I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Pullman, Washington for work... here are some bird pics snapped at rest stops:
Killdeer plover
barn swallows a plenty
I've never seen a swallow on the ground before... weird.
And here are some shots from birding last weekend at Conboy Lake Wildlife Refuge up near Mt. Adams:
not a bird, a Pacific tree frog
yellow headed blackbirds ganging up far out in the marsh
Mt. Adams
a little house wren
Sorry this post is so short... homework awaits...
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Big Day
Today my friend Tori and I journeyed to Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge in Washington... I had heard so many great things about it and was so glad to finally get there! What an awesome birding spot! Here are some of the pics:
Song sparrows everywhere
spotted towhee
cedar waxwing
tons of cinnamon teals- life bird!
blurry yellow headed blackbird
painted turtles basking
great horned owl squinting at us
tree swallow leaving the nest
love that cinnamon teal
savannah sparrow- another life bird!
red winged black bird screaming
finally a visual on the common yellowthroat!
great egret stalking
blurry juvenile wood duck
Other life birds included redhead ducks, Wilson's snipe, bushtit, and what we think were blue-winged teal. There were other interesting birds like white pelicans, baby pied-billed grebes, killdeer, mystery flycatchers and the blooping of a bittern. Great day.
Back at home, the breeding scene is in high gear. I snapped this young western scrub jay on the driveway:
the chickadee family is doing well... mom and dad are very busy catching caterpillars and other juicy bugs for the kids and bringing them home:
Mom or dad after a bath in the creek, bummer about the leaf in the way. Chickadees can be hard to shoot because the white often gets over-exposed.
I love having the little family so close by- the parents are pretty used to me lurking now. When I put my ear to the house, the babies' voices are starting to take on that raspy little chickadee tone. Wonder when they will fledge...
Posted by Deborah at 10:59 PM 0 comments
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Buntings before breakfast
It is a beautiful day in Hood River, and yesterday I spotted some lazuli buntings up on Hood River Mountain so I decided to come back this morning with my camera.
The view on the way up was great.
cedar waxwing
tree swallow
the lovely lazuli bunting
Posted by Deborah at 10:33 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
My trip to Texas started off with a bang when we pulled into my sister's driveway and saw this cool guy hanging out in her yard:
A Mississippi kite
I am calling this a black-chinned hummingbird, although it could be a ruby-throated...
gotta love the GBH
Green anole in my parent's yard
I dragged my parents and my niece to the Trinity River Audubon center south of Dallas... it was very cool. Lots of western kingbirds.
Western kingbird
Mourning doves
My favorite
Lots of painted buntings
Eastern kingbird
After arriving back in Portland I spent the afternoon at Mt. Tabor Park to kill some time. What a great park! Three hours there flew by and the place was hopping with birds!
Western wood pewee
I am thinking this is a hermit thrush, not a swainson's...
cool views
the lesser goldfinches were in abundance... fun to see them in their breeding plumage
Can you spot the brown creeper?
It was a great trip to Texas to see family, and a great afternoon birding in Portland on the way home. Lots of life birds to be had, including summer tanagers and yellow-billed cuckoos, and of course sightings of my old favorite the scissor-tailed flycatcher. No pics of them on this trip, but there is always next time.
Back on the home front, the chickadees have hatched in my nest box and make the sweetest little peeping sound when you put your ear close to the ventilation holes. The mom and dad have been busy going in and out, and so far the 1-1/8" diameter hole has been successful in keeping out the nosy house sparrows.
Posted by Deborah at 10:00 AM 0 comments