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Descriptions of more than 250 of the best birding sites in Oregon, checklist and seasonal abundance chart, additional resources.
Category Archives: conservation issues
Virginia Rail
As many people are jumping on the “bird local” bandwagon, little Commonwealth Lake Park in Beaverton has been getting a lot of birding attention and producing an increasing array of interesting species. One of the stars of this winter is … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, conservation issues, OR Birding Sites
Tagged Commonwealth Lake Park, Virginia Rail
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Birdathon
After taking a break for a few years, I am once again helping with the Audubon Society of Portland’s annual fundraiser, Birdathon. I am leading a team, The Weekday Warblers, on a trip to the coast on Thursday, May 12. … Continue reading
Posted in conservation issues
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Rusty Blackbird
I made another trip to see the Rusty Blackbird that has been hanging out behind the Hillsboro Public Library for the past month. This species nests in boreal wetlands across Alaska, Canada, and the northeastern states. They typically winter in … Continue reading
Mexican Spotted Owl
On my recent trip to Arizona, I had the pleasure of watching this Mexican Spotted Owl preening and snoozing near his nest cavity. Spotted Owl has been a nemesis species for me since moving to Oregon twelve years ago. The … 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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Not Endangered Enough
The Department of the Interior recently announced that it would not be listing Greater Sage-Grouse as threatened or endangered, even though the bird, whose population has declined by at least 90 percent in the past century, “warranted” listing. This species … Continue reading
Helping evolution along
Anna’s Hummingbird was first reported in Oregon in 1944. The first specimen wasn’t collected until 1966. But today, this species is a common year-round resident in western Oregon. They winter as far north as coastal British Columbia, and have even … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, conservation issues, seasonal movements
Tagged Anna's Hummingbird, migration, range expansion
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Powell Butte
Located on the east side of Portland, Powell Butte Nature Park (Birding Oregon p. 66) offers a variety of birds and some nice views of the nearby mountains. The butte is tall enough to produce its own rain shadow, so … Continue reading
Posted in conservation issues, OR Birding Sites
Tagged American Kestrel, Coyote, Fox Sparrow
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Sad Anniversary, September 4, 1963
The date was September 4, 1963. I was two months shy of my second birthday. So in my little world, the most profound events involved soiling myself and chugging baby root beers at the A&W Drive-In. But on the island … Continue reading
Sabal Palm Audubon Center to be fenced off?
The New York Times ran an article on the Sabal Palm Audubon Center in Brownsville, TX. There is a frightening chance that a border fence may be built north of the sanctuary, thus shutting off access to one of the … Continue reading
Posted in beyond OR, conservation issues
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