Timberline Lodge (Birding Oregon p. 74) is a great place to for some high-elevation birding in the Cascades. A good paved road leads right up to the treeline, and you can access the Pacific Crest Trail just uphill from the lodge. The parking lot is often full of tourists and skiers, even in late summer. But if you are willing to walk for a while, you can enjoy solitude and stunning scenery.
Cassin’s Finch
Brewer’s Blackbirds are common residents of parking lots in the Portland area, but it is nice to see them in a more natural setting here.
This female Brewer’s Blackbird is one of the small percentage of the population with pale eyes.
Mountain Bluebird, male
Mountain Bluebird, female
This pair of Mountain Bluebirds had built a nest in a gap under the eave of a small building above the lodge.
Lots of these little butterflies were feeding on the scattered wildflowers. My best guess is Acmon Blue.
The highlight of my long oxygen-deprived hike uphill from Timberline Lodge was this Yellow-bellied Marmot. He looks very regal in this pose.
Ethical Birder 