Farewell to Autumn

by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

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As winter finally locks in, here is a last look at some autumn colors, starting with this Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Pied-billed Grebe
Northern Shoveler, providing a splash of white, green, and copper
Northern Shovelers often swim with their faces in the water. I know they are filter-feeding along the surface, but it is easy to imagine that those enormous bills are just too heavy to hold up.
Sandhill Cranes flying over Sauvie Island
American Wigeon reflected in a sheltered backwater pool
Eurasian Wigeon feeding in the lawn at Commonwealth Lake. Note the lack of a black outline around the base of the bill, which would be present on an American Wigeon.
Killdeer, contemplating whether to head farther south before the weather turns really bad. We have had a hard freeze since this photo was taken. I wonder what they decided.
Taverner’s Cackling Goose. I like the little white eyebrow on this individual.
This Red-winged Blackbird has some fresh rusty edges to his back feathers. Those will wear off with time.

As we approach two to three months of dark and dreary weather, remind yourself to get outdoors anyway.

Happy Winter

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