Western Wood-Pewee and new fawns

[Carma Sue Henry]

I don't have any good pictures yet, but think I've identified a Western Wood-Pewee.  We've heard a whistling buzzy song for a while and now we think we've put it together with a small olive brown bird that comes through for a drink on occasion.  My main hesitation is size; while it's larger than the Chickadees, it seems smaller than the finches, which Sibley shows as being 6"L vs 6.25"L for the WWP.  The only other candidate might be a Ruby-crowned kinglet, but it also seems larger than that and I don't see the white eye-ring - also seems shy compared to the RCK's I've met before, who seem to include humans in the creatures to be driven out of their territories.

I looked through the warblers and some of the other flycatchers, but still think the WWP is the best fit.  

Any other suggestions?

Also, the cheif doe, Boss Mom, came up a drink yesterday and brought a fawn with her.  She's had twins before so we're hoping for that.  One of Boss Mom's two-year olds is also nursing.  They only have access to one bird bath and that source of water seems very important with a good bit of competition for it.  The other bird baths are up on the porch, which is made of TREX type board and very slippery.   We put a barrier of cord wood around the edges when Boss Mom started coming up after the bird food (she has a distinct fondness for black sunflower seeds).  Yesterday one of the two-year olds and last year's male fawn (BD) had a set-to over the main water and the yearling suddenly jumped right over our wood pile barriers to get to another birdbath.  He was slipping all over but did manage to stay upright and got his water.  It was a very scary 'Bambi on the frozen lake' moment.  Fortunately he made the jump back into the yard safely.  We've now had to put lines of cord around the patio but this may only be a partial solution.

Carma Henry

Logsden Ridge

[Don Boucher]

Hi Carma and everyone else,

I think you're right that it's a Western Wood-Pewee and your "whistling buzzy song" description is spot on for their song. Pewees look more like Olive-sided Flycatchers than any of our other birds. The pewees are much, much more common than the Olive-sided and sound very different. You mentioned the Ruby-crowned Kinglet but of course there aren't any around here in the summer. The kinglet's doppelganger, the Hutton's Vireo, is around in the summer and could be confused with a pewee at a glance. The pewee is slender, has a long tail and only the slightest hint of a wing bar, while the pudgy Hutton's Vireo has a short tail, an obvious pair of white wing bars and a clear eye ring. Hutton's Vireos are uncommon while Western Wood-Pewees are numerous in lowland forests, open woods, meadow edges, parks and some suburbs.

Western Wood-Pewees are entertaining. They sport a short crest which may flattened depending on their mood. They are very perky, energetic and can be seen perched in an almost vertical posture on exposed branches, snags, or other conspicuous perches. They snap their heads around as they track flying insects through the air and make short sallies to catch them in mid air and often return to the same perch or nearby. They are mischievous and cranky sometimes. They readily chase one another around, and if there's not another pewee nearby to bother, they may target other species innocently going about their business.

-Don Boucher

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