The one surprise at Ashland Pond this morning: a male Harrier soared past while three Red-tails circled far overhead. The Harrier was traveling, not cruising over the fields in hunting mode. He was generally more than 100 feet above the ground while in sight.
Flicker:
Pied-billed Grebe, one of two on the pond regularly these days. The Coots have left.
White-throated Sparrow:
In this final shot the White-throated Sparrow is near a Golden-crowned, the most numerous of the sparrow species that are so plentiful here in winter.
And here is a good selection of sparrows, sorting through you will find a White-crowned, a Fox, a House and some Golden-crowneds. All feeding…like sparrows. Taxonomically and DNA-wise, the House Sparrows is part of an Old World family not related closely to our New World Sparrows and seedeaters. The White-crown, Gold-crown, and White-throat all share a common genus, Zonotrichia:
Lesser Goldfinch male hiding his colors in the shade:
Ashland Pond, Jackson, US-OR
Nov 11, 2014 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
28 species
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 3
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) 1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 3
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) 2
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) 1
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) 3
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 3
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 20
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 1
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) 1
Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 1
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 3
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) 25
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 2; Lesser Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) X
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