Towheeblog

You;d think with the heavy rains of late the perky Pine Siskins would be cleansed.  But they take to the bird bath and get even their downy feathers damp.  They can kick up a little shower as they splatter water high and wide.

On the feeders these bellicose midgets bully less aggressive birds like Junco and House Sparrow.

I expect the siskins to remain all winter.  They and the Juncos are montane birds down here tgo escape snow and cold, and dine in comfort.  Siskins are now far more numerous and aggressive than any other birds in our garden.

Song Sparrow: Squirrel-real.  Tortoise-concrete.

YAMHIL LOCKS COUNTY PARK

At the park today a small flock of gleaners included Chestnut-backed Chickadees, a creeper and half dozen Golden-crowned Kinglet, another forest bird down in the valley for the warmth and easy dining. They were feeding right next to the turgid, grumbling waters of the Yamhill River.  Not a raging toirrent yet, more of a rumbling torrent.

Creeper heading up the trunk.Kestrel: Female Belted Kkingfisher on tree trunk wedged against the old cement sides of the lock.  

CANADA GEESE IN FLIGHT:

Lafayette Locks County Park, Yamhill, Oregon, US
Nov 16, 2015 11:05 AM – 11:35 AM.  6 species

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)  3
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)  3
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  6–#116 on my Yamhill County life list. Another species down from the evergreen forests to winter in the valley.

820 NW 19th Street, McMinnville, Yamhill, Oregon, US
Nov 15, 2015 7:00 AM.  13 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  X
Western Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica)  3
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  X
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  X
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  15
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)  3
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)  2
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  2     one with eye disease
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  30
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  X