This small shrub can be found throughout the arboretum. It grows as a scramble of small twigs that is both dense and airy at the same time. Its branches are a light gray-brown that are adorned with tiny, red buds that are easily overlooked. Some of the buds are starting to swell, and small leaves are beginning to emerge. Our open wintery landscape will soon be filled in with the green of spring.
Male Anna's Hummingbird
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.
Indian Plum Blooms
“I found I could say things with colors and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”
- Georgia O'Keeffe
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.
Eastern Fox Squirrel
I noticed something falling from a tree. I looked up to find this squirrel busily opening the samaras of a bigleaf maple and eating the seeds. I was amazed at its ability to balance on such a small branch as it ate. It sat there so effortlessly, even though apparently it was only gripping the limb with its toes. Its tail was an integral part of the high-wire act. At this moment, it tucked its tail forward to act as a counterbalance. For awhile I continued to watch its arboreal performance as it climbed around and fearlessly navigated its way throughout the tree. It was at home up there.
I opened the end of one of the wings to examine its contents. The seed had a thin, brown skin that encased what appeared to be a bundle of tender, green leaves.
Red-flowering Currant
It was a cold, winter’s day. The evening sun broke through the cloudy sky. Its rays set aflame the buds of the red-flowering currant — a torch lighting the way for spring.
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
Plants Sprouting
The weather this winter has been mild, and as the amount of sunlight increases each day, plants are already deciding to emerge. These fresh, vibrant sprouts are a welcome winter sight, and I hope that they are hardy enough to endure the cold temperatures still to come this season.
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.
Voles
The south meadow of Mt Pisgah is a network of well-worn paths connecting entrances leading to small burrows. This is the work of voles and they are active during the day and night. During the summer at dusk, I would watch the meadow come alive. As I stood on the road, I would see this little brown animal quickly dash in and out. They only leave the safety of their burrow for a few seconds. Sometimes I saw a dozen or more at once. I’m hoping to capture a photo of one this summer. Their small tubular scat is seen along their trails, especially near the burrow entrance.
While looking around this sea of holes and pathways, I came across many slugs and a rough-skinned newt. I also noticed small, perfectly round holes around many of the burrow entryways that were maybe made by worms. Additionally, I see American kestrels, great-horned owls, coyote scat and snakes all around this meadow. This grassy field is a fascinating and thriving world!
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.
Incense-cedar Pollen
As I was walking around today, I noticed the ground scattered with small, amber cones under the incense-cedar. I lightly poked a group of them on the tree, and a wispy curtain of fine dust floated into the air. The male cones of the incense-cedar tree are starting to release their pollen! It is interesting that certain trees will pollinate in the wintertime.
The female cones will develop from the ends of the previous year’s growth. At the moment, I was unable to determine from where they might spring forth.
Note: The cones are 4 - 7 mm, which is only around a quarter of an inch long.
Hazelnut Flowers
Here we are, approaching mid-January, and the hazelnuts are blooming. The female flowers are shy. Their delicate, red stigmas quietly reach out from an olive-green vase. They are sweeping the air in hopes of collecting the golden pollen releasing from the male catkins. Some of the catkins are cascading open and are noticeable from a distance in the wintery landscape, while others have yet to open and remain tightly compact.
The flowers are wind pollinated and need to be from a separate, compatible, pollinating variety.
Tracks
Animals are bare footed with mud squishing between their toes!
One of the benefits of the rain is that it creates an excellent canvas of mud to capture the tracks of animals. Even though the maker of the tracks is gone, they still emanate life and mystery. Animals are in intimate communication with the earth. I imagine that immense knowledge of the landscape is absorbed through their direct connection with the ground. A track is a gift. It teaches me to also learn and understand life through my sense of touch. It reminds me that we are sharing this world with other creatures.
Indian Plum Buds
The buds of the Indian plum are beautiful. Their color is soft and subtle. They have a quiet luminosity that emit a soothing balm of peacefulness in these uncertain times.
This shrub grows throughout the landscape at the arboretum, and it is one of the first plants to flower in the spring.
Its Latin name is Oemleria cerasiformis. It is also known as osoberry.
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.
