This male Anna’s hummingbird has chosen a territory to defend. He is usually perched at the top of a small tree watching over the area. Quite a few times I have seen him diving at a song sparrow that flew into the blackberry thicket in his area. As I was walking by the other day, he was perched on a blackberry cane at about eye level. As I stopped to take a photo, he flashed his iridescent gorget and crown. I think I was interrupting the beginning of a much needed and probably well earned nap. A moment later, he closed his eyes and rested for a few minutes. Defending your territory is hard work, so I quietly moved on so he could conserve his energy.
Great Horned Owl
Two great horned owls have been hooting regularly in the late afternoon and early evening. After listening to them one evening, I decided to walk up the trail to see if I could find one. I found one sitting on a branch next to the trunk in a Douglas-fir tree. It was preening its feathers and resting. I watched it for a minute then quietly kept walking.
On the website All About Birds by The Cornell Lab, it says, “Mated pairs are monogamous and defend their territories with vigorous hooting, especially in the winter before egg-laying and in the fall when their young leave the area.” Maybe this is the reason for the recent hooting.
Mixed Flocks
A mixed flock of birds were moving along the pond lily trail. There were chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, brown creepers, golden-crowned kinglets, ruby-crowned kinglets and one other species. The other species had a similar look and flight pattern to a ruby-crowned, but it was a little bigger. It captured an insect, and I was able to get a couple of photos as it paused to eat it. It was a Hutton’s Vireo.
There are subtle differences between the two. The ruby-crowned kinglet has a thinner bill. It also has black bar below its lower, white wing bar, and the Hutton’s vireo doesn’t. In addition, I feel the ruby-crowned kinglet seems to have slightly more zip as it flits between branches.
I’ll be interested to see if the Hutton’s Vireo sticks around the arboretum during the breeding season. I found an interesting article by Kenn Kaufman online where he states: “Hutton's Vireo is a permanent resident to the extent that some individuals occur in all parts of the breeding range throughout the year. However, there is a substantial amount of wandering during the nonbreeding seasons.1”
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Hutton’s Vireo
1. Kenn Kaufman, “Field Identification of Hutton's Vireo,” Continental Birdlife, Volume I, Number 3, June 1979: 62-66.
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/ContBird_Vol1_No3_02.pdf
White-breasted Nuthatch
A nuthatch has the interesting behavior of moving headfirst down a tree as it forages. It will often pause and tilt its head back to have a glance at its surroundings. It’s constantly on the move as it searches for insects, insect larvae and spiders. Sometimes I see them wedge part of an acorn in the bark of a tree to hold it while they break off pieces to eat. I also see them stash seeds, like Douglas-fir, in bark crevices.
In David Sibley’s book What It Is Like to Be a Bird he says this about how nuthatches move around a tree:
”They do not use their tail for a brace when climbing—just their two feet clinging with sharp claws. The hind toe is particularly important for clinging, and it’s relatively large and strong. Usually they position one foot above the other so that the lower foot acts as a brace while the upper foot clings to the bark.”
This is a fun bird to watch and get to know.
Dark-eyed Junco
There are small flocks of juncos moving around the arboretum. I often see them foraging out at the barn. There is a low growing plant on the road that produces an abundance of seeds that the juncos enjoy eating. If someone or a dog gets too close they will often fly up to the beam under the edge of the roof to monitor the situation.
Juncos have a behavior of flashing their tails when they fly. Their outer, white tail feathers are a burst of light as they quickly flit through the air.
For me, juncos are a warm-hearted, peaceful little bird. They can be fairly tolerant of my presence if I am quiet, move slowly, or sit still. I am looking forward to hearing their gentle, trilling song in the spring.
Brown Creeper
This gentle, little bird quietly moves around on the trunks and larger limbs of trees with furrowed bark. It will often “creep” up a tree searching crevices and carpets of moss with its slender, slightly curved bill. Once it climbs up into the middle or top part of the tree, it will often fly back down near the base of a different or the same tree. I also see it fly only part of the way down the tree or out onto a larger limb. As it flies back down, I will often hear it give a twittering call. Sometimes I will see it do a slight shuffle motion when it is on a thick mat of moss. I wonder if it is possibly trying to stir up insects or if it is simply trying to get its footing. Their diet mostly includes insects, insect larvae, spiders and spider eggs.
The brown creeper has exceptional camouflage. The top half of its body has a beautiful, mottled pattern that resembles dappled sunlight. The Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America says the brown creeper is “like a piece of bark come alive.” It has stiff tail feathers that it uses to brace itself as it forages, similar to woodpeckers.
Their subtle vocalizations are bright and pleasant. Click the link to All About Birds by the Cornell Lab to listen:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/sounds
Douglas-fir seeds
This Douglas-fir tree laden with cones was a frenzy of activity yesterday. Black-capped chickadees, chestnut-backed chickadees, pine siskins and red-breasted nuthatches were busily harvesting the seeds in the warmth of the late afternoon sun. The chickadees and nuthatches seemed more interested in stashing the seeds, while the pine siskins were eating them.
It is interesting to note how long the seeds stay in the cones once they are mature. It seems like the tree is holding onto to them as a food resource for animals for the winter. Likewise, as the birds were foraging, many of the seeds were dislodged and were whirling through the air to the ground. It’s as if the birds were sowing seeds for future generations. The woody cones are well designed to protect the seeds from the weather. I investigated some seeds that fell to the ground, and they were in excellent condition.
Varied Thrush
I was slowly walking along the pond lily trail when I saw a couple of varied thrushes foraging on the ground. I watched them move along the edge of the trail foraging through the leaves. They are usually quiet and very aware of their surroundings. I heard someone coming from the opposite direction and one of them popped up onto this fallen tree to look around. I was able to capture a couple of photos before it flew away.
I don’t see this bird very often in my birdwatching excursions, so it is always exciting to see one. In my experience, varied thrushes show up at Mt. Pisgah in the winter, especially during stormy weather. I imagine that they come down to lower elevations to ride out the inclement conditions.
For me, the varied thrush is an iconic bird of the Pacific Northwest. The male is so elegant with its bold markings and coloration — a black breast-band across its orange body, an orange eye stripe, orange wing bars and a blue-gray back. I love to hear its song resonate through the forest in the early morning.
Bewick's Wren
The limb of an oak tree partially broke away from trunk and is now being supported by the ground. The limb is still alive and provides cover and foraging habitat along the edge of the meadow. I will often see a bird perched on this oak limb surveying the area before it flies down to the ground to look for food.
This Bewick’s Wren was regularly disappearing into the thick grass and after a few minutes it would pop back up on to the tree limb to check its surroundings. Once, I didn’t see it for about 10 minutes, and I thought it had flown away without me seeing it. As I was walking away, it sprang up out of the grass. I was surprised that I didn’t at least see the grass moving or hear it rustling in all that time.
This is an exciting, little bird. I love to watch it acrobatically move through the landscape. It has a long tail, and it usually cocks it in the air after it lands on a perch.
Click here to listen to its call and song:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bewicks_Wren/sounds
Happy New Year
Happy New Year. I wish you health and happiness in body, mind and spirit this coming year. May we strive to be better stewards of the earth, have peace in our hearts and have goodwill towards all people.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
I love seeing this bird at the arboretum during the winter. It is so beautiful with its striking black and golden crown that is bordered by white on the sides and front. It is usually foraging in mixed flocks with chickadees, ruby-crowned kinglets, nuthatches and brown creepers. They frequently call as they move through the forest. Peterson describes it as a, “high, wiry see-see-see.”
I am reading David Allen Sibley’s new book What It’s Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing, and Why. One of the things that he says about this bird is: “A bird as small as a Golden-crowned Kinglet has a resting heart rate of over six hundred beats per minute (ten per second), about ten times faster than the average human, and during activity the heart rate doubles to over twelve hundred beats per minute.” That is truly fascinating!
Red-breasted Sapsucker
What a beautiful bird! I heard a single call, wasn’t sure who made it and found this sapsucker when I went to investigate. Other than the one vocalization, this bird was quietly making its rounds between trees foraging for food. It flew between trees where it had previously made, what looks like, thousands of holes. While photographing this bird, I noticed that it would often cock its head sideways when foraging in holes that it made. I wonder why it choses to approach it this way? I loved following this bird around. I am so pleased that it was tolerant of my presence while I captured these photos. Thank you.
In The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior he says, “Sapsuckers mainly eat the inner bark of trees, lap sap that oozes from small wells that the bird drills in a tree trunk, eat invertebrates trapped in the sap produced at these ‘sapsucker wells,’ and also flycatch invertebrates.”
Peterson says its voice is similar to a Red-naped Sapsucker, “nasal mewing note, cheerrrr.” The Cornell Lab says the call is a “harsh mewing ‘waah’.” Click on the link to have a listen:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Sapsucker/sounds
Black Phoebe
This little flycatcher has been consistently hanging around the old barn out at the arboretum. I often see it perched on the equipment of the workspace on the south side. It usually will perch close to the ground within three to seven feet. That said, I also observe it sitting on top of the silo or at the apex of the roof. It spends time on a small brush pile at the entrance to the south meadow and next to the river catching insects.
It has a call that Peterson describes as “a sharp slurred chip.” It makes this call quite often, and I will usually hear it calling before I spot it. As I was taking these photos, it was constantly shifting its head as it watched for insects, and it would often turn to look over its shoulder.
Click hear to listen:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Phoebe/sounds
Pacific Wren
I love this little bird. This year I noted that I hadn’t seen Pacific wrens around all summer. This fall I started seeing them and read that during the nonbreeding season, some males move to lower elevations. So, maybe these birds are breeding higher up in the Cascades or the Coast Range and wintering down in the valley.
A couple of days ago in the late afternoon I was lucky enough to catch a photo of this action-packed creature. It moves so swiftly and lightly as it flits through the ground vegetation gleaning insects. As I am watching this bird forage along the forest floor, it will often disappear under a log or the fronds of a sword fern. It will often reappear unexpectedly out of the underbrush beside me, as if it travelled through a secret passageway.
I usually get clued in to their location when I hear their call which Peterson describes as “a hard, two-syllable timp-timp.” They have a beautiful song that Peterson characterizes as “a rapid succession of high tinkling warbles, trills.”
Click here to listen to their calls and song:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pacific_Wren/sounds
Mourning Doves
This beautiful bird is often foraging along the gravel paths around the White Oak Pavilion. Its quiet demeanor and earth-tone coloration enable it to blend in well with its surroundings.
There were always doves around my home when I was growing up, and they will always remind me of my childhood. They have a gentle, peaceful song. When it takes off and lands its wings make a soft, whistling sound.
It’s comforting to see them around Mt. Pisgah, and I always look for them. The last few years I have seen them building a nest in one of the trees around the pavilion.
Click here to listen to there song and calls:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/sounds
Hermit Thrush
I love this bird. When I come across a hermit thrush, it is because I’m moving very slowly and tuning into my surroundings. This bird blends in well on the forest floor, and it moves around quietly as it forages. In my experience, if I am quiet and still, it will usually tolerate my presence, and it will often forage quite close by where I can observe it.
While taking these photos, I noticed it would subtly shake its leg when it paused during foraging on the forest floor. The All About Birds website by The Cornell Lab states: ”They sometimes pick up leaf litter with their bills or shake grass with their feet to find insects.”
I also realized that the spots on its breast are blurry or smudged. You can see in the photo below that it has a rufous tail. As it perched on the limb, it had the behavior of cocking its tail and slowly lowering it. It would also lightly flick its wings.
Whenever I see this bird, I have a feeling of serenity and gentleness.
This bird has a beautiful, sylvan song. Click below to have a listen:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hermit_Thrush/sounds
Chickadee Foragings
Over the past couple-three weeks, I have observed chickadees eating some part of the bud of the Oregon white oak. Sometimes it breaks off the bud, takes it to a nearby branch, dissects it and appears to eat part of the bud. Other times it will just hang on the branch, open the bud and eat. It all happens with typical chickadee exuberance, so it doesn’t take them long to get at the little morsel of food they are seeking. I saw them yesterday, for the first time, doing the same thing to the cottonwood trees along the river.
In The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior, he had this to say about the Paridae family to which chickadees belong: “Members of the Paridae share several diagnostic feeding behaviors. Specialized leg muscles enable these birds to feed acrobatically (they often feed while hanging upside down), making them particularly adept at exploiting resources in difficult locations, such as buds at the ends of twigs.”
Gratitude
The past few days, chilly mornings have evolved into pleasantly warm afternoons. As I entered the arboretum, I was greeted by the melodic notes of the song sparrow. The sun sure felt good, and a song was well suited for the moment. Thanks.
Winter Gems
This bird’s common name is Steller’s Jay. Its Latin name is Cyanocitta stelleri. When I searched for the translation , I found that the name Cyanocitta is a combination of the Greek words kuanos, meaning "dark blue", and kitta, meaning "jay".
I love watching this beautiful bird. I caught it here, quietly perched on a branch in the sun observing its surroundings. Lately I have watched them busily collecting acorns and burying them in the forest. They have strong legs and can often be observed hoping around the branches of a tree.
Steller’s jays can be very vocal birds. Peterson’s field guide describes it this way: “Loud shook-shook-shook or shack-shack-shack or wheck-wek-wek-wek or kwesh kwesh kwesh; harsh jjaairr and many other notes. Frequently mimics hawks.” Try making these sounds.
Anna's Hummingbird
As I entered the arboretum, I saw a male Anna’s hummingbird performing his steep J-shaped dive. I watched him dive and circle back up to his starting point four or five times. He then perched on a branch towards the top of a tree where he began vocalizations and displaying his iridescent, gorget feathers. I soon discovered the female perched on this small branch in front of me. The male continued his displays, and I took a few photos as she perched there so still. When I looked at the photos at home I noticed that her eyes were closed in a bunch of photos. In The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior, David Sibley writes, “The female may appear mesmerized, often closing her eyes and becoming frozen in position during the shuttle displays.” Sibley also writes, “Hummingbirds do not form pair bonds; they come together only to mate. Males therefore set up territories where they will encounter females, while females claim territories with good nesting sites.” I am left wondering why all this is happening in December.
Vocalization description:
The Cornell lab says, ”Anna’s Hummingbirds have a distinctive song that is long for a hummingbird (10 seconds or more). It's a series of buzzes, then a clearer, more tuneful whistle, followed by more emphatic chip notes; then the bird may repeat the whole set of buzz-whistle-chip sounds.” Click the link to listen.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird/sounds
Click on images to enlarge.