On Monday of the Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I braved the craziness of the Packwood Flea Market (didn't see anyone selling fleas, though) to go birding and wild flowering at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area. Both were quite good. I managed to catch pictures of both Lewis' woodpeckers with salmonfly adults and also a male Northern tanager. In both cases, the birds knocked the bugs around quite a bit, possibly to knock the wings off, before eating a nice meal.
Lewis' woodpecker (lifer) with two salmonflies.
Lewis' woodpeckers act more like large flycatchers than typical wood-pounding woodpeckers. Several of the birds were perched on bare branches or trunks hawking passing insects.
We also encountered the real deal - an Eastern kingbird, a large flycatcher.
And several Western wood pewees, a small flycatcher.
We also encountered several pairs of Northern tanagers gleaning insects from the oaks along the Tieton River. One male did successfully catch a salmonfly and proceeded to batter it before eating it.
With a full belly, it was very happy to pose for several nice pictures.
Salmonflies, feeding trout and birds.
Steve
Lewis' woodpecker (lifer) with two salmonflies.
Lewis' woodpeckers act more like large flycatchers than typical wood-pounding woodpeckers. Several of the birds were perched on bare branches or trunks hawking passing insects.
We also encountered the real deal - an Eastern kingbird, a large flycatcher.
And several Western wood pewees, a small flycatcher.
We also encountered several pairs of Northern tanagers gleaning insects from the oaks along the Tieton River. One male did successfully catch a salmonfly and proceeded to batter it before eating it.
With a full belly, it was very happy to pose for several nice pictures.
Salmonflies, feeding trout and birds.
Steve
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