Like this:

I decided to wake early Tuesday morning and head to Delta’s Cougar Canyon.  A friend had hiked through there recently and was fortunate enough to see a pair of Barred Owls perched on a low branch near the creek.  I was hoping to see them as well.  I hiked down to the creek around 6:15AM and they were nowhere to be found.  I sat and listened for several minutes before proceeding deeper into the forest.

I hadn’t hiked far when I saw a tiny fluttering in the flowers out of the corner of my eye. I stopped and studied for a moment; it was a beautiful Hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower.  I’m unsure as to whether it was an Anna’s or a Roufus Hummingbird but at that moment, it really didn’t matter.  I was thoroughly enthralled as I watched it sip from one bloom and then another and another…before flying off.  I saw several of the smallest of birds over the course of my hike.

After a few more twists and turns down the path, I hit what felt like the mother load!  I heard a knocking in a nearby tree.  I crept up slowly and there it was — a beautiful and meaty Pileated Woodpecker, pecking at a dead tree.  The woodpecker was so engrossed in his meal that he allowed me to approach and snap quite a few close-ups, and this short video:

The treetops were teaming with sounds of Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Song Sparrows, Cedar Waxwings, various Finches, Stellar’s Jays, Northern Flickers, a variety of Flycatchers, and many others I failed to recognize.  I saw a young Downy Woodpecker knocking on another dead tree too deep in the forest to photograph.

Here are just a few of the photos from my hike:

I plan to stop by Cougar Canyon on my way to work tomorrow to see if the Barred Owls are present.  Stay tuned to see if I’m successful.

Retweet This Page

Advertisement