It was such a beautiful day on Wednesday May 26 that I went out early
in the morning to walk through our tree farm. The resident birds: Song
Sparrows, Spotted Towhees and Bewick's Wrens were all singing from their
ususal places near the house, and all the feeder birds were getting in
line: Pine Siskin, Black-capped Chickadee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee,
Common Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker (Red-shafted female)
and Red-breasted Nuthatch. And today, Mrs. Hairy Woodpecker brought along
Junior (with red crown) to introduce him to the suet-cake chow line. The
recipe for the suet cake includes tallow, peanutbutter, soy flour,
oatmeal, corn meal and gound-up bread crumbs. We knew there was a Hairy
Woodpecker nest nearby, and finally located it about 20 feet up in a
Western Hemlock snag on the plateau.

The "whit-ing" of a Swainson's Thrush alerted me to his presence. After
I whit-ed back at him, he popped out and I finally got a glimpse of him.
Still no song; he usually does not sing until strawberries begin to ripen.
Our daughter had named him the "strawberry bird", back when he was called
the Russet-backed Thrush. The fruity name fits, as he does not continue
with his song very long after strawberry season is over.

Listening to all the birds that were singing, I had a very wonderful
and exciting opportunity to hear the American Robin, Black-headed Grosbeak
and Western Tanager all singing in sequence, a perfect moment to verify
the differences in their songs. The Robin is sweet and musical; the
Grosbeak, hoarse with lower pitch and individual phrases; the Tanager, not
nearly as sweet and melodious as the Robin, faster rhythm with rests
between the phrases. I spotted a female Tanager high in the trees, adding
her staccato notes to the chorus.

Killdeers flew high in the air, uttering their "killdeer, killdeer"
sounds to the mix. Violet-green Swallows twittered as they maneuvered
through the trees just over my head. On one of the forest trails I heard a
warbler singing, and saw its movement in a Red Huckleberry bush. I stopped
and listened, trying to get its song etched in my memory bank. Then, as if
on command, Mr. MacGillivray's Warbler hopped out of the leaves onto a
bare twig and serenaded me for several minutes, while I watched and
listened, spellbound. Mr. Wilson's Warbler also put in an appearance in
the brush around one of our ponds. He is a regular nester on our tree
farm, but the MacGillivray's was a first spring sighting. I continued
along the trail into the Alder stand. Actually, most of the Alders are
dying or dead, victims of senility, and are being replaced by Big-leaf
Maple. The dead alders make for many snags and fallen logs. A Downy
Woodpecker found a resonant snag and sounded his rapid-fire drumming,
while the Red-breasted Sapsucker answered with his syncopated beat. In a
large Buddlea bush, I first heard, then located a Warbling Vireo, another
first for my springtime birds. An Olive-sided Flycatcher, singing from a
distance, caught my ear, while the lisp of the Western Flycatcher (now
named Pacific Slope) told me he had arrived for his summer visit. I also
heard and spotted the Willow Flycatcher in his favorite area along our
little stream bottom. California Quail flew up as I started along another
trail. As I headed back to the house, the gorgeous sound of the Purple
Finch caught my ear, and a Dark-eyed Junco trilled from high in a tree.

All-in-all, a fabulous hour and a half (8:30-10:00 a.m.) of
early-morning birding. I should do this more often.

Erin

Bill and Erin Woods Woods Tree Farm Redmond, WA U.S.A.
<wwwbike at halcyon.com>