Happy Memorial Day! In addition to honoring our soldiers, Memorial Day also doubles as the unofficial first day of summer. In that sense, it also serves as a nice point to take stock of the second half of spring. And what a spring it's been...
Black-headed Grosbeaks are unpredictable. Some years (like 2008), several of them will show up at your feeders in May. In other years (like 2009), you may see one in the spring and the next one won't stop by until August. Thankfully this year was a lot more like 2008 - but even better. The first individual, a mature male, showed up on the 11th, which is about a half-week later than usual. A male and a female showed up late in the day of the 21st, and then no fewer than 7 individuals were counted the following morning. This was the best showing of Black-headed Grosbeaks that I've ever seen (my previous record was 5 in early May of 2008). A female is still hanging around and occasionally dining at the sunflower feeder.
A male Black-headed Grosbeak poses for a photo...
... and a female does the same a few minutes later.
They are one of the few species where, in my opinion, the females are as pretty as the males.
This second-year male could be identified both via its incomplete dark head plumage and the fact that it was visibly smaller than the mature adults that it accompanied.
Black-headed Grosbeaks are majestic and always a welcome sight. But what visited on the 23rd absolutely blew my mind. I've been trying for YEARS to attract Evening Grosbeaks to my feeders. And in two different states (Illinois is the other), no luck. But that all changed last Sunday, when my wife noticed a "yellow-ish grosbeak" that turned out to be a stunning male (later accompanied by a female). These two visited the feeders from the late morning through the afternoon and were never seen again. (They were most likely on their way up into the hills to breed.) Perhaps we'll never see them in the yard again, but the feeling of triumph will live on. It was definitely worth the wait and persistence.
A beautiful male Evening Grosbeak enjoys sunflower.
This female Evening Grosbeak waits out the rain in our bushes.
If that wasn't cool enough (and it's darn near impossible to beat), other migrants have also graced our presence over the past two weeks. In the week leading up to the Grosbeak-fest, a male Wilson's Warbler was seen flitting around the neighbor's apple tree. Wilson's are common migrants, but usually don't hang around for long. However, this individual has been a semi-regular since then (just saw him out back a few minutes ago). The day after that, a Swainson's Thrush briefly passed through the yard during a downpour, and a Warbling Vireo was observed foraging through our neighbor's tree in the early evening. A female Brown-headed Cowbird also stopped in for a bite to eat the following day. Earlier in the month, a male Red-winged Blackbird became a regular at the feeders. Now, two females have joined him (he must be a real ladies' man!) Interestingly, both strongly prefer peanuts over sunflower. I'm wondering if sunflower and peanuts are the respective blackbird equivalent of potato chips and chocolate.
A Warbling Vireo forages for insects.
This female Brown-headed Cowbird stopped by one day, but hasn't been seen since.
One of two female Red-winged Blackbirds who visit regularly now.
So, yes, lots of new species in the yard this summer. But our regulars are still around, for the most part. One of the interesting "regular" developments is an increase in the number of Lesser Goldfinches, to the point where they're outnumbering American Goldfinches. This is most likely due to fledglings (Lessers breed MUCH earlier than Americans). House Finches have also made a comeback, again, mostly due to the fact that they need to feed their fledglings. Black-capped Chickadees are still going in and out of the nesting box next to our front door, indicating that eggs have likely been laid. They've gone out of their way to be inconspicuous and I haven't been shoving a camera in their faces, either. I'll wait until the young have hatched. Western Scrub-Jays are also hanging around in increased numbers, and we expect to see their young in July or so. One of them actually attacked a fledgling House Finch, which really surprised me. I wouldn't even expect that behavior from a Blue Jay.
This male Lesser Goldfinch is now a regular.
This Black-capped Chickadee has been very busy lately!
And this fledgling House Finch survived an attack from a Scrub-Jay, apparently without any serious wounds.
But, of course, it hasn't been all sunshine and lollipops here. Starlings began to invade the yard a week ago, in search of easy nourishment for their young. A flock of 10 went through a suet cake in one day, prompting me to leave the feeder empty for a while. (Sorry, Downy Woodpeckers.) Hopefully they'll disperse in a couple of weeks. We also hosted two pigeons briefly, a not-so-subtle reminder that, grosbeaks or not, we still live in an urban area.
A bastard Starling siphons money out of my wallet.
Unlike the Starlings, they thankfully didn't return.
Well, that's about it for now. The major migratory activity is pretty much over now, but perhaps I'll get lucky and see something unexpected over the next couple of weeks. A photo of fledgling Chickadees is a possibility.
The past month has been interesting, alternating rapidly between rapidly-exciting and mind-numbingly boring. I can't say that I've ever witnessed a spring migration like this before.
The most exciting find was a female Calliope Hummingbird, first observed in late April. This rare migrant spends its summers in the inland mountain/desert regions of the Western US, from Eastern British Columbia, to Western Wyoming, and south into the Sierra Nevada range. Interestingly, they've been all over the Willamette Valley this year and nobody knows why. A couple of weeks after this female was photographed, a male made an appearance, followed by a second female a couple of days later. What a treat.
On the eve of the Calliope sighting, I noticed a small-ish bird hawking insects from the neighbor's apple tree. After numerous failed attempts, I finally got a couple of decent photos through the thick foliage and discovered a flycatcher of the Empidonax genus (they're rather difficult to identify). With significant help from Dave Irons and Shawneen Finnegan, my tentative ID of a Hammond's Flycatcher was confirmed. This was a lifer for me, and not something that one sees in the backyard every day. A few days later, I woke up to see another small bird hawking insects from the same tree. A long peek through the binoculars revealed a more familiar species: a Cassin's Vireo. Again, not something that one sees in the yard every day. Migration is such an interesting time of the year.
An out-of-focus Hammond's Flycatcher feeds on insects.
An elusive MacGillivray's Warbler forages in the cover of our Rhododendron bushes.
A Black-headed Grosbeak inconspicuously snacks on cracked corn just before dusk.
The excitement of migration carried over into May. After getting off of work early one Friday afternoon, I was able to observe a male MacGillivray's Warbler foraging for insects in our bushes. I had hoped to get a better photo, but my two-month-old vomited formula all over the couch in the middle of this sighting, so I'm left with the "meh" picture shown above. Upon hearing of a "fallout" of Black-headed Grosbeaks and Western Tanagers last Tuesday, I decided to keep an eye on the feeders as I worked that evening. I looked up at about 7:45 and, sure enough, there was a very quiet male Black-headed Grosbeak at the ground feeder. I haven't seen one since, but they're still moving through at this point and I may get lucky again.
This male Red-winged Blackbird has morphed into something of a regular.
Anna's Hummingbirds are still out in full force. Their offspring are also beginning to appear.
Downy Woodpecker numbers have held steady this spring.
One of two Western Scrub-Jays that frequent the yard.
Migrants haven't been the entire story. Many of our regulars- including Western Scrub-Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches, and House Finches are still visiting multiple times per day. A Red-winged Blackbird has even become a regular. Interestingly, the finch numbers have fallen through the floor since early/mid April. It's unusual for us to now host more than a few House Finches or American Goldfinches at a time. Many other regular and semi-regular species, such as Bushtits, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Northern Flickers, haven't seen observed for over a month now. I can frequently look out the back window and see... nothing. It's not exactly shocking, as this is the time of year when natural food is becoming plentiful. But it sure does feel strange.
The other major piece of news is that the Black-capped Chickadees who were flying in and out of the nesting box near our front door last month are still doing so. At first, I had thought that they might simply be roosting there. But they're still going in and out during the middle of the afternoon, which almost certainly means that they've constructed a nest inside. I'm very hesitant to disturb them, so I'm going to wait for the fledglings to leave before I open it up to photograph the nest. I hope to have several fledgling photos in the next post.
Sitka Mountain-ash (Sorbus sitchensis)
Cascade Oregon-grape (Mahonia nervosa)
I've take the time (and invested the money) to plant some bird-friendly shrubs around the yard that yield berries in the late summer/fall. I have no idea if I'll get a crop out of either of these this year (they're still both pretty small), but we'll see. Somebody at some point will enjoy these.
And that's it for now. We'll see what the next month brings...
March is often described as a month that begins as one season and ends as another. In most places in the county, that's probably true. The clock out here, however, is turned forward about two weeks, so we're into full-blown spring by mid-March. And when mid-April rolls around, well, it's pretty much summer already. The flowers are in full bloom, mates have been chosen, and the large flocks that used the visit the feeders have moved on. But this time of the year still keeps thing interesting by bringing migrants to the yard.
While natural food sources tend to replace bird seed and suet at this time of the year, sugar-water is still all the rage for hummers. These energy-inefficient little gems don't care how they get their carbs. And hummers appear to really like our new yard. We've been hosting at least five different Anna's and Rufous Hummingbirds (above) and it seems that at least one of them is here constantly. They constantly fight over the main nectar feeder (the one on the other side of the house is mostly ignored for some strange reason) and the flowers along the fence, but seem to be at least moderately tolerant of each other so far.
Sometimes, a migrant that you expect to see briefly ends up hanging around for a while. And that's certainly been the case with the Orange-crowned Warbler (above), first seen in the yard on March 26. Since that date, one has been observed every day, and up to two have been spotted foraging through the flowering trees and bushes at a time. I'm not sure how long this will continue, but it's certainly nice. I'm used to seeing OC Warblers for a couple days in early/mid-April and then not again until the following April. We've been quite lucky this spring.
A female Spotted Towhee probes for stray seed.
The bird bath becomes more popular as rainfall decreases. This migrating White-crowned Sparrow...
...and this Golden-crowned Sparrow are happy to take advantage.
We had a recent uptick of wintering sparrows (above), who were undoubtedly on their way into the hills to breed. It's somewhat sad to see them go, but they'll be back in October. Thankfully, we've also seen an increase in Spotted Towhees (above), who inhabit the Valley year-round and are very compatible with our brush-heavy landscaping. It would be nice to see more of these native species, and hopefully this is the beginning.
And I would be remiss to not mention the most important part of this season: breeding. Our House Finches and Chickadees have been singing for weeks, and are now beginning to pair up. I hung a nesting box under the awning near the little-used front door. I figured that a House Wren would probably be game, but that it may be too close to the house for Chickadees or Nuthatches. I decided to line it with wood chips anyway (which fool the latter two species into thinking that it was naturally-drilled by a woodpecker). And Chickadees have been checking it out over the past few weeks. No nesting-building yet, so we'll see what happens.
A Black-capped Chickadee probes tree buds for insects.
A male Rufous Hummingbird comes in for a landing.
Well, that's it for now. Hopefully a Black-headed Grosbeak or Wilson's Warbler report will be in the next installment. I'll leave you with my end-of-the-year FeederWatch tally. Not bad for a brand new site...
Migrants have finally made their way into town, and brought some beautiful (albeit brief) weather along with them. This typically-exciting time of the year has not disappointed.
Rufous Hummingbirds (above) typically arrive on the Oregon coast in late February, reaching the Valley in early March. Males typically arrive first, followed closely by females. We've seen them in the yard as early as the first week of March, but this is highly variable. Our first yard Rufous was spotted on the 19th, and both sexes have been visiting both the nectar feeder and the flowering bushes regularly since. Anna's Hummingbirds are still around occasionally visit the nectar feeder, but are busy nesting for the most part. In general, March-May is a great time period for Rufous Hummers and I hope to procure several more photos over the next two months.
While certain species are expected during migration, it often brings pleasant surprises as well. And this Spring did not disappoint. On Saturday, we hosted a Chipping Sparrow (above), a new yard species. I have read reports of others in the area, and get the feeling that (1) they're not typical in other people's yards either and (2) their migration is unusually-concentrated in this area this year. I have not seen this individual (or any other) since, and am therefore glad to have snapped a few decent pics.
In other migration news, this past Friday morning brought our first-of-the-year Orange-crowned Warbler. This individual has been foraging through our bushes and our neighbor's apple tree every day since. I was somewhat surprised to see one this early. I typically do not see them until early- or mid-April, but late March is well within their normal arrival time. I suppose that we got lucky this year. We have gotten lucky with winter sparrows again, at least in the short-term. On Saturday a White-crowned Sparrow visited our yard (the first in over three weeks). We have also picked up an additional Golden-crowned Sparrow.
An Orange-crowned Warbler forages through one of our many bushes.
A Golden-crowned Sparrow enjoys a pleasant Saturday afternoon.
The White-crowned Sparrow returns!
And like every action, there is a reaction. When summer hummingbirds, sparrows, and warblers arrive, winter residents like Juncos begin to file out. Over the winter, we'd typically host 7-12 at at time. At this point, it's difficult to find more than 3 or 4 foraging through the yard at a time. Our two Yellow-rumped Warblers have also been visiting the yard less frequently, presumably due to increased natural food sources. Most of our American Goldfinches have molted into summer plumage at this point as well.
A male American Goldfinch in his Summer Best.
Female American Goldfinches are also busy molting.
In other news, Pine Siskins and Lesser Goldfinches have been making occasional visits. The (adult female?) Cooper's Hawk that took out our injured Scrub-Jay has been visiting occasionally as well. Our friendly male Red-winged Blackbird has been stopping in every now and again, but we have not seen a Spotted Towhee in some time. Downy Woodpeckers have picked up in number recently, while Northern Flickers have dropped off (heading up into the hills to breed?).
A Lesser Goldfinch (right) stops in for a bite...
... and a Pine Siskin joins in the fun as well.
A Downy Woodpecker energizes on a cold morning.
We should be seeing more migrants soon, culminating in Wilson's Warblers and Black-headed Grosbeaks in early May. In the meantime, we may see more migrating sparrows (Fox and Lincoln's), wrens, and Cassin's Vireos. We're definitely looking forward to the next two months.
Old Man Winter appears to have finally bitten the dust. Outside of the occasional very light frost, it's definitely Spring now. And with early Spring comes all sort of fun migration and movement.
One of the most obvious change-of-the-season signs is the molt of the American Goldfinch male from drab yellow/brown to bright yellow, with black cap to boot (above). The females also molt to a less brown hue, but this is less easily recognizable. In addition, our Yellow-rumped Warblers have also been molting into breeding plumage. Two are regularly present now. While some species become more numerous at this time, many exhibit the opposite behavior. Bushtits have decreased their flock size (from 15+ to 4-7) and Anna's Hummers are near-sparse at this point, indicating that they're pairing up for breeding. Our trust White-crowned Sparrow, present every day from early December, has been a no-show since the beginning of the month, indicating that he/she has moved on to breed elsewhere. Dark-eyed Juncos are still present in respectable numbers (5-7 at a time), but definitely lower than what we saw in November-January. They'll slowly trickle away and will be mostly gone at the end of April.
A male Dark-eyed Junco enjoys some peanuts. If they like what you're feeding, Juncos will gladly eat above ground.
One of the last photos of our winter resident White-crowned Sparrow.
A male Yellow-rumped Warbler molting into breeding plumage.
A male House Finch relaxes in between trips to the sunflower feeder.
A Bushtit with pollen all over its face.
In addition to the change-of-the-season fun, we've hosted a number of unusual native-winter species as well. This past Saturday afforded both a Cooper's and a Sharp-shinned Hawk in a 7-hour period! They were most likely attracted to the bustling goldfinch activity, and almost certainly our excess of diseased House Finches (which they've done a great job of ridding us of). Over the past couple of weeks, we've had multiple visits from a male Red-winged Blackbird and at least two different Spotted Towhees. Neither are "regular" visitors, but you can count on seeing them at least once a week. A lone Pine Siskin also showed up with a flock of ~20 goldfinches last weekend.
An adult Sharp-shinned Hawk waits patiently for a meal.
A Red-winged Blackbird feeds on sunflower seed in the morning fog.
A Pine Siskin dines with a flock of American Goldfinches.
That's about it for now. We're still waiting on our first Rufous Hummingbird and a possible Purple Finch or two. We'll see what the latter half of March brings...
