I went to Grand Island this morning with three other birders. We were invited to bird along a creek on an organic farm. “Organic” means bugs, bugs mean birds. Brightest spot of the morning was this singing male Common Yellowthroat (no females seen, of course): The warblers were out-numbered by the many singing Song Sparrows in the creekside thickets. Here’s one between tunes:
Just before we left we heard drumming, and finally tracked this little Downy. He was proclaiming his territorial rights at the top of this long-dead tree trunk with its nice wooden tone:
Grand Island, Yamhill, Oregon, US
Apr 24, 2018 9:00 AM – 11:20 AM. 24 species
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 5
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) X
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) (Picoides pubescens gairdnerii/turati) 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) (Colaptes auratus [cafer Group]) 1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Steller’s Jay (Coastal) (Cyanocitta stelleri [stelleri Group]) 2
California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) 2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 6
Barn Swallow (American) (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) 4
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 3
Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) 4
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 40
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) X
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata) 5
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group]) 2
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) X
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) X
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 15
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) 2
Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) 2
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) X
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