Category Archives: birding philosophy

Birds vs. Birding

Posted on July 12, 2019 by

We spent close to a week in northern Wasco County, OR, to get our dogs away from the barrage of illegal fireworks that plague the Portland area every July. While the property where we stayed provided some nice hiking opportunities, … Continue reading →

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My Love/Hate Relationship with My 5MR

Posted on June 18, 2019 by

It has been six months since I joined the Five Mile Radius movement, concentrating on finding as many species of birds as possible within five miles of my home. My 5MR has a pretty good mix of habitats. I have … Continue reading →

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5MR: The First Month

Posted on February 1, 2019 by

For the month of January, virtually all of my birding has been conducted within my 5 Mile Radius. This included dedicated birding trips and keeping track of birds while at the dog park and on family hikes.  (This Red-breasted Sapsucker … Continue reading →

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Twitching in the rain

Posted on December 12, 2017 by

One of the more popular avian celebrities in Portland this fall is a Virginia’s Warbler that has been visiting the suet feeders at a home for the past several weeks. This is a great bird for Oregon, and the bird … Continue reading →

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Snowy Owls

Posted on December 15, 2012 by

Several Snowy Owls have been reported recently from Fort Stevens State Park, so I made the trek out to see them. I walked around the marsh at Parking Lot C, snapped a few photos from a respectful distance and then … Continue reading →

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Feeding Frenzy

Posted on March 23, 2012 by

For the past few weeks I have been enjoying a large flock of Pine Siskins at my feeder. But as often occurs during years of high siskin numbers, I started noticing a few sick birds. So I stopped feeding for … Continue reading →

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To Bird or to Twitch?

Posted on January 13, 2012 by

I finally had a few hours to get out birding, and had planned to visit some of the Washington County wetlands. But a Brambling visiting a feeder in Woodburn presented me with a dilemma. Should I spend my birding time … Continue reading →

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Eastern Kingbird

Posted on July 24, 2011 by

A few years ago I blogged on birding and aesthetics , describing how beautiful birds and beautiful scenery do not always occur together. I saw another example of this recently. Tucked away in this scene of power lines and invasive … Continue reading →

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Seen it all

Posted on October 9, 2009 by

A birder recently told me that he didn’t do much local birding because he had “seen it all.” I understand what he meant; once you have birded an area long enough, it becomes increasingly unlikely that you are going to … Continue reading →

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Duckzilla

Posted on March 27, 2009 by

Domestication is a strange thing. It enhances certain traits while diminishing others, usually not for the better. A classic example is the Muscovy Duck. In its wild form, this large duck is black with green iridescence and white wing panels. … Continue reading →

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