Horned Lark – John Rakestraw

Rocky Mountain National Park

July 30, 2019July 30, 2019 by John Rakestraw, posted in beyond OR, mammals

We took a quick trip to Colorado for a family reunion. There wasn’t much time for hardcore birding, but we made a quick pass through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Moose are always a treat to see, provided you are a respectful distance away.

Elk are seemingly everywhere in the park. This young bull was rather shy, which I was grateful for since I needed to walk down the path where he was lounging.

This large bull didn’t even bother looking at people. He was quite comfortable where he was.

The main target of my visit to the park was White-tailed Ptarmigan. This species is notorious for walking right up to non-birders, but often proves a challenge for those actually trying to see it. I have searched for this species in Rocky Mountain NP on several previous occasions, as well as at Glacier NP and Mt. Rainier NP. I finally connected with this bird by hiking to a site where they had been reported consistently in recent days and then scanning the tundra for about half an hour. She was quite far away, and I couldn’t get closer without leaving the trail and damaging the fragile tundra, so I made do with a distant view of this female and her four babies. This is the first lifer I have seen since January of 2018, so I was thankful for any view at all.

After finding the ptarmigan, I stopped at a large snow field to look for Brown-capped Rosy-Finches. Two lifers in one morning was a little too much to hope for, but I did find this Horned Lark, which is always a treat.
By late morning, the traffic and crowds were becoming unbearable, an unfortunate result of this park’s popularity. So I didn’t have a chance to study the small furry critters that often present themselves at close range here.

The lodge where we stayed hosted lots of Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels. This is the same species found in Oregon, but they seemed less colorful in Colorado.

Yellow-bellied Marmots were quite vocal, and too shy to allow a close approach.

While they didn’t provide any photo opportunities, it was great to see and hear Cordilleran Flycatchers. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds were everywhere. It is always nice to experience different bird communities when traveling, even if birding is not your main goal. Now that I’m home, it’s time to start studying southbound shorebirds.

Happy summer.

Birds vs. Birding

July 12, 2019 by John Rakestraw, posted in birding philosophy

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, there is little public land in the northern part of Wasco County. I drove a few country roads looking for birds, but there were no public areas to really explore on foot. We were too ambitious with our hiking the first couple of days and ended up pushing Nala (who turns 10 next month) too far. She couldn’t walk on her own for two days, so we didn’t get out at all on those days.

Looking back on the trip, I got a total of one bird photo for the week, and never really got good views of any birds. It is tempting to say that the birding was bad, but thinking back, I really did see a lot of birds. Most were flybys, or birds seen without optics, but the diversity was actually pretty good. There were Ash-throated Flycatchers, Western Kingbirds, and Say’s Phoebes. Western Bluebirds, Western Meadowlarks, and Lewis’s Woodpeckers were common. The hummingbird feeder at the house where we stayed was visited by Rufous and Black-chinned Hummingbirds. A Wild Turkey crossed the road in front of me one morning. There were a lot of birds that I don’t get to see in the Portland area. Granted, views were often fleeting, but one of the advantages of being an experienced birder is the ability to recognize many species with less-than-stellar views. So given the fact that I didn’t actually do a lot of birding, the birding wasn’t too bad after all. We are always birding. Sometimes the views and species diversity are better than others, but there is always something to see.

Horned Lark, perched on a barbed wire fence, the only bird photo from the week

California Ground Squirrels were EVERYWHERE.

Not quite as common as the ground squirrels, Black-tailed Deer were seen on every outing.

These two fawns were “hiding” in the tall grass.

Here Bodhi contemplates his first cow. Nala cares not for such beasts.

Looking west toward Mt. Hood

In a pasture of mostly browns and pale olives, a few Blanket Flowers provided some intense color.

Happy Summer

Random Images

January 11, 2017January 11, 2017 by John Rakestraw, posted in behavior

Life and inclement weather have conspired against me of late, so my outings have been far too few. But here are some photos from recent weeks.

A trip to Broughton Beach provided nice looks at a small flock of Horned Larks. I want to read up on the many subspecies of Horned Larks to see which ones are found in Oregon. Whether I would be able to distinguish them in the field remains to be seen.
This female Eurasian Wigeon has been hanging out at Commonwealth Lake.

Pied-billed Grebes, Commonwealth Lake
The Portland area received about ten inches of snow last night. While this unusually large snowfall made for a lovely winter wonderland, it is quite challenging for the resident Anna’s Hummingbirds.

I finally got around to making some vegan suet (equal parts coconut oil and peanut butter with a little corn meal mixed in). It took the birds a while to find it, but it has become quite popular. Here is a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

the nuthatch sharing with a few Bushtits

and a big old wad of Bushtits. Other species seen eating the suet include Bewick’s Wren, Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Black-capped Chickadee. I hope some warblers find it soon. We shall see.

Broughton Beach Horned Larks

August 3, 2016 by John Rakestraw, posted in nesting, OR Birding Sites, Uncategorized

horned Broughton Beach, along the Columbia River, has been a favorite spot in Portland to check for shorebirds, gulls, and waterfowl, depending on the season. On my recent visit I enjoyed watching a family of Horned Larks working the beach. There are many subspecies of Horned Lark, and I don’t have a reference that provides a good description of the possible subspecies in this area. These birds had much more yellow on their faces than did the birds I saw recently on Mount Hood.

horned juvenile This juvenile showed more muted colors and lacked the distinctive facial pattern of the adults.

horned juv I’m not sure if this bird is a juvenile or an adult female.

horned lark female adult female, I think

horned lark 3 adult male, I think

horned lark 2 adult male

brewer's Not a Horned Lark, but Brewer’s Blackbirds are among my favorites. This is a female.

killdeer chick And we end with a ball of fluffy cuteness. I was surprised to find such a young Killdeer so late in the summer.

Timberline

July 17, 2016July 17, 2016 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites, rarities

I hiked from Timberline Lodge to the snow fields above Silcox Hut. My main target was Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. I missed the finches, but there is always something fun to see on the mountain. There were a lot of skiers and snowboarders on the remaining snow fields. I don’t know how you expect to find Rosy-Finches while going that fast, but to each their own.

Several Clark’s Nutcrackers were hanging out near the lodge. This species can be quite tame, but the ones near Timberline tend to be shy and keep their distance. Perhaps I need to carry more snacks.

Lupines were one of several wildflowers that are currently in bloom.

A couple of Horned Larks were pretty cooperative.

This blurry creature is a juvenile Rock Wren. The pale sandy brown plumage had me stumped for a while, as the adults are more clearly marked with cold brown and gray colors and speckling.

No visit to Timberline is complete without Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels, the Alpine Ambassadors of Cuteness.

Yellow-bellied Marmots reign over the higher slopes. The vegetation is so sparse here it is hard to imagine how these guys find enough to eat.

walking that fine line between majestic and adorable

Hart Mountain

August 20, 2008August 21, 2008 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites

The Sept./Oct. issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest has my piece on Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (Birding Oregon p.20). This is a great area to explore for birds, other wildlife, scenery, and native petroglyphs. The article didn’t use any of the photos I sent with it, opting instead for a rather dreary view of the mountain. So here are a few photos from the refuge. For more information, check the refuge website.

Most of the refuge consists of a quarter of a million acres of sage steppe. While I appreciate trees and water as much as the next person, I really love the vastness of this habitat (one of the most threatened in North America).

Sunrise over Hart Mountain, viewed from the Warner Valley

Blue Sky is an island of Ponderosa Pine surrounded by sage steppe. These trees attract migrant and nesting species not found elsewhere on the refuge.

Hart Mountain refuge was originally established to protect the dwindling population of Pronghorns.

Mountain Lions are another mammal species that live on the refuge.

Horned Lark singing from atop a small rock

Many of the rocky outcroppings on the refuge contain native petroglyphs. Were these images drawn by shamans, artists, or just kids who liked to doodle?