Subject: [Tweeters] I love the migrants
Date: Aug 8 12:18:03 2016
From: Tucker, Trileigh - TRI at seattleu.edu


Dennis and Tweets,

Having moved my study downstairs to yard level, where I have three feeders (hummingbird, sunflower, and suet) and a birdbath right outside the window, along with a view of the adjacent woods, I've been astonished at the number of species I've seen on a regular basis in recent weeks. They include only a few migrants, but tons of local juveniles. Twenty who show up from every day to occasionally:
Daily or most days:

* Black-headed Grosbeaks, at least two, I believe a juvenile and a female, who've been showing up multiple times a day for a couple of weeks or more
* House Finches - up to 8-9 at a time, almost all juvenile, making a racket. This morning Dad Finch was trying to feed three begging children simultaneously on a nearby branch.
* Pine Siskins
* Black-capped Chickadees
* Chestnut-backed Chickadees
* Towhees, a couple of juveniles and an adult
* Hairy Woodpecker on suet
* Anna's Hummingbirds, up to three
* Bushtits
* Steller's Jays
* Northern Flickers on suet
* Pacific-slope Flycatchers in the woods, seem to be a couple battling for territory
* American Robins including juveniles
* Song Sparrows, including several juveniles
* Red-breasted Nuthatches
* American? Crows

Occasionally to once:

* Brown Creepers, in woods
* Rufous Hummingbirds (female stopped by just yesterday)
* Bewick's Wrens
* Wilson's Warbler (showed up once a couple of days ago)
* Band-tailed Pigeon (heard nearby a couple of days ago)

From: Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net<mailto:dennispaulson at comcast.net>>
Date: Sunday, August 7, 2016 at 2:16 PM
To: "tweeters at u.washington.edu<mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu>" <tweeters at u.washington.edu<mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: [Tweeters] I love the migrants

Getting the fountain in the back yard to flow profusely brought in hordes of birds, including the unbelievable numbers of both species of chickadees and young juncos, also House Finches, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeaks (4 in the yard this afternoon, have been here for a few days), a Golden-crowned Kinglet and a Yellow Warbler. The last three species are absent here as breeders, so all pretty early migrants.

Every year we get small numbers of immature Black-headed Grosbeaks at our feeders in August. They stay for days or even weeks, then are gone. They're not the same birds, as they are young, so why such a mass. Do they migrate in groups? Any other people have the same phenomenon?

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Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115