Subject: Great Birding at Home
Date: May 29 19:39:26 2004
From: Esterlys - esterlys at tds.net


Hello Tweeters,



Friday morning might very well have been my most productive single day of birding at home. With heavy rain for the last three days, Friday produced showers with short sun breaks. The birds took advantage of these breaks in the clouds and were out in full force. As I watched a Cedar Waxwing collect nesting materials from an old nest in a Vine Maple a Willow Flycatcher flew into view and foraged for bugs in a nearby Indian Plum. Gold Finches were everywhere with their bright colors and beautiful calls. A Swainson?s Thrush worked around under the shrubs at the edge of our vegetable garden, joining the much bolder Robins.

I have several feeders around the perimeter of the yard and all of them had a lot of action. One, near some old rose bushes, seems to be the favorite of the White-crowned Sparrows, but is also regularly visited by Song Sparrows, Black headed Grosbeaks, and Purple Finches. All of the feeders got worked over by the Band-tailed Pigeons (I?ve counted 50+ in the yard area at a time),along with Red-wing Blackbirds and Brewers Blackbirds.

A Western Tanager flew over the trail while I walked to the creek at the back of our property were I saw a MacGillivary?s Warbler (the first one I?ve seen here), Yellow-throated, Yellow-Rumped, Wilson?s, and the Black-throated Gray Warblers. Golden-crowned Kinglets were busy in the Cedar trees along with Chestnut-backed and Black-capped Chickadees. A Winter Wren scolded me from its usual spot along the trail while I watched a Downy Woodpecker search for bugs in the moss high up in a Big Leaf Maple.

It was starting to rain again so I headed back to the house. As I left the woods I heard the call of the resident Barred Owl. Once again only hearing, but never seeing.

Later in the day, as I was preparing to leave on a business trip to Vancouver, the sky cleared and was filled with Swallows. High above the Swallows two Red-tails circled, joined by Crows and a pair of Ravens off to the north.

All in all I counted 38 different species Friday morning at home, not everything I?ve been seeing lately but a good share.

Later, on my way to Vancouver, I took the dike road exit off I-5 near Woodland and spotted a Western Kingbird and a Western Wood-pewee in a hollow sheltered from the wind off the Columbia.

A great day of birding and I didn?t even try hard, although my wife says I am trying at times. Pat Esterly