Yellow-rumped Warbler

My wish came true this morning.  A patch of blue sky appeared here and there for a while.    Contented birds flew in and out. 

Guess who captured the sunshine in my backyard.

After eating a favorite suet, a yellow-rumped warbler opened up the wings.

The warm sunshine drying up the wet branch.

And very soon, the nature displayed a beautiful rainbow in front of us.

Finches

Yesterday a dark,  gloomy,  rainy day returned.  A typical winter weather in Oregon.

Not being able to find food out in the fields, more birds tend to come into town.  In early morning when I was bird watching, quite a few birds flew in.  To name a few,

American Goldfinch

They often come in a flock of several.

House Finch

On a nice day, a handsome house finch sings a lovely song on the top of a tree.  If you hear it, just look up.  You are sure to find him.

Pine Siskins

A Pine Siskin has prominent yellow stripes on the wings and visits here in winter.

These birds belong to the finch families, although they look abit different.  They all like to eat black roasted sunflower seeds in my backyard.   A bird with a pointed beak such as a goldfinch or pine siskin likes to eat thistle seeds, too. 

I am already wishing for a sunshine once in a while.  Birds love it just as I do.

Bushtit

Yesterday was quiet around here. We stayed home, cooked Christmas dinner with turkey and its trimmings, and visited with our family members.

Out in my backyard, birdies were as usual stopping by.  I gave them Christmas treats, their favorite "peanut delight" suet.  Then I just eavesdropped on what bushtits were saying.

B1:  "Hey, it is so quiet today.  What's going on with people?"

B2:  "Yeah, it's so eerie.  What are they scheming this time?"

B3:  "No worry, you guys.  It is Christmas.  That is why they are staying home and enjoying their company." 

B4:  "People are so happy with the gifts from Santa that they promise to themselves to be a kind, helpful and happy person for the coming year." 

Bushtits come here all year around.  In spring and summer, they can be 2-3 together.  In fall and winter when the weather changes to cold, they form a big flock of 15-20.  

A male has black eyes, a female has yellow eyes, and a juvenile has dark brown eyes.

Townsend's Warbler

Tonight is the most important time of the whole year.  Keep up with your good behavior so that Santa arrives with what you want.

For me personally, yesterday was a very joyous day because a Townsend's Warbler returned to my backyard for the 2nd season.   It visits here once in a while during the winter months.  It has a striking appearance with the contrasting colors of yellow and black.   Doesn't its face look like a Beijing Opera mask? 

A mature male has black on its throat and upper chest, while a female and a juvenile have yellow on its throat.

To tell the truth, it had arrived here a few weeks earlier. But aha.....the suet was just emptied by starlings. Being disappointed to see no suet, it took off right away to MY disappointment.  So when I saw the bird again yesterday eating the suet and hanging around, I was truthfully delighted. 

"Your suet is scrumptious! I will be back."

"Merry Christmas, everyone!"

Scrub Jay

Everyone knows about this bird, who has dazzling blue feathers, but to everyone's disappointment, it makes a terrible noise and chases away every other bird, acting as the neighborhood bully.

But I need to give some credit to a Scrub Jay.  

Credit #1:  A few years ago when I was feeding shelled peanuts to a squirrel,  a scrub jay came and got two at a time with the big beak.   Seeing that, a squirrel tried to do the same.   A jay taught a squirrel to be more efficient.

Credit #2:  Since a jay was waiting for a peanut on an apple tree branch, I decided to take a closeup photo first and then give a peanut.   A jay taught me how to bird watch and photograph.

In my backyard, a scrub jay is a regular resident.  In spring, it walks around the apple tree branch carefully.

In summer, it likes to take a bath in the bird bath just like other birds.

In fall, it walks through fallen leaves to find some bugs.

"See,  I can be a nice bird.  Just I do not have a melodic voice like other birds."  

In winter, it still likes to fly in to get its favorite peanuts.

European Starling

I bet everyone has seen this bird at one place or another.  It has a dark body with star marks all over.  In the sun, it gets shiny bluish/purplish colors.   These birds fly in a big pack, devouring the food available. 

Since it came from Europe, its official name is European Starling.  Out in the fields, they like to eat left-over grains.  In town, they empty the suet quickly to my dismay

When they are around,  they invite lots of bird activities .  When Starlings are poking into the hanging suet, little birds can eat little dropped chunks of the suets at the same time.  

See,  it is looking around to decide which backyard to raid next.  Maybe your backyard.  Watch out!!

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Guess who's coming when the weather gets very cold.  I've been waiting for someone for a couple of weeks.

Finally a Ruby-crowned Kinglet showed up in my backyard.  It visits here from winter to spring.  It is a little grayish green bird with the white ring around the large eyes.  A male has a ruby-colored crown which is hidden and comes out once in a while.

Its tiny body was flitting around the dormant rose bushes to find bugs to eat.  It moves quicker and is smaller than a chickadee. 

In the deep winter when all the bugs are gone, it also likes to eat the suet at a feeder.

  It sure looks as if a little bird king has a pretty crown.

White-throated Sparrow

Are you all waiting for Santa?  Someone coming to see us in December, is plump, and has a white beard.

Well, I found one in my backyard.

See, he's got a big white beard.

He is rather plump.  And he arrives in December here.  His official name is white-throated sparrow.  He even has conspicuous yellow eyebrows as well.

This is the second season I found him here.  Be it in the U.S., Japan, or China, I have seen sparrows.  They must be all over the globe and have many varieties.  Next time when you see a sparrow, look a bit closer to find if it has a Santa's white beard.

Chickadees, Black-capped and Chestnut-backed

Chickadees are little hyperactive birds, rarely staying still.  They are regular residents here in my backyard, eating seeds, roasted sunflower seeds, and the suet. 

In the spring time, they also eat small green worms on an apple tree. 

In the backyard, I no longer use chemical pesticides since birds eat a majority of  little bugs and worms. 

This summer a mom chickadee brought her babies for training.

Looks cute, doesn't it?  It still has yellowish corner on the mouth.  It was waiting for mom to return with food. 

Another chickadee is called Chestnut-backed chickadee, which comes here once in a while.  It is a bit smaller than the other one and its back is chestnut-colored.

Both kinds are very curious and always find a new feeder first before anyone else.  When I am out, they even fly right over my head, telling me "Hey, I know you."

Oregon Junco

Burr........ It is cold. It is the midday, the warmest time of the day, but it is only 30 degrees (F) on my patio. 

But in the backyard I see juncos everywhere no matter how cold it gets. They love the cold weather, visiting here from predawn till past the sunset. They arrive in a flock of 3-10 or more.

On a frosty branch, a female Oregon junco was spotlighted with the brief sun shine.  While a female has a gray head, a male has a black head.

Since their claws are smooth, not rugged like other birds', they like to eat on the ground the seeds that fall from the bird feeders. 

Sometimes one tries to eat a left-over apple on the tree.

See, she is checking how it is!  I hope it's a refreshing one after so much of seeds.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

When the temperature went down below freezing, a yellow-rumped warbler returned.   For past three years, it came to my backyard to eat the suet.

Sometimes it could find a big worm on the lawn as well.

A male has a bright yellow color.

When it reaches the suet, it jumps showing the yellow rump.  That is why it gets its name.

Like a ballerina.  Don't you think?

Anna's Hummingbirds

A hummer can be the cutest whirring-winged creature to us,

but to themselves, it could be the total opposite.   Today I observed continuous battles between two young ones. 

"I'm gonna get my enemy."

"Bang!@#"   The sugar water feeder is now a battlegound.  One can not drink gingerly any longer.  If you do, you'll be a dead bird. 

But between the rounds of chasing and fleeing, the two can pretend not to mind each other on a bare tree for the time being.  Well, even for little birds like a hummer, the life is sometimes very tough.

Cooper's Hawk

One morning I was birdwatching through the patio sliding door with a camera in my hands.  Wow!! Out of nowhere a giant bird flew across the backyard.  Before I did anything else, that bird came right back and landed in front of my patio.

It was a Cooper's Hawk.  I did not dare to move, afraid that the hawk would sense a shadow and fly away at any moment.   I focused the camera lens on the eyes.

It scanned around with wicked eyes, but could not find a squirrel which was here a second earlier.    I was relieved and locked this encounter with my photos.

Downy Woodpecker

I heard a loud calling of "chi, chi, chi."  After a moment a faint calling of "chi, chi, chi" from far away.  Trying to find out who it could be, I sneaked behind an opening in the camouflage curtains out on the patio.

There it was a young male Dawny Woodpecker perched on an apple tree branch busy talking.  It comes to visit my backyard to eat the suet all year around.  A male has this bright red color on its nape.

Red-tailed Hawk

A red-tailed hawk  perches on a tall sequoia tree here, looking around on a nice day.

One time I found a few feathers left thrown in the middle of my backyard lawn.    Another time I found splatters of blood on the patio when I came back from an errand.  No one saw what happened, but I guessed probably a hawk did it.

It is a beautiful creature, but it is a predator. Yesterday when I was in the kitchen still working on the Thanksgiving dinner, two of my guests saw a red-tailed hawk landed on the patio right in front of their eyes. It took only a couple of seconds, failing to grab any victim and flew away. What a memorable moment!!!  I just missed it...

Anna's Hummingbirds

Rain, rain, rain....  Big drops of rain won't hinder little birds to come to my backyard where they are sure to find food during the cold winter months.

Every morning I see an Anna's Hummingbird.  During the summer, I used to have one friendly Mama hummer who used to let me come near to take a closeup shot.  Once when I stuck out my finger, it touched me with its beak!!!  At the end of the summer, it showed up with two young ones.

Now the cold weather is back, I only see a couple of young ones: one male and one female.

Here, a pretty young male Anna's hummer. 

This is a female with a bug at the corner of the mouth.