I saw seven sparrow species today all within a quarter mile of my home in a residential area of Salem. Six in our garden and a singing Song Sparrow in nearby Clark Creek Park. Overnight a small flock of golden-crowns arrived. There have been one to three golden-crowns here since last October. I got to know their appearanc e and the progress of each one’s molt. None had reached full spring splendor, yet. But the newly arrived ones are perfectly suited out already.
The other sparrow surprise was the White-throated Sparrow. Today’s may be a new arrival. I had not seen the wintering white-throat since the end of February.
A group of spring-ready American Goldfinches arrived as well. Below, the left hand image is from February. The right hand from one of our feeders today, this male has lost nearly all his winter drab.
One of nature’s lookers in the sparrow family:
For the 13th straight day work was going on at the Clark Creek park flicker nest. And nearby the local quartet of Chestnut-backed Chickadees was buzzing about. One of them stopped to check out an older tree cavity.
954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Apr 10, 2022. 23 species
Wild Turkey 1 single hen
Eurasian Collared-Dove X
Mourning Dove 6
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Steller’s Jay 1
California Scrub-Jay 6
American Crow X
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
European Starling X
American Robin 1
House Finch 4
Pine Siskin 3
American Goldfinch 16
Fox Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 3
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 8
White-throated Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Clark Creek Park, Marion, Oregon, US
Apr 10, 2022
6 species
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
American Crow X
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 4
Brown Creeper 2
Song Sparrow 2
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