Finley Wildlife Refuge

This is my second trip to Finley, I love this place, it has everything.  Bodies of water, fields, lots of different kinds of trees, interpretive center (only open on weekends though), driving loops, walking loops AND a barn with an owl in it!  Of course, I didn't see it.  You have to be an owl person to see owls very often and I'm just not an owl person.  I don't even know what it is that makes an owl person. 

Pretty scenery 

A huge swarm of Red-Winged Blackbirds and European Starlings get scared off by a raptor (to left).

They switched directions...

and headed right toward us.  It was pretty surreal.

A Lewis's Woodpecker. A lifer for me!

Northern Flicker.  There were tons of them, I don't think I've ever seen so many in one day.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Here owl, owl, owl....

More pretty scenery 

A board walk through the woods.

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Wondering what I'm doing.

Acorn Woodpecker

Really weird; acorns stored in the holes of the tree.

Lots of Acorn Woodpeckers! (3 here)

At one point we ended up back on a road and saw this in someone's yard.  Heeheehee so weird!

Western Meadowlark

American Kestrel 

Long-Billed Dowitchers

Black Phoebe 

Marsh Wren to left, Savannah Sparrow on right

I just love these, I wanted to take some with me..

Red-Tailed Hawks

One more stalk of the barn, as the sun was going down.  No owls.

An American Kestrel showed up instead.

 Other birds seen:

• Golden and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets
• Fox Sparrow
• Northern Harriers
• Turkey Vulture
• Hutton's Vireo 
• Pied-Billed Grebes
• Great Blue Herons
• Red-Breasted Sapsucker
• Steller's Jay
• Killdeer
• Mallards
• American Robins
• Mourning Doves
• American Goldfinch
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Spotted Towhee
• Oregon Junco

Fern Ridge / Meadowlark Prairie / Finley Refuge

An awesome trip through and through, although the weather couldn't have been more bi-polar.  I always imagine Spring birding to be this very wonderful, picture-esq event.  In reality, Winter birding is much more tolerable.  We experienced frigid temperatures, down pours, sunshine, hail, strange dark/bright skies; all at once at times.  We even saw a fair share of "sucker holes", this is what my cousin calls it when the sky looks stormy and there is one chunk of clear, sunny skies, trying to trick you into thinking nice weather is coming.  Not the case at all.  Despite the weather, the birding was quite excellent. 


Furn Ridge

• Turkey Vultures - my first of the season!
• American Kestrels
• Acorn Woodpecker*
• Northern Flickers
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Canada Geese
• Tree Swallows
• Violet-Green Swallows
• Yellow-Rumped Warbler
• Song Sparrows
• Mallards
• American Coots
• Marsh Wren
• Ringed-Necked Ducks
• Golden-Crowned Sparrow
• American White Pelicans*
• Canvasback - male
• Pied-Billed Grebe
• Bufflehead - male
• Great Blue Heron
• Cackling Geese
• Savannah Sparrow 

*Lifers!

American White Pelicans

Crazy skies

Meadowlark Prairie 

• Green-Winged Teals
• Cinnamon Teal
• Northern Shovelers
• Northern Pintails
• Western Bluebirds
• Northern Harriers
• Great Blue Heron

Finley Refuge

• American Robins
• Northern Flickers
• Tree Swallows
• Violet-Green Swallows
• Great Blue Heron
• Northern Harriers - male and females
• Yellow-Rumped Warbler - male
• Western Meadowlarks
• Common Yellowthroat - male
• Spotted Towhee
• Golden-Crowned Sparrows
• Green-Winged Teals
• Mallards
• Red-Winged Blackbird - male
• Ring-Necked Ducks
• Osprey - my first of the season!
• Cinnamon Teals
• Song Sparrow
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Turkey Vultures
• Belted Kingfisher
• Bewick's Wren
• Greater Yellowlegs
• American Wigeons
• European Starlings
• Sanderlings
• Savannah Sparrows
• Red-Tailed Hawks

Western Meadowlark - male

Common Yellowthroat - male

Osprey

One last drench followed by large hail as we head back to the car.

Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge

• American Wigeons - male and female
• American Coots
• Northern Pintails - male and female
• Ring-Necked Ducks
• Red-Winged Blackbird - call
• Buffleheads - male and female
• Great Blue Herons (one with a bullfrog hanging out of it's mouth!)
• Northern Shovelers
• Hooded Mergansers - male and female
• Mallards - male and female
• Cackling Geese 
• Canada Geese
• Golden-Crowned Sparrows
• Red-Tailed Hawks
• Tundra Swans
• Bald Eagles
• Song Sparrows
• Northern Harriers
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Ruddy Ducks
• Gadwalls
• White-Breasted Nuthatch
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
• American Robin
• Pie-Billed Grebes
• Spotted Towhees
• Marsh Wren
• American Bittern
• Double-Crested Cormorant 

+Nutria

+Raccons

+Coyote

The extremely elusive American Bittern

Young Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagles - drying wings

Tundra Swans

Pouncing coyote!  No kill this time, but , man what a sight...

Tualatin Hills Nature Park

A day I will never forget!  I so wish I had my camera.

• Marsh Wren
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Mourning Doves
• Tree Swallows
• Bewick's Wren
• Spotted Towhee
• Great Blue Heron
• American Robin
• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee*
• Great Horned Owl!!!*
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Lesser Goldfinch

*Lifer

Jackson Bottom Wetland Preserve

Another very influential trip.  This time it was just my cousin and I, so I was really able to pay attention and listen.  I learned a lot that day.

• Rufous Hummingbird*
• White-Crowned Sparrow*
• Golden-Crowned Sparrow*
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Red-Winged Blackbird* - male and female
• Ring-Necked Duck
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Bufflehead - male and female
• House Finch
• American Coot
• Canada Geese
• Common Yellowthroat* - male (what a delight that was to see such an exotic looking, beautiful bird!)
• American Robin - male and female
• Tree Swallows* (there were so many swooping all around us, almost grazing my head at one point.)
• European Starlings* (I learned what a terror these guys are, but couldn't help but to be amused at their weird squishing sounds.)
• Wilson's Snipe*
• Northern Pintail*
• Marsh Wren*
• Great Blue Heron
• Double-Crested Cormorant

*Lifer 

Marsh Wren nest