Tryon Creek Naturalist Notes

The elusive Northern Pygmy owl with its whistling “toot” is beginning to be a well know visitor for the likes of citizen scientists, park staff and frequent patrons to Tryon Creek.  In fact, twice over the past week I’ve had incredible photos shared of this fierce little fluff ball roosted upon low hanging branches in the understory!  Consider yourself lucky to happen upon this pygmy owl inhabiting the upper canyon loops less than a mile from the nature center.  (In years past, I’ve only been fortunate enough to catch this owl in its more typical hangout, sitting atop the tallest conifer it could find.  I like to compare these tiny daytime hunters to Christmas tree toppers, resting on top of Douglas fir trees adding that perfect touch to the scene).

Photo by Daryl

Photo by Alberto Diez

Photo by Alberto Diez
*Note the eye spots on the back of the head!

Christmas tree topper

1/13 Varied thrush at feeder

1/22 Western red-backed salamander (bike trail south of Lewis and Clark Trail)

1/25 First Pacific waterleaf found

1/31 First flower of spring! Beaked hazel (side of parking lot)

2/2 Pileated woodpecker (Big Fir Trail)

2/10 Pileated woodpecker (Big Fir Trail)

2/24 Barred owls: 3 (Cedar and West Horse Loops Trails)

3/2 Green winged teal: pair (Obie’s Bridge)

3/3 Red breasted sapsucker (Red Fox Trail)

3/4 Pileated woodpecker (Equestrian parking lot)

3/4 Anna’s hummingbird (Equestrian parking lot and feeder)

3/7 Pileated woodpecker (Old Main Trail)

3/7 Indian plum in bloom (Old Main Trail)

3/8 Trillium (Maple Ridge Trail)

3/8 Salmonberry in bloom (near Red Fox Bridge)

3/8 Pileated woodpecker (Old Main Trail)

3/8 Skunk cabbage “buds” up (near Obie’s Bridge)

3/9 Skunk cabbage, salmonberry blooming (Cedar Trail near High Bridge)

3/10 Trillium on Old Main Trail

3/10 Male and Female Mallard (Red Fox Bridge)

3/12 Trillium 4″ (Big Fir Trail)

3/12 Barred owl (Cedar and Middle Creek Trails intersection)

3/15 Very busy Pileated woodpecker (Cedar and Red Fox Trail intersection)

3/13 Bald eagle (High Bridge)

3/13 Slug (Old Main Trail)

3/13 Cottonwood bud scales, fragrant (Old Main Trial)

3/13 Pileated Woodpecker (Upper Loop)

3/16 Coyote (Old Main Trail)

3/17 Barred owl (Cedar and Horse Loop Trail intersection)

3/18 Skunk cabbage blooming (by creek)

3/22 Cottonwood male catkins, spent (Old Main Trail)

3/25 Steller’s jay (Red Fox Bridge)

3/26 Purple finch, 2 barred owls, 3 great horned chicks, 2 Hutton’s vireos, 2 common ravens, sharp-shinned hawk

3/24 Hairy woodpecker and a snail (North Creek Trail)

3/29 Trillium: 573 (Center Trail)

3/31 Pileated woodpecker (Trillium Trail)

4/1 Pair of coyotes (North Horse Trailhead)

4/3 Red breasted sapsucker excavating, Cooper’s hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, pileated woodpecker, burying beetle

4/3 Coyote (North Horse Loop, Lewis and Clark Trails)

4/4 Red fox (near Rose Garden, Lewis and Clark College campus)

4/5 Western toad (North Horse Loop Trail)

4/7 Coyote (North Horse Loop)

4/10 Pygmy owl (Old Main Trail)

4/11 Barred owl (near Iron Mountain Bridge)

5/1 Male Anna’s Hummingbird

5/1 Female Rufus Hummingbird

5/2 Three fluffy Barred Owlets

5/5 American Robin chicks

5/7 First Swainson’s Thrush of the season calling

5/8 Common Raven calling

5/12 Male Wilson’s Wabler

5/12 Female Rufous  Hummingbird

5/12 Harry Woodpecker

5/14 Fledgeling Robin

5/21 Wood Duck mother with four ducklings in creek near Beaver Bridge

5/22 Band Tail Pigeons

5/23 Bald Eagle on the Cedar Trail

5/28 Olive Sided Flycatcher

6/1 Harry Woodpecker

6/1 Western Wahoo on the Middle Creek Trail

6/1 Mole on Middle Creek Trail

6/1 Swainson’s Thrush singing

6/2 Live Mole

6/2 Three Barred Owls

6/4 Inky Cap Mushrooms

6/13 Baby Bunny under Nature Center

6/18 Mole on entrance road

6/17 Brown Creeper on the High Bridge

6/22 Pair of Downy Woodpeckers on Old Main Trail

6/28 Pair of Downy Woodpeckers

7/2 Brown-tail Deer on Boones Ferry Horse Trail

7/4 Young Coyote on Iron Mountain Trail

7/6 Mole on Old Main Trail

7/7 SNAKE

7/20 Banana Slugs on Lewis and Clark Trail

7/20 Short Tailed Weasel in Nature Center

7/29 Mole near the High Bridge

7/31 Young Deer on Boones Ferry Horse Trail

8/1 Northern Goshawk pair on Red Fox Trail

8/8 Banana Slugs on Red Fox Trail

8/12 Douglas Squirrel on Center Trail

8/16 Doe and Fawn on Iron Mountain Trail

8/17 Doe and two Fawns on South Creek Trail

8/19 Doe and Fawn on Trillium Trail

Baby bird season is in full swing here at Tryon Creek! If you are patient and observant, you are likely to discover this process in one stage or another just about anywhere in the park, whether an adult bird on eggs, fluffy chicks shaking their wings and gaping their mouths to be fed, or awkward fledglings learning to find their own food and making their first stuttering attempts at song.

Our dependable trailside Barred Owls fledged three young this year, all of whom are regularly seen near their nest tree snoozing, preening, and seemingly unconcerned by all of us admiring humans. The fledglings are now fully flighted with little remaining white down, yet they are still begging from mom and dad, who will continue to look out for them for several more months.

The American Robins who nested on the back deck of the nature center managed to fledge three spotted youngins’, one of whom was recently seen on the deck railing indignantly protesting. When we snuck out to discover the reason, we found mother robin back on the same nest for round two, evidently having decided that it was time to let dad take over childcare. Thankfully there seems to be no shortage of earthworms right now, as we often see robins crossing the trails with large mouthfuls.

Clutch number two

Most any time of year it seems like Pacific Wrens are everywhere, but lately they seem to have doubled now that there are fledglings in the mix. Along the Trillium Trail I was able to watch an adult wren feed three twittering chicks. Even more exciting is a report from one of our volunteers who heard a young wren learning that sweet run-on sentence of a song. First she heard an adult- loud, clear, and long- and then the fledgling- soft, tentative, and brief- back and forth. Keep practicing, little one!

Our most often seen teenagers these days are the Hairy Woodpecker fledglings. For a couple weeks we were able to watch both parents feeding fuzzy red heads poking out of the nest hole in the snag on Maple Ridge Trail (both male and female chicks have red on their heads). To our delight, after they fledged they became even more conspicuous. Now the whole family is often seen monopolizing the suet feeder outside the front door of the nature center. We’ve even caught a few glimpses of a parent feeding its offspring suet.

Hairy Chick

This is the time of year for a reminder that many baby birds leave the nest before they can fly, and that parents will continue to care for their young wherever they happen to end up. It is a treacherous time for a helpless little fluffball, so we and the birds are especially thankful to all the responsible dog owners who respect the leash requirement.

Do you have baby bird stories of your own? Come in to the nature center and share them; we’d love to hear them!

Thanks to the frequently filled hummingbird feeder on the back deck of the nature center, many of Tryon Creek’s recent visitors have been able to get a close look at two different types of hummingbird. The two common species in the area this time of year are Anna’s and Rufous, and our daily feeder visitors include one of each. These pictures were shared by a very patient and persistent local photographer.

Rufous Hummingbird, female, blinking. She has a green head and back like an Anna’s and quite a few other hummingbirds, however those rusty orange sides identify her as a Rufous. She returned just a few weeks ago from a winter spent far south in warmer climates.

Anna’s Hummingbird, male. Though many female hummingbirds have spots of color on their chins, this fully iridescent throat and forehead can only be that of a male. The combination of green back and red throat & crown identify him as an Anna’s. He is the reason we keep our feeder thawed all winter; he sticks around all year!

Hummingbirds are flashy little beauties, but there is a lot more to them than just good looks. In fact, hummingbirds are unique members of the bird class. Here are a few facts we find fascinating.

• Hummingbirds are only found in the western hemisphere, yet there are more than 320 species.
• The smallest bird in the world is the Bee Hummingbird, native to Cuba. It is only two inches long from bill to tail, and weighs only slightly more than a bumblebee.
• Hummingbirds are the only group of birds who can not only hover, but also fly sideways, backwards, and upside down. They do this by beating their wings up to 70 times per second!
• When cold, hummingbirds can enter a state of torpor to conserve energy, their heartbeats slowing to 50 beats per minute. This may not sound slow, until you learn that an active hummer can have a pulse of 1250 heart beats per minute.
• Hummingbirds not only slurp up nectar from flowers and feeders, but they also get their protein and vitamins from small invertebrates like gnats, mosquitos, spiders, and their eggs. These are especially important to wintering Anna’s Hummingbirds, who also rely on tree sap when flowers are scarce.
• Hummingbird nests are small cups of soft materials like moss & lichen wrapped up in spider silk. This allows the nest to stretch to accommodate growing nestlings.
• Contrary to popular belief, hummingbird feeders do not require red liquid. In fact, the red coloring may be harmful. Simple white sugar is best, boiled and cooled in a 1:4 ratio of sugar:water, changed weekly to avoid bacteria and mold. If you aren’t able to create your own hummingbird haven, come visit ours!