There are two versions of the Northern Flicker. We have the Red-shafted near our house. In the east the flickers are yellow shafted.

IDENTIFICATION

HEAD: gray with brown crown, males have red malar
THROAT: gray
BREAST: tan with black spots, black crescent shape at upper breast
BELLY: tan with black spots
WINGS: brown & black barred
TAIL: red underneath, black at tip
BACK: brown & black barred
RUMP: white

FEMALE

MALE
Notice the red malar

TAIL FLARE

BACK

HABITAT

Northern Flickers like an area with trees. I often see them in local parks. We also have a few that call home to the trees near our house.

Birds of many kinds, including the flicker, often visit this tree snag.

Sometimes they venture from the trees onto our house or nearby structures.

FEEDING

Northern Flickers prefer to find their food on the ground. They especially like ants. We will often see them in our front yard searching for grubs and other goodies. These birds will also eat fruits and seeds, particularly in the winter.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Woodpeckers
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Colaptes auratus

Sometimes I notice a lone flicker. Other times I notice two together.

Especially during late winter and early spring I see the flickers with other birds, such as these Steller’s Jays and American Robin.

PHOTO GALLERY

Notice the red shafts on the wings. Sometimes we find their feathers. We know its a flicker feather because of the red.

HAPPY BIRDING!

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The ever popular Red-tailed Hawk.

They are a year round visitor to our neck of the woods.

IDENTIFICATION

HEAD: brown
BREAST: light
BELLY: browns, streaked
WINGS: browns. light underneath
TAIL: rusty red/orange, with a skinny black bar near tip
BACK: browns

ADULT

HABITAT

The Red-tailed Hawk is the bird of prey I see most. I notice them along the highway watching the fields for food. I notice them at parks and wetlands. I see them on road trips through other states. We have them near our house. They can be found in most open areas of North America.

FEEDING

I am always a bit leery of this hawk when they are near our house. They have been known to nab a chicken.

I noticed this one in a tree enjoying a rodent for lunch.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Hawks & Eagles
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Buteo jamaicensis

Most often I notice only one hawk near our house at a time. He/she doesn’t usually have any friends.

PHOTO GALLERY

I always wonder what they’re screaming about, when they go screeching through the sky.

HAPPY BIRDING!

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The Western Bluebird is always a welcome visitor. It means spring has arrived. The males are a beautiful bold blue, adding to the lovely colors of spring.

IDENTIFICATION

HEAD: male: blue, female: blue-gray
THROAT: male: blue, female: blue-gray
BREAST: rusty red/orange
BELLY: gray
WINGS: male: blue, female: blue-gray
TAIL: short
BILL: dark & small

FEMALE

MALE

Notice the blue head & throat, rusty orange breast, and gray belly:

HABITAT

We are at about 1200′ elevation in the foothills of the coast range. The Western Bluebirds visit us each spring, stick around for a couple months, and are gone by mid summer.

They hang out mostly near the bird houses in our bird village. They also explore the shrubs and a tree snag nearby.

FEEDING

Most often I spot the Western Bluebirds flying around catching insects.

Occasionally, though, I notice them finding goodies near the ground.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Thrushes
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Sialia mexicana

Although they are a social bird, we typically only have one pair around our house.

Occasionally, I see a larger flock, though.

Every year there is a turf war with the violet-green swallows. The bluebirds seem to fight off the swallows, but the swallows always return. I see them in the bird houses. So, I’m not really sure who the real winner is.

NESTING

I can’t see into the bird houses. But, both male and female appear to tend to their brood.

PHOTO GALLERY

Birdie bath time in our pond.

A number of years ago I spotted this male bluebird with bands on his legs. I sent an email to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory describing the band colors. I received a message back telling me where the bird originated.

HAPPY BIRDING!

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The first Saturday in September is International Vulture Awareness Day, so my bird pick for this month is the Turkey Vulture.

They are often mistakenly referred to as the Turkey Buzzard. They are also often frowned upon because of their gross habit of eating roadkill. I, however, appreciate their clean up efforts. Also, they prefer their meal already dead which means my chickens and goats are safe from these large birds.

IDENTIFICATION

HEAD: bright red. primarily unfeathered
BILL: white
BODY: brown/black
WINGS: brown/black. underside of flight feathers is ivory

Notice the red, nearly bald head & white curved bill.

During a Birds of Flight show at the Oregon Zoo, I was able to get a good look at the light colored flight feathers.

From a distance, Turkey Vultures appear black. However in actuality, they have a lot of brown tones mixed in.

HABITAT

Turkey Vultures can be found in North and South America, typically in open wooded areas, deserts, and countrysides.

This one is circling the hill behind our house.

FEEDING

Turkey Vultures are scavengers, feeding on dead animals. Their incredible sense of smell helps them find their next meal.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: New World Vultures
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cathartes aura

Typically, I notice a small group of two or three Turkey Vultures soaring overhead. Occasionally, there is a larger flock. Even less often, I spot them flying with other large birds.

FLIGHT

Turkey Vultures glide through the sky with their wings slightly raised. Their wingtips have long separated “fingers.”

Right Photo: riding the thermals high in the sky

PHOTO GALLERY

We spotted this Turkey Vulture in the Redwoods.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For more info about these large, amazing birds check out my posts from International Vulture Awareness Day in 2013 and a trip to the Audubon Society, where I saw Ruby, a Turkey Vulture used as an education bird.

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The white-crowned sparrow is common around our house in the foothills of Oregon’s coast range. We have the Pacific subspecies with a yellow beak.

IDENTIFICATION

HEAD: black and white striped
THROAT: light gray or white
BREAST: gray
BELLY: gray
WINGS: streaked brown, faint white bars
TAIL: long
BACK: streaked brown and gray
BILL: yellow
EYE: brown

ADULT

IMMATURE

I’m not 100% positive, but I believe this to be an immature sparrow molting. He/she is a bit rough looking.

A young one with and adult.

HABITAT

White-crowned sparrows prefer the edges of shrubby woodlands.

We tend to see the golden-crowned sparrow more during the winter months and the white-crowned sparrow the remainder of the year.

FEEDING

White-crowned sparrows forage on the ground searching for insects. They will also catch them mid air.

The sparrows also like seeds, whether from our feeder or wild grasses. They will also choose berries to eat.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: New World Sparrows
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Zonotrichia leucophrys

Flock of white-crowned sparrows bathing in our pond.

White-crowned sparrow with his cousin, the golden-crowned sparrow.

NESTING

Around here, I find their nests a foot or two above ground hiding in a shrub.

Mama sparrow sits on her eggs about 12 days before they hatch. The hatchlings leave the nest at about a week to week and a half old.

We have to watch for the little guys, as they are sometimes on the ground.

PHOTO GALLERY

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Cedar waxwings are a beautiful bird and one of my favorites. They almost seem exotic in our woodlands.

They visit us every year around June or July. They don’t stay long, though.

IDENTIFICATION

HEAD: light brown
FACE: light brown with black mask outlined in white
CHIN: brown or black
CHEST: light brown
BELLY: light yellow
WINGS: light brown and gray, sometimes with a red tip
TAIL: gray, with bright yellow tip, underside has white
BILL: short
EYE: black

The feature that stands out the most to me on a cedar waxwing is the crest. Sometimes it lays back and sometimes it sticks up.

HABITAT

Cedar waxwings can be found in many places including woodlands, farms, fields, and suburbs. During the summer months most areas in the northern US and Canada that have fruiting trees and shrubs have the potential of cedar waxwings showing up.

Most often I notice waxwings perched in the trees, but occasionally I see them on the ground searching for food.

FEEDING

Insects and berries are the main food sources of a cedar waxwing.

They tend to eat lots of cedar berries during the winter months, which is how they got their name.

Sometimes they will pick a berry and pass it to their friend.

Farmer John is not impressed with their love of our raspberries.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Waxwings
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Bombycilla cedrorum

Cedar waxwings travel in flocks, sometimes quite large numbers group together. We often see about 10 – 15 at a time.

PHOTO GALLERY

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The hummingbird we see most often around our house is the Rufous Hummingbird.

I can usually hear their wings buzzing by before I actually spot them.

IDENTIFICATION

– MALE –
HEAD: rufous, maybe with green forehead
THROAT: iridescent red gold
CHEST: white
BACK: rufous
TAIL: rufous
BILL: slender and straight
EYE: black

I am amazed by this.
Left photo: The throat appears dark brown or black
Right: Same bird, same time of day. The bird just turned towards me and the sun. The throat now appears a bright fiery orange.

– FEMALE –
HEAD: greenish gold
CHEST: white
THROAT: white, can have flecks of green and a central red spot
BELLY: white
BACK: greenish gold
FLANKS: rufous
TAIL: rufous with black patches and white tips
BILL: slender and straight
EYE: black

HABITAT

The Rufous Hummingbird is often found at the edges or open areas of coniferous forests.

They migrate from Mexico to Alaska. Amazing!

We typically see them from April to August. I actually have no idea if the ones I see around our house are the same ones all season, or if I see multiple as they are passing by.

FEEDING

These feisty hummingbirds feed on nectar and insects.

I often see them visiting the wild honeysuckle and penstemon plants.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Hummingbirds
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Selasphorus rufus

PHOTO GALLERY

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A flock of Evening Grosbeak’s showed up last week, which is why I chose them to highlight this month. The bold color of the males are pretty awesome.

IDENTIFICATION

– MALE –
HEAD: brown
CROWN: black
EYEBROWS: yellow
WINGS: black with large white patch
TAIL: black
BILL: large, conical, yellow-green
EYE: black

The female is not as boldly marked as the male. Her body is grayish with a yellow neck and white throat. Wings and tail are black with some white spots.

MALE:

White patches on wings:

Bright yellow eyebrows:

FEMALE:

HABITAT

Evening Grosbeaks make their homes in the conifer forests of North America. Breeding is in forests at higher elevations.

FEEDING

Evening Grosbeaks eat seeds, berries, and buds of trees. This explains why I see them hanging out at our bird feeders, as well as in our flowering cherry tree.

They’re kind of messy eaters. I have watched Golden-crowned Sparrows happily eat the leftovers the Grosbeaks were dropping at the feeder.

I have also seen Evening Grosbeaks foraging on the ground, most likely searching for insect larvae.

I love seeing birds visit my pond.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Finches
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Coccothraustes vespertinus

When the Evening Grosbeaks visit us they are typically in decent sized flocks of 20 or more. They also seem to hang out with other finches.

I often see them with a Black-headed Grosbeak.

Also, American Goldfinches tend to enjoy their company.

I have also seen Evening Grosbeaks with Purple Finches.

PHOTO GALLERY

Happy Birding!

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Nature has a beautiful way of letting me know spring has arrived. The trilliums are the first to bloom and the Violet-green Swallows are the first migrating birds to arrive.

They usually show up with about 30 of their friends and spend their days darting around catching insects.

IDENTIFICATION

TOP OF HEAD: dark green, colored slightly with bronze
CHEEKS: Males are white. Females and juveniles have a grayish bronze tint to their cheeks.
THROAT: white
BELLY: white
WINGS: mix of dark grays, blues and greens
TAIL: short, mix of dark grays, blues and greens
BACK: dark green, colored slightly with bronze
RUMP: violet, with white saddlebags
BILL: tiny, dark
EYE: black

MALE:

FEMALE:

Back & Underside:

Notice the short tail and white saddlebags:

HABITAT

The Violet-green Swallow is a western North American bird, preferring woodland areas. They tend to show up around our house late March and stay until mid summer. When they are not here, they are in the Southern United States and Mexico.

Each year they make nests in bird houses we have placed in our Bird Village. I have also seen them in a tall tree snag not far from the Bird Village.

FEEDING

Violet-green Swallows spend much of their time swooping through the sky catching insects.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Swallows
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tachycineta thalassina

Primarily we have Violet-green Swallows visit us. But, usually there is a Tree Swallow or two with them.

BEHAVIOR

I am not sure if they are by nature a feisty bird, but I often notice quarrels among them.

They don’t tend to play nice with the Western Bluebirds that also want to make a temporary home in one of our bird houses.

PHOTO GALLERY

Happy Birding!

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The bird I picked for March is the Gray Jay. They have a bit of a nasty reputation for being food thieves, but I like them anyway.

I’m not going to lie, the majority of the reason I like them is because they aren’t too frightened of me. I can get close-ish for photos. They don’t pay much attention to me and continue with whatever they were doing.

IDENTIFICATION

HEAD: black/dark gray, white/light gray in front
THROAT: white/light gray
BELLY: white/light gray
WINGS: dark gray
TAIL: long, dark gray
BACK: dark gray
BILL: short, dark
EYE: black

HABITAT

CONIFEROUS FORESTS: Gray Jays can be found from Alaska through most of Canada, down the mountainous areas of the western US, as well as the NE section of the US.

MIGRATION: Gray Jays don’t migrate much. Sometimes they will move to lower elevations during the winter, which may or may not explain why I only see these birds at our house during the winter months.

FEEDING

Gray Jays are omnivores, eating a wide variety of food including insects, berries, small rodents and tree cones. I usually see them at suet blocks I have set out.

They are great at food storage. They use their sticky saliva to meld food together in little blobs. Then, they stick the blob on tree branches for later.

Gray Jays also like to hang out where humans hang out, like campsites, and steal food. This has earned them the nickname camp robber.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

FAMILY: Crows & Jays
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Perisoreus canadensis

I often spot Gray Jays with a few friends. They typically hang out in a group of about 5 or 6.

I also see them with the Steller’s Jays that live near us. I’m not sure if they choose to hang out near the Steller’s Jays because they are friendly with each other. Or, more likely, if it’s because they’re both after the goods I set out.

PHOTO GALLERY

Happy Birding!

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