American Robin

This photo, taken on 11 June 2020 at the Woodard Bay Preserve, is the most recent image of many American Robins that Erika and I have taken since moving to Olympia. We are not certain, but this bird appears to be carrying Thimbleberry fruit. A Thimbleberry looks like a  raspberry. Perhaps the bird is carrying the fruit to feed nearby young. Judging by the cacophony of scolding robins in the area, an owl or other predator may have been lurking nearby in the dense forest. We looked, but saw nothing.

Robins in the Pacific Northwest are darker plumaged than most of their continental relatives. As you cross the America, robins have smaller and smaller white spots at the ends of their outer tail feathers. These spots are nearly absent by the time you reach Washington. Consequently our birds are classified as a distinct subspecies.

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Although the Black-throated Gray Warbler is common across much of the American West, from southwestern British Columbia to northern Mexico, very little is known about the bird’s natural history. The species feeds on foliage insects and ants in trees and shrubs. Guzy and Lowther (2020), however, make no mention of this bird’s foraging on the ground. This female is clearly feeding on the ground beneath Erika’s garden plants on 11 June 2020.

Greater Scaup

You wouldn’t think a duck would need to bathe. Greater Scaup, like this one on 18 May 2020 in Olympia, do a lot of preening. This scaup busily preened in Budd Bay off Olympia on 18 May 2020. Greater Scaup circumpolar breeding range across Alaska, northern Canada, and northern Europe and Asia. Although these ducks (at least those on this continent) winter across North America, most are found along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts,

Anna’s Hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbirds, like this one on 28 May 2020, visit the flowers in Erika’s garden. These little birds are interesting and I have previously written about various aspects of their biology, Mostly we see females in the garden, Female Anna’s Hummingbirds are much drabber than their gaudy males. Females and males come in contact only for copulation. The females defend feeding territories, make their nests, incubate the eggs, and feed the young (Clark and Russell 2020).

Spotted Towhee

Spotted Towhees are among the most common birds in our backyard. On two days this spring we watched some interesting towhee personal maintenance behaviors. When most birds bathe in water, the bird does some splashing and is done with it. In the first photo, on 1 May 2020, the bird perched on the edge of the bird bath. Then the towhee ran through the bath, flapping its wings, and submerging itself about half way. The bird reemerged on the opposite lip of the bath, shook itself, and then ran back through the water to the bird’s first perch. This behavior was repeated several times.

The second towhee appears to be anting on 28 May 2020. Birds often allow ants to swarm over their bodies. The bird spreads its wings and tail and raises its feathers. Ornithologists are not sure why birds ant. A number of hypotheses exist. The ants often secrete formic acid, which may kill mites and other feather parasites. Perhaps formic acid soothes skin irritated by molting feathers. Another possibility is that the birds crush the ants, forcing the arthropods to release their acid, thereby making the ants edible for the birds. Other researchers suggest that anting makes birds feel great. The acid appears to stimulate the birds and may be addictive. Note that the towhee has its mouth open, almost an ecstatic posture. One author refers to formic acid as “bird catnip” (Atlas Obscura, Feinstein 2011).

Orange Honeysuckle

Erika and I found Orange Honesuckle, Lonicera ciliosam, on 15 May 2020 at the Darlin Creek Preserve south of Olympia. Since then, we found it in our backyard. This honesuckle runs along the ground and grows up trees. The plant can rearch lengths of almost 19 ft. The flowers attract hummingbirds and other wildlife and are of special importance to bumble bees. The genus is named for Adam Lonicer, a German botanist and physician (1528 - 1586). The plant grwos in open woods and thickets from soutern British Columbia to northern California, east to central Rocky Mountain states. Orange Honeysuckles are also commercially available (LBJ Wildflower Center),.

Osprey

Ospreys returned to their nest in the Port of Olympia lumber yard. The nest sits on top of a tall security floodlight pole. Erika and I took this image on 22 May 2020, although my first sighting was made on 2 April and others reported seeing them even earlier. Ospreys are slick birds, specialized for catching fish. Ospreys are found around the world and enjoy amazing feats of migration—often over 3000 miles. Many North American birds winter well into central Brazil.

Ospreys are in their own family, Pandionidae, but clearly closely related to eagles and hawks, Accipitridae. A few ornithologists argue that the two families should be merged. Molecular scientists have also argued for the past deeade about how treat the world’s Ospreys. The data suggest Ospreys represent at least two, and perhaps up to four species, one species each from the New World, Indo-Australasia, Europe and Africa, and Asia. At this time, however, only one species with four subspecies are officially recognized (Bierregaard et al. 2929).

MacGillivray’s Warbler

This spring I banded only one MacGillivray’s Warbler—on 6 May 2020. This species is common but hard to see in its montane, riparian breeding habitat. Isolated populations breed across western North America and winter along of Pacific Coast of Mexico and Central America. This male seems to be a strikingly plumaged bird—indeed, coastal MacGillivray’s Warblers are brighter than birds from areas further east. These far western birds are recognized as a distinct subspecies.

May Lily

May Lily (aka False Lily-of-the-valley), Maianthemum dilatatum, is another spring lily we discovered on 20 May 2020 at the McLane Creek Nature Trail. Growing from mats of rhizomes, they form small patches. According to the LBJ Wildflower Center, gardeners should be cautious. This plant is extremely aggressive and can escape the garden. It will grow in nutrient poor soil. This species is found from Alaska along the West Coast to California and Idaho.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Chestnut-backed Chickadees are among the most frequent visitors to our backyard feeder. Other common birds include Black-capped Chicadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches. During the winter, all of these species often feed in mixed species flocks. Although Chestnut-backed Chickadees enjoy a varied diet and appear at the feeders all year, they specialize on insects that live at the tops of conifers. We took this image on 24 May 2020.