Florence - N. Jetty of the Siuslaw 8.24.12

Another stop on our way to Coos Bay.  Nothing groundbreaking, it was nearing siesta time for the birds.

• American Crows
• Brown-Headed Cowbirds - juvs.  My recent confusion with these guys came in quite handy.
• Pelagic Cormorants
• Western Gulls
• Brown Pelican
• Mallard
• Sanderlings
• Red-Necked Phalarope

Juvenile Brown-Headed Cowbirds foraging among trash.

Commonwealth / Furnhill / Jackson Bottom

A birding marathon extravaganza, if you will, a birding trip many months in the making, sprinting to and fro location after location and collecting lots of birds (and memories!) along the way.  :D


We started at East Commonwealth Lake Park Trail, South Beaverton in the Long Name Division neighborhood. Hahaha!!! JK, but why such a loooong name?  We didn't walk the circle, but we still got the gist.

• House Finch - male
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• American Wigeons
• Mallards
• Song Sparrows
• Bufflehead - male
• House Sparrow - male
• Anna's Hummingbird - call
• American Coot
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Black-Capped Chickadee - call (too bad I only know a few easy calls... need to work on that)
• American Robins
• Western Gulls

Next was Furnhill Wetlands, which was supposed to be the bell of the ball, but instead it was flooded into an unrecognizable blob.  I just hope the water goes down soon and Elvira can come back and see what it's really like.  As for her out of town, visiting folks... well hopefully she can send them pictures of what it was supposed to look like. ;)  What was really cool though, Sue knew all the back roads and we were able to do a convoy tour of the other side of the wetlands.

• Brewer's Blackbirds
• American Coots
• Mourning Doves
• American Robins
• Northern Flickers
• Song Sparrows
• Red-Tailed Hawks
• Downy Woodpecker - male
• European Starlings
• Canada Geese
• Red-Winged Blackbird - call - I seemed to miss it when others finally spotted it.  I may have been talking to a random lady who I thought was part of our group. Ha!
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Tree Swallows
• Western Meadowlarks - at one point of of them landed on a power line, it looked so big and strange up there.
• American Kestrel
• Bushtits - always so much prettier than I expect.  The photo in my Smithsonian book has to be the drabbest Bushtit ever and it's imprinted on my brain. 
• Brown-Headed Cowbird - boo ya!  Just me and my cousin got that one.

As you can see, the water level was WELL past the half way point in the road.

Last stop, Jackson Bottom

• Killdeers - in the parking lot, of course! 
• Lesser Goldfinch - first of the season
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Chestnut-Backed Chickadees
• Pine Siskins
• Oregon Juncos
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch
• Downy Woodpecker - male
• Golden-Crowned Sparrow
• Spotted Towhee
• Canada Geese
• American Coots
• Tree Swallows
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• American Robins
• Western Scrub-Jay - it's funny how there will be times where you wont see a single robin or scrub-jay the whole day... 

Downy Boy

Somehow it's even more flooded than before!

Does this look familiar?

We wrapped up the day with dinner at Chennai Masala - the best Indian restaurant ever!!!

Sauvie's Island

• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• Tree Swallows
• Barn Swallows
• Cliff Swallows
• American Goldfinches
• Turkey Vultures 
• Western Scrub-Jay
• House Sparrows
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Osprey
• Song Sparrows
• Brown-Headed Cowbird
• Brewer's Blackbird
• Cedar Waxwing
• American Robin
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• American Coot
• Pied-Billed Grebe*
• Northern Flicker
• Lesser Scaup
• Mallards
• Albino Finch?* (It was the weirdest thing, it looked finch-like or even sparrow, but almost completely white.  During our debrief we considered the possibility of it being a McKay's or Snow Bunting, but quickly dismissed that because their not around here, especially in the summer months.  Later we would reconsider this.  Also, months later a report to OBOL said someone else saw this bird in the same place.)

Young Barn Swallows

*Lifer

Fort Stevens, South Jetty, Astoria area

A great trip!

• Caspian Terns*
• Brown Pelicans
• Western Gulls
• Brants*
• Canada Geese
• Barn Swallows
• Cliff Swallows*
• Tree Swallows
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Pelagic Cormorants*
• Gadwalls* - male and female
• Song Sparrows
• Brown-Headed Cowbird*
• Great Blue Heron
• American Robin
• Turkey Vultures
• Cedar Waxwing*
• Mourning Doves
• Common Raven
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Northern Flicker
• Rufus Hummingbird
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Bald Eagle
• Osprey
• Nashville Warbler*
• Swainson's Thrush*
• Red-Tailed Hawk

*Lifer

South Jetty, Brown Pelican

Pacific Tree Frog