Black-headed Grosbeak Babies

When the baby birds are born, they are nearly naked with their eyes closed. They have sparse grayish-white down which you can see on their heads. As one rears its head back wanting food, the light shines through illuminating its apricot skin color.

Both males and females equally share the chick-rearing duties of sitting on the eggs and feeding the young.

The nest is a loose construction of small sticks that is surprisingly sturdy. Sometimes, the sticks are woven in such an open and airy fashion, that the eggs are visible through the bottom of the nest. This may aid in regulating the temperature of the nest when brooding the eggs and raising the baby birds.

These fragile, tiny creatures are also pretty hardy. They have had to endure some cool, rainy temperatures this spring.

Western Screech-Owl

The Western Screech-Owl is a beautiful bird that lives year-round at Mt. Pisgah.

It is a small owl with a length of about 8.5 inches. It has conspicuous ear tufts and yellow eyes. Its coloration and feather pattern resembles the bark of trees which allows it to blend in excellently with its surroundings. It is usually gray, but its color can vary. In northwestern humid regions, it is usually a darker brown. In arid areas, it is paler and grayer.

It is a nocturnal animal that usually leaves its roost to forage at sunset and returns a little before sunrise. It spends the day either in a cavity or perched at the entrance. During the breeding season, the male roosts near the nest cavity.

It lives mainly in forested habitats of deciduous trees. The arboretum provides the perfect environment with Oregon ash, Oregon white oak, cottonwoods, and big-leaf maple trees. These trees, especially the Oregon ash, provide plenty of cavities for shelter and nesting. In addition, the trees border open meadows where it loves to hunt.

It is a carnivore that mostly eats small mammals, such as mice, voles, and pocket gophers. Its diet also includes birds, insects, spiders, fish, lizards, snakes, and frogs.

The Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North America describes its vocalization as a, “Series of hollow whistles on one pitch, running into a tremolo (rhythm of a small ball bouncing to a stand-still).”

Nature is an inexhaustible source of wonder. Hope to see you out there.

Pileated Nestlings

Yesterday evening I decided to sit near the pileated woodpecker cavity to see if I could learn more about the status of the nest. The last couple of weeks that I went by the nest, I didn’t see or hear any activity around the nest. I was starting to grow concerned that the nest had possibly failed somehow. After about 20 minutes, I saw a little pileated at the entrance. I was so delighted and relieved to know that there was at least one in there. He curiously looked around at the outside world for a few minutes and then settled back down inside. About 10 minutes later, two heads emerged at the entrance to have a look around for a few minutes. I continued sitting there and watching. After being there for 45 minutes, I was surprised that a parent had not come by to feed and check on them. I decided to move on just in case my presence was influencing the parents. Slowly walking away, I caught a glimpse of the female moving quietly through the trees. I continued to slowly move along and soon saw the male too. The parents were quiet and seemed to be intently studying their surroundings. Happy to know the family was together and well, I moved on.

Anna's Hummingbird Nest

This hummingbird nest is hidden among a thicket of lichen and honeysuckle vines. It is about 1 inch tall and 1.5 inches in diameter. It is made out of plant fibers and compactly held together by spider webs and/or insect cocoons. The female will further conceal the nest by decorating the outside of it with little bits of lichen or mosses. To make the interior cozy and warm, she will line it with small feathers or down from plants like cattail or willow. It is necessary during the chilly temperatures and rain of spring. The nest is truly a magical sight to behold.

Chipping Sparrow

I love this friendly little bird, and it has a cool Latin name—Spizella passerina. It has a black eye line with a white eyebrow. When breeding, it sports a bright rufous cap.

It likes to be around the White Oak Pavilion and the adjacent meadow. The Peterson Field Guide to North American Bird Nests says the chipping sparrow has a “Broad range of habitats with shrubby undergrowth that is often adjacent to grassy openings, including open coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests, woodland edges, and clearings, along edges of montane meadows, riparian shorelines, in parks, orchards, farms, suburbs.” The arboretum is the perfect place for it to breed and raise a family.

I listened to it singing from the oak trees around the pavilion for about half an hour. The building seemed to be amplifying the sound, as I initially could hear it from the parking lot. Its song is a trill of evenly spaced dry chips.

It finally revealed itself and flew down to the ground to forage on some grass seeds. If you are quiet and still, this bird is accepting of your presence and you can get to watch it fairly up-close.

Be careful when identifying this bird by its song. The dark-eyed junco is in the area too and has a very similar trill. Good luck!

Wild Blue Yonder

“A nobler want of man is served by nature, namely, the love of Beauty.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

All of the field guides are filled with science. They are overflowing with names and measurements like length, height, range, volume, shape, and time. This is one way to relate to the world, and it is part of my approach to learning and experiencing.

On the other side, I try to spend time out in nature letting go of all this information. Beyond the analysis and numbers are beauty and mystery, and I don’t have to go far to find them. It is hopping on the lawn and singing from the trees around the White Oak Pavilion. Although considered a commonplace bird, the American Robin is an amazing being. I am especially reminded of this every time I find its nest. It’s an elegant creation of lichens, mosses, grass, and mud cradling ethereal blue eggs. Seeing it evokes a sense of wonder out of reach of words.

Nature is an inexhaustible source of wonder. Hope to see you out there.

Pacific Wren Singing

This agile, little bird swiftly tumbles through the underbrush as it merrily searches for food. It ducks under fallen trees, disappears into thickets of sword fern fronds, and heroically bounds out onto a stump as it reappears.

It’s no surprise that its song is an energetic, warbling arrangement of notes that mimics its acrobatic movements.

Pacific Wren

Pileated Nesting

I have been trying to stay tuned in to the whereabouts of the pileated woodpecker pair that I posted about earlier this month. Ten days ago, I found the male making a substantial hole in a dead Douglas Fir. I wasn’t sure if he was searching for food or building a nesting cavity. I have returned there a couple of times to find him continuing to excavate the hole, so I feel that he is building a cavity for nesting. The last time I went by, he could get the top of his body inside the hole. Both the male and female excavate the cavity, but the male does more. The depth of the cavity can range from 10 to 24 inches, and it is 15 to 80 feet from the ground. It takes from 3 to 6 weeks to complete.

It is exciting to see a pair of them living and breeding at the arboretum.

Owl Pellets

The arboretum has perfect habitats for owls. There is an old barn with a silo for Barns Owls. There are old-growth cottonwoods along the river for Great Horned Owls. There are cavities in Oregon Ashes for Western Screech Owls and Northern Pygmy-Owls. There is a forested hillside with a mix of large Douglas firs, big-leaf maples, and incense cedars that attracted a Barred Owl this winter. Within all of the habitats, there are transition zones and open meadows that support an abundance of prey for owls—voles, mice, small birds, etc.

Owls will often spend consecutive days around the same perch from where they will roost during the day and hunt at night Most owls are nocturnal, but Northern Pygmy-Owls mostly hunt by day. Under these roosts, you can often find evidence of an owl’s presence: owl pellets.

Owls usually eat their prey whole or in large pieces. The fur, teeth, bones, or feathers of animals are indigestible. These parts are formed into an oval mass, passed back up the digestive system, and regurgitated some hours later, often while the owl is roosting. These pellets are a joy to find. On the outside, most owl pellets aren’t very remarkable. They are usually furry, matted orbs of hair. On the inside, they are a treasure of interesting bones, teeth, and skulls! Online there are illustrated charts that help identify all of the contents.

If you find it hard to locate an owl pellet, they are for sale. On the internet, I found a place in Baker City called Oregon Owl Pellets that sold large pellets for $3 apiece.

Nature is an inexhaustible source of wonder. Hope to see you out there.