The Day is Longer Now

 One winter sunrise.  The day is getting longer now.

Cold Crisp Morning 👍

Red-breasted Nuthatch visits my backyard every day and all day long.

"Munch, munch, munch.  Busy...😋😋😋"

"I have to eat the suet at every meal.  Yeah!😍😍💪"

Cold Winter Morning

On a cold day,   we visited the wetland.  The sun was out and gradually warming up the air.

Bald Eagle:  "I like this crisp air."

Great Blue Heron:  "I like to walk on the frosty ground."

Trumpeter Swan:  "We like to fly in the clear sky."

(The second from the left  has a bit of yellow on the beak.  

This  must be a Tundra Swan amongst Trumpeter Swans.)

 

New Birds

Ten years ago when I started watching birds, I did not come to the wetland often.  Now I come here whenever the weather is nice.  I see many waterfowl during the cold months. 

On a sunny day in December, I saw a male Bufflehead👀😀 at the wetland.

"I come here once in a while."

"I do not come here often.  But I am a male Canvasback👀😄."

This winter, I have already seen the Hooded Merganser a few times here. 

(My blog friend in Japan said he has not seen it  there, though his bird book lists it.)

"I am a rare bird in Japan.  I make sure I am away from the shore and the people for safety👀😁😁."

Pretty Junco

We had several days of rain and hails.☂

When the air became all clear,  Oregon Junco came to visit my backyard👍.

Junco, female:  "I like the sunny morning.😄😄"

Junco, male:  "What a nice day!😊"

A Bright Ruby-crown

 In our backyard, several winter birds are here now.  One of them is Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

"Look at my bright ruby-crown!👍👍👀"

"I come here often during the cold months😋."

"I am very swift💨.  You rarely can take a picture!😁😍"

Winter is Here.

 The cold weather has arrived here.  The first frost is on the blueberry leaves.

Anna's Hummingbird:  "It is getting very cold here."

At the wetland nearby,   many waterfowl are on the water.  Here are  Green-winged Teals.

"It is fun to be back here for winter."

Mallards:  "We are around here all the time.  Just take a nice photo of us."

Kalapuyan Land

The other day when we visited a wetland, we found this sign 👀👀.  What is this?❓

"...The Kalapuya tribes' traditional homelands were the Willamette Valley of present-day western Oregon in the United States, an area bounded by the Cascade Range to the east, the Oregon Coast Range at the west, the Columbia River at the north, to the Calapooya Mountains of the Umpqua River at the south..."

(excerpt from Wikipedia)

We hope this land will be kept in a good condition so that people can enjoy watching birds as we do😍.  

A lone Bald Eagle in the distance.

"I appreciate Kalapuyan land!👍👍💝"

A Nutria 

"Thank you for my pond.😄😄"

Many winter waterfowl: Canada Geese, Cacking Geese, Pintails, etc.

"Many friends have arrived here for the winter months.  

We appreciate the wetlands.😊😋😍"

Birds on a Rainy Day

Oregon's rain returned.  It has been rainy and cold.  Yesterday was a little windy, too. 

Bushtit:  "Oregon is now rainy.  We are used to it. 💧💧💧"

House Finch:  "No more fresh blueberry here.  The leaves are red and pretty.👍"

Anna's Hummingbird:  "I am back to the feeder.  Not bad😋!"

Anna's Hummingbird in the Backyard

 It's been cold now.  The summer flowers like Hotlips are not sweet as before.

"I still like the red color. 💝"

"I even tried the fuchsias, but their nectar is no longer sweet😢."

"I may have to switch to the sugar water feeder very soon👍😁."

More Waterfowl

Finally rain returned to Oregon this week.  Yesterday the temperature remained below 50 F all day.  

At the wetland before this weather change, birds were still enjoying the warm fall weather.  

Lesser Goldfinch:  "I just cannot believe this warm temperature this time of the year.💦"

Song Sparrow: "Me, too.  I need to hide from the hot sun💦."

But the waterfowls are now arriving here for the winter months.

Here comes Common Mergansers at the big reservoir.

"We finally returned here.  The weather will get cold any time.😅😁"

The Autumn Backyard Scene

The weather has been too warm in October.  The flowers are still in bloom.  Anna's Hummingbirds are thankful for that. 

"I can still slurp the nectar.  I do not want to go back to the sugar water yet😁."

Chestnut-backed Chickadees are back from the wood.

"It's nice to be back here.  I am trying to get ready for winter.👍"

A male Northern Flicker is back here, too.

"I am back.  Now I can munch the suet here💪😉."

The Wetland Scene

The weather is still warm during the day.  When we stopped over at the wetland, a Rock Pigeon was on the wooden bridge.  It seemed that he/she is used to see people around and let me take his/her photos as I walked by.

"I am not afraid of people.  They are my friends here."

Red-winged Blackbirds are still abundant here.  

"We don't move till the weather gets very cold here."

American White Pelicans were still here, but I know they can take off any day now.

"We will be heading to the south pretty soon."

A Fall Song

 The weather has been still hot in October, a record high temperature in Oregon💦💦.

At the wetland, a Bewick's Wren was singing a fall song😍😁.

"It is still hot.  Feel like singing again💟."

"Can anyone hear me?😏"

Golden-crowned Sparrow:  "Do not sing so loud.  It is already autumn😕. 

 I am back from the woods and on the way to the coast for winter. "

On a Short Trip

A week ago, we made a short trip to Sauvie Island in Northern Oregon.  Since the airport is near, we often saw an airplane instead of a real bird.  They were a Delta Airlines, an Alaska Airlines, and a Southwest Airlines.  The Southwest was bright and clear against the sky.

The first day, we saw a dozen American White Pelicans, flying together with a couple of Sandhill Cranes far away.

"The summer is back today."

We spent a night at a nearby town and returned to the refuge in the morning for the better bird watching.  Soon, a couple of the Pelicans flew right over us.  First they were too close to have a clear photo.  So I adjusted the lens length for a better photo.

"We are in the Wildlife Refuge, so we are safe here."

Fall Days

Gray Squirrels live in the neighborhood.  Usually 3-5 come and visit my backyard.  Today a couple of them were pesting each other.

"We always have fun here😁."

 

A young American Crow came to have a drink at the bird bath.

"I just grew up in the nest up on the trees in this neighborhood👍👍."

A Downy Woodpecker stopped over after a long absence.   He just returned from the wood.

"I don't know this place well.  I was born this 

summer in the wood.  My mom told me this is a safe place😄😄!"

Rufous Hummingbird came for the last hot days and took off for the south.

"I will miss your flowers😢,  but will be back next spring😙."

A Fall Day

 Last week schools started around here.  I saw many school buses going and school kids waiting for the buses.  In my front yard, Roses of Sharon is in full bloom. 😊

The bees are busy collecting the nectar. 😋

At the wetland, I saw a Cooper's Hawk early in the morning (I rarely see one there, though.)

"I see some bushes changing the colors to orange.  

It's fall and tonight is the full moon🌕. "