Sauvie Island

1.19.13

First birding of 2013!  I know, so late..  Last year I started the morning of Jan. 1st.
Well my first for the year did not disappoint.  Jeff and I went, hoping to see a White-Throated Sparrow, which he hadn't seen before, and maybe some other sparrows, such as the Harris's Sparrow.

First we stopped at Jeff's grandparent's house (who happen to live on Sauvie Island).  While we were visiting, I was ASTONISHED  to see a Harris's Sparrow among all the Golden-Crowned and White-Crowned Sparrows, feeding on the seed they laid out on a stump.

Every time I hear about the Harris's Sparrow on Sauvie Island, it seems like people are referring to just one.  Last year when I went to look for the Harris's a few times, I ended up with two photos of it on two different days.  I was certain it was two different ones.  
See for yourself.

Of course, we saw another Harris's Sparrow on Rentenaar Rd., proving once and for all (if not to others, at least to me :)) that there is multiple Harris's.  I'm starting to think maybe they are scattered around the island.  Jeff's Grandparent's house is about 12.6 miles away from Rentenaar Rd.  Anyway, these kinds of things interest me... :)

My oh my, it was a foggy day!  It only got worse as the day went on.

Several Northern Pintails, lots of Mallards and a Northern Shoveler or two. Gadwalls and American Wigeons not pictured (probably).

Of course, we have the iconic Red-Tailed Hawk perched in precarious branch.

Freezing fog = iced plants

Northern Harrier flies away.

Snow Goose.  The only one we saw.  Usually you'd see thousands of them, but it was way too foggy for that.  This dingy goose was a renegade from the flock.

I love this photo, even though the Song Sparrow is so out of focus.  He looks so sneaky! :)  Or is that another Lincoln's Sparrow?  It really is a sneak!

And there he goes.

I love Ruby-Crowned Kinglets!  I've never gotten a photo where you can even tell what it is, so for me, this is big. :)

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet.  AND you can see the crown!  Barely, but it's there!  Also, I like the middle photo, capturing it's usual quick movements that make it nearly invisible in all my photos.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (male)

Lincoln's Sparrow*

 *Lifer!  First lifer of the year ~ the Lincoln's Sparrow.

Singing Lincoln's Sparrow.

Ok, so here we are, half way down Rentenaar Rd. where the group of Sparrows eat sprinkled seed.

White-Throated Sparrow

1. White-Throated Sparrows 2.White-Crowned Sparrow 3.Song Sparrow

1.White-Throated Sparrow 2.Golden-Crowned Sparrow

1.White-Throated Sparrow 2.Golden-Crowned Sparrow

Birds not pictured or mentioned:

• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Oregon Juncos
• Anna's Hummingbirds
• Sandhill Crane - another bird that you would normally see tons of, but since it was so foggy, we heard many, but only saw a single one fly by at one point.
• Canada Geese
• Bewick's Wren
• American Crows
• Red-Winged Blackbirds - only by audio
• Double-Crested Cormorants
• American Robin
• Cackling Geese
• Orange-Crowned Warbler
• Western Scrub-Jays
• Belted Kingfisher - positioned in such a way that I couldn't see if it was male or female.
• American Coots - despite all the hunters on this foggy morn. 
• American Kestrels
• Killdeer
• American Bittern!  - Right next to the road, within 5 feet of it, by accident we flushed it out.  Both the Bittern and I were surprised.  Jeff slightly less.
• Spotted Towhees
• Fox Sparrows
• Northern Flickers
• European Starlings - boo
• Great Blue Heron - by audio only - it was pissed about something!

Broughton Beach

11.27.12

After already going to Broughton Beach a previous day and getting the sought after birds, my cousin was kind enough to take me back there with him, to get said birds.  So nice of him! 

Red-Tailed Hawk

Western Meadowlark - the only one, a pleasant surprise. 

After so many Scaup, the Common Goldeneyes stood out to us like crazy! (Pictured about center)

This American Kestrel was hoovering quite close to us.

A fraction of the hundreds and hundreds of Scaup out on the river that day.

 After 4 hours of scoping the distance birds, and walking the beach (I'd say at least 2 miles), we finally saw the Tufted Duck* among the ridiculous amount of Greater and Lesser Scaup.  By then I was so excited to see it, I forgot to try to take a picture of it!!!  I'm sure it would've sucked anyway, it was so far away.

Probably the same Red-Tailed Hawk from before.

A nice view of Mt. Hood.

We also saw:

• Double-Crested Cormorant
• American Pipits*
• Great Blue Heron
• Red-Breasted Merganser - female
• Horned Grebe
• Ring-Necked Duck

*Lifers!!!

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

Powell Butte

My first visit at Powell Butte.  The main entrance was closed for maintenance, I believe, but once we found the other entrance, it was quite the place.

• Spotted Towhee
• American Robins
• Song Sparrows
• Oregon Junco
• Cedar Waxwing
• Northern Flicker
• Western Scrub-Jay - young one
• Savannah Sparrow
• Violet-Green Swallow
• Lazuli Buntings
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• Common Yellowthroat
• Vaux's Swifts
• Barn Swallow
• American Kestrel
• Olive-Sided Flycatcher*
• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee
• Brown Creeper
• Steller's Jay
• Red-Breasted Sapsucker
• Red-Tailed Hawks

*Lifer!

Red-Tailed Hawk