New Birds

I finally got the spotted towhee in my garden today.

 

New Birds

Finally got a goose, also a pigeon. 

Need to see a kinglet and a grosbeak. 

 

Hike to Top of Hill

Thursday was a very clear day after a week of fog.

Saturday the clouds started covering the mountain. 

Friday we hiked into the forest.

We met Lowell and Ann as we were exiting towards the top of Oakwood Street.

Song Sparrow

I am hoping this song sparrow will get accustomed to me on the patio.

Eating from the bird feeder. 

Wood Ducks and Mallards

The flock of wood ducks have left, only one pair remain.

About 6 pair of mallards are still here. 

I managed to catch the wood duck pair on the log. 

New Birds Today

These were on the north side of the preserve.

Also lots of stellar jay chatter there. 

 

Wood Sculptures

Beauty in Wood. 

 

Pussy Willow Bush

Pussy willows in the foggy morning. 

Merlin Bird ID List

These are the birds that my Merlin app sound ID says I have heard in the preserve. 

Mountain chickadee is not in our range.

Whimbrel could be migrating through. 

The great egret is seen at Nisqually refuge and also on Lake Pattison.

Preserve Daffodils

The daffodils in the preserve are budding out. 

Robins

I watched this robin pull a large worm out of the ground.

Three robins in the tree by the grass next to Oakwood St.

I got a sound recording of a robin in the preserve using Merlin bird app. 

First Robin

We didn't hear it but it looked like a robin. 

In the tree above the lawn near the corral. 

 

Bird List

This Merlin Bird ID is so helpful for identifying birds. 

I also records your personal bird list with when and where you heard it. 

These are the first birds I recorded. 

Daffodils in the Preserve

This tree trunk has many daffodil sprouts.

Many daffodil sprouts all along the path.

They will be gorgeous. 

 

Pussy Willows

Today I found 6 of the stems we planted last spring. 

I don't see any life in them yet.  

Wood Ducks

I got to about 10 feet from the water's edge and they didn't skid off.

I counted 15 drakes.

Pussywillows

The native pussywillow tree is starting to bud. 

I found 4 of the ones we planted last spring in the Preserve.

Wood Ducks at the Pond

The sun was shining on these ducks and I counted 7 males and several females.

Binoculars made it easy to identify them as wood ducks.

Some were mallards. 

Mallards at Marvin Pond

Today the ice is mostly thawed and a few mallards have returned. 

Shelter for Birds

I have seen birds fly in and out of the understory of this shrub. 

 

Wildflower - Fairybell.

Disporum hookeri - Hooker's Fairybell
This picture is of the native plant that came up spontaneously at the lake garden.

"Upright. Stems with few horizontally spreading branches, the upper stems somewhat hairy. Leaves clasping, arranged parallel to the ground enabling them to catch light, slightly hairy along veins on underside; short hairs on edges point forward; sharp points at tips. Flowers 1–3 at tips of stems, consisting of greenish or creamy white hanging bells with spreading lobes, with stamens extending outward. Berry dark yellow to bright red. Grows in shaded woods, deep forests to 5000 ft. Rainwater runs down parallel-veined leaves, drips off sharply pointed tips, protecting flower."
Rarity: Common, Flowering Time: Late Spring, Life Cycle: Perennial, Height: 1--3 feet

I hope to find one in the woods too plant in my Ovation garden. 
"Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend.

A New Year of Birdwatching

This song sparrow visits me in the side patio every day.

I am really looking forward to a lot more bird watching in 2022.