Tag: Pied-billed Grebe

Young of the Year

by John Rakestraw, posted in reptiles & amphibians, seasonal movements

As summer starts to wind down, here are a few images of youngsters from this year.

Tree Swallows are one of the first songbirds to nest in the spring. This is one of the many nesting boxes at Fernhill Wetlands.

A lot of baby animals are really cute. American Coots not so much.

Gadwall hen with one of her ducklings. Gadwall did not used to be frequent nesters in the Portland area, but are now.

This duckling was sitting alone on a log at Fernhill. I believe this is a Cinnamon Teal, but am not sure.

Young Pied-billed Grebe

One of many Pacific Tree Frog tadpoles seen at Cooper Mountain. Most adult Pacific Tree Frogs are either green or brown, but there is a very rare blue morph. I wonder if this guy might grow up to show that rare coloring.

Farewell to Autumn

by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

As winter finally locks in, here is a last look at some autumn colors, starting with this Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Pied-billed Grebe
Northern Shoveler, providing a splash of white, green, and copper
Northern Shovelers often swim with their faces in the water. I know they are filter-feeding along the surface, but it is easy to imagine that those enormous bills are just too heavy to hold up.
Sandhill Cranes flying over Sauvie Island
American Wigeon reflected in a sheltered backwater pool
Eurasian Wigeon feeding in the lawn at Commonwealth Lake. Note the lack of a black outline around the base of the bill, which would be present on an American Wigeon.
Killdeer, contemplating whether to head farther south before the weather turns really bad. We have had a hard freeze since this photo was taken. I wonder what they decided.
Taverner’s Cackling Goose. I like the little white eyebrow on this individual.
This Red-winged Blackbird has some fresh rusty edges to his back feathers. Those will wear off with time.

As we approach two to three months of dark and dreary weather, remind yourself to get outdoors anyway.

Happy Winter

Summer at Fernhill

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

Record-setting heat and cloudless days are not the best conditions for birding or photography, but here we are. It is sometimes hard to motivate oneself to get outside when the weather is so harsh, but there is always something to see. So here are some images from a warm walk around Fernhill Wetlands.

bh grosbeakBlack-headed Grosbeaks are one of our more attractive summer residents.

red-wingedLots of babies have already fledged. Here a Red-winged Blackbird is being harassed by a hungry youngster.

purple martinsIt has been such a delight to have an active Purple Martin colony at Fernhill the past few years.

p martinPurple Martin on an unclouded day

ospreyOspreys were soaring high over Fernhill Lake. I didn’t see any dive for fish while I was there.

pb grebeThe ducks have started their summer molt, but the Pied-billed Grebes are still looking dapper.

modoA lovely Mourning Dove on an ugly fence

western grebeThe most unusual bird of the day was this Western Grebe. They are frequent winter visitors here, but they do not nest anywhere nearby.

Southbound shorebird migration has already begun, so expect them to show up soon.

Happy Summer

Winter Waterfowl

by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

Waterfowl seem to dominate the birding scene in the Willamette Valley in winter. Year-round residents, like this Pied-billed Grebe, are joined by a host of winter migrants.

My camera hates white birds, but managed to capture this Common Merganser pretty well.

I usually gloss over Mallards, but they are a pretty duck.

Ring-necked Duck

Eurasian Wigeon have been hard to come by the past couple of winters, so it was nice to see this pretty boy at Dawson Creek.American Wigeon remain common on grassy lawns and ponds.

Green-winged Teal, also at Dawson Creek.

There are other birds around this time of year, like sparrows and raptors. But while it is nice to see that Merlin fly overhead and the flocks of Golden-crowned Sparrows deep in the brush piles, sometimes it is good to take the time to study and appreciate the waterfowl that sit out in the open in the daylight.

Happy Winter

Random Ramblings

by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

Most of my recent outings have been while leading trips or in dreary conditions, both of which limit any photo opportunities. So here are some dribs and drabs from recent weeks.

This Black-tailed Deer and her fawn were at Cooper Mountain Nature Park in Beaverton. There was a second fawn present out of frame.

This Long-billed Dowitcher was blending in well with the rocks at Parking Lot C at Fort Stevens State Park. I often find shorebirds, usually Least Sandpipers or Dunlin, in this little patch of rocks.

I saw this Pied-billed Grebe on a cloudy morning at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.

Crystal Springs is thick with Wood Ducks.

Eastern Gray Squirrel at Crystal Springs

Sandhill Cranes have arrived in good numbers at Sauvie Island.

Crane fight

A young Bald Eagle flying by on Sauvie

This White-crowned Sparrow posed nicely in filtered sunlight along Rentenaar Road on Sauvie Island. This is a first winter bird, but he was singing from this perch for a while.

Most shorebird migration is long past, but this mixed flock of Dunlin and Long-billed Dowitchers were hanging out at the small ponds near the parking lot at Fernhill Wetlands.

Long-billed Dowitcher at Fernhill. This intense sunlight is certainly not the norm for mid-November, but the rains will return soon enough.

Happy Autumn

Spring in the wetlands

by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, rarities, seasonal movements

Nesting season continues to progress. While some songbirds have already fledged a batch of babies, other species are just getting under way. This Pied-billed Grebe was sitting on a nest at Commonwealth Lake.

Blue-winged Teal can be hard to find in the Willamette Valley at any time, so it was nice to see a pair at Fernhill Wetlands.

female Blue-winged Teal

Eurasian Collared-Doves continue to expand their range and numbers in Oregon. It wasn’t all that long ago that these birds were first found in the state, or maybe I am just old. This bird was singing at Fernhill.

Song Sparrow at Fernhill, living up to his name

A few Purple Martins have returned to the nest boxes at Fernhill. They are still a treat to see here.

While most of the Tundra Swans that winter in Oregon left for the breeding grounds long ago, this individual continues to hang out at Fernhill. A few observers have reported this bird as a Trumpeter Swan, but the straight feathering across the forehead (as opposed to the widow’s peak on a Trumpeter) is consistent with Tundra.

Koll Center Wetlands

by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites

A couple of Black-crowned Night-Herons has been hanging out at Koll Center Wetlands recently. This spot is strictly parking lot birding (pull up, get out of the car, and scan the pond), but it has attracted more than it’s share of interesting sightings – like Black-crowned Night-Herons.
Other recent celebrities at this site include a group of up to six River Otters. These are such neat animals. It is a treat to find them in such an urban setting.
Common Mergansers, like these two males, are some of the many species of waterfowl currently using the wetlands.
female Common Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe
Nothing too rare or exotic, but we are lucky to have this little urban wetland to spice up an otherwise dreary autumn day.

Commonwealth Lake

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

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.

img_9283This 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…

greenlike this guy. This Green Heron was fluffed up against the cold and was staying in the thick brush along the water’s edge.

img_9288Duck Butts! A pair of Gadwall were doing the dabbling thing.

pied-billedAfter a successful nesting season at this site, Pied-billed Grebes are still present in good numbers.

ring-billedThis 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…

Random Images

by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior

Life and inclement weather have conspired against me of late, so my outings have been far too few. But here are some photos from recent weeks.

horned-lark-2A trip to Broughton Beach provided nice looks at a small flock of Horned Larks. I want to read up on the many subspecies of Horned Larks to see which ones are found in Oregon. Whether I would be able to distinguish them in the field remains to be seen.
horned-lark-3eurasianThis female Eurasian Wigeon has been hanging out at Commonwealth Lake.

grebes-2Pied-billed Grebes, Commonwealth Lake
grebeshummerThe Portland area received about ten inches of snow last night. While this unusually large snowfall made for a lovely winter wonderland, it is quite challenging for the resident Anna’s Hummingbirds.

nuthatchI finally got around to making some vegan suet (equal parts coconut oil and peanut butter with a little corn meal mixed in). It took the birds a while to find it, but it has become quite popular. Here is a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

img_9205the nuthatch sharing with a few Bushtits

img_9194and a big old wad of Bushtits. Other species seen eating the suet include Bewick’s Wren, Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Black-capped Chickadee. I hope some warblers find it soon. We shall see.

Commonwealth Lake Park

by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

Commonwealth Lake Park is your typical urban duck pond nestled in the Portland suburb of Beaverton. Such parks are certainly not the places to go if you seek a wilderness experience, but they can be excellent places to study waterfowl up close. They also serve as a quick and easy birding fix when “life” prevents you from getting out in the field as much as you should.

pb grebeSpecies that are normally rather shy, like this Pied-billed Grebe, will often allow a close approach is parks such as this.

cootAmerican Coots, common and often dismissed by birders, are quite lovely when you get close enough.

gadwallGadwall

merg with fishmale Common Merganser, with what I think is a Yellow Bullhead

common mergfemale Common Merganser

gwfGreater White-fronted Geese are common migrants over the Portland area, but uncommon winter residents. Four have been spending the winter at Commonwealth.
gwf stretch

rb gullSince the remodeling of Portland’s Westmoreland Park a couple of years ago, there really hasn’t been a good spot to easily study gulls in the Portland area. This adult Ring-billed Gull was a cooperative model.
ring-billed second cycleThis Ring-billed Gull is in his second plumage cycle.

So while I would much rather walk for several miles in a natural setting to find birds, I am grateful for little urban parks like Commonwealth.