Towheeblog

Me saying, ‘Well, I shouldn’t mind a little something, should you, Piglet,’ and it being a hummy sort of day outside, and birds singing.” –Pooh (translated by A. A, Milne from the original bearese)

There is a quiet nexus in our neighborhood, nectar feeders in three nearby gardens, where it is usually “a hummy sort of day”.
A certain Anna the Anna’s Hummingbird owns that spot and she guards her territory assiduously most days.

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Not far away from Anna’s turf there is Clark Creek Park. At its northwest corner a dense, private organic garden backs up to the park. That is usually good for some birds–juncos and siskins often this winter. Today all was still when Nora and I passed by–here’s why:

I think this may be the very same bird I photographed in our garden earlier this week, a bold juvenile sharpie:

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DINING AT THE LOCAL FREE-FOR-ALL SALAD BAR, AL FRESCO NATURALLY:

It’s often hard to catch these quick-diving Bufflehead when they are on the surface. These were part of flock of 10-12 that are regular at Fairview Wetlands right now.

A couple of our local wintering teal:

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Twice today I saw Turkey Vultures over our neighborhood in south Salem. I got a report today of Sandhill Cranes migrating north above the Siskiyou Pass on the border of California and Oregon. Some cranes, that winter in California, return to Siberia to breed, so that means long days of flying, several stop-overs. You may hear them above long before or rather instead of seeing them.