On Saturday, I headed out of the house to look for a new local patch to watch birds.  I ended up pulling into an old estate with a 13 acre English garden located a short distance off Highway 43 between Lake Oswego and Portland, Oregon. The estate and garden, along with an endowment for its maintenance were donated to the Episcopal Bishop of Oregon in 1957 on the condition the garden remain open to public. ^[1] 

With such a small footprint and manicured grounds I don't expect this patch to yield much variety in species, although one can always hope. Having said that, I still plan to visit this tranquil setting from time-to-time to watch birds and simultaneously soak up the beautiful surroundings. 

Species observed include: STELLER'S JAY, WESTERN SCRUB JAY, AMERICAN ROBIN, SONG SPARROW, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, RED-TAILED HAWK, DARK-EYED JUNCO, BEWICK'S WREN, PACIFIC WREN, NORTHERN FLICKER, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD, AMERICAN CROW, and BUSHTIT.

Below are a few pictures of the grounds of the estate, followed by my favorite images of birds captured on this visit:

Golden-crowned Kinglet - my first opportunity to find this species coming to water:

Steller's Jay:

Chestnut-backed Chickadee:

Bewick's Wren:

An interactive map of the area - click on the "A" for driving directions to the location:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_Rock_Gardens_of_the_Bishop's_Close