10-11-2024, 11:56 AM
After the very busy summer and as the fall preps for winter begin to wind down, I'd like to catch up on some of the interesting birds of late summer. Despite the warm and dry weather, hummingbird visits wound down very quickly with our last bird seen on September 16. This compares with 2023 when our last hummer was seen on Sept. 23. The migration happens regardless of the abundant food resources, with many fresh feeders and a yard full of blooming flowers available.
Since mid summer we've had several visits by a Dusky Grouse hen and two nearly full grown chicks. They have fed on scattered seed and cracked corn only a few yards from the porch. For much of the time, the hen stands guard as the chicks feed.
An exciting first for our yard was a flock of 13 turkeys feeding through the meadow. We occasionally see turkeys in and around Peaceful Valley, but never on our property. The flock was captured on some of our wildlife video cams.
From late July into mid September, we enjoyed daily visits by a juvenile Green-tailed Towhee. Like some other sparrows, towhees hop and scratch the ground with both feet to find seeds and insects. We've seldom seen Green-tailed Towhees here by the river, but they have long nested among the shrubs on the south facing hillside only three hundreds yards from the cabin.
Another recent visitor to the water fountains and the scattered seed has been a Hermit Thrush. The secretive thrush is a close cousin to the American Robins and Townsend's Solitaire that also frequent the yard. Hermit Thrushes nest annually in the dense spruce-fir forest around the cabin. Similar to the Swainson's Thrush which has also nested in our yard, the Hermit is distinguished by it's rust red rump and tail. They are a late fall migrant with some remaining in late October to early November. To my ear, it's melodious song is one of the most beautiful bird songs in North America.
Hermit Thrush songs
Since mid summer we've had several visits by a Dusky Grouse hen and two nearly full grown chicks. They have fed on scattered seed and cracked corn only a few yards from the porch. For much of the time, the hen stands guard as the chicks feed.
An exciting first for our yard was a flock of 13 turkeys feeding through the meadow. We occasionally see turkeys in and around Peaceful Valley, but never on our property. The flock was captured on some of our wildlife video cams.
From late July into mid September, we enjoyed daily visits by a juvenile Green-tailed Towhee. Like some other sparrows, towhees hop and scratch the ground with both feet to find seeds and insects. We've seldom seen Green-tailed Towhees here by the river, but they have long nested among the shrubs on the south facing hillside only three hundreds yards from the cabin.
Another recent visitor to the water fountains and the scattered seed has been a Hermit Thrush. The secretive thrush is a close cousin to the American Robins and Townsend's Solitaire that also frequent the yard. Hermit Thrushes nest annually in the dense spruce-fir forest around the cabin. Similar to the Swainson's Thrush which has also nested in our yard, the Hermit is distinguished by it's rust red rump and tail. They are a late fall migrant with some remaining in late October to early November. To my ear, it's melodious song is one of the most beautiful bird songs in North America.
Hermit Thrush songs