Posted: Dec 5, 07 4:14pm

I've moved to Oregon from San Francisco. Some of the birds are the same, some are not. And some of the same species act differently. Here in Oregon the Wrentit is found in riparian habitat while in the Bay Area it's in chaparral. Here the yard chickadee is usually the Black-capped while the Chesnut-backed is less garden-tame. The Mountain Chickadees only only come to residential areas in cold weather. Like the Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Here the Mockingbird, White-taled Kite and California Towhee are "good birds," not seen on every bird walk. But Spotted Towhee and Lesser Goldfinch abound.

My biggest thrillso far: seeing my first Mountain Quail less than a mile from my home. And getting my Oreogn life list up to #169, still less than half of my California state list. of course.

Have you moved or birded in a new area recently? What was most surprising? For me: the Anna;s Hummingbirds are sticking around all winter even though most nights are below freezing. They use torpor as a weapon against the cold.

Wrentit