Ridgefield - drive loop

As almost always, once two or more people in a group get a lifer, there's no stopping them.  So we visited Ridgefield on the way back, thankful to be able to sit and bird at that point.  :) 

Red-Breasted Sapsucker

Albino Nutria.... very strange.

Song Sparrow

Coyote 

A beautiful sight to round off the day.

My beloved Great Horned Owl. :)

Black Phoebe 

Golden-Crowned Kinglet

The infamous Pied-Billed Grebe.

A wave good bye from our friend, the Red-Winged Blackbird.

Lincoln City

Josephine Young Memorial Park

• Western Gulls
• Bald Eagles
• Buffleheads - males and females
• Surf Scoters - males
• White-Winged Scoters* - male and female
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Horned Grebe
• Common Goldeneyes
• Red-Breasted Merganser - female
• Common Raven
• Spotted Towhee
• House Sparrow
• Red-Winged Blackbird - call

*Lifer!

Bald Eagles

Not a great photo, but I'm happy to get my first White-Winged Scoter - male
(If you look closely you may be able to see the tip of the white wing, in an even crappier shot, you could see more of it, but it was so blurry)

White-Winged Scoter - female!

Double-Crested Cormorant

Fogarty State Park

• Varied Thrushes - male and female
• American Robins
• Oregon Juncos
• Hermit Thursh
• American Crows
• Black Oystercatchers
• Bald Eagle
• Surf Scoter - male
• Black Scoters - males
• Pelagic Cormorants
• Hairy Woodpeckers*
• Northern Flicker
• Anna's Hummingbird - call

*Lifer!

Varied Thrush

Black Oystercatcher - pair - can you spot them? :)

Handsome Black Oystercatcher

Hairy Woodpecker working away

Boiler Bay

• Western Gulls
• Glaucous-Winged Gull
• Pelagic Cormorant
• American Crows
• Common Loon

East Devil's Lake

• Common Merganser - female
• Common Loon
• Tree Swallow
• Buffleheads - males and females
• Yellow-Rumped Warblers
• Golden-Crowned Kinglets
• Lesser Scaup
• Western Gull - carrying a fish in it's mouth!
• Bald Eagle
• Canada Geese
• Rock Doves - including a rusty plumage variety 

Pacific Loon...?

Along Highway 101

• Brewer's Blackbirds - females
• Common Merganser - female
• American Kestrels
• Western Scrub-Jays
• Red-Tailed Hawks
• American Robins
• Brants

Smith and Bybee Lakes Wildlife Area

We were so excited about the two uncommon lifers, that we took it as an omen to keep birding.  We headed over to Smith and Bybee, a place I hadn't been since my first birding trip, just over a year ago.

• Oregon Juncos
• Rock Doves
• Canada Geese
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Band-Tailed Pigeon
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Belted Kingfisher - call
• American Robin
• Bald Eagles
• Brown Creepers
• Bushtits
• American Crows
• Northern Shovelers - males and females
• Hooded Merganser - female
• Gadwalls 
• Bewick's Wren
• Hermit Thrush
• Spotted Towhee
• Golden-Crowned Kinglets
• American Wigeon
• Ruddy Ducks - male and female
• Pied-Billed Grebe
• Bank Swallows*
• Canvasbacks*
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

*More lifers!

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

Christmas Bird Count with the Audubon Society of Portland.

• American Crow
• Downy Woodpecker
• Canada Geese
• Mallards - male and female
• Northern Pintails
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Cackling Geese
• Ring-Necked Ducks
• American Wigeons
• Golden-Crowned Kinglets
• Anna's Hummingbirds
• White-Breasted Nuthatch - call
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• House Finch 
• Oregon Junco - call
• Song Sparrows
• Great Blue Heron
• Cooper's Hawk
• Bufflehead - female
• Wood Ducks - male and female
• Northern Shovelers
• Gadwall
• Green-Winged Teal
• Brown Creeper
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Varied Thrush
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Northern Flicker
• Common Merganser
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Belted Kingfisher
• Lesser Goldfinch
• American Goldfinch

Downy Woodpecker

frosty spiderwebs 

Scappoose Field

• Oregon Juncos
• Spotted Towhee
• Northern Flicker
• Golden-Crowned Kinglets
• American Crow
• Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird
(A little blurry, but I'll take what I can get!)

Lincoln City/ Depoe Bay/ Newport

The most epic trip to date. 

Places visited
-Josephine Young Memorial Park in Lincoln City 
-Fogarty Creek State Park North of Depoe Bay
-Boiler Bay Viewpoint in Depoe Bay 
-Yaquina Head Bay in Newport

• Great Blue Heron
• Song Sparrows
• Common Raven
• Western Gulls
• American Crows
• Double-Crested Cormorants
• House Sparrows
• Mourning Doves
• Great Egrets
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Golden-Crown Kinglets*
• Surf Scoters - male and female 
• Black Oystercatchers
• Brown Pelicans
• Pelagic Cormorants
• Brandt's Cormorants
• Savannah Sparrow*
• Belted Kingfisher
• American Wigeons*
• Western Grebe*
• Common Murre
• Western Sandpipers*
• Black Scoter
• European Starlings
• Semipalmated Plovers*

+Grey Whales!


*Lifers!

Great Blue Heron and Great Egret
(Notice the blue heron has a fish.  Watch the progression as he eats it!)

Sudden large bulge in neck. Ha!

Black-Bellied Plover (Winter plumage)

Semipalmated Plover

Black Oystercatchers

Brown Pelican

Surf Scoter - male