Denizens of the Brush Pile

We returned from a Lindblad cruise to Baja California Sunday (3/14) and within a couple of hours I had observed a male Rufous hummingbird visiting our feeder that we maintained over the winter for Anna’s hummingbirds. This was our first Rufous of the season although it's possible we had this or others visit earlier while we were away.  Also back this week were a Brown creeper (a not unusual but erratic visitor), a Bald eagle being harassed by crows, a Varied thrush and a male Northern flicker (a usually consistent visitor but less common for the past couple of months). Early this morning while working on the computer a faint sound in the background caught my attention and I opened my window to hear a Barred owl calling in the distance... a very rare treat.

We had a day of full sunshine so late this afternoon I took my camera out to the brush pile in our front yard and scattered some seed on the ground. I haven’t been out in quite a while so the birds are shy, but lurking around in the brush pile were two Spotted towhees, two Golden-crowned sparrows (which will soon be leaving for their breeding season elsewhere) and the ever-present Song sparrow. Although in decline due to the upcoming breeding season, we still have a healthy supply of Dark-eyed juncos (Oregon race). They’ll be leaving soon for higher ground but will be evident at higher elevations such as Washington Park and Mount Erie.

(4:35pm) Bulletin!

Just as I removed my camera media card to download photos for this posting I saw a large bird fly down into or onto the brush pile. I grabbed my binoculars and searched the pile to no avail, but a couple walking a dog soon flushed an accipiter from the brush pile. I reloaded my camera and went outside to get a photo, but the bird flushed, landing in two different fir trees in the front yard before finally flying off to the north. I did get two photos but I already have much better photos posted in prior blogs so I won’t post the accipiter photos. I appreciate it a lot more if it would help clean out last year’s crop of House sparrows but I’m sure it’s not that selective and would just as soon dine on some of the aforementioned birds!

Spotted towhee

Song sparrow