Green-tailed Towhees
May 23, 2015
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I birded a large open meadow 3 miles west of Black Butte Ranch yesterday afternoon where I hit the jackpot on one of my target species, the Green-tailed Towhee. I also had great looks at a nesting pair of Williamson's Sapsucker, 3 sets of Lewis's Woodpecker that I followed around for over an hour hoping they would lead me to a nest, but they did no...
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Sandy River Delta 9 May 2015
May 10, 2015
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I looked for the Red-eyed Vireo on the Sandy River Delta yesterday morning and initially thought I found it. To my surprise and delight, the park was nearly empty when I arrived at 0630. The walk out to the vireo location was enjoyable with cool temps, no wind, and lots of birds. A Yellow-breasted Chat gave me a nice demonstration of its conspicuou...
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Birding Phoenix in April
April 26, 2015
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I was in Phoenix on business last week, and fortunately I was able to break free for a day and a half to go birding. The map below was prepared before I left Portland to help me develop a sense of the relative location of the top birding hot spots. I drew a circle with a 30 mile radius around the central intersection of 2 freeways (one running nort...
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We Call it the Millican Lek Loop
April 04, 2015
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Sisters to Millican, then back home through Alfalfa
We enjoyed seeing the brief lunar eclipse that occurred this morning on the way to the Millican Lek. I did not have the presence of mind to stop for a photograph because I spent the entire 4-5 minutes of its appearance trying to figure out what was happening rather than just pulling over and snap...
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Nesting Killdeer
March 30, 2015
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Jill and I came across two Killdeer actively excavating a shallow depression on the side of gravel path last Thursday morning while taking our daily walk. It was astonishing to us to find that the Killdeer had selected a site so close to a high-traffic pedestrian path to build their nest. The area is one where dogs often out number people. We check...
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Pine Grosbeak in w. Oregon - just barely
March 06, 2015
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Six female Pine Grosbeak flying high over the Pacific Crest Trail about 3/4 of a mile n. of the trail's intersection with Hwy 20 today was a tantalizing occurrence that kept me scouring the area (unsuccessfully) for several hours this morning with the hope of finding a large flock foraging at eye-level on the bear grass which many others have recen...
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Three Golden Eagle on Carrion in the c. Cascades in Oregon February 2015
February 22, 2015
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Cheron Ferland posted an interesting email to Oregon BIrders Online about trail camera footage of GOLDEN EAGLE on carrion west of the summit of the cascade range east of Eugene, Oregon on February, 21st 2015. It is a remarkable finding in my opinion. Sightings of individual Golden Eagle west of the summit of the Cascades in Oregon are becoming comm...
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Spotted Owl Adventure - Still Alive
February 15, 2015
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A two mile hike today through moderately steep terrain at the 2000 ft elevation level in the cascades has breathed new life into my dream of self-locating a nesting pair of Spotted Owl. A search of approximately 35 acres produced the exciting number of (five) suitable nesting platforms in an area that meets most, if not all, of the known habitat cr...
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A Walk in the Park - Two Common Wren and a New Acquaintance
February 11, 2015
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This afternoon I walked through a section of Cook Park in Tigard, Oregon that I'd not seen before today. I went to the park to look for the Western Screech-Owl that I'd located there last year at about this same time of year, but I decided at the last minute to change directions and explore something new. I am glad I did. I got good looks at two co...
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Black-and-White Warbler, Milwaukie Oregon, January 2015
January 09, 2015
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I watched eBird alerts of this bird come across my desk for a few days before I got off my butt to look for it. What I found from talking with the bird watchers during my nearly 3 hours on site was that most were unaware of OBOL.
I was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of one gentlemen who'd told me that he'd been watching birds for the better...
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Canby Park Mandarin Duck & Black Phoebe
December 30, 2014
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The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America lists Mandarin Duck as Exotic Waterfowl, and as such, they are considered escapees from zoos or private collections even if they are found free-flying. Meaning you won't find them on the official checklist of North American Birds. In my opinion, they're worth chasing nonetheless. So this morn...
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Osprey - Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden 24 Dec 2014
December 25, 2014
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I took a short walk through the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in sw Portland yesterday afternoon and found a single scrawny looking Osprey hunting over the lake. My theory is that the high running rivers are making it difficult for it to find prey. I was encouraged, however, by the successful foraging activity of a nearby Belted Kingfisher, a...
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The Energizer Goose
December 01, 2014
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The TUNDRA BEAN GOOSE continues to strut its stuff at the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge a full three weeks after being discovered there Sunday, November 9, 2014 by resident volunteer Lee Sliman.
When I arrived at the refuge yesterday morning around 8:00 am, I found several people already there looking through scopes trying to stay on the t...
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An Outstanding Morning on Mary's Peak - 26 Nov 2014
November 27, 2014
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I arrived at the parking lot at 0645 then walked to the summit to wait for sunrise. The winds seemed to be stronger than the forecasted 25-35 mph when I got out of the car - but since there was no one else in the parking lot, I was more excited about the possibility of having the top of the peak to myself to photograph an unusual species or two tha...
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Marine Drive American Tree Sparrow and Three Short-eared Owl
November 24, 2014
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I am glad that I checked OBOL this morning and then played hookey after reading Jen Sanford's account of a tame American Tree Sparrow foraging near the Sea Scout Base off Marine Drive. It is not often that I am able to enjoy close unobstructed views of a life bird - so this was a real treat. The icing on the cake was the three Short-eared Owls, at...
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