A morning dog walk in Minto Brown brought one pleasant surprise–a fly over of half dozen Western Bluebirds, calling as they went. The Lesser Goldfinches were in the birch trees, eating the buds meant for next spring.
The two herons were diametrically different in disposition. One flew into the middle of Duck Pond and landed on a small island to have a drink, croaking as he arrived. The second was in the midst of a dry, mowed field, voling. Speaks to the adaptability of the species and illustrates at least one reason they are so widely distributed and successful compared to many other family members like bitterns, Snowy Egret, Tricolored, Little Blue, et al.
Having publicly humiliated myself earlier today by trying to imagine an Eastern Bluebird (on the east Coast) to be a Black Phoebe (ever noticed how similar their light/dark chest pattern is?), I will now proceed to write of birds near my house. Birds I know, in the sense of familiarity, not direct sociability.
There are three fruit-eaters in this Minto-Brown hawthorn, and I didn’t even notice the waxwing until I looked over my shots:
Other park birds:
Birds at our house:
Minto-Brown Island Park, Marion, Oregon, US
Oct 24, 2020
15 species
Cackling Goose 120
Canada Goose 2
Mallard 3
Great Blue Heron 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Steller’s Jay 1
California Scrub-Jay 5
American Crow 3
European Starling X
Western Bluebird 6
American Robin 40
Cedar Waxwing
Lesser Goldfinch 25
Song Sparrow 6
954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Oct 24, 2020
10 species
California Scrub-Jay 3
American Crow X
Black-capped Chickadee 2
American Robin X
Purple Finch 1 first sighting of this species at this location
American Goldfinch 30
Pine Siskin
Dark-eyed Junco 6
Song Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee 1
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