Tag: Burrowing Owl

East Side Birds

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

I don’t get east of the Cascade Crest nearly as often as I would like. It is nice to get a change in habitats and birds, especially in mid-summer, when bird activity on the west side slows down.

This Burrowing Owl was hanging out on a fence post just north of Fort Rock. In this photo they were keeping an eye on a Prairie Falcon that was soaring overhead.

I spent a little time at the water feature at Cabin Lake Campground, where large flocks of Red Crossbills came down to drink. This is an adult female.

This juvenile female has some yellow blotches coming in.

This young male has some red coming in. I didn’t see any mature males that day.

Cassin’s Finch is another species commonly found at the water feature at Cabin Lake.

Cassin’s Finch, showing the distinct red cap and the striped back

I recently made the trip to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. One seldom sees a great variety of birds here, but the alpine tundra above the lodge always has some goodies, like this Horned Lark.

Mountain Bluebird against a blue sky

The Clark’s Nutcrackers near Timberline are surprisingly shy. This one posed briefly for a portrait.

Happy Summer

Cimarron National Grassland, Kansas

by John Rakestraw, posted in beyond OR, mammals

In the very southwest corner of Kansas lies the Cimarron National Grassland. This area, along with the nearby town of Elkhart,  is a favorite birding destination for Kansas birders. Several western species reach the eastern edge of their ranges here, and lost eastern migrants are attracted to the patches of trees in a sea of sand-sage prairie and cropland.

cimmaron river
Cottonwoods along the usually dry Cimarron River provide a wooded migration corridor from eastern Colorado through southwestern Kansas.

clay-colored sparrow
Middle Springs is one of several oases on the grassland that provide trees and water to migrants like this Clay-colored Sparrow.

blue grosbeak female
female Blue Grosbeak

blue grosbeak male
male Blue Grosbeak

pronghorn
The fastest land animal in North America, Pronghorn evolved to outrun American Cheetahs, which became extinct somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago.

pronghorn back
The white backsides of Pronghorn are visible from great distances.

mourning doves
Mourning Doves were by far the most common species seen on this day, with Eurasian Collared-Doves coming in a close second.

barn owl
This Barn Owl was in a little cavern in a bluff overlooking the Cimarron River corridor. Note the little bones and other debris in front of the entrance.

bluff
This is the bluff where the Barn Owl had her cavity.

curve-billed thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher

northern mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird

indian blanket
Gaillardia pulchella

sunflower
As one would expect in the Sunflower State, these were everywhere.

prickly pear
The abundant Prickly Pear cactus makes walking a challenge in many areas.

american avocet
The Elkhart sewage ponds are the only permanent bodies of water for many miles around, so they attract good numbers of migrant shorebirds and waterfowl. These American Avocets were swimming in the middle of one of the pools.

spotted sandpiper
Spotted Sandpipers

semipalmated sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper

burrowing owl
Burrowing Owls are one of many species that rely on prairie dog towns for shelter or food. I found several Black-tailed Prairie Dog towns on this day, each containing an owl or two, but the dogs kept out of camera range.