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.

• Posted at Wednesday, August 6, 2008 01:25 AM
• In General Category | Permalink