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

Knoll Center Wetlands Park

• Northern Shovelers - male and female
• Mallards - male and female
• Northern Flicker - male
• European Starlings 
• American Crow
• Belted Kingfisher - female
• Song Sparrow
• Red-Winged Blackbird - call
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
• Green-Winged Teals - male and female
• Oregon Juncos
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Canada Geese

Northern Flicker - male

Northern Shoveler - male

Broughton Beach

Rumor around Portland has been that a flock of Horned Larks have been hanging around Fire Station 18 with the Snow Bunting and across the street at Broughton Beach on Marine Drive.  Sure enough, the first thing I see is a group of Horned Larks foraging on the ground.  Yay for a lifer!

• Horned Larks*
• Horned Grebe
• Double-Crested Cormorants
• Canada Geese
• Gulls
• Western Grebe
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Sandhill Cranes
• American Kestrel 

*Lifer!

Horned Lark

Horned Grebe

Western Grebe

Various glass and crud washed up on the beach

Including an old Pepsi bottle chunk

And hey, a feather!

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve

The original plan was to go to Furnhill, but the morning news reported that overnight two motorists got stranded in the flood waters and had to be rescued.  We found out the whole area flooded over and the roads had been closed since Friday.  Luckily, Jackson Bottom wasn't too flooded. 

• Pine Siskins* - male and female
• Oregon Juncos - male and female
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Mourning Doves
• Golden-Crowned Sparrows
• American Coots
• Bald Eagles
• Gadwall - male
• Northern Shovelers
• Ruddy Ducks
• Belted Kingfisher - male (I don't think I've ever even seen a male, it's almost always the female out and about)
• American Crows
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch
• Green-Winged Teal - male
• Northern Pintails - males
• Pie-Billed Grebe
• Great Blue Heron
• Mallards
• Norther Harrier - female
• Spotted Towhee
• Anna's Hummingbird - male
• Canada Geese
• Bufflehead - male

+Chipmunk

*Lifer!

Kingfisher Marsh
(No one is getting over there anytime soon!)

Lots of flooding

Beaverton Creek Wetlands Park

• Red-Winged Blackbirds - male
• Great Blue Heron (he must live there because I see him almost every time)
• Buffleheads - male and female
• Ring-Necked Ducks - males
• American Robin
• Song Sparrows
• Canada Geese
• Mallards - male and female

Red-Winged Blackbird - male

Lots of flooding!

Beaverton Creek Wetlands Park

• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Various Gull
• Mallards - male and female
• Buffleheads - male and female
• Canada Geese
• Song Sparrows
• Northern Flicker
• European Starlings
• Great Blue Heron
• American Robins - male and female
• Common Merganser - female

+Nutria

Buffleheads - female

The Good Ol', often ignored, American Robin :)

Backyard Birds

A young, male Anna's Hummingbird - perched in a tree outside my window.

Fanno Creek Trail

Another place I hadn't been to in quite some time.

• Mallards
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglets
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Spotted Towhee
• Song Sparrow
• American Crow
• Various Gull
• Northern Flicker

Douglas Squirrel... I just want to squeeze it!

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...

Smith and Bybee Lakes Wildlife Area

We were so excited about the two uncommon lifers, that we took it as an omen to keep birding.  We headed over to Smith and Bybee, a place I hadn't been since my first birding trip, just over a year ago.

• Oregon Juncos
• Rock Doves
• Canada Geese
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Band-Tailed Pigeon
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Belted Kingfisher - call
• American Robin
• Bald Eagles
• Brown Creepers
• Bushtits
• American Crows
• Northern Shovelers - males and females
• Hooded Merganser - female
• Gadwalls 
• Bewick's Wren
• Hermit Thrush
• Spotted Towhee
• Golden-Crowned Kinglets
• American Wigeon
• Ruddy Ducks - male and female
• Pied-Billed Grebe
• Bank Swallows*
• Canvasbacks*
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

*More lifers!

Fire Station 18 - Marine Drive (near PDX)

Not a place to go birding, but we had heard a Snow Bunting had been hanging around there, so we had to go check it out, obviously.  Check out Elvira's post for the details of the trip.  (Believe me, you will NOT be disappointed!)

• Red-Shouldered Hawk* (we happened upon this out of pure luck because I missed the turn for the fire station.  It was perched on the fence by the road.  So cool!)
• Song Sparrows
• Great Blue Heron
• Killdeer - pair
• Snow Bunting*
• European Starlings
• Various Gulls

*Lifers! (Two lifers in less than an hour!)

Snow Bunting!
 I was so happy to be able to see this bird, let alone get a photo of it, even if the photo is sub-par)

After this we were so reved up, my cousin and I went to Delta Park, where an Acorn Woodpecker has been known the frequent.  No Acorn, but we did see:

• Northern Flicker - male
• Mallards - male and female
• Western Scrub-Jay

But the day wasn't over there...

Beaverton Creek Wetlands Park

• Mallards - males and females
• Great Egret
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Song Sparrow - call
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Buffleheads - male and female
• Oregon Juncos
• Northern Shovelers - females

Furnhill Wetlands Nature Trail

• American Coots
• Brewer's Blackbirds
• Various Gulls
• Western Gulls
• European Starlings
• Red-Winged Blackbirds - males and females
• Mallards
• Canada Geese
• Northern Shovelers - male and female
• Common Mergansers
• Cackling Geese
• American Kestrels - male and female
• Mourning Dove
• Ruddy Ducks* - male and female
• Buffleheads
• Northern Pintails - male and female
• Green-Winged Teal - male and female
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Oregon Junco
• Gadwall
• Domesticated water fowl
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Bald Eagles
• Great Blue Heron
• Northern Harrier
• Song Sparrow
• Ring-Necked Duck - male
• Bushtits
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• American Robin
• Northern Flicker
• Golden-Crowned Sparrow
• White-Crowned Sparrow
• Purple Finches - male and female
• Horned Grebe
• Glaucous-Winged Gull - juvenile

*Lifer!

Bald Eagle pair

Canada Geese

Juvenile Gull

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

Christmas Bird Count with the Audubon Society of Portland.

• American Crow
• Downy Woodpecker
• Canada Geese
• Mallards - male and female
• Northern Pintails
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• Cackling Geese
• Ring-Necked Ducks
• American Wigeons
• Golden-Crowned Kinglets
• Anna's Hummingbirds
• White-Breasted Nuthatch - call
• Black-Capped Chickadee
• House Finch 
• Oregon Junco - call
• Song Sparrows
• Great Blue Heron
• Cooper's Hawk
• Bufflehead - female
• Wood Ducks - male and female
• Northern Shovelers
• Gadwall
• Green-Winged Teal
• Brown Creeper
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Varied Thrush
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Northern Flicker
• Common Merganser
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Belted Kingfisher
• Lesser Goldfinch
• American Goldfinch

Downy Woodpecker

frosty spiderwebs 

Scappoose

My parents house:

• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Varied Thrush
• Red-Breasted Nuthatch
• Brown Creeper
• Oregon Juncos (That were freakishly larger than any I've ever seen.  The ones I see are not much bigger than chickadees.  These were closer to the size of a towhee!)
• Anna's Hummingbird

Multnomah Channel - Scappoose Dike:

• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Canada Geese
• Red-Winged Blackbird - male
• Purple Finches - males and females
• Sandhill Cranes
• American Robin
• House Sparrows
• Downy Woodpecker
• Bald Eagle
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Common Merganser
• Pileated Woodpecker - call
• Great Blue Heron
• Northern Harrier
• American Kestrel
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Western Gull

Purple Finches - male and female

Western Scrub-Jay

Commonwealth Lake Park

• Common Merganser
• Mallards
• Canada Geese
• Western Gull
• American Wigeons
• Bufflehead
• Hooded Merganser - female
• American Coots
• Pied-Billed Grebe
• Greater White-Fronted Geese
• American Crow
• Bushtits
• Domesticated Waterfowl
• Great Blue Heron
• American Robin
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Red-Winged Blackbird
• House Finches
• Belted Kingfisher - female
• Song Sparrow
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Mourning Dove
• Golden-Crowned Sparrow

American Wigeon - male

American Wigeon - female

Goose

Belted Kingfisher - female

Mallard - female

Mallard - male

Mallard searching for food

Common Merganser - female

Hood River/ Sandy River/ Columbia River Gorge

A very Awesome day long trip, smashing my 'highest number of species in one day' record.

• Canada Geese
• Western Grebe
• Ring-Necked Ducks
• Common Goldeneyes*
• Greater White-Fronted Goose*
• Western Gulls
• Hooded Mergansers
• Bald Eagle
• Pie-Billed Grebe
• Buffleheads
• Great Blue Herons
• Oregon Junco
• Yellow-Rumped Warbler
• Horned Grebe
• Song Sparrow
• American Coot
• Lesser Scaup
• American Crow
• Varied Thrush
• Western Scrub-Jay
• Downy Woodpeckers
• European Starlings
• Spotted Towhee
• Northern Flicker
• Pileated Woodpeckers
• American Wigeon
• Double-Crested Cormorant
• Red-Tailed Hawk
• Common Raven
• Mallards
• Black-Capped Chickadees
• Ruby-Crowned Kinglets
• American Kestrel
• Western Meadowlark*
• Golden-Crowned Sparrow
• Northern Harrier

*Lifers!

Pileated Woodpecker

Western Grebe
(It was so cold that my camera couldn't even focus!)

Mt. Hood

Hood River