Nest Building Time

When blueberry flowers begin to bloom, birds' nest building behavior is in high swing.

A female House Finch was the first one to spot these tangled strings in my garden.  I planned to use them for tying summer veggy vines.  But....

"I like to use it for my nest building.  P-r-e-t-t-y please...."

Next came a male American Robin, pulling them so hard, deteremined to get it.  

"For goodness' sake, come loose.  I just need this nice strings for the nest building."


So I gave in and cut them up into many short pieces for them to pick up.   And in no time,  someone was on them.

"Oh, thank you, thank you.  I'm gonna take all of these again.  Last year I had my nest warm and cozy for my babies."



And so does the nest building of all the birds continue in this time of the year.

American Crow

Everyday I see American Crows flying around or cawing loud from the top of a tall tree.  But only on a rare occasion I see them on my backyard.  The other morning  a couple of American Crows landed here. They are huge compared with little birds that I usually see.

"From up high, I saw some food out here ."

"Hey buddy, watch out!! Somebody is already mad at us!!"

"I just wanted to clean up this fallen suet, not stealing anything from anyone.  Munch, munch...."

After that, they are quickly off to another errand.  I see them often up in the sky protecting little birds from predators such as hawks.  A benevolent bird in the bird world.

American Goldfinch's Summer Coat

During the winter months, an American Goldfinch's coat is dull yellow with a dark beak so that they will not be easily spotted by predators when all the flowers and leaves are gone except the evergreen trees.

"Our color is pale yellow during the cold months for the sake of safety."

But when the summer approaches, everything in the surroundings comes alive with bright colors.  So with the American Goldfinch's coat.  Look at this dramatic change.   How marvellous they look!!

Goldfinch Right:  "Aren't you too bright?  I can't see you straight."
Goldfinch Left:  "So are you.  We are all transformed to be a dazzling yellow bird for summer. "

Their coat is now brilliant yellow, together with the light colored beak and, in case of a male bird, the black forehead.

Now let me introduce the girls to you.  They are less bright than the males; nonetheless, they show quite an elegant look.

The change that Nature makes is intriguing indeed.

Just a Little Help Goes a Long Way

When I was checking on the Audubon Society Website, I noticed they were asking people to remove Invasive Plant Species because many invasive non-native plant species destroy native habitat for birds survival.   Five of the most common ones around Oregon are English Ivy, Himalayan blackberry, Garlic Mustard, Japanese Knotweed and Clematis. 

A few years ago,  I had a huge mound of overgrown English Ivy around the  pine tree in the backyard.   One day I decided to get rid of it.  I really WORKED till exhaustion for several days in pulling those vines.   My back and fingers were sore for sometime, but I was glad I did it.   So my message to you is to get rid of it before it gets out of hand.


The Orange-crowned Warbler can appreciate my hard work.

"That's why I can find a lot of food in the backyard.  I like your bugs, pear blossoms, and blueberry flowers particularly."

"See, I have to raise young ones here, so an ample supply of food is really appreciated."

A female Roufous Hummingbird says, "When I come to Oregon for summer, I always like to drink blueberry nectar here!"

"And this time I just have to figure out what's on the ground here.  This looks like my favorite little spider web.  Glad the English Ivy did not take over here."

During summer, any little help you can do to make your backyard bird friendly will be much appreciated.

Evening Grosbeaks' Serenade

Evening Grosbeaks proudly present a short spring concert.

 "I hope you'll enjoy!"

White-throated Sparrow:  "I'm coming right up."

Evening Grosbeak, female:  "Me, too.  Wait a minute."

Bushtit:  "I'm getting late...."

Red-breasted Nuthatch:  "I'm the last one to join."

Now that everyone is ready, let's start.

Well, it was a kind of short.  But next time when you hear a similar chirping, go and look who's out there.  It may be an Evening Grosbeak perched on your tree.

Anna's Hummingbirds

About a month ago, I added another hummer feeder in the front yard to minimize a conflict between Anna's and Roufous Hummingbirds.   Finally someone tried drinking from this.  When I walked by the other day, a hummer was hiding in the Japanese maple bush nearby and fled to the neighbor's wisteria vine.

More flowers are in bloom as if welcoming more birds. 

A Japanese plant called "Yamabuki", meaning the mountainside comes alive in spring.

A new Columbine with big pink blossoms

At last, on the 2nd year, a pink honeysuckle bush beginning to bloom in my backyard.  The hummers will like this new addition.

One afternoon a curious Anna's Hummer flew in to get nectar from the new red annual for the 1st time this season.

I have already made several hanging baskets with little red and pink blossoms.   All these flowers will be in bloom very soon once the temperature stabilizes.  A busy season is waiting for hummingbirds.

A Bath Time for Everyone

A nice weekend for all the birds to try a bath.

Guess who this one is...  A huge splash for a little bird....

"It's me, because I was in such a hurry as usual."

Even two European Starling brothers had to get cleaned on such a warm day.

Uncle Golden-crowned Sparrow just had to join after many months of cold rain.  "I was just about to get moldy here."

A Lesser Goldfinch was a gentle one when it came to taking a bath.  Just taking time to get spotless while two other friends were patiently waiting!

And the one who most loves a bath in my backyard is this individual.  Every day once or twice he comes to get all splashed clean and even waits for me to come out to see him.   His name is my friend, Mr. American Robin.

So I cleaned and changed the bath water twice yesterday.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet's return

Last year I saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in spring.   It was right around this time when the bleeding heart began to bloom in my backyard.

Last few days, early in the morning and the evening, I see one kinglet flitting around the pear tree and the apple tree where it could find bugs and at the same time eat the flower buds. 

On the apple tree, sucking on the new bud.  How cute it looks!  It is such a tiny bird hopping around the branches.  And to make the matters more difficult for me is that it never stays still for a second!!

Can you spot this ruby crown?  As a matter of a wink he just showed it.  If I brink, I may not see it.

Being excited on so many tender apple flower buds?

This morning someone just flew into the neighbor's maple tree.  Sure enough, it was the kinglet.  It moves super fast from one branch to another looking for a bug.  So, my camera lens could not capture the pretty morning image.  Next time will you let me have a nice shot? 

Evening Grosbeaks are Back, too.

Last few days I felt like being in a tropical forest because the loud callings and chirpings were going on right in my backyard.  Well, they were Evening Grosbeaks I hadn't seen since last summer.   I saw a total of six of them, munching the pear blossoms and roasted sunflower seeds.   No wonder it was so loud.  My largest feeder only accommodated 4 large birds like them at one time.  So some had to do a U-turn back to a tree nearby.

See, how crowded it got here!!! 

Let me introduce Mr. (yellow and brown) and Mrs. (grey with a bit of yellow)  Evening Grosbeaks.  Don't they look fabulous with their striking colors?  They are one of the largest finches.  They like to eat seeds, insects, and fruit.

  After eating so much, this threesome needed to satisfy their thirst.

Mrs. was calling for a late husband?!!  I hope she was not mad at him.

Another Mrs. was inspecting the scattered seeds before eating.

Evening Grosbeaks visit my backyard once in a while during the warm months.  I hope to see them again before long.

Orange-crowned Warbler is Back

The other morning an Orange-crowned Warbler returned for summer. 

"I am a super bug catcher.  Look at this big one."

I first noticed it on a neighbor's maple tree with new leaf buds.  A warbler likes to catch bugs in the air or find bugs amongst the leaves.

Later it flew onto the pear tree which is now in full bloom to suck the nectar.

"Umm, scrumptious.  This is why I came back here after a year!!"

So far it hasn't shown the orange crown yet, maybe because it's a female or an immature male.

From last April's photos below, you can see the orange-crown on this matured male bird.

See, he likes to hang around the pear tree alot.

On an apple tree branch, he remarked, "Look at my pretty orange crown."

Welcome back, a colorful Orange-crowned Warbler.  Enjoy Oregon summer.

Hermit Thrush

A year ago, this little bird once came to my backyard, following a Varied Thrush (the size of American Robin).   I thought it would never come back here for a while and then out of the blue sky, it landed here early yesterday morning.

"I am standing tall.  Look at my long legs!!"

It stood straight for a while to observe the surrounding underneath a big pear tree.

 Then, hopped and hopped along the fence to the other end where I could not see...

Here's one of the last year's photos.

Per my Bird Book,  a Hermit Thrush has whitish eye ring and reddish tail; it often flicks wings and slowly raises tails.  Being a summer bird, it can go all the way up to Alaska during the hot months.  When the weather changes to the cold, it will fly back to somewhere warm, down south to most of California or even Mexico.

Many summer birds are arriving here now that our weather has warmed up finally.  You will hear more from me during the busy bird season.

A New Face in the Backyard

Last few days have been warm like real spring. My magnolia tree is in full bloom now.

Today I found a new bird friend in my backyard.

First I thought it must be a Song Sparrow, but it wasn't because the head color was different.  As I checked through the pages of an Oregon Bird Book, I FOUND it.

"Yum, yum, I like your seeds."

This sparrow is called "Chipping Sparrow," which  just returned from the south to spend the summer in Oregon. 

 "I like your pear blossoms, too.  They smell sweet."

This sparrow has the roufous crown; therefore,  is the 2nd year or older.  Juveniles and 1st winter birds do not have the roufous color.

"Today I spent all day here.  I'll be back tomorrow."

Now that I found a new one, I wrote it down in my bird book.  The total count is already getting close to 50.   It is fun to bird watch and learn about them.