Willamette Valley Backyard Birds: Red-Breasted Sapsucker, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Mourning Dove, American Robin, House Finch, Downy Woodpecker, Cassin's Vireo & Oregon Junco

Hello friends - Happy Spring! I'm very glad to be back on the blog and excited to share with you some images of the birds that we have had the pleasure of watching in our backyard here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

I am still learning how to use my new (second hand) Lumix GH2 camera. With its 45-200mm telephoto lens it is by far the best camera I have ever had for photographing from a distance. For years I longed for a camera that could be used for bird photography and the GH2 came with not only the standard 14-42mm lens, but also the telephoto lens mentioned. It was within my budget and I am very happy to have it.

Already this new year has brought a surprising variety of birds to our small humble backyard garden. There have always been, and continues to be, the usual sparrows, blue jays and starlings. But so far, this year has been different. There have been a few new species. For instance, our latest visiter, this Red-Breasted Sapsucker, (a kind of Woodpecker) flew into our yard just this past weekend. It went straight to Jim's maple tree and set about vigorously eating insects and/or drinking sap. It only stayed a short while and then was gone. How lucky we were to see this!

Also surprising was this pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves. They started arriving in our garden in early March and soon were visiting 2-3 times every day. At first they were a bit shy and would only perch on our privacy fence for a short period and then leave. But over the course of a few weeks their visits became longer and they began to feed. It's so cute how they seem to enjoy each other's company. They stay in close proximity to one another and spend quite a bit of time pruning.

My bird book says their diet is almost exclusively from seeds on the ground. I suspect the reason they came to visit in the first place is because we always have seed strewn all around the yard. Also, there are lots of sparrows, juncos and towhees that come here to feed and the doves seemed comfortable joining in and eating alongside them.

It's hard to say if the two we saw were the same pair every time, but it was a very unusual (and welcomed) visit!

Then, just as I was feeling sad that the Eurasian Collared-Doves were already moving on, there was another astonishing bird watching moment. Another kind of dove arrived! This is the Mourning Dove.

The Mourning Dove is a bit smaller and more slender than the Eurasian Collared-Dove. It has a pointed tail and black spots on its wings, whereas the Collared-Dove has a blunt tail and a black collar on the nape. Like the Collared-Dove, they are also seed eaters.

Such a pretty blue color around its eye and on its beak, don't you agree?

We experienced some other new (to us) bird sightings in the later part of the winter also. For example, in the past we had sighted American Robins in the neighborhood but never had the pleasure of any of them visiting our backyard garden. But this year they did!

I think the Robins may have finally discovered our holly trees with their abundance of berries. They seemed to eat a lot of them. It was fun to watch them pick the berries off the stems and with one gulp - gone!

I discovered that Robins like to travel from place to place in a group, but while they are foraging and resting each keeps a bit of distance from the others.

Robins are also extremely adept hunters. They are remarkably good at standing perfectly still while they scout for worms and insects. And when they see one, they pounce!

Theirs was another short (maybe 2 weeks?) but oh so enjoyable visit.

Like the Red-Breasted Sapsucker, this House Finch came and went rather quickly. My bird book says they are regulars at sunflower feeders and this one is (hopefully) enjoying just that.

And lastly, here are a few images of our regular, year round visitors. First is the Downy Woodpecker. The Downy loves suet cake, although they also eat insects, fruits and seeds. It appears to forage alone, as we always have just one visiting at a time. 

This Cassin's Vireo, also called the Solitary Vireo is one of the smallest birds we've had visit our backyard. They are only about 5-1/2" in size. They also forage alone, although we often see the Vireo amongst the sparrows and juncos. Like the Downy Woodpecker, the Vireo comes for the suet cake.

And last is the Oregon Junco, another seed eater. I captured this one eating a millet seed. The Juncos arrive in the early autumn and stay through late spring. They are often seen with sparrows and towhees. 

Birdwatching has been a favorite hobby of mine for a number of years. It's a small daily pleasure to sit at our kitchen table, tea or coffee in hand, and look out onto the garden waiting for the birds to arrive, watch them eat and observe their habits. Do you have a small daily pleasure?

As always, thank you for reading.

Under The Plum Blossom Tree - A Lillypost Affiliate

Hello Friends - just wanted to let you know that Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog is now an affiliate of Lillypost. At Lillypost you can discover books your little ones will love and have them delivered to your doorstep each month. And for every Lillypost box delivered, they donate a book to a child in need with over 20,000 books donated thus far. As a parent I understand the value of reading with your kids, the importance of teaching them to read and have very fond memories of discussing books and stories with my own children.

What this association means is that you will see the official Lillypost advertising banner on the sidebar or within certain posts in this blog. If you click on the link and make a purchase I may earn a commision.

To more fully understand what affiliate links are and how they work, please visit https://paidforadvertising.com/. Also, by law I am required to have a Disclosure Policy which is now posted at the top menu bar of this blog. You will also see my disclosure policy on any blog posts I may write that promote the Lillypost brand.

Thank you for supporting Under The Plum Blossom Tree!

DIY: Drying Garden Hydrangeas for Wreath Making

Here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon the autumn season is still in full swing. The leaves on the sweet gum trees in my neighborhood are a blaze of red, orange and yellow. And the leaves that have fallen from the maple, oak and cottonwood trees have been raked up and are piled high on the curbsides waiting for the recycling truck.

Likewise, the hydrangea flowers in my garden have turned from their bright spring pastel shades to various darker autumnal tones of pink, purple, green and blue. Ahhh, yes - this is the time of year to cut and preserve these delightfully fluffy pom-pom balls of color!

Drying garden hydrangea flowers is a very easy process, but timing is everything. If cut too soon they'll wilt just like any cut flower. But if cut during the autumn season before the first frost the moisture will properly evaporate and the flower heads will last for years to come. Preserved hydrangeas provide one with an easy opportunity to enjoy having flowers in the home through the winter months, or if one chooses, throughout the year.

As mentioned, the trick is to cut the flowers in the autumn before the first frost. How you can tell if your hydrangeas are ready to be cut for preservation is to examine the log stems. The plant will begin to dry out on its own as it begins the process of going into dormancy for the winter. The stems should look dry from the ground up to just past the half way point of the flower head. The flower heads should still feel soft and fluffy, with petals fully formed and colors muted.

Cut long stems and arrange into a florist bucket or any utility-type container. Pour about an inch or two of water into the bottom of your chosen container. The idea here is to add just enough water to see the flowers through the drying process. I poured 32 ounces of water into this standard sized farm bucket.

Place your container in a cool dry area of your home for 1-3 weeks. I placed mine in my garage. Depending on the amount of moisture in the flower heads when you started the process, you should start feeling the flower heads begin to dry within a week or so. They should slowly dry without changing their basic shape or size in any significant way. Again, the idea is to slowly encourage evaporation of the moisture in the flowers. 

Do not add any more water to your container, rather, allow the water to slowly evaporate.

Once your hydrangea flowers have fully dried they are ready for wreath making. If you are interested in how to make a dried hydrangea wreath, you might like to read my very popular blog post DIY: Autumn Hydrangea Wreath.

Happy wreath making!

Faffing with Vintage Tea Treasures - Two-Toned Sudlow's Teapot

Hi friends! I'm happy to report that this Sudlow's two-toned earthenware teapot from my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures, lovingly restored to its original beauty and luster, has been safely delivered to Sophia in Pennsylvania. Sophia will be gifting it to someone special for Christmas.

Sometimes I wonder if the manufacturers of this now collectable chinaware ever thought about how far ahead in time their beautiful high quality teapots would travel.

No doubt when Robert Sudlow and Samuel Gibson formed Gibson, Sudlow & Co. in 1874, producing quality 'fancy' earthenware (especially teapots), they must have been thinking about future generations because the timeless design, skill, and distinguishing characteristics of this particular teapot are still highly desired today. 

Manufactured in the 1950s when Sudlow formed his own company between 1892 and 1965, I believe its look is based on what would have been an already long established Gibson, Sudlow & Co. standard.

Featuring a unique and interestingly rich two-toned color scheme, the glazing treatment on the upper portion of the teapot resulted in a nice 'wood-like' textural element, while the lower portion is a deep color tone. Overall, I'm sure you will agree, the teapot has a brilliant shine.

As is usual with English tea ware, there is shiny gold gilt trim on the handle, spout, upper rim in two places, and at the foot of the teapot.

Its capacity is 36 ounces which will make six 6-ounce cups of delicious tea.

Thank you for your purchase Sophia!

If you, like Sophia, are interested in high quality vintage tea ware you might enjoy having a look at my Etsy shop Vintage Tea Treasures. Like the Sudlow's teapot featured here, the shop is stocked with classic, timelesss and fun teatime china ware. And readers of Under The Plum Blossom Tree blog will receive a ten percent discount off their total purchase with the code PLUMBLOSSOM10.

Thank you for reading!

Autumn Garden and a New (Second Hand) Lumix GH2

Hello Friends - have you ever had a desire to up your photography game?

For a long while now, I have been wanting a DSLR camera. I know - what have I been waiting for? Similarly, my journey from a film camera to a digital camera was a long one. I didn't start taking digital photos until 2008 and it was James that convinced me to give it a try. Our kids were already well versed in the new medium and there I was kicking and screaming, clutching my film camera.

But once I started learning how to take photographs with an LCD screen and seeing the quality of the digital images in comparison to film, there was of course, no going back.

My first digital camera was a Lumix DMC-TZ3 with a 10x optical zoom and a macro setting. I know it doesn't sound like anything much these days but it was a great improvement for me at the time. A couple of years later I got my second Lumix model - the DMC-ZS25 which has a 20x zoom. Both the DMC-TZ3 and the DMC-ZS25 are basic pocket-style cameras with both auto and manual capabilities. I have been happy with how easy they are to use and impressed with the image quality but knew some day I would upgrade to a DSLR.

That day finally arrived about two weeks ago when James and I had an opportunity to purchase a second hand Lumix GH2 in mint condition. The GH2 originally was sold with a standard 14-42 mm lens but the seller was also including a 45-200mm lens which definitely sweetened the deal.

On the ride home that day with our newest Lumix, I was thinking about how much I am going to enjoy having a bigger sensor, a telephoto lens and improved image quality.

Once home I thought it would be fun to take my new camera out in the garden for a test run and attempt to capture the last of the autumn season.

The GH2 has a lot of bells and whistles so beforehand James and I set up the features to our liking and I put it on 'Program AE Mode' and headed out the door. I figured it was best to just start intuitively taking photos based on what I already know how to do just to see what I could accomplish without over thinking or over analyzing the process. And here are the results:

Depth of field is one of the most sought after effects for photographers and something I would like to work on with the GH2. The Program AE Mode is very responsive to a shallow depth of field which made it easy for me to focus on whatever aspect within the composition area that I wanted it to.

I think my next step is to learn how to use the Program Shift feature. Program Shift exists in Program AE Mode and I can make the background more blurred by manually decreasing the aperture value. That idea sounds appealing and I'm also interested in learning how to get the 'bokah' effect. So, we'll see!

It's been a very long time since I experimented with photography. At a very young age I had a dream that one day I might become a photographer. It's a bit embarrassing but I still have my eighth grade autobiography where I confessed this desire!

In part six, 'Ambition' I wrote:

My career is maybe someday I'd like to be a photographer. My sister and brother are photographers now. They both have real nice cameras. I'd like to get a Miranda camera with a photo lens. I've had experience with photography already. I've been to Mayfair school with my sister because she went their for 2 years. She showed me how to enlarge pictures and the steps in developing pictures. It is very interesting. The reason I would like to be a photographer is because it is a interesting hobby to have. Its fun taking pictures of anything and everything.

I have a vague memory of that time period at Mayfair College with my sister Joyce. A more vivid memory is spending a month learning photography and film developing at my brother Larry's apartment one summer a year or two after the Mayfair College experience.

Larry and his roommate Sam had set up a dark room in their spare bedroom and they loaned me a 35mm single lens reflex camera (I don't remember what brand) and free reign to take it with me wherever I went. Both Larry and Sam taught me film developing and before long I was processing on my own.

Years later I took photography classes in junior college. I used one of the Yashicamat cameras on loan from the school library. The Yashicamat is a twin-lens reflex camera and formatted for 120 film.

The first camera I ever owned was a 35mm Olympus OM-1 SLR which was gifted to me by an old boyfriend. I remember being thrilled about the built in light meter. I used the OM-1 for a long time until it was stolen in a house burglery. After that I used James' 35mm Canon Sure Shot (with auto focus!) for years. I think we went through two of those before we got our first digital camera, the Lumix DMC-TZ3, mentioned at the beginning of this post.

With the Lumix GH2 I am entering into a new phase of photography and excited about the prospects of surfing on a new wave. Now I can't wait for spring and the promise of a new season of garden photography.

As always, thank for reading!