Towheeblog

Snowed-in by choice…we cudda driven somewhere. So inside looking out, outside looking around. And much of the world under snow so our hanging feeders and an old door on top of the snow meant eager eaters. Never had this many species before. Every one of these birds was here for our food offerings. The robins eschew feeders but love the berries in our big photinia (have cleared out the crabapples already). No fly overs, and the bothersomne sharpie did not appear as far as I know. An average day here is a dozen species, a good day is 17. Two dozen! A small world record! Six sparrow species–they are all regulars but I have never seen them all on a single day before.

The only semi-regular I missed today was Red-breasted Nuthatch. And nearby hummers would have likely been in torpor in some snug tree cavity.

The only surprise was the female Townsend’s Warbler, first of the month for me anywhere.
A few birds have come last winter and not this–Varied Thrush are far less common this year in this area, and yellow-rumps came in late winter last year. And we got snipe on our soggy lawn after other areas maybe went under water last winter. And I have yet to see a single Purple Finch in our neighborhood.

954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Dec 27, 2021
24 species

Mourning Dove  23
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Steller’s Jay  1
California Scrub-Jay  6
American Crow  4
Black-capped Chickadee  1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  1
Bushtit  20
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Bewick’s Wren  1
European Starling  15
American Robin  25
House Finch  1
Pine Siskin  30
Lesser Goldfinch  4
American Goldfinch  6
Fox Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  40
Golden-crowned Sparrow  1
White-throated Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  1
Townsend’s Warbler  1