Jackson Bottom birds: February 19-25, 2010

Common Goldeneye, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, Oregon on 17 February 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

The rather rare COMMON GOLDENEYE and NORTHERN SHRIKE remained from last week. The GREAT HORNED OWL is still sitting on eggs. The BALD EAGLES have been adding material to their nest, but aren't incubating eggs yet.

An anonymous observer spotted a WESTERN SCREECH-OWL in a nest box, but exactly which of the dozens of nest boxes on the Preserve wasn't specified, and I couldn't find it--drat! A single early RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was spotted on February 20. TREE SWALLOWS arrived in small numbers during the week. An out-of-season BARN SWALLOW was seen February 26.

The patagial-marked RED-TAILED HAWK was here last week, but was reported this week by the Hillsboro Library staff at Dawson Creek Corporate Park. But, then, it was seen back here at Jackson Bottom on Friday again.

I am going to be leading free bird walks on the Preserve. The current plan is for these to be Wednesday mornings (nearly) every week, 8:30-11:00. Bring your boots for muddy trails. Be prepared to walk leisurely up to 3 miles (you can drop out at any time) as we visit ponds, woods, riparian, and upland grassland areas for a general census of all birds present. Participation is limited, so please email me, Greg Gillson to make sure space is available.

Birds this week:

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Dunlin
Wilson's Snipe
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mourning Dove
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Anna's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Sandhill Cranes at Sauvie Island

Sandhill Crane, Sauvie Island, Oregon on 23 February 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Today I led a field trip to Sauvie Island about 10 miles west of Portland, Oregon. This well known State Wildlife Area is at the mouth of the Willamette River into the Columbia. This trip is part of the bird classes and field trips I lead for Jackson Bottom Wetlands in Hillsboro, Oregon. Today's field trips taught participants primarily about Sandhill Cranes, our target bird.

Highlights included about 500 SNOW GEESE, a few TUNDRA SWANS, a couple of BALD EAGLES, and many ducks, including a few CANVASBACK.

At one pull-out a first-year RED-TAILED HAWK was perched about 60 feet away on a sign. From in the van we all had good views and some photo ops. Then it flew down in the grass nearer us to catch a snake!



At the end of the road at Oak Island, a flock of GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS in light sprinkles contained a hybrid WHITE-CROWNED x GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. The flock also contained SONG SPARROW, SPOTTED TOWHEE, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, and DOWNY WOODPECKER all under a covered sign. Nearby a couple of WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and BEWICK'S WRENS were singing and calling.

Oh, the cranes? Yes there were several hundred SANDHILL CRANES, primarily in farm fields along Reeder Road. One group of about 30 birds spent time walking in front of a nearby barn and into the back lawn of the farmhouse!

Since this trip filled so fast, we've scheduled another trip next week, Thursday, March 4, in case you want to join me. Call Hillsboro Parks and Recreation for registration, 503-681-5397. The field trip departs by 8-passenger van at 8:00 am from the Education Center parking lot, 2600 SW Hillsboro Hwy, and returns about noon. Cost is $10 for Hillsboro residents and $15 for out-of-area residents--still less than the cost of fuel and the $7 parking permit if you go on your own.

In the woods... Purple Finch

Purple Finch, Washington County, Oregon on 16 May 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

There are three look-a-like finches in the Pacific NW: House Finch, Cassin's Finch, and Purple Finch. In general they are found in different habitats.

House Finches, as we previously discussed, are primarily found in residential settings, drier ranchlands in the Great Basin, and even coastal dune grass.

Cassin's Finches favor primarily the ponderosa pine forests east of the Cascades.

In the Pacific NW, Purple Finches prefer lower forests and wooded openings from the Cascade and Sierra-Nevada mountains westward to the coast and southward through California. On the east slope of the Cascades they are found above the ponderosa pine forest and below the true fir. East of the Cascades there are also some breeding in the Naches Velley of Yakima County, Washington, the Blue Mts of ne Oregon and the Klamath Basin. Purple Finches breed in sw British Columbia and across the forests of central B.C. They are rare winter transients in Idaho and the remainder of the eastern portions of the Great Basin desert in the Pacific NW.

They do occur in wooded lowlands, parks, and towns, as well as some riparian areas, but are generally out-competed by House Finches. The more trees in these areas, the more likely there will be Purple Finches.

They will eat some insects, but seeds are their main diet. Flower buds from fruit trees are popular, as are seeds of conifers and maples, as well as weed seeds. As most other finches, and unlike sparrows, they feed primarily regurgitated seeds (and not insects) to their nestlings. If you live within their range, you may attract them to your feeder with black oil sunflower seeds.

Here are some ID hints to separate House and Purple Finches.

Male Purple Finches differ from male House Finches in the following ways. The red of House Finch is more orangish, rarely yellowish-orange. The brightest red on House Finch is on the forehead, upper breast, and rump. The crown of the head and back are usually brown, not red. In contrast, the red on Purple Finch is more evenly and widely distributed. It covers all of the head feathers, including the crown, and red edges continue on the feathers of the back and upper wings (see photo above).

In shape, Purple Finches are larger headed and shorter tailed than House Finches. The tail is more notched in Purple Finch. The brown coloration of Purple Finches is slightly greenish, described as an olive-brown (see lower neck, wings, and tail in above photo). The brown of House Finches is paler gray-brown. This applies to both males and females.

Pay particular attention to the pattern on the head of these female finches. The head of female House Finches is relatively plain, evenly streaked, without any particular pattern. The head pattern of female Purple Finches shows a contrasting paler eyebrow that wraps around the dark brown ear coverts and merges into another wide pale malar stripe--originating at the closure of the bill and wrapping back under the brown ear coverts. This same pattern is evident on the males.

The song of Purple Finch is a rapid, clear, bubbly warble. I think it has the pattern similar to: hurry-litte, hurry-little, hurry-litte, Hup! Hup! In contrast, House Finches have a long unpatterned warble, often starting with buzzy notes, going into clear high notes, then ending in a grating note, veeerrr. Calling overhead, House Finches chirp like House Sparrows, while Purple Finches give a hard crossbill-like plik call.

Jackson Bottom birds: February 13-19, 2010

Northern Shrike, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, Oregon on 17 February 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

A NORTHERN SHRIKE has been reported off-and-on in the back prairie of Jackson Bottom since November. I finally got a good view this week... and a photo (above)!

A bright male COMMON GOLDENEYE was present mid-week. It was also very photogenic, and like the shrike, rather unusual at Jackson Bottom. A PEREGRINE FALCON put in a showing. It may be the same pale bluish bird that was spotted two weeks ago.

The first TREE SWALLOW of the year was found early the week. Four were reported by week's end. In contrast, the Red-shoulded Hawk and White-throated Sparrow, present since November or earlier, have not been seen in about 10 days. Have they departed? Perhaps.

Due to lower water levels, inviting weather, Rick Balazs's bird surveys, and the first of some spring migrants, we have 73 bird species recorded for Jackson Bottom this week.

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Dunlin
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Mew Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Northern Shrike
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

At the coast... Common Loon

Common Loon, Newport, Oregon on 19 April 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Loons are common migrant and winter waterbirds along the coast. The Common Loon is the largest of the three regular loons--Pacific and Red-throated Loons are the other two common Pacific NW loons.

In spring, such as the photo above, the loons attain their breeding plumage with black head and bill and spotted black-and-white plumage. In the non-breeding plumage (first year birds and winter adults) the plumage is pale brown and the bills become pale bluish or horn-colored with a dark upper ridge (not to be confused with the bright yellow bill of the rare Yellow-billed Loon).

In the Pacific NW this species only breeds with any regularity in British Columbia. There are a couple definite breeding records for the Pacific NW. There are annual reports of summering loons elsewhere in the Pacific NW, where breeding is suspected, but not confirmed.

However, Common Loons are fairly regular spring migrants (in small numbers) throughout large reservoirs in the interior of the Pacific NW. Hearing them yodel in the pre-dawn in spring is a familiar experience to early morning bird watchers. They can be quite common fall migrants in the large Cascade Lakes. They are found on the Columbia River from the ocean to Portland, and much less frequent upriver from there.

Loons have webbed feet, like ducks, but sharp dagger bills. They dive for fish, maneuvering with only their large webbed feet. The legs are set far back on the body. This makes them very ungainly on land, barely able to shuffle or push themselves along on their bellies. It also means they have to run on the water quite a distance to become airborne in flight.

Jackson Bottom birds: February 6-12, 2010

Great Horned Owl on nest, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, Oregon on 8 February 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

The week started sunny and fairly warm. Rick Balazs performed several bird censuses, including the Owl Woods on the edge of the Hillsboro Landfill, and also the new Madsen Property about a mile downriver, neither are publicly accessible. Thus we started the week with more bird species than we ended the last week.

One of the birds Rick found on the Hillsboro Landfill ponds on February 6 was a single BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. It has been found only one other time this winter. Also, Rick located a flock of WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS on the Madsen property. These are the first of winter on the Preserve, though perhaps they have been present at Madsen, as it doesn't get birded often (yet).

A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was spotted a couple of times during the week and may be the one seen last week.

There was a GREAT HORNED OWL that Rick spotted in Owl Woods this week, but the bird photographed above on the nest was 1/4 mile from there in the Ash Woods behind Pintail Pond. Owls do not build their own nests, so they nest in Red-tailed Hawk nests before the hawks begin to rebuild it in April. I actually didn't find the bird--a flock of AMERICAN CROWS did. They were noisily excited and I looked up at the old hawk nest to see only two "horns" sticking up above the rim of the nest. I made a squeaking noise and whistled a brief pygmy owl imitation and the owl raised her head just a bit and opened one eye to look at me in what I took to be disgust. "Just go away" is written plainly on her face. Anthropomorphising? What?

Continuing birds include the patagial tagged RED-TAILED HAWK, the RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, and a dozen GREAT EGRETS.

67 species this week:

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Killdeer
Dunlin
Mew Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch

At the pond... Tundra Swan

A family of Tundra Swans, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 27 November 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Several people have remarked that they love to see the winter flocks of flying swans. If the light is just right, in the early morning or late afternoon, the sun lights up the white wings as they flash against a backdrop of dark storm clouds.

The bugling calls of Tundra Swans can be heard for a mile as the flock flies high overhead--one of the wild sounds of the Pacific Northwest.

The peak of fall migration is November; the peak of spring migration is in February. Birds winter primarily west of the Cascades from southern British Columbia south into California. If water remains open, swans will winter east of the Cascades, frequently at Summer Lake in Oregon and the Klamath Basin in Oregon and California.

Tundra Swans breed across North American tundra areas. A subspecies also breeds in tundra areas of northern Russia.

These swans eat various pond plants which they reach by tipping up in the manner of puddle ducks. With their long necks they can reach various tubers, such as wapato. One favorite food in the Pacific NW is sago pondweed.

Tundra Swans remain paired year-round. In addition, the young stay with the parents through the first year. They migrate south with their parents in the fall, then migrate back to the breeding grounds with them the next spring.

Tundra Swans are slightly smaller than the Trumpeter Swans. In fact, they are probably harder to tell apart then the field guides would have you believe. The deeper call of the Trumpeter is probably the best clue. Trumpeter Swans have been transplanted into some areas of the Pacific NW (eastern Washington and Oregon) as resident breeding birds. They also breed in Idaho and northern British Columbia. The birds in Idaho winter locally. Those Trumpeters that breed in Alaska and northern British Columbia winter south to SW British Columbia and adjacent Washington. Probably less than 100 Trumpeter Swans winter in NW Oregon.

Jackson Bottom birds: January 30-February 5, 2010

Water levels dropped so that the river trail was accessible finally--though very muddy. For the first time in two weeks visitors to the Preserve could walk to and around Pintail Pond. By Friday we had sunny skies and it was possible to walk all the way to the east side on Blue Heron Trail.

Nine GREAT EGRETS flew into the Preserve on Wednesday. Twelve were counted on the Experimental Wetlands on Friday afternoon, after several weeks without any egrets.

At Wednesday's "Lunch With the Birds" a very pale blue-gray adult PEREGRINE FALCON put in a brief appearance. A first or second year immature BALD EAGLE circled around less than 100 feet away, going down to the water to chase ducks! Several DUSKY CANADA GEESE, some sporting red neck collars were present.

The patagial tagged RED-TAILED HAWK from last week was still present throughout this week.

55 species

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
American Wigeon
Mallard
Gadwall
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Killdeer
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch

In the backyard... Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, Oregon on 25 November 2006 by Greg Gillson.

 

This tiny little bird has quite an amazing song! It is a sweet, high-pitched chanting whistle: tee-tee-tee-tee, teer-teer-teer, teeter-teeter-teeter-teet! It sings this song in the lowlands during migration starting as early as February. However, the bird itself breeds high in the mountains in June and July. In fact, the breeding habitat seems to be Douglas-fir, Larch, Grand Fir, Engelmann Spruce forests of at least 5000 feet elevation.

So why "In the backyard..."? Because from September to May these drab greenish birds can be found in the lowlands including backyards and ornamental gardens, especially with some conifers, or even blackberry tangles.

Drab? Yes, that fiery red crest is only present on males, and only when they are displaying. Most of the time the red on the crown is barely visible, even on the males. Even the call is drab, a quiet, husky did-djit. But, oh, that song!

In your field guides you may be tempted to confuse this bird with the Orange-crowned Warbler, as it also is greenish with a red crown. The warbler has no eyering or wingbars, however, spends more time in the tree-top foliage (rather than bark and branches), and behaves in a more wary manner.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet does look much like the Hutton's Vireo, with similar white spectacles and wingbars. The vireo has a thicker, hook-tipped bill and thicker blue-gray legs. The legs on kinglets are very thin, blackish with bright yellow toes.

Kinglets glean insects from bark and branches, migrating south and downslope after the breeding season. They often appear with chickadees and other small birds in winter in a mixed foraging flock. You may find them attracted to your suet feeder.

They respond quickly and boldly to pishes and pygmy-owl imitations. During this time of agitation they display the red crest as in the photo above.