Not House Finch

Have you ever seen a Purple Finch?  They look like House Finch, but they have a prominent eyebrow and the male has deep purple pink.

 

"I am a female, so I do not have deep pink purple."

"I am a pretty male."

"I came with a friend."

A Summer Bird Arrival

 Guess what!  

A Rufous Hummingbird arrived here a bit earlier this year on March 6.  I used to see one around March 14 or after.

When I was outside watching birds, something orangish caught my eye.  That was a male Rufous Hummingbird that just landed on the branch.

"Hmmm, I've been here before."

 Then he came down to my sugar water feeder, gulping a lot.

"I am so thirsty travelling a long distance everyday."

"Just stopping over here.  I still have a long way to go north. "

Spring is Here.

 March has a fluctuation in temperature:  one day it can be very cold and the other day it can be warm.     From my recent trip to the wetland,  I know many waterfowls have already left for the north; the land is waiting for summer birds ' arrival.

Great Blue Heron:  "I am still here."

Cinnamon Teal:  "I am a rare visitor here."

Lesser Scoup:  "I am another rare visitor."

In Oregon more and more people are vaccinated against the Corona virus.  By this summer, we may feel more comfortable being out and doing things as we used to.  But washing hands and wearing masks are a way of life for a while.

More Snow Scene

 Beautiful birds on a snowy day:

"I am the best one with snow."

"Not really, I bet I am."

"I know I am.  All the viewers would agree with me."

A Delicious Suet Cake

 The suet cakes are popular among winter birds.   When Varied Thrush came here on a snowy day, he/she found the suet crumbs on the ground after a squirrel had been munching on it.  

"On a cold, icy day, all the food is hidden. 

Aha, I found the backyard with food."

This time, I saw two of them in my backyard for the first time in ten years!!

"Boy, it gets crowded here."

"I decided to come here more often."

Second Snow

 The weather forecast said  the snow/ice would fall as the Alaskan chilly wind blew hard to our direction this weekend.   First day the streets became icy with less snow.  Next day it snowed more to cover the ice.  The highways were closed at some places.  Public transportation were mostly cancelled.  The mail truck and delivery trucks could not come.  And yet, rare birds came to see me.

"Hi, I am a Lincoln's Sparrow.  I wanted to 

find food where many little bird friends hung around."

Another rare visitor is a Varied Thrush.  She comes on a snowy day when food is hard to find.

Last year there was no snow so it did not show up at my place.  

"As always, I am very careful, but on a snowy day 

I know this place always has food for me."

On a Cloudy Day

 The spring blossoms are already in bloom.

It was cloudy when we stopped over at the wetland.  A Cackling Goose just landed on the water.  

"Hi, you just saw my fabulous landing."

At the far end of a pond, I saw Ruddy Duck paddling for the first time.

"Hi, I don't come here often, but it's nice to see you."