nesting – Page 4 – Ethical Birder

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.

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.

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.

Hooded Merganser

May 13, 2012 by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, species profile

This Hooded Merganser, found at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Reserve, had a brood of 10 little ones. The young birds were spread out over a large area, so I could never get them all in the same frame. They were actively feeding among the emergent vegetation, and a few of them were diving.

Hooded Mergansers nest in hollow trees or nest boxes, just as Wood Ducks do.

Malheur NWR

June 21, 2011 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, nesting, OR Birding Sites, reptiles & amphibians

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most popular birding destinations in Oregon, not just for the abundant expected species, but also for the eastern vagrants that turn up there every year. Our Birdathon team from the Audubon Society of Portland visited the area June 7-9.

The trees and shrubs around the refuge headquarters are very attractive to birds.

Pine Siskins

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Western Tanagers were abundant in the trees and in the sagebrush.

The lawn at headquarters hosts a large colony of Merriam’s Ground Squirrels.

The view from Buena Vista, with Steens Mountain in the background

In warmer weather, this part of the state is great for herps, like this Western Fence Lizard.

Eastern Kingbird

Black-necked Stilt

Common Nighthawk

Northern Flicker, nesting in the town of Frenchglen, near the southern end of the refuge

Fields Oasis

June 12, 2011 by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, OR Birding Sites, rarities

The oasis at Fields (Birding Oregon p. 19) is a tiny site, but one of the better known hotspots in Oregon. This little clump of willows around a spring is surrounded by miles of sage steppe, so it is very attractive to species normally found in woodland habitats.

A pair of Great Horned Owls can usually be seen here.

This adult was sitting on a fallen tree right over the water.

They were keeping track of this little guy.

A pair of American Kestrels were also nesting at the oasis. Here is the male with a rodent.

The big attraction for birders is the possibility of vagrants from the east. On this day a Northern Parula was the highlight. Other eastern warblers had been found the week before, and still others appeared later. One never knows what will show up on a given day.

Klamath Basin

May 19, 2010May 19, 2010 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, nesting, OR Birding Sites

Here are some photos from a recent trip to the Klamath Basin.

Eared Grebes are common in the wetlands along State Line Road (Birding Oregon p. 116). The second bird from the left is still in basic plumage, while all the other birds seen that day had already molted into alternate plumage.

Shorebirds, such as this Semipalmated Plover, can be found on the mudflats along State Line Road.

This Pied-billed Grebe was nesting at Wood River Wetlands (Birding Oregon p.111).

The Klamath Basin is famous for its large wintering population of Bald Eagles, but a few pairs stay to nest. This bird was found in Moore Park in Klamath Falls.

Moore Park is also home to Mule Deer. Note the fuzzy antlers starting to grow on the deer in the center of the photo.

Sauvie Island

March 22, 2010 by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, seasonal movements

Here are a few recent shots from Sauvie Island (Birding Oregon p. 55).

Sandhill Cranes are still present in good numbers.

Here are some Sandhills with three Dusky Canada Geese (Branta canadensis occidentalis). Note the red plastic collar on the goose on the far left. That is a quick way to identify this subspecies.

While the Sandhill Cranes and Dusky Canada Geese will fly to Alaska to nest, the Great Blue Herons are in full nesting mode now on Sauvie Island. Here is a section of a rookery in a distant tree line. You can see the bulky nests and, if you look closely, several birds perched in the branches.

Brown-headed Cowbird

August 10, 2009 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior, nesting, species profile

Two Brown-headed Cowbird fledglings have been hanging out at the feeder lately. This species is a parasitic nester, laying eggs in the nests of other species. Historically, Brown-headed Cowbirds were common in the Great Plains, where flocks would follow wandering herds of American Bison. Since the bison herds didn’t stay in one place long enough for cowbirds to nest, it makes sense that these birds would “adopt” their offspring out to other birds. As forests in the east and west were cleared, creating edge habitat, Brown-headed Cowbirds greatly expanded their range, which now covers most of North America. This has led to the decline of many eastern songbirds, as young cowbirds displace the young of the host species.

The two birds coming to my feeder were being fed by a Song Sparrow, one of the more common hosts of Brown-headed Cowbirds. Cowbirds have been known to lay eggs in the nests of over 200 different species, including Blue-winged Teal, Ferruginous Hawk, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. These species do not successfully raise young cowbirds, but enough eggs end up with compatible hosts to create a strong cowbird population. (Female Brown-headed Cowbirds can lay up to 40 eggs in a year.)

This youngster is feeding himself. After leaving their host families, young cowbirds find others of their kind and form flocks.

Swallow Nests

July 21, 2009 by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting

Barn Swallows (pictured here) and Cliff Swallows build nests almost entirely out of mud. Historically, these structures were built on cliffs or near the mouth of caves, but are now most often found on man-made structures.

The disadvantage of building nests in buildings is that sometimes the mud does not stick well to the smooth wood. Sometimes people remove the nests in an attempt to prevent a build-up of droppings. At this location, someone decided to give the birds a hand.

A cardboard berry carton was tied to a rafter, and the Barn Swallow has used it as a foundation for her nest. You can see the mud, plant fibers, and feathers sticking out over the top of the carton. Notice how the rafter is nearly covered with mud from previous nests or nesting attempts.

Here is a beautifully formed Cliff Swallow nest. The overhanging metal serves as the top of the structure, reducing the amount of mud needed. Notice how the mud at the bottom of the nest is a different color and includes plant fibers, suggesting that this nest was built on the foundation of an old Barn Swallow nest.