Dark-Eyed Junco, Oregon Form

Usually we get these little guys much earlier, but they missed us till this weekend. He's going to be lonely, so I don't expect him to stay long.

One of those difficult thrushes

One of my reference books says that the Swainson's Thrush wears spectacles and the Hermit Thrush doesn't, so going with that and the lack of a rusty-coloured back, I will suggest this is a Swainson's.

Sunday on Luck Lake

We took an hour and a half to drive across the dyke on Sunday, May 16. There was the usual assortment of ducks that refused to stay to be observed, along with a lot of small sandpipers. Ray decided they were white-rumped, and he may be right. I'm not sure I have ever successfully identified a small sandpiper. There are too many choices and the differences seem so subtle. I had no trouble identifying these little guys, however. One of my favourite spring migration birds, a dozen or so American Golden Plovers were hugging the shoreline, almost out of sight below the dyke. Ray took this photo because he was sitting on the right side of the car. Other birds on the lake included a lot of avocets and marbled godwits, plus some gulls, Wilson's Phalaropes, coots, and Eared Grebes. There was a pair of Horned Grebes on the slough at the south end.

The View from my Window

After feeding little but house sparrows for too many months, it is wonderful to be blessed with flashes of yellow again.

A Brand New Bird? Or a bad photo of a Horned Grebe?

We saw these birds on the slough near Luck Lake this afternoon. They appeared to be ducks, but they don't have duck bills. Deep study of four bird guides says nothing looks like this. The closest we got is the Horned Grebe on a short neck day.