Several years ago I got a brief glance at what I thought might be a pair of Harlequin Duck 300 meters upstream from the confluence of the Tualatin and Willamette Rivers.  A year later, Noah Strycker reported the species a short distance below the spillway of Henry Hagg Lake - the headwaters of the Tualatin River located approximately 83 (river miles) west. 

So, every spring I bird the short quarter-mile path along the eastern edge of the lower Tualatin River in search of the improbable.

This is a report of a few enjoyable morning walks along that path.  Highlights include (what I think) is an under appreciated persistent colony of nesting Cliff Swallow, a perfectly photographable Bushtit nest, and the fact that our dog Remy is becoming a very good bird-watching companion.  

Location of my ghost (Harlequin Duck) sighting:

Bushtit (female): Bushtit (male): I had a hard time understanding how both parents could be in the small nest at the same time: Song Sparrow - one of the most abundant species in Oregon, with not often seen off-spring (get that?)