Fidalgo Island Crossings

House Finch males ( Capodacus mexicanus ), usually colored in rosy hues, also come in a yellow variant.  I managed to catch one today at the BirdCam station.  This looks like a young, first fall male just starting to get his colors. The other day, I posted a " First Sighting " of a Black-capped Chickadee ( Poecile atricapillus ).  Since then I have managed to catch some slightly better photos: These are fast little birds and always on the move.  Together with the low light conditions provided by fall weather, getting a crisp shot seems to be a challenge.  In the second picture, the Chickadee is joined by a Dark-eyed Junco ( Junco hyemalis ): Finally, notice the Japanese Maple ( Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki') in the photos.  The sun came out late this afternoon to add a little sparkle.  Another Junco enjoys a snack:

On Skagit Bay, the sky reaches down to touch the island treetops.  No drama, no spectacle, no bright colors in this week's photo, just some Northwest moodiness.  Add a fireplace, a good book and a dog at your feet to complete the picture.

Late October is definitely Maple Time.  In the Pacific Northwest garden, maples are highly favored trees.  They are particularly effective growing in the understory of Douglas Firs, where they will add splashes of color in the fall.  Often overlooked, the humble, native Vine Maple ( Acer circinatum ) can produce stunning fall colors: Vine Maples tend to be shrub-like, especially if grown in a more shady location.  A similar species, larger, more tree-like and with bigger leaves is the Full Moon Maple ( Acer japonicum 'Vitifolium'): Of course, Maple cultivation has been raised to an art form in the Japanese Maple ( Acer palmatum ).  I have three varieties, Katsura , Sango Kaku , and Osakazuki: As always, the photos here are unretouched.  Sunset describes Osakazuki as "the Japanese Maple with the best fall color."  Even when the leaves have dropped to the ground, the beauty continues:

Of the Finches, the charming  House Finch ( Carpodacus mexicanus ) is the most commonly seen in my yard.  In fact, it is among the most frequently seen of all birds year around.  Only the males display the rosy-pink colors.   A brown cap distinguishes them from Purple and Cassin's Finches.  The females are dressed in brown tones and are more striped: The flowering plant currently seen in the BirdCam photos is Sedum   'Autumn Joy.'  The plants are dying back now, but the seed heads will stand all winter and provide food for birds.  It tolerates poor soil and drought, perfect for my yard.

I realize this is not a good quality photo, but it is an important one, nevertheless.  There is some work involved with BirdCam photos.  The first chore is to delete the bad ones, the blanks, blurs and butt-shots.  You can do this quickly with a photo viewer.  Next, I sort them into species folders.  I was skimming through today's shots deleting the bad ones when, waaaaaait just a moment!  This is not the ubiquitous Chestnut-backed Chickadee.  This is a Black-capped Chickadee ( Poecile atricapillus ).  He's even giving us some unique Chickadee style at the feeder.  In 22 years, I have never seen one in my yard.  I didn't actually see it with my eyes, and the photo is not perfect, but I assume this will count as a sighting.  I am going to count it anyway.  I did not expect to capture something totally new with the BirdCam.  What a great surprise.  Now I can anticipate getting a better shot.

A portal opens in the fog to reveal a midwinter sunrise over Skagit Bay.  The scene evokes a passageway through time from science fiction fare.  In fact, the camera really is a time machine that allows us to view scenes from the past.

One of my favorite birds is the Dark-eyed Junco ( Junco hyemalis ).  It is a member of the Emberezid family along with Sparrows, Towhees and Buntings.  Like the Swallows to Capistrano , they return to South Fidalgo Island every fall.  They are gentle, polite and unassuming little souls, not flashy or brightly colored.  Instead, they are tastefully attired in shades of black, charcoal, rust, beige and gray.  Nevertheless, take a Junco and add a bit of holly and you have a perfect Christmas card image.  I don’t know where they go in the summer, perhaps further north or more inland to deeper forests.  They are ground nesters, so they probably seek territories free of raccoons and other predators.  Based on their numbers, this strategy appears to be working.  This is the "Oregon" race where the female's colors are a bit paler: There are also "pink-sided" races with gray heads which are not supposed to be here, but guess what: