Commonwealth Lake Park

11.26.12
My grandma was in town and Commonwealth Park was the perfect place to spend time together, along with my dad, and see lots of cool birds. :D

The start of Commonwealth Lake Park

American Wigeon

American Coot (Cracks me up to see them out of the water!)

Cackling Geese

A Golden-Crowned Sparrow trying to blend into the rocks, it seems.

Common Merganser - female

Lots and lots of American Wigeons! Female left, male right.

Odd domesticated goose of sorts.

Greater White-Fronted Geese

Great Blue Heron coming in for the landing.

I thought this was cute.  I assume it's another domesticated duck (Commonwealth has several that are always there) buddied up with a Mallard.  Such a sweet, unlikely couple! 

Great Egret

When I first saw this grey-ish and white little bird, I almost panicked.  I didn't recognize it at all...

Then I saw the bit of yellow near the armpit (scientific term ;) and rump.  Female Yellow-Rumped Warbler, but what still got me was the total lack of yellow on the throat, which lead me to cross reference with whatbird.com and I concluded it must be a Myrtle's Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

Other birds we saw:

• Red-Tailed Hawks
• House Sparrows
• Buffleheads
• Double-Crested Cormorants
• Pied-Billed Grebe
• Hooded Mergansers
• Gadwalls
• Northern Flicker
• Bushtits
• Western Scrub-Jay
• House Finches - including an orange variant!  I've never seen that before!
• American Goldfinches

Memorial Weekend: part 2.5 back to Furnhill

Furnhill Wetlands 5.28.12 continued.
Birder's code is strict but fair.  We had seen a new species that my cousin, Rush, had not.  We had to get him that bird.  My count was 63 species for the long weekend.  Was going to another location, particularly one I had already recently visited, going to add 7 more?  It didn't really matter and I was down for the trip either way.

• Tree Swallows
• Brewer's Blackbirds
• Purple Finches
• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• American Coot
• Great Blue Herons
• Mallards
• American goldfinches
• Brown-Headed Cowbirds
• Gadwalls
• American Robin
• Song Sparrows - I kid you not, one was singing, "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" in a raspy, Chestnut-Backed Chickadee voice.  We were convinced it was a chickadee, until it popped out of the tree, continuing to sing.
• Common Yellowthroats
• Canada Geese
• Bald Eagle
• Turkey Vultures
• Barn Swallows
• Cedar Waxwings - By now just about everything we had seen so far, we had just seen at Jackson Bottom.  We were getting worried. Finally, we got to the mucky, swampy grass area where we saw the Virginia Rail.  The entire area had been weed-wacked!  We tried playing the mating call to see if it was still hiding somewhere.  Nothing.  I suggested we continue, because it could still be somewhere else.  An older lady was coming down the path, my cousin made an off hand comment that she looked like she knew her Virginia Rails.  We asked what she has seen and she responded with V.R.s!  She told us where to find it up ahead.
• Virginia Rail - Now that we had seen it, we started to see a lot of different things we hadn't seen in a long time.
• Marsh Wren
• Western Grebe
• Killdeer
• Northern Shovelers
• Greater White-Fronted Geese
• Northern Pintails
• European Starlings
• Green Heron - Komito was spotting crazy birds all over the place that Rush and I didn't see right away.  One being California Quails, that I completely missed :(
• Yellow Warblers
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Eurasian Collared Dove
• Wilson's Warbler - male
• Hutton's Vireo*
• Savannah Sparrow
• Lazuli Bunting - male
• Anna's Hummingbird - female
• Lesser Goldfinches
• Cinnamon Teal - male
• Mourning Dove

The sun was setting and we managed to spend the entire day birding.  That's my kind of holiday weekend!  While I was in the restroom, the boys saw a Belted Kingfisher, but that's ok, because my Memorial Weekend Grand Total: 70 species! I just barely made my goal! 
*Lifer!

Female Mallard being chased by domestic duck (not pictured).

Geese family with "teens"

Virginia Rail

handsome domestic duck

Bullfrog (for sure this time!)

Tree Swallow - ham for the camera

Cedar Waxwing

Memorial Weekend: part 2 - Jackson Bottom

Jackson Bottom
5.28.12
Me, Rush, Komito 


Initially the plan was to go to Ridgefield to try to see the Blue-Winged Teal that has been spotted there before, plus whatever other cool things happen to show up, Ridgefield never disappoints, however, Rush popped on OBOL before leaving and found that several of the teals have been seen at Jackson Bottom, and so it was, we went where the teals went.

• American Robins
• House Finch
• Cedar Waxwings
• Yellow Warblers
• Purple Finches
• Bushtit
• American Goldfinches
• Spotted Towhee
• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Warbling Vireo*
• Canada Geese
• Tree Swallows
• Mourning Dove
• Ring-Necked Pheasants - that was a surprise!
• Northern Flicker - male
• Great Blue Herons
• Mallards + 8 ducklings
• Northern Shovelers
• Cinnamon Teals
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Pine Siskins
• Turkey Vultures
• House Sparrow
• Barn Swallows
• Killdeer(s)
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Yellow-Headed Blackbird - male
• Gadwalls
• Cliff Swallow
• American Crow
• Hooded Mergansers - female + 6 young 
• Common Yellowthroats - male and female
• Ospreys 
• Western Wood-pewee
• Song Sparrows
• American Bitterns - what a treat!
• Savannah Sparrows
• Blue-Winged Teals* -yay!
• Marsh Wrens
• Black-Headed Grosbeak - male
• Northern Pintail

*Lifers!!

Well, it was a great trip, but we couldn't stop there.  After a quick lunch, it was time to get Rush that Virginia Rail we saw Saturday.

Cedar Waxwings

Mourning Dove

Male Northern Flicker

tiny, tiny mushroom

Male and Female Tree Swallow

Mallard and ducklings traveling through the mucky-muck.

American Bittern

Female Common Yellowthroat

The Goal: 60 Species in 2 Days

Day 2

Canon Beach

5.19.12

My cousin, husband, brother (I just love getting new people involved in birding!) and I.

• House Sparrows
• Barn Swallows
• Western Gulls 
• Bald Eagle
• Pelagic cormorants
• Surf Scoters
• Common Murre
• Pigeon Guillemot*
• Brant's Cormorant
• Harlequin Ducks - males
• Tufted Puffins
• Tree Swallow
• Violet-Green Swallows
• American Crow

58 species (8 new species at Haystack Rock)

Well, we needed 60 species to meet the goal, and not only that, but we've only just begun birding for the day, we needed to hit up at least one other spot.

Harlequin Ducks (on the rocks)

Gull of sorts

Unlike the last trip to Haystack Rock, the place was swarming with birds.

Cannon Beach Settling Ponds (One of those waste water treatment centers.. I wasn't expecting a lot out of it, but I was in for a surprise!)

• Red-Necked Phalaropes* - a lifer, right off the bat!  The place was looking good!
• Mallards + 2 duckling sets
• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• Spotted Sandpipers
• Yellow Warblers - Lots of them! 
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Barn Swallows
• Violet-Green Swallows
• Song Sparrows
• American Robins
• Brown-Headed Cowbirds
• Steller's Jay
• Wilson's Warbler
• Wood Ducks
• Common Raven
• Eurasian Collared Doves

Add 6 more species to the list..

Grand total:

64 Species!  We made our goal, and with 4 lifers!!!

*Lifers!

Red-Necked Phalaropes

Spotted Sandpiper

Red-Winged Blackbird

Mallard - female with curious ducklings <3

Song Sparrow

Male Mallard in floating algae water

American Crow

Yellow Warbler - male

Wilson's Warbler - male

Red-Necked Phalarope

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...

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? ;)

Beaverton Creek Nature Trail

01.29.12

• Buffleheads
• Mallards
• Northern Shovelers
• Ring-Necked Ducks
• American Coots
• Great Blue Herons
• Gadwalls
• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• Song Sparrow
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Northern Flicker
• Yellow-Rumped Warblers
• Canada Geese

01.30.12

• Mallards
• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• Northern Shovelers
• Buffleheads
• Killdeer
• Canada Geese
• American Robin

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

Beaverton Creek Wetlands Park

• Red-Winged Blackbirds - male
• Great Blue Heron (he must live there because I see him almost every time)
• Buffleheads - male and female
• Ring-Necked Ducks - males
• American Robin
• Song Sparrows
• Canada Geese
• Mallards - male and female

Red-Winged Blackbird - male

Lots of flooding!