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 the dark trees, so no great photos there.
I think this pile of feathers is the result of someone munching on a Sooty Grouse.
Bodhi and I flushed four Black-tailed Deer on the far side of a clear-cut.
This very old scat consisted of just fur and bone. From the size, I am assuming it is from a Mountain Lion.
The pond at the farm where we were staying was full of Rough-skinned Newts. I assume they were congregating to lay eggs.
To bee, or not to bee? This newt actually did take a swipe at the honeybee, but I don’t think she was able to get it down.
We didn’t get in the car very often on this trip, but when we did we usually saw Wild Turkeys along the road. Here is a crappy cell-phone-through-the-dirty-windshield shot.
I have never had a reaction to Poison Oak, but I take great care to avoid direct contact.
One morning a drove down to Fern Ridge Wildlife Area in Lane County. There wasn’t as much shorebird habitat as I had hoped for, but the Black-necked Stilts were well represented. Here is a juvenile Black-necked Stilt passing in front of a Killdeer. The juveniles are recognized by their scaly backs and dull legs.
Like most birds, they bring their leg over their wing when they need to scratch their head.
Here’s a lovely adult Black-necked Stilt, with solid black upperparts and bright pink legs.
Black-necked Stilts are fairly common breeders east of the Cascades, but harder to find on the west side. Fern Ridge, at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, is a consistent breeding site for this species. Southbound shorebird migration is starting to rev up.
Happy Summer
John Rakestraw 