Towheeblog

Day #9. Still excavating soft wood from the cavity.

At Mill Creek Wetlands this afternoon:

Above: yellowlegs, Savannah Sparrow, Turkey Vultures, meadowlark, cacklers among the thousands there. They will begin to depart for Alaska soon.

“Common” is not an insult: Mallard male at Clark Creek, myrtle warbler who favors our back garden, robin:

More commonality:

Territory disputes–this time of year some birds act like Vladimir Putin. Click here for Lee French’s video of Steller’s Jay pestering a Great Gray Owl, who stolidly refused to retreat.

Mill Creek Wetlands, Marion, Oregon, US
Apr 6, 2022 afternoon
23 species in less than an hour

Cackling Goose  2500
Northern Shoveler  30
Gadwall  12
American Wigeon  6
Mallard  4
Green-winged Teal  50
Mourning Dove  4
American Coot  X
Killdeer  1
Long-billed Dowitcher  15
Wilson’s Snipe  3
Greater Yellowlegs  7
Turkey Vulture  8
Red-tailed Hawk  2
American Crow  2
Tree Swallow  1
European Starling  16
Golden-crowned Sparrow  6
Savannah Sparrow  7
Song Sparrow  1
Western Meadowlark  3
Red-winged Blackbird  18
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1

954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Apr 6, 2022
17 species

Mourning Dove  4
Cooper’s Hawk  1
Red-breasted Sapsucker  1
Steller’s Jay  1
California Scrub-Jay  5
American Crow  X
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  2
European Starling  1
American Robin  1
House Finch  4
Pine Siskin  5
Lesser Goldfinch  2
Fox Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  2
Golden-crowned Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1