Backyard Birds

I've been wanting to do a post all about backyard birds and I figured no better time then now, since we're moving soon and will have all new birds visiting  in an all new location.


Like I've mentioned before, I have always had some interest in birds.  
This is the earliest photographic evidence of that... (haha) 


It's so funny, the random things that come up when you go through old photos.


Hahaha! I almost forgot about this...  
In Dec. of 2006, this male Ringed-Necked Pheasant* literally appeared in our backyard one day out of no where.

April 2008 - this Orange-Crowned Warbler* caught my attention.

In June 2010, a male Downy Woodpecker* would come by for a daily visit to a bird bell I put out on my patio.

I set up my bird feeder around the time I first started really getting into birding.  
(Around March 2011)  Since I set up my feeder at the beginning of my birding "career", many of the birds I saw were lifers.  Seeing and successfully identifying birds on my feeder helped fuel the growing birder within. 


March 2011

House Finch

April 2011

• House Finches*
• Black-Capped Chickadees*
• Song Sparrow
• Yellow-Rumped Warbler* - male

May 2011

• Cooper's Hawk - scoped it from the living room! heehee
• House Sparrow - male
• Red-Winged Blackbird - male
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Red-Winged Blackbird - female
• Anna's Hummingbird* - male
• Black-Headed Grosbeak*
• Purple Finches - after so many house finches, I started to develop a keen eye.

Red-Winged Blackbird and House Sparrow - weird combo

Young male Red-Winged Blackbird 

Black-Headed Grosbeak

June 2011

• Mourning Doves*
• Great Blue Heron - flying majestically above
• Northern Harrier - perched on the play structure at my apartments!
• Norther Flicker

*Lifers!

July 2011

• Song Sparrow - after being gone for 2+ months.  and even now I rarely see song sparrows at my feeder.
• American Goldfinch

September 2011

• Oregon Juncos - for some reason it took them forever to show up at my feeder, but they basically haven't left since.
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Downy Woodpecker - back for the first time in over a year! only briefly this time :

This Anna's Hummingbird comes by on a daily basis and sits on that branch, chattin' up a storm.

A young House Sparrow sits in a basket of seeds.  I love this one because he almost looks like a tiny hawk staring down at his prey.

The now full grown House Sparrow emerges from the basket of seed.

October 2011

• Lesser Goldfinch
• Steller's Jay

Lesser Goldfinches

An Oregon Junco takes a try at the branch

November 2011

• Spotted Towhee

Thomas loves Black-Capped Chickadees

December 2011

• European Starling - surprisingly they've only visited 1 or 2 times

January 2012

Anna's Humming bird 

Febuary 2012

• Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Yellow-Rumped Warbler, a rare visitor to my feeders

March 2012

• American Goldfinches - first of the season!
• Great Egret - flying above
• Song Sparrow
• Lesser Goldfinches

Guinea Hen - this was at an apartment we looked at - a potential backyard bird if we moved in.  We also saw a Peacock!  Apparently there's a stable near by where a bunch of these birds live.  How weird is that?  

House Sparrow 

House Sparrow - male and House Finch - female

Beaverton Creek

We decided to hit up Beaverton Creek early, since we've been going there in the evenings lately.  We got there at 9am and saw SO much more than usual.

• American Robins
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Mallards
• Pied-Billed Grebes
• Red-Winged Blackbirds - males, as usual 
• Song Sparrows
• Wilson's Snipe (I'm only 90% sure of this.  It was pretty close, but I only saw it for  a second, as it flew off.  I'm hoping I'll see it again soon.)
• Anna's Hummingbirds
• American Crow
• Yellow-Rumped Warblers
• Green-Winged Teals
• Buffleheads
• Northern Shovelers
• Canada Geese 
• Hooded Mergansers
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglets
• House Finches
• Western Scrub-Jays
• Northern Flickers
• Cooper's Hawk
• Cedar Waxwings (I was pretty excited to see them.  Last time I saw any was the beginning of August!)
• Ring-Necked Duck - female
• Oregon Junco

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Black-Capped Chickadee

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Too bad this one is so out of focus, but I just love this classic Warbler pose!

A young male Red-Winged Blackbird

House Finches 

Look how happy this Hooded Merganser is to have found such a delectable snack!

We were so close to this Cooper's Hawk, but the angling wasn't so great.

The Ceder Waxwings finally made an appearance!

Beaverton Creek

• Anna's Hummingbird
• House Sparrow - male
• Mourning Dove
• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• Bufflehead - female
• Oregon Junco
• Mallards
• Song Sparrow
• American Robins
• Great Egret
• Gadwalls
• Hooded Merganser - male
• American Coot
• Northern Shoveler
• Green-Winged Teal - male
• Black-Capped Chickadee - call

heehee Mallard butt...

Scappoose

This trip to Scappoose was supposed to be a birding trip to Columbia Botanical Gardens and Dalton Lake, which is between St. Helens and Columbia City.  We failed to find the birding areas of the garden, and instead skirted the opposite end of it which was filled with no trespassing signs.  We also happened across a really cool house for sale with an awesome view of the river and Sand Island. So we hung out there for a bit and enjoyed the view, then it was off to Walmart, because what's a trip to St. Helens without stopping at Walmart? Hahaha.... :)  

But anyway, at almost any given visit to my parent's house in Scappoose is a birding experience.  Here's what I saw there:

• Oregon Juncos
• Pine Siskins
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch
• Spotted Towhee
• Steller's Jays
• Bald Eagle
• Red-Tailed Hawks
• Song Sparrow
• American Robin
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee
• Western Scrub-Jay

Pine Siskin

Fanno Creek Nature Trail

• Anna's Hummingbirds
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• American Crows
• Mallards
• Song Sparrow
• Hooded Mergansers - male and female
• American Robin
• Oregon Junco

Anna's Hummingbird - male

Blossoms.... of sorts...or...something... :)

One of those fuzzy caterpillars everyone loves. 

Tualatin Hills Nature Park

• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• American Robins
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglets
• Northern Flicker
• Mallards
• Oregon Juncos
• Canada Geese
• Downy Woodpecker

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
I was so excited he was close enough to take pictures, but man he wouldn't stop moving around.
 Unfortunately this was my best shot of  him. Nice butt, am I right? ;)

Knoll Center Wetlands Park

• Northern Shovelers - male and female
• Mallards - male and female
• Northern Flicker - male
• European Starlings 
• American Crow
• Belted Kingfisher - female
• Song Sparrow
• Red-Winged Blackbird - call
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
• Green-Winged Teals - male and female
• Oregon Juncos
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Canada Geese

Northern Flicker - male

Northern Shoveler - male

Fanno Creek Trail

Another place I hadn't been to in quite some time.

• Mallards
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglets
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Spotted Towhee
• Song Sparrow
• American Crow
• Various Gull
• Northern Flicker

Douglas Squirrel... I just want to squeeze it!

Scappoose

My parents house:

• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Varied Thrush
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch
• Brown Creeper
• Oregon Juncos (That were freakishly larger than any I've ever seen.  The ones I see are not much bigger than chickadees.  These were closer to the size of a towhee!)
• Anna's Hummingbird

Multnomah Channel - Scappoose Dike:

• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Canada Geese
• Red-Winged Blackbird - male
• Purple Finches - males and females
• Sandhill Cranes
• American Robin
• House Sparrows
• Downy Woodpecker
• Bald Eagle
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Common Merganser
• Pileated Woodpecker - call
• Great Blue Heron
• Northern Harrier
• American Kestrel
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Western Gull

Purple Finches - male and female

Western Scrub-Jay

Audubon Society

• Steller's Jay
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch
• Bushtits
• Oregon Juncos

Tualatin Hills Nature Park

• Lesser Goldfinch
• Northern Flicker
• European Starlings
• Western Scrub-Jay
• American Robin
• Mourning Doves
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Steller's Jay
• Cedar Waxwing
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch*
• Pied-Billed Grebe

*Lifer!

Rhododendron Garden

• Canada Geese
• Mallards - male and female
• Wood Ducks male and female
• Steller's Jay
• Hooded Merganser*
• Green Heron*
• Great Blue Heron
• Red-Winged Blackbirds - male and female
• Belted Kingfisher - female
• Tree Swallows
• Song Sparrows
• Northern Flicker
• Cedar Waxwing
• American Robin
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Domesticated Waterfowl

*Lifer! 

Great Blue Heron

Canada Goose

Domesticated Goose

Scappoose Field

Just a place near my parent's house I use to go to while I was growing up.  A quiet stroll through the woods and up to the field.

• House Finch
• Spotted Towhee
• American Robin
• Wilson's Warbler*
• Barn Swallows
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Hermit Warbler*
• Black-Headed Grosbeaks - male and female
• Oregon Junco
• Bewick's Wren

*Lifer

Black-Headed Grosbeak - female
OK, I admit this was after I got back from the field, but their house boarders the woods :)

A sad, but noble attempt to capture the Hermit Warbler.

Even if I didn't see any birds, the field has much to offer.

Jewell Meadows

The same day as the Fort Stevens/ South Jetty trip, on the way home.

• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Steller's Jay
• Ruffed Grouse* (That was a strange sight, like nothing I had ever seen before. Just standing on the side of the road.  I was a little baffled by it.  I exclaimed, "Did you see that?! Looked like a chicken... yet not...")
• Band-Tailed Pigeons* -male and female
• Tree Swallows
• Turkey Vulture 

*Lifer

Elk at Jewell Meadows