Golden Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe, Commonwealth Lake, Beaverton, Oregon, 15 November 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

The sun unexpectedly broke out this afternoon. So I ran out to a local city park before sunset. What leaves are still on the trees are mostly golden yellow. This makes for colorful reflections on waterbird portraits.

Other posts featuring Pied-billed Grebes.

Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper, Gearhart, Oregon, 6 August 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

In the winter, flocks of small sandpipers chasing the waves in-and-out on the beach are likely to be Sanderlings. However, during spring and fall migration, nearly any shorebird may be found on the beach.

These "peep" (small sandpipers in the genus Calidris, named for their peeping calls) are Western Sandpipers.

I took this photo near sunset while on a picnic at the beach this summer.

What else can we learn from this photo above?

The sandpipers have partial webs between the toes that you can see in these photos as a wedge at the base of the toes. The presence or absence of this feature is important to note for identifying certain rare Asian stints (name of peep in Europe and Asia) that show up from time to time in the Pacific NW. The abundant Least Sandpiper has unwebbed toes--practice seeing this field mark with these two common species so you are better prepared when something unusual shows up!

Sanderlings do not have hind toes. You can clearly see the small hind toe on the one raised foot of the Western Sandpiper above.

There are three bright, colorful, and crisply-plumaged juveniles on the right, one disheveled dull-backed adult on the left with chevrons on the sides of the breast. Most adults start migrating back to the wintering grounds several weeks before the juveniles. This photo was taken during the period of overlap in early August.

 

Juvenile Western Sandpiper, Gearhart, Oregon, 6 August 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

You may also like:

ID challenge... Western Sandpiper and Semipalmated Sandpiper

At the pond... American Wigeon

American Wigeon, drake front, hen rear, Beaverton, Oregon, 2 February 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

This duck is second only to Mallard in population of migrant and winter ducks in the Pacific Northwest.

It also breeds in smaller numbers here, primarily east of the Cascades. Otherwise, it is a widespread breeder from Alaska, across Canada, and into the prairie states.

Unlike most other dabbling ducks, wigeon are grazers, feeding on tender grass shoots. Thus, you can find them grazing in city parks with ponds and lawns, as in the photo above.

 

Drake American Wigeon, Beaverton, Oregon, 2 February 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

There is an iridescent greenish patch of feathers around and back from the eye. The amount of dark freckling on the face of drake American Wigeons varies greatly. Some birds have mostly white or cream-colored heads. Others have fairly dark faces with a cream crown.

The voice of drake American Wigeons is a distinctive 3-part wheezy-whistled call: zwe-ZWEEE-zew. Hens utter a quiet "quack."

Friday Foto: Water skiing Bufflehead

Bufflehead, Portland, Oregon, 19 February 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

This Bufflehead, skiing in for a landing, is one of many photos of waterfowl I was able to obtain on a recent visit to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland.

See a previous post on Bufflehead.

Watch out for those pincers!

Pied-billed Grebe, Commonwealth Lake, Beaverton, Oregon, 2 February 2011 by Greg Gillson.

 

The Pied-billed Grebe above has a tiger by the tail! Well, actually, it's a crayfish, but still... it better be careful!

In one study in the East, crustaceans such as crayfish made up about 20% of the diet of Pied-billed Grebes, fish 20%, and aquatic insects most of the rest. However, crayfish were consumed primarily in the winter.

Crayfish are not tolerant of polluted water so, evidently, the water in this small lake in a busy city park is not too bad.

Crayfish are also called crawfish or crawdads. Though it's been quite a while since I've been to a crawdad feed, I remember liking them better than lobster, crab, and many kinds of shrimp.

Suddenly I have this craving for grilled shrimp....

I must find the behavior of Pied-billed Grebes interesting, or at least photogenic, as my previous posts on this bird discuss sinking and feather shuffling.

Greg's white-cheeked goose rant... I mean, primer

Can you tell the difference? A pair of long-necked Canada geese with their chicks among short-necked Cackling geese. The Cackling geese are just getting started on their migration to the Arctic to breed, while these Canada geese have already had success locally! Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 22 April 2006 by Greg Gillson.

 

Empidonax flycatchers, small sandpipers, immature gulls, female hummingbirds,... All these are notoriously difficult to identify. However, there is another abundant taxon that is proving to be surprisingly difficult for many birders to identify accurately on a day-to-day basis.

In 2004 the American Ornithologists' Union split Canada Goose into two species, creating the name Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) for the smaller forms and keeping Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) for the larger forms.

As a reviewer for eBird, it seems that most birders still do not know how to separate them. What I see happening is that a birder will identify a few Cackling geese, and then lump all other geese they see that day into the catch-all "Canada Goose."

As you can see from the above photo, the larger resident Western Canada Goose is 45 inches long, while the smaller migrant Ridgway's Cackling Goose is only 25 inches long--barely larger than a Mallard. The Cackling Goose is named for its high-pitched yelping calls. The Canada Goose gives the stereotypical deep honking call.

I don't want to over-simplify (because this is a very complicated situation) but 80% of the time it is pretty much that easy. Big or little.

Yes, it is true that there are at least 3 races of Cackling and 4 races of Canada Goose in western Oregon. Yes, the largest Cackling (Taverner's) is very similar to the smallest Canada (Lesser). But, frankly, if you don't spend time with a spotting scope carefully analyzing these intermediate birds, then the proper label for eBird (and your personal list) is "Cackling/Canada Goose."



There is nothing wrong with listing 25 Cackling Goose, 50 Canada Goose, and 600 Cackling/Canada Goose on your list. In fact, such honesty and accuracy is praiseworthy.

In western Oregon it is unusual to see more than a couple hundred Canada geese at one location. Most of these will be the big resident honkers, the white-breasted Western Canada Goose. At the Willamette Valley goose refuges you may see 1000 of the dark-breasted Dusky Canada Goose, but the entire world population of this form is perhaps only 7000 individuals. There may be a few Lesser Canada Geese mixed in.

The tiny, dark-breasted Ridgway's Cackling Goose is an abundant migrant and common winter visitor in western Oregon. Taverner's Cackling Goose is common in winter.

As an eBird reviewer for northwestern Oregon, I expect to see perhaps 100 Canada Goose and 5000 Cackling Goose on your non-summer lists, as typical. At Finley NWR, near Corvallis, Oregon, maybe 1000 Canada Goose and 7000 Cackling. Do you see that, in general, I expect 7-50 times as many Cackling geese as Canada geese? How does that compare with what you are reporting?

 

Do you recognize that these are Cackling geese, and not Canada geese? Forest Grove, Oregon, 10 October 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

East of the Cascades, in the Great Basin, I expect more Western and Lesser Canada geese and fewer Cackling. But I am uncertain of the exact ratios and seasonality there. But don't expect eBird to help, as the reports of these two species is all mixed up. And reports before 2005 will all be Canada Goose.

The big challenge is Taverner's Cackling Goose and Lesser Canada Goose. I think that Sauvie Island, Oregon and Ridgefield refuge, Washington, are probably the locations where these similar forms are most equally-common. Perhaps also Klamath Falls area. If anyone of you knows, please leave a comment.

Here are the scientific names of the white-cheeked goose forms mentioned in this post. These are the most-likely forms to be found in the Pacific NW. They are listed generally from largest to smallest:
Western Canada Goose (Branta canadensis moffitti)
Dusky Canada Goose (Branta canadensis occidentalis)
Lesser Canada Goose (Branta canadensis parvipes)
Taverner's Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii taverneri)
Ridgway's Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii minima)

 

Cackling geese have short necks, the dark breast indicates these are the abundant Ridgway's form, Forest Grove, Oregon, 17 October 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Largest and smallest, and both most-likely of all the forms: Western Canada Goose facing left, Ridgway's Cackling Goose facing right. Notice how the wing tips extend far past the tail on the Cackling Goose, but the wings are shorter on the Canada Goose. Hillsboro, Oregon, 31 December 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Ridgway's Cackling Goose are barely larger than Mallards. The rightmost goose is slightly larger with more sloping forehead and longer bill and paler breast and may be Taverner's Cackling Goose, Hillsboro, Oregon, 31 December 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

I hate not being able to put a name on a bird. But, frankly, I still don't know whether this flock of 300 geese are Taverner's Cackling Geese or Lesser Canada Geese (or something else, or both). They go down on my list as "Cackling/Canada Goose" or "white-cheeked goose (species)" or "Canada-type Goose," but not "Canada Goose." The small out-of-focus goose in the back with purplish-brown breast facing left is Ridgway's Cackling Goose, Hillsboro, Oregon, 31 December 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

If you are interested in pursuing this more thoroughly, you may start with Harry Kruger's page.

We've discussed these geese previously in At the pond... Canada Goose and At the pond... Cackling Goose

Dabbling duck silhouette quiz: Answers

 

Last week's photo quiz was very popular! We had over 230 visitors check out the quiz on both Monday and Tuesday (we average about 100 visitors per day). This blog post even got mention on the ABA Blog!

If you haven't taken the quiz yet, I have reproduced the silhouettes below. So, go down there and really look at the shapes.

Many people said they were "just guessing" at some. However, since most guessed correctly, these birders actually were using shape to identify the ducks. They didn't know how they were using shape, they just did somehow. They were unable to put their identification technique into words.

Dave Irons posted a very revealing comment about this quiz on OBOL (Oregon Birders On-Line mailing list). Irons said that the quiz likely would have been "much more difficult" had I shown actual photos (such as above). Irons noted that the colored camouflage plumage was actually a "visual distraction" that prevented birders from seeing the shape of the birds. Once they were simple silhouettes, he found the identification "remarkably easy."

That was my point. Of course, if you've never used the paradigm of identifying birds by shape, then it might not be so "remarkably easy" for you, at least not yet. But with practice it can be.

Once you can identify these birds by silhouette, those camouflage-brown patterns aren't nearly as confusing. You'll be identifying those previously ignored hen dabbling ducks in no time!

Here, again, are the silhouettes, and below them are the answers.



 

The identification and description of birds by shape are often in comparison to some "standard." In this case, the familiar and common Mallard is the standard by which to compare other dabbling ducks.

A) Northern Shoveler.
The body is fairly long. The head is rounded. And that bill! It's longer than the rest of the head, and flattened at the tip like a spoon or shovel. Now you know where it got its name, shoveler, as well as another popular name, spoon-bill.

B) Northern Pintail.
This bird is long and elegant throughout. The bill is rather thin. The forehead is gently sloping. The neck is long and slender.

C) Cinnamon Teal. (Also Blue-winged Teal)
In life you may be able to compare this small duck to others around it to gauge size. Note that the bill is as long as the head and flattened--though not to the extent of the shoveler. The head is small compared to the body, and rounded. The bill of Cinnamon Teal averages longer and flatter than Blue-winged Teal, but I wouldn't use that as the only field mark.

D) Green-winged Teal.
This squat, compact little duck has a small, squarish head, with steep forehead, and small bill.

E) Gadwall.
At first blush this duck is quite similar to Mallard. However, note this duck's more compact shape, slightly taller and less flattened bill, and bump on the forehead forming a squarish head.

F) Mallard. (Also Black Duck and Mottled Duck, but not in the Pacific NW)
The prototypical duck. The largest of the dabbling ducks with a rather heavy body, medium neck, large rounded head, and large flat bill.

G) American Wigeon. (Also Eurasian Wigeon)
This compact duck has a square head on a short, thick neck and a short bill. The tail is rather long and pointed.

Practice with these silhouettes until you can name them at a glance. Then go out to your local pond and practice identifying the hen dabbling ducks by shape!

Dabbling duck silhouette quiz

 

The identification of hen ducks deserves more consideration than what is given in the field guides. Many birders identify hen ducks only by noting what drakes they are hanging out with.

The "Peterson System," where birds are identified primarily by field marks, is heavily weighted toward color and pattern. Yet the end plates in Peterson's field guides contain, not colorful birds with field marks pointed out, but silhouettes--in other words, shapes.

No one would mistake a wren for a sparrow if they birded by shape. Starlings and blackbirds are shaped nothing alike. A heron or crane? Please; they're nothing alike--just look at the shape!

Yet no field guides tell you how to bird by shape. Not that it can't be done, just that no one has sat down and created the vocabulary that would identify and explain the shapes. Well, actually, that's not entirely true. An ornithology manual would describe and define such bill shapes as spatulate, acute, pointed, recurved, etc. And then it would explain the terms long and short as it relates to bill length. Nevertheless, shape is used as an identification tool far too infrequently in field guides.

Dabbling, or puddle, ducks are those that tip up to feed and rarely dive. The males are colorful, but the females are camouflage patterned with various shades of brown. Nearly all ducks can be identified by shape alone, there are very few exceptions in the dabbling ducks or in the diving ducks--especially in the Pacific Northwest.

Here I present some hen dabbling duck silhouettes. They are created from photos I have taken, adjusted so they are all about the same size, and then turned to black.

So "forget" the patterns of buffs and browns, the color of the speculum, or the markings on the bill. Concentrate only on shape. Primarily look at the overall length--whether compact or long, the neck length and thickness, head shape, and bill shape.

Make your guesses in the comments section below. I'll give you the answers next week, with the silhouettes replaced with color photos. Sound fun?

Too hard? Then to help you get started here are your choices for the 7 dabbling ducks: American Wigeon, Cinnamon Teal, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, and Northern Shovleler.

Answers

ID Challenge: Horned and Eared Grebes in winter

Horned Grebe, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 24 November 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Eared Grebes breed throughout the west from southern Canada to Minnesota, south to Texas, and west to California. In the Pacific NW they breed east of the Cascades and Sierra-Nevada Mountains.

Horned Grebes are more northerly breeders. Though a few isolated pairs may breed south to eastern Oregon, most Horned Grebes breed from southern Canada (British Columbia to the Great Lakes) northward to the Arctic and west into Alaska.

In winter, both species move south to open water. Horned Grebes winter primarily on the ocean and bays from Alaska to California and from Texas to Florida and north along the Atlantic States, also on fresh water in the Southeast.

Eared Grebes tend to winter primarily on open fresh water or estuaries from California to Louisiana, south through Mexico (the National Geographic 5th edition field guide map is more accurate than the big Sibley guide, in this regard).

In the Pacific NW, both grebes winter uncommonly in the valleys west of the Cascades and along the coast. Horned Grebe is more expected, especially along the immediate coast.

In their breeding attire, Eared Grebes are blackish with a wispy yellow ear patch. Horned Grebes are reddish with dark wings and head and yellow "horns" of feathers above and back from the eye.

In "winter" (non-breeding) plumage both species are generally dark gray above and paler below. Horned Grebes tend to be more black-and-white, Eared Grebes more dusky overall, especially on the neck. But first year Horned Grebes can be as dusky-necked as Eared Grebes. Thus, the identification of some individuals can cause confusion--even for experienced birders.

Please compare the photos of the typical non-breeding Horned Grebe above with Eared Grebe below. Both photos are from Forest Grove, Oregon in November, but in different years.

 

Eared Grebe, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 27 November 2008 by Greg Gillson.

 

Field guides might point to the varying contrast between the dark and light shades of the neck. However, you will find identification easier if you concentrate, rather, on the shape of the birds.

Specifically, note on the Horned Grebe the thicker neck and larger head with flatter crown. The bill is pointed, but symmetrical above and below.

In contrast, the Eared Grebe is thinner necked with a smaller head. Note that the crown is highly peaked above the eye, not flat. The bill is straight on the upper mandible and with the lower mandible more angled. This gives the appearance of a thinner, sharper, upturned bill.

Using the shape of the head, bill, and neck, you will be able to separate these birds more accurately, throughout the year.

Feeding habits of the Northern Shoveler

Female Northern Shovelers, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 19 October 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Many birders are a bit hesitant when it comes to identifying female ducks. The hen's plumage is camouflaged browns. Clues from the brightly-colored wing are often concealed, folded up and covered by the scapulars and breast feathers. It doesn't help, either, that they frequently keep their bills hidden, tucked away in the scapulars as they rest.

But what's this? All those ducks swimming around seem to be feeding with their head half way under the water! Looking around, it doesn't take long to spot plenty of drakes feeding in the same manner--Northern Shovelers all.

Called "spoonbills" by hunters, for their long spatulate bills, Northern Shovelers are the 4th most abundant duck on the Pacific Flyway, following Northern Pintail, Mallard, and American Wigeon.

Shovelers are included in the "puddle ducks" or "dabblers" that primarily feed by upending--head under the water and tail and legs in the air. But not so the Northern Shovelers. They feed more on the surface, pushing their bills through the water, straining out food with the sieve-like lamellae--a comb-like structure on the edges of the bill. All ducks have lamellae, but on the Northern Shoveler it is especially well-developed.

These ducks commonly feed in small groups that circle about, stirring up mud with their feet. They take more animal matter than most puddle ducks, about 65% animals to 35% plants. Snails and water boatmen seem to be favorites, according to John K. Terres in his 1980 reference work, The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds.

However, whereas Terres indicated that the feeding groups are "three or four" in size, I have often noted groups of a hundred or more in a tightly packed raft, circling and circling as they feed. As they feed, the males (only?) constantly grunt a mechanical chug-kuk chug-kuk chug-kuk....

 

A whole raft of nearly headless ducks! Feeding Northern Shovelers, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 19 February 2006 by Greg Gillson.

Nature Journal: That sinking feeling

Juvenile Pied-billed Grebe, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 13 July 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

Two weeks ago I observed this juvenile Pied-billed Grebe at the local wetlands. To submerge, grebes either lunge forward and dive head-first, or simply sink. This bird used this latter method.

It actually happens quite quickly. The bird starts submerging at the breast, then the body goes under, and finally the head. Here are two submerging sequences.

Here's another set...

Identification: Clark's and Western Grebes

Clark's Grebe in breeding plumage, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 5 July 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

I don't get to see Clark's Grebes often. They nest primarily east of the Cascades, where I may see them on annual spring visits to Malheur NWR. They tend to winter farther south than Oregon. Thus, I see them only occasionally as edge-of-range migrants, either inland or coastally.

This single bird (above) has been summering near my home for a month now, and I was able to get a few good photos at fairly close range. This was a good opportunity for me to study this bird that is locally rare in NW Oregon.

The Clark's Grebe was originally described as a species in 1858 at the same time as the Western Grebe. Soon thereafter they were lumped together and considered just different color phases of the same species, called Western Grebe. Thus they stayed until 1985, when Clark's Grebe was again given full species status.

Besides plumage differences, which I will discuss below, the Clark's Grebe has a single "kreeek" breeding display call, while Western Grebe gives a two-syllable call of "kree-eek" as they dance across the water together, running side-by-side with their bills held high. Downy young of Western Grebes are gray; downy young of Clark's Grebes are white. Where they occur together (over most of their range, actually), they tend to mate assortively, separating themselves from each other. Hybrids are known, however, and are intermediate in plumage characters.

As seen by the above photo, the breeding Clark's Grebe has the red eye surrounded by white feathers of the face. Most importantly, in all plumages, the bill is bright yellow-orange.


Clark's Grebe, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 5 July 2010 by Greg Gillson. Click on photo for larger views.














Because some birds appear intermediate, and may be hybrids, there are some supporting identification marks that are important to note. The dark hind-neck is thinner on Clark's Grebe than on Western Grebe. The back and wings tend to be slightly paler on Clark's and one can often note the difference in shade between the black crown and paler lower neck and back (photo above).


Clark's Grebe in non-breeding plumage, Brownsmead, Clatsop Co., Oregon on 31 December 2007 by Greg Gillson. Click on photo for larger views.














Western and Clark's Grebes are most-similar in plumage during winter. In this third photo (above) note the orange bill color and white triangle on the lores, in front of the eye. This should be enough to identify this bird as Clark's Grebe. In this case, however, the dark hind-neck doesn't appear quite as thin, and the back doesn't appear quite as pale, as typical for most Clark's Grebes.


Western Grebe in breeding plumage, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 15 May 2008 by Greg Gillson. Click on photo for larger views.














This next photo (above) is a Western Grebe in typical breeding plumage. The black of the crown comes down to surround the eye. The lores are dark. The yellowish bill has a definite greenish cast. Supporting marks are the slightly wider dark hind-neck stripe, and darker back.


Western Grebe in non-breeding plumage, Garibaldi, Tillamook Co., Oregon on 17 January 2009 by Greg Gillson. Click on photo for larger views.














This final photo (above) shows a Western Grebe in non-breeding plumage. It varies very little from the breeding plumage.

Gadwall

Gadwall, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 20 February 2006 by Greg Gillson.

 

Historically, Gadwalls wintered on open water in the Pacific NW, primarily west of the Cascades to the coast, and bred east of the Cascades in the larger tule lakes there.

Numbers of breeding birds west of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon have been quite low and infrequent. That is, until quite recently. In the Washington state breeding analysis the habitat preference for western Washington is described as "urban wetlands." Likewise, Gadwalls began breeding west of Portland, Oregon about 2002, and are now widespread, but not numerous, breeders throughout wetlands there, including Fernhill Wetlands in Forest Grove, Jackson Bottom Wetlands in Hillsboro, and Tualatin River NWR at Sherwood, to name only a few breeding sites.

This increase in abundance is part of a continent-wide increase in numbers and expansion in range since the 1950's. Another peak in numbers occured in the 1990's.

Gadwall are a bit smaller than Mallard, and the females look quite similar at first glance. Male Gadwall may look like female of some other ducks, but the black bill and black rear end are quite distinctive, as is the small white wing patch in both sexes.

Though not colorful, the drake Gadwall at close range is quite handsome. Though looking gray at a distance, the breast and sides are vermiculated with fine black and white patterned lines. The scapulars are rusty-colored.

Gadwalls nest later than Mallards. While Mallard chicks may be seen most commonly in May and June, Gadwall chicks are noted with hens most frequently during July and August.

After nesting, adult ducks molt all flight feathers at once and are flightless 6-8 weeks. You may note the ponds are covered with duck feathers in summer. The drakes undergo a molt into an "eclipse" plumage where they look similar to the females, but can be identified with close observation. I suggest spending a bit more time this summer looking at those duck families in the pond. You just may find that some are Gadwall, and not Mallard as you presumed.

At the pond... Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser, Hillsboro, Oregon on 16 February 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

What is it that makes the Hooded Merganser such a desirable bird to see? Why is it on everyone's list of favorite ducks?

Well, certainly, birds with crests seem to be favorites (think cardinal, pileated woodpecker, and cedar waxwing). As crests go, the Hooded Merganser's flamboyant fan-like headdress is pretty impressive!

But this striking beauty rarely parades around in the middle of the pond showing off with all the other ducks. Instead, like searching for hid treasure, this secretive inhabitant of backwaters and wooded pond edges usually takes a bit of effort to find.

Hooded Mergansers breed along forested ponds and streams across the mid-latitudes of North America, wintering coastally and southward where water remains open in winter.

In the Pacific NW, they breed in wooded wetlands, most commonly west of the Cascades. They also breed at scattered locations east of the Cascades, such as in NE Oregon, across northern Washington and southern British Columbia, to northern Idaho. They winter throughout the region on open water, though most commonly on freshwater ponds and quiet rivers west of the Cascade crest.

They nest in old flicker holes and will nest in artifical nest boxes designed for Wood Ducks. The chicks are precocious and leave the nest cavity for protected waters the next day after hatching.

They dive for fish, aquatic insects, and crustaceans.

At the pond... Green-winged Teal

Green-winged Teal, Hillsboro, Oregon on January 2010 by Greg Gillson.

 

The Green-winged Teal is a tiny duck that is a rather common migant and winter visitor throughout the Pacific NW. It breeds east of the Cascades in grassy marshes. Small numbers are often found in summer west of the Cascades, and while breeding has occurred, actual nesting records are sparse.

Males give a distinctive piping whistle call, while females give a quiet series of quacks.

These smallest of North American ducks feed on seeds of grasses and sedges, as well as taking some invertebrates.

Besides the small size, the males are identified by the white vertical stripe on the gray side of the breast. They have a chestnut head with green eye patch. The sides of the undertail coverts are buffy yellow, the remainder of the undertail coverts black. Females are mottled brown with a dark crown and a dark line through the eye. Both sexes show a green wing patch on the secondary flight feathers.

Like all dabbling (or puddle) ducks, these birds tip up to feed, rather than dive. They also spring from the water directly into flight, rather than running to take off as the diving/bay ducks.

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.

At the pond... Cackling Goose

Cackling Goose, Beaverton, Oregon on 17 February 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

In July 2004 the American Ornithologists Union officially separated the small forms of Canada Geese. They called these smaller white-cheeked geese the Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii. The larger forms retained the name Canada Goose Branta canadensis.

We have already discussed the larger Canada Goose.

Cackling Geese form the majority of the large flocks of fall and spring geese west of the Cascades and in the Central Valley of California. In past years the population primarily migrated through the Klamath Basin and wintered in the Central Valley. In recent years a growing portion of these geese have been finding conditions in NW Oregon and SW Washington suitable for their wintering grounds.

In general (and there is considerable variation among many forms in the Pacific NW), Canada Geese are larger, with longer necks, and honking calls. In contrast, Cackling Geese are small (some as small as domestic Mallards), with short necks, and high-pitched yelping calls.

Standing or swimming the wing tips fall short of the end of the tail on Canada Geese, while the longer wings of Cackling Geese extend well past the tip of the tail. The dividing line between the smallest form of Canada Goose (Lesser subspecies) and larger Cackling Goose (Taverner's subspecies) can be very confusing. For those wanting to tackle this challenge, please see John Rakestraw's article on Lesser Canada Goose as well as Sibley's guide to birds.

The Aleutian Goose Festival is held each spring in Crescent City, California. It is now transformed into the California Redwoods Bird & Nature Festival, May 7-9, 2010. This form of Cackling Goose is recovering from a severe population decline.

At the pond... Great Egret

Great Egret, Fernhill Wetlands, Forest Grove, Oregon on 22 October 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Hunted in the Pacific Northwest nearly to extirpation for their distinctive breeding plumes, this heron nested for most of the 20th century only in Malheur NWR and the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and in southern Idaho. It was rare elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. For instance, only the second western Oregon Great Egret was found near Portland in 1958. The 1953 book, Birds of Washington State, by Jewett, Taylor, Shaw, and Aldrich recorded no Great Egrets in Washington State up to that time.

Today, however, this large white egret nests more widely in Oregon, including a small colony on the coast near Coos Bay. It also nests in southeastern Washington. In fall, birds disperse widley west of the Cascades. Fall concentrations near Portland today may reach over 100 birds at favored wetlands, such as the Smith & Bybee Lakes. Post-breeding dispersal can sometimes send birds as far as southern British Columbia.

Commonly called "white cranes" by non-birders, egrets and herons are structurally quite different from cranes. Among the obvious differences in flight, the cranes hold their neck straight out, while herons and egrets kink their neck so that their head rests on their shoulders and their long neck loops underneath.

Many people are surprised to see these birds perched high up in trees. But this is quite natural, as they nest in trees. Colonies of nesting birds build their stick nests high up in trees.

The main food of these birds is fish and frogs they grab while they wade slowly in ponds and flooded agricultural fields.

Not quite as large as Great Blue Herons, they are much larger than two other white egrets in the Pacific NW. The smaller Snowy Egret has black bill and dark legs with yellow feet. The Cattle Egret is smaller yet.

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.

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.