This page, currently in its infancy, will be dedicated to the interesting, unexpected, and/or beautiful birds whose paths I cross, and which strike a particular chord with me. I'm not an artist, but occasionally I try to play one, so I try to draw these birds with help from field guides, adding particular or unusual features that I note in "my" individuals.
I first noticed the owl perched on a wooden archway in the middle of our yard. Eye spots and long tail, along with small size, cinched identification. The bird
remained on archway, silent, for 10-15 minutes. A
Black-capped Chickadee made a pass nearby and scolded. Occasional Dark-eyed Juncos seemed to come within perilously close range as the owl swiveled its head back and forth, often twitching its tail sideways. The owl seemed most interested in our dense Norway Spruce tree, where our contingent of House Sparrows was hiding out. Occasionally, the owl would stretch vertically, as if preparing to strike. Eventually, it flew into our large elm tree.
Several Mountain Chickadees joined in the scolding for a while, and then left. Juncos ticked nervously from the elm and adjacent trees, while a Spotted Towhee remained silent nearby. A single Pine Siskin dropped in, chattering excitedly. Finally, the owl took off for the top of the spruce. I was unable to see the
strike; when I next saw the owl, it was back in the elm with a dead House Sparrow dangling from one foot. The owl remained in the elm for a few minutes, but did not attempt to eat. It eventually carried its meal elsewhere.
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH
Place: Chiloquin, OR
Time/Date: 2pm, 2001 December 5
No redpolls today, but as I slogged to the birch tree to ID an auditory suspect (which turned out to be a female Lesser Goldfinch), I heard a "cheew" note and turned around to see a winter male "Hepburn's" Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch in an apple tree. The bird seemed right at home as it picked seed from the deep snow under our feeder, and it stayed for about 45 minutes.
I first noticed the owl perched on a wooden archway in the middle of our yard. Eye spots and long tail, along with small size, cinched identification. The bird
remained on archway, silent, for 10-15 minutes. A
Black-capped Chickadee made a pass nearby and scolded. Occasional Dark-eyed Juncos seemed to come within perilously close range as the owl swiveled its head back and forth, often twitching its tail sideways. The owl seemed most interested in our dense Norway Spruce tree, where our contingent of House Sparrows was hiding out. Occasionally, the owl would stretch vertically, as if preparing to strike. Eventually, it flew into our large elm tree.
Several Mountain Chickadees joined in the scolding for a while, and then left. Juncos ticked nervously from the elm and adjacent trees, while a Spotted Towhee remained silent nearby. A single Pine Siskin dropped in, chattering excitedly. Finally, the owl took off for the top of the spruce. I was unable to see the
strike; when I next saw the owl, it was back in the elm with a dead House Sparrow dangling from one foot. The owl remained in the elm for a few minutes, but did not attempt to eat. It eventually carried its meal elsewhere.
I first noticed the owl perched on a wooden archway in the middle of our yard. Eye spots and long tail, along with small size, cinched identification. The bird
remained on archway, silent, for 10-15 minutes. A
Black-capped Chickadee made a pass nearby and scolded. Occasional Dark-eyed Juncos seemed to come within perilously close range as the owl swiveled its head back and forth, often twitching its tail sideways. The owl seemed most interested in our dense Norway Spruce tree, where our contingent of House Sparrows was hiding out. Occasionally, the owl would stretch vertically, as if preparing to strike. Eventually, it flew into our large elm tree.
Several Mountain Chickadees joined in the scolding for a while, and then left. Juncos ticked nervously from the elm and adjacent trees, while a Spotted Towhee remained silent nearby. A single Pine Siskin dropped in, chattering excitedly. Finally, the owl took off for the top of the spruce. I was unable to see the
strike; when I next saw the owl, it was back in the elm with a dead House Sparrow dangling from one foot. The owl remained in the elm for a few minutes, but did not attempt to eat. It eventually carried its meal elsewhere.
