Towheeblog

Heat dome moves on, resident birds move in. Today was the birdiest day we’ve hsince spring migration. Survivors flying about, a family of Chestnut-backed Chickadees, the young begging with calls and wing-flutters. They were so busy and pecky they drove off the nuthatches and other small birds every time they descended onto the bird bath or seed trays. A couple of them practiced energetic bathing. The crows sounded exuberant, and very loud, even for them. The Downy making repeated visits. We’ve all seen woodpeckers hike themselves up a tree trunk, or literally out on a limb. This Downy used the same tehcnique to back down a tree trunk, tail first. A young siskin showed up, watched a goldfinch feed in the tray at the bottom of a hanging cylinder, then couldn’t figure out how to get down there…left without eating. We only missed a few of the locals today–Song Sparrow, hummer, House Finch and sapsucker.

Here’s a feedeig sequence, fledgling chickadee on the left hand sid eof the tray, and it had just gotten a seed chip from the other adult who then flew off.

954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Jun 30, 2021
17 species

Eurasian Collared-Dove  X
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
California Scrub-Jay  X
American Crow  X
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  6     whole family movung around together
Bushtit  X     family group
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Bewick’s Wren  1
European Starling  2
Pine Siskin  1
Lesser Goldfinch  2
American Goldfinch  2
Dark-eyed Junco  2
Spotted Towhee  1