Skip navigation

Category Archives: birds

Mothers’ Day Birds Part Two

Speaking of motherhood, and fatherhood, a pair of Mountain Bluebirds has chosen one of our nest boxes to set up housekeeping. This is very exciting! Normally both Mountain and Western Bluebirds nest reasonably far away from our house so we see them only on our walks or at the bird bath. The box they’ve chosen is attached to the bottom of our deck and easily seen from inside the house and from the porch so we get to see them often. The Violet-green Swallows who have traditionally used this box are not happy.

Violet-green Swallow
female Mountain Bluebird
male Mountain Bluebirds

Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures

All this time at home gives us a chance to see more of the backyard wildlife. This past week, we’ve had visits from Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures. Clearly Spring is in the air. I think the Wild Turkeys found out that hunting season is cancelled and they are especially boastful about their presence.

Both of these species have odd characteristics starting with their heads. The turkey’s is bright blue and the vulture’s head is red. Neither species has feathers on its head. Turkeys were introduced to Washington as a game bird. They can be a pest especially if large flocks of them move into your neighborhood. Vultures are native birds. They have a very keen sense of smell and eat carrion where they find it.

Breakfast Guest

Yesterday, while eating breakfast, a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers landed on the snag in front of the house! What a delight to see these beautiful birds reasonably close. The female didn’t stick around for photos.

Can he hear bugs in the wood?

Hairy Woodpecker

Two Hairy Woodpeckers were chasing each other around the snags and feeders yesterday. I think it was a bit of a territorial dispute. Spring is in the air, after all.

I wish he’d just leave me alone
What’s that over there?
What are you looking at?

Red Crossbills in the Snow

These bright red birds are delight to see anytime but in the snow their vibrant color really pops! Crossbills are a member of the finch family – like American Goldfinches, House Finches, Pine Siskins and Pine Grosbeaks. They use their crossed beaks to break into pine cones and get the nutritious seeds. They will also come to feeders for sunflower seeds. I have read that if they have sufficient food, they can breed anytime of the year. Before the fire we observed them here year-round. Now they are just an occasional visitor to our feeders. They must miss our pine trees as much as we do.