Bird Ramblings - Sapsucker

 This is a Red-breasted Sapsucker, which is a member of the Woodpecker Family (Picidae). In our recent daily trips to the Dallas City Pyark we became quite familiar with Acorn Woodpeckers, and in fact I have recently feature then three times as you may well remember. During this time, we have been surprised to find Red-breasted Sapsuckers using some of the same trees that the Acorn Woodpeckers were using. This photo of this Red-breasted Sapsucker was taken at Dallas City Park on July 22nd. It can easily be differentiated from the Acorn Woodpeckers by the bold white wing patch.

Bird Ramblings - Bluebirds

Back on the 5th of July, Jeanette and I were doing a bird walk here at Dallas Retirement Village when we stopped to take a breather at The Pavillion. While we were resting on the couch, this male Western Bluebird made an inspection of a nearby nesting box and then stopped right in front of us! We were surprised because it has been a tough year for Western Bluebirds here at DRV. In spite of the fact that there were multiple nesting boxes available, I don't know of any that were actually successful nest sites.
 

Bird Ramblings - Woodpeckers

It's probably apparent that I have become slightly obsessed with the Acorn Woodpeckers in the Dallas City Park. But it's one of those things that the more you know, the more you discover there is to learn. It all began back in the middle of June when Jeanette and I were sitting on a bench in the park and saw an Acorn Woodpecker fly to a wooden snag along the creek. As we watched we saw one fly to a nesting cavity close by. The next week I got a photo of the male bringing a mouth full of bugs to the nest site. We know from past experience that Acorn Woodpeckers live, breed, and nest as a colony, and that they store acorns to use in the wintertime in holes bored in trees and power poles. Look closely at this photo taken on July 9th and notice the small circular hole in front of this Acorn Woodpecker, which will probably receive an acorn sometime this fall. This power pole is located next to the park on Robinhood Drive off of Allgood Street.  
 

Revisiting Darrow Bar

Yesterday Jeanette and I went for a bird walk at Darrow Bar an eBird Hotspot located along the Willamette River Greenway. We first birded here on February 24th of 2014 after moving to Salemtowne. On our revisit yesterday we made a checklist, which I was surprised to find it was our 55th checklist for this location. Here is yesterday's checklist. We took the short loop, stopping at the bench for a rest, skipping the extension to South and the extension to the North. We left determined to return again soon.

 

Bird Ramblings - Hummingbirds

 I have been getting quite a few reports on hummingbird activity here at Dallas Retirement Village recently. Here is a pair of Anna's Hummingbirds taken on the 23rd of June in the Central Courtyard of the Lodge. The male on the left and the female on the right were busy with breeding activities. He appears, based on his plumage, to be an immature male, so not sure how successful their breeding attempt will be, and July generally marks the end of nesting season. We will be keeping an eye out to see what happens,

Bird Ramblings - Woodpecker

In a follow-up of last week's feature of an Acorn Woodpecker in the Dallas City Park, Jeanette and I returned to our favorite creek-side bench on June 20th in hopes of getting a photo of the Acorn Woodpeckers coming and going at their cavity nest site. We lucked out and got this photo of the male bringing a mouthful of insects to their cavity nest. We continued to watch as both the male and the female repeatedly made quick deliveries to the nest site. 
 

Bird Ramblings - Woodpecker

This is a female Acorn Woodpecker that I photographed while Jeanette and I were birding in the Dallas City Park on June 14th. We were sitting on a bench with a perfect view of Rickreall Creek when we noticed a woodpecker fly to the top of this old snag. As we watched, she made several trips to nearby trees and then to a circular hole in another nearby snag. It was her cavity nest, and we are convinced that she was feeding some babies! I wasn't quick enough with the camera to photograph her going in and out of the nest, but believe me when I say, "We will be returning to this lovely bench again for more observations ".