Songbirds on the Move
The tens of thousands of migrating shorebirds and waterfowl I saw on the coast a couple of weeks ago comprised the highlight of this years birding for me. This weeks cloud of songbirds that descended upon my yard and bird feeders here in the woods of Western Oregon made up another highlight. Can you have two highlights or are they mutually exclusive? The trees are so filled with the songs of so many birds that there is not much space left in the air for oxygen for anyone to breathe. A lung full of bird song seems as nourishing as actual oxygen.
The bird feeders are emptied so quickly of black oil sunflower seeds that I found it easier to spread a trail of seeds along the top railing of the deck. This gives an easy place all the birds large and small to land without the crowding at the hanging feeders. A 40 foot row of birds eating seeds on the railing also makes for very enjoyable bird watching.
So who has been falling out of the trees to dine? Innumerable Pine Siskins that move around in large groups, American Goldfinches, Evening Grosbeaks so brilliantly colored in black, white and yellow and Purple Finches. The resident Towees, Juncos, Nuthatches and even the larger Stellar Jays have stayed away from the feeders. They only mange to dart in occasionally to grab a seed or two when the visiting hordes fly up to the tops of the alders and birches to chatter and sing before descending back dsown again to the feeding rail. Even the Red Squirrels, much larger than than any of the birds, are intimidated by so many competitors that they are staying away from the feeders. I wonder what will be the next birding highlight of the season?
