Elk – Ethical Birder

Rocky Mountain National Park

July 30, 2019July 30, 2019 by John Rakestraw, posted in beyond OR, mammals

We took a quick trip to Colorado for a family reunion. There wasn’t much time for hardcore birding, but we made a quick pass through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Moose are always a treat to see, provided you are a respectful distance away.

Elk are seemingly everywhere in the park. This young bull was rather shy, which I was grateful for since I needed to walk down the path where he was lounging.

This large bull didn’t even bother looking at people. He was quite comfortable where he was.

The main target of my visit to the park was White-tailed Ptarmigan. This species is notorious for walking right up to non-birders, but often proves a challenge for those actually trying to see it. I have searched for this species in Rocky Mountain NP on several previous occasions, as well as at Glacier NP and Mt. Rainier NP. I finally connected with this bird by hiking to a site where they had been reported consistently in recent days and then scanning the tundra for about half an hour. She was quite far away, and I couldn’t get closer without leaving the trail and damaging the fragile tundra, so I made do with a distant view of this female and her four babies. This is the first lifer I have seen since January of 2018, so I was thankful for any view at all.

After finding the ptarmigan, I stopped at a large snow field to look for Brown-capped Rosy-Finches. Two lifers in one morning was a little too much to hope for, but I did find this Horned Lark, which is always a treat.
By late morning, the traffic and crowds were becoming unbearable, an unfortunate result of this park’s popularity. So I didn’t have a chance to study the small furry critters that often present themselves at close range here.

The lodge where we stayed hosted lots of Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels. This is the same species found in Oregon, but they seemed less colorful in Colorado.

Yellow-bellied Marmots were quite vocal, and too shy to allow a close approach.

While they didn’t provide any photo opportunities, it was great to see and hear Cordilleran Flycatchers. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds were everywhere. It is always nice to experience different bird communities when traveling, even if birding is not your main goal. Now that I’m home, it’s time to start studying southbound shorebirds.

Happy summer.

Random Images

February 19, 2018February 19, 2018 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

February birding is famously slow around much of Oregon, but, as I like to remind myself, there is always something to see.

redhead
This male Redhead has been spending the winter at Commonwealth Lake Park in Beaverton. It is not often that I get a really close view of these lovely ducks.

turnstone preening
This preening Black Turnstone showed off his flashy backside at the Seaside Cove.

elk
I have made four trips to Fort Stevens State Park since early December to try to see some of the many White-winged Crossbills that have been spending the winter there. They have eluded me every time. I think I have seen more Elk than I have birds at Fort Stevens this winter.

The bumper crop of cones on the Sitka Spruces is what has attracted the crossbills. There is a lot of food available and the finches keep moving all the time, so our paths have not crossed. It is kind of like pelagic birding. You are moving around the open ocean in a little boat, looking for birds that are also moving.

white-crowned brush
I went out to Rentenaar Road on Sauvie Island to chum for sparrows. Conditions were dark and damp, but the head of this White-crowned Sparrow shone from the depths of the brush.

redwinged
The Red-winged Blackbirds are getting fired up for spring. This guy was flashing his epaulets but still showed some rusty pattern on his back from his youth.

preening Green-winged Teal, Westmoreland Park

preening Gadwall, Crystal Springs

male Wood Duck, Crystal Springs

The lighting was not great, but it was nice to see this Lincoln’s Sparrow just sitting out in the open for so long. This is a species that I often see, but am seldom able to show to others because the birds tend to hide in thick cover most of the time. I have two Little Brown Birds classes in March. I hope I can find such a cooperative individual on those days.

North Coast

July 25, 2015 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

I made two trips to the coast this week, once to scout for my Portland Audubon shorebird class, and again for the class itself. It is amazing how much difference a couple of days can make in the make-up of bird life in a given area. On Thursday, I found a total of 11 shorebirds of two species. During the class we found hundreds of individuals of 10 species. I am so glad it was not the other way around. This is the view from the Necanicum River Estuary, looking south. The tiny bump in the middle is Haystack Rock, about 12 miles away.

Whimbrel, Necanicum Estuary

Caspian Terns are common and very vocal all along the coast.

Elk, Necanicum Estuary

This Semipalmated Plover was the only shorebird at the tidal ponds at Fort Stevens.

Raccoon, on the mudflats near Parking Lot D, Fort Stevens (with a Caspian Tern and a California Gull)

This is one of two Ruddy Turnstones we found with a flock of Black Turnstones at the Seaside Cove.

White-crowned Sparrow, Necanicum Estuary

California Ground Squirrel, Hammond Boat Basin

Here is a good example of why this time of year may not be the best for learning gull ID. The plumage on this gull is bleached out and very worn. Judging from the size, shape, and pink legs on this bird (next to a normal non-breeding California Gull) I’m guessing this is a Glaucous-winged Gull, perhaps in his second cycle. I hope he grows some new feathers soon, or it will be a very cold autumn and winter.

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.

The North Coast

July 30, 2012July 30, 2012 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites, rarities, seasonal movements

I made two trips to the northern Oregon Coast for my recent shorebird class. The “autumn” migration is well underway.

The Seaside Cove has a nice gathering of gulls. This California Gull is undergoing a rather extensive molt, I believe from second cycle to third. The severity of feather loss has actually created some interesting patterns.

This adult California Gull is showing a little wear, but nothing like the previous individual.

The Cove is a favorite hang-out for Heerman’s Gulls.

Young Heerman’s Gulls are a rich chocolate brown. I believe this is a second-cycle bird, given the smattering of gray feathers coming in.

This female Harlequin Duck was near the southern end of The Cove both days.

Black Turnstones, which spend the winter here, are back.

The best bird of the day Thursday was this Ruddy Turnstone, an uncommon migrant along the coast. Unfortunately, he did not stick around for my shorebird class field trip on Saturday.

Caspian Terns, seen here with California Gulls, were common on the beaches. Note the young tern in the center of the photo.

More Caspian Terns with Brown Pelicans and a Western Gull

These Elk tracks were on the beach near the south jetty of the Columbia River at Fort Stevens State Park.

At high tide, the Hammond Boat Basin has been hosting large flocks of Marbled Godwits and Whimbrels (and an unidentified dowitcher species in the middle of this image). Similar roosts in Washington attract rare migrants every year. I hope the same is true for the Oregon side of the river.

Logan Valley

June 4, 2008June 4, 2008 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites

On a recent trip to Grant County, I visited one of my favorite sites in Oregon. Located 17 miles west of Seneca, Logan Valley (Birding Oregon p.32) is a vast meadow. The area attracts the typical grassland species; Savannah Sparrow, Brewer’s and Red-winged Blackbirds, California Quail, and Western Meadowlarks.

Sandhill Cranes and Long-billed Curlews are two of the more dramatic birds found in the valley. This site used to host Upland Sandpipers, one of the rarest breeding birds in Oregon, but that species has not been reported from Logan Valley in recent years. One can always hope.

Aside from the birds, the main attraction of Logan Valley is watching the herds of grazing animals. Pronghorn, Mule Deer, and Elk can often been seen simultaneously.