Friday, October 24, 2008

Autumn

The starlings are late this year. Yesterday they were doing their synchronized flying routines. Today they are sitting in the Douglas Firs, chattering away. There are lots of over-ripe apples still on the trees ready for the pecking.

European Starling, adult, breeding plumage

The slate colored juncos have returned in great numbers, feeding on the crumbs of old duck food outside of the coop, flashing the outer white feathers of their tails as they fly away at my approach.

Dark-eyed Junco, adult male, slate-colored form

The flickers have made their winter nests under the eaves of the barns.

Northern Flicker,  adult male, yellow-shafted

Song sparrows are having a field day in the rye grass.

Song Sparrow

Goldfinches have lost their summer yellow and are perched on the dead sunflowers.

American Goldfinch, male, breeding plumage

For some reason the bluebirds are still hanging around. There were four in the spring. Now there are eight.



The Steller’s jays are harvesting the last of our filberts. One sits in the myrtle and gives me grief.

Steller's Jay, adult  Pacific form

We are fogged in today and the dew is thick. Our ducks remember that slugs are good-eating.



Soon the towhees will come out of the woods across the street and forage under the dead leaves in our yard.

Spotted Towhee adult male

And we will not see the sun for three months.

3 comments:

Memphis MOJO said...

Nice photos. Does it get depressing not to see the sun?

bastinptc said...

Does it get depressing not to see the sun?

God yes. About mid-February it shows up for about 10 days and then retreats for another two months. Much of this area is considered a temperate rain forest. On the other hand, the summers are extremely dry with nearly 0% humidity.

PAPro_SandMan said...

Meh, the sun is overrated... But then, that's probably easy to say in a city (Denver) that's sunny 70% of the time.