Laura Goes Birding

Random Birds

2010-12-20T20:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in many months, partly because I haven't had what I'd call a blogworthy adventure and partly because my photos are just so abysmal. I've been reading two blogs by birders who have really big lenses and a lot of luck....it's enough to give a girl a complex! But this heron at Ridgefield NWR yesterday gave me a good show - stared and stared at the potential vole meal in the grasses then BANG! went for it. Missed....and casually walked away, on to the next spot where perhaps the voles had not yet caught on.

I like the Red-tail below because it emulates Monty Python's Flying Circus but with a hawk. Dark head, light chest, dark belly band and lighter below.

Finally, here is a nifty new bird, a Red-breasted Sapsucker, that glided into the yard, clung to the chimney and had a look around. Took off for parts unknown and, to my knowledge, has not been back. Wish it had come back for the November yard list contest! Maybe I would have had a fighting chance!

Central Oregon Part 3

2010-07-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

After a nice quiet night at the Cabin Lake campground we spent another few hours at the blinds photographing the birdlife. I had hoped a Lewis's woodpecker would show up but no such luck. Oh well, there's always next time!

By this time my camera battery had expired and I did not have a spare. My Birding Associate was kind enough to take over photography duties so the rest of these are by him.

Fort Rock was our next destination....it's right down the road from Cabin Lake. It looks like a giant volcanic fallen souffle out in the middle of an ancient lake bed.

You can hike in and all around the area. Be warned.....it's like a souffle on the outside but like a hot wok on the inside....take plenty of water and sunscreen!!

Tons of birds nest here. Thousands of nooks and crannies house everything from swallows and Rock Wrens to owls and Prairie Falcons. We encountered all of those birds plus White-throated Swifts; Fort Rock is a reliable place to see them. The owls had plenty of places to hide for the day but we found ample evidence of their existence along one side of the rock.

All the white you see is bone.

Years (or maybe just months) of dissolved pellets containing the bones of all the little mammals caught by the Great Horned Owls that raised their young here.

Stay tuned for the final destination - Summer Lake.

Laura Goes to the Rodeo

2010-07-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, no birding was done at the rodeo.

It was a fantastic show...the 75th Annual St Paul Rodeo in St Paul, Oregon. Very patriotic, very professional, and a clean comedy banter provided by the announcer and rodeo clown. Just a great time on the 4th of July!

Here are some images of bucking, roping, barrel racing, and, of course, the audience.

Central Oregon Part 2

2010-07-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

From Sisters, we headed to Bend and then south, finally heading east and arrived at Cabin Lake campground. We'd traveled a Forest Service road to get in and the huge Ponderosa pines were breathtaking. We saw several Lewis's Woodpeckers flycatching from perches and sallying about the treetops. I hadn't had much experience with either sapsuckers or Lewis's Woodpeckers but now I've been reading that both are consummate flycatchers, as witnessed at Calliope Crossing.

The campground was at the edge of the pines and we could look out onto the plains and see the transition from forest to Great Plains habitat. Lots of sage and rabbit brush out there...plenty of wildflowers, too. No water or facilities at this campground and best of all, NO OTHER PEOPLE. Lack of facilities keeps the riff raff out.....

Well, looks like two of the riff raff made it in after all......

The campground was lovely but the real draw for this place are the water features next door at the Forest Service Guard Station. The station is closed but there are two permanent blinds each overlooking a "guzzler"; a small basin filled with water from adjacent tanks. Water is scarce in these parts so birds come from all around to sip awhile. Photographers and birders also flock here and two separate photographers blinds were set up nearby. Still, only four people present....not exactly a hopping tourist attraction, fortunately for us.

I have a Canon PowerShot SD890IS, just a wee point and shoot. It's got a 20x digital zoom on it which works pretty well. Sitting quietly in the blind, with just my little camera with its little lens, even I was able to capture some pretty spectacular bird shots. I will let the birds speak for themselves.

Mourning Dove

Red Crossbills

Western Tanager male and female

Chipping Sparrow

Brewer's Sparrows

Cassin's Finch

joined by a Northern Flicker

Yellow pine Chipmunk? Where's my mammal book....

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Green-tailed Towhee

White-breasted Nuthatch

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-headed Woodpecker

And it was all capped off by a gorgeous moonrise......this was taken through my scope. Cool!

More soon!

Central Oregon, Part 1

2010-07-01T22:56:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, my Birding Associate and I took a trip over the Cascades to some wonderful birding areas in Central Oregon. Our original plan was to head to Bandon, on the southern coast, but when the high temp was forecast at 59 degrees I reconsidered. We ended up on the much warmer side of things and visited several new birding spots for us. We started in Sisters, at a well known place nicknamed Calliope Crossing. It's out of town a ways at the intersection of a couple of back roads and a nice creek. See the book, Birding Oregon by John Rakestraw for directions.

The first thing we saw when we pulled in was a woodpecker-ish bird actively flycatching from a telephone pole. We soon ID'd it as a Red-naped Sapsucker and were transfixed as it easily darted through the air filling its bill with insects.

Eventually, we wandered down through the trees along the creek. Soon we heard an incessant peeping and quickly found the nest of the busy sapsucker.

You can see the darkening of the bark where the sapsucker always lands. In the next photo, without the bird, you can see the two spots where its tail feathers rest.

Finally, we had to tear ourselves away to continue driving south. Who would want to leave this scene? We saw a number of different birds here, including the namesake, Calliope Hummingbird. Tanagers, Hairy Woodpecker, House Wren (at a nest), Common Yellowthroat, several flycatchers all made the list.

Great views of the Three Sisters along Hwy 20. More vistas were yet to come.

Bittern

2010-06-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

It didn't come out in the open for us but we did see a Bittern at Steigerwald Lake NWR today. While we were watching an active Oriole nest, I turned and saw the butt end of the bittern landing in the grasses. Eventually, it came out of the densest patch and pointed its bill skyward to match its surroundings. But when it bent its neck it became a shape that "just didn't fit" with the tall grass.

No other photos today....get out and find yourself a bittern!

Birds I Have Seen in the Past Five Months

2010-05-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

OK, yes, yes I know....no blog entry since January! I have certainly been on some bloggable adventures with my Birding Associate but never came away with many interesting photos to share. But here is a recap of some lovely, if blurry, birds I've seen here in Oregon and in the Bay Area of California over the past few months......just to let you know I'm still kicking.

Western Tanager at the bath this afternoon after the latest downpour.
Window screen not helpful for photography...must remedy that situation.

Song Sparrow loves the birdbath

I've moved to a new house with my Birding Associate and we are learning

who's who in the new neighborhood.
Feeders and baths are at the ready.
We've decided you need a minimum of six birdbaths to really accommodate the wildlife.
This is only three of them.....

Lazuli Bunting at the Sandy River Delta last weekend.

Female Western Bluebird in Berkeley in March.

Cooper's Hawk across the street from my parents' home in Berkeley. The nest was in the backyard of the neighbor's house and she had amazing photos of it.

Allen's Hummingbird at Pt Reyes National Seashore

California Quail at Pt Reyes HQ

Godwits and Gulls at Drake's Beach, Pt Reyes

Ravens at our lunch stop.

Peregrine Falcon at Pt Reyes Lighthouse. Many many gray whales were also seen but much too far off for photos. I was a whale nerd before I was a bird nerd.

Surveying the scene at Arrowhead Marsh, near the Oakland Airport

Black Phoebe
Note the wonderfully blue sky....a rare bird in Oregon in March but perfectly normal in Berkeley. Now why did I leave?

Surf Scoter

Can you find the Burrowing Owl's head?

Or the Clapper Rail in the reeds?

Happy Birding to you!

White-tailed Kites on the coast

2010-01-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

My birding associate and I traveled to the northern Oregon coast last weekend for our first getaway of the year. We repeated the trip we made last year but stayed one more day and went to a few more spots.
Our first stop was the fields around the Nehalem Sewage Treatment Ponds where we'd seen a White-tailed Kite last year. This time we were rewarded with THREE Kites! A pair sat together and preened then a third joined them and they all hovered and hunted over the fields. My photos aren't the greatest but they bring back the thrill we felt watching all three of these magnificent birds fly effortlessly around us.

Here are a few shots of Ridgefield NWR on the New Year's Day trip with Mr and Ms Nut.
Look at their photos here , here and here .

A Day in the Life of My Birdbath

2010-01-16T20:03:00.001-08:00

Last December we had a frigid spell here in Portland and I finally bought a de-icer for my birdbath. Everything was frozen solid except for my bath so I set up the BirdCam on it to see who showed up. Nice parade of customers! I started with a nice, clean bath and you can see how it ended up. Notice I did not reset the date\time.....it really was December 2009 not July!

When Bad Photos Happen To Good Birds

2009-11-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

It's been a terribly long time since I've made a blog entry......much has happened and many birds have been seen by me and my Birding Associate but photos of the birds in question weren't often captured and, frankly, I got lazy. I don't know how much I'll be blogging in the future but I really want to get back into a groove. It'll help when I finally get the external hard drive set up and ready to hold the photo library. Currently my machine cannot hold everything I want to load onto it so I must expand.

Anyways......I was scrolling through photos and I thought I'd share some not so great ones with you at least to show you that I really was out there birding! If you know the identities of my subjects please take a guess in the comments section. I won't enable comment moderation so make your guesses before clicking to the comment page and use Scout's Honor. Hee hee!

Hiding a Nest

2009-07-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

On your average walk through most natural areas around Portland a birder will see and hear probably 20-30 species of bird. Songbirds, birds of prey, waterbirds and the like. Each species has different needs for building a nest, gathering food and successfully raising chicks. Ospreys nest right out in the open....if you're top of the food chain you don't need to worry much about predation. Barn and Cliff Swallows build fairly obvious nests under bridges or rooflines and their height above ground and colonial tendencies help protect them from predators. Great Blue Herons nest in colonies above ground and away from most predators.

Anyway, you get the picture.

But of those 20-30 species you've seen on your walk most are smaller songbirds that go to great lengths to conceal their nests from predators. Building and incubating are probably the easiest time. Once chicks are hatched and hungry the parents are actively feeding and much more activity goes on around the nest. You are more likely to find a nest during the nestling phase if you keep your ears open for the frantic begging calls of the nestlings.

So here's what happened to us at the Sandy River Delta on Saturday. We'd had great looks at all kinds of songbirds and had been serenaded by Thrushes and Chats. Walked by this tree......

No big deal, right? A tree. But heard begging and noticed a lump......See it?

Got the scope on it and here they were!!

Four Cedar Waxing nestlings well concealed on the branch! Parent had just fed them and left so they were lolling about in the heat. Waited for parent to come back and shot this video:

Why are they so noisy when the parent has been so careful to conceal the nest? We take it for granted that baby birds make noise or that any baby makes noise, for that matter. Does the struggle to get the most food and leave the nest simply outweigh the possibility of being found and eaten? Anyone out there have information on that subject?

Keep your ears open and maybe you'll find some babies, too!

North Portland Canoeing and Coffee

2009-06-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

The St John's neighborhood of North Portland is somewhere I don't get to all that often. I used to take my Honda up there for service, Ms Nut used to live near-ish and I hear there's a McMenamin's Pub up there, but mostly I see it from the west side of the Willamette as I motor up Hwy 30 to Sauvie Island and pass the St John's Bridge. Boy, is that a picturesque bridge. Yesterday, my canoeing associate and I put in right underneath it and paddled south a ways. Afterwards, we rewarded ourselves with a cuppa and a cookie at the Ladybug Organic Coffeehouse on Lombard in the heart of the charming neighborhood. This isn't really a birding post....more of a photo post. Enjoy!

Ridgefield NWR Kiwa Trail

2009-05-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

My mother and stepdad visited last week and I took them up to Ridgefield to walk the Kiwa Trail. Located within the River S Auto Tour route, the trail is closed for winter and has only been open a few weeks now. What a treasure!! I'd been there just once before and am most often up there in winter. We saw over 40 species of birds including Yellow-headed Blackbird (unusual west of the Cascades), Sora, Virginia Rail, Wilson's Snipe, Blue-winged Teal, Yellow Warbler and on and on and on. I highly recommend a trip to the refuge in spring.

My favorite Oak in Spring and in Winter

Powell Butte and Bushtit nests

2009-05-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Every year we sell a boatload of packaged nesting materials at the Backyard Bird Shop and every year customers report it being taken by many species of birds. I, on the other hand, have watched many a wad of ideal material go green with algae in the spring rains never destined to line the nest of a chickadee or bushtit.
Last fall I bought a cat grooming tool called The Furminator (actually I bought the $12 version of that $50 tool) and groomed my cats. I could have built a whole new cat out of what I combed from Ruby but instead I packed it into a suet cage with some moss and hung it out for birds. Just the other day my first customer came along and pulled tuft after tuft from the cage and flew off into the trees with it. I've got to get the BirdCam on it but these came out just fine for the moment.

Busy Bushtits

Sunday, Mark and I went to Powell Butte in search of anything birdy but especially in search of Lazuli Buntings. We were rewarded with a bunting in the parking lot and several more throughout our walk. We saw this unusual Savannah Sparrow singing and defending territory against intruders. It has a white head with some yellow showing at the lores. Nifty!

In the woods that surround the open meadows of the butte we saw this wonderfully worked over snag with fresh Pileated Woodpecker work. Look how far down the tree it all goes! Surprisingly with all the woodpecker sign we saw we never heard a one.

Powell Butte (SE 162nd and Powell Blvd)is a great destination for a spring walk. On a clear day you can see many of the Cascades and the birdlife abounds. Pack a lunch and go!

Birdathon and other adventures

2009-05-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend (or maybe longer?!?) my birding associate and I went canoeing at Smith and Bybee Lakes. Lovely sunny day and we spied on these eagles.

Today was Birdathon and my team, Whittemore's What-zits, scampered around Oaks Bottom and came up with about 40 species. Hooray for us and $$ for Audubon!

Here we spied on a preening Osprey.

Excellent feet.

Picturesque Heron.....

I hope to bring you more bloggable adventures soon!!

Birdcam and Ankeny NWR

2009-04-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

Just a coupla shots from the Wingscapes BirdCam of a Townsend's Warbler and a Yellow-rumped Warbler on the suet feeder....boy, that Townsend's looks a little ragged.....

Yes, I do too have a yellow rump.

And a cute yellow bit on my head

Saturday I took my Beginning Birding 2 group to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge south of Salem. Lovely day, no rain (that's how we judge 'em here) and about 55 species of birds. BEST bird of the trip was a Long-billed Curlew, a bird rarely found in the Willamette Valley. A very nice birder clued us in to its location and we all saw it easily. A new bird for much of the group!

Lots of pishing for a Common Yellowthroat.....first of the season for me.

Then we got to the spot where a Merlin entertained the group last year......and a Peregrine was perched there instead! Nice tradeoff!

The other benefit we received from the kindness of strangers was the news that Ospreys were just down the road at the river. I'd not been down that road so we went in search and were instantly rewarded with a pair on a nest right next to the road.

Good day at the refuge! Spring migrants are slowly coming in......and maybe my trees will bloom soon, too!

Test Driving the New Equipment

2009-03-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

My new binoculars arrived last week and today I had a chance to take them out for a spin and see if my money was well spent. Michele and I went to Jackson Bottom Wetlands for a few hours and looked over the usual suspects of waterfowl and raptors. I'll be bringing my Beginning Birding 2 group here next Sunday so I needed to reacquaint myself with the terrain. Still a great place! Loads of flooded fields, wide open ponds, quiet backwaters. Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, Shovelers, Ring-necked Ducks, Pintails, Ruddy Ducks, Gadwall and a few Cinnamon Teal were all about. Also got a preview of warbler movement......we saw maybe 10-12 Yellow-rumps working the trees during our visit....they are the first to arrive so this means Black-throated Grays can't be far behind!

Now I'm back at home in front of the computer realizing that my spring teaching season is really here like RIGHT NOW and so I'd better get my act together! Next week starts Beginning Birding 2 - three field trips over the next two Sundays and one Saturday. Right after that starts Birding By Ear-Residents with an evening class then three 7am field trips. I have scrapped the previous format of "Here's 10 birds - let's learn them!" for a Residents Only and Migrants Only curriculum and moved the classes up a few weeks. The idea is to be able to concentrate on just the locals before the migrants show up. Learning birdsong is great fun but takes time and patience. Well, I guess I don't know that learning it is great fun.....but I know that teaching it is so I try to make it fun for my students. Repetition is the name of the game and I can repeat "That's a Song Sparrow" as many times as needed.
My afternoon has been spent editing song tracks to remove the introduction so I can use them in a quiz, rewriting handouts, rewriting my outline and wondering how the heck I can get it all across in such a short period of time. Well, I'll do what I can and then it's up to the birds to show up and sing for us!

Where's that Marsh Wren??

Does a bear dance in the woods?

2009-03-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Sauvie Island, Wapato State Park

2009-03-08T13:38:00.001-07:00

Great morning of birding! I was to lead a free field trip through Audubon Society of Portland at the Wapato Access Greenway Access State Park (whew!) on Sauvie Island, north of Portland. I was looking forward to it because my normal field time is spent teaching classes where I am more "on" than usual. Free field trips certainly attract beginners but I am less concerned about them seeing and learning every little thing because they haven't paid for a class. Know what I mean? You can lead a casual trip and see lots of birds and have a great morning but if money changed hands you might feel more pressure.......or maybe it's just me.

Anyway........

With the time change last night I bet some forgot to spring forward so I didn't have as good a showing as I'd expected - just two folks! This turned out to be wonderful because three birders see a whole lot more than ten since we're lots less noisy and disruptive as we move along. Fred was a pretty accomplished ear birder interested in woodland birds and Jen was a recent east coast transplant looking to get to know the western species. On the path down to the lake we heard quite a few birds tuning up for spring.....Song Sparrow, Flicker, Bewick's Wren, Black-capped Chickadee. The lake held a great variety of ducks as well as two lone Tundra Swans. Shovelers, Pintails, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Wigeon, Wood Ducks, Mallards and Buffleheads were all present.

Jen bowed out after about an hour as she was chilled to the bone and could no longer concentrate on birds. I know how that feels! It was chilly but I guess I had more layers on than she did.......she thanked me and hiked back to the parking lot. I turned to Fred, who had no hat or gloves, asked how he was holding up and he said he was game to walk all the way around the lake. Hooray! I hadn't been all the way around in so long I could barely remember.

The trip around was pleasant but much less birdy. We met two other birders who had intended to meet me for the walk but were late and went the other way. Oh well! We chatted about duck ID and then continued on our ways. Fred had been tallying species and we were closing in on 30 but still needed a few. At a dense stand of blackberries we found our last two species - Purple Finch and Fox Sparrow. Nice!

Got back to the lot just before 11am......three hours and 30 birds - 10 an hour isn't bad!

Bloggus Interruptus

2009-02-15T08:01:00.000-08:00

I was already slim in my blog posts but now I've had an unfortunate setback. My home was burglarized the other night and my digital camera, all my binoculars and scopes and my external hard drive (music and photos) are gone. It was the worst thing to discover and I would never wish that sinking feeling on anyone. But ultimately, it's only "stuff" that can be replaced. Well, most of it.....the jewelry boxes are gone and they held many memories other than jewelry. Like the little book "The Little Fur Family" that was actually covered in soft fur.
Insurance proceedings begin next week and I must assign values to all these items. Not looking forward to it but this is why I have insurance. Any advice any of you have would be much appreciated.
Thanks for your good thoughts and I'll return to having blogworthy adventures as soon as I can!

Happy Penguin!

2009-01-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

This video appeared in my inbox today and I wanted to post it for all to see! I wish I had seen something like this when I went to Antarctica!!

Weekend at the Coast

2009-01-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

Although I had the best intentions, I didn't manage to get the camera out at all this weekend! My birding associate and I drove out to the northern section of Tillamook County (home of the cheese factory!) to do some birding and have a nice time away from the city. He is tops at picking lodging that's off the beaten path and that's just what we got with the Old Wheeler Hotel.

The winter rate was great, the room was lovely (we had #7) and the antique shops on the short main street were fun to peruse. I bought quite a few goodies at Trillium, the store located on the street level of the hotel. It specialized in wonderful artsy products; jewelry, textiles, prints, ceramics and handmade baskets.

The birding was wonderful, too! As you may know, sewage treatment ponds are prime birding areas so we spent a lot of time at the Nehalem Sewage Treatment Ponds. Mark's target bird was a White-tailed Kite and the fields around the ponds are known to be a good spot to find one. We came around the curve, saw something on the right, parked the car and I looked to the left to see a Kite hovering over the field! It dove down, grabbed a rodent and took off south into the mist......we were so happy to be there at the right time!

Not my photo

Kites are like Harriers in habitat preference - open fields where they can cruise high then drop down. The next day we were lucky enough to catch the other really cool denizen of the open fields.........

We ended up with around 35 species including Rough-legged Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Bald Eagle, Horned Grebe, Common Ravens in abundance, and the usual waterfowl suspects like Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, and Ring-necked Duck. While the ponds were good, the fields to the south were crawling with birds.....crows, ravens, harriers, herons, hawks all hunting for voles and earthworms.

We continued down the coast, stopping at Barview Jetty, Three Graces Wayside, Bay City Oyster Plant, and Bay Ocean Road. Our resource for the whole trip was the book Birding Oregon by my friend and co-worker, John Rakestraw. We hemmed and hawed about Oh Where Should We Go and John spelled it all out for us. Thank you!!

After shopping and dawdling Monday morning we returned to the sewage ponds up the road. They'd been so good the day before we thought another hour spent wouldn't be bad. So true! As we watched a couple of ravens in the air I noticed a flying bird that "wasn't quite right". Sure enough it was a Short-eared Owl! It circled higher and higher until it disappeared into the clouds. I've never seen an owl fly so high - another "right place, right time" sighting.

Not my photo either

Short-eared Owls, Harriers and Kites are all found in open country with ample rodent populations. The Owl, frequently a diurnal hunter, and Harrier hunt similarly by cruising low and dropping onto prey, while the Kite stays high and hovers. It was neat seeing all three in this small area. Lots of food to be had!

It was a great time and here's my complete bird list.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii)
Brant (Branta bernicla)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
American Wigeon (Anas americana)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
Green-Winged Teal (Anas crecca)
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata)
Common Loon (Gavia immer)
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)
Black Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala)
Surfbird (Aphriza virgata)
Mew Gull (Larus canus)
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
California Gull (Larus californicus)
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)
Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)

Total number of species seen: 60

New Year's Day Birding

2009-01-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

You want to start the new year doing something that brings you joy and sets the tone for the rest of the year. How better to start 2009 than with a trip to Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, WA?!? Christmas Eve 2007 was the First Annual Winter Auto Tour with Mr and Ms Nut and I hope the tradition continues! We even ran into Seth and Michelle, of the Portland Backyard Birds blog, on their annual New Year's Day outing. Small world!

Some snow remained from our recent wild winter weather and much of the open water was still iced over.

There were all sorts of birds everywhere and we couldn't stop pointing them out!

I don't get tired of looking at and listening to swans. They sound vaguely like Sandhill Cranes. Here are my favorite shots of Tundra Swans....

A sharp pair of Hooded Mergansers stylishly cruised past.

Ms Nut always pointed us in the right direction......

Lots of Rough-legged Hawks, Herons, Harriers, and Red-tailed Hawks take advantage of the bounty of rodent life in the fields. We witnessed a Heron snare a mouse\rat\vole about the size of a guinea pig, dip it in the water then swallow it Whole and Alive. Yowza.
This is a Rough-legged Hawk in the field. It looks like a vanilla ice cream cone....good way to ID it.

A terrific start to the new year.....can't wait for more outdoor adventures!

Busy Day at the Suet Feeder

2008-12-09T22:03:00.001-08:00

It was a very productive day with the Wingscapes BirdCam aimed at my suet feeder. Many many customers came around in a short period of time. It took so many photos that my card was full by 1pm. That's just fine.....I had lots to work with. I'm offering Insect Lover's Nutty Feast, a high quality suet sold at Backyard Bird Shop.

First off, whose rump is this?? Think it over.....and the answer will be at the end (no pun intended) of this post.

One cool thing is the number of flickers I'm seeing these days. Yesterday I saw an individual showing markings of both the Red-shafted and Yellow-shafted races of the Northern Flicker; it had a red moustache AND a red arrow on the back of the head. I've heard that hybrids are quite common in the Willamette Valley in winter. Today I caught it on camera!

Do you see who's lurking in the background of this one?

And here's another individual; a female Red-shafted with the usual markings.

And here's one that looks to be a Yellow-shafted female. Neat!

Here's the rest of the crew that visited today.....

Scrub Jay

Song Sparrow

Scads of Bushtits

Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatch (look carefully)

And the answer to the Rump at the top is...........

Bewick's Wren!

Thanks for playing!

Road Trip to Western Montana

2008-12-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

Birdnerd: So I think one memorable moment of our trip to Montana was when we saw the truck with a Christmas tree and a dead deer roped to the roof. What was it you said..... "Gettin 'er done Montana style"?
Birding Associate: My most memorable moment was NOT getting our deer while driving up the Swan Valley at dusk. Fortunately, the cervids kept themselves to the side of the road and somehow resisted the urge to leap in front of our headlights.

BN: Spending Thanksgiving with Emily, Jonathan and Jacob was so much fun! Making churros Saturday morning was a good send off for the rest of our trip.

BA: Good, yes, but I'm still oozing oil, I think.

BN: Going to the carousel in Missoula the day after Thanksgiving was a blast. Do we look dizzy? Nah!

BN: I really liked the hike up to Holland Lake Falls. Lots of people, happy dogs, a few chattering pine squirrels and one Hairy Woodpecker. A really cool hike.

BA: It was a beautiful hike. I was happy to note that on the second to last day of deer season my red bandana seemed to protect us from stray gunshots!
Holland Lake is dramatic in any season and it hadn't changed much in the twenty years since I'd last visited. Oh, except for the rope swing tree that had recently fallen........

BN: What was our best bird?
BA: It was a toss up between the Rough-legged Hawk at the north end of Flathead Lake......

And the Merlin at the south end of the lake right in downtown Polson. A large group of House Sparrows were quite spooked by its presence.......and disappeared into a thick fir tree.

BN: I like this picture. "What do we want? Mo Fisch! When do we want it? Now!"
You were scoping for coots again? Seems like Coots and Common Goldeneyes were the most abundant.
BA: Yep, I believe I was.....

BA: I think here you were looking at a Red-necked Grebe......

BA: Here's the sweetie Rez Cat at the south end of Flathead Lake. Charmer, isn't he?

BN: We didn't see spectacular sunsets but the fading afternoon light was always nice.

BN: You wanted to stay, didn't you.

BA: Yah......I did.
BN; Me, too.

The Butte, the Backyard and Beyond

2008-11-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry for the long pause between posts. I haven't had a good blogworthy adventure since the coastal trip! But my birding associate and I are driving to Missoula for Thanksgiving and I think that many adventures await us. I just hope it's not the Stuck-on-the-Side-of-the-Road kind.

Last Sunday we went up to Powell Butte to get some exercise. It was a gorgeous day and everyone else in Portland had the same idea! Lots of people and dogs and smiles. We were so lucky to have this kind of view of the Cascade mountains......you can see Mt Hood (pictured below), Mt Adams, Mt St Helens, and Mt Jefferson from the top of lil ol Powell Butte. On a really good day you can see Mt Ranier, the tallest peak in the PNW.

The light was fading but gave good opportunity for Birding By Silhouette.

Back at home, the hummingbird posed in front of the brilliant fall leaves.

And then there's Tera, Mark's cockatiel. I wasn't so sure about him at first......but he's charmed his way into my heart. I can't resist his sidelong glances.........

Stay tuned for Montana blog posts!

Birding Hwy 101 - Lincoln City to Newport

2008-11-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took a drive out to the coast to check out some favorite birding sites between Lincoln City and Newport. I spent the summer of 1991 on this section of coast surveying timber sale units for Marbled Murrelets, and was happy to introduce my birding associate to some new places.
Using the fine publication, Birding Oregon, by fellow birder and blogger, John Rakestraw, we explored Siletz Bay, Boiler Bay and Newport Bay. I knew most of the spots already, but was happy to read about the very pleasant trail at Salishan Lodge that skirts the south end of Siletz Bay. Thanks, John!

Western Gulls outside Mo's at Siletz Bay. That's what they are, right? I need all the help I can get with gulls.

At the end of the nice trail at Salishan Lodge lies The Beach. The waves were high and mighty and this baby kelp couldn't hang on. I've never seen a washed up kelpling before......just the mighty Indiana Jones Bullwhip kind (scientific term) .

Then it was on to Boiler Bay Wayside. It's a prominent headland offering great views of birds below on the water as well as a few on the rocks. We saw both.

It even got sunny enough for a shadow! No, he's not trying to brain me with the scope.

The birds we saw on the rocks just beyond the protective fence were Black Turnstones, one of several species of "rockpipers". Three of them loafed about the rocks then decided it was bathtime.

As we scoped the rolling waters of the bay we found lots of birds.....Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Western Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Pelagic Cormorant, and Surf Scoter. One brownish duck caught our eye.

She wasn't a female scoter.
Then her male counterpart showed up...... and I tried to capture him in the rocking scope view......what do you think he is?

Oh what lovely chestnut sides......

Look at that striking face!

Yes, it was a pair of Harlequin Ducks! I don't often get to see these unusual ducks. They nest inland at higher elevation along swift rivers and winter on the ocean. The Cascades are at the very southern end of their breeding range but their wintering range extends south to coastal California.

Dang....that is one handsome duck.

Finally, once the waves had moved the ducks out of comfortable viewing range, we tore ourselves away and continued to Newport. There we drove out the South Jetty and looked for Long-tailed Ducks but I think it's too early for them. Well, it'll be an excuse for another trip later in winter! We did have nice late afternoon lighting on more Loons, Pelicans, Grebes and Cormorants. My birding associate, a proud Minnesotan, was not pleased with these drab winter plumaged Loons. Fortunately, one Common Loon had not entirely molted out of its breeding plumage so it was a striking black and white treat on the water.

Our last stop in the fading light was the trail behind the Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center. Out on the bay we saw a flock of 200 Double-crested Cormorants feeding on the water, many gulls resting on the sand then flying up to wheel around the sky, loads of Surf Scoters and a passing Bald Eagle. The treat here was a flock of Marbled Godwits actively feeding and calling. The light was so low that digiscoping them was difficult and this is the best I could do. Big bird, big bicolored bill. Beautiful.

The Oregon coast is great for birding in winter so pull on the rainsuit and get out there!

Song vs Fox

2008-10-27T12:47:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's that time again.....when we in the Northwest are inundated with wintering sparrows! White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Juncos, White-throated and Fox all come into town. I often hear newer birders lament that they cannot tell the difference between a Song and a Fox Sparrow. Sure, they are both "little brown birds" but they show several big differences, too. One can spend time trying to turn a Song Sparrow into a Fox Sparrow but when you really know what to look for the species are simple to tell apart.
Here's what I saw in my yard just now. A dirt colored bird with a subtle eye-ring and a yellow lower mandible. It scratched for food on the ground, indicating it is in the sparrow family.

The back is a uniform brown and there is no striping on the face. The breast shows heavy streaks that look like arrowheads as well as a dark central breast spot. This is a Fox Sparrow.

It was joined by another bird, with a striped back, gray and brown stripes on the face and crown, no eye ring, and streaks on the chest. This is a Song Sparrow.

It's really satisfying to show people the clear differences in these two birds. Some species just get people mixed up, especially when one is only here in the winter. But if you've seen enough Song Sparrows you'll know it when something looks different about a bird and maybe it'll be a Fox! A behavior clue about the Fox is that it scratches on the ground harder and faster than any other sparrow I've ever seen. It could dig a hole to China while the Songs were still mucking around on the surface. I'm not thinking my soon-to-be-put-down grass seed is going to fare well even under a layer of mulch.

Happy Sparrow Hunting!

A Fine Fall Day at Ridgefield NWR

2008-10-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day! Windy, sunny, warm with trees ablaze in fall color. We headed up to Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Washington, for a walk around the Carty Unit. Many others had the same idea and it was a pretty busy place.

One neat, non-natural feature of the unit is the bridge over the railroad tracks. Great to be up there for a shadow shot and even better when a train goes through.

Instead of taking the trail everyone else was on, we went left and walked out around the fields and through a brushy area to find this lovely lake. And many birds! The first Tundra Swans of the season were on the water and in the air, trying to fly without being blown around. Many Great Egrets, Cackling Geese, Pintails, Gadwalls, Green-winged Teal and Mallards were all hanging out back here.

After spending several hours at the Carty Unit, we drove down to the River S Unit. There wasn't enough time to drive the route and the afternoon light would not have been in our favor but we did see some good stuff just from the first parking lot. A male Kestrel popped a dragonfly out of the air and snarfed it down.

A Heron patrolled the field for mice. Or bunnies?

I hadn't been here since my trip last December and I've got to come to this refuge more often!

Back at home, there were a few customers at the Mr Bird's Wild Bird Feast cake I recently put out. The date stamp is incorrect....this was just last week. This stuff is riotously popular with everyone.....I've seen Song Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows sitting on top of it for a bite, Chickadees and Nuthatches darting in to grab and go, Scrub Jays hacking a few pieces off, and, of course, the squirrel gets up there a little too often despite the baffle.

One last photo of the White-throated Sparrow seen at the beginning of October but not since.....I just like the blurred action!

Beginning Birding 2 - Ankeny NWR

2008-10-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today I took my Beginning Birding 2 class down to Ankeny for our all-day excursion. The weather wasn't nearly as spectacular as Monday but at least it wasn't raining.

Can you spot the bird in the photo?

There were even more geese than Monday and lots more ducks, too. Also, more predators! We logged Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier (4 individuals), American Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Merlin. The Merlin was very showy and rocketed past us several times showing off its pointed wings and perfect falcon shape. Here are two very blurry scope shots. The Merlin shows a darkish malar stripe coming down from its eye. The Kestrel's is black, the Peregrine's is more of a hood. You can also see a light eyebrow. Since the bird was perched in the same tree as the Sharpie we had great looks at both to see differences in these small raptors.

Can you see the bird now?

If you guessed Downy Woodpecker then give yourself a pat on the back!

Birding Ankeny NWR

2008-10-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a trip down to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, 10 miles south of Salem, Oregon, right off I-5. I am taking my Beginning Birding 2 class here on Saturday. I hadn't been since April (much like Tualatin NWR) and needed to check it out. Another glorious birding day in the Willamette Valley!

At our first stop we found this Raccoon eating on the ground in broad daylight. Can't be a healthy animal......and it was favoring one paw. Seemed to be getting along OK, despite the injury. I'm not fond of raccoons, but they sure can look cute.

Our second stop was Eagle Marsh pond and the marsh hosted loads of waterfowl. Harriers buzzed low and spooked the Teal and Dowitchers but many ducks were resting and preening and bathing.

This is my favorite duck; the Northern Pintail. Actually, it's tied for favorite with the Gadwall, but don't tell.

At another stop we found just a few geese.

Most of these were Cackling Geese, recently split (classification-wise) from Canada Geese. Then there are three sub-species of the Cacklers to contend with, too. After some deliberation we decided we were looking at Cackling and Aleutian Geese.

What you really need to remember about the Cackling Goose is how little they are.....look at that stubby bill and high forehead. They aren't a whole lot bigger than a big barnyard duck and are certainly much smaller than the large, imposing Canada Goose we're used to seeing.

Quick! Pop Duck Quiz!! What species and gender is this duck?!?! Leave a comment with your answer.......

One nice feature of the refuge is the Rail Trail, a long boardwalk through seasonally flooded land. In April it was high water but now it's empty. Little bird activity but lovely photo ops.

We ended our day with about 45 species at a relaxed pace. I can't wait to bring my group on Saturday!

Tualatin NWR Birds and Bugs

2008-10-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today, I ventured out to the Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge near Sherwood, Oregon. I'm teaching a class there next Sunday but haven't been since spring so I needed to see what had changed (lots) since I was out last. The weather was sketchy at first but it ended up being a lovely, warm, breezy day.

First bird spotted was, of course, a Great Blue Heron. They're thick around here.

A pair of turtles sunned themselves on a log in the Tualatin River. Looks like a Western Pond Turtle on the left and a Western Painted Turtle on the right. I checked out Native Turtles of Oregon to make sure.

OK, get out your pencil and paper for the Spontaneous Mystery Bird Quiz!!
What is this bird?

Got it yet?? Here's another shot.......

Be sure to leave a comment with your answer!

We saw two great bugs today; a Wooly Bear caterpillar......

And the most incredible Leaf Hopper I've ever seen. It was about 1\2 inch long and was sitting on top of the car. Very photogenic.

On the way home we passed Elmo Studd's and their funny reader board. I used to work nearby and always enjoyed the latest offering. Nice to take one's mind off of political ads, isn't it?

Winter Sparrow Extravaganza!

2008-10-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Great sparrows in the yard today! I have a large patch of ground recently revealed by the removal of a massive laurel hedge and the ground feeders are loving it. It helps that I reseeded the area today and, oh my, isn't grass seed tasty.

Oregon Juncos are plentiful in fall and winter and have been here in my yard just a few days. Song Sparrows are year-round but their numbers increase in the fall.

I got very excited when I saw this bird.......

It's the tan-striped form of the White-throated Sparrow! I don't see them all that often so it's pretty cool when they show up. They are a fairly common winter visitor in Oregon but not always a common backyard bird.

Check out the sparrows above and below. From the neck down they're about the same but the head pattern is the key field mark. The White-throated is above and the Golden-crowned Sparrow is below. They are in the same genus (Zonotrichia), including White-crowned Sparrows and Harris's Sparrow

I hope I'll soon be able to post photos of a Fox Sparrow.....a more regular winter visitor to my yard, er, garden.

Mt Hood Hawkwatching

2008-09-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took a trip up to Bonney Butte, in the Mt Hood National Forest, to visit a hawk migration site run by HawkWatch International. This was my fourth time up there over the years, but the first time for my companions. Also, it was the first time I'd driven the road myself, which is somewhat sketchy the last few miles:

Gorgeous fall colors were all around.......

Once you're up on the Butte you pretty much want to get comfortable and keep watching the skies. The hawks are traveling south along ridgelines that meet up at this particular butte so they frequently fly right overhead. Other migration sites in the US will have thousands of birds fly by in a day.....not so here. We saw plenty but it wasn't a constant stream. The most plentiful travelers are the Accipiters; the Sharp-shinned Hawk and the Cooper's Hawk. The largest Accipiter, the Northern Goshawk, is not as plentiful but is present.

The banding station lures birds in with bait, traps them, takes measurements and bands them with a USFWS band. Over time, data from these banding and spotting stations can be used to track the populations and follow trends. Read the HawkWatch site for more detailed info.

The coolest thing about being here is the chance to see birds up close. The banding station is not open to the public but they bring birds down to the public area for photos and release. The birds are transported in a can to keep them secure and calm. Before coming here I had only seen raptors in a rehab or zoo situation......in contrast, these wild birds in top condition are truly a sight to behold.

Hmmm, what's in the can??

A juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk! The brown streaking on the breast makes it a juvenile. This is a pretty small bird so is most likely a male; female birds of prey run about 1\3 larger than males.

Accipters are forest hawks. They are built for ambushing small birds and maneuvering through the trees using their short, rounded wings and long, rudder-like tail.
This Sharpie would prey on Chickadee-sized birds where its larger relatives can handle larger fare. Sharpies and Cooper's are the hawks frequently seen at backyard feeding stations hoping to score a junco or two.

Another canned raptor......a little larger can.......what will it be??

The next size up in Accipiters......an adult Cooper's Hawk! The adult plumage is a blue\gray back and reddish bars on the chest. "Bars" are horizontal and "streaks" are vertical. The adult Sharpie's plumage is very similar and they can be difficult to tell apart.

The bird's eye will redden with age.....I believe the staff aged this one as a second year bird due to the yellow\orange eye.

And now the biggest bird of the day.......a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk!

Red-tailed Hawks in all plumages show a dark bar on the leading edge of the wing from the shoulder to the wrist called the patagium. It really helps to ID them in flight if they don't yet have a red tail.

Finally, after a day of watching the skies, feeling the wind and sun on our faces and getting the treat of a late summer\early fall burst of nice weather, we hit the road back to Portland. Saw this cutie along the road, calmly munching a cedar cone.

And wound up with a late afternoon shadow to prove we were there. A good time was had by all.

Complete Bird List
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Common Raven
Townsend's Solitaire
Gray Jay
Steller's Jay
Yellow-rumped Warbler
American Robin
Oregon Junco
Mountain Chickadee

Ninja Cat Comes Closer Without Moving

2008-09-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

This makes me giggle outrageously.

Timothy Lake Camping

2008-09-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am not a camper. My camping experiences are limited to family car camping trips to the Sierras as a petulant teen, one ridiculous night in Denali National Park without a stove, and a week-long rafting trip on which I served as naturalist. I don't know how to camp and I didn't expect to ever sleep on the ground again. Well, I guess after 40 you start rethinking things and trying out activities you thought you hated. At least, that's the direction I seem to be headed!

Timothy Lake is a man made lake in the Mt Hood National Forest surrounded by five campgrounds. Not too far from Portland but far enough that you feel you've "gotten away from it all". We packed the canoe at Oak Ridge campground and set off across the lake to see if there were more campsites off the beaten path. Sure enough, we found several and picked one that overlooked the lake. Nice spot. Set up camp and had a great dinner of mac and cheese and garlic bread (wow, was that ever good). It rained much of the night but when the professional camper of the pair knows how to properly set up a rain fly then it's no big deal. By morning it was chilly and a little moist but not too bad.

After breakfast we packed up and headed out up the long narrow finger of the lake to a more secluded wetland. Loads of bird action! Lots of ducks flying in and out, killdeer on the shore, the occasional raven. Then an immature Cooper's Hawk dove after a Kingfisher, missed, tried again twice, and finally flew off. The Kingfisher was clearly more experienced and dodged the predator easily. Good times.

Snipe hiding under its snipe house

It was just a day and a half trip but what a fun time! We saw only a few other people but really had the place to ourselves. It pays to camp off-season!

The things you find when you answer nature's call........

I just may have been convinced that camping ain't so bad. Especially if there's garlic bread.

Bird List
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Goldeneye sp (all females or eclipse males....hard to tell)
Northern Pintail
American Wigeon
Green-winged Teal
American Coot
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Common Raven
American Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Steller's Jay
Osprey
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Barn Owl
Cooper's Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Wilson's Snipe
Sapsucker sp (heard from tent...did not see)

Sauvie, Shadows, and Swifts

2008-09-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday was one of those gorgeous, sunny fall days that you just want to last forever. I hadn't been out to Oak Island (a section of Sauvie Island) for years so we went out there for a walk and a possible paddle on Sturgeon Lake. Birding was pretty slow so the scenery was the star of the day. How much more blue could this sky get?

One of the many oaks on Oak Island. Sandhill Cranes flew over us several times here.

A cow pasture to lounge in for awhile. Aww, who cares that the birding is slow? Let's just take a nap.

Or get goofy with shadows in the mud and reeds.

The canoe trip was foiled by the fact that Sturgeon Lake is a late summer mudflat. Not surprising and actually a wonderful opportunity to watch Great Egrets, White Pelicans, Ring-billed Gulls and lots of ducks taking advantage of the bounty of food.

The day wound up with a trip to Chapman School in NW Portland to watch the annual spectacle that is Swift Watch. Thousands of Vaux's Swifts gather here for several weeks each fall to roost in this large chimney. They fly in a huge flock, swirling around the sky, until moments before sunset they funnel down into the chimney. Been to the bridge in Austin when the bats emerge? It's just like that.....only backwards.

Northern California Coast

2008-09-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here are more random shots from The Sea Ranch near Gualala, California. I don't have anything more as cool as the Bobcat story so Harbor Seals and Scenic Vistas will have to do.

Doesn't this rock look like the head of some creature? It was different from all the rest...blue gray and almost scaly.

Beautiful Cypress Tree bent over from growing in the wind all these years.

Sea Ranch Chapel

2008-09-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

The most unusual building I've ever seen is The Sea Ranch Chapel. It reminds me of the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter.

Shadows on the Beach

2008-08-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Camouflage

2008-08-26T20:28:00.001-07:00

I'm a birdwatcher because birds are plentiful, easy to find and they make themselves known visually and vocally. The exact opposites of those reasons are why I'm not a mammal watcher; not as plentiful, trickier to find and tend not to make themselves known.....especially the predators. You really have to luck out to see a predator.

Do you see anything in the photo below? Click on it for a larger view.

In just about the center of the photo, looking away from the camera (shy) and showing its black and white ears is a Bobcat. See it now?

As we were glued to the window looking at it, this unsuspecting couple walked by. Just goes to show that even if you've never seen a Bobcat, one has definitely seen you.

Do you see the cat's black and white ears as it hunkers down in the grass?

Here we all are pressed against the glass.....

After awhile it sat up, walked towards us and focused its attention on something on the ground. It's still almost invisible!

Then someone (uh, it was me) banged her binocs against the glass, spooked it and it trotted off across the path, rolled on the ground a few times then disappeared. Every time we walked to the shore for the rest of the week we said "Hey, Bobcat" as we walked by that spot.

Natural Areas in Portland

2008-07-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

Back on the Fourth of July I had a great canoe trip with a friend out at Smith and Bybee Lakes in North Portland. I've been birding on land there many many times but meeting someone with a boat has opened up a whole new world! The day was a typical cloudy Portland Fourth of July but a good time was had by all. I do love a canoe.

Today I headed up to Powell Butte with two friends in search of Lazuli Buntings. I love this butte, one of several in the Portland area, because of its grassland habitat surrounded by mixed forest. We saw upwards of 30 species of birds in just a few hours. And yes, we did nab that Bunting (though some of us wish they had been a little closer). You can see more photos and details here

Shadows

2008-07-28T15:24:00.001-07:00

I love taking shadow shots. Maybe it's due to my memories of The Exploratorium in San Francisco where the Shadow Box would imprint your shadow on the wall for a few moments. Maybe it's just my arty side. I like to have memories that aren't just faces, scenery, etc. So here are some of them....actually this may be ALL of them....in which case I have to get on it and take more shadows!

My 40th Birthday

2008-07-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

July 10, 2008......my 40th birthday and a day I shall not soon forget. Mom and Miles came up from Berkeley, Marg came down from Seattle and we were all going to Bluehour for a wonderful dinner at 7:30. Dad and Caitlin would meet us there. Fine. Nothing suspicious at all.

So I'm sitting on the couch chatting with the family, minding my own business when suddenly I hear drums.....big drums....loud drums.

I think "No, it can't be!" But it COULD be!

Yes, the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers was marching up the street to my house!!! And my Dad in his joker hat walking right next to them!

What a fantastic way to celebrate my birthday! I had said a few months ago that it would be so cool for a marching band to play for me on my birthday in front of my house....my Dad listened and here's the result!

Quite the crowd gathered.......the LRSD knows how to make people sit up and take notice.

Turns out everyone but me knew what was going to happen......it was all part of the plan! Absolutely nothing can ever top this. Ever.

Odd and Ends

2008-06-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

Some readers have wondered about the current status of my Mason Bees......they haven't been active for about a month now and the larvae are developing inside their cells. I bought an Observation House so that I could watch what happens.

I also had a few random shots left from my trip to Malheur NWR. Here are some of the lizards that we watched where there were no birds about.

And last, but not least, a few scenes from Burns. City girls giggle at places like this. We decided not to go in to see if they carried Premium Sunflower Chips.

I have very clean Scrub Jays

2008-06-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

Detour to Antarctica

2008-06-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

I realized I hadn't posted many of my Antarctic videos (I didn't have many but they're kinda fun) so here's one of the seas we encountered in the Drake Passage between the Antarctic Peninsula and Ushuaia, Argentina. Our trip out was smooth as glass but the way back was......well, not so smooth.

March of the Penguins

2008-06-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

And here's another goofy video to which I added text as an experiment. I realize my calling is not that of Nature Show Narrator so please forgive the narration. David Attenborough, I ain't.

I LOVE Marching Bands

2008-06-01T12:07:00.001-07:00

And now, a detour from the usual bird and squirrel posts to bring you another passion of mine......Marching Bands! I'm a sucker for loud drums and uniforms and last night's Starlight Parade in downtown Portland provided my yearly fix.

Mammals of Malheur

2008-05-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

There was a little hiatus in posting about our trip to Malheur NWR but here are a few photos of mammals we saw out and about.

More BirdCam photos

2008-05-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of this gadget!

My first BirdCam shots

2008-05-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Duh, is this thing on?

Scenery of Malheur

2008-05-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

Frequent sight on the journey.

Listening for the Rock Wren....and we saw him, too!

View of headquarters from the hill with the "owl tower"

Rainy, cloudy day

Beautiful Page Springs Campground

Birds of Malheur NWR

2008-05-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Birds are a big reason to visit Malheur. The first time I visited the refuge on an Audubon Birdathon I logged about 25 lifers. Eastern Oregon species are a treat to see and I always start getting excited when I cross the line into high desert and see my first Magpie. Sure, some of these species can be found west of the Cascade Mountains, but seeing them in the desert is just great.

Western Kingbird
My namesake, for those of you who know me well.

Northern Harrier

House Wren
There's a nest in this box.

Sage Thrasher
Not easy to find until you know its song....thanks to Bird Songs of the Pacific States!

Great Egrets

Franklin's Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, American Avocet, White-faced Ibis
Ibis are cool. That's all there is to say.

Wilson's Phalarope
A customer once told me how excited he was to have seen "Fa-lair-o-peez" at the coast. I have never forgotten that pet name and use it to this day.....so much so that poor Ms Nut was unsure as to which one was the correct pronunciation. "Are those more Pha....uh,....Fa....uh, what was it again?? You've ruined me!"

Owls at Malheur HQ

2008-05-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm back after a few days in the high desert of southeastern Oregon visiting Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It was a great trip and we saw about 100 species of birds, 5 species of mammal, and 3 species of reptile in our two days on the refuge and around Burns. Over the next few days I'll be posting photos and you can click on Northwest Nature Nut's blog to find out her side of the story!
Our first stop Monday morning was at the refuge headquarters.....an oasis of trees in the sagebrush where many species of migrant songbirds find critical food and water during a long journey. Unfortunately, birding was somewhat slow this day....cold, windy weather. Ugh.
We were on our way back to the car to head out when we heard a Great Horned Owl hooting and turned around to go find it.
Can you find it?

And now?

OK, here it is.....preening before hooting.

A second owl was heard hooting up the hill behind headquarters but the only thing up there was this:

A tall observation tower on top of the hill.
Was the owl perched on it? The hoot had a strong echo to it......could it be INSIDE the tower?
We hiked up the hill to find out.

Yes, it sure was inside.....and did not show itself for anyone. Its hoots echoed down the hill to its mate in the tree and the only sign we saw was a feather and a few pellets.

Oaks Bottom Birdathon!

2008-05-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today I led a group of Birdathoners around Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in SE Portland. Don't know what Birdathon is? Well, it's Portland Audubon's biggest fundraiser of the year and brings in quite a bit of cash for the organization. Here's how it works:
1. You get friends and family and guys on the street to pledge a dollar amount per species you see on a special "Birdathon" trip in May.
2. You go on said trip and try to see as many species as you possibly can. No faking.
3. You collect hundreds of dollars from friends and family and guys on the street because they had no idea you would see soooooo many species of birds in one day!

Another option is simply to ask for flat donations and then that takes the pressure off a bit.....you know you're going to collect from your donors and your trip is really just the icing on the cake. That's what my group had done.....so we weren't racing madly trying to squeeze in one more species. We ended with a very satisfying 42 species. The list will follow after the fabulous photos.

My Marvelous Group

Goose in an Osprey nest. Osprey has moved across the river.

Hummingbirds and Scrub Jays DO get along!

Green-winged Teal pair

Be sure to get that last crumb......

Anyone need a baby duck fix?

Mallard

Wacky face in the woods

The List!
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Vaux's Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Hammond's Flycatcher
Western Scrub Jay
American Crow
Purple Martin (at their gourd nests on a houseboat's dock)
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
Bewick's Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (we waxed over waxwings.....great looks at dozens of birds)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (literally hundreds all day)
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager (1 brief look at a male)
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak (heard but not yet seen)
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, Trip 2

2008-04-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful day at the refuge! If you haven't been there you really should go; it has lots of interest.....boardwalks, a nice overlook, plenty of pullouts. Our list for today equaled last week's in number (56) but not in species: we added Warbling Vireo and Yellow Warbler but subtracted Yellow-headed Blackbird and Peregrine Falcon. Well, there were other changes but I'm too tired to list them all out. Suffice it to say we all had a terrific time and I know this new class was a huge success. I hope to lead it again this fall or next spring.
Next up on the agenda is Birding By Ear. May is full and I don't know about June. A customer at work mentioned that she is taking a birding by ear class through either PCC or CCC, I don't recall. It's five field trips and no class time whereas mine is three field trips and two evening classes. I've sometimes wondered whether the class time is worth it......but birding by ear is so overwhelming in spring I find that it helps students focus once we arrive in the field.
More updates from the spring migration coming soon!

Downy Woodpecker

2008-04-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Today I read Michele's post about a Downy Woodpecker in her yard. I had a similar experience in a similar tree! Too funny......

Her shots are much better though........

Beez!!

2008-04-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago this was the state of the mason bees.....busy and filling up holes.

Then cold weather hit, they stopped being busy and egg-laying ceased. Finally yesterday and today brought warmer temps and the girls are back to business. Look how much they got done in those two days!

Here's one putting the finishing touches on her plug of mud sealing up the nest chamber. She'll start on a new one tomorrow and I might have to buy another bee nest.......

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, Trip 1

2008-04-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first all-day van trip for Beginning Birding 2 to Ankeny NWR. All kinds of heinous weather was in the forecast and we experienced all of it, I do believe. Gray clouds and low temps gave way to snow on our drive south on I-5 towards Salem. We all groaned and rolled our eyes but the snow soon let up as we crested the hill and approached the lower elevation of the refuge. During the rest of the trip, it rained, hailed, the sun shone, it hailed again......the fickle spring of 2008. My students were all champs and put up with all of it without a grumble....even when I got us a wee bit lost in the fields. I think I made up for any missteps when I presented extra wool socks and mittens for anyone who needed them and two people immediately accepted my offer.
It was a good bird day, too! Our highlight birds were Yellow-headed Blackbird (not rare, but unusual for the valley region) and American Bittern (a secretive marsh dweller who came out in the open for us). Over the course of the three field trips we successfully identified 71 species! Sorry....no photos this time. Here's our list of 56 species from yesterday:

Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Cackling Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Short-billed Dowitcher

Mourning Dove
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Scrub Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird

Purple Finch

Mason Bee Update

2008-04-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Many of you commented on the photos and video I recently posted of my Mason Bee colony. You might be wishing for an update, but unfortunately the weather turned very cold and the bees have not been active at all since my last post about them. I hope they survive this blast....if they cannot forage, they will die.
If I shine a light into the nest block I can see bee rumps shining back at me. I don't know what their condition is and I can only hope that once the temps rise they will be back out in force. In their absence, several trees have come into bloom so they should have ample food once they get flying again.

Bathing Bushtits

2008-04-13T15:06:00.001-07:00

Believe me, it was difficult to decide which photos to use......who can resist bushtits? I must have fired off 40 shots. Click on a photo to enlarge it. Enjoy!!

Eye color separates the sexes; female's iris is light, male's is dark.

Filling up the nest blocks

2008-04-13T15:05:00.002-07:00

Look how far the girls have gotten!! Only yesterday they were buzzing about excitedly and now three holes are filled! This means that in each 6 inch deep hole she's laid up to 6 eggs, each on a pile of nectar and pollen, and separated from each other by a mud wall. She then seals the entrance with more mud and begins on another nest hole. If they keep this rate up I'll have to get another nest block!

Look at that wet mud!

This is my old, but clean, wooden nest block. Since I set it on the patio table and hadn't decided what to do with it the bees have taken it over. Guess I'll be leaving it there......

She's carrying mud!

Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge, Trip 2

2008-04-13T15:05:00.001-07:00

Today's Beginning Birding 2 field trip was another smashing success. I wasn't at my peak, still feeling a little funky, but the birds took over and everyone had a great time. Our list was mostly the same as last week's with the subtractions of Turkey Vulture and Osprey and the additions of Orange-crowned Warbler, Spotted Sandpiper and Wilson's Snipe (fantastic looks at three birds feeding with a Greater Yellowlegs and a pair of Green-winged Teal). This time I brought the camera to show that I really do have people with me......

Here they're watching hordes of Yellow-rumped Warblers

Scopes trained on Cinnamon Teal and Eurasian Wigeon

Backyard Birds and Bees

2008-04-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

Just when the weather got bee-yoo-tee-full I got sick. The yard cries for my attention but I am so sapped that I cannot attempt any labor......OK, so I did do a quick mow and dug up some infernal blackberry vines that threaten to take hold.....but that did me in for the day. So I sat down and continued to nurse myself back to health with cup of tea after Airborne after glass of OJ after cup of tea. I did have energy enough to push the button on my camera so here are some shots from the yard.

First, here's a video of the female Mason Bees getting all excited about their new, clean nest box.

And ONE and TWO and UP and DOWN and LOOK and EAT.......

Chickadee finally finds feeder full of sunflower

Flowering Currant

Female Mason Bee.....is that pollen on her hindquarters?

My favorite piece of yard art......an Anglerfish.

Want bees? Get Rosemary. I have two huge trailing bushes and one upright one. They bloom throughout the year and are very attractive to bees of all kinds.

Point Reyes Ceanothus about to pop into bloom.

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge

2008-04-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

Today I drove down to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge to scout locations for the final field trip for Beginning Birding 2. Leading my own van trip is a big deal for me; on Audubon trips to Malheur I've driven participants in those big fifteen-passenger vans but I was an assistant, not the "real" leader. I want to make sure everything is right for this trip. I can't control the weather or the birds but I can do my homework and pick the stops with the most potential for good birding. This was my first visit to Ankeny and I highly recommend it. I have not yet visited the third refuge in the Willamette Valley Refuge Complex, Finley NWR, but it is now higher on my list than before.
Here are some images from around the refuge today.

Song Sparrow

Male Cinnamon Teal

The Rail Trail features a long boardwalk through the wetlands.
This took me an hour on my own so with the group it will probably take two.

Male Ring-necked Duck

There really is a Marsh Wren in this photo.

The Masked Bandit of the Marsh hypnotized me with his powerful gaze.
I broke free just in time.

Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge, Trip 1

2008-04-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Oh what a morning! Today was the second trip for Session 1 of Beginning Birding 2 and they were treated to much better weather than their first outing on Easter Sunday. Birds were all over, in the water, in the sky, in the trees. Migration has definitely begun.....all over the refuge we encountered large groups of Yellow-rumped Warblers in breeding plumage....both the white-throated Myrtle race........

and the yellow-throated Audubon's race.

I didn't take either of these amazing photos

Greater Yellowlegs were in the mudflats, a preview of shorebird migration yet to come. I didn't take my camera today but can only provide you with our hefty list of 42 species. Can't wait for next week!

Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal (great bird)
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker (great looks for a looooong time)
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird

Backyard Bees

2008-04-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

My Mason Bees are busy! The past couple of days have been warm and sunny and a large number of bees have chewed their way out of their cocoons. The native Mason Bee is a solitary bee, not a hive dweller like the familiar honeybee. Last year, females laid eggs in the holes in this bee nest block, sealed the holes with mud and then died. They only live the one season but lay many eggs to ensure a population for the following year.

Crooked but sturdy.

The eggs hatch and feed on the pollen and nectar the female has left for them. They go through their various insect stages and finally become adult bees while still inside the nest block. They spin a sturdy cocoon around themselves by the fall and then go dormant for the winter.

It's at this time that you can open up your nest block, scrape out the cocoons and wash them off to rid them of parasitic mites which, over time, can decimate a colony. You can also remove any dead bees or cocoons parasitized by wasps. I cleaned my cocoons last winter and also cleaned out the nest chambers, which are full of mud and pollen and bee poop.

Dirty cocoons

Soaking cocoons

Sparkling clean cocoons!

I used half of an Altoids tin to store them in the top of the shelter and knew they would emerge from hibernation when they were good and ready (ie; when it's warm enough).

The shelter my nest block is in has interlocking beams on the roof and there's a space there just big enough for a bee. I came home Thursday night to find a bee butt in each hole.

Looking closer I saw one was facing out. Look at his cute face! It's a male because of the white on the face.

So why do I keep these bees? I never would have been interested in these bees if the store I work for hadn't started selling supplies to start your own colony. Non-native Honeybees are suffering hive collapse and native bees can always use a helping hand. Most folks want the bees for increasing fruit production on their trees but I just want to watch these gentle bees live their life in my small yard. The bonus is the crops of my apple tree and two blueberry bushes have definitely increased. The bees pollinate many plants but fruit trees are their favorites.

I mentioned their gentle nature.....the night I photographed the bee butts I kept hearing a soft buzzing and finally realized a little male bee was caught in my hair! Did he sting? Nope. I worked him out of my hair, he landed on my shirt for a minute then took off for a last minute flight before finding a spot to set his bee butt down for the night.

You, too, can host these bees in your country or urban yards. Every plant needs a pollinator!

Fern Hill Wetlands, Trip 2

2008-03-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

What a difference a week makes. The weather for Beginning Birding 2, Session 2, couldn't have been more cooperative! No rain, no snow, no hail, and even a long sunbreak! Everyone was pleased and I was glad to take my second group of students on a tour of the wetlands. Birds were similar to last week but the complete list is below. We scored on swallows with four species, all seen very well.

Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Mourning Dove
Scrub Jay
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch

Since the skies were holding themselves together I decided to head over to Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge, where our second trip will be held, to check the place out. I hadn't been there since it was much drier so I was pleased to find high water levels and lots of waterfowl.

I tried digiscoping but it just wasn't happening, focus-wise. I don't know what I was doing wrong.

I liked this one only because I caught a Tree Swallow, too. Dark back, light underparts and the dark comes down below the eye.
The duck is a female Ring-necked Duck

These two are male Ring-necked Ducks. This is a good example of how to identify ducks by patterns of dark and light feathers. This duck has a dark head, chest and back, lighter sides, and a dark rump. It also shows a bright white patch at the shoulder and a white ring around its bill. 100% of birders agree; it should have been called Ring-billed Duck.

Speaking of black and white ducks, can you spot the duck in the photo below? It's one that really pops out at you even without binoculars. Leave a comment with your guess as to
its identity.

After looking over the water for awhile, I headed over to a small group of oaks. I heard a Kestrel call and found her diving at a Red-tailed Hawk who quickly left the scene. I'll be checking that tree for a Kestrel nest next time I'm there. Then I heard a White-breasted Nuthatch calling. I soon found it next to a cavity at the very top of an oak. It dipped inside for a second then came out and sat calling and calling for over five minutes. It's a treat to see White-breasted Nuthatches so I watched it for as long as I could. Finally the temperature dropped as clouds moved in and I made my way home.

Fern Hill Wetlands, Trip 1

2008-03-23T12:29:00.001-07:00

Fern Hill Wetlands on a more pleasant day

I led my first session of Beginning Birding 2 today at Fern Hill Wetlands in Forest Grove. The weather was not cooperative; rain showers came and went, wind whipped us around. Twelve hardy souls bore the weather to attend but we ended early after the wind really picked up. I was perfectly comfortable under my many layers but not all were as snug. I didn't take any photos but here's our pretty decent list of 29 species:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan (1 pair)
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback (1 pair)
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead (two males doing head bobbing displays to two females)
Bald Eagle
American Coot
Killdeer (nest in the middle of the road)
Wilson's Snipe (flew across road then skittered into grass where we could just barely see it)
Mourning Dove
Rufous Hummingbird (quick look at a male)
Western Scrub Jay
Tree Swallow (a few individuals)
Violet-green Swallow (dozens!)
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch

Both sessions of the class are full for this year but I will mostly likely offer it again in 2009 or later in 2008 if my schedule allows. Our next two trips will be to the Tualatin NWR and to Baskett Slough NWR. I'll post lists and maybe photos if the weather improves!

Berkeley in March

2008-03-16T16:22:00.001-07:00

Besides doing a bit of birdwatching while I was in Berkeley last week, I also tried to take lots of photos of things I love and remember about the town in which I grew up. March in Portland is gray, March in Berkeley was sunny and 70 degrees. I swear I get more and more nostalgic each time I go home. So here are some photos of yards and houses and stores from around town.

Mom and Miles' house

The view is spectacular

Lots of blooms in the back yard

Freesias.....I wish the internet had smell so you could inhale their sweet scent. Mom puts them in vases all around the house and the aroma is with you all the time.

Super gourmet land at the Market Hall

This Starbuck's used to be Ortman's Ice Cream. With my precious 10 cents I used to buy a small slush on the way home from school. Or bubblegum ice cream.

The name escapes me now but these are great hummingbird plants. In the Bay Area climate everyone has fields of plants that are considered practically tropical by Portland standards.

I just liked these houses.

What exactly is Cop Porn and why tag it on the post office?

This funny little building with its English country shingled roof has always mystified me.

Berkeley is all about oaks.

Finally, just a really neat sign.

As always, a very cool town. Don't know if I'll ever live there again but it's only an hour's flight away.

Arrowhead Marsh

2008-03-12T22:06:00.001-07:00

Just a few more photos from Arrowhead Marsh, near the Oakland Airport.

Spotter Mom

Willets and Dowitchers (the Godwits were too far away)

American Avocets - seen in both winter and breeding plumages

Brief California post

2008-03-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

View from the house over to SF

I am visiting my hometown of Berkeley, California, for just a few days and thought I would post a few photos. Well, probably only one. Mom picked me up at the Oakland Airport and we headed right over to Arrowhead Marsh to see what was around. Lots of great birds that I never get to see in Portland! Tide was way low and Willets, Dowitchers, Avocets and Stilts abounded.

Willet (big one in upper lefthand corner) and Dowitchers

Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Horned Grebes

OK That's all for now! I'll post some others when I return.

Cleansing Nuthatch

2008-03-06T07:42:00.001-08:00

Sharon, over at The Birdchick, sometimes posts a "cleansing" photo for her readers to breathe in and use to wash away the stresses of the day. I'm posting these nuthatches to cleanse the moldy birdfood photos from your screen. You're welcome.

Unappealing Bird Food

2008-03-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

This is a sad story.
It's a little gross, too.

Here goes.

A vendor from whom we purchase suet sent me a sample of a supplemental food that's a mix of dehydrated insects, vegetable matter and ground seeds.

I was instructed to moisten the meal with water then place it in an open tray for all comers to feast upon. Since I have regular warblers and wrens I thought this would be a snap to test.

However, here is a photo of the food NOT being consumed.
Even the starlings looked spooked by it.

Finally......here is what happens when one forgets that they have a covered bowl of wet, unappetizing bird food sitting on the kitchen counter under the heating vent.

Sorry, Skippy.......not gonna happen.

Ships that pass in the ice

2008-02-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

Back in December I posted a variety of Antarctica photos that included this one with caption:

Yes, we saw another ship! Notice how we are all fascinated....we waved a lot but they didn't wave back. We think. Not sure. Either way, our boat was the best boat.

So you can imagine my surprise when today I received a comment on that entry that read:

Hi Laura,
We did wave back!
I was on the National Geographic Endeavour and I remember passing your ship too. I will have to post a photo on my blog and link to your page!

Here is John's blog entry from his persepctive.

Cool, huh?

John, I had to use your entry title.....it was just too good.

Song vs Fox

2008-02-21T21:19:00.001-08:00

The Northwest hosts a number of native sparrows during the fall and winter months. Golden-crowned, White-crowned, White-throated and Fox Sparrow join the resident Song Sparrows in many of our backyards. The first three sparrows mentioned sport striking crown patterns which helps set them apart from the other little brown birds. The two that often give people pause are the Fox and Song Sparrows. They are both mostly brown with streaking on the belly but are easily told apart by several field marks. I should add that both species vary from west to east coast and that I am only representing the races that occur here in the Portland area. In the east, the Fox more closely resembles the Song than in the west (at least from what I see in the field guides!).

All good Song Sparrow photos used with permission by Greg Gillson.
All bad Fox Sparrow photos used with permission by me.

Three photos of the typical Song Sparrow: gray and brown striped crown and face, dark streaks on the chest, central darker breast spot.

Now three photos (in bad light, sorry) of a typical Sooty race Fox Sparrow: Uniform brown head, chest streaks are heavier....like chevrons or arrowheads, central darker spot on chest is larger, lower mandible of bill is yellow. Overall shape is chunkier. It scratches on the ground, as does the Song, but has a distinctive behavior of raking its feet back hard and fast. I watched one dig a hole right though a thick layer of mulch in no time at all.

OK students, there's your ID Lesson for today - - Go forth and find thee a Fox Sparrow!

Crystal Springs Waterfowl

2008-02-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

The lovely weather got me and two friends out to breakfast and then to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens for a little duck watching. The Garden is located in southeast Portland across the street from Reed College. It's fed by a natural spring that runs through Reed and the college maintains a natural lake that's a nice contrast to the manicured rhodie gardens. Both are great for ducks and one can sometimes see a dozen species of waterfowl. Spring and summer see fewer ducks, as most have moved north to breed, but swallows and the resident waterfowl make visits rewarding. If you have never seen a coot or wood duck chick then check this place out come spring.

Many duck butts were in evidence.

Lots o Scaup

Buffleheads aplenty

And lest you forget.......the always photogenic Canada Goose!

Double-crested Cormorants

Today's Bird List:
Great Blue Heron
Mallard
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Lesser Scaup
Hooded Merganser
Bufflehead
American Coot
Pied-billed Grebe
Wood Duck
Double-crested Cormorant
Canada Goose
American Crow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-winged Blackbird
Bewick's Wren
American Robin