Western Serviceberry

Western Serviceberry

Is in bloom, finally.

Amelanchier alnifolia
western serviceberry,
Pacific serviceberry, saskatoon serviceberry, saskatoon-berry, saskatoon

Description: This multi-stemmed, deciduous native usually grows 10-12 feet tall, and has smooth, dark gray to reddish bark. Leaves are alternate, thin, oval, 1-2 inches long, and mostly smooth-edged on the lower half of the leaf, becoming regularly toothed on the outer half, with veins running out to the teeth. Flowers are white with five long, thin petals, and form showy, erect or droopy clusters. Fruits are small (½ inch in diameter) and initially dull-red, becoming dark purple when ripe, and look somewhat like small blueberries. Difficult to identify in winter, but look for slender, curved, alternate buds and a larger terminal bud. Two of the varieties found in Western Washington are var. humptulipensis and var. semiintegrifolia.

Habitat: In moist to dry areas, on well-drained soils; often in open conifer forests. Full sun to partial shade. Common throughout the Northwest, frequently in thickets. Very drought-tolerant.

Advantages/Disadvantages: Though largely unnoticed except when in bloom, its showy flowers and delicious fruit make it a good ornamental plant for open, wooded sites, or woodland edges. Can form soil- holding thickets via rooting branch tips. Provides good wildlife cover. Foliage and new twigs are prized by deer and elk. Fruits are eaten by many birds and mammals. In some areas, it is susceptible to a disfiguring leaf rust disease.

Propagation: Can be grown from seed or salvaged seedlings. Collect fruit when ripe (in late summer) and separate seeds from pulp. Seed not sown in the fall should not be allowed to dry out, and needs to be cold-stratified for 3-6 months to break seed dormancy. Seedlings under three feet tall can be salvaged. Plants in your yard can be layered to produce new plants.

Suitable Growing Environment: sun and well-drained soils (understory)

Eagle Gaurd

As I was driving, spotted an Eagle circling at the military entrance North of Roy, WA.

Tangled

Watched a bird yesterday free himself from a string or wire entanglement. He would flap his wings while upside down and then right himself. I don’t know how long he was tangled under the hollowed lightpole nest. Its mate was busy feeding and flying in and out of the nest.

Spotted Towhee

This spotted towhee looks almost like a robin, but its tail is longer and uplifted and his wings are spotted white and black.

Hawk or Falcon

Flying East to West a hawk soared by yesterday, but he was too far away to get good detail. His head was tucked under, his tail was not very long and he was brown overall. He was a medium sized hawk or falcon not smallish, but not one of the largest either.

Bald Eagle

Heard a bunch of ducks or geese squawking loudly mixed in with the sound of crows. Went to investigate further and saw what the fuss was about. A Bald Eagle was circling amongst them. Really beautiful sight. Was the Eagle playing or was he looking for a snack? The Eagle flew off after circling several times and a crow followed him Southeast.

Eureka! I’ve found it!

Finally! I have found life!

You must understand, I have been waiting and waiting very patiently since November of 2008.

I collected acorns last fall in Pierce County and read enough internet material about planting acorns to write my own book. Out of twenty soaked acorns, nine were fine enough for planting. I planted seven around the yard and I took two and put them in planters. I mapped the yard where the acorns were planted, but I should’ve gone the extra mile to flag them in some way. I’ve been searching this yard over and over for several weeks. Today, my search paid off!

I have a two and 1/2 inch seedling complete with leaves! I cleared the way and stuck a 4″ pipe around it to keep the rabbits and critters away. I will be very upset if something thinks its lunch.

Chickadees

I have seen a few of these at my bird feeder, however, the majority of these birds have a black head and lack the white face markings. I have seen a few with white around his head, but the majority that frequent have solid black heads.

A shock of color

The only shock of color on my Bohemian Waxwing was on his wing. I say “shock” because I was able to view him from behind as he landed back into the rose bramble where I first spotted him. His head was a rusty red with a black mask and did not have a spot of white around his eye area at all. I was shocked at the contrast of color his wings provided upon recoiling his feathers after landing. The contrast was remarkable against his grey body and slightly orange under tail. His slightly orange breast sides matched his undertail color and was not that remarkable in a color comparison to his wing flash. I would have noticed immediately if his rump was white, but it was not. The majority of color contrast provided, remained on his wings.

Washington Ornitholgical Society - Field Note - Bohemian Waxwing

Here are the field marks that I used for identification:

Crown: The crown was rusty red slightly dark orange with protrustion of feather at the head. No white markings.
Head: rusty red dark orange small black no white markings
Breast sides: orange/red at right and left, middle grey
Wing tips: tri-color red white and black at wing tips the remainder grey

I believe he was eating a Indian plum berry, and he had flown down from rose bramble (I was within 10 feet and less) to just below me on the ground where there is an Oregon grape. The Oregon Grape fruit is dried yellow/brown. I thought he had an Oregon grape berry, but after seeing the Oregon Grape fruit I know he had a fresh green Indian Plum berry. The Oregon Grapes are all brown/yellow. He landed in three spots. He was spotted at first in the upper wild rose bramble and he flew to a very small Oregon Grape at the base of a stump on the ground. He then flew to a higher branch of an Indian Plum where he flew off where he came from behind the rose bramble to the North East.

I was crouched into the shady side of the rose bramble as it was 9:30AM- 10:30AM in the morning and the sun was behind the bramble creating shade. The Oregon Grape was in full sunlight and the Indian Plum was partly shaded and the bird was in good sight for the entire time.

The duration of the observation: 1 minute and 1/2 or less.

Distance: 10 feet at the most and less as close as under 5 feet. (I don’t think he saw me until he landed in the Indian Plum, the farthest from me 10feet.)

Optics: None. I was using my 20/20 vision

Photo: No photograph

Experience: Have not identified this bird previously, but have seen this bird at this location at least once before last year not knowing his species type.

Mostly why this bird was NOT a CEDAR WAXWING.

This was a singular sighting ie. he/she was traveling alone and not with an apparent group.
It is said that Cedar Waxwing’s travel in large groups.
The bird had no white marks on his head.
The bird was mostly grey overall, except for his breast sides ( slightly orange) , head (dark red) and wing tips (very bright red, white and black) .

I regret that did not record the weather yesterday morning with this sighting, but at the time it was a typical sunny, although chilly, breezy Yelm Mother’s Day!

Two birds in two days

Saw four medium sized birds with smooth black heads, long neck, long tan/gold and black spotted wings, with a spot of purple/green iridescent feathers under its wings to the left and right of its black breast. Orange/yellow beak and legs. Most listers identified this bird as a European Starling, but the images found did not do the bird justice! One indicated a Brewers, which its form and profile fit, however, the colorings of the bird given on the Seattle Audobon site also did not justify this bird. European Starlings are considered a nuisance bird, but these four were quite well mannered…and very pretty. These photos indicated a spotted breast. My birds did not have spotted breasts - only long spots of tan/gold and black on wings.

Stellar’s Jay appeared again this morning on my feeder. Most photographs I’ve seen do not capture the very front view of Stellar’s Jay and miss the two vertical hash marks above the Jay’s beak.

Also spotted a red, nearly cardinal type bird with white tail spots on grey/black. Had a red breast and white at head/neck.

These two birds make 11 bird species seen.