Rufous Hummingbird female showing her colors

Today this female Rufous Hummingbird showed up in my backyard, and immediately found herself in conflict with the male Anna's Hummingbird that has claimed the feeders as his own. But she is not backing down, and seems to be getting her share of the sugar water. A few years ago there were only Rufous hummers here, but the Anna's are now here year round, so it's a special day when a Rufous shows up, and shows off her colors as this one did this morning.

Hermit Warbler in Western Oregon

This bird was singing continuously this afternoon in the fir forest west of Willamina, Oregon. It seemed to be the only one present, although Black-throated Gray Warblers have been singing for several days in the deciduous trees nearby.

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Today this pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers did not seem at all interested in finding food, but were playing hide-and-seek on the trunk of a maple tree in the Coast Range foothills of Yamhill County, Oregon.

Eurasian Collared Dove nest

Eurasian Collared Dove numbers have increased dramatically in recent years here in Oregon, but this is the first nest I have found. This one is about 28 ft. high on a utility pole in front of my house.

Mountain Plover at Newport, Oregon

This Mountain Plover has been hanging out on the ocean beach at South Beach State Park south of Newport, Oregon, for several weeks. Yesterday I went looking for it, and found it immediately after crossing the fore dune directly west of the day use parking area. In spite of beach walkers and their dogs, this bird was not about to be frightened away, and gave me all the time I could have wished for to study and photograph it.

There were also numerous Snowy Plovers in the same area, some of them wearing colored bands. Obviously, someone is monitoring these birds, trying to improve their chances of increasing the numbers of this threatened coastal population.

Merlin in Yamhill County, Oregon

This adult Merlin was watching a stretch of ditch and road shoulder near the McMinnville Airport today. I was not able to see the front of the bird, which means I'm not sure what subspecies this might be. Perhaps there is a way to determine that from this view. (?) With that pale throat could it be a F.c. Richardsoni, a Prairie Merlin.

Pine Siskins arrive

A flock of Pine Siskins suddenly discovered my thistle seed feeder this week. In this flock only about one in 29 show the yellow wing patch. Maybe there are a lot of young birds this fall.

Brewer's Sparrow in western Oregon

This Brewer's Sparrow was discovered by Chris Adlam, another Oregon birder, singing in a clearcut in the Coast Range forest in Yamhill County, Oregon. This species is very rarely found west of the Cascade Mts., being one of the expected species in sagebrush habitat in eastern Oregon. A recording of this bird's song can be heard at:

https://youtu.be/gMhhet5icpg

Violet-green Swallow on eggs 2015

A pair of Violet-greens has again chosen to use my nest box equipped with a camera, and today for the first time I am able to see that they have at least two eggs in the nest. Probably there are more than that, since the female has been on the nest most of the time today, which would indicate that she has started incubation in earnest. They have taken their time about this, having first entered to inspect the box on April 9 (see below).

Two eggs visible today

Orange-crowned Warbler nest

This nest of an Orange-crowned Warbler is situated on the ground on a sloping bank along a forest road in Yamhill County in western Oregon. The newly hatched nestlings seem to be healthy and hungry, but I'm wondering if the one seen here is actually a young Brown-headed Cowbird. (?) The nest site is in about the center of the photo below.