K8FCjKHJsFpYf9sI4-OmSKnCjAhG/s1600/LewisWP-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKpZU7wdlz3A0aJ-b1Ad4CiPDlC4SxdfJMCyiI-Fjv7gqcaKykvqxTsfGZeYFRxxZ9HT5MwQc3KIoxib7aHch38QlQpzb-ntiHKUL_W4gyJMuyxO7K8FCjKHJsFpYf9sI4-OmSKnCjAhG/s400/LewisWP-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">An uncooperative Lewis's Woodpecker keeps its distance from us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of Malheur's big attractions is the refuge's headquarters. Located on the south end of Malheur Lake, its large oasis of trees act as a magnet for migrant passerines (perching birds). Headquarters was jam-packed with Western Tanagers, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Bullock's Orioles, Cedar Waxwings, Yellow Warblers, Warbling Vireos, among others.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7dxVQ8uvwV1NZXvBq6-OyUmSgV9dIWW6DGPZ7i2etz2vNrH8qn8HCFDCx6bNLZglBzUKLPCY2wOiQ2UyELZNmc80Fh5GswHFPhXMzP0CtPA_V4eqVp3MAVJYlzm85JPNzdyQgSIz02u4/s1600/MalheurHQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7dxVQ8uvwV1NZXvBq6-OyUmSgV9dIWW6DGPZ7i2etz2vNrH8qn8HCFDCx6bNLZglBzUKLPCY2wOiQ2UyELZNmc80Fh5GswHFPhXMzP0CtPA_V4eqVp3MAVJYlzm85JPNzdyQgSIz02u4/s400/MalheurHQ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Malheur NWR Headquarters</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldUB3DQgeuQgMCRhGeSoSQiCls-mk2LSVdsrYS_mtLiZRtgD4q8tDdqqKD08qW5ijGzxKijL1ibM0o0n7lONNzrVd4rXqnRpT5_wyxmWn35x3QyJAbTHkCtVP7aDQMciXQYLgrqKuVji1/s1600/WesTan-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldUB3DQgeuQgMCRhGeSoSQiCls-mk2LSVdsrYS_mtLiZRtgD4q8tDdqqKD08qW5ijGzxKijL1ibM0o0n7lONNzrVd4rXqnRpT5_wyxmWn35x3QyJAbTHkCtVP7aDQMciXQYLgrqKuVji1/s400/WesTan-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Western Tanager, male</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MOxdi4syQQ7qg_3Yfq-QNpNMQa5lYQs8292GkU-WQVxik1Fe5cTTIoWipYYw_mRx9SXqysokIlohivJyj0zLneJ6FIl7PYJlDVKOk7QEsZfBjhcTvxIE8155gssm-X2LzvuJ4908TTjz/s1600/WarblingVireo-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MOxdi4syQQ7qg_3Yfq-QNpNMQa5lYQs8292GkU-WQVxik1Fe5cTTIoWipYYw_mRx9SXqysokIlohivJyj0zLneJ6FIl7PYJlDVKOk7QEsZfBjhcTvxIE8155gssm-X2LzvuJ4908TTjz/s400/WarblingVireo-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Warbling Vireo</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5a9sfif4SJlTQ3h39zdzmUBrrzZ1-4XR-HcNTa-dp7W498JZZA_TcHHd2xd_lhQM1AwUS5TrjBEH2FvBgtk6sxW6fyXDABYBZ-UJS3eThsqUncRRJbJ1UxpdgvEi-FeQVsbR92iR2GNR/s1600/BullocksOriole-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY5a9sfif4SJlTQ3h39zdzmUBrrzZ1-4XR-HcNTa-dp7W498JZZA_TcHHd2xd_lhQM1AwUS5TrjBEH2FvBgtk6sxW6fyXDABYBZ-UJS3eThsqUncRRJbJ1UxpdgvEi-FeQVsbR92iR2GNR/s400/BullocksOriole-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Bullock's Oriole (appears to be a second-year male)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyepVAB5Rrom0ma219Yp_CiTZpZ6kOP2ljMnSdOwahz4-yprp0gclt1uWVMBu7GLd8T2o8bHF-raqaUA-z-n4_H0CHZhD4lIV-xMOq3hGSTToDhQD21cTioA1ZrpBGhlGkWTUL2cAg0Wz/s1600/CedarWaxwing-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyepVAB5Rrom0ma219Yp_CiTZpZ6kOP2ljMnSdOwahz4-yprp0gclt1uWVMBu7GLd8T2o8bHF-raqaUA-z-n4_H0CHZhD4lIV-xMOq3hGSTToDhQD21cTioA1ZrpBGhlGkWTUL2cAg0Wz/s400/CedarWaxwing-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Cedar Waxwing</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieu8pSTpWdCJQhtONdIhZ0n5t0SJG1rnxO8NI4qhx5r0OD8LbWGPlM0iGlMBto-6iR-FGMb1GT7ps7jLDK18GNleBhm7F34lwX74URmdoURQvL78up4KegSd-KZls1dZLBtv-VW8nONqvQ/s1600/CalQuail-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieu8pSTpWdCJQhtONdIhZ0n5t0SJG1rnxO8NI4qhx5r0OD8LbWGPlM0iGlMBto-6iR-FGMb1GT7ps7jLDK18GNleBhm7F34lwX74URmdoURQvL78up4KegSd-KZls1dZLBtv-VW8nONqvQ/s400/CalQuail-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">California Quail, male</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lazuli Bunting, male</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hummingbirds were also abundant at the nectar feeders at Headquarters. Male and female Black-chinned Hummingbirds, shown below, were omnipresent:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the migratory movement of the "regular" Western birds begins to taper out in late May, vagrant Eastern species sometimes begin to appear. We were fortunate enough to observe a few...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Baltimore Oriole, male</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Black-and-white Warbler</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rose-breasted Grosbeak</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also observed a female Northern Parula. I was not able to get a good photo of it, but Portland birder Diana Byrne obtained both <a href="http://portlandbirder.blogspot.com/2012/05/northern-parula.html">a good photo and a video</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd like to thank Alan Contreras and Vjera and Eddie Thompson for letting me stay with them, as well as for their ID assistance, cooking, and camaraderie. I'd also like to thank Alan for carting us around all day Monday, and for making frequent stops to allow me to obtain many of the photos shown above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-88850881402375391372012-05-12T16:57:00.000-07:002012-05-12T17:02:19.023-07:00Migrant Wave Continues<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This spring is shaping up to be the best year for yard migrants that I've ever experienced. While the tidal wave of some migrants, such as the Orange-crowned Warbler (below), has subsided, the past two weeks have brought us an exciting influx of others.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeleKobyIG94kQtBroTteW-p0gTSVQ_TLR9scK96Y-Bkl_27g3fRsCJR4EpBnF7jXbPEeR5EaMIfowik9_F01iMLKTnAe-iupS1ThMuT0vUdMAZns-V2kqPeGT4NVfoFsvPXkcBFr1UzhD/s1600/OCWarbler-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeleKobyIG94kQtBroTteW-p0gTSVQ_TLR9scK96Y-Bkl_27g3fRsCJR4EpBnF7jXbPEeR5EaMIfowik9_F01iMLKTnAe-iupS1ThMuT0vUdMAZns-V2kqPeGT4NVfoFsvPXkcBFr1UzhD/s400/OCWarbler-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I've been particularly fortunate to see a few really uncommon yard migrants over the past couple of weeks. Two days ago, a male Calliope Hummingbird made an appearance at my nectar feeder. Calliope are very uncommon-but-annual spring migrants here in the Willamette Valley. While most take an inland route to their breeding grounds in the high desert of the inland Northwest, some migrate up the Pacific coast and then traverse the Cascades. There seems to be a higher-than-usual number of Calliope in the Willamette Valley right now. This may be due to our cool, soggy spring forcing more of them to use the Pacific coast migratory route. The streaked iridescent fuchsia on the male's throat is unmistakeable - it's like a psychedelic ZZ Top beard on a tiny bird, if you can imagine that. Calliope are more diminutive than our regular Anna's and Rufous Hummers, and also have very short, flat tails. Interestingly, I've hosted Calliope in each of the past three springs (which have all been on the cool and soggy side).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZPKDb2q0OfdYWH88pJdnhNy5532ZfWTdnIV6IahfSSj5lLJg__CammkMda3FW20xaol3b8Xe00YD0GF5dbLFUnMY_D7qg1du5HJVROA_gTUYANk7DSM5HWmEjxcASWY_j00VyFdy4-g8/s1600/CalliopeFeeder3-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZPKDb2q0OfdYWH88pJdnhNy5532ZfWTdnIV6IahfSSj5lLJg__CammkMda3FW20xaol3b8Xe00YD0GF5dbLFUnMY_D7qg1du5HJVROA_gTUYANk7DSM5HWmEjxcASWY_j00VyFdy4-g8/s400/CalliopeFeeder3-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male Calliope Hummingbird is a very uncommon migrant in our area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">The second piece of big news involves a regular summer breeder that is much less common at backyard feeders than its Eastern cousin. Unlike the Indigo Buntings that are native east of the Rockies, Lazuli Buntings tend to shy away from urban areas. They gravitate towards rural meadows, often at higher elevations. So I was very surprised (and pleased!) to spot a timid female feeding on millet that I dumped on the ground for the sparrows last week. This is the first yard Lazuli that I've hosted in six years of living out here. This individual was skittish that I took photographs from behind my semi-dirty windows:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6wU4COLivN1ZvzNT1VeCxbTptPoaIzh_zIYcEyIiFPCSsLsolpJcYBFJVLeUZ59EtfaSW-F1rzb1sxec5vilAmLDitJwR3muTQspmmArYRvIc18Iaw5oc3OVvuwlIw7CBPXsdoOMFyZP/s1600/Lazuli-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6wU4COLivN1ZvzNT1VeCxbTptPoaIzh_zIYcEyIiFPCSsLsolpJcYBFJVLeUZ59EtfaSW-F1rzb1sxec5vilAmLDitJwR3muTQspmmArYRvIc18Iaw5oc3OVvuwlIw7CBPXsdoOMFyZP/s400/Lazuli-L.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A timid female Lazuli Bunting cautiously surveys the yard before coming down to feed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was also somewhat surprised to see a Swainson's Thrush feeding on berries in my neighbor's ivy patch this morning. Swainson's Thrushes are semi-common yard migrants in May and late August/early September, though they're far from a lock to visit. They also like to stay buried in dense foliage and are thus difficult to photograph.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I mentioned earlier, the influx of many species of warblers appears to have subsided. However, Wilson's Warblers can are still semi-regularly visible in the neighborhood. A whopping number of 24 were reported at Skinner Butte (downtown) this morning. I'm not sure why, but this seems to be a banner year for them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Wilson's Warbler finds a grub in the neighbor's yard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Swainson's Thrush enjoys berries on a Saturday morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two weeks ago, I was excited to spot a Pacific-slope Flycatcher hawking insects from multiple neighors' trees. Pacific-slopes are one of three <i>Empidonax</i> flycatchers that breed locally (Hammond's and Willow are the other two) and I had never hosted a Pacific-slope in my yard before. However, my excitement soon turned to frustration because I was unable to get a halfway decent photograph of the individual. Many species of Tyrant Flycatchers hawk insects from out in the open, but Pacific-slopes tend to stay very close to or buried inside foliage. Thankfully, this individual (or one nearly identical to it) was here the following weekend and I managed to snap one or two decent pics as it hawked insects from an immature fir in the neighbor's yard. Not long after that, I spotted a Hammond's Flycatcher in an adjacent tree. Woo-hoo!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After a week, I <i>finally</i> managed to snap a decent photo of this elusive Pacific-slope Flycatcher.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Hammond's Flycatcher showed up for the photo shoot shortly afterwards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Western Tanagers began to appear high up in the trees at the beginning of the month, but they have not come down to either the suet or sugar-water feeders. The first-of-the-season Black-headed Grosbeak (a mature male) arrived on May 4th. Black-headed Grosbeaks sometimes don't make their way to the feeders until mid-May, though the first week of May is pretty typical for the first really significant wave of migrants. Since the sighting of that first male, I've hosted multiple females and juvenile (second-year) males. I had hope that my new large sugar-water feeder would draw in a <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bullocks_Oriole/id">Bullock's Oriole</a>, but no dice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Black-headed Grosbeaks have been frequenting the sunflower and suet feeders for the past week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rufous Hummingbirds (especially females) are still here on a regular basis. They have historically not bred in my previous neighborhoods, but perhaps I'll get lucky this year. If I still see them in June, that means that they're breeding locally. A couple of days ago, a small flock of <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/id">Cedar Waxwings</a> perched briefly in our large black walnut, before moving on to who-knows-where. Their flocks will likely break up soon as they begin to nest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of the "regular" yard birds, Pine Siskins, Black-capped Chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers have been the most abundant. The half-dozen or fewer siskins that are still around are likely local breeders and we will probably see fledglings at the feeders by the end of the month. The influx of Downy Woodpecker visits since the beginning of the month is a possible sign that a pair is breeding locally as well. A pair of <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chestnut-backed_Chickadee/id">Chestnut-backed Chickadees</a> brought their fledglings to the yard last weekend. That was a nice treat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of our wintering individuals are gone. Northern Flickers have been completely absent for the past few weeks or so. I saw one semi-clueless Golden-crowned Sparrow who appeared to be <i>en route</i>, but they've been largely absent for the past week or so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A female Rufous Hummer hits up the nectar feeder on a cold early May morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's about it for now. Unless something awesomely exciting shows up within the next two weeks, you probably won't hear from me again until the end of the month or early June. Lots going on over the next two weeks. Over that time, we just may see our first-of-the-season Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, or Yellow Warbler. Until then, good birding.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-25478191865260474812012-04-29T23:23:00.001-07:002012-04-29T23:28:48.075-07:00The Big Morning<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As April has progressed, more migratory birds have been moving in (and out). We are currently at the peak of spring migration, as reflected by this weekend's exceptional activity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always like to begin posts with a photo that will catch the attention of the casual reader (yes, all three of you). I had been trying to get a nice photo of a male Rufous Hummingbird all spring and was fortunate to have two males fighting over the nectar feeder last Saturday. My opportunity finally arrived and I didn't hesitate to take advantage!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But as interesting as Rufous Hummers are, they're not the big story right now. Yesterday, I hosted the most impressive spring migratory morning that I can remember. It began at approximately 7:15 am when I spotted an <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Orange-crowned_Warbler/id">Orange-crowned Warbler</a> foraging through my neighbor's bushes. Orange-crowns are our most common summer warbler and the first large wave of them passed through earlier in the month, so this was interesting, but not incredibly so. Shortly afterwards, I noticed a larger bird hawking insects from the same tree. A look through the binoculars revealed a greenish-gray bird approximately 6" in length with a habit of cocking its tail. Definitely an Empidonax flycatcher. Flycatchers of this genus are notoriously difficult to identify. However, the long-ish, bi-colored bill and prominent eye ring strongly suggested a <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific-slope_Flycatcher/id">Pacific-slope Flycatcher</a>. The only other Empid flycatcher with the same bill type that is found in this region in late April/early May is the Willow Flycatcher. Given that Willows have very faint eye rings and are grayer in color, I'm confident that this individual was a Pacific-slope. It came back to this tree a couple of times later in the morning but, unlike the Willow Flycatchers I've hosted in the past, stayed perched deep within the tree. So a photograph wasn't going to happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, more photogenic birds were on their way. Approximately 10 minutes later, I spotted a pair of Wilson's Warblers in that same tree (what is it with this tree?). These individuals foraged through our yard afterwards, before moving elsewhere. Almost immediately afterwards, I spotted a MacGillivray's Warbler back in the neighbor's yard. It posed long enough in the neighbor's fir for a photo, before darting across the fence into our Wax Myrtle bushes. True to form, the MacGillivray's stayed low to the ground (they rarely forage above eye level). After a lull in the action, I stepped back inside and, after looking out the other window, noticed a Nashville Warbler in one of our Photinias. What a crazy morning!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male MacGillivray's Warbler hangs out in our neighborhood for a while on a late April morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Nashville Warbler joins the fun.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dPA04bKUGnh6AolAGdr1QlMGEsWbiP0f1krBkTpOeJDpuuUK5S91X8iyWWHJSb5pnMCPzl44QdeYFrARP6UY-Kya0SVEb-dWt1kZVQDI0doMlRDTpkhBbf9vt9QRgbJ0-GUmUy0Q5GDv/s1600/Wilsons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dPA04bKUGnh6AolAGdr1QlMGEsWbiP0f1krBkTpOeJDpuuUK5S91X8iyWWHJSb5pnMCPzl44QdeYFrARP6UY-Kya0SVEb-dWt1kZVQDI0doMlRDTpkhBbf9vt9QRgbJ0-GUmUy0Q5GDv/s400/Wilsons.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This blurry Wilson's Warbler was less cooperative with my camera. A better photo from last August can be found <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9jbOpynNt_I7Ym1anNJ0Ul_UG2YA70DqMnY8gaKay_laMKjJbjZZ3HxEeC-3ipsnh0-5y8cKIU_ed2EqG0dwfEdWydymQ7N3xZWdYe8XRxanA80Z0MB3SXa9eScsr326R5JlgS4_N9h9/s1600/WilsonsWarbler.jpg">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I was making a report of these sightings at my desk, I could see the MacGillivray's foraging through the ornamental shrubs in our front yard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This crazy morning was rounded out by migratory sparrows. As mentioned in the last post, White-crowned Sparrows have been visiting in modest numbers. Some "pure" <i>gambelli</i> subspecies individuals were observed a couple of weeks ago, but we're now hosting an individual whose field marks suggest it's of mixed race. Interestingly, our <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtoqHrjbVUzFixlvlZaRInf2hgAlTjdi9vOGTRlZDTdcvZTWKKU4YfanU8g5hwoJMwn92jc7HeTw5dVXlUTdlYIlfLBUSgx9T-naeNL92-eE3YTcWrz7JTJs5oGpK1EdP-WNYlSi5kix9/s1600/WTSparrowTan.jpg">overwintering tan-striped morph White-throated Sparrow</a> was part of the Saturday madness as well. I'm somewhat surprised that it's still hanging around. Also present that morning were two Golden-crowned Sparrows. At least 2-3 different individuals have been frequenting the yard for the past couple of weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This Golden-crowned Sparrow stocks up on seed before moving to its breeding grounds in Canada/Alaska</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to be forgotten, the first <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Warbling_Vireo/id">Warbling Vireo</a> of the year made its way through the yard last Tuesday. (It didn't want to pose for a photo, either.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other recent changes in the yard include the absence of many local wintering species, including Dark-eyed Juncos, Varied Thrushes, Townsend's Warblers, Purple Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, and Northern Flickers. Adding to the mix are American Goldfinches and House Finches, both of whom were unusually underrepresented this winter. Chestnut-backed Chickadees, who were also sporadic this past winter, have also made something of a comeback over the past week or so. (Perhaps a pair is nesting locally?) Approximately a dozen Pine Siskins continue to visit the feeders. I imagine that many of these individuals will breed locally this summer, which means that fledglings will be in the yard in another month or so. Small flocks of Evening Grosbeaks continue to nomadically roam around town, sometimes coming down to visit the feeders, sometimes not. They will begin to move into their breeding grounds in the foothills in another 2-3 weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">American Goldfinches, Lesser Goldfinches, and Pine Siskins visit the sunflower feeder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we get into May, we will enter the downslope of migratory movement. Black-headed Grosbeaks are in town (I saw one downtown this morning) and should be visiting the sunflower feeders any day now. Western Tanagers and Bullock's Orioles may also visit the yard over the next couple of weeks. Willow Flycatchers and Western Wood-Pewees will also make their way into the area by mid-May. It'll be interesting to see which of these visits the yard next.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-30747368867094490902012-04-17T21:58:00.000-07:002012-04-17T21:58:05.677-07:00Seasonal Movement<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the March's endless rain and snow now in the rear-view, spring migration is finally underway. Due to the continuation of somewhat soggier-than-usual conditions (we weren't going to get off <i>that</i> easy now!), migration seems to be running about a week or so behind. Still, the past couple of weeks have been fruitful and exciting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Orange-crowned Warblers (above) are a harbinger of spring for much of North America. Here in the Pacific Northwest, Orange-crowns begin to make their way through between mid-March and early April. The individual pictured above was photographed on Easter morning (April 8th) which, as we'll show later, was a heck of a morning for local movement. The migratory wave that brought this individual to the yard was about a week later than usual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early- and mid-April have also brought us a large movement of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. These diminutive, hyperactive birds winter in the Willamette Valley and make their annual pilgrimage to the Cascades and surrounding foothills at this time of the year. The local movement this season seemed unusually high, with over 70 individuals reported at a popular birding location in town last week. They were omnipresent for much of the first week and a half of the month in my yard, with three individuals spotted in my cherry tree just a couple of days ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This male Ruby-crowned Kinglet works one of the neighbor's trees</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Rufous Hummingbird cautiously waits for me to go back inside before returning to the nectar feeder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rufous Hummingbirds, first spotted way back during the second week of March, have continued to make their way through since the beginning of the month. Females predominated at the end of March and early April, but males have had a more-or-less equal showing since. Rufous Hummingbirds have historically disappeared from my yard by mid-May (presumably not breeding in the area), but hopefully that changes this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Migratory sparrows have also been coming through. Last week, a trio of "Gambel's" subspecies White-crowned Sparrows (subspecies <i>gambelli</i>) made an appearance in the yard (thanks to Dave Irons for the subspecies ID). This subspecies winters in the Southwest and breeds in Western Canada and Alaska. Thus, they are strictly migratory in our neck of the woods. (Conversely, our typical winter vistors, the <i>pugetensis</i> subspecies, are year-round residents.) Two Gambel's WC Sparrows were in the yard yesterday, accompanied by one of our overwintering White-throated Sparrows. A Golden-crowned Sparrow (almost done molting into breeding plumage) was scratching around for seed beneath the feeders this morning. This Golden-crown, who also breeds in Western Alaska and Canada, will likely make its way north soon. A Fox Sparrow (not shown) was also spotted in the yard last week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This migatory "Gambel's" White-crowned Sparrow can be differentiated from the local <i>pugetensis</i> subspecies, in part, by the bright white spots on its upper back, its thin black post-ocular stripe, and the very limited amount of dark coloring at the tip of its otherwise corn-yellow bill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A molting and soon-to-be migrating Golden-crowned Sparrow stops in for a snack </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our most abundant sparrow, the Dark-eyed Junco, is also on its way out. Though not migratory in the true sense (in fact, a small number breed locally), most breed in the Cascade foothills. A week ago, I could easily count a half dozen in the yard. Now, I have two remaining individuals. I imagine that they'll be gone by this time next week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Local (non-migratory) movement is also big at this time of the year. Many species of birds winter in the lowland urban areas and breed in the forests just outside of town. On Eastern morning, we were blessed (no pun intended) by two of my favorites: Evening Grosbeaks (above) and Purple Finches. Evening Grosbeaks have been flocking around town for most of the first half of the month. At the beginning of the month, there was a flock of almost 30 split between our large Black Walnut and one of my neighbor's trees. The following weekend, two females and a male came down to feed in the yard. Just a few minutes later, a lone male Purple Finch began snacking at the same feeder. April is a good time to see both species (Evening Grosbeaks tend to hang out here a little longer, into mid-May)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Purple Finch with a mouthfull of sunflower</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pine Siskins continue to hang around in flocks of 15-20. Though they typically breed in the coniferous forests of the Cascades and surrounding foothills, some tend to hang around and breed locally (especially after an irruptive winter).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The large flocks of Pine Siskins (above) finally caught the eye of the local Accipiters (small hawks). Both Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks have been making the rounds recently. Our local female Cooper's (below) has been especially aggressive, hunting in the yard multiple times over the past week. She was even accommodating enough to give my rather loud two-year-old a good look...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the midst of migratory madness, we would be remiss to omit a discussion of our year-round locals. Anna's Hummers are still in shorter-than-usual supply due to the wet weather, but are still hanging around and resisting the migratory surge of the notoriously-aggressive Rufous Hummers. Northern Flickers seem to have left for their woodland breeding grounds, but I'm still seeing a fair number of Downy Woodpeckers at the suet feeders. Bushtits and Black-capped Chickadees - both local breeders - continue to represent in typical numbers. American Goldfinches, greatly underrepresented this winter, have made something of a comeback. And that's great, because the males look marvelous in their breeding plumage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A female Downy Woodpecker stops in for some suet</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This mostly-molted male American Goldfinch looks great in its breeding plumage. I hope to see more of them this summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love ending with a nice, bright American Goldfinch. They're a beacon of better weather to come in a sea of overcast skies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's supposed to be warm and sunny this weekend, with highs in the 70s. And that means more migrants! Black-throated Gray Warblers have made their way into town and will probably appear in the yard soon. We may also see our first-of-the-season Nashville Warblers and Cassin's Vireos soon as well. And we're about two weeks away from our first-of-the-season Black-headed Grosbeak. What an exciting time. Until then, good birding...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-60289382511023930532012-04-01T17:56:00.004-07:002012-04-03T21:19:34.327-07:00Hooray, it's Spring!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three weeks ago, we had back-to-back days of sunshine and temperatures in the 60s. I began to wonder if I might be able to plant a couple of weeks early this year. Mother Nature responded with a reality check of rain, followed by a surprise visit from Old Man Winter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the morning of March 21st, we received 6" of heavy, wet snow that brought down many trees and shrubs around town (thankfully, ours suffered minimal damage). Most of Eugene was shut down that morning, and I used the half day off work to replenish feeders, sprinkle seed under our arborvitae trees, and to brush snow off of the foliage hummingbird feeder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Birds like the Pine Siskin pictured above did just fine in the adverse conditions (a lot better than our neighbor's tree, at least) and, of course, the snow eventually melted. The cold and snow gave then way to to moderate temperatures and rain. Lots of rain. We received just under 10" of rain in March, almost twice the average for the month. This has put a real damper (no pun intended) on hummingbird visits to the yard. Since spotting the male Rufous Hummer just under three weeks ago, only one other individual has been observed in the yard (a female, last weekend). Even the regular Anna's Hummers have been visiting less frequently than usual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A male Varied Thrush forages through leaf litter on a rainy March afternoon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins dine on hulled sunflower. The former are making a comeback.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many other species seem unfazed by the December-esque weather. Large flocks of Pine Siskins still visit the feeders daily. Northern Flickers, Downy Woodpeckers, and both species of goldfinches (American and Lesser) are more frequent visitors now than in previous months. American Goldfinches have visited in unusually small numbers this winter. The snowstorm brought our previously-regular White-throated Sparrow (white-striped morph) and an immature White-crowned Sparrow out of the woodwork. Diseased Pine Siskins, omnipresent in any large flock, brought a mature adult Sharp-shinned Hawk to the yard a couple of times back in mid-March. While on their way out now, a half dozen Varied Thrushes were present in the yard last weekend. And we are still entertaining double-digit numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos. The winter weather may have delayed the latter two species from returning to their higher-elevation breeding grounds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of this winter's regular White-throated Sparrows forages for seed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A "Slate-colored" Dark-eyed Junco feeds with a small flock of its "Oregon" subspecies friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Spotted Towhee forages for seed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, this weather "setback" is only temporary. The rhododendrons and magnolia tree are beginning to bloom and my cherry tree and little Sitka mountainash are beginning to sprout leaves. Some of our feathered friends are also beginning to sport their breeding plumages. Not even Old Man Winter can stop the inevitable...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This "Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler has almost completely molted into its breeding plumage...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">...and this male American Goldfinch isn't far behind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week also marks the end of <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/index.html">FeederWatch</a>. A summary of my counts for the 2011-2012 season are listed below. Given that this was the first year of feeding birds in this yard, I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with an average of 17.8 species per weekend and six weekends of 20+ species. Heck, any winter with an Evening Grosbeak visit is a good one in my book! This was a banner year for Pine Siskins and also a strong year for Varied Thrushes. I was also pleasantly surprised to have regular Bewick's Wrens and Spotted Towhees for the duration of the winter season. This was a very auspicious beginning to what I hope will become a very "birdy" yard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's it for now. We should be seeing more Rufous Hummers over the next couple of weeks (and perhaps a Calliope if we're really lucky). It's possible that we'll get a visit from a Chipping Sparrow or Orange-crowned Warbler soon, and perhaps a Hammond's Flycatcher in a couple of weeks. Spring migration always brings lots of fun surprises.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-7640548974270052002012-03-10T14:16:00.002-08:002012-03-10T14:20:36.917-08:00Changes<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The past couple of weeks have afforded some significant changes, both in the weather and the bird count. As is typical of mid-March, winter is still lurking but is on its last legs. The changes, they are a' comin'...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While winter migrants such as Dark-eyed Juncos, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Townsend's Warblers, Pine Siskins, and Varied Thrushes (above) are still present in the yard, their numbers and/or frequency of appearance have dropped significantly in the past two weeks. Not long ago, flocks of 50+ Pine Siskins jammed the feeders, Varied Thrushes could be spotted in the yard relatively easily, and multiple Townsend's Warblers make frequent trips to the suet feeders throughout the day. Over the past couple of weeks, the Pine Siskin flock has been diminished to approximately a dozen. The other aforementioned species have been visiting in much smaller numbers, and less frequently than before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some other species have been MIA altogether. I have not seen our two local Bewick's Wrens for almost two weeks, nor have I spotted the two overwintering White-throated Sparrows that have been regulars for the past three months. The loss of the latter to the seasonal change is understandable, but I'm surprised that the Bewick's Wrens suddenly disappeared. Perhaps they have chosen to nest elsewhere this year. Downy Woodpeckers and Chestnut-backed Chickadees have also been MIA over the past couple of weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Heavy snow falls on the morning of March 6th.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Just three days later, sun and temperatures in the 60s bring out the first-of-the-season Rufous Hummingbird.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The past week's weather could be best described as schizophrenic. March greeted us with sun and temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Temperatures dropped after the first weekend, accompanied by rain and morning snow. And then, just a couple of days ago, the sun and 60-degree weather returned... and brought with it our first-of-the-season Rufous Hummingbird. Rufous Hummingbirds begin arriving on the coast in mid-February, and then typically wait 2-4 weeks to traverse the Coast Range into the Willamette Valley. Our first March Rufous sighting is highly variable (sometime in between the first and third weeks of the month), so this one was pretty much "on schedule." I'm pretty sure that the recent warm weather was responsible for its presence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to the apparent loss of our Bewick's Wrens, more movement at the local level was evident today when the first Ruby-crowned Kinglet (above) since December was observed foraging through our trees. RC Kinglet movement typically becomes more pronounced in late March/early April, so I was a little surprised to see this guy this morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Lesser (left) and American Goldfinches. This photo gives a nice contrast between the two species. Note the larger size of the American Goldfinch, the darker coloring of the wings, and the more bronze-like hue to its plumage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In the midst of our current "bird dought," Northern Flicker numbers have remained high.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Despite the loss of our White-throated Sparrows, the local Song Sparrow still represents at the feeders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While bird count has been somewhat disappointing lately, at least 15 species have been observed over each of the past two weekends. So we're still in pretty good shape. Moreover, March is typically a strong month for yard birds and a rebound towards the mean would be a significant improvement. Over the next few weeks, I'll be on the lookout for more birds gearing to move into their summer breeding grounds, such as Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Purple Finches, and more Yellow-rumped Warblers. Chipping Sparrows and female Rufous Hummingbirds should be our next summer migrants, typically arriving later this month. Until then, good birding...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3711534201953838909.post-14543997348570132462012-02-19T15:48:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:48:33.903-08:00An Unconventional Winter<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If asked to summarize this winter's yard population in one word, that word would be "unconventional." Mind you, it's been a great winter and the yard count/diversity has exceeded expectations. It all just turned out a little differently than I expected.</span><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhoJaNKiz4tI27NUZyPDUwdI-92rHuX1_6Sfn0V_3W59C20ZVj9FoV5-nlSAQoFzFZzN2IV1he1NLWyu4VR5Y-gtrlbtXKggcGseUNJ1u5XiGHVl-aBd2RYPtsKqTnO02QGeMw6rsUZPm/s1600/TownsendsWarbler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhoJaNKiz4tI27NUZyPDUwdI-92rHuX1_6Sfn0V_3W59C20ZVj9FoV5-nlSAQoFzFZzN2IV1he1NLWyu4VR5Y-gtrlbtXKggcGseUNJ1u5XiGHVl-aBd2RYPtsKqTnO02QGeMw6rsUZPm/s400/TownsendsWarbler.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Some of my predictions, such as an increase in Townsend's Warblers (above) were spot-on, given the overgrowth in the neighbor's yard. Frequent visits by Bewick's Wrens and Spotted Towhees also seemed to be a no-brainer.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoUUTMSssVR7WEWc9cq1UCy-jzhbcqLhtqXxTydDSkjZZKzLEQ2fpo_zm7l1JcGVc6EXMF1rnfFLdkQk8VC8Xs0HyY9xMghusOK-iPikcMowMa_qsHK7R1-1HPEreC1ebGCAwYG5wvR4y/s1600/SiskinsTube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoUUTMSssVR7WEWc9cq1UCy-jzhbcqLhtqXxTydDSkjZZKzLEQ2fpo_zm7l1JcGVc6EXMF1rnfFLdkQk8VC8Xs0HyY9xMghusOK-iPikcMowMa_qsHK7R1-1HPEreC1ebGCAwYG5wvR4y/s1600/SiskinsTube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoUUTMSssVR7WEWc9cq1UCy-jzhbcqLhtqXxTydDSkjZZKzLEQ2fpo_zm7l1JcGVc6EXMF1rnfFLdkQk8VC8Xs0HyY9xMghusOK-iPikcMowMa_qsHK7R1-1HPEreC1ebGCAwYG5wvR4y/s400/SiskinsTube.jpg" width="266" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I never imagined that I'd be hosting 40-50 Pine Siskins (left) per day in a non-irruptive winter. Nor did I imagine that I'd have a massive dearth of American Goldfinches and House Finches accompanying the insane numbers of siskins. Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly take the Pine Siskins over those two relatively ho-hum species. I'm just very surprised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was also surprised to have so much trouble attracting woodpeckers from October through early January. Our new home is in a semi-wooded area, with oak, black walnut, arborvitae, cherry, apple, and even a redwood in the immediate vicinity of our yard. I hung a tail-prop suet feeder from a branch of the cherry tree next to our deck and saw nothing but warblers at it from late October through December. The first Downy Woodpecker was observed at it in early January and Northern Flickers began to frequent it soon afterwards. Now the latter species is there so often that I'm replacing the suet cake weekly! It sure took them a while to get there, but better late than never.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When one thinks of winter sparrows in the Pacific Northwest, the two that come to mind are the Golden-crowned and White-crowned. I host at least one or two of each for much of a typical winter. However, this year, I've recorded <i>one sighting</i> of each just once. In their place have been two White-throated Sparrows, which are <i>much</i> less common than their aforementioned relatives out here. Again, I'm not complaining... just a little surprised. Yesterday, a Fox Sparrow was perched in the neighbor's apple tree. While Fox Sparrows are common winter residents, I typically don't see them here they begin to move on to their breeding grounds in April and May. Go figure.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64Q_mtck6iy4jEX5Xl8Lf3r7jGdeNlxh51fI-z2yAP27jdHTdbEFzWUPTJuYjieL3I32-obgHJEULJrqO_PEXaytsoIeOfcK8Sy-7jmLbM6W9eTstjP73EvGRswWpz6rCjH2JWSicZxKs/s1600/WTSparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64Q_mtck6iy4jEX5Xl8Lf3r7jGdeNlxh51fI-z2yAP27jdHTdbEFzWUPTJuYjieL3I32-obgHJEULJrqO_PEXaytsoIeOfcK8Sy-7jmLbM6W9eTstjP73EvGRswWpz6rCjH2JWSicZxKs/s400/WTSparrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This White-throated Sparrow is one of the many surprises that the Winter of 2011-12 has brought us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A more conventional Song Sparrow feeds on millet and cracked corn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">One of at least two Northern Flickers who have been frequenting my suet feeder over the past month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of the area's more common visitors have also been on an uptick over the past month. Bewick's Wren males have been singing since early January and it looks like a pair may be preparing to nest in the area. At least two of them have been using the feeders frequently over the past few weeks. Song Sparrows, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and American Crows are also frequenting the feeders more frequently than during the late fall/early winter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conversely, Lesser Goldfinch numbers have been falling steadily since early January. Up until recently, Black-capped Chickadees had always shown up in numbers of 2-4. But I'm only seeing one at a time now for some reason. Western Scrub-Jays are also visting the feeders much less frequently than before. Not sure what the deal is there. Perhaps a neighbor is offering peanuts in a non-size-selective feeder.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZkHHecLFSOQn9uuk8_fNVsRisnwF3mrc0NgJALu7BcpfFueg0YhnFI41xseIQRrZbwtnKDZVxUlKMEzs_hrpVehBcYQ_pNTRDZSjLlaL0Y7Ic67SshO1O6Op4idQVBPfj-SSxyPKgxme/s1600/BewicksWren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZkHHecLFSOQn9uuk8_fNVsRisnwF3mrc0NgJALu7BcpfFueg0YhnFI41xseIQRrZbwtnKDZVxUlKMEzs_hrpVehBcYQ_pNTRDZSjLlaL0Y7Ic67SshO1O6Op4idQVBPfj-SSxyPKgxme/s400/BewicksWren.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A curious Bewick's Wren nibbles on hulled sunflower bits</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAOkK9bqwRImxt3uaA7RHS_RLIqrOYLxQZj8i93ULo9meYqFT-FADlib1KB5llkWEZ5u1WdPd8GsKLwEI9l1TQzfMB2AfuLh5zz4nzL7tBbbjq0hFnEidN_R3TtNcodJFEAcbpIgCc5DC/s1600/BCChickadee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAOkK9bqwRImxt3uaA7RHS_RLIqrOYLxQZj8i93ULo9meYqFT-FADlib1KB5llkWEZ5u1WdPd8GsKLwEI9l1TQzfMB2AfuLh5zz4nzL7tBbbjq0hFnEidN_R3TtNcodJFEAcbpIgCc5DC/s400/BCChickadee.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Multiple Black-capped Chickadees used to be the norm, but no longer.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNP6c-l4z2ksnjjubGpKhqutj8MQhyphenhyphenwBOMifemSZmu9cfLwETVxH1IY-xks7jJxOoMyeR3ucggtuDrqIrlk1CM__Y7m6CxFx3I-HkFz0cNwD6nF0Uei14BethQq-3ljDU0qPaDiPC-rw08/s1600/Annas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNP6c-l4z2ksnjjubGpKhqutj8MQhyphenhyphenwBOMifemSZmu9cfLwETVxH1IY-xks7jJxOoMyeR3ucggtuDrqIrlk1CM__Y7m6CxFx3I-HkFz0cNwD6nF0Uei14BethQq-3ljDU0qPaDiPC-rw08/s400/Annas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This female Anna's Hummingbird stands guard near the nectar feeder. Soon, she'll have to fight off aggressive Rufous Hummingbirds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that pretty much wraps up the past few weeks. Rufous Hummingbirds began to arrive on the coast about a week ago and they'll begin to traverse the Coast Range into the Valley soon. Our first sighting will likely be between the first and third weeks of March. I hope to have some nice photos posted by then (and perhaps some more of Evening Grosbeaks and Purple Finches). Until then...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>BJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13591980294071742268noreply@blogger.com0