[birding] another excitiing arrival

[howard bruner]

I heard my first evening grosbeaks around Garfield and 17th today on the ride to work. I have been enjoying the increase in bird song these last few weeks. Yesterday I had to stop and dig out my binoculars to confirm that I was hearing a junco in the tree tops doing a vocalization I have never heard before.  It started with fairly standard standard junco trill but ended with a sliding rasp.  It was invariable, distinct and reminded me that I have tracked down unknowns previously that were juncos doing chattery, broken phrase type songs similar to the wild stuff that can come out of a lesser goldfinch. Corvallis is brimming with pine siskins.

 

I have had a female myrtle race yellow rump lording over my birdfeeder for weeks.  She is so successful at commandering the food that seed consumption has dropped to virtually zero.  I have taken to throwing seed around the yard on the ground but she still attempts to control the entire yard and is actually quite successful.  I expected she would either wearout, leave, or shift to other behavior as hormone loads change with the season.  She is having no problem keeping energy up, controlling hormone signals and most definately she is not leaving her fiefdom. 

 

H

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