On Tuesday, Feb 23,2015, I headed out into the county for some birding.  I drove south to a site that had yielded no birds the previous day, but I had found birds here before and I was optimistic that it was only a matter of being at the site at the correct time and on the correct day.  My persistence payed off… I discovered a large number of birds, and on making my third round of a rather small circuit I discovered a puddle by the side of the road with adjacent bushes and a forest beyond.  I had overlooked the water on the previous circuits because I had been looking out the car window at eye level or above, and not down on the side of the road.  I knew when I found the water I was on to something and so sat in my car and waited for the birds to come to me.

n no time I had birds visiting the puddle and adjacent area.  I saw my first warbler of the year, an Orange-crowned, but it’s a year-round resident to at least some degree so this one probably wasn’t a harbinger of spring.

But let’s get to some of the photos…

This is a female Downy woodpecker, probably our most common woodpecker but sometimes difficult to photograph outside a controlled setting, i.e. , a yard with suet and hanging feeders.

Next a couple of Chestnut-backed chickadees.  There were many chickadees in this area.

There were also a lot of Dark-eyed juncos (Oregon race) in the area.  This one’s plumage is quite pale and is probably a female and/or first year bird.

And finally, as far as photos go, a Robin enjoying a dip in the puddle…