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Descriptions of over 250 birding sites
Checklist of 543 species with seasonal abundance chart
References and Contact Information
Category Archives: seasonal movements
Winter Birding
February is usually cloudy and damp in the Portland area, making it hard for me to get too motivated to venture out. But there is always something to see, like this lovely Lincoln’s Sparrow. This Cedar Waxwing was flycatching over … Continue reading
Winter Waterfowl
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 … Continue reading
Posted in seasonal movements
Tagged American Wigeon, Eurasian Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Pied-billed Grebe, Ring-necked Duck
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Fernhill Wetlands
A recent foggy morning found me at Fernhill Wetlands. Birding was a little slow overall, but there were a few neat finds. These were two of about 100 Long-billed Dowitchers out that morning. Black Phoebe has become an expected species … Continue reading
Posted in mammals, seasonal movements
Tagged Black Phoebe, Harlan's Hawk, Long-billed Dowitcher, Nutria
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Fernhill Wetlands
The rainy season has been slow to arrive this year, so we have had strings of sunny autumn days. While the dry conditions are preventing many of the seasonal wetlands from filling, the clear skies do make for some pleasant … Continue reading
Tillamook
I had to go to Tillamook Bay to get some photos for an upcoming webinar. This particular day had freakishly nice weather, very un-Tillamook-like. Ideally, during fall migration, a birder hopes for onshore winds to bring seabirds and shorebirds close … Continue reading
“Autumn” Shorebirds
Late summer is a challenging time to bird. The local nesters have finished raising their families and have grown quiet and harder to see. Most southbound migrants have not arrived yet. The weather is hot and many parks are crowded. … Continue reading
Racetrack Lake
Racetrack Lake, located on Sauvie Island, sort of in between the end of Rentenaar Road and the east shore of Sturgeon Lake, has been quite good for shorebirds recently. Good shorebird habitat has been very hard to find in the … Continue reading
Dog Days
I am not sure why the hottest days of mid-summer are referred to as “dog days.” My dogs want nothing to do with the heat, and the hot weather puts a damper on bird activity as well. Wetlands tend to … Continue reading
Posted in nesting, OR Birding Sites, reptiles & amphibians, seasonal movements
Tagged American Crow, Bewick's Wren, Greater Yellowlegs, Green Heron, House Finch, Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-toed Salamander, Northwestern Garter, Osprey, Purple Martin, Spotted Towhee, Tree Swallow, Western Screech-Owl
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Into the Woods
We left Portland for ten days to escape the fireworks which terrify our dogs. We stayed on a farm in the Coast Range in Benton County. The birds where we stayed were typical Coast Range birds which stayed high in … Continue reading
