Ethical Birder

Random Images

November 30, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

Here are a few photos from recent ramblings.

After delivering some books to Tualatin River NWR, I took a quick walk on the path that leads through some newly planted oaks and along the river. This male American Kestrel had just captured a shrew.

These Western Canada Geese (and the Common Merganser on the log in the foreground) were napping at the Sandy River Delta.

The Beavers are really enjoying the young trees at Sandy River Delta.

This old American Robin nest was tucked into a crevice of a tree.

Pileated Woodpeckers are fairly easy to find at Sandy River Delta. This one was perfectly hidden behind a branch.

Peregrine Falcon, Sandy River Delta

This Hermit Thrush was chasing another outside my bedroom window early in the morning.

Yaquina Bay

November 20, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites

Yaquina Bay, at the town of Newport, is one of the more productive sites on the Oregon coast. On this visit, high winds reduced the number of birds that were out and about, but there was still a lot to see.

Common Loon with the catch of the day

Red-throated Loon

Pelagic Cormorant

Horned Grebe
Horned Grebe (above) and Western Grebe

Brown Pelicans

Long-tailed Duck

Surf Scoter

The flats behind the Hatfield Marine Science Center. There were lots of Mew Gulls, some Brant, and Northern Pintails. Note the Peregrine Falcon at the base of the fallen tree.

California Gull

Large numbers of California Sea Lions loaf on the jetties and docks on the bay.

Twitching on the Coast

November 14, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in rarities

While I normally don’t go too far to chase individual birds, two rarities have been hanging out on the coast, so I braved the cold winds to add a couple of tics to my life list.

A Tundra Bean Goose has been staying at Nestucca Bay NWR. This is the first of this species recorded in Oregon. (They typically breed in Siberia and winter in Japan.) He has been reliable in the field below the observation platform at the lower parking lot.

A Brown Booby has been along the bayfront in Newport. She would coast downwind, then fly upwind close to the water, diving for fish and occasionally catching one. Brown Boobies are typically found in warmer waters south of California, but several have been seen along the Oregon coast this fall.
Two lifers in one day, especially two this rare in Oregon, made for a great day on the coast, despite the cold temperatures and the blustery winds.

Random Images

October 4, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in Uncategorized

Home improvement projects are keeping me inside lately, so here are a few images from dog walks and the bird feeder.

Double-crested Cormorants on the Columbia River
California Gull

former sturgeon, Columbia River

Lesser Goldfinch

I only see Purple Finches once or twice a year at my feeder.

young Douglas’s Squirrel in the shadows, Tualatin Hills Nature Park

Smith and Bybee Wetlands

October 1, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites

Smith Lake, the larger body of water at Smith and Bybee Wetlands in NW Portland, currently has a lot of mudflat habitat, attracting good numbers of shorebirds and gulls.
Greater Yellowlegs at sunrise

Long-billed Dowitchers and Pectoral Sandpipers

Black-tailed Deer

While the shorebirds and gulls kept their distance on the mudflats, thus no good photos, American Pipits were working the shoreline at close range.

Boulder Birds

September 24, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in beyond OR, mammals

Here are a few birds I saw on a recent trip to Boulder, CO. There was nothing unusual, but there is always something to see.

This young Cooper’s Hawk was amazingly tame.

Bullock’s Oriole

American White Pelicans

White-breasted Nuthatch. Despite the proximity to the Rocky Mountains, this individual appears to be of the eastern race (Carolina Nuthatch).

I heard a lot of Blue Jays, but this is the only individual that I got a look at.

Rabbits are everywhere around Boulder. I think this is an Eastern Cottontail.

Rocky Mountain National Park

September 17, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in beyond OR, mammals

I spent a recent morning in Rocky Mountain National Park. We arrived before sunrise, so we got to watch the sun come up from high elevation. Note the Common Raven in the center of the frame.

My main target of this trip was White-tailed Ptarmigan. But despite walking through some lovely tundra, with scattered rocks and stunted pines, I dipped on this species again. Sing it with me: I am a rock….I’m not a ptarrrrrrrrr-ar-miiii-gan.

I did manage to find a few birds, including this Mountain Bluebird.

I think we saw more individual elk than all other birds and mammals combined. Here is an assortment of some of them.

Jackson Bottom

September 6, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior, OR Birding Sites

There was a recent flurry of shorebird activity at Jackson Bottom, south of Hillsboro. I missed out on seeing some of the less common species, but a brief visit one morning provided lots of both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, among others.

Greater Yellowlegs were wading in the deeper water, chasing small fish.
Lesser Yellowlegs tended to stay in shallower water, and feed in a more delicate manner.
Common Carp, hoping the rainy season starts soon.

Deep Water Pelagic

August 20, 2014August 20, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in rarities

I took a 12-hour pelagic trip out of Newport last Saturday. The morning started out with the typical cool cloudy weather one expects on the Oregon coast. Here is the sun rising over the Coast Range.

pink-footed shearwater patter The most common species of the day was Pink-footed Shearwater. The largest concentration of birds was gathered behind a fish processing ship. While I am opposed to the strip-mining of our oceans, these ships always attract a lot of birds.

flock 1 Pink-footed Pandemonium (There is also a Black-footed Albatross and a Sooty Shearwater)

Black-footed Albatrosses are common once you get out about 20 miles. This individual had an odd lump in her neck. I hope it is just a large food item in her crop and not a disposable lighter or some other piece of trash.

We saw more Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels than I had ever seen before.

We saw three other species of storm-petrel, all very rare in Oregon waters. This is a Wilson’s Storm-Petrel. The other two were Black and Ashy Storm-Petrels.

By the time we returned to port, the weather was sunny and hot. That’s just not right. I ended the day with a nasty sunburn.

Back in the bay, families of Brandt’s Cormorants were on the pilings.

Double-crested Cormorant

Common Murre.

The North Coast

August 10, 2014August 10, 2014 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

I took my shorebird class to the coast, from Cannon Beach to Hammond. While birding overall was good, the shorebirds were less than stellar in both number and diversity.

Black Oystercatcher is a reliable species on Haystack Rock.

Nesting season is still in full swing on Haystack Rock. Here is a Tufted Puffin among some Common Murres.

The rocks at the Hammond Boat Basin continue to be a reliable high-tide roost for Marbled Godwits and Whimbels.

Of course, you can’t go to the coast without appreciating the gulls. Here is a Heermann’s Gull in a rather unflattering stage of molt.
First cycle Ring-billed Gull

One of the more interesting sightings of the day was a pair of Red Crossbills on the shore of The Cove in Seaside. These birds are usually hard to see as they cruise the tops of large conifers. This pair was down to take salt from the rocks in the intertidal zone. (male pictured, the female eluded the camera)
For the purposes of my shorebird class, it would have been much better to find Black Turnstones, Ruddy Turnstones, Wandering Tattlers, and Surfbirds at this site, but you can’t complain too much when you get to see Crossbills on the beach.