Towheeblog

This was a few days ago, in our back garden

MEETING THE MIRROR CHALLENGE

Take a solitary, territorial, resident, male Song Sparrow. Place a large truck mirror near his own bush. Let him fly past and see a moving sparrow cross that mirror. Testosterone means this challenge will be met. First, the resident sits on top of the mirror, daring the invading figure to show. No sign, so the resident flies down to a perch on the front door, then attacks from the right. The image appears and confronts the resident, trying the peck through the glass. Resident re-perches atop mirror. Repeat entire process until exhausation or hunger interferes. Eventually the truck departs, taking the interloper with it. Resident reigns supreme and marvels at his own perseverance. This all happened last week, not in spring when we presume territoriality is at its most intense.

WHITE-CROWNED GOLDFINCH STILL HERE…this is one of three I’ve seen in our garden this fall:

Note the num ner of siskins has risen inthe oast two weeks. One the first sighting, two the next day. We must be up to at least thirty niw…at some times at some feeder they may now out-numkber even the American Goldfinches. The dozens of juncios stay on the ground mostly.

954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Nov 13, 2021
13 species

Mourning Dove  1
Steller’s Jay  1
California Scrub-Jay  X
American Crow  X
Black-capped Chickadee  1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  3
Bushtit  15
Bewick’s Wren  1
Pine Siskin  30
American Goldfinch  50
Dark-eyed Junco  30
Golden-crowned Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  2