Most certainly not a Kestral, but a Bohemian Waxwing

This wasn’t the Kestral I thought it to be, but a Bohemian Waxwing that landed in my rose bramble! He may have been looking for left over hips. The cardinal like plume and red/white spotted wings gives him away, even though he wears a mask.

According to the Seattle Audobon, this Bohemian Waxwing has not been recorded in the West Cascades. Well, he showed up in Thurston County today, folks!

“In some years they extend farther west into the Columbia Basin (Cle Elum and Ellensburg), and can rarely be seen west of the Cascades.”

I dunno? Did I see a rare bird in the West Cascades?

My bird had an orange head with orange breast and red and white spots towards the edge of his wing tips.

Many tweeters have been so helpful in identifying the four European Starlings today.

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.