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.

Sauvie Island

Back to Sauvie Island to get my cousin the Harris's Sparrow and try to trick my best friend into becoming a birder... It didn't take, but we all had fun anyway. :)

Classic Song Sparrow.

Spotted Towhee

Snow Geese.  Creative control goes to my buddy, his request, for pointing them out. Ha!

Golden-Crowned Sparrow

I think this one is has animatronic eyelids...

Fox Sparrow

And...
Redhead - A Lifer! 

Cooper Mountain like I've never seen it - instagram style! :)

The first time I've been to Cooper Mountain not in the evening.  
Who:  My brother and Dad
6.21.12

• White-Crowned Sparrows
• Barn Swallows Cedar Waxwings
• Spotted Towhees
• Black-Throated Gray Warblers!* Finally!
• Oregon Juncos
• Song Sparrows
• American Crows
• Lesser Goldfinches
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Bewick's Wren
• Black-Headed Grosbeak - male
• Turkey Vulture
• Cliff Swallows
• Violet-Green Swallows
• Western Woodpewee
• Orange-Crowned Warbler
• Anna's Hummingbird - felmale

*Lifer!

Practicing my "psshhhttt" sounds, I scared off this Song Sparrow, but then he decided he liked me after all and came back. :)

Another bigfoot-esq quality shot of a lifer - Black-Throated Grey Warbler.

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

Scappoose Dike

• Red-Winged Blackbirds
• Canada Geese
• Mallards
• Gadwalls
• Northern Pintail
• Song Sparrows
• American Robins 
• Great Egret 
• Great Blue Herons
• Double-Crested Cormorants - including juveniles
• House Finches
• American Coots
• Northern Harrier
• Green-Winged Teals

Fanno Creek / Knoll Wetlands

• Mallards
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Song Sparrows
• Northern Shoveler - female
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Western Scrub-Jay
• American Goldfinch
• American Crows
• Cooper's Hawk
• European Starling
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
• Northern Flickers
• Spotted Towhee
• Red-Winged Blackbirds - males and females
• Canada Geese
• Green-Winged Teals
• American Wigeons
• Killdeers
• Gadwalls
• Bewick's Wren

Cooper's Hawk

Killdeer

Red-Winged Blackbird - female
(pretty sure... we had a hell of a time with it.  I think it was reddish from the setting sun.  So weird.)

Scappoose

This trip to Scappoose was supposed to be a birding trip to Columbia Botanical Gardens and Dalton Lake, which is between St. Helens and Columbia City.  We failed to find the birding areas of the garden, and instead skirted the opposite end of it which was filled with no trespassing signs.  We also happened across a really cool house for sale with an awesome view of the river and Sand Island. So we hung out there for a bit and enjoyed the view, then it was off to Walmart, because what's a trip to St. Helens without stopping at Walmart? Hahaha.... :)  

But anyway, at almost any given visit to my parent's house in Scappoose is a birding experience.  Here's what I saw there:

• Oregon Juncos
• Pine Siskins
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch
• Spotted Towhee
• Steller's Jays
• Bald Eagle
• Red-Tailed Hawks
• Song Sparrow
• American Robin
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Chestnut-Backed Chickadee
• Western Scrub-Jay

Pine Siskin

Beaverton Creek

02.05

• Red-Winged Blackbirds - males
• Buffleheads - males and females
• Mallards - males and females
• Northern Shovelers - males and females
• Ring-Necked Duck - male
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Oregon Juncos
• Song Sparrow
• Red-Tailed Hawk

This Great Egret came out of nowhere!

Red-Winged Blackbird - male

Red-Tailed Hawk

02.09 & 02.10

• Oregon Juncos 
• Anna's Hummingbird - male
• Hooded Mergansers - male and female
• Mallards
• Green-Winged Teal - male
• Northern Shoveler - male
• Buffleheads
• Ringed-Necked Ducks - females
• Great Blue Herons
• Red-Winged Blackbird - call
• Great Egret
• Northern Flicker
• Gadwalls
• American Robin
• Canada Geese

Northern Flicker - female

Song Sparrow