Towheeblog

At Joe Dancer Park this morning a House Finch was singing, then another came into his tree to give chase.
In our garden a Bewick’s Wren was continually singing as the sun shone this afternoon.
Our warbler population is in flux.  Last year we had one wintering Audubon’s.  Then in January a handful of myrtles showed up, and stayed, out-numbering their yellow-throated cousin about six to one.  Then in mid-March a northbound flock of Audubon’s arrived and there may have been a one or two day high of 20, far more than the lingering myrtles.  That Audubon crowd has moved on and now at least a dozen myrtles are buzzing about, covering the suet logs like over-stuffed Bushtits.
Speaking of Bushtits, there are often only pairs now.  Flocks have gotten smaller and less dominant.  Time for those elongated tear-drop shaped grass bags, and then the tiniest of songbird eggs and then rustling about of the nestlings that make the sacs vibrate…all in the interest of more and more Bushtits. It takes them less than a month to go from first egg to fledglings. Such is miniaturization in bird-world.

I still see flocks of Cackling Geese about.  They’ll be leaving soon.

Cozine Creek forest, Yamhill, Oregon, US
Apr 5, 2020
Checklist Comments:     saw one Townsend’s chipmunk;  numerous flying insects; cherries in bloom
13 species

Cackling Goose  50     near pond west of Old Sheridan Road
Turkey Vulture
Eurasian Collared-Dove  X     heard from nearby housing
Northern Flicker  3
Steller’s Jay  5
California Scrub-Jay  1
Bushtit  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Pacific Wren  2
Bewick’s Wren  1
European Starling  2
American Robin  7