Did you know that birdwatching is now the fastest growing sport in the nation?  The system of trails at Blackbird island in Leavenworth, bordering the Wenatchee River, makes an excellent place to view all kinds of wildlife, including the feathered variety.  We spoke to local birder Ken Hemberry and he shared wtih us information about local birds and photos that were taken recently at Blackbird Island.

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Black capped chickadee (poecile atricapilla)-These small birds cruise around in the underbrush and their call goes “chickadee-dee-dee”.  You can also hear phoebe’s down at blackbird as well and they their call sounds like “phoe-be, phoe-be”

Did you know that birdwatching is now the fastest growing sport in the nation?  The system of trails at Blackbird island in Leavenworth, bordering the Wenatchee River, makes an excellent place to view all kinds of wildlife, including the feathered variety.  We spoke to local birder Ken Hemberry and he shared wtih us information abouut local birds and photos that were taken recently at Blackbird Island.

birds_1_of_2

Black capped chickadee (poecile atricapilla)-These small birds cruise around in the underbrush and their call goes “chickadee-dee-dee”.  You can also hear phoebe’s down at blackbird as well and they their call sounds like “phoe-be, phoe-be”

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Red breasted nuthatch (sitta canadensis)-This particular nuthatch spent a few minutes pulling off the outer bark on the branch it was sitting on, as can be seen in the top photo.  I ended up taking about a dozen photos of the bird pulling the bark off and in the end, the only piece it took back to the nest was just a small piece of the inner cambiam layer.  You can see the small piece of bark it decided to keep in the second photograph.

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Spotted towhe (pipilo maculatus)-Spotted Towhes can also be seen in the underbrush and are fairly common.  They are often seen in areas near water.

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Wood duck (aix sponsa)-Wood ducks are not very common in Leavenworth but can be seen along wooded ponds.  They are cavity nesters, which is unusual for a duck.  There are nesting boxes down at Blackbird near the second bridge where wood ducks are able to nest.

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