And Even More Yard Birds...

Yesterday afternoon I was in the kitchen and looked out the window to see what the birding situation might be and I spied this male Western tanager down by the water feature.  I raced to get my camera,which I am now leaving set up all the time, and sneaked out the front door.  I was able to get about half a dozen photos of the bird before he flew.  I have yet to see a female tanager this season. 

We have American goldfinches all around the yard, and this male flew down to the water feature for a drink.

I had several visits from male Black-headed grosbeaks during the day but I didn't see any females.  

 Just when I thought things couldn't get any better this Cedar waxwing, a very rare visitor to our yard (on average we may have one sighting per year), flew down to the water feature directly in front of me.  I missed 2-3 good photos because I couldn't get my camera to fire... the bird was probably too close for what the camera decided was ideal focus!  However the bird flew into a couple of trees in the yard and although the lighting and angles weren't that great, I did manage to get some photos.  I'm hoping that some of these rarer visitors are staying in the area and remember this water source. 

 

 The salmonberries are starting to form so once they ripen they should give me additional opportunities for photography.  And of note, the day before yesterday I saw a male goldfinch feeding what was apparently a younger one and yesterday a female House sparrow was responding to begging behavior from two young sparrows.  We still have at least one pair of California quail visiting the yard but so far there is no sign of chicks. 

Today is supposed to be our best weather day in and for several days, so I'll probably spend more time in the yard today. 

Sticking with the Yard Birds...

Here's a happy customer who has selected a Super-Sized Happy Meal for take-out from Joe's (open 24/7 for dining convenience!).  Chestnut-backed chickadee with a whole peanut selected from the buffet...

Male Black-headed grosbeak... 

Male Red crossbill...

We Interrupt This Program...

I had intended to post right through my Texas photos I took in February and had just reached the Big Bend country, BUT... things have been so exciting and productive in my yard that I couldn't resist posting a series of yard photos. 

First up, taken with my small Panasonic 'point-and-shoot' Lumix DMC-ZS7 (no money changed hands for this promotion), the sunrise this morning in Anacortes.  This is some of what you miss when you sleep in! 

Next up, a Wilson's warbler that visited the yard a couple of days ago.  These are just two of 15-20 quality photos of the bird...

A male House finch... 

A female Red crossbill...

A male Red crossbill... 

A Red-breasted nuthatch... 

 And finally, what I hope is an Orange-crowned warbler.  (If you have issues with this identification please contact me!) 

Sunrise from the hill to the east of Indian Lodge in Fort Davis State Park.  Fort Davis was another in the string of forts to protect travelers in West Texas.  The Park includes a wonderful facility, Indian Lodge, the original part of which was built by the CCC in the 1930s. 

The actual fort has been restored and lies on the outside of the valley that contains the lodge.  Interestingly to me, the fort originally counted one or two Gatlin guns among its inventory but the troops were not funded/given enough ammunition to shoot the guns.  From the tops of the hills surrounding the valley one can see the McDonald observatories several miles away to the west. 

Remember you can click on the photos to enlarge them! 

 This is an Acorn woodpecker that was around a feeder station below the Lodge...

 

A Cactus wren... 

Fort Lancaster, TX

These birds were photographed at Fort Lancaster in West Texas.  Fort Lancaster was one of a line of forts established on the Texas frontier to protect travelers.  The fort is now an interesting historic site. 

These first two birds are Pyrrhuloxias, a cousin of the Northern Cardinal, which prefers drier habitats and has a more limited range than the cardinal.  Note the top knot on the bird in the second photo.  The birds can either lay these feathers close to their head or project them into the air. 

This bird is of course the White-crowned sparrow, a bird with a very wide range which stretches all the way from Texas to the PacNW in the West.  

May Yard Birds

This past week we have had the following visitors in our yard:

·         A male Western tanager taking advantage of the water features (twice);

·         two male Rufous hummingbirds sharing the same feeder;

·         two male Black-headed grosbeaks utilizing a hanging platform feeder;

·         a pair of Red crossbills using both the water features and sunflower seed feeders;

·         a Bewick's wren which may be using one of the nest boxes;

·         a male Downy woodpecker using one of the suet feeders;

·         a male Northern flicker using the suet feeders;

·         a male Red-winged blackbird which utilizes a hanging sunflower seed feeder only during breeding season;

·         an Orange-crowned warbler using a bird bath;

·         a Wilson's warbler using a bird bath;

·         a male Anna's hummingbird;

·         a pair of California quail (who, with a little luck will soon be bringing chicks to the yard); and

·         all of the more common birds that are usually found in the yard.

And late in the afternoon I wrote this (5/21/2011), I looked out my office window and saw a pair (two males?) of Evening grosbeaks on the hanging platform feeder!  This is a first occurrence of this species for our yard.  I rushed downstairs for my camera but just about the time I got it configured the grosbeaks left the yard.  I could rationalize that it’s overcast and late in the day but it’s still disappointing not being able to obtain a photo, even if it would have been with them on the feeder. 

With all the goldfinches in the yard it's somewhat difficult to pick out the special birds. It’s easy to overlook the less brightly colored warblers and the female crossbill among all the female goldfinches, and the male Western tanager resembles the male American goldfinch.  (Our male Western tanager's head lacks considerable color.)  I mainly single out the different species by their behaviors.  Yesterday I think I let the male crossbill escape because I thought that it was the male House finch that I had just photographed! 

More Birds of Central Texas

All of the following birds are common in Central Texas. 

First up, the Tufted titmouse.  If they haven't yet been separated into two distinct species, there are two races of Tufted titmice in Texas and Central Texas is on the dividing line between populations.  There is apparently some hybridization between the races.  This photo is of a Black-crested race which is the more common of the two in the Central Texas area.  There is also a Gray-crested race of which I failed to get a good photo. 

 

This is a photo of an Orange-crowned warbler visiting a suet feeder.  Ironically the same species of bird was visiting the same feeder several months previously.  This photo was taken in February.  The same species migrates up here in the spring/summer, but I'm fairly sure that I have seen them in the winter here in the PacNW occasionally.  

 Another photo of the Orange-crowned warbler...

And finally for this post, a male American goldfinch in transitional plumage. These birds are very common in Central Texas in winter, but some also over-winter in the PacNW.  An interesting question, and one that also applies to the American robins, is do these birds migrate from somewhere else to spend the winter here or are the same birds year-round residents? 

Birds of Central Texas

I finally figured out the problem with uploads to my blog.  I can upload using Firefox but not Internet Explorer!  I may start updating my blog more often, so if you're not a regular visitor to the site you might want to check back several blogs to insure that you're not missing any. 

These photos were all taken in Central Texas in February of this year. 

Male Northern cardinal...

 Lesser goldfinch which can be found in Central Texas year-round...

Northern mockingbird... the official State Bird of Texas...

Bewick's wren... 

Southwestern US Driving Trip

My apologies for not posting more regularly during the past few weeks. 

I’ve just returned from a 3+ week photographic/driving trip to the southwestern US. The short version of the trip: Malheur NWR (OR), Ruby Lake NWR (NV), Saguaro National Parks East and West (AZ), Portal and Cave Creek area (AZ), Bosque del Apache NWR (NM), Zion NP (UT), a magical drive through the Cedar Breaks National Monument area (UT), Bryce Canyon NP (UT) and Bear River National Migratory Bird Refuge (UT). I drove through snow on several occasions… not just along the road but falling from the sky. In addition to birds, I encountered coyotes, some magnificent wild horses, antelope, prairie dogs, moles, chipmunks, lizards, a snake and a skunk. My computer now holds some 2,000 new images that I’ll have to process and I’ll try to post some of the best ones on my blog.

Among the birding highlights:

• A Wilson’s snipe sitting on a fence post vocalizing;
• Both Red-winged and Yellow-headed blackbirds displaying;
• Lazuli buntings perched on grass stalks eating seeds;
• Scores of Yellow-rumped warblers, Wilson’s warblers, Yellow warblers, Hermit’s warblers, a Painted redstart, possibly a Lucy’s warbler and one or two others I’m not remembering or didn’t identify at the time;
• Scores of flycatchers, many Empidonax, which sadly, for the most part will be unidentifiable;
• Hummingbirds;
• A Western bluebird which was so close my camera and lens wouldn’t focus on it;
• Coots with young; and
• Many, many species that we never see here in the Pacific Northwest.

I mostly relaxed in cool (in some cases, almost cold) temperatures in the morning but in some areas of Arizona and New Mexico I had to give up birding during the middle of the day due to heat. Upon arriving back home I was greeted by cool weather… it rained much of the night and at 6am on Sunday it’s 50-degrees.

My plan is to first start posting some of the birding photos I took in Central Texas and Big Bend National Park back in February, but for some unknown reason the Blogspot software has quit letting me post photos.  I'll try to get to the bottom of the problem in the next several days.  I then plan to post photos of this recent driving trip through the Southwest US.  After that will be photos from a CA trip from a couple of years ago (which include a California Condor) that I need to process and post.  There's a lot of material at hand but it seems that there's precious little time to process it all!