California Ground Squirrel

by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals

Ranging throughout the western third of Oregon, California Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) are much larger and bushier-tailed than other ground squirrels. They are found in open grasslands (including large lawns) and on rocky outcrops. Unlike other ground squirrels, they will also climb trees to obtain food.  A colloquial name for this  species is Gray Digger.


This individual was on Barview Jetty on the north shore of Tillamook Bay (Birding Oregon p.125). Rocky coastlines are an unusual habitat for ground squirrels.  Note the white dapples on the back.


This individual also shows the white speckles on the back. Note the bushy tail edged in white, similar to that of a Eastern Gray Squirrel.


This female with her two young had a burrow at the base of a large tree at the Portland Rose Garden. Notice that when the fur is ruffed up, as on this individual, the white spots are much harder to see, making it harder to differentiate this species from one of the tree squirrels. California Grounds Squirrels can be solitary or live in loose colonies. When living in a colony, each individual has their own private burrow entrance.


Here is the same female eating a leaf. California Ground Squirrels eat a wide variety of plant matter to build fat reserves for their winter  hibernation.

Klamath Basin

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.

Gray’s Harbor, WA

by John Rakestraw, posted in beyond OR, rarities, seasonal movements

I’ve recently made two trips to Grays Harbor in Washington, once to scout and the other to lead my shorebird class. This estuary is a major staging area for migrating shorebirds in spring.


Marbled Godwit, Dunlin, and Short-billed Dowitcher feeding at Damon Point, near the mouth of the harbor


Short-billed Dowitchers


Don’t neglect to look at all the little brown ducks! This is a King Eider, a rare visitor from Alaska. It is distinguished from Common Eider by the slender bill and the scalloped markings on the sides.


Bowerman Basin is an inlet on the north shore of the harbor. It is the last area to fill during high tides, so shorebirds often congregate here. This is a view from the boardwalk.


Peregrine Falcons are attracted by the large numbers of shorebirds in the harbor.


This is a view of the boardwalk on a Thursday morning.


This is the boardwalk on a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, birders outnumbered birds by about five to one on this afternoon.


Greater White-fronted Geese


Marsh Wrens are common along the marshy edges of Bowerman Basin.


The willow thickets and woods along the boardwalk attract migrants like this Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Three Graces Tidal Area

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

The Three Graces Tidal Area (Birding Oregon p. 127) lies along the shore of Tillamook Bay, just south of the town of Barview. It is a small site, but the offshore rocks and rocky shoreline attract a nice variety of birds.

The best times to bird this site are in between high and low tides. When the tide is up, the small rocks are submerged. When the tide is too low, people sometimes walk out to the rocks, thus scaring the birds.  Brown Pelicans, Common Loons, Harlequin Ducks, and other waterfowl are often seen swimming in the area.  In winter, Rock Sandpipers and Surfbirds feed on the exposed rocks and shoreline.


Peer over the edge of the path to scan the shoreline for rockpipers and gulls.  A scope is useful for checking the more distant offshore rocks.


A closer view of that distant rock. Pelagic, Brandt’s, and Double-crested Cormorants can all be found here, sometimes allowing side-by-side comparison. This photo shows mostly Pelagic Cormorants, with a possible young Double-crested on the right.

Sauvie Island

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.

Not Endangered Enough

by John Rakestraw, posted in conservation issues

The Department of the Interior recently announced that it would not be listing Greater Sage-Grouse as threatened or endangered, even though the bird, whose population has declined by at least 90 percent in the past century, “warranted” listing. This species joins a long list of birds and other wildlife that are in danger of extinction, but are not quite endangered enough to protect under The Endangered Species Act.

The problems revolve around money. First of all, if a species is listed under the Endangered Species Act, the Dept. of the Interior must develop and implement a recovery plan for that species. This takes a lot of money, and the department already has more species listed than it can afford to protect. Secondly, when a species is listed, that severely restricts the activities that can take place within that species’ habitat. In the case of Greater Sage-Grouse and other prairie birds, cattle ranching, oil and gas development, and wind power development are all limited, with substantial financial repercussions.

And so only those species who are the most critically endangered are listed for protection, and then a mad scramble begins to try to pull these species from the brink of extinction. Sometimes it is too late. In any case, it is much more difficult and expensive to try to save a tiny population than it is to protect a larger one.

So will this process continue as it has, or will we come up with a better plan? Will it get to the point where we will just have to let some species die out so resources can be channeled to other species that have a better chance? Maybe we will decide to work on saving large pieces of ecosystems, rather than concentrating on individual species.

In the meantime, a growing list of species continues on the path to extinction, waiting to reach that critically endangered point where drastic measures will be taken to keep the species from disappearing completely. One of my favorite birds, Lesser Prairie-Chicken, is on that path. Their population is about five percent of what it was, and continues to drop. Their numbers are a small fraction of that of Greater Sage-Grouse, but the species continues to be denied protection under the Endangered Species Act. Their time of listing may be coming, but I fear it will be too late.


Lesser Prairie-Chickens, Morton Co., KS 2007

Random Waterfowl

by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior, identification challenges

Here are some random shots of some of the many waterfowl species that winter in the Willamette Valley


This Common Merganser was swimming with her face submerged, looking for fish. I have also seen loons hunt in this way.


the same bird preening


Here she finally shows her face. The clearly demarcated white chin helps to differentiate this species from the similar Red-breasted Merganser.


This female Eurasian Wigeon is recognized by her brown head. Notice the female American Wigeon on the right with her gray head.


Here is a distant shot of a mixed flock of waterfowl (click to enlarge). From left to right, you can see Ring-necked Duck, Canvasback, Cackling Goose, American Coot, and American Wigeon.

Mew Gull

by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges, species profile

A large flock of Mew Gulls (Larus canus) spends the winter at the waste water treatment plant in Forest Grove and at adjacent Fernhill Wetlands (Birding Oregon p. 61).


Mew Gulls look like a petite version of Ring-billed Gulls, with a round head, big eyes, and fine yellow bill.


Adult Mew Gulls are easily recognized in flight by the large white mirrors on the outer two primaries. Ring-billed Gulls have a smaller white mirror on the outermost primary (P10) and a tiny one on P9. You wouldn’t think the size of the white spots on two feathers would make much of a difference in identifying a flying bird, but it really does.


The bird in flight is a second-cycle Mew. He/she has lost the brown plumage of a first-cycle bird, but the tail still shows a broken blackish band, and the primaries (and primary coverts) have more black than those of an adult. Notice the small white mirror on P10 and little or no white on P9.