Ocean Shores, WA

Boy what a trip...  It took a bit longer than we expected, but the delays made us miss the down pours but not the birds! =D

• American Robins
• Western Gulls
• Surf Scoters
• Red-Breasted Mergansers
• Buffleheads
• Common Loon
• Snowy Owls* - it seemed to know we had a rough day and decided to come to us instead of making us find it :)
• Bald Eagle - and juvenile
• White-Winged Scoters 
• Sanderlings - it was crazy bc the first time we saw them it was a fairly large group and this time it was a single one (at first) then a bit later it was a group of thousands!
• Black Turnstones*
• Common Goldeneye
• Greater Scaups
• Western Sandpipers*
• Horned Grebes
• Northern Harrier
• Western Grebes

*Lifers!

Snowy Owl - female or juvenile?

Black Turnstones

Snowy Owl - not positive if this is the same one or not... it seems like this one has a bit of a widow's peak.

Sanderlings

the Sanderlings took off in waves

thousands of them

Siletz Spit/ Canon Beach

An attempt to catch the Snowy Owl at Siletz Spit.  As we were closing in on the location that it has been reportedly spotted about two weeks before and two weeks before that, a local guy came out of his house, seeing us all geared up to ask if we were birding.  He informed us the Snowy Owl left last week.  We were a bit saddened by that, but the trip was well worth it anyway.  


Since it was a long trip, I'm splitting up what we saw as we traveled.  


Highway 26 Westbound:

• Red-Tailed Hawk
• American Crows
• Mourning Dove
• American Kestrel 
• Northern Flicker
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Mallards
• Buffleheads
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• European Starlings

Canon Beach:

My goodness that place was dead, as far as birds are concerned.  Oh.. actually that would be quite literally too.  We saw less than 10 Western Gulls, no birds on Haystack Rock, that is except 2 dead Cormorants :(.  Although, on the other side of the rock were several male and female Black Scoters and near the parking lot, a few House Sparrows.

Black Scoters - males and female

Western Gull.... I'm pretty sure.  Gulls are a bit difficult to I.D. sometimes. 

Along Highway 101 Southbound:

• Bufflehead
• Pied-Billed Grebe
• Horned Grebe
• Red-Winged Black Bird
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Less Scaups - males
• Ring-Necked Ducks
• Common Loon*
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• "Dusky" Canada Geese*
• Common Raven
• Great Egrets
• Great Blue Heron
• American Robin
• Brewer's Blackbirds

Siletz Spit:

• American Crows
• Kingfisher - male
• Golden-Crowned Sparrows
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Buffleheads
• Spotted Towhees
• Northern Pintails
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Song Sparrow
• American Robins
• Golden-Crowned Kinglet
• Yellow-Rumped Warblers
• Bewick's Wren
• Mallards
• Chest-Nut Backed Chickadee
• Northern Flicker
• Gadwalls
• American Coots
• Varied Thrush - male
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Surf Scoters
• Red-Breasted Mergansers
• Common Loon
• European Starlings
• Common Goldeneyes - males and females
• Barrow's Goldeneyes* - males and females
• Semi-Palmated Plovers

+Rabbits

+Harbor Seal

*Lifers!!

Surf Scoter - juvenile male

Red-Breasted Merganser - male

Semipalmated Plovers

Common Loon

Lincoln City/ Depoe Bay/ Newport

The most epic trip to date. 

Places visited
-Josephine Young Memorial Park in Lincoln City 
-Fogarty Creek State Park North of Depoe Bay
-Boiler Bay Viewpoint in Depoe Bay 
-Yaquina Head Bay in Newport

• Great Blue Heron
• Song Sparrows
• Common Raven
• Western Gulls
• American Crows
• Double-Crested Cormorants
• House Sparrows
• Mourning Doves
• Great Egrets
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Golden-Crown Kinglets*
• Surf Scoters - male and female 
• Black Oystercatchers
• Brown Pelicans
• Pelagic Cormorants
• Brandt's Cormorants
• Savannah Sparrow*
• Belted Kingfisher
• American Wigeons*
• Western Grebe*
• Common Murre
• Western Sandpipers*
• Black Scoter
• European Starlings
• Semipalmated Plovers*

+Grey Whales!


*Lifers!

Great Blue Heron and Great Egret
(Notice the blue heron has a fish.  Watch the progression as he eats it!)

Sudden large bulge in neck. Ha!

Black-Bellied Plover (Winter plumage)

Semipalmated Plover

Black Oystercatchers

Brown Pelican

Surf Scoter - male

Newport

Not a birding trip per say, but I was on the constant lookout.


6.16.11

• Western Gulls
• Barn Swallows
• Great Blue Heron
• Rock Dove
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Brant
• Swainson's Thrush - call
• American Kestrel
• Surf Scoters* - male and female

6.17.11

• Osprey - hoovering and diving
• Great Blue Heron
• Common Murre
• Paligic Cormorants
• Brandt's Cormorant*  (Clearly identifying itself with it's bright blue gular patch glimmering in the sun)
• Song Sparrow
• White-Crowned Sparrow (perched on a fence next to me without me noticing it and startled me when it sang loudly so close to me)
• Western Gull and juvenile
• Barn Swallows
• Turkey Vultures (close enough to see their red heads)
• House Sparrows - male and female

6.18.11

• Barn Swallows
• Tree Swallows
• Yellow Warbler* - male
• Surf Scoter
• Black Scoter* 

6.19.11

• Gull - chick
• Common Murre
• Black Oystercatcher
• Western Gulls
• Glaucous-Winged Gull*
• Paligic Cormorant
• Brandt's Cormorant
• Song Sparrow
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Turkey Vulture

*Lifer

Low tide at Cobble Beach

Yaquina Lighthouse - lots of huge rocks here, filled with Common Murre, Gulls, and various Cormorant.

Sometimes there's even Harbor Seals!