With our first spring-like day, the Common Garter Snakes have come out in force. On a trip to Sauvie Island I saw lots of Common Garters and a few Northwestern Garters. I wasn’t able to get any good photos of the Northwesterns, but the Commons were pretty cooperative.
More herps should be out and about in the next couple of weeks. That can keep us busy until the spring migrants arrive.
February is generally regarded as one of the slowest months for birding in the Portland area, at least in regard to finding rarities. But there are a lot of birds around to brighten up this dreary month. This Ring-necked Duck was making quite a wake in a pond at Dawson Creek Park.
Tundra Swans are common on Sauvie Island.
Black-crowned Night-Heron lurking in the brush at Koll Center Wetlands
Red-winged Blackbirds are ubiquitous around any wetland in the area, but they are a striking bird.
Another species that tends to be overlooked is American Coot.
The Acorn Woodpeckers at Dawson Creek tend to be perched high and backlit, but this individual came down low for some cracked corn that someone had put out.
Check out the tongue holding the corn kernel.
Despite the recent winter weather, migration should be kicking in at any moment.
Happy winter birding.
If you use eBird, and I hope you do, you will notice that when you report a bird that is unusual for your area, eBird requires you to make a comment. The purpose of this is to provide some documentation to support your sighting, making it more valuable for scientific purposes.
Unfortunately, many comments do not accomplish this. I recently saw a report for a bird that would be extremely rare for my area. The comment read, “singing in my tree.” Similar types of comment include “at the feeder” or “I had just spent 30 minutes in the bathroom so I stepped outside for some fresh air and saw this bird.” None of these really provide any useful information.
If you are going to document a bird, whether for eBird or for a bird records committee, make sure your comments actually describe the bird you saw. Things to include in your description include:
With the advancement of digital photography in the past decade, it seems that everyone is a photographer now. If you can get a good photo of the bird in question, by all means, do so. But birds do not always pose for photos, and the lighting is often bad. So don’t underestimate the value of a crude sketch and some field notes. Even the most basic drawing, surrounded by brief written descriptions, can provide enough support for a solid rare bird report.
A detailed article on taking field notes, based on my article in Birding, is available on my Patreon.
While birding for some species can be hit-or-miss this time of year, winter in the Willamette Valley always provides great numbers and diversity of waterfowl. Here are just a few I have seen recently.
Happy Winter
As winter finally locks in, here is a last look at some autumn colors, starting with this Golden-crowned Sparrow.
As we approach two to three months of dark and dreary weather, remind yourself to get outdoors anyway.
Happy Winter
My annual gull class visited the Coast from Cannon Beach to Gearhart. Stormy weather caused us to postpone the trip by a week. The weather was lovely the day of our trip, but nice weather, combined with the week’s delay, kept our gull total to a modest seven species.
California Gulls are among the most common species on the coast right now.
California Gull in flight, showing the extensive black in the primaries
Herring Gull
Herring Gull coming in for a landing
Short-billed Gulls frequent the Necanicum River Estuary in Gearhart. This bird was stamping their feet in the shallow water to stir up food items.
A stop at the Seaside Cove produced a large flock of Surfbirds.
Just a few Black Turnstones were mixed in with the Surfbirds.
The most unusual bird of the trip was this Long-tailed Duck at the Cannon Beach Settling Ponds. This is a young female, whose dark coloring blended in surprisingly well with the water’s surface.
We didn’t have much time to look for songbirds, but White-crowned Sparrows are always obliging.
Happy Autumn
After a very long dry summer, autumn has finally arrived. While we don’t get the extensive fall colors found in eastern forests, the red Poison Oak highlights the eyes on this Spotted Towhee.
This very ragged Bushtit was found at Wapato Lake NWR, which has finally opened up to birders after a long wait. The refuge will be closed to non-hunters from December-February, but should offer some great birding when it is open.
American Pipits are common migrants this time of year on mudflats and other open habitats.
Male American Kestrel
This American Crow was actively fishing in a tide pool along the Columbia River. I don’t normally think of crows as fish-eaters, but they take advantage of whatever food source is available.
There are still a few American White Pelicans around. They will be gone soon.
Brush Rabbit, blending in with the fall colors
Pacific Tree Frog on a maple leaf. These frogs are very common, but they seldom perch out in the open.
This Black-tailed Deer was just off the path at Cooper Mountain Nature Park.
Happy Autumn
When the birding is slow, take some time to study the local insects. While identifying some of these creatures makes immature gull ID look easy, some species are big and flashy enough to be accessible. Here are a few creatures from my recent outings, along with my best attempts at identification. Let me know if you find any errors.
Woodland Skipper is one of the most abundant butterfly species in the Pacific NW this time of year.
I believe this is an Orange Sulphur. Sulphurs are very active and seldom perch with their wings open, so getting a good look is extremely difficult.
Cabbage White is another common species.
Carolina Grasshoppers are very plain when at rest, but have a bold black and yellow pattern on their wings when in flight.
Dragonflies come in a great variety of colors and are an increasingly popular target among wildlife watchers. The challenge, of course, is finding one willing to sit still long enough to give you a good look. This is a female Blue Dasher.
I love the turquoise and chestnut colors of this Blue-eyed Darner.
I still prefer birds and herps, but there are a lot of other beautiful creatures out there. As I often say, there is always something to see.
Happy Autumn
In mid to late summer, when conditions are very hot and dry in Oregon, most of the wildlife activity is found near wetlands, at least until they dry up as well. Here are a few images from various wetlands in the Portland area this summer.
Happy Summer
Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge has been good for southbound shorebirds this summer. Early in the season, the Long-billed Dowitchers were still sporting their breeding plumage.
At this point, most of the dowitchers have molted into winter plumage.
Normally seen later in the fall, a few Pectoral Sandpipers have made an appearance at the refuge.
Up to three young Wilson’s Phalaropes were at the refuge this summer.
Least Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs are one of the more common, and more vocal, of the migrant shorebirds.
Lesser Yellowlegs are harder to find, but have been reliable at the refuge this summer.
Occasionally, the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs will pose together for a nice comparison.
This Wilson’s Snipe made an unusual appearance out in the open.
Shorebird migration lasts through October, but the water at the refuge typically dries up before then. We’ll see how recent restoration efforts affect water levels this year.
Happy summer
Ethical Birder 