An Auspicious Beginning

Sometimes I like to think that I have some sort of "magic touch" when it comes to attracting birds, but the reality seems to be that Eugene's natural habitat and geographic location are more responsible. When we moved into our last house, the yard of which did not contain a single tree, I was concerned about the immediate habitat's ability to attract birds. I was rewarded with two Golden-crowned Sparrows on the day that we moved in and an unusual visit from a White-throated Sparrow the following week. The next fall and winter were banner years for Varied Thrushes, Purple Finches and my favorite, Evening Grosbeaks. Apparently the surrounding area was good enough to overcome that. In contrast, our new home is surrounded by ample mature deciduous and coniferous trees, fruit-bearing trees, and shrubbery. So I'm pretty optimistic about our new yard. And what I've observed during our first month here has justified my optimism.

As mentioned in the previous post, Bewick's Wrens (above) were observed around the yard once or twice at the beginning of the month and we were hoping that they would be regulars. I'm happy to report that they are indeed heard calling almost every day. Given that they're year-round residents, I'm optimistic that they'll hang around. Red-breasted Nuthatches and Chestnut-backed Chickadees have also been regulars in the yard, visiting the feeders and bath daily.

A Red-breasted Nuthatch snatches a sunflower seed.

A Chestnut-backed Chickadee stops in for a drink of water on an unusually-hot August day.

A few new species regular to the area have also appeared recently. In the middle of the month a single male Lesser Goldfinch was observed. It was soon joined by others, including four fledglings a week later. Last week a Downy Woodpecker stopped by for a bite of suet. We will most likely host many more in the next couple of months.

It's the beginning of migration and we've seen more than our share of movement over the past couple of weeks. A week and a half ago, a male Black-throated Gray Warbler briefly stopped in the yard to forage for insects in the photinia bushes. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough with the camera. Just an hour later, a male Wilson's Warbler (above) stopped in. It foraged through the same general area, and was present for a good 15 minutes. It was an exciting morning, as it's rare that two migrating warblers visit on the same day, much less within an hour of one another. Black-headed Grosbeaks have been coming through the yard since the second week of August and at least one is still visiting. These are mostly adult females (the males have already moved south), though I have seen at least one hatch-year at the sunflower feeder.

This migrating female Black-headed Grosbeak loads up on calories for her trip South.

This hatch-year Black-headed Grosbeak watches mom feed while waiting his/her turn to use the feeder.

Many other migrants have passed through recently, including a Willow Flycatcher, a Western Wood-Pewee, a Swainson's Thrush, and even a low-flying flock of Canada Geese (a sure sign that summer is on its last legs).

A male Lesser Goldfinch feeds on nyjer on a warm August morning.

Shortly after the adult Lesser Goldfinches found our feeders, they brought their young to the yard.

This American Goldfinch is one of the most frequent birds in the yard. Fledglings have been observed in the yard recently as well.

The August mini-heat wave appears to be over (knock on wood), as I type this on a cool, breezy, overcast afternoon. As summer continues to lose its grip, the yard will become much more active. I hope to have many more stories and photos to share later next month.