Evening Grosbeak

On the top of a tall fir tree, I first found these strikingly colorful birds.

A total of six of them looking over the horizon in the bright December morning sun.  Since then, I always wished some of them would come down to my backyard...

Several months later in June, one female  just arrived on one of my feeders. and soon after a fancy looking male followed.

First he explored around the lawn,

then onto another feeder, and met Mr. House Finch without any quarrel.

Next to inspect was .......

Of course, a birdbath.  It is essential to have clean water for a break in the summer time flying.

So Mrs. Grosbeak added, " No problem."

They move in large flocks, searching for food throughout the year.  When they are near here, they will surely stop over again.

Stellar's Jay

Stellar's Jay is all over Oregon except the cold southeastern Oregon.  It likes a suburban area rather than in-town.  

The first time when I saw it, I said, "Wow...!"  Its head looks like a crow, but it has a bright neon-blue body.

After that, one year has elapsed, and I have given up seeing it again. 
Then suddenly it reappeared, being chased by resident Scrub Jays. 

This Stellar's was hastily craving seeds close to my patio, anxious of Scrub Jays' repeated harassing. 

Under the circumstances, it made a stern face.  But nonetheless it is a pretty bird.

It has a large, pointed black crest on head, which can be lifted at will (just like this photo).   A male, a female, and a juvenile all look alike.  They do not travel for a long distance, and rather they prefer to stay in their hometown.   The Birds of Oregon Field Guide confirms this by saying, "... rarely dispersing far, usually breeding within 10 miles of the place of birth."

Looking toward the setting sun, one Stellar mumbles, " In Oregon, I just love a fall sunset surrounded by brilliant red maple leaves.

American Crow

Early in the morning when I look around outside, often I can spot one or two crows on top of a tall tree.   They are said to be one of the smartest of all the birds.  

Often I see them acting as goodwill police by spotting a hawk, giving a warning call loud and clear, and chasing the predator out of the way. 

Per National Geographic's Field Guide, adults are readily identified by familiar CAW call whereas juveniles give a higher-pitched, nasal CAH begging call. 

Last year a few crows came down to my backyard to wander around.    A male, a female, and a juvenile all look alike: All-black bird with black bill, legs, and feet.  They eat fruit, insects, mammals, fish, seed, and the suet.  Some can live up to 20 years.

So next time when you hear a crow, just listen.  Is it an adult or a juvenile?

Lunar New Year (新年快乐）

Today is the lunar calendar's New Year.  Many people including Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese celebrate this day.   According to the Chinese zodiac, this is the year of Dragon.

In the morning between the rain clouds, I sometimes see seagulls flying gracefully with their wings wide spread.

And I can hear a flock of Canadian geese honking as they fly to another feeding spot.

Down here in my backyard, an aggrressive, but pretty Yellow-rumped Warbler flew in to PICK A BOO a Bewick's Wren right from behind.

Be nice, guys.  There is plenty of food around here.

"Yup, I am behaving,"  so says an Anna's humming bird as it sips its favorite sugar water.   "Happy Lunar New Year!"

American Robin

American Robin can be seen all the year around in Oregon,  but during the winter months, some can migrate to the south.   As a result, I have not seen many of them lately.

When the Robin first arrived here,  it was very cautious.  As soon as it saw a shadow inside the patio glass door, it always flew away.  But nowadays, it knows my backyard is a safe place. 

When spring arrived, it enjoyed the birdbath.

Liking it so much that it became rather rude to say, "Back off!  This is just for me."

Time flew fast when having fun.  Soon it was the time to build a nest.

Later,  one summer evening I came out to the backyard, and all of the sudden I heard someone's frantic calling.   Amongst the grown veggies I could not see anyone. 

Then,  slowly this little one crawled out onto the trellis yelling for mum for a pick up.  Probably the mummy fled when I came out (Lest assured the mum came back soon).

On a hot summer day, one felt so drowsy it conked out for a while.

 Yesterday a Robin stopped over and looked well, busily cleaning up the feathers.

"I got so wet with this week's snow and rain.  I wish I could take a nice bath like in the summer time."

This Winter's First Snow Days

This week we got our first snow.  Not so much accumulation, but it was exciting to see it again.   

Early in the morning an Anna's hummer still came here to have a sugar drink.  But usually for birds, snow can create much disturbance in their pursuit for finding food.

Every morning I go out to refill breakfast seeds to the feeders.   See my foot print.

Someone else was helping me.  You guessed right:  squirrels to help finish more than their share of the sunflower seeds.

This slushy morning, a flicker got so wet coming here to eat the suet.  I hope she got the head dried a bit later.

A White-throated Sparrow and two Finches were here, too, trying to find seeds on the lawn.

This Pine Siskin arrived first; the rest of the flock flew in soon to crowd the feeders under the patio roof.

On a snowy day, everyone tends to swarm in to a nearby feeder to cause a temporary overcrowded condition.  Even an aggressive Starling had to wait for its turn to eat.

By the end of today, the snow is almost gone and tomorrow the usual Oregon rain will return.   A good news for birds.

Band-tailed Pigeon

Every morning from my dining room, I can see the top of a tall fir tree in my neighborhood.  Always some birds are there looking around to decide which direction to go.  They can be a flock of Starlings, several Robins, a couple of Flickers, a Hawk, and once in a long while a Band-tailed Pigeon.

On a rare occasion, one or two can come down to visit my backyard.

On a summer day, a couple of them wanted to satisfy their thirst at the birdbath.  

Just in case you wonder about the difference between a pigeon and a dove... Per National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America,  "The larger species of these birds usually are called pigeons, the smaller ones dove."  Since they are strong and fast fliers, until fairly recently (those days without Internet!) people used pigeons for sending often an urgent, important message tied onto their legs.  They have done quite a job for us.

Lesser Goldfinch

Last year I did not see much of the lesser goldfinches.  Once in a while they showed up, 1 or 2 at a time.  So, I checked with Audubon Society's bird count data, but their population seemed to be not on the decline.  So they were just busy elsewhere and might find their way back to my backyard soon.

Lesser Goldfinches come here most of the year around except in the cold winter months.   They are smaller than American Goldfinches.  The male has a black cap and a greenish back (western states).  The female and the juvenile have dull yellow.

On a windy spring day, a male lesser was singing.

On a sunny June day, a couple of them fled to the top of a pine tree away from my camera lens.

On a hot day,  a male has to stop for a drink.

One very hot September day,  a whole family crowded into the bird bath. 

They like to eat seeds all the time (no insects please) and their summer favorite is dandelion seeds.  So I try to save some instead of pulling them all out (no pesticides are used here).   

 Sunflower leaves are another favorite.  First time seeing them eating dandelion seeds and munching on sunflower leaves was quite a surprise to me.

In the fall, they looked for fallen seeds after the garden was all cleared.  A lot of things to do here in my backyard.

Come back in the spring time.

Spotted Towhee

I have not seen  a Towhee for a while in my backyard.  Probably because it went to the coast where it is warmer than here in the inland. 

In spring, it often flies onto my fruit tree and then to the fence looking for some seeds on the ground.

A few times I noticed  Mr. (black) and Mrs. (brown) Towhee came together finding food among the little violet flowers,

 and then through the iris bushes.

Early in the morning, I sometimes heard one singing not a melodious song, but a simple trill of various speed up on a tree.

"I will be back when spring flowers start to bloom.  See you soon."

Mourning Dove

Have you ever heard of a sad cooing from somewhere above?  A few years ago when I did, I thought about an owl.  But I was wrong.  Who could it be? 

It was from a Mourning Dove. 

First they were very cautious, so they stayed on the fence to check on me.

When I got a birdbath out on the lawn in spring, they thought they would try it.

By autumn, one got the nerve to get closer to my patio. 

Nowadays, they come to my backyard often to walk around and find seeds.    One even tried to tell me,  "Yes, you have passed our safety inspection.  We will visit you often."