All photos copyright John Rakestraw unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.
Tag Archives: Savannah Sparrow
Still Waiting for Spring – Jackson Bottom
Jackson Bottom is another site that I can visit during the pandemic, assuming I get there early. The big push of spring migration has not hit, but you can tell it’s so close. Tree Swallows have been back for quite … Continue reading
Little Brown Birds
Late winter is when I typically concentrate on sparrows. There isn’t much else going on this time of year, and the vegetation is worn down enough that visibility is pretty good. Rentenaar Road on Sauvie Island continues to be the … Continue reading
Tualatin River NWR
I visited Tualatin River NWR last week. The weather has been very hot and dry, so I started early in the morning. There was a surprisingly large diversity of species for mid-summer. I ended the trip with 55 species. I … Continue reading
Jackson Bottom
I made a quick visit to Jackson Bottom in Hillsboro. This is a very busy spot in the summer. The Savannah Sparrows are still in full song. Pintail Pond has been drained to accommodate some restoration work on the site, … Continue reading
Sandy River Delta
Our freakishly nice spring weather continued this week, so I took Nala to the Sandy River Delta to check for spring migrants. Actually, Nala could not care less about spring migrants, but found the cool waters of the Sandy River … Continue reading
Tualatin River NWR
Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is still a fairly new addition to the Willamette Valley refuge complex, but it offers a nice variety of habitats very close to Portland. I don’t know if the resident Bald Eagles had a successful … Continue reading
Sandy River Delta
Nala and I spent the morning at the Sandy River Delta east of Portland. Bird activity is definitely picking up, although many of the summer residents haven’t arrived yet. White-crowned Sparrows were singing as were Savannah Sparrows. Rufous Hummingbirds were … Continue reading
Sandy River Delta
I took Nala to the Sandy River Delta this week. One of the target birds for this area is Yellow-breasted Chat, a species hard to find elsewhere in the Portland area. This was the only individual I found that day, … Continue reading
Slow Spring
The end of March and beginning of April have been cool and wet. Spring is progressing, but seemingly very slowly. Here are a few images from the past week. Pacific Wrens are singing everywhere. This bird was at Powell Butte … Continue reading