Point well taken about lack of siskins on your feeder Frank!
*Hans Feddern*
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA
thefedderns at gmail.com
On Sat, Dec 27, 2025 at 7:56 AM Stef Neis <
stef at whidbey.com> wrote:
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We have had a pair of varied thrush here for about 2 weeks now. They, a
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red-breasted sapsucker and other have been gleaning the last of the King
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apples from our tree here. Now the pair are hanging out with the juncos
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and towhees by the feeder.
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Stef Neis
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Whidbey Island
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Sent from my iPad
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On Dec 26, 2025, at 11:47 PM, Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters <
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tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:
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Very interesting Chuq! Maybe the lack of snow kept them higher up, but
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with the snowfall now, they are starting to move downhill. We are almost at
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sea level and you are higher up and saw the thrushes earlier! We also get a
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pair of Downy Woodpecker almost daily, Flickers daily and also a female
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Townsend's Warbler. Also loads of juncos, both chickadees (more
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Chest-nutbackeds)RB Nuthatches and lots of House Finches. I do not have Fox
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Sparrows, but have at least Half a dozen Golden-crowned Sparrows in the
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neighborhood.
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Good Birding!
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Hans
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*Hans Feddern*
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Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA
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thefedderns at gmail.com
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On Fri, Dec 26, 2025 at 11:16 PM Chuq Von Rospach <chuqvr at gmail.com>
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wrote:
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>>
On Dec 26, 2025 at 22:06:16, Hans-Joachim Feddern via Tweeters <
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tweeters at u.washington.edu> wrote:
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>>>
I saw my first-of-season Varied Thrush this morning. It was loosely
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associating with a flock of 20 + American Robins at the Dumas Bay
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Centre/Knudzen Theater here in Federal Way. I was just thinking the other
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day that I had not seen anyVaried Trush yet or seen any reported! I am also
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wondering if about any Pine Siskin sightings ?
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We live at about 500' elevation above Silverdale on the way towards
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Seabeck on about 4 acres of mostly pine/cedar/hemlock. We've gotten varied
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thrush here every winter, usually run early-mid December. We saw our first
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one about ten days ago, and so far this winter we've only seen a single
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bird twice a few days apart. So from my view, they're kind of around but by
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now we usually have 5-7 being skittish and trying not to be seen.
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Our annual fox sparrow showed up about the normal time (we actually have
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two!). The Robins have gone downhill, although one or two single birds
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might still be around, we normally lose them in November and don't see them
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until they migrate uphill to announce that it's spring. Overall, our bird
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population is about normal this winter (but no white-throated -;we've seen
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them a couple of times but not every year). On the plus side, we have a
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female Downy at the feeders every day or two, to go with our Hairy, a few
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flickers and the local Pileated, so I'm not complaining. Lots of Juncos,
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chickadees (no chestnut this winter), spotted towhees and red-breasted
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nuthatches to keep the feeders busy.
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My wife told me the other day she saw what she believes is a leucistic
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black-capped at the feeder. I'm now keeping an eye out for it to confirm.
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Will hopefully get pictures.
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Chuq
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---------------------------------------
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Chuq Von Rospach (http://www.chuq.me)
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Silverdale, Washington
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Birder, Nature and Wildlife Photographer
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Email me at: chuqvr at gmail.com
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Mastodon: at chuqvr at fosstodon.org
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Stay Updated with what I'm doing: https://www.chuq.me/6fps/
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My latest e-book: https://www.chuq.me/ebooks
>>
>>
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