American White Pelican – Ethical Birder

Autumn at Last

October 27, 2022 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior, mammals, reptiles & amphibians, seasonal movements

After a very long dry summer, autumn has finally arrived. While we don’t get the extensive fall colors found in eastern forests, the red Poison Oak highlights the eyes on this Spotted Towhee.

This very ragged Bushtit was found at Wapato Lake NWR, which has finally opened up to birders after a long wait. The refuge will be closed to non-hunters from December-February, but should offer some great birding when it is open.

American Pipits are common migrants this time of year on mudflats and other open habitats.

Male American Kestrel

This American Crow was actively fishing in a tide pool along the Columbia River. I don’t normally think of crows as fish-eaters, but they take advantage of whatever food source is available.

There are still a few American White Pelicans around. They will be gone soon.

Brush Rabbit, blending in with the fall colors

Pacific Tree Frog on a maple leaf. These frogs are very common, but they seldom perch out in the open.

This Black-tailed Deer was just off the path at Cooper Mountain Nature Park.

Happy Autumn

Random Birds

September 29, 2021September 23, 2021 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

Here are some random bird images from the last couple of weeks.

belted kingfisher small Belted Kingfisher on a very fancy perch

bonaparte's gull 1 small Bonaparte’s Gull in first winter plumage
bonaparte's gull 2 small Gull Season is just around the corner.

white-crowned sparrow small juvenile White-crowned Sparrow

Green Heron with tadpole Green Heron with an American Bullfrog tadpole. It is nice when the native species eat the invasive ones. It is often the other way around.

teal small This is an odd duck. It is a teal, probably Cinnamon, but is either leucistic or is going through a brutal molt.

American White Pelicans are now common in the Portland area in late summer.

American White Pelican flight American White Pelican coming in for a landing

Happy Autumn

Summer in the Wetlands

August 11, 2021 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

Our brutal summer continues. When the weather is this hot and dry, the best bird diversity is usually found around wetlands, so I spent a little time at Fernhill Wetlands and Jackson Bottom.

b phoebe small The first record of Black Phoebe in Washington County was in 2006 (by yours truly). Now they are rare but regular at both Jackson Bottom and Fernhill.

Shorebird migration is in full swing. Numbers are better at the coast, but some birds are finding the small patches of mud at inland locations. This Least Sandpiper was feeding on some newly exposed mud at Jackson Bottom.

lorquin's admiral Here is the underside of a Lorquin’s Admiral. Those red eyes are intense.

Green Heron at Fernhill
Green Heron open bill small

w pelican small American White Pelican is another species that has become more common in the Portland area is recent years. They don’t nest here, but summer brings large numbers of young birds and post-breeding adults.

Happy Summer

Racetrack Lake

August 24, 2020August 24, 2020 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

Racetrack Lake, located on Sauvie Island, sort of in between the end of Rentenaar Road and the east shore of Sturgeon Lake, has been quite good for shorebirds recently. Good shorebird habitat has been very hard to find in the Willamette Valley this summer, with conditions either too dry or too wet, so this patch of mud has been quite attractive to southbound migrants. Unfortunately, birds were pretty distant so they didn’t present great photo opportunities.

Long-billed Dowitchers were one of the more common shorebirds on this visit.

There were a few Short-billed Dowitchers mixed in, although the distance made identification challenging. Note the whitish belly, the spotted sides of the breast, and the tiger-striped tertials.

Semipalmated Plovers rank near the top of the most adorable shorebird category.

American White Pelicans were considered pretty rare in the Portland area not that long ago. Now you can expect 100 or more around Sauvie Island in the late summer.

Great Egrets are also very common this time of year.

Water levels continue to drop at Racetrack Lake, so there should be some decent mud for a while longer. Happy Summer.

Late Summer Wetlands

September 9, 2019 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

I made a quick trip to Fernhill Wetlands and Jackson Bottom to look for shorebirds. My first bird of the morning was this Killdeer standing on the sidewalk. I guess that counts.

There is a frustrating lack of mudflats in area wetlands this year. Areas are either dry with lots of vegetation or are full of water. I did manage to find this Wilson’s Snipe (front) feeding with a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher.

Young Spotted Sandpiper on a log

Lots of American White Pelicans are in the Willamette Valley right now.

The wetland rehabilitation at Fernhill Wetlands has resulted in much less exposed mud, but the thick emergent vegetation is hog heaven to rails, like this Virginia Rail.

In the “invasive but adorable” category are this Nutria with her baby.

Brush Rabbits rule the “native AND adorable” category.
So cute

These two Black-tailed Deer were at Jackson Bottom. I found it interesting that the little spike buck in front still had his antlers completely encased in velvet while the fork buck in back has already shed his velvet to reveal polished antler.

There is still about a month of shorebird migration left. I hope we get some good mudflats to bring them in. Happy Summer.

Random Bits of August

August 31, 2016 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

I taught two shorebird classes and led three shorebird field trips in August. The southbound shorebird migration has been pretty great so far, with unprecedented numbers of Baird’s Sandpipers and a nice smattering of rarities throughout Oregon. My trips missed the really rare stuff, but we had a nice variety of shorebirds.

The addition of a new family member with special needs (an adorable coonhound who was rescued from an animal testing lab) kept me from doing much birding outside of my classes. Leading trips does not usually allow for getting decent photos, but here are a few images from the month.

ruddy This Ruddy Turnstone was snoozing with the Black Turnstones at the Seaside Cove.

surf Surfbirds are another specialty of Seaside Cove

snipe This Wilson’s Snipe gave great scope views at Jackson Bottom.

Not shorebirds, but always nice to see, this flock of American White Pelicans was at Fernhill Wetlands.

I have one more shorebird class at Jackson Bottom on September 24. I’m hoping this strong migration continues throughout the fall. Click on the Classes tab for more information.

FullSizeRender
Not ready for birding yet, but perhaps someday Bohdi can join his sister Nala and me in the field.

Fernhill Wetlands and Jackson Bottom

July 28, 2016July 28, 2016 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior, nesting, OR Birding Sites

I made a quick trek around Washington County’s two prominent wetlands. There was nothing unusual to report, but there is plenty of bird activity at these sites this time of year.

Green Heron, lurking

Great Blue Heron, not lurking

Juvenile California Gulls are very common lately.

I didn’t find many migrant shorebirds this trip, but the resident Spotted Sandpipers posed nicely.

Killdeer

Fifteen years ago, White Pelicans in the Portland area were a pretty big deal, but now they are expected in the larger wetlands in summer.

Belted Kingfishers like the perches that have been installed at Fernhill.

Osprey over the lake at Fernhill

Clouds of swallows are hanging out at Jackson Bottom. This Tree Swallow spent a long time just sitting in the opening of her nest box.

They have installed a water feature near the visitor center at Jackson Bottom. This soggy Black-capped Chickadee was enjoying a dip.

Lesser Goldfinch on the fountain

As nesting season wraps up and water levels drop, I can soon start obsessing on migrant shorebirds.

McNary Wildlife Nature Area

January 18, 2015 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

Looking past the rather awkward name, the McNary Wildlife Nature Area is a great little spot for birding. The park, which came to my attention by hosting the recent Black-headed Gull, is located in the town of Umatilla, just downstream from McNary Dam on the Columbia River. Along with views of river, the park has several small ponds, areas of sagebrush, and riparian woods.

The park can be reached from 3rd street, on the north edge of town. From Hwy 730, west of I-82, turn north on either Switzler Avenue or Brownwell Blvd, then east on 3rd to the park. If you are east of I-82, turn north on Devore Road, then west on 3rd.

Black-billed Magpies are common in the area. I have always loved these birds, despite my total inability to get a decent photo of one.

I sorted through hundreds of Cedar Waxwings, looking for the few Bohemian Waxwings that had been reported in the area, but I found no joy.

At least six American White Pelicans were using the park.

An island in one of the ponds serves as a roosting site for Black-crowned Night-Herons.

There was a nice diversity of waterfowl, including this Common Goldeneye.

Gulls were well represented. Along with the abundant Ring-billed, and the famous Black-headed on the left, this shot shows a Mew (just right of center) and a California (right edge, gray legs). Herring and Glaucous-winged were also present.

American Robins and other songbirds were abundant in the brushy areas. A very birdy area overall.

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.

Birds and Brew Fest, 12 October 2013

October 13, 2013 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

I led a tour of Fernhill Wetlands for the Birds and Brew Festival. Since there were about 50 people in the group, including many who didn’t have optics, we concentrated on the “charismatic mega-fauna,” like these American White Pelicans.

A Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron were looking all artsy with their reflections.

This distant American Kestrel was showing off his colors.

After the group dispersed, I took another lap around the lake so I could check out the smaller birds. Along with five species of sparrow, there were lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers moving around.