Tag Archives: Song Sparrow

Mew Gulls

Posted on January 11, 2020 by John Rakestraw

I made a quick trip to Amberglen Office Park in Hillsboro to check the lawn for gulls. Along with a small flock of Ring-billed Gulls were four Mew Gulls. Mews are one of my favorite gulls. They are easy to … Continue reading →

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Spring in the wetlands

Posted on June 25, 2018 by John Rakestraw

Nesting season continues to progress. While some songbirds have already fledged a batch of babies, other species are just getting under way. This Pied-billed Grebe was sitting on a nest at Commonwealth Lake. Blue-winged Teal can be hard to find … Continue reading →

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Spring in the Wetlands

Posted on March 30, 2018 by John Rakestraw

Spring is coming on strong, despite the cold latter half of March. The season is most obvious in the open habitats around wetlands. Local nesters are starting to pair up and collect nesting material.The winter sparrow flocks are starting to … Continue reading →

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Spring at Fernhill

Posted on April 2, 2017 by John Rakestraw

While we continue to get above-average rainfall in the Portland area, there have been a few dry days of late, so I ran out for a quick tour of Fernhill Wetlands. Most of the wintering geese are gone, and there … Continue reading →

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Sauvie Island

Posted on March 18, 2016 by John Rakestraw

I went to Sauvie Island to scout areas for my Little Brown Birds class next week. The huge flocks of waterfowl that spend the winter there have dwindled, but there are still a lot of birds around. This White-crowned Sparrow … Continue reading →

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In the Garden

Posted on July 10, 2015 by John Rakestraw

I was interviewed on In the Garden with Mike Darcy on June 27 and discussed what you can do to attract birds to your yard in the summer. Due to various circumstances, including the continuing heat wave, I didn’t get … Continue reading →

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Smith and Bybee Wetlands

Posted on June 7, 2015 by John Rakestraw

Nesting season is in full swing at Smith and Bybee Wetlands in northwest Portland. There is a small colony of Cliff Swallows nesting under the highway overpass. Here is the tail end of a Cedar Waxwing sitting on a nest. … Continue reading →

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Wetland Birds

Posted on March 17, 2015 by John Rakestraw

While spring migration has not really ramped up yet, locally nesting birds at Fernhill Wetlands and Jackson Bottoms are starting to pair up, and the winter flocks are breaking up. A few Least Sandpipers have arrived at Fernhill. These Killdeer … Continue reading →

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Broughton Beach

Posted on January 25, 2015 by John Rakestraw

Nala and I walked along the Columbia River from Broughton Beach to the Sea Scout base. Greater Scaup was the most numerous species on the river, with smaller numbers of Lesser Scaup (fifth bird from the right) Great Scaup (upper … Continue reading →

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Sauvie Island

Posted on March 22, 2014 by John Rakestraw

I took my Little Brown Birds class to Sauvie Island. A walk along the length of Rentenaar Road is always good for sparrows. We found at least four White-throated Sparrows. This species was considered quite rare in Oregon ten years … Continue reading →

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