Red Fox & Swainson's Thrush videos

[Lisa Millbank]

This morning we left home at 4:45AM to attempt to see some Red Foxes that a friend of ours has been watching, just south of town.  We got there around 5:20 and just as we were parking the bikes, an adult fox was trotting down the road with what looked like a bunny breakfast.  I couldn't tell whether this was the mother or father, as foxes generally live in pairs, and the adults are looking pretty scrawny right now in their thin summer coats!  Also, having just emerged from dewy grass, the fur was damp and not fluffy as usual.  One of the adorable babies had come out to meet the parent.  The parent saw us and started making an alarm call ... "WAAA-oo," over and over again.  We watched a fox bounding and leaping through the fields with amazing agility.  Eventually it looked like the parents were feeling distressed by our presence, so we left. Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_raknJ7uNHk

 

We then rode to Willamette Park and finally achieved the Holy Grail, World Cup, Nobel Prize and Golden Ticket of local bird sound videos, all rolled into one...a Swainson's Thrush singing.  It may be hard to believe that it is that valuable to us, but because they are quite shy, nearly always hide in dense vegetation, have cryptic coloration and a relatively brief period of singing, to actually get a close and unobstructed video of a male singing without unwanted background noise has been exceedingly tough .  You can see it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpLnRUnoJNQ

 

Don had to go to work, and I worked in the garden.  I was amazed to see the Tree Swallow pair in the garden, whose babies have apparently fledged, mating about 18 times in a row!  Mr. Tree Swallow was quite an energetic little fellow!  I hope they do have another brood.  Mrs. Tree Swallow was sitting in the nest box after all that activity.

 

Peanut Queen and Mr. Shy, the jays, have fledglings as well.  They are keeping them well-hidden from the crows, but I hear them all the time.  I'm looking forward to meeting their brood of little gray-headed rascals.

 

Lisa

www.neighborhood-naturalist.com

 

[nancy bee]

I am looking forward to the birding trip to the garden so that I can meet these bird friends. I love the updates!
Nancy

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