I spent a sizeable portion of this winter's blog entries bemoaning the lack of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Townsend's Warbler, and finches in general. Things have picked up significantly over the past month. And after this weekend, I'm finally at the point where I can't complain anymore.
While it's always exciting to find a species that one doesn't expect, one of the most rewarding experiences of birding is discovering a species that is supposed to be elsewhere. Sure, I'd be thrilled if a small flock of Evening Grosbeaks showed up a my sunflower feeders but the discovery wouldn't be particularly noteworthy, as Evening Grosbeaks (though not city-friendly) are year-round residents here. So I was absolutely thrilled yesterday when my wife mentioned that a bird that sort of looked like a Townsend's Warbler was at the suet feeder. I grabbed the binocs and my jaw hit the floor: Hermit Warblers (above) winter in So Cal and Mexico and don't return to this part of the country until the third week of April (the earliest recorded date in the past 15 years is April 9th). To add to the excitement, I had never actually seen a Hermit Warbler before. Thankfully, it hung around long enough for me to get several good photos. After consulting with a few local experts, the consensus explanation of this bird's presence here five weeks before its normal return date is that this individual most likely overwintered here.
And if that doesn't make for an exciting enough day, a pair of Purple Finches (above) graced our yard with their presence earlier in the morning. This was the first that I had seen since last April. They didn't stick around for long, but I was still very happy to see them again.
While looking out the window last Saturday morning, I noticed a small flash of orange/red dart towards the roof. Only one native species is that color and moves that quickly: Rufous Hummingbirds (above) were back. I walked towards the kitchen and, sure enough, a male Rufous at the nectar feeder outside the window. I have not seen a female yet, but at least one male has been visiting regularly. A small flock of Crows were also harassing what appeared to be a Red-tailed Hawk last weekend. March has been quite a month thus far!
In other news, at least four individual Northern Flickers have been visiting over the past few weeks. This includes two males and two females. Flickers have also been drumming on trees in the neighborhood (and also our roof, unfortunately) to establish territory. Downy Woodpeckers have also been numerous, with at least three individuals stopping by regularly. The male Townsend's Warbler that hung around intermitently over the past two months is showing up a little more often now. An Audubon's subspecies Yellow-rumped Warbler has now joined the two Myrtle subspecies at the suet feeders. The "regular" winter finches (American and Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches, and Pine Siskins) have been hanging out in approximately average numbers.
As I mentioned in a recent post, Mallards have been dining on our cracked corn and millet again. Interestingly, they seem to enjoy just hanging out in our driveway as well now. It's not unusual for them to just plop down and relax for a good 20-40 minutes. This is somewhat surprising with all of the neighborhood cats prowling around, but apparently they feel safe here.
Driveway Mallards - just hangin' out.
The "Finch Famine" is over. L to R: American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, and Purple Finches.
Well, that's it now. Hopefully I'll have more interesting sightings to report in a couple of weeks.
It's been a while since my last post. The transition to my new computer was seamless, but I managed to come down with a really bad cold shortly afterwards. I think that I'm finally beginning to come out of it. And, thankfully, I have a little to talk about since the last installment.
The "Finch Famine" of 2008 is dead and gone. Double-digit American Goldfinches have been observed over the past few weeks, and 17 Pine Siskins were counted here this morning. Lesser Goldfinches (above) and House Finches (below) have also been representing in moderate numbers. There have been reports of Purple Finches around town, but so far none here.
One of the more interesting observations of the past few weeks is the fact that many American Goldfinches seem to be rather far into their molt for this time of the year. I noticed definite molting around their napes a few weeks ago. I thought that this seemed a little early, but shrugged it off. Then, I saw this guy today feeding with a flock of Pine Siskins...
and have to say that this seems REALLY early for an AMGO being well over halfway into full breeding plumage. This guy appears to be at least a month ahead of what I'd normally expect. But that's nature for you: full of surprises.
In other news, our first Sharp-shinned Hawk of the calendar year made an appearance last Saturday. Unfortunately, it didn't stick around long enough for a photo op. Later that morning, the first male Northern Flicker in almost a year (below) made an appearance. I don't know why, but we've hosted nothing but females and fledglings for almost a full year now. My last documented photo of a male was last March. While Townsend's Warblers seem to be avoiding our yard this winter, our two common winter Thrushes (Robins and Varied Thrushes) have been making appearances recently. Heck, I even saw a House Sparrow this morning, a somewhat unusual species for this neck of the woods.
A male Northern Flicker probes the pine trees for insects.
A male House Sparrow briefly stops by. Tell your friends that there's no food here!
Well, that's about it for now. Tomorrow is the beginning of March, which is pretty much the beginning of Spring migration. Activity should pick up soon...
I haven't posted in a few weeks because, well, there hasn't been much to talk about. Thankfully, that has changed recently.
My part of the state is known as the "Home of the Ducks" and that's an apt title, given what we've seen over the past 10 months here. We're close enough to a golf course pond that hosts Mallards (and Wood Ducks) to entice them to feed on our driveway. We hosted 2-3 regular Mallards from early April through early July of last year (and a pair of Wood Ducks for about a week last April). Two weeks ago, they returned. But while we saw maximum numbers of 2-3 last year, we're hosting up to 6 now. I don't know why they left at the beginning of last summer, but it's certainly nice to have them back.
Other than the ducks, activity here has remained approximately the same as before, with a slight uptick in Goldfinches (both American and Lesser) and Woodpeckers (Downy and Northern Flickers), as well as a more frequently-observed male Townsend's Warbler. The Song Sparrow that stayed with us into early January has been MIA for some time and no "winter finches," such as Purples, Evening Grosbeaks, or Red Crossbills, have been observed. I can't complain much about the lack of the latter two, but it would sure be nice to see a couple of Purple Finches.
American and Lesser Goldfinches dine on thistle in the backyard.
A Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler feeds on suet.I'll be switching over to a new computer later this week, and will probably not post again until later this month. We'll see what happens between now and then.
I was hoping that things would really pick up beginning this month, but no dice. Granted, it hasn't been a "bad' winter by any stretch of the imagination. I've seen MUCH worse. But, in comparison to the past two years (and especially last year), it's been somewhat of a disappointment.
Perhaps the best thing about this month was the return of the Townsend's Warblers (above). They've been semi-regulars here for the past two weeks and I can't tell you how happy I am about that. Their bright yellow plumage and lively mannerisms are a real pick-me-up on a typical dreary, overcast, foggy Oregon winter day. I'm still disappointed about the lack of Varied Thrushes, but Townsend's really help make up for it. I'd say that they're my favorite yard birds. Thankfully, we've also been blessed with a few "loyal" Yellow-rumped Warblers (at least two Myrtle and one Audubon's subspecies). The Myrtles are here ALL of the time - literally from dawn 'til dusk. I can hear their "chipping" calls outside as I type this. I suspect that we'll see another wave of Audubon's as April approaches. Downy Woodpeckers (below) and Northern Flickers have also been in abundance recently. And Ruby-crowned Kinglets have been foraging through the pines along our driveway over the past couple of weeks. But, strangely, they've been avoiding our suet feeders. I'm not sure why.
While our "Finch Famine" is essentially over, finches in general have been sparse. I tend to not see more than three to five Goldfinches Lesser or American Goldfinches at a time. House Finches are also not showing up daily, as they usually do. The lone Pine Siskin that was at my thistle feeder the other day was the first I've seen this month. I also haven't seen the neighborhood Song Sparrow for a couple of weeks, and the Golden-crowned Sparrow from December appears to be long gone. Sigh...
Anyway, here's hoping that the rest of the winter brings us a little more excitement.
After a relatively weak December, I was able to get away for a nice Christmas in San Diego (where I saw a Townsend's Warbler at the zoo... go figure) and give the birds a chance to make their way back to our yard. And things are beginning to look up once again.
Just before our departure, Yellow-rumped Warblers (above) were really beginning to re-establish themselves here for the winter. Since returning, I've been seeing at least two Myrtles and one Audubon's regularly. Both subspecies have also figured out my new caged suet feeder. And late this morning, my favorite wintering species finally showed up: two Townsend's Warblers were dining at my caged suet feeder. It was great to see them again, and hopefully they'll be regulars until early April
The first-of-the-winter Townsend's Warbler... finally!
And if that wasn't exciting enough, it finally appears that we're finally pulling out of our "finch famine." The numbers are still somewhat low, but 9 Lesser Goldfinches (left) and 7 American Goldfinches showed up at the thistle feeders late last week. Still no Siskins for the past few weeks, but the overall finch numbers are a lot better now than they were two weeks ago.
There has also been a noticeable increase in Bushtit numbers since the winter storm of mid-December. Not only are they appearing in relatively large flocks (I counted 25 at once this afternoon), but they're also showing up very frequently over the course of the day.
Downy Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers have also been out in full force for the past couple of weeks. Interestingly, I realized a couple of weeks ago that I haven't seen a male Flicker in the yard for several months. I don't recall seeing one since at least last spring and my last photograph of one is from back in March. That's especially odd considering that at least one pair raised a brood somewhere nearby this past summer. I also received a nice treat of four Chestnut-backed Chickadees this morning. They've been laying low recently.
Species that are holding steady in numbers include Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Anna's Hummingbirds, Brown Creepers, Dark-eyed Juncos, and my trusty Song Sparrow. Species not seen frequently over the past couple of weeks include Varied Thrushes (are they ever going to show up regularly this season?), Pine Siskins (massive drop since November), Scrub-Jays, House Finches (few around since our return from SoCal), and Starlings (this is a good thing). The Golden-crowned Sparrow that we hosted in December has also apparently departed.
Well, we had a blast during the holidays and things are looking up again for '09. A couple of Purple Finches or (gasp!) a small flock of Evening Grosbeaks would be a super-cool way to kick off the new year. We'll see what happens...
I haven't posted anything over the past few weeks because, well, not much has happened until recently. While many of the usual suspects are around, I'm currently in the middle of a "finch famine" and the overall activity at the feeders has been down. Even my usually-reliable Townsend's Warblers have yet to make an appearance. Lame.
But that all changed on Sunday night. After days of meteorological teasing, we were finally hit with that "winter storm" that they had been bloviating about. The temperature dropped into the low 20's and we received about 3-4" of snow (hey, it's the West Coast... this is a real "storm" out here). It was not only exciting to see snow again, but the snow and cold helped flush some more of the usuals out of the woodwork. Many more Anna's Hummingbirds, Bushtits, Downies, Flickers, Scrub-Jays, and Sharp-shinned Hawks have been observed than usual. The "finch famine" is still in effect, but it's nice to see the other species being represented more heavily.
The winter weather has also brought out another non-regular: a Golden-crowned Sparrow (top). It's been eating cracked corn off of our walkway since at least yesterday morning. I hadn't seen one since May. They breed in Alaska/Northern British Columbia and winter here on the West Coast. So, it's certainly nice to see one of them again. Our friendly neighborhood Song Sparrow has also been out in full force, showing up here multiple times per day.
The cold has also presented challenges with regard to our nectar feeder. The 20% sugar-water solution that we use freezes at approximately 27 degrees F. After doing some research online, I found that wrapping the feeder with ThermaCare pads, with an external layer of bubble wrap helps keep them warm for a couple of hours. This is handy when you have to head off to work at 6 am and want to make sure that the hummers get their morning dose of energy. I'm no entomologist, but I imagine that the mites, ticks, and other small insects that Anna's live off of in the winter are probably not hanging out anywhere exposed to the chilly air right now.
A male House Finch perches in the pre-snow rain.
Our friendly neighborhood Song Sparrow dines on sunflower chips.
A juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk dines on a Pine Siskin.
Unfortunately for some species, it appears that the suet basket chained to the side of the pine tree is being retired. Not only is going through a suet cake every other day expensive, but I have to climb up a 5' step ladder to replace these things every other day. It was just a matter of time before I fell and broke a rib. And, hey, what good is a suet feeder that is occupied by squirrels 80% of the time? So I went out and purchased one of those squirrel-proof caged suet feeders for smaller birds, and placed it along the fence on the other side of the house. Hopefully this will accomodate the smaller birds who aren't acrobatic enough to use the tail-prop feeder (Warblers, Kinglets). There is even a space on the fence for them to perch...
The first morning that it was up, I saw a Bushtit inside the cage, pecking away at the suet, so that makes me optimistic. As a concession to the Brown Creepers who really liked the suet basket on the tree, I'm now spreading peanut butter on one of the tree trunks. Even if the squirrels eat 95% of it, there will still be enough buried in the crevices to satisfy the Creepers. Unfortunately, the Varied Thrushes appear to be out of luck with regard to the suet - too big for the caged feeder and not dexterious enough to use the tail-prop feeder. They'll have to settle for the sunflower chips on the driveway... if they ever decide to show up on a regular basis and come down from the trees.
Anyway, more crappy weather is headed this way. I'll keep you posted.
