John Rakestraw

Shorebird Class

July 22, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

My Shorebirds of the Willamette Valley class had their first field trip on Saturday. We found nine species of shorebirds, a nice collection of the expected species. We missed the Semipalmated Sandpiper that had been reported earlier in the week. All the migrants we saw were adults. The juveniles should be arriving soon, hopefully in time for our next field trip. Since I was leading the trip, I didn’t have much opportunity to seek out photos, but here are a few back-lit images.

Least Sandpiper was the most common species of the day.

We found one Lesser Yellowlegs at Jackson Bottom and one at Fernhill Wetlands. The one at Jackson very cooperatively posed next to some Greater Yellowlegs for direct comparison.

This Semipalmated Plover, to the right of the Western Sandpiper, was the only one of the day. He nestled down into the mud, perhaps to cool off.

A blurry Bald Eagle at Fernhill Wetlands didn’t pose much of a threat to the shorebirds, but did make the waterfowl nervous.

Western Sandpiper at Fernhill Wetlands

Lots of Spotted Sandpipers remain at both Jackson Bottoms and Fernhill.

Jackson Bottom, 11 July 2013

July 11, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, nesting, OR Birding Sites

I walked around Jackson Bottom in Hillsboro this morning. As you would expect at this time of year, there were lots of young birds around. This young Savannah Sparrow posed nicely. His parents have not taught him to skulk in the weeds yet.

blue-winged and cinnamon teal The best bird of the day was this male Blue-winged Teal (right foreground), always hard to find in the Willamette Valley. He flew in with a small flock of Cinnamon Teal.

Families of young Mallards were everywhere.

These Canada Geese are mostly grown, but retain a bit of their cute fuzziness.

I was surprised by the lack of migrant shorebirds. The resident Spotted Sandpipers were well represented.

Lots of Nutria were out this morning. Yes, introduced species often wreak havoc on native ecosystems, AND, Nutria look like adorable little bears.

Maine, June 23-29, 2013

July 3, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in beyond OR, reptiles & amphibians

I spent last week in Maine, around Bangor and the central coast. The weather went from hot and muggy to cold and rainy, which might have to contributed to the overall poor birding compared to previous visits. I did see two lifers, one on the first day (Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow) and one on the last (Great Cormorant). It is always nice to see some eastern warblers, like this Blackburnian.

Eastern Phoebe, Mount Desert Island

Great Black-backed Gulls, Schoodic Point

Great Black-backed Gulls in this area are rather shy, perhaps because biologists have been “discouraging” them from hunting on the offshore tern nesting colonies. The gulls do not allow a close approach and quickly take off if you point a camera at them.

The Herring Gulls are happy to pose for mug shots.

Great Shearwater, Gulf of Maine

Great Cormorant, Schoodic Point, way out there, in the rain, but he still counts.

American Bullfrogs are an invasive species here in Oregon, so it was nice to see them in their natural range.

This dragonfly species was common in wooded areas, where they blended in with the tree trunks.

This more colorful species was at the edge of a meadow.

Spotted Sandpiper, Petit Manan NWR

Spotted Sandpiper and Eastern Willet, Petit Manan NWR

Eastern Willet, looking a little sleepy

Odd solstice visitor

June 21, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

On this first day of summer, I was surprised to see a Pine Siskin on the feeders. Siskins are normally seen here in the Willamette Valley from November through April, before heading to higher elevations to nest.

The bird seemed a little fluffy, but otherwise didn’t show any indication that he was ill.

Tualatin River NWR

June 16, 2013June 19, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, nesting, OR Birding Sites, reptiles & amphibians

While the bird diversity has thinned out considerably in the past couple of weeks, I had some nice views of the summer residents at Tualatin River NWR. The resident Bald Eagles still have one youngster in the nest. He is expected to fledge any day now.

One of the parents was hanging out near the refuge headquarters, looking all regal.

This Common Yellowthroat was frequently seen carrying food, indicating he had a nest nearby.

Mourning Dove, feeding on the gravel road.
mourning dove eyes closed I think the blue eye shadow makes her look a little trashy.

Savannah Sparrows are common in the open habitats here.

Western Scrub-Jay

male Northern Flicker

Brush Rabbit. The tattered ear suggests that he has had a close escape or two.

This Townsend’s Chipmunk was eating grass seeds.

I saw two Rough-skinned Newts crossing the road. One of the most poisonous animals known to science, this species exudes equal amounts of toxins and cuteness.

Sandy River Delta, 5 June 2013

June 7, 2013June 7, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, reptiles & amphibians

I took Nala on a hiking/swimming tour of the Sandy River Delta. We were there at midday, so we missed the dawn chorus, but the common species were still active and vocal.

American Goldfinch

In the open brushy habitats, you can’t turn around without seeing a Lazuli Bunting.

Lazuli Bunting

It was nice to find a couple of native Red-legged Frogs. This species often succumbs to introduced American Bullfrogs.

Nala’s main interest in the trip was swimming. She swam in a vernal pool, the Sandy River, and the Columbia River.

During the long hot walk back toward the car, she needed to cool off in this convenient mud hole.

Sauvie Island 30 May 2013

June 2, 2013June 2, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior, nesting

This pair of Ospreys is nesting on a piling along Sauvie Island Road. The elevation of the road provides an eye-level view of the nest. Note the piece of blue plastic.

The female is sitting on eggs, so she remained pretty still the whole time I was there, aside from from making a few adjustments. Meanwhile, the male was bringing additional sticks and continued to build the nest around her.

crow 1 While I was watching the Ospreys, this young American Crow flew in carrying a Cedar Waxwing, landed on a log, and proceeded to eat. I don’t know if the crow actually caught the waxwing or happened to find a dead one, but the crow didn’t hesitate to chow down and had the waxwing consumed in about one minute. I am aging this bird as a youngster by the pale color on the bill and the scaly pattern on the back.

On a less gruesome note, a pair of Barn Swallows was building a nest in the observation platform on Reeder Road.

This is a view from the end of Rentenaar Road, lots of flowers and Great Egrets.

Red-breasted Sapsucker

May 25, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior

I joined the Audubon Morning Birdsong Walk at Pittock Mansion Friday morning. The cold damp weather kept most birds hunkered down out of sight, but this Red-breasted Sapsucker put on a nice show. He would fly to the concrete light posts and drum on the metal light fixtures to declare his territory. Several woodpecker species, flickers in particular, are known to drum on metal.

Seasonal Mix

May 19, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

I did the Tillamook Death March this week, walking the six miles around Bayocean Spit (Birding Oregon p. 128). After two weeks of warm sunny weather, we have returned to a more normal gloomy, rainy pattern, so I only took out the camera for this Red-necked Grebe in nice breeding attire. There is currently an interesting mix of winter, migrant, and breeding species around. Tillamook Bay still held Common and Pacific Loons along with this grebe. All should be moving north very soon.

On the way home I stopped at Fernhill Wetlands and found this Greater Yellowlegs. Most migrant shorebirds have passed through already, but a few linger on.

Also at Fernhill was a pair of Killdeer with three fuzzy babies. Too cute.

SE Arizona Lizards

May 12, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in beyond OR, reptiles & amphibians

I have always enjoyed studying herps, and my recent trip to SE Arizona provided a nice opportunity to enjoy some new species. I don’t have a reptile reference for that area, so I am using this post to practice letting go of my need to name things. I invite you to enjoy the pretty lizards. If you know their names, feel free to leave a comment.

Ramsey Canyon