Buh-Bye

Since we're apparently not allowed to use hyperlinks here anymore, I've decided to move my blog to a more professional site...

http://eugenebirds.blogspot.com/

Fall Flocking Begins

Well, I haven't posted here in over a month.  I've been extremely busy since mid-August, but have found the time to take some photos and have a few new stories to tell...


American and Lesser Goldfinches flock to the new high-capacity thistle feeder.


Bushtits flock to the suet feeder.

It's mid-September, and breeding season is over.  Species that are normally gregarious in the Fall and Winter have begun to flock in search of food.  This has been evidence in our yard, as numbers of American Goldfinches and Bushtits have increased substantially.  They're usually showing up now in double-digit numbers now.  American Goldfinches have even begun spilling onto the driveway to clean up spilled seed.  While they're not quite yet in the numbers that we saw last October, it's still early and very possible that we might match or even exceed those numbers this Fall.


A male American Goldfinch molting into its standard (non-breeding) plumage.


American Goldfinches are spilling onto the driveway again.

While the Goldfinches have been the big story here, there are a few minor subplots.  Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches have been extremely active over the past month.  The juvenile Dark-eyed Juncos highlighted in the previous post are growing up and have almost fully molted into their adult plumage.  They've also been scarfing down millet from the ground feeder on the back deck.  Young male House Finches are molting into their big-boy plumage and are eating quite a bit of black oil sunflower seed.  Downy Woodpeckers and Western-Scrub Jays have also been regulars.


Female Lesser Goldfinch


A Black-capped Chickadee pauses before going in for more food.


A female Red-breasted Nuthatch pauses briefly in the morning sun.


Western Scrub-Jay

Northern Flickers have been only showing up erratically since early August.  I'm not sure why that is, but I'm confident that we'll see plenty of them in October and November.  I only saw one Pine Siskin last month and have yet to see one in September, but I'm sure that'll change soon enough as well.  On a down note, most of the Rufous Hummingbirds have made their way South, with only an occasional traveler at the nectar feeders now (I've already gone ahead and taken down the second "migration" feeder).


The lone (August) Siskin


A female Rufous Hummingbird from mid-August.  It's sad to see them go, but we look forward to their return next March.

Well, that's about all for now.  Hopefully next time I'll get to post more pictures of flocks of 50+ Goldfinches, have more Siskin photos, and possibly our first Ruby-crowned Kinglet sighting of the Fall/Winter feeding season.

Unusual Juveniles

While working at home (and I use the term "work" very loosely), I've seen a lot over the past few weeks.  And I've been seeing stuff I've never seen before...


A juvenile Norther Flicker (right) gets a bite of suet from mom.  Surprisingly, the paint on the car was not scratched.


A fledgling Dark-eyed Junco perches atop the fence before feeding on the deck.

While juvenile Downy Woodpeckers are regulars in July here, I've never seen a fledgling Flicker here until about a week ago.  They aren't exactly unheard of in urban areas, but are far from common.  Even less common here in the Valley are Dark-eyed Juncos.  I saw my first juvenile Junco up in the Cascades last weekend, and the reason for this is that they typically breed in higher elevations.  But exactly seven days later TWO were eating spilled thistle seed on my deck.  Again, not unheard of, but certainly not common.


One of many fledgling Rufous Hummingbirds visits the a nectar feeder.  The abundance of copper coloring molting into the back and head shows that this is a male.


A juvenile House Finch stops by for a drink on a warm summer afternoon.

Juvenile hummingbirds are all over the place right now (and, not surprisingly, fighting with one another over food sources).  This includes at least two fledgling Rufous Hummers and at least two young Anna's.  The Rufous are getting their fill before they begin to move south in about another month.  Interestingly, I haven't seen a male Rufous since May, and they should be on their way south at this point.

And, of course, the rest of the usual fledglings are out and about.  These include Lesser Goldfinches, Downy Woodpeckers, Bushtits, Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Western Scrub-Jays.  The Scrub-Jays have been especially abundant, visiting several times a day and making a racket in the process.


Black-capped chickadees enjoy sunflower seed on a late July morning.


Lesser Goldfinches are joined by a pair of Pine Siskins on an early August morning.

After a two-week drought, my Pine Siskins returned this weekend.  Even though it was  a very brief appearance, it was really nice to see them again.  Pine Siskins in AUGUST... who would've thunk it?  So far, Siskins have made appearances in my yard in EVERY month this year.  Wow...



Well, that's about it for now.  Things are beginning to pick up and our sunflowers (pictured above) have begun to flower.  We hope that the finches will enjoy the seeds that will begin to form in another month or two.



I leave you with a picture of Diamond Peak (elevation 8,700 ft.), located in the Central Oregon Cascades.  I'm getting  a new wide-angle lens soon and will be back up in the Cascades later this month, so I'll have more to share in the future.

Slackin' in July

Despite being almost four full days removed from my vacation (see the previous post) and having a ton of work to do, I'm still sitting on my rear, enjoying the sun, watching baseball, and engaging in bird-related activities.  Guess I'll be cramming in this work at the last minute... A female Anna's Hummingbird feeding from a fuchsia. Despite being gone for most of the first half of the month, there have been some noticeable changes.  The first and most obvious is an increased number of juvenile Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, Scrub-Jays, and American Crows.  They've all been frequenting our feeders and bird ... (read more)

Connecticut Birds

Here are some photos from my recent vacation to CT... White-breasted Nuthatch. Carolina Wren - nesting right next to my in-laws' screen door. Tufted Titmouse - I miss these guys. Juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker. Eastern Phoebe. Song Sparrow - Not as darkly-colored as the Pacific Coast subspecies. Gray Catbird Veery - It was shot from a ways away and looks "veery small." Chipping Sparrow - Saw about a million of these. Mourning Dove - Also native to our area, but I hardly ever see them. And of course, no photo collection of East Coast birds would be complete without a Northern ... (read more)

Summer Solstice

Well, I was finally able to tear myself away from work for a day.  I'm going to be busy/vacationing for the next month, so the next update will most likely be in late July. The days are as long as they're going to get now.  And with the youngsters out and about, this means lot of activity in the yard... A juvenile Lesser Goldfinch on a sunny morning. An "official" Summer (June 21) Pine Siskin.  I never thought that they'd still be here, much less breed here. The big story right now is juveniles.  Fledgling birds are are almost constantly here, with Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches, and Starlings being the most ... (read more)

Summer Siskins and Squirrels

Technically, it isn't summer quite yet, but it's beginning to resemble summer in several ways.  First, it was in the mid-90's last weekend.  Secondly, the migratory movements of Black-headed Grosbeaks, Yellow-rumped/Orange-crowned Warblers, and various Sparrows are complete and they're all essentially gone.  And while this is definitely a bummer, one of the most exciting parts of summer has already arrived... A fledgling Pine Siskin feeds with its parents.  Note the sparrow-like tan and brown coloring, as opposed to the strongly-contrasting white and brown of the adult (top).  Siskins are uncommon breeders here in the ... (read more)

Spring Migration Super-Mega-Double-Issue

Holy moly, it's been almost a month and a half!  Apologies for the delay.  Can't you tell that I've been busy?  Thankfully, much has happened since late March.  So here we go... Black-headed Grosbeaks are here! A male Wood Duck sits cautiously at the far end of the driveway on an early April evening. A juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk hunts small passerines on an overcast April afternoon. One major theme that has encompassed our recent visitors would be "large birds."  Outside of actually getting a Sharp-shinned Hawk to pose for a photo (thanks, Kate), the main "big bird" story has been our ability to ... (read more)

Sping Is Here!

Wow, it's been a while since my last post!  I have A LOT of catching up to do... Rufous Hummingbird (male) Male American Goldfinches, apparently turning yellow earlier than usual this year White-crowned Sparrow - another Spring transient in our yard So, as you can see, Spring is most definitely here.  Rufous Hummers were at the feeders during the second weekend of March and have been hanging around ever since.  Still waiting on the Black-headed Grosbeaks, Hermit Thrushes, Wilson's Warblers, and Orange-crowned Warblers, but the the ball has clearly begun rolling.  Bushtits are feeding from the suet feeder in flocks of < ... (read more)

Purple Finches!

I saw a pair of female or juvenile male Purple Finches on a Sunday afternoon back in October.  They did not return and I was left thinking that I possibly may never see another one here again.  Thankfully, I was wrong.  Three Purple Finches (two males and either a female or first-year male) descended on my tube feeder on Sunday morning.  And what a sight it was... In addition to this unexpected surprise, the white (not yellow) throats of some of my Yellow-rumped Warbler photos from this weekend caught my attention.  The white throat and white neck sides is indicative of the Myrtle subspecies that I've seen surprisingly little ... (read more)