Eight weeks. It has been 8 weeks since anyone has heard the harsh chatter or slurred whistle of BULLOCK'S ORIOLES. Then, this week a noisy family group is obvious in the cottonwood and ash trees around the Clean Water Services building and the employeee parking area at Hillsboro's Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve nature center.
We know the orioles nested here last year, as a nest was obvious all winter in the tall cottonwood trees. The nest survived the wind and rain storms of winter, as its woven form was built primarily of blue tarp strings!
This week a YELLOW WARBLER was singing. Earlier in June we had several singing males. But they are quiet now. No one has seen or heard WILLOW FLYCATCHERS for two weeks either, but we are sure they breed in the wetlands. These birds are just quiet now that they likely have fledgling young to take care of, or perhaps they are completely finished with breeding this year.
Another bird that is harder to figure out is the LAZULI BUNTING. At least 3 singing males were present for about 2 weeks at the end of May and early June, out in the grassy fields. But they have not been seen or heard from since. Other common migrants that could breed, but apparently didn't, were PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER and WARBLING VIREO.
Young birds are everywhere, including CLIFF SWALLOWS, AMERICAN ROBINS, CINNAMON TEAL, WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS, DOWNY WOODPECKERS, SONG SPARROWS, NORTHERN FLICKERS, LESSER GOLDFINCHES, and many more.
Some fall birds, primarily waterbirds are returning already. These include GREAT EGRET, GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and LEAST SANDPIPERS.
Here is this week's list of birds at Jackson Bottom.
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Hooded Merganser
Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Virginia Rail
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Vaux's Swift
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow