To describe my lifelong fascination with flight and with creatures that fly I like to echo the words of John James Audubon who in 1839 wrote of himself as "...one who never can cease to admire and to study with zeal and the most heartfelt reverence, the wonderful productions of an Almighty Creator."
You know my birding opportunities must be extremely limited when I resort to playing with photos of European Starlings that found my unprotected suet feeder. But I'll use the excuse that it's at least a chance to get a close-up look at this one's iridescent feathers, and also a chance to practice something new with photoshop. I really do think I'm overdue for an expedition outside my backyard. :-(
Watching tonight's total lunar eclipse, as watching birds and other natural wonders often does, provoked thoughts and speculations about the universe and our place in it. A major event happened, and we had nothing to do with it, but at least we got to watch it. Thomas Hardy, watching almost a century ago, expressed some thoughts that seem to fit our time, also.
AT A LUNAR ECLIPSE
Yellow-rumped Warblers in winter plumage are being reported by many birders who are offering suet at their feeders. It seemed that two or three were in my yard all day today. Some of them are fairly easy to identify as either the "Audubon's" or "Myrtle" form, but this one has me puzzled. According to the Nat'l Geographic guide, the lack of a whitish line over the eye makes it an Audubon. According to Sibley, the prominent streaks on the breast make it a Myrtle. Maybe it's half-and-half.
This one seems to have more of an eyeline, and the wite of the throat extends farther back on the side of the neck, so that indicates that it is likely a Myrtle.
Today the BirdCam captured an eye-level view of the Varied Thrush that has decided that my yard is his yard. It's ok with me, but since the weather has turned very spring-like, and the daffodils are about to bloom, I don't expect him to stay much longer. As soon as the snow melts in the high hills, he will be off to reclaim his territory in the quiet, cool, green spaces under the tall firs.
Looking back at my photos from the weekend at Yaquina Bay in Newport, I find this one of a female Surf Scoter especially interesting. I had never been close enough to a female to see so clearly the white patch on the back of the head. That patch on a male, of course, is easily visible from half a mile away.
Also, yesterday, while hunkered down out of the wind on the jetty at Newport, I entertained myself by trying to photograph birds in flight, such as this Red-throated Loon as it headed for the open ocean.
On the north jetty at Yaquina Bay today a few Surfbirds and Black Turnstones were dodging waves to search for food among the barnacles on the boulders.
I found another excuse to get out to the coast today, and could have been satisfied just to watch the huge waves crashing against the cliffs. But as usual, there were plenty of birds about to serve as "icing on the cake." At Depoe Bay 18 Black Oystercatchers were high and dry, snoozing and preening during the high tide. One of them must have been getting hungry; it repeatedly went back to probing in a small rainwater pool, but never appeared to find anything to eat. These birds were silent as I was watching them, but a good recording of the Black Oystercatcher's distinctive voice can be heard at http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=148.
Precious little time for birding these days, but fortunately I sometimes manage to snap a photo here and there that I can go back to, and play around with, on cold rainy evenings. This flock of Sanderling touched down for half a minute on the beach where I was walking with my kids back in mid-January. Sanderling seem to be always on the move. Maybe that's because the edge of the ocean, where they find their food, is also always in motion.
