Summer birding can be tough. Songbird activity has slowed way down. Shorebirds are starting to come through on their southward migrations, but hot and bright conditions limit one’s birding to the early morning hours. Unfortunately for me, our young dog also demands attention in the early morning hours, so my outings have been limited. Here are a few photos from recent weeks.
Happy summer.
Here are some random bird images from the last couple of weeks.
Belted Kingfisher on a very fancy perch
Bonaparte’s Gull in first winter plumage
Gull Season is just around the corner.
juvenile White-crowned Sparrow
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.
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 coming in for a landing
Happy Autumn
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.
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.
Here is the underside of a Lorquin’s Admiral. Those red eyes are intense.
Green Heron at Fernhill
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
I am not sure why the hottest days of mid-summer are referred to as “dog days.” My dogs want nothing to do with the heat, and the hot weather puts a damper on bird activity as well. Wetlands tend to be a little more active than woodlands this time of year, so here are some recent images from area wetlands.
This Purple Martin is from the colony at Fernhill Wetlands. The recently installed nesting boxes there have been a great success.
Tree Swallows are everywhere. It is nice to find one perched on a stick instead of on a nest box.
Ospreys on the nest at Jackson Bottom
This House Finch was feeding on green Elderberries at Smith and Bybee Wetlands.
Spotted Towhee at Smith and Bybee
Bewick’s Wrens seem to be very fond of dust baths this time of year.
It is baby crow season. These youngsters were exploring the shallow waters of a slough at Smith and Bybee.
It is harder to find herps in the hot weather. This Northwestern Garter was stuck in a vault for a water shut-off valve. I lifted him out and sent him on his way.
This is a very small, very thin Long-toed Salamander (note the insect parts nearby for scale).
Smith and Bybee Wetlands is thick with Green Herons right now. There were at least a dozen in this little slough.
Shorebird migration is starting to pick up. Unfortunately, there is very little mudflat habitat in the Portland area right now. This Greater Yellowlegs was one of several sharing the slough with the Green Herons.
Three Lesser Yellowlegs were also present at Smith and Bybee.
On the home front, we were treated to three baby Western Screech-Owls playing in the back yard. Two of them perched on the rope holding the sunshade and tried to untie the knots. It was almost too dark to see, so this is the best image I was able to get (6400 ISO). Pretty adorable.
Happy Summer
During the current pandemic, it is not always easy to visit favorite birding sites. I have found that if I go very early, I can get some good birding in at Fernhill Wetlands without encountering too many folks. (Of course, this is my goal even without a pandemic.) This Marsh Wren put on a nice show.
Greater Yellowlegs is the only species of migrant shorebird I have seen so far this spring. We are still about two weeks away from the peak.
Green Heron, completely failing at camouflage. The auto-focus on my camera insists on focusing on the vegetation behind birds, rather than on the bird. (Yes, I am blaming the equipment.)
White-throated Sparrows have been regular at Fernhill lately.
White-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
This Northern Flicker was hanging out on the gravel dike in the wetland, perfect woodpecker habitat.
This Pacific Chorus Frog was hanging out under a log on a cold morning.
Long-toed Salamander is a lifer amphibian for me this year. As is typical when I see a new species of whatever, I now see them all the time.
More Long-toed Salamanders
This Muskrat would like to remind you to eat your greens.
Still waiting for spring migration to kick in.
Happy Spring
Now that the snow has melted, the weather has turned to freezing temps and a howling east wind. Bleah. Despite the lousy conditions, I bundled up and took a walk around Commonwealth Lake. The park was hosting a large flock of Cackling Geese and a similar sized flock of American Wigeon. Other species were present in much smaller numbers.
This Great Egret was getting a lot of attention from the dog walkers and joggers in the park, with people stopping to take cell phone photos. I try not to be a birding snob, realizing that the big flashy species are what get people’s attention. Great Egrets are gorgeous birds, and always worth a look. But most of these folks were oblivious to the smaller creatures flitting around this bird’s feet…
like this guy. This Green Heron was fluffed up against the cold and was staying in the thick brush along the water’s edge.
Duck Butts! A pair of Gadwall were doing the dabbling thing.
After a successful nesting season at this site, Pied-billed Grebes are still present in good numbers.
This Ring-billed Gull was struggling to remain perched on a post in the high winds. Note the red orbital ring and gape, suggesting that breeding season may not be all that far off. If we can just get through February…
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.
I brief walk around Commonwealth Lake in Beaverton revealed lots of recently fledged Barn Swallows. They were perching on branches above the water, waiting for their parents to fly in with food.
still waiting
note the bulging crop on the adult
This park has produced a bumper crop of Green Herons this year, great to see in such a busy suburban setting.
There were several new broods of Mallards on the lake. It seems late to see such small ducklings.
the ubiquitous American Bullfrog
The highlight of this visit was watching this Spotted Sandpiper hunting flies in the lawn. He would crouch low to approach his prey, then reach out and grab it, hitting the mark more often than not.
This little urban duck pond is surprisingly birdy, and warrants more frequent visits.
Not much going on bird-wise for me this past week. The shorebird cornucopia from the previous week has dried up, as have many of the region’s mudflats. But, as I frequently remind myself, there is always something to see.
This is a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds at Fernhill Wetlands during the Birds and Brew Festival on August 22. East winds had brought in smoke from the many wildfires burning in eastern Oregon and Washington. The sky and white and you couldn’t see any of the hills that surround this site.
Fernhill produced a nice crop of young Green Herons this year.
On a clearer day, Nala and I found this Osprey at Kelly Point Park along the Columbia River.
Great Blue Heron, also at Kelly Point.
Banded Killifish in the Columbia River. They are about an inch and a half long.
Obsessive Marine Mammal, Columbia River
We are two weeks into a nasty heat wave in the Portland area. Sunrise is the only time of day when you can bird in any comfort and hope to find any birds active and singing. So I got up early and did a bird survey at Fernhill, then made a quick stop at Jackson Bottom on the way home.
Some of the flowers have gone to seed, providing forage for both American (above) and Lesser (below) Goldfinches.
The refurbished wetlands at Fernhill have lots of tree trunks installed vertically to provide perches for birds like this Great Blue Heron.
Green Heron
This Downy Woodpecker was checking out some of the new plantings around the water garden at Fernhill.
a young Killdeer, at that awkward teenager stage
Spotted Sandpipers are the other shorebird that nests at Fernhill and Jackson.
Checking the sky for falcons
This Common Garter Snake was very thick in the middle. I assume she is gravid. Garters give birth starting in late July. Broods are typically around a dozen, but broods of over 80 young have been reported.
male Tree Swallow, being all sparkly
Ethical Birder 