Merlin

We just saw a Merlin in NE Portland! This is the first time that we have seen this bird in our part of town. What a great treat!

Ridgefield

Michelle and I went on our annual New Year's Day birding trip. This time (as usual) we went to Ridgefield NWR. It was a bone chilling day but skies were mostly clear and there was some great birding going on. We have never seen so many Red-Tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, Blue Herons, or Bald Eagles all at the same time. They were everywhere.

We also added a bird to our Life List! A Black Phoebe! It's a rare bird for Ridgefield and we felt very lucky to have seen it! Here are some other photos from the trip. We hope you enjoy!

We identified 39 species. Species list is at the end of the post. Great start to the New Year!

One of the many Red-Tailed Hawks we saw during the trip.


Tundra Swans resting on the icy ponds.


The Blue Herons were as thick as fog. We found several of the just standing in the road not seeming to have a care in the world!


They all seemed quite willing to pose for some photos.



We came upon this Heron just as it nailed the ground with fury. He then pulled out a Vole (we think anyway).

He made quick work of the rodent.

A couple of seconds later and down it went!

Here is the Black Phoebe! At first, we thought it was a Slate-Colored Junco, but after watching it for a few minutes through the bins and hearing it's very distinctive call, we determined that it was in fact a Black Phoebe.

5 juvenile Bald Eagles surveying the land for their next meal.

A smattering of Tundra Swans with hundreds and hundreds of Northern Pintail.

Here are 2 photos of an unidentified Hawk. It was slightly larger than a Kestrel. It's wings seemed to be rounded in flight. We only got this one back shot before it took off. We didn't recognize the pattern on the back.

Here is a blown up version. The tip of it's beak seems to be light colored (yellow?). Any ideas?

Species:

Canada Goose

Cackling Goose

Tundra Swan

Wood Duck

Mallard

Shoveler

Pintail

Ring-Necked Duck

Greater Scaup

Bufflehead

Ruddy Duck

Pied-Billed Grebe

Cormorant

Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Red-Tailed Hawk

Kestrel

Coot

Red-Breasted Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Flicker

Black Phoebe

Steller's Jay

Scrub Jay

Crow

Black-Capped Chickadee

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Marsh Wren

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

Robin

Starling

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Golden-Crowned Sparrow

House Finch

Lesser Goldfinch

House Sparrow

A few pics from the yard

Here are a few pics in the yard from the last couple of days. The yard has been getting busier and busier over the last couple of weeks. Lots of Juncos, American Goldfinches, Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches, Black-Capped and Chestnut-Backed Chickadees, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-Rumped and Townsend's Warblers, Flickers, Downy Woodpeckers, a Red-Breasted Sapsucker, Scrub and Steller's Jays, Bewick's Wrens, Song, White- and Golden-Crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhee, Bushtits, Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Cedar Waxwings, and Anna's Hummingbirds are all common visitors right now. We have heard the Varied Thrush a couple of times, but we haven't spotted him yet.

Wishing everyone a great birding winter season!


We have tried in vain to ID this gull. We think we ID the gull and then we notice a marking that rejects our theory. Any ideas?


A Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Both the Sharpie and the Cooper's hawks are starting to visit the yard more and more.

A Bewick's Wren searching for some good bugs behind the house. Such a great looking bird.

Photos from the yard

It has been getting busier and busier in the yard lately! We have been going through a lot of seed in the last couple of weeks. But, that's a good thing!

Here are some of the photos we have taken this week. We hope you enjoy them all. Good birding to everyone!

The Rufous Hummingbirds are in all day now. We see both the male and female frequently. The one below is the male.


Here is the female Rufous. Such gorgeous little birds!


The Townsend's Warblers are still hanging around, too. We are hoping that they stick around for a while longer.


Here is a Yellow-Rumped Warbler that is getting his breeding colors. All of the Yellow-Rumped that we see now are fluffy and full of color!


One of our resident Song Sparrows. We have a feeling that she has built a nest on the side of our home. We scan the yard daily for juvenile Song Sparrows.


A rare (for us) Band-Tailed Pigeon decided to drop by for a while. We always enjoy their visits.


A male Lesser Goldfinch looking just about as pretty as can be!


A Downy Woodpecker checking out some home-made suet.


The American Goldfinches are really starting to show their breeding colors now! The bird beside him is a Lesser Goldfinch (female) and below him is a Pine Siskin.