My Guy Hummers

I haven't seen a female Anna's for several weeks now.

I do have a couple of guys who are regulars.

They are incapable of sharing the feeder.

While I have three feeders, the one in the back in the kitchen window is the favorite.

If one is not at the feeder...

...then he is nearby 'guarding'. 

Chipmunks Rule on Saturday

I don't think these guys have missed a beat this winter.

Most days (and nights) have been mild since December.

So the chippies have been out and about.

I saw three of them on Thursday.

Did you notice that there are two in this photo?

I spread sunflower seeds all around so everyone has a chance to eat.

Munch munch!

It's Friday!

It's Friday and I thought I'd have a finish to share.

Instead, all I have to show is a finished scarf!

We had a long hard rain Thursday morning.  After it finished, this Sharp-shinned Hawk spread out tail feathers to speed up drying off.

I think there are over 50 Pine Siskins gathered in this tree.

Black-capped Chickadee - a real cutie.

A couple of Song Sparrows normally greet me in the morning as I set out bird food.

They are joined by a dozen or so Golden-crowned Sparrows...

...and up to nine or so Towhees.

January Bird Walk

I took a bird walk a week ago with about a dozen other folks.

We walked around Alton Baker Park for a couple of hours. The park is large enough to have several different kinds of habitat including a community garden, open fields, an oak grove, 

forest and the Willamette River.

  

We saw a nice variety of birds including: Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, 

American Wigeon, 

Hooded Merganser, 

Ring-necked Pheasant, 

Double-crested Cormorant, 

Great Blue Heron, 

Bald Eagle, 

Anna's Hummingbird,

Belted Kingfisher, 

Red-breasted Sapsucker, 

Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Western Scrub-Jay, 

American Crow, 

Black-capped Chickadee, 

Bushtit, 

Brown Creeper, 

Pacific Wren, Bewick's Wren, (heard only), Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 

American Robin, 

European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch

and Red-winged Blackbird.

I wish I had better photos to share.  Oh well, the Sapsucker one is nice as is the Robin!

Warm Wednesday Walk in January!

Look at that blue sky!  

It was crazy warm (63°F) so I had to take a walk.

The trees along the Big Creek are wearing moss rather than leaves.

The littlest of creeks is burbling along.

Licorice ferns and moss - that's an Oregon shaded forest!

More moss.

Last year's Oak galls - you can see the hole where the parasitic wasp escaped.

Cow's Parsley

Teasel

Blackberry leaves

Douglas fir cones

Fuzzy Douglas fir branches

And now the weather is turning as a storm moves in.

Time to go back inside!

Woodpecker Wrap Up

Chart - "Snowman Trilogy"

Design - "Snowman Two - Be Jolly"

Designer - Val's Stitchin' Stuff

Fabric - 28 count Flax linen

Fibers - WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 17 January 2011

Completed - 22 January 2011

Back to the stitching archives I go to share another of my favorite snow guys.

I had a pretty good week with woodpeckers.

From a distance I heard, and then found the female Pileated Woodpecker atop a snag.

She never flew in for closer inspection, darn it.

The Acorn Woodpeckers have been working away on their granary tree. 

As is often the case with projects, the female is supervising!

Five seconds before I snapped off this shot, there were three Acorn Woodpeckers lined up in a row.

I've had three Flickers around, but when it came to to share photos,

all were of males.

The mustache males for a handsome bird.

It takes confidence to pull of polka dots.

And after a couple of weeks of only seeing a female Hairy Woodpecker, this last week it has been a male active at the feeders.

I did see and hear three of these, but could not tell how many were males and how many were females.

The red on the back of the head is the clue that this is a male.

Gotta' admire how woodpeckers march around a tree upside down!