Tuesday May 24th 2016
11:30-1:00 PM
Overcast
61-63 degrees Fahrenheit

I spent a lot more time here than I originally had intended today. I didn't anticipate actually enjoying following bird movements but it was surprisingly mesmerizing. After last weeks blog post, I learned its better to sit down and let the bird come to me rather than me seek out them. I decided to sit next to the log at my sit spot and stare at the Western Red Cedar across the trail. I could hear the birds singing but couldn't identify them from their calls until I noticed some movement in the brush about 4 meters from the tree. I gently walked over to see what was playing around in the bushes and was pleased to find a Bewick's Wren. I was able to identify the small bird by its sharp upright tail and seemingly white eyebrows. After observing it for 2 minutes I now know and can identify its sharp and short whistles. Then wren hopped from branch to branch and eventually took flight into the Western Red Cedar. I wasn't able to observe the bird capture or feed on anything, but I was able to notice that this one enjoyed perching on branches and flying short distances at a relatively moderate height. The constant movement made it difficult to get a decent sketch of the wren but I did my best to pay attention to it's key features.

Bewick's Wren

Being an incredibly territorial bird, the song sparrow soon appeared, pushing out the wren. I was able to identify it not only because of the markings and brown spots of the bird but also because of its "tweet chirp chip chip tweet" call. I am a beginner at bird watching so I'm not sure if this is an accurate description of the call but that was how I was able to identify it. I tried my best to follow it and by my best I mean I almost fell into the stream when he flew across the path.

Song Sparrow

The easiest birds to identify in my sit spot, or really anywhere else, was the crows. With their loud, shrill squawks, you really don't even need to see them. Even though I didn't need to see the bird to identify it as a crow, it was more than willing to fly down next to me and prevent me from listening to any other bird calls. I have come to realize that crows are the divas of the bird community. Not that I wanted to, but I was able to follow this bird the longest because he just really didn't mind my presence. I was able to observe him for about 5 minutes before I got tired of watching him hop around the ground looking for food.

Trying to get away from the crow and avoid its ridiculously loud call, I was forced to stray about 6 meters from my normal sit spot. After about 7-10 minutes I was welcomed by Pacific Slope Flycatcher. I wasn't able to identify it immediately so my sketch came in handy when I got home and had to look it up. The little guy was a greenish/grey color with brown wings. While identifying the bird I learned that the species migrates south to Mexico during the winter and can compete for territory amongst each other. Their nests are usually near or on the ground which I found interesting because most birds nests I've seen have been high up in trees. I hope to find some nests in Ravenna eventually. 

Pacific Slope Flycatcher

My favorite bird I saw today was easily the Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla). I loved the bright, vibrant colors and it's high pitch, fast speed chirping song. I wish I could have gotten closer to this bird but I had barely enough time to even sketch him out. I was able to identify it as a male because of the black cap right above the eyes and beak. Like the Pacific Slope Flycatcher, these birds migrate to Mexico during the winter.

Wilson's Warbler

Since I was previously gone for a few weeks, a lot of different shrubs in the area started to flower, making them to identify. One shrub that I was able to identify was Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus). Unfortunately, they haven't started to grow berries quite yet. They looked like they were getting close so I'm going to check the progress next week before my final project.

Thimbleberry