Today was the day. The Cedar Waxwings have returned to harvest the ripe berries on our neighbor’s rowan tree. Fortunately for us, much of the tree stands just above our shared wooden fence so we get nice, sunlight-bright views of the waxwings, many of them first year birds.
WAXWING GALLERY
Click on any image to enlarge. Streaky chests indicate juvenile birds:
Other seasonal firsts now: yesterday our junco count doubled, from two to four. At the same time we note that nearly all of our American Goldfinches are gone. One was seen today, perhaps missed the evacuation notice…so this bird could be in for a long, lonely winter. At Yamhill Sewer ponds there were two new birds for that location in this season: a lone White-fronted Goose in with the Canadas and Cacklers, and a single wigeon with the many shovelers.
Click on image to enlarge. Above: far left the white-front hides behind a smaller Cackler; far right Ring-necked Duck. Below: shoveler armada, cackler with the big guys.
In McMinnville this morning, two season firsts: a raven cleaning up a roadkill, and a Ring-billed Gull landing in a parking lot. Both species will be regular through the rest of the cold months here.
Young Red-tailed Hawk at Yamhill:
Yamhill Sewage Ponds (restricted access), Yamhill, Oregon, US
Oct 14, 2018. 12 species
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) 1
Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) 2
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 29
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 40
American Wigeon (Mareca americana) 1
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 1Ring-necked Duck 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 9
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) (Colaptes auratus [cafer Group]) 1
California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) X
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 100
820 NW 19th Street, McMinnville, Yamhill, Oregon, US
Oct 14, 2018. 11 species
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) X
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) (Colaptes auratus [cafer Group]) 1
California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) X
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 20 in the rowan tree, eating the fruit
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis [oreganus Group]) X
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) 1
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