Birdbrains of the Dogwood Tree - Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Birds of a Feather : The Characters

Welcome to the Open Sky Theater!  Today we are going to meet some of the characters in our story.  But let's not get ahead of ourselves...our story takes place in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in a white flowering dogwood tree in a humble backyard.  The territory is heavily disputed; the ideal branch, the shade of the leaves, the best access to the yummy goodness.  And on this stage, 10 birdbrains all trying to get the best spot.  But there is more to the story...thieves, annoying siblings, and a large, growling monster called the Machine!  It all causes drama on the Dogwood Tree.

Let's meet our cast...

Up first is our biggest star.  Frequenting the suet feeder, occasionally pounding on the metal chimney and an all around intrusive neighbor, meet Mr. Flicker, the Northern Flicker!  He has a love/hate relationship with the family who provides him with his caged in suet, dominating the feeder whenever he visits, sending our next star into a verbal frenzy.  Whenever he arrives he makes sure to keep one eye on the kitchen window where he has seen faces peering out.  Those faces always say the same thing when he arrives, "Look who's back."

Our next birdbrain is a chattering guest to the Dogwood Tree.  Usually accompanied by multiple family members, she is a small, cute, bird with a big attitude.  I'm pleased to introduce Esmerelda, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee!  Being a dainty chickadee, she prefers to not eat the same thing every visit, sometimes visiting the suet feeder, other times plucking a black sunflower seed from the other, or just gleaming insects off the tree.  Esmerelda is also not a big fan of the lawn monster.  She gets very agitated at the annoying featherless creatures pushing around the noisy Machine that gives the grass a haircut and destroys the cute daisy flowers.  She isn't too fond of the Machine.  

 

Her cousin is our next star of the Open Sky Theater.  Making the Dogwood Tree a daily routine, this birdbrain is braver, more vocal and just as cute, introducing Peanut, the Black-capped Chickadee!  Having no fear of the featherless creatures that roam the yard, bask their featherless bodies on the deck and own a furry, black four legged creature that enjoys digging up the flower garden, Peanut and his family and friends party hard at the Dogwood Tree.  Small in size, enormous in character and attitude, Peanut makes sure he always has a place at the Dogwood Tree. 

Another stellar star of the Dogwood Tree and the 4th out of the 5 characters we are going to meet in this chapter, is Stella, the Steller's Jay!  A royal crown of ebony feathers and two fierce, royal blue stripes, Stella takes center stage on the Dogwood Tree.  When she glides in and lands, the branches shake under her and all of the birds scatter to make way for the queen.  Wishing she could get her big head into the suet feeder, Stella merely surveys the scene and then glides down to the grass, picking up the leftovers.  The queen is put in her place by the 1inch by 1inch square cages protecting the goodies.  She makes sure the featherless creatures don't get away with this, giving them her trademark "evil eye" whenever she sees them.

Our final birdbrain of this chapter is a frequent visitor to the Dogwood Tree throughout the year, sun, rain, snow or ice, Pete, the Dark-eyed Junco braves all weather!  However, lacking the delicate touches of the chickadees and the finches, Pete prefers to scavenge for leftovers on the ground, occasionally fitting his almost too big body into the suet feeder.  But Pete is shy.  He seeks shelter when the pressure of social interaction becomes too much, flicking his white tail bars and chipping, as he flies to the closest shrub.  The featherless creatures are just as frightening and any time they get too near, Pete is gone.  He hides in the shadows, keeping two, dark, beady eyes on the Dogwood Tree, waiting for the coast to clear.

Stay tuned to meet the remaining 5 birdbrains of the Dogwood Tree in Chapter 2!

Birding at Brightwater

Brightwater Sewage Treatment Plant, photo from nbcnews.com

Male Gadwall

Today I led a hike for adults at Brightwater Sewage Treatment Plant off of WA State Route 9.  This site has gone through a lot of changes, having once housed multiple businesses and a baseball field, it is now home to a state of the art sewage treatment plant and environmental facility.  Wetlands were constructed as mitigation for the plant when it was built.  After 10 years, it has become a beautiful site full of nature and of course, birds.  (All of the birds listed were species we saw or heard on the hike, only!)

American Shovelers (male in front) and Green-winged Teal (male)

I am going to do my usual bird count but I'm going to break up the birds seen by habitat.  This site offers easily accessed trails so they are great for people with all sorts of mobility.  You may also see a lot of leashed dogs here, too, which can scare away the birds, so come early.  On our bird walk today we are going to start at the ponds.  There are a number of stormwater retention ponds and natural ponds throughout the site.  The pond directly in front of the environmental center (pictured above) is a fantastic place to view waterfowl.  Birds you may see in winter include:
(All waterfowl pictures were taken at Brightwater by the author!)

Male Ring-necked Duck

Mallard, American Wigeon, American Shoveler, Hooded Merganser, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, Red-winged Blackbird, Killdeer.

Pine Siskin (winter plumage/immature)

The pond below is much larger and is not fed by stormwater and has a fish population and until recently, beaver activity.  You will see some of the same ducks down here as well but you may also see the Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorant and one of my favorites, the Belted Kingfisher.

Once we cross the bridge and head into the alders and wetlands, the species of birds shifts.  There are a few ponds scattered throughout the forested loops, but for the most part, you will be seeing more passerines, finches and woodpeckers. Make sure to look up, as well, because Red-tailed Hawks frequently visit.

The alder wetlands by the bridge are a great place to see the following in winter:

Spotted Towhee (male)

Spotted Towhee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskin and American Goldfinch.  You will also see various waterfowl in the ponds.  This is a great spot to see warblers and other migrants in the spring and summer!!

The Brightwater site is so great because of the variety of habitats.  As you walk further into the forested trails, you will  notice some shrub habitat, forest habitat and open meadow habitat.  In the shrub and forested habitat be on the lookout for:

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow, Anna's Hummingbird, Red-breasted Sapsucker, American Crow, Bewick's Wren, Northern Flicker, Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Pileated Woodpecker.  

We also saw a dark-morph Red-Tailed Hawk and Bald Eagle circling.  The dark-morph is rather uncommon but it looks almost exactly like a regular red-tailed hawk but with a darker tint.

On my way out I did see a Meadow Lark in the tree!  I was so stunned.  Even though they are a year-round resident here, it is not a bird you commonly see, especially at a site like Brightwater, which is lacking the tall, open grassland this bird prefers.  It was a very unusual sighting.  However, probably not as unusual as the Red-breasted Sapsucker banging away on a metal street light just like a Northern Flicker on a metal chimney.  It was likely doing it for the same purpose, to establish a territory and to ring in the ladies.  It was rather humorous watching him peck away a melody and look around with clear hopefulness, waiting for someone to join him.

Bewick's Wren

Killdeer at Brightwater

And of course I had to throw in a picture I took of one of the resident Killdeer!  They are very entertaining to watch, running around like they own the place (they may...we should probably check the deed...)

Happy Birding!!