While we are officially in the winter season, with the passing of the solstice we can now look forward to lengthening days. It doesn’t take the birds long to catch on. Bird song will start to pick up soon and the Anna’s Hummingbirds will be nesting in about a month. Snows in the mountains have brought good numbers of Pine Siskins to the valley; a nice treat for the holidays.
I wish you blessings of the season. If you would like to treat yourself, find a copy of the 1952 recording of Amahl and the Night Visitors. I have yet to hear a production of this Christmas classic as good as the original. Cheers.
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An Arctic Loon has been hanging out near Astoria this week, and I finally had a chance to chase him today. The most direct route, Hwy 30, was closed due to a massive mudslide, but the scenic route worked just as well. I am delighted to see this species in Oregon, as it saves me an expensive trip to Alaska, where Arctic Loons typically hang out. The grainy photos below were taken through my scope. My camera is not very compatible with my scope, but it works for ID purposes. Note the blocky head and white flanks that differentiate this species from the Pacific Loon.
I am taking a writing course from Wendee Holtcamp, and needed to work on a journaling exercise so I headed out to Fernhill Wetlands. It was a very gray day, and quite chilly, but I was struck by the amount of white to be found in the birdlife. Large rafts of Common Mergansers, the typical flock of Mew and California Gulls, the heads and tails of the resident Bald Eagles, Great Egrets, and a flock of Tundra Swans really brightened up the landscape. There are always colors to be had, even on a gray day, but you have to appreciate big splashes of white, even after Labor Day.
