Sauvie Island - Part two

All the Sparrows got us excited to see more, so it was off to explore the island.

Lots of pairs of American Robins. Love them.

Tundra Swans

Spotted Towhee.  Very curious of Jeff.

Neat little nest.

Golden-Crowned Sparrow

This one came right up to me. :D

While looking at a Chipping Sparrow and wondering where the Harris's Sparrow might be, I turned to my right, to see him looking right at me, closer than ever!  

Harris's Sparrow - Notice quite different than the Harris's in the last post - I think this one is an older juvenile, or maybe an adult.

Female Red-Winged Blackbird

Sandhill Cranes

White-Crowned Sparrow

A fun sequence of a Golden-Crowned Sparrow picking at the Pussy Willow Tree.

Sauvie Island - Part one - More than one Harris's Sparrow

The day started out at my Grandparents-in-law, a happy birthday visit to Grandpa.  Turns out, the birding there cannot be beat.  

This is their back yard.

Oregon Junco and White-Crowned Sparrow

Male Anna's Hummingbird

Female Red-Winged Blackbirds (the first ones I've seen this year!) and Golden-Crowned Sparrow.

Harris's Sparrow

The small, whitish ball toward the middle is him.

He was also seen getting seed from these feeders.

Harris's Sparrow with Red-Winged Blackbirds

The seed that attracted this Harris's Sparrow.

Harris's Sparrow

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.

The Gorge

11.25.12
Early B-day gift for me!  I had been to the Gorge birding one other time, visiting different places.  It was about a year ago, and like then, it was super chilly.

• Red-Tailed Hawks
• Great Egrets
• Bufflehead - male - first of the season!
• Northern Flickers

Rowena Crest

• Oregon Juncos
• Common Ravens
• Bald Eagles + juveniles 

(We also saw 5 Black-Tailed deer!)

Juvenile Bald Eagles

Tom McCall Nature Preserve (across the street from Rowena Crest)

• Northern Flicker
• Western Scrub-Jays
• American Robins
• Steller's Jays
• Mallards
• Purple Finches
• Red-Winged Blackbirds - male
• Song Sparrows
• Varied Thrush

Excellent views

Confusing with no sky, only water.

Hope shining through the distant clouds.  It was a cold first half of birding.

An American Robin among all the Red-Winged Blackbirds.

Across the river, on the Washington side, we tried for Horsetheif Butte, but it was closed for the season.  Must try again after April...

Chamberlain Lake

• American Kestrels
• Double-Crested Comorants + juveniles
• Mountain Chickadees - These, and the next 4 species were seen at the rest stop, who knew?  Granted it was a nice rest stop... :)
• White-Breasted Nuthatches
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
• Canada Geese
• Red-Tailed Hawk

Rowland Lake 

• Golden-Crowned Kinglet
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Golden-Crowned Sparrows
• Spotted Towhee
• Western Scrub-Jays

We stared at this rock for a long time, thinking it was where an Acorn Woodpecker has been spotted.  Turns out it was the wrong spot.  Do'h!  Pretty area though.

Shorebirds at Fernhill Wetlands

Birding this time of year can get sorta tricky, what with the juveniles at various stages of development and late migrating birds and whatnot.  Throw shorebirds into the mix and then we really have a problem.  


A recent trip to Fernhill nearly had me running for the nearest exit, overwhelmed with so many similar looking shorbirds. Checking my book for current ranges wasn't going to solve this problem. In this strange sort of area, that is the Willamette Valley, where weather conditions vary, and the rules of the birds tend to bend quite a bit, makes it rather difficult, but I found that it IS common to see birds I wouldn't normally expect.


The main issue of the trip was the Dowitchers.  At first glance, I didn't know what to think.  A passerby said they were most likely Long-billed Dowitchers.  I had seen Short-billed there before, but questions still remained.  I hung around for a long period of time, taking pictures and did a full scale investigation when I got home.  (Oh yeah, and don't be fooled by the names "short-billed" and long-billed", there is only a slight difference in the length of only the female long-billed.)


Here's what I found.

At first glance, this Dowitcher could be anything, as far as I was concerned.

This is the same Dowitcher, notice the black and white tail feathers - more white than black.  Next, check out the breast - it's slightly rufous and fades to white.  These features indicate a Short-billed Dowitcher. (Another distinguishing difference between the two is their calls, which for me, is a lost cause.)  

On this one, the tail feathers are more black than white.  Think of it as a black feather with white stripes and the other as a white feather with black stripes.  Again, check out the breast.  In this case it's evenly rufous from neck to underbelly.  Lastly it has barring on the sides.  This one is a Long-Billed Dowitcher.

Here's a fun mix of shorebirds.  a = Short-Billed Dowitcher. b = Long-Billed Dowitcher. c = Least Sandpiper. d = Western Sandpiper.

I was really surprised to see a Red-Necked Phalarope there!

The only Red-Winged Blackbird I saw there.  A young, splotchy male. 

Young Great Blue Heron

We watched this Osprey dive into the water and catch a catfish! 

Quite a pleasant surprise on the way out of the wetland! :D 

The full list of birds we saw (my dad and I that is):

• Barn Swallows
• Great Blue Herons
• Western Sandpipers
• Least Sandpipers*
• Mallards - females only (Lately I've only been seeing females, but today on the way up the hill to my family's house in Scappoose, I saw 2 male Mallards standing near the road. Also weird because I've never seen any sort of water fowl around there!)
• Canada Geese
• Eurasian Collared Dove
• Killdeer
• Brewer's Blackbirds
• Brown-Headed Cowbirds
• Red-Necked Phalarope
• Osprey
• Tree Swallows
• Red-Winged Blackbird - young male
• Song Sparrows
• American Goldfinches
• Cedar Waxwings
• Green Heron
• Short-Billed Dowitchers
• Long-Billed Dowitchers*
• American Robins
• Bald Eagle
• Norther Harrier

*Lifers!

7.16.12

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