House Finch – Ethical Birder

Rentenaar Road

January 31, 2022 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

Rentenaar Road on Sauvie Island remains one of the better sites in the Portland area to find a nice diversity of winter sparrows, along with other songbirds and waterfowl. While this trip did not produce any rarities, there were plenty of birds and sunshine to make the trip worthwhile. White-crowned Sparrows, pictured above, are among the more common species.

Golden-crowned Sparrows are usually the most common sparrow in the winter flocks.

fox This Fox Sparrow kept close to the heavy cover.

Once considered a rarity in this area, White-throated Sparrows are now reliable winter residents.

Red-winged Blackbirds

Another Red-winged Blackbird, showing off her colors

This Red-shouldered Hawk was the most unusual find of the day.

finches Several birds were bathing in puddles in the road. Here a male Purple Finch cavorts with a female House Finch.

swans Waterfowl numbers were a little low on this trip. Ducks and geese face pretty heavy hunting pressure on Sauvie Island. Numbers should increase in the next month as hunting seasons expire and some birds start moving north. This flock of Tundra Swans kept their distance from the road.

mt. st. helens As the weather was clear on this day, there were nice views of Mount St. Helens, here with a lenticular cloud.

Happy Winter.

Jackson Bottom

December 16, 2020 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

I spent a foggy morning at Jackson Bottom Wetland Reserve. This Great Egret was blending in with the foggy background at Pintail Pond.

Belted Kingfishers are almost always distant subjects for my photos. They are quite skittish.

The Coyote Hill Trail is a nice loop around a weedy field that can be good for upland species, like this American Kestrel.

House Finch

Northern Pintail was the most abundant species of waterfowl on this day.

The north end of the reserve hosted a flock of 20 Tundra Swans, always a nice find.

There weren’t any great rarities on this trip. But there were a lot of good birds and a nice four-mile hike without any rain – a great trip for December.

Happy Autumn

Dog Days

July 28, 2020 by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, OR Birding Sites, reptiles & amphibians, seasonal movements

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

Soggy Songbirds

May 17, 2017 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

This has been the longest February ever. I know the calendar indicates that it is actually late May, and we have had several lovely dry days, but the cold wet weather continues to dominate. Despite the nasty conditions, spring migration has progressed nicely. Here are a couple of shots from Cooper Mountain Nature Park (sunny day) and Mount Tabor (dreary rainy day).

This American Crow was finding either food or water in the top of the stop sign post on Mt. Tabor.

Black-headed Grosbeaks returned to the Portland area in large numbers last week. This damp individual was singing in low brush on Mt. Tabor.
Another Black-headed Grosbeak singing in the sun at Cooper Mountain, but from the top of a tall tree

An Olive-sided Flycatcher, singing in the rain. This species often hangs out at tree-top level, but this guy came down for some nice eye-level viewing.

House Finches were munching on dandelions on Mt. Tabor.

swainson's Here is a typical view of a Swainson’s Thrush, seen on Cooper Mountain during our Warbler and Flycatcher Class. This bird did not vocalize and stayed partially hidden in the brush the whole time, but we decided on the ID based on her warm buffy color, lack of dark spots on the breast, and lack of tail dipping behavior. Darker breast spotting and tail dipping would suggest Hermit Thrush.

The weather forecast calls for warm sunny weather for the next week. We will see how accurate the forecast is, and how long it takes me to complain about how hot and sunny it is.

In the Garden

July 10, 2015 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

I was interviewed on In the Garden with Mike Darcy on June 27 and discussed what you can do to attract birds to your yard in the summer. Due to various circumstances, including the continuing heat wave, I didn’t get out on a birding trip this week. Instead, I spent a little time observing the critters in the yard.

Rufous Hummingbirds have been visiting in good numbers, a few weeks earlier than normal. Perhaps the drought has pushed them out of their more normal habitats.

The resident Anna’s Hummingbird is not pleased with the Rufous invaders.

This Song Sparrow has been enjoying the bird bath.

juvenile House Finch at the feeder

A Cabbage White, probably contemplating laying her eggs on my kale

The bees are loving the Purple Coneflowers.

Charismatic Megafauna

Wetland Birds

March 17, 2015 by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

While spring migration has not really ramped up yet, locally nesting birds at Fernhill Wetlands and Jackson Bottoms are starting to pair up, and the winter flocks are breaking up.

A few Least Sandpipers have arrived at Fernhill.

These Killdeer were vying for position. I think this species would be more highly regarded if their voices weren’t so grating. Their plumage and red eye ring are rather stunning, but they just don’t shut up.

I found a pair of Bushtits weaving a nest. The normally gray birds were stained bright yellow with pollen.

Cinnamon Teal, looking all dapper

Golden-crowned Sparrow

This Golden-crowned Sparrow had odd white patches on the cheeks, and a few white feathers on the nape.

Tree Swallows are everywhere, pairing up and claiming nest boxes.

Song Sparrow, not unusual, but unusually cooperative

Red-winged Blackbird. Females and immature males have much more interesting plumage than that of the adult males.

House Finch, just because

A Bad Day to Be a House Finch

May 23, 2011 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior

Sharp-shinned Hawk and House Finch. Photo by Marsha Rakestraw

Finches in the garden

February 16, 2009 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior

The great advantage to being a slovenly gardener is the chance to see the local wildlife using your plants long after they have died. A mixed flock of resident finches passed through recently, feeding on seeds from neglected flower corpses.

american-goldfinch
This American Goldfinch was munching on Purple Coneflower seeds.

house-finch
a seldom-studied, but diagnostic view of a male House Finch

lesser-goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch

A Bewick’s Wren often hunts for insects in the dead leaves of the clematis, but I doubt he will ever sit still long enough for a photograph.