Show threadBryn NelsonMay 26, 2024

Another nice sighting today in the backyard:

27) golden-crowned sparrow, on the stone walkway by the back door. Distinctive black on its head with a white-yellow stripe.

#Seattle
#birdsof2024
#backyardbirds

Show threadBryn NelsonMay 23, 2024

The 26th bird yard sighting of 2024 was both thrilling & bittersweet. Last night, we saw a barred owl silently emerge from our rhododendrons and alight on the telephone wire above. It was likely hunting the warren of (also nonnative) Eastern cottontails living in that patch. Barred owls certainly have abundant food here, though it’s hard not to think about the native owls that have also declined due to this species’ increasing dominance. Sigh.

#owl
#Seattle
#birdsof2024
#backyardbirds
#birds

Show threadBryn NelsonMay 9, 2024

Two more bird species to add to my yard list for 2024:

24) a glaucous-winged gull flying directly overhead (apparently the neighborhood crows keep them in check)
25) white-crowned sparrow bopping around the front yard. First time I’ve ever seen one of those in the yard!
#birdsofmastodon
#Seattle
#birdsof2024
#backyardbirds
#birds

Grant CanterburyFeb 9, 2024
Approximately a zillion #CacklingGeese coming in to land at the Tualatin River #NationalWildlifeRefuge this afternoon. Sound on for the full effect! Other birds today included a #NorthernHarrier lass cruising past at eye level, a distant flock of #WesternMeadowlark flushing up from the field, groups of #TundraSwan and #SnowGoose, faraway #GreaterYellowlegs and #Killdeer, a #GoldenCrownedKinglet practically in my pocket, and a white-belly second year #BaldEagle piccoloing overhead.
#BirdsOf2024
Grant CanterburyFeb 4, 2024
First, thought I heard a Downy Woodpecker behind vociferous crows. Then thought could be a Hairy. Then a robin, perched on a stump giving its teek call which is REMARKABLY like the call note of a #HairyWoodpecker. Finally the pair of Hairies took pity - sweetheart, idiot, here we are! Super close extended looks as they foraged on the stump and a massive tree bole. I don't see that every day! They do like that big timber.
Photos not up to snuff though..
#BirdsOf2024 #Birding #Oregon
Grant CanterburyFeb 4, 2024
Today checked out some of the Beaverton parks I got acquainted with on the Christmas Bird Count. Finally found a #GoldenCrownedSparrow flock at a likely location with blackberries bordering a grassy lawn, and a Sparrow/OopsNotSparrow #HermitThrush hopped right across the trail. At Oregon Episcopal School wetlands a nice variety-pak of duck species. Many large fallen trees and much debris after the windstorm.
#BirdsOf2024
Grant CanterburyJan 29, 2024
A good sized willow came down in the windstorm - a bit of a mess, but also a potential source of a zillion willow cuttings that our riparian patch kind of needs. The existing ash canopy is fine but could get wiped out by emerald ash borer any time now. While snipping pussy willow laden twigs to poke into the mud, heard the cah-cah of a dozen crows overhead and a Growk Growk from a #CommonRaven pair they were chivvying along.
#BirdsOf2024 #Birding
Grant CanterburyJan 28, 2024
Rain subsequently let up and I scoped the pond for ducks. No egrets, no grebes, no Great Blue Herons... At the far side an intermittent patch of white resolved into the pale flanks of a #LesserScaup flashing as it bobbed to the surface, paused for breath, and leapt into another dive. A hint of greenish iridescence tempted me to make it into a Greater (usually on bigger waters like the Columbia) but nothing was otherwise indicative. But a cheerful pond fellow for sure!
#BirdsOf2024 #Birding
Grant CanterburyJan 27, 2024
Oscillating between drizzle and downpour, this weather is ideal for using the car as a blind! This #BlackCrownedNightHeron was perched quite close to the pavement, along with a companion who presented only a hunched back screened by willows. Was able to digiscope this picture without getting wet or perturbing them.
#Birding #BirdsOf2024 #Oregon
Show threadBryn NelsonJan 20, 2024

I finally got a close-up confirmatory sighting of the Bewick’s wren that’s been bopping around in the back yard (you can see its relatively long lever-like tail and white eye stripe in the attached Wikipedia photo).

Today, it was investigating a vertical crack in our big retaining wall, hoping for some tasty bugs. Nearly up to two dozen species so far!

23) Bewick’s wren

#Seattle
#birds
#birdsofmastodon
#birdsof2024
#backyardbirding