Jackson Bottom birds: December 25-31, 2009

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is just at the east border of the Forest Grove Christmas Bird Count circle. As such, it is a major area for birds during this early winter count. This year the count day was Saturday, December 26. The Preserve provided some birds that helped in smashing the previous high count of 114 species, with a whopping 122 species!

The birds seen the previous weeks are still pretty much here, including the WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at the feeder and the RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (though both were inexplicably missed on count day). The CBC team counting on the Preserve recorded a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON--a really good find. One or two have been present the past couple winters way back in a pond that is actually on Hillsboro landfill property.

Missed on count day, the out-of-season TREE SWALLOW that spent 4 days on the Preserve last week was gone. The ponds all froze on Friday with the nice sunny weather.

A dark PEALE'S PEREGRINE FALCON showed up the day after the count and was seen twice during the week.

A new hummingbird feeder attracted an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD.

Frosty, but sunny, weather gave way to a snow storm on Tuesday the 29th. The Preserve received 3-1/2 inches of snow in 4 hours after lunch time.

Here is this week's list of birds with numbers recorded on December 26 for the Forest Grove CBC:

Cackling Goose 327
Canada Goose 102
(Canada/Cackling sp.) 900
Gadwall 4
American Wigeon 6
Mallard 143
Northern Shoveler 133
Northern Pintail 1302
Green-winged Teal 56
Canvasback 1
Ring-necked Duck 4
Lesser Scaup 9
Bufflehead 4
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser 2
Ruddy Duck 104
Ring-necked Pheasant 1
Pied-billed Grebe 4
Double-crested Cormorant 6
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Bald Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 4
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk 8
American Kestrel 2
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot 4
Killdeer
Dunlin
Wilson's Snipe 1
Mew Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 7
Eurasian Collared-Dove 4
Mourning Dove 9
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 5
Northern Shrike 1
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay 11
American Crow 5
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee 10
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 1
Bewick's Wren 1
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
American Robin 32
European Starling
Spotted Towhee 3
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 20
White-throated Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow 18
Dark-eyed Junco 50
(Slate-colored Junco) 1
Red-winged Blackbird 19
House Finch 7
Lesser Goldfinch 22
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 40

In the backyard... Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird, San Diego County, California, on 31 October 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Many backyard birders are beginning to discover that Anna's Hummingbirds are year-round residents west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest.

This resident hummingbird was formerly confined to California and northen Baja California. The first Oregon record was in 1944. By the 1960's it was established as a regular breeder, primarily in SW Oregon. The range expansion really took off in the 1980's and birds are now regular (and still increasing) north to southern British Columbia and, rarely, SE Alaska. It has also expanded into Arizona, where it is now common in larger towns.

The causes of the expansion of this hummingbird has not been studied, but is thought to be due to plantings of flowering shrubs. Anna's Hummingbirds are most common in the Pacific NW in larger towns with more winter-flowering landscaping. They have been less common in smaller rural communities, though they are increasing rapidly now into these areas as well.

Male Anna's "sing" all year long, but especially from December to April, the breeding season. The song is a long series of insect-like buzzes and clicks (like a miniature starling!). Nests are built and eggs laid as early as January, though some birds nest as late as April. The nest is the size of a walnut shell half, covered in spider silk and lichens. The eggs are the size of coffee beans and the tiny chicks are hatched naked.

Anna's Hummingbirds are quite large compared to the only common hummingbirds within its range in the Pacific NW. Anna's are all green on the upperparts, including the base of the tail, which is rusty on Rufous and Allen's hummingbirds. Additionally, the sides are green or gray on Anna's, but pink or cinnamon on Rufous and Allen's.

Anna's barely crosses east of the Cascades and is huge compared to the tiny Calliope Hummingbird. In comparison to Black-chinned Hummingbird, the male Anna's has it's whole head and throat amethyst-pink, while the male Black-chinned is mostly (you guessed it) black chinned. The crown of female Black-chinned is gray, while the crown of Anna's is green.

For information on feeding hummingbirds, see a previous article, telling how to make hummingbird nectar.

Jackson Bottom birds: December 19-24, 2009

The weather this week has been primarily 31-34 degrees Fahrenheit and foggy. The sun finally broke through on Thursday afternoon.

The Preserve has had several birders visiting in preparation for this Saturday's Forest Grove Christmas Bird Count. Thus we have 67 species on a short week.

Good birds this week included the continuing RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. A group of CALIFORNIA QUAIL were spotted in the back acreage. The covey that had been present several years was eliminated after someone dumped housecats at the Preserve some time ago (a year or so). The cats are gone now, or maybe one remains, seen only by noting tracks in the mud recently.

A flock of DUNLIN was the first since November. A lone TREE SWALLOW has been hawking insects over the ponds during the last three days of the weekly period. I don't know where it came from. The first birds usually show up the second week of February, but the last birds are usually gone by late September.

A RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER was spotted again this week. Three WESTERN MEADOWLARK were on the Preserve on Thursday.

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Dunlin
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch

At the pond... Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail, Forest Grove, Oregon on 17 January 2004 by Greg Gillson.

 

The Northern Pintail is one of the most abundant migrant ducks in the Pacific Northwest. It is also abundant in winter west of the Cascades. It breeds primarily east of the Cascades. Continentally, they nest across Canada and Alaska and in the Great Basin and Great Plains. They winter coastally and in the southern US and well into Mexico.

The male's long black tail and white stripe up the back of the neck make this bird quite striking. Even without this combination of marks the sharply patterned males and the drab females are graceful, long-necked, ducks. They are distinctively differently shaped from all other North American ducks. In flight they are long-necked with sickle-shaped wings, easily identified even at a great distance.

One of the most frequent calls of the drakes is a wheezy double whistle. The hen gives a flat quack, lower and quieter than a Mallard hen.

Pintails are primarily vegetarian, and are most often found in shallow ponds and flooded pastures rather than deep lakes.

Jackson Bottom birds: December 14-18, 2009

The previous week of subfreezing weather in Hillsboro, Oregon, gave way to rain and highs to 50 degrees F. The Tualatin River began backing up Jackson Slough and filling the wetlands.

Ducks came back to the thawed ponds, with many RING-NECKED DUCKS and LESSER SCAUPS on Pintail Pond.

A RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER was found, a rare visitor that has been seen off and on for 3 weeks now near the Education Center. The male Anna's Hummingbird has not been seen since the freeze, but might still be around the bioswales in front of the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve Education Center or the Cleanwater Services building next door.

COOPER'S and SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS have been reported regularly. A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK remains from earlier in the fall. A PEREGINE FALCON put in a showing during the week. Bird feeders have been put in and they are attracting many birds now.

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

Jackson Bottom birds: December 7-13, 2009

Last week at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve in Hillsboro, Oregon we had freezing, but sunny skies. By Thursday all the ponds were completely frozen, and only the middle third of the Tualatin River was open. Small bird activity was reduced, ducks pretty much moved out. The 53 species reported was about 10 less than the previous week.

The THAYER'S GULLS and HERRING GULLS were on the open water in the center of Pintail Pond on Wednesday, just before it froze completely. They come from the landfill across the river. A HERMIT THRUSH was reported from the Madsen Property. This is the first report for the Preserve, though it should be expected in winter along the river or in our conifer groves. A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK remained from earlier in the fall. For the second week in a row WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were found, apparently they will winter here, primarily below the landfill. Two VARIED THRUSHES were reported for the second time this fall/winter.

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Killdeer
Wilson's Snipe
California Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch

In the woods... Northern Pygmy-Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl, Timber, Oregon on 22 November 2007 by Greg Gillson.

 

When someone mentions "owl" your thoughts may jump to the "Tiger of the Night," the powerful hunter that is the Great Horned Owl.

The Northern Pygmy-Owl is probably not the first bird one associates with the word "owl." After all, at 6 and 3/4 inches in length, this cute little gnome (scientific name is Glaucidium gnoma) is much shorter than a Starling, and weighs about the same. It has a toy-like whistled "toot" call. It is active during the day.

But don't let it fool you. It is a ferocious little predator. It eats insects, mammals, and birds, often up to twice its own size. It tends to sit on a perch (often quite conspicuously in the open) and then drop down on its prey. These small owls, in turn, may be hunted by larger owls--it is not a kind world out there.

The whistled call is easily imitated. This may attract these owls to you in more mature dense woods (as with the bird photographed above). More often, though, a whistled imitation attracts a flock of chickadees, nuthatches, crossbills, tanagers and other forest birds to mob the "owl" and drive it away. On many occasions I have heard a flock of Red Crossbills flying high over the forest and whistled a pygmy-owl imitation and brought them in for a landing near me. Sometimes I get a whistled reply back from my imitation. While it may be a pygmy-owl responding, it may just as likely be a Gray Jay, who does a good job of imitating the Northern Pygmy-Owl.

Pygmy-owls nest in old woodpecker holes, often flicker, Hairy Woodpecker, and sapsucker holes, the woodpeckers typical of the dense forest stands where this owl lives. They are found in conifer forests in Western mountains, from SE Alaska through western Mexico.

Nutria

Nutria, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, Hillsboro, Oregon on 11 December 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Nutrias were introduced into the Pacific Northwest in the late 1930's for their fur. However, the demand for fur plummeted soon thereafter. These large South American semi-aquatic rodents escaped or were released. They found the climate of the Pacific NW ideal and became a pest in the wetlands.

The Nutria is called the Coypu in Spanish (as "nutria" means otter in Spanish). This rodent reaches 20 pounds in weight and has a body length of 24 inches with a tail length of 18 inches. It has a vegetarian diet. Distinguishing marks include the white face, webbed hind feet, and round bare tail.

It is a chunkier animal with a shorter muzzle than the River Otter, which has fur on the tail. The Muskrat is smaller with a tail flattened vertically. It is quite similar in shape to a Beaver, but separated by the Beaver's horizontally flattened tail.

Nutrias are primarily nocturnal, but come out in the day time when food resources are low (such as the recent week of freezing weather we've had). They have poor eyesight. I encountered nearly 20 of these animals on a short walk around Jackson Bottom Wetlands. They didn't see me until I was within 35 feet of them. They can run fast, but pause and turn to "face the enemy" with their orange incisors, typical of rodents.

Nutrias dig burrows and extensive tunnel systems (up to 150 feet) in river banks causing erosion and destroy irrigation channels. They may also damage wetland habitat by consuming aquatic vegetation. In Oregon that includes willow, marsh purslane, and burr-reed. Nutrias can "eat-out" an area causing the collapse of a natural wetlands structure (See the Report on Nutria Management and Research in the Pacific Northwest).

Prolonged freezing winter temperatures limit the population of Nutria. Most Nutria in the Pacific Northwest are found in the Willamette Valley of western Oregon, and in limited areas west of the Cascades in Washington, as well as locally in SW British Columbia.

Frozen feeders

We've reached five days in a row now where the temperatures west of Portland, Oregon have not reached above freezing. Water pipes are freezing and people are really bundled up. Clouds have rolled in this Saturday morning, and snow and freezing rain are in the forecast as temperatures rise. After today, rain is the forecast every day for a week.

The photo above is from yesterday, Friday. We have a resident Anna's Hummingbird at our feeder. She defends it from another female and an occasional first-year male. But in this weather the feeders freeze solid in about 4 hours.

The Anna's Hummingbirds are the earliest risers at our feeders, coming in for a drink as soon as there is an orange glow in the eastern sky (as seen in the photo above). They also get a drink at dusk, long after the other birds have left the seed feeders.

How do you keep the feeders from freezing in this weather? Some people hang their feeders near a porch light with a heat lamp in it. In our case, we bring the feeder in at night and put it out before dawn. To keep it from freezing during the middle of the day? We have two feeders and switch them off every few hours as they freeze.

Anna's Hummingbirds are fairly hardy, but like many birds can't survive too many days without liquid water. During these freezing spells, liquid water is more important than food--for all birds.

For more on feeding hummingbirds see the earlier article Bird feeding... Hummingbirds.

In the backyard... Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 7 February 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

The most common resident sparrow in the Pacific Northwest is the Song Sparrow. It is found in brush piles and wetlands throughout the region and, indeed, most of North America. Migrants from northern areas add to our local population in winter. Populations in 31 recognized subspecies gradually change plumage characters and measurements across the continent. West of the Cascades birds are fairly distinctive. They are dull and rusty-patterned over a gray background (as photographed above). Most other populations are brighter with brown streaks on a whiter background color. See the Sibley Guide to Birds to get an idea of some of the variation.

Go up to any willow clump or blackberry tangle and "pish" (make a drawn out "psh-sh-sh-sh" sound), or make squeaking sounds by kissing the back of your hand, and a Song Sparrow likely will pop up immediately like a jack-in-the-box.

Both male and female Song Sparrows sing, and all through the year, too. Voices vary somewhat, but I've always liked the mnemonic: "Madge! Madge! Madge! Put on your tea-kettle," as a good description of harsh opening notes, followed by a jumble of musical notes. Bewick's Wrens have similar quality songs of harsh single notes and trills in various patterns. The common call note of Song Sparrow is a loud "chimp" call. They also give a very soft, high-pitched squeaking "see" call when alarmed.

Female Song Sparrows build a nest in a low bush and lay 4 eggs. They nest 2-3 times in a single season.

Song Sparrow, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, Hillsboro, Oregon on 1 December 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

There are many sparrows and female finches with striped breasts similar to Song Sparrows. Such common similar birds in the Pacific NW are Savannah, Fox, Vesper, and Lincoln's Sparrows, as well as females of House, Purple, and Cassin's Finches. The female Red-winged Blackbird is another striped bird often confused with sparrows by beginners.

Tracks

We've had a few sunny days since last week's rains. Thus, there are many animal tracks in the mud at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve in Hillsboro, Oregon. Those are coyote dog tracks above (as correctly noted by Mike Patterson). Dogs are not allowed on the preserve, but, hey, they can't read, right? Coyotes have smaller foot pads than the photo above.

A deer passed this way (above).

The hand-like print of a raccoon is above.

A bunch of sparrow tracks around a puddle in the marsh (above) most likely belong to Song Sparrow.

My first week at Jackson Bottom Wetlands

A silhouetted photographer sets up for a scenic sunrise photo at Fernill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 23 November 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Last Thursday, when I met for the tour of the Madsen property at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, I found out some great news. Since being unemployed, I had been volunteering for several weeks at the Preserve, which is part of the City of Hillsboro's Park and Recreation Department. Sarah Pinnock, Wetlands Education Specialist, came out to tell me that I had been approved for part time employment!

My position with the Preserve is titled "Instructor III," but my name tag says "Bird Guy." I am tasked with creating adult birding classes, field trips, and other bird education projects for the nature education center.

The Education Center has been around since 2003. Several buses full of school children come each week to learn about wetlands and the animals there. Sarah especially enjoys teaching K-4 children, dressing them up in beaver and bald eagle costumes, passing around bones and feathers and the like. However, there hasn't been anyone on the staff specifically concentrating on birds. That's where I will come in.

To start, I decided to initiate some free morning bird walks to introduce birders to the Preserve and my new job there. The first bird walk was on Monday. As several rare birds were reported Sunday during a wind storm from nearby Fernhill Wetlands, that's where we met (see photo above). We didn't find the rare birds, but we had a good time. These bird walks will continue for a while yet, though a schedule has not yet been set.

One of my first projects is updating the bird checklist. The present checklist was compiled by weekly surveys over several years conducted over 10 years ago by Al and Florence Snyder. I joined them several times on their counts. There have been some changes to the birds detected since then. A new checklist in PDF format will allow birders to download the list from the web, as well as make updating it and printing it easier.

My new desk (left) has quite a view, looking out at the wetlands. It is quite a different cubicle and atmosphere than my last technology engineering and manufacturing job! Can you imagine a place where binoculars are a standard desktop item, right next to the stapler, and a call of: "There's the eagle again!" interrupts everyone's work several times a day, as the staff run to the window with binoculars in hand?

On Tuesday Sarah gathered the staff around. She was holding an opaque plastic bag. She reached in and pulled out something green and handed it to me. "This is your job now," she said. In my hand was a dead bird! City workers in Cornelius had found this bird and brought it in for identification. Evidently, this is a common occurrence. Interestingly, it was a Monk Parakeet. There is a small colony of this exotic species near the Portland airport, but this is a first Washington County record.

Again, I heard one of the volunteers calling my name from the nature center gift shop. A couple had been out hiking on the Preserve and discovered a bird nest. It was small with lots of holes. What is it? OK, I'm thinking, there are squirrel nests made of leaves, but those are about the only nests visible now. Perhaps they found a Bushtit nest from last spring? Nope. Further questioning revealed the necessary clue that the "nest" was made of plywood. Oh, that's not a bird nest; that is a mason bee house! These native bees do not sting and pollinate the native plants.

"Do you know anything about birds?" Wednesday I helped a high school student identify some birds for a science project she was working on. I went in and got her a pair of binoculars and we went out for a 20 minute walk. The sun had just come out in the late afternoon, after a day of thick fog. Birds were quite active including Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees, American Robins, Northern Flickers, and both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets that the student added to her list and wrote down behavioral and habitat observations. We also observed a Red-breasted Sapsucker, one of the very few birds expected in the wetlands that was not on the Preserve's checklist of observed birds.

Tuesday Sarah took me out to look at a bee hive (left) she had found earlier in the fall. It was built out in the open under some fallen branches.

On the way out we found a couple of Lincoln's Sparrows in a weedy hedgerow. And I called in a feeding flock of chickadees and nuthatches that included a Brown Creeper. "Sweet!" exclaimed Sarah. But she was more excited when we found a Great Blue Heron track clearly visible in the mud at the bottom of a shallow rain water puddle. Then she exclaimed 'sweet' in two syllables: "suh-weet!"

There was a spider hatch during the night. Strands of spider silk were in the air in every direction. Tiny little gnat-like spiders were floating in the breeze on little parachutes. At one point near the observation platform there were literally hundreds of spiders landing on us and covering us in web strands. Little spiders were rappelling down from the overhanging roof of the observation platform. It was like a scene from Arachnophobia. Sarah's response? "Suh-weet!"

You know, I think I'm going to like my new job.

At the pond... Canada Goose

Western Canada Goose, Hillsboro, Oregon on 6 December 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Everyone knows the Canada Goose. Everyone except birders, that is. Why do I say this?

Birds of Oregon: a general reference (2003, Marshall, Hunter, and Contreras, editors) lists 8 subspecies of Canada Goose found in Oregon. Some birders attempt to identify these field identifiable subspecies, or races, when they can. Other birders, however, pay no attention to subspecies, as they can't count them as a separate species on their life list. And, well, many birds are just really hard (or impossible) to pin down to a subspecific identification. So why bother?

Well, surprise! The American Ornithologists Union (A.O.U.) recently "split" the Canada Goose into two separate species. The larger birds, some almost the size of swans, are still called Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, while the smaller geese, some the size of city park ducks, are now called Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii.

While your friend who knows next to nothing about birds confidently identifies the overhead skein of birds as "Canadian" Geese, you're not so sure anymore.

Cackling Geese cackle, of course, while Canada Geese honk. That's just a sweeping generality, as there seem to be several "tweener" populations that are very difficult to tell apart. In general, Cackling Geese have short necks, stubby little bills, and wing tips that extend well past the tail at rest.

The resident Canada Geese, the ones in city parks and wetlands that lead goslings around in April, are the Western Canada Geese. They are very large, have white breasts and long necks and bills. The bird in the photo above is a Western Canada Goose.

In winter, we are visited by the smaller, white-breasted, Lesser Canada Goose from the north. These are more common east of the Cascades than west.

And, in the Willamette Valley of western Oregon winters a dark breasted Dusky Canada Goose. The Vancouver Canada Goose is very similar. Some of these winter along the coast, as far south as the Nestucca National Wildlife Refuge near Pacific City, Oregon.

The Giant Canada Goose is a bird of the Great Plains that has been introduced widely in North America. There is an introduced resident population on the Lower Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon. Many of these released birds bred with the abundant local resident Western Canada Geese so that most birds here and elsewhere in the Pacific NW showing "Giant" field marks (white foreheads and larger than the Western race) are probably not pure.

I'll write again about the Cackling Goose later this winter. The main identification challenge is separating the Lesser Canada Goose from the Taverner's Cackling Goose. A good article on this is John Rakestraw's blog on the Lesser Canada Goose.

Shrooms!

Today I went on a field trip of the Madsen property, donated to the city of Hillsboro, Oregon's Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve. This property is separated from the main Jackson Bottom Wetlands and serves as a field station.

My interest was bird-related, but the theme of the day was mushrooms. Those in the accompanying photo are 9 inches tall and 14 inches in diameter!

I've never paid much attention to wild mushrooms before. Don't tell anyone, but I actually worked for a year or so at a mushroom farm in southern California. My duties included nutritional and moisture analysis of the compost and looking for nematodes under the microscope. But wild mushrooms? I may have stepped on a few, but generally paid them no mind.

Educator and Volunteer Coordinator Jan Curry led us on trails through the old gardens and decades-neglected Christmas tree farm showing us mushrooms everywhere--hundreds, no thousands of mushrooms of a dozen varieties. She also pointed out lichens and ferns.

It was very interesting and the birds were almost forgotten. Almost, but not quite, as we flushed a Great Horned Owl from the dense stand of noble fir. And a Common Raven flew across the farm field.

Later we came across a flock of Chestnut-backed and Black-capped Chickadees with a few Golden-crowned Kinglets and Red-breasted Nuthatches.

The property itself was very interesting with fields, frontage on the Tualatin River,house and farm buildings, several ponds, and forest area.

I look forward to going back in the near future.

In the backyard... Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 8 September 2007 by Greg Gillson.

 

If you have a suet feeder as part of your backyard feeding station, you are likely to add several birds that you may not otherwise. One of these is the smallest North American woodpecker, the black-and-white Downy Woodpecker.

If I was to pick a "typical" habitat for Downy Woodpeckers it would be willow-lined streams. In the Pacific Northwest these can occur anywhere in the region. They also occur in oak woodlots, mixed deciduous and conifer woods, orchards, aspen groves, and town parks or backyards with deciduous trees.

Downy Woodpeckers eat primarily insects, which they often glean more from the branches than the main trunk.

They bore their own nest hole in a dead or dying tree.

In winter these woodpeckers often join mixed feeding flocks of chickadees, nuthatches, kinglets, and other species.

The photo above shows a typical bird from humid climes west of the Cascades with the dusky underparts. Downy Woodpecker populations from the arid areas east of the Cascades are a strikingly clean black-and-white. This follows Gloger's rule.

Many beginning birders have difficulty separating Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. These look-a-like species differ in size. The bill of the Hairy Woodpecker is stout and strong. As someone told me in my youth, the tiny bill of the Downy Woodpecker looks like it could only tap through soggy cardboard. The outer tail feathers of Downy Woodpeckers often show black bars, as in the photo above. This is not foolproof, though. Hairy Woodpeckers primarily live in dense conifer woods in the mountains.

Great Blue Heron afternoon

Great Blue Heron, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, Oregon on 4 November 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

The low golden afternoon light last week was good for this Great Blue Heron at Jackson Bottom. After I finished Lunch With The Birds I hiked out into the wetlands to see if I could find the Northern Shrike reported from the previous day. I didn't find the shrike, a rare winter visitor, but this heron provided a consolation prize.

At the pond... Bufflehead

Bufflehead, Hillsboro, Oregon on 6 December 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

One of the common wintering ducks of deeper ponds and lakes throughout the Pacific NW is the diminutive Bufflehead.

They actually nest in mountain lakes in our area, especially in British Columbia and northern Washington, but also in isolated locations in Idaho and in a very few places the Cascades of Oregon and northern California.

Rather than building a nest on the ground as most other ducks, Buffleheads nest almost exclusively in old flicker nest holes that overlook a lake. In the woodpecker excavation they lay from 4-17 eggs. Can you imagine how crowded the nest must be with 17 chicks stuffed in a woodpecker hole with mom?

Buffleheads eat primarly aquatic insects, crawdads, various clams, and some seeds.

They arrive on lower elevation ponds and lakes in October and November and spend the winter on unfrozen lakes, bays, and larger rivers. In March and April they migrate back to their nesting grounds.

The photo above shows a typical male and female. The male is white below, blackish above. The black head has a large white wedge on the hind crown. The black feathers of the head of male Bufflehead show an iridescent sheen of purple and green in strong sunlight. The bill is pale blush-gray. The female is pale gray below with a whitish belly, dark gray-brown above, and there is a white patch on the cheek of the dark head. The bill is dark grayish. Both sexes have a white wing patch on the inner wing. The female has a small white wing patch on the inner trailing edge, the male has a much larger white patch across the entire inner wing.

Neck-collared swans

Tundra Swan T532, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 24 February 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Two winters ago I captured this swan with my camera, marked with neck collar T532. As with the Canada Geese with neck collars from last week, I submitted the collar number, date, and location to the Bird Banding Laboratory at the USGS.

This week I received an email from Craig R. Ely at the Alaska Science Center, stating that the neck collar tracking program was still in progress. Four-hundred additional swans were fitted with neck collars this summer. These allow birds to be individually identified from a distance on land or in flight.

As with other marked or banded wild birds (except pigeons), all band or neck collar numbers should be submitted to the Bird Banding Laboratory. Observers who do so will receive a brief history of the bird they saw. If you see and report one of these birds you will be contributing to knowledge that helps understand and preserve these birds.

Additionally, 80 swans were fitted with radios in 2008 and their transmitters are still functioning. Their migration path can be tracked on the Alaska Science Center web site.

Let's go on a snipe hunt!

Wilson's Snipe, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 12 October 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

The young man stands alone in the woods at night, watching and waiting for the prey. In his hand is a large bag. He makes loud clucking sounds as directed. His friends are to be circling around, driving the strange birds toward him. Snipe are so stupid, his friends tell him, that they'll be easy for this young person to catch and put in his bag! He waits... and waits... and waits.

I've never actually known anyone to have been fooled by this practical joke, or even heard of anyone trying to play this joke on others. But I can imagine.

In actuality, snipes are diurnal shorebirds. They are found in wet bogs and the grassy edges of marshes. Rarely do they venture out far into the water or out on the mudflats, away from cover. When danger appears they crouch and freeze (as in the above photo), usually blending in to the marsh vegetation with their camouflage plumage. When danger gets too close--such as an oblivious birder on the shoreline looking at ducks out in the marsh, this bird bursts from underfoot with a raspy call and zigzagging flight.

In the Pacific NW, Wilson's Snipes nest in grassy wet meadows. They winter in similar wet situations where water remains unfrozen. They are widespread in migration. They are told apart from other long-billed shorebirds, especially the similar dowitchers, by their blackish backs with long straw-colored lines and the striped head and face.

In the countryside... Red-tailed Hawk

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 22 November 2007 by Greg Gillson.

 

Throughout the Pacific NW and, indeed, most of North America, the Red-tailed Hawk is the default large hawk.

Red-tailed Hawks are buteos, with broad wings with rounded tips and rather short tails. Falcons have pointed wings, Accipiters have shorter wings and long tail, harriers have longer tail, ospreys have bent wings, eagles are larger and more evenly-colored.

Highly variable, some birds are very pale, others are very dark and others may be entirely rusty or even all-blackish. Many Red-tailed Hawks in the Pacific NW are very similar to this bird. They show heavy streaking on the belly with an obvious unmarked pale chest. The leading edge of the inner wing from below is dark (see it in the photo above?).

As an adult these birds will have a brick red tail. However, many fall birds are juveniles with finely banded tail as shown by the bird in the photo.

Red-tailed Hawks are common birds of open country with trees, power poles, or fence posts for perching. Travel any of the regions highways and you'll see them. They'll be hunting rabbits, mice, frogs, or snakes in the median between the north and south bound lanes of Interstate 5. They don't hunt in the deep forests and are not fond of empty grasslands or sage flats with no trees or power poles for miles. In such places they are replaced in summer by Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawks, and in winter by Rough-legged Hawks.

They can also be spotted on sunny days soaring high in the air on thermals.

They build stick nests in May about 2 feet across. In January, before they get back on territory, their old nests may be used by Great Horned Owls to nest in.

Dusky Canada Geese follow-up

It only has been two days since I saw and reported the red neck collar numbers of four Dusky Canada Geese I recorded at Jackson Bottom Wetlands in Hillsboro, Oregon. I received certificates of appreciation for reporting two of the geese. The certificate for 7JP is reproduced here.

Bird 7JP is a female, banded 5 August 2003 by Dr. Dirk Derksen and was at least one year old when banded. The banding location was 5 miles west of Alaganic, Alaska (see map).

The other goose, 84C is a male, banded 18 July 2005 and was at least one year old when banded. It was banded not too far from the other bird, 11 miles south of Cordova, Alaska, by Thomas Rothe.

Reporting neck collar numbers helps scientists figure out where these birds go and their survival rates. Notice that goose 7JP was banded 6 years ago and is at least 7 years old.


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Mallard

Mallard, Forest Grove, Oregon on 10 October 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

All summer the ducks have been in their dull eclipse plumage. The drakes appear in a plumage very similar to the hens. But now that autumn is fully upon us, the male ducks have regained their stunning colors.

Neck-collared Geese

Wednesday is Lunch with the birds time for me again at Jackson Bottom Wetlands. Today, highlights included a Bald Eagle chasing a Cackling Goose, a quick fly-by Merlin, and a flock of Dusky Canada Geese.

Dusky Canada Geese are not as big as the Western Canada Geese that are resident at the local ponds and raise their goslings here locally in the Pacific Northwest. But the Duskies are still about 2/3 larger than the Cackling Geese that are here by the thousands now.

Dusky Canada Geese are a dark-breasted population that nest on the Copper River delta in Alaska. The 1964 Alaska earth quake raised their swampy river delta 6 feet. Now Arctic Foxes and other predators could reach any nesting area that remained. Thus, the US Fish and Wildlife service set up 3 refuges for these birds in the 1970's in the Willamette Valley: Ankeny NWR, Finley NWR, and Baskett Slough NWR. Numbers of these geese have rebounded, but they are still not legal to hunt.

Several of the Dusky Canada Geese had red plastic neck collars with white numbers and letters written on them. [Cackling Geese have yellow neck collars; Western Canada Geese have blue or white neck collars.] I was able to make out the numbers on four birds, though they were quite distant, hidden behind the willows, it was a bit hazy today, and the eagle was stirring things up. Have I made enough excuses for the bad digiscoped photo to accompany this post?

You need a good spotting scope, and practice reading the stylized lettering, but finding flocks of geese or swans with neck collars and then submitting them can be quite fun. I filled out the web form for reporting the 4 neck collars (6NV, 7 JP, 7VF, 84C) at the bird banding laboratory on the USGS page.

In a few days I expect to hear back from the researcher working on these birds. I'll receive a thank you acknowledgement and learn something about where these birds were banded and how old they are. I'll write another post when I find out.

In the backyard... Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 1 August 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Many backyard birders are already familiar with the crested Cedar Waxwing. This handsome bird breeds throughout the Pacific Northwest in towns and woodland edges, but is rare or absent in dense higher forests and treeless expanses of the Great Basin. In winter they are irregular and rare, as most move south in their search for berries--their primary food.

Migrant Cedar Waxwings arrive in large numbers in May. They wait to nest until berries (cherries, blueberries, hawthorn) are ripe. They often nest twice in the year, raising broods first in June, then again in August. Local numbers are augmented by migrants from the north and many young-of-the-year in September and October.

These birds are found in flocks except during the nesting season. Flocks fly from tree to tree, eating fruit and giving constant high-pitched trilling calls. In August and September they can often be seen hawking larger insects out over rivers.

The primary field marks are the fawn-colored upperparts and crest, black mask, pale yellowish belly, and darker tail with yellow tip. At close range (see photo above) the name sake waxy red tips can be seen on the wings.

In winter, nomadic flocks of birds are most often noted in larger cities where they can find berries from introduced fruit-bearing trees. Important winter fruits come from holly bushes west of the Cascades and juniper berries east of the Cascades.

Brown Pelican in flight

Brown Pelican, Newport, Oregon on 2 October 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Brown Pelican numbers are unprecedented this fall along the coastline of the Pacific NW. Every summer and fall these birds wander up from their breeding colonies in Baja California, accompanied by Heermann's Gulls. This year, however, has been special.

Nearly a thousand Brown Pelicans have been roosting at night near Newport, Oregon, either on Yaquina Head by the lighthouse, or in Yaquina Bay and on on its jetties.

To get this photo, I drove out to the south jetty of Yaquina Bay in late afternoon. The low-angled sunlight provided a rich warm glow and the desired shadows that bring out the shape of the bird. Brown Pelicans were coming in off the ocean, turning up into the bay, then returning along the jetties, right over and beside me, including this nice adult.

Lunch with the Birds

Today at noon I volunteered an hour of my time for the Jackson Bottom Wetlands' "Lunch with the Birds" program. This is the 12th year of the program, though my involvement only started a couple of weeks ago. Jackson Bottom Wetlands is immediately south of Hillsboro, Oregon as Main Street turns into Hwy 219.

The official announcement is as follows:

"Come join us as we begin our 12th year of Lunch With the Birds! Meet at the north viewing shelter just south of Hillsboro on Highway 219 next to the Clean Water Services water treatment plant. Our naturalist will help you identify birds and other wildlife that call Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve home. Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons and many different kinds of waterfowl are just a few of the wonderful creatures that may be observed on the Preserve. This event is free and open to everyone. The site is wheelchair accessible. For more information call 503-681-6278."

The fall rains started this week, though the skies became mostly sunny as the noon hour progressed. The water added to the ponds and 600 or so Cackling Goose were present. I explained (to the only person to join me this day) that these were recently split from the Canada Goose as a separate species. It was easy to see the Canada Goose was twice the size of the Cackling Goose. A Great Egret was working the shoreline.

We spotted an adult Bald Eagle perched high in a Douglas-fir tree behind its nest in a cottonwood. The eagles just returned last week after being absent most of the autumn. Later its mate appeared, making a strafing run at the geese. A previously hidden Greater White-fronted Goose flew up from the back pond along with all the Cackling Geese.

A flash of white over the back marsh revealed an adult Bonaparte's Gull! This species is a rare annual spring and fall migrant in the county.

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve has a new web site where you can read more about its activities and birding opportunities.

Lunch with the Birds is presented every Wednesday from noon to 1 pm. Check the web site calendar to verify the program each week. This venue is suitable for local families, nearby workers taking a lunch break, small school groups, and beginning birders wishing to know more about the local birds.

At the south end of Jackson Bottom is the Education Center and hiking trails (no dogs allowed). These take you along the ash groves beside the Tualatin river and out along several ponds. The wetlands are open all year, though the entire area can flood following heavy rains.

Will you meet me there next week for Lunch with the Birds?

In the mountains... Mountain Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee in a lodgepole pine, Lost Lake, Linn Co., Oregon on 23 May 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Several groups of Pacific NW birds show altitudinal habitat preferences. This is most clearly seen on the Cascade Mountains. The chickadees show this, with Black-capped Chickadees most common in lowlands and oak woods west of the Cascades. Higher up the Cascade slope, in the damp Douglas-fir and western hemlock habitat zone is the domain of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee. In the highest forests of lodgepole and over the Cascade crest to the drier east side ponderosa pine forests are found the Mountain Chickadees (sometimes in lower juniper).

Instantly recognized by the white eyebrow stripe, Mountain Chickadees are pale gray, white, and black. They lack the chestnut backs (and sides of all but the San Francisco area populations) of Chestnut-backed Chickadees. They lack the buffy sides of the Black-capped Chickadees west of the Cascades. [In the Rocky Mountains are some rather plain sided Black-capped Chickadees and some rather buffy-sided Mountain Chickadess.]

The common call is a husky chick-dzee-dzee-dzee. The song is similar to Black-capped Chickadee, a whistled descending fee-bee-bay.

These birds are very common in mountain forests. In fact, Farner in 1952 wrote that these birds are the most common resident species at Crater Lake National Park.

Mountain Chickadees nest in old woodpecker holes, nest boxes, or other opportunistic crannies.

Like all chickadees, these birds are attracted to backyard bird feeders in the towns in the pines on the eastern edge of the Cascades and other higher mountains. They also occur in the Klamath Mountains nearer the coast in NW California.

Butter-butt

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Newport, Oregon on 2 October 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Now that fall is here and winter on the way, most neo-tropical migrants are either rushing south, or have done so already.

That includes the warblers. By mid-October only a few Common Yellowthroats can be scoured out of the marsh grasses. They'll be gone within days. Townsend's Warblers move out of the northern mountain pines to winter in lowlands in the Pacific NW, primarily west of the Cascades.

Right now, though, the Yellow-rumped Warblers are making their way south. Some will go to Mexico. Some will winter here in the Pacific NW. They will spend the winter in a location where insects remain in unfrozen areas. They also change their insectivorous diet to eat more fruit and berries.

In breeding plumage these are striking birds with blue-gray bodies with white wingbars and either white ("Myrtle" form) or yellow ("Audubon's" form) throats. In all plumages and in both forms, the tell-tale field mark is the obvious yellow rump patch.

The bird above is in a very dull non-breeding plumage. It is probably a first fall female Myrtle form of Yellow-rumped Warbler. I photographed it in an alder grove a couple of weeks ago on a trip to the coast.

At the pond... Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren, Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, Oregon on 5 April 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 


The tiny Marsh Wren creeps mouse-like through the reed canary grass (as above) at your local wetlands. They favor cattail marshes and emergent vegetation, but they don't require much territory--a small cattail puddle along a country road ditch may do. Where the habitat is extensive, their population can be fairly high.

Shy and secretive, they would be very difficult to detect in their soggy habitat if not for their loud spring and summer songs and harsh call notes. The male may crawl up to an exposed tip of grass or wild rose bush to sing their rattling reedy trill.

They also pugnaciously defend their territories from other Marsh Wrens and larger birds, including Red-winged Blackbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds--even destroying the eggs of the blackbirds nesting within the wren's territory.

The males may build several to more than a dozen oval "dummy" nests among the marsh vegetation. A single male may also have more than one mate at a time, each female having her own nest. The females guard their own nest against other females, while the males guard their territory (which may include one or more nests) from other males.

The population movements of this species across North America are complex. The same is true in the Pacific Northwest. West of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains, where extended days of sub-zero winter maximum temperatures are rare, these wrens seem to be residents. However, in many areas winter numbers are significantly less than breeding numbers. Coastal marshes tend to have more wintering birds than breeders. East of the Cascades, birds arrive on territory in April and birds remain into September, gradually dropping in numbers. They may winter at favored sites with open water.

So, the next time you are out at your local pond with weedy grasses and cattails poking up above the water, look for this interesting little bird.

Soggy Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 8 October 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

A cool (38F) but pleasant fall morning at the local wetlands. Not very many birds, but more than present most of the summer. I got some photos of Great Egrets, a Wilson's Snipe side-by-side with a Long-billed Dowitcher, a Bewick's Wren, and this Black-capped Chickadee. Other birds that I wasn't able to photograph included several fly-over American Pipits, a single locally rare lingering White Pelican of a group of 13 present since July, and several Common Mergansers and Wood Ducks. There are many Golden-crowned Sparrows singing and calling and still a few Common Yellowthroats remaining.

This Black-capped Chickadee was wet from gleaning insects in the heavy dew of the ash trees. It was in a group of chickadees, likely a family. I've discussed Black-capped Chickadees previously.

Scheduled for October 19 is a discussion of Mountain Chickadee.

Next up, though, on Monday, October 12 is a discussion of Marsh Wren.

In the backyard... American Crow

American Crow, Newport, Oregon on 19 April 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

American Crows are familiar to most people in North America. Brash, inquisitive, social, and noisy, these intelligent birds are related to the magpies and jays. They are generalists when it comes to diet, eating seeds, nuts, insects, mice, road kill, human garbage, and sometimes other birds' eggs or nestlings.

Crows are found throughout the Pacific NW. They are resident west of the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas. They are common around open woodlands, residential areas, and agricultural areas. Likewise, east of the Cascades they are summer residents in agricultural areas. In the mountains and rimrock areas, the American Crow is usually displaced by the Common Raven.

The Common Raven is similar to American Crow. The raven is larger with a larger hooked bill, rough feathers on the throat, a wedge-shaped tail (square-ended in crow), and longer wings that are more pointed and flapped more up-and-down. Crows flap with a rowing motion, up and forward, down and back, the wing tips making an oval movement.

In the Pacific NW lives another crow, the Northwestern Crow. They are found along the ocean shore from extreme SE Alaska to Vancouver Island and extreme NW Washington State. They are so similar to American Crows that there is perhaps no foolproof way to tell them apart. Many experts feel that Northwestern Crows are not a separate species at all. There are similar smaller American Crows with deeper voices along the coast all the way south to northern California. To see a Northwestern Crow, visit Victoria on Vancouver Island. But don't be surprised in the future if this form is "lumped" by scientists into American Crow and its full species status revoked.

In the backyard... American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch, Forest Grove, Oregon on 11 April 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

"Wild canary." That's what many people call the American Goldfinch. And no wonder. Both birds are bright yellow finches with a sweet lilting song.

American Goldfinches are found at lower elevations throughout the Pacific Northwest. They avoid high mountains, dense forests, and extensive sage flats, however. They move right in after clear cuts and are common for several years until trees start replacing the weedy plants.

The scientific name of the goldfinch genus is Carduelis from the Latin word for thistle. Indeed, thistle seed is a favorite food of goldfinches. Thus, you will usually find American Goldfinches in weedy fields.

Throughout most of the year you will find these finches in large flocks. They pair up and nest late, many as late as July or August. These birds are primarily residents in the Pacific NW, but their nomadic nature in winter can make their flocks harder to find.

Breeding males (as in the photo above) are bright yellow with a black crown, black wings with white wingbars, black tail with white inner edges, and a white rump and undertail coverts. Females are duller, brightest yellow on the underparts, but greenish-olive on the upperparts, lacking the black crown.

In winter the young birds and adults are rather plain brownish or olive with darker wings with buffy wingbars (immatures) or yellow upper and white lower wingbar (adult males). The males lack the black crown in winter.

Lesser Goldfinches are similar. Lessers have yellow breasts and undertail coverts and green backs and rump throughout the year. Lesser Goldfinches are found in the Willamette Valley of western Oregon (and extreme southern Washington), sparsely eastward through southern Idaho, and south.

In the Central Valley of California is found the quite gray Lawrence's Goldfinch with its yellow wingbars that are not too similar to American Goldfinches.

The small brown-streaked Pine Siskin is related to goldfinches, but shows just a touch of yellow wing stripe and tail corners and are not likely to be mistaken for goldfinches.

To attract American Goldfinches to your backyard, buy a thistle sock and fill with Niger seeds (trademarked as "Nyjer"). Also provide plenty of water for drinking and bathing in summer.

What bird is that?... Questions and answers

Question: "This is a tough question with a terrible photo, but can you see this bird that we saw today in the Washington Park Arboretum? It dove under and swam away, afraid of us as we got close. It’s in the water on the middle left of the photo….Long slender neck, black and white head…. Thanks!"

Tera, near Portland, Oregon

Answer: I took the liberty of cropping your photo to better see the bird. So now the bird is in the lower right portion. The ID features of this water bird are the long dagger-like yellow bill, dark gray back, hind-neck, and crown, with white underparts. The long neck is a distinctive field mark, as you note. The diving behavior is important to note.

Your bird is a Western Grebe. They are rather uncommon winter visitors to deep lakes and rivers west of the Cascades. They winter commonly on the ocean.

Western Grebes breed in the Great Basin and Prairies from central Canada south into California and northern Mexico. In the Pacific NW they breed primarily east of the Cascades, but a few breed at Fern Ridge Reservoir near Eugene, Oregon.

For more information on Western Grebe, please visit the Cornell lab of ornithology's online field Guide.

---

Deposit Comments

Mountain Chickadee nesting in "comments" box, Idlewild Campground, Harney Co., Oregon on 26 May 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Above is a photo from this spring. I found this Mountain Chickadee with a nest in the suggeston box at a trailhead. I thought it very humorous. Earlier in the day I had found another nest of this species in a more typical location--an old woodpecker hole in a ponderosa pine tree.

I am preparing more information on Mountain Chickadees for a post on October 19....

In the woods... Winter Wren

Winter Wren on frost-covered log, Timber, Washington Co., Oregon on 22 November 2007 by Greg Gillson.

 

When I think of Winter Wrens I always think of dark, closed forests with a tangle of fallen trees and limbs and a thick layer of sword ferns. In this dark, damp, quiet setting, the sweet, musical, and surprisingly loud song of the tiny Winter Wren is a ray of golden light piercing the gloom.

The Winter Wren breeds in conifer forests across North America, and is one of only a few land birds that is holarctic in distribution, nesting widely in both the Nearctic and the Palearctic.

The diet of Winter Wrens includes beetles, spiders, caterpillars and the like that are gleaned as the birds crawl over the forest floor and downed wood. Likewise, the nests are placed on logs and the intersections of large downed branches. Root wads of tipped over trees are favorite nesting sites.

Though tiny and secretive in habits, it is easy to find Winter Wrens in the forest shadows, as they sing year-round. There seems to be some movement of birds in winter into red alder woods, but they remain common in the fir forests throughout the year.

Winter Wrens in the West (as pictured above) are darker and redder, with more complex songs than birds in the East. Eastern birds show more of a paler eyebrow and have white spotting on the wings. In fact, there is a proposal under consideration by the American Ornithologists' Union to split the Pacific Winter Wren from the Winter Wren as a separate species.

The tiny size, dark brown coloration, and stubby tail identify this wren. You are unlikely to mistake this bird for any other.

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk, Beaverton, Oregon on 9 September 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

On a recent outing I spotted this bird fly into a tree in Beaverton's Greenway Park.

Many birders, including many experienced birders, have trouble separating the two regular lowland Accipiters, or "bird hawks." Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks are notoriously difficult, as there are very few differences in plumage and structure. The small male Sharp-shinned Hawk (10 inches) is shorter than a jay (11 inches). The large female Cooper's Hawk (20 inches) is longer than a crow (17 inches). The female Sharp-shinned Hawk and male Cooper's Hawk are the same size--about like that of a Band-tailed Pigeon (14 inches). Obviously, estimating size of lone birds has its pitfalls.

Adult Accipiters have red-barred chests, while the juveniles show brown streaks. In the autumn, there are many juvenile birds, doubling the population. Accipiters migrate in September and October, bringing view of them circling in the sky over head, or to your backyard feeders where they prey upon your seed eating birds.

With short, broad wings and a long tail, these birds fly deftly through the woods at high speed. They eat smaller birds and squirrels.

So, what ID marks are present on this bird? The eye is in the center of the head, good for Sharp-shinned Hawk. On the Cooper's Hawk the eye is more toward the front of the head. And the tip of the tail on this bird is obviously squared or notched, not rounded, also a tell-tale mark for Sharp-shinned Hawk.

How to find a Dipper nest

An American Dipper stands on a rock amid-stream, near Timber, Washington Co., Oregon on 17 May 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

An aquatic songbird! The American Dipper is truly a unique wonder of the American West. Whether floating on the surface like a little gray duck, "flying" under the water like an auklet, or walking along the bottom as easily as if it was a sandpiper on the shore, this odd bird is truly different from all other birds.

It chooses as its home the wildest rapids of a mountain stream. It builds its soccer-sized nest of moss and mud in crevices or logs over waterfalls. It also uses man-made substrates, such as the beams of bridges over rushing water.

Gushing Springs, Metolius River, Jefferson Co., Oregon on 7 June 2009 by Greg Gillson. An American Dipper has a nest under the fallen log. (Click photo for larger view.)

 

The photo above shows Gushing Springs on the Metolius River, about 1/2 mile below Cache Creek Campground, near Camp Sherman, Oregon during this spring's Woodpecker Wonderland Bird Festival on the east slope of the Cascades.

The photo below is a close-up view of the nest on the log. You can see a Dipper poking its head out of the nest!

American Dipper poking its head out of its nest under a fallen log over a roaring stream on the Metolius River, Jefferson Co., Oregon on 7 June 2009 by Greg Gillson. (Click photo for larger view.)

 

As you might imagine, these streams really roar during the winter when swollen with rain water and snow melt. Thus, last year's nest site may be washed away when the birds are ready to nest again in March and April. It is therefore quite understandable that these birds may choose to nest on beam under a bridge, giving a pair of birds a reliable nest site year after year.

A typical Dipper stream and nesting bridge is shown in the photo below in the northern Oregon Coast Range.

American Dipper nests in the beams under this bridge near Timber, Washington Co., Oregon on 18 May 2007 by Greg Gillson. (Click photo for larger view.)

 

American Dippers build their nest on the I-bar bridge support as seen in the photo below. These type of wooden bridge structures seem to be quite popular with the dippers.

American Dipper nest under a bridge near Timber, Washington Co., Oregon on 18 May 2007 by Greg Gillson. (Click photo for larger view.)

 

American Dippers can start nesting as early as February at lower elevations. They may raise a second brood that generally fledges in June.

The photos above show typical Dipper breeding streams as well as nests on natural and man-made structures. With this information you should be able to locate the nests of American Dippers. That is important, as the nest is the center of a Dipper's territory. From the nest, the Dipper's territory extends about 400-500 yards both upstream and downstream. That means that even on the best of streams it is likely there are less than two pairs of American Dippers per stream mile.

Figuring out where the nest might be located can put you near the center of the pair's year-round territory, making it more likely you will spot these unique birds when you visit.