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Descriptions of over 250 birding sites
Checklist of 543 species with seasonal abundance chart
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Category Archives: birding philosophy
Birds vs. Birding
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
Posted in birding philosophy
Tagged Black-tailed Deer, California Ground Squirrel, Horned Lark
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My Love/Hate Relationship with My 5MR
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
5MR: The First Month
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
Twitching in the rain
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
Posted in birding philosophy, rarities
Tagged Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Virginia's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler
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Snowy Owls
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
Feeding Frenzy
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
Posted in birding philosophy, conservation issues
Tagged bird feeding, Lesser Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch
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To Bird or to Twitch?
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
Posted in birding philosophy, rarities, Uncategorized
Tagged Brambling, Dark-eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker
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Eastern Kingbird
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
Posted in birding philosophy, OR Birding Sites
Tagged Eastern Kingbird, Sandy River Delta
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Seen it all
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
Posted in birding philosophy
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Duckzilla
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
