2020 - Here goes another year.

2020.  A new year!  A new decade!  Oh well, as we get older these kind of milestones seem less and less important.   New Year's Day found me putting a jig saw puzzle together with Rosie.  It was a nice diversion from the norm.

          Don Berg wanted to see the Hooded Oriole so we headed back out to Seaside the next day.  The bird was a no show.  Plus, the weather kept getting worse as the day wore on.  We both added a few birds to that county, so it was not all a loss.  I even got a nice shot of an adult Townsend's Warbler (see below).

          Friday 1/3/20 found Rosie and I heading south to Lane County.  There was one particular bird which showed up a few days ago which I really wanted to see - a male Williamson's Sapsucker.  These are certainly one of the spiffiest Woodpeckers in North America, and reside on the east side of the Cascade Mts, and rarely show up on the west side.  So it was great for one to stop by and be found on the Eugene CBC.  It actually was not seen on 1/1/20, which is why Don and I decided to head over to the coast.  While we were over on the coast, he returned, so I was determined to refind him.  I also got some fairly decent shots.  Problem was he as overexposed in the best direction, and no clear shot in other directions, so these will have to do.  Looks like he likes golden delicious apples.  He has good taste!

Adult Male Williamson's Sapsucker

Adult Male Williamson's Sapsucker

Adult Male Townsend's Warbler

1/7/20 - Today it was back to Eugene (Lane County) with Paul Sullivan.  A young female Vermillion Flycatcher showed up there, so we headed south.  Since Paul needed the Williamson's Sapsucker and a few others for his Lane County list, we headed to the particular dairy for Tricolored Blackbirds, then to the apple tree for the sapsucker, and then northward for a Say's Phoebe.  So I was able to take more shots of the sapsucker, and below are the results.  Also, I decided to take note, that about 90% of the apples on this tree look like the ones below, quite wholly.  

I wonder if he has found any worms in these apples????

"Peek-a-boo."

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - like the small insects from the same apple tree.

This Lesser Goldfinch is a colorful bird to see during the winter doldrums.

Male Lesser Goldfinch

1/11/2020

Rosie and I were just about out the door when this Sharp-shinned Hawk showed up out back.  This pic is through the window on an overcast day, so not real sharp.  

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

1/14/20     A recent storm blew some ocean going gulls close to shore late last week, even forcing a few inland.  There were tallied some 13 Black-legged Kittiwakes inland, to the north of where I live.  So I went up  that way yesterday and saw a couple of them, a nice addition to that particular county.  The picture just above, the Rough-legged Hawk, was taken in that area. 

So yesterday I made an effort locally to see if any kittiwakes ended up in my county.  I went to the local sewage lagoons and to a large irrigation pond in the south part of the county, but did not have any luck.   Upon returning home, I chanced upon the partially leucitic (not albino) Red-tailed Hawk, and this time he was perched on a small pine tree not far off the road.  Since he is so obvious and really stands out, I saw him far away enough to slow down, roll down the passenger window, get the camera ready, and was able to take the following pics.  Wow!  Isn't he a beauty?  For those on this list of a few years, you may remember pics of this same bird, taken at a greater distance with my old camera. This will be an improvement.  He has now been here for 5 years. 

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Male American Kestrel

I posted some pics for the local birding community, and received a few nice comments, even learning of another one about 25 miles another direction.

1/26/20

I’ve been hoping for a dry day to head back over to the coast for a few rare birds there of late, but it appears I might have to wait another week.  There is an “atmospheric river” heading to the NW which is predicted to dump lots of rain in western Oregon and snow in the mountains, so hopes to go over there are put on hold.  At this point they are surmising some flooding to already swollen rivers.  So, I went around locally this morning and tried getting some shots of birds in flight.  I think I may finally have a setting that works well for such, so check out the gull and red-tailed hawk in flight.  

Immature Red-tailed Hawk

Our local Red-shouldered Hawk.  You can see why he is names such.

Eurasian Wigeon

Glaucous-winged Gull

2/3/20  Monday:

As it was to be a clear day finally, I headed over to the coast and was able to see the Hooded Oriole in Tillamook County, which is a different bird than what I referred to a few pics back, which is in Clatsop County.  This time he was quite cooperative and allowed some decent shots.  All the others hoped for birds were not forthcoming.  I really wanted to find the Mountain Plover in Seaside, but turns out he was not in his usual haunt, so after about 4 hours of searching, I headed home, only to be notified en route that he was rebound nearby.  Oh well, such is birding.  The next day a White-throated Sparrow showed up at my feeder.  In over 3 decades of having a feeder, this is not even and annual occurrence, and so far as I can remember, only in migration.  So a winter bird could possibly stay for a while with the hefty food supply.  We shall see.  

Hooded Oriole

Hooded Oriole

White-throated Sparrow

2/4/20:  Tuesday.   I needed to run an errand for Rosie, so afterward drove around the north part of my home county.  It turned out to be a raptor day in that I saw plenty and got a few pics.  Here are the best ones of the day- A Red-tailed Hawk and a Rough-legged Hawk, both on a power line.  While this is common for the Red-tail, it is only the first time I've ever seen a Rough-legged on one.

Rough-legged Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

2/9/20

While waiting for the super rare mega tic bird to show up, the Siberian Accentor, I made the best use of the time by taking of pics of others that were around, such as these cranes. The Accentor did finally  show up, but our looks were not very good.  The Towhee and Swans were a few days later.  I was mainly experimenting with camera settings and these were some decent shots. 

Sandhill Cranes

Spotted Towhee

Tundra Swans

Song Sparrow

On Sunday 2/16 I headed north to Sauvie Island, west of Portland to try to find a few rare birds.  The American Tree Sparrow below was my main target, so it was great to see it.

American Tree Sparrow

Red-tailed Hawk

2/24/20

I took a jaunt up to Portland and then east along the Columbia River today with hopes to refind a Lesser Black Backed Gull in Hood River.  I spend a few hours this day and the next hoping to see it, but he was a no show.  He had not been seen since the afternoon of 2/22/20, so I knew my chances were becoming poor.  So I worked on 4 different counties, adding a few to each.  Nothing rare was added.  I did take some 260 pics, but most of these were deleted as the quality was not so great.  Here are the 4 I kept.  Turns out they were all taken in Sherman County at the Deschutes River State Park. 

A male Barrow's Goldeneye being escorted by a Coot

Black-capped Chickadee

A pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes

Brown Creeper

2/28/20
Rosie and I went a ways north east of where we live to Clackamas County for our walk, and I was able to add a few birds to that county list.  At Canby Community Park were some Wood Ducks which were not too weary of humans nearby, so I was able to get a few shots of some much closer than usual, so here are my best ones.  The same went to Hooded Merganser. 

Female Wood Duck

Male Wood Duck

Male Wood Duck

Male Hooded Merganser

March 1, 2020
The first day of March found Aaron Beerman and me headed over to the coast.  He was just a few bird shy of 200, and we were able to get him to 201.  Not sure if the gull below was one of them, but a 2nd winter Glaucous Gull is always a decent find anywhere in Oregon.  Otherwise, a Barrow's Goldeneye at Newport and refinding the Black and White Warbler at One Beach State Park were our best ones for the day.

Glaucous Gull

March 6-8 ;;;;;;

Seal in the surf at Gold Beach

Black Oystercatcher in Port Orford

3/10/20

There were a couple rare birds just over the other side of the Casades in Deschutes County, so I texted Aaron Beerman about taking a jaunt there yesterday, to which he was all in.  But he had a dental appointment at 07:00 first, so we did not get started til 09:15 leaving Salem.   Along the way we finally found him a Dipper in Marion County after scanning the Santiam River here and there.  An added bonus was seeing a photographing an otter mid stream.

Near the town of Sisters we located the place where a pair of Hutton’s Vireos had been being seen.  We waited about an hour and only managed some brief views and poor vocalizations of possible birds, so we could not claim success.

It was then off to Bend where a Harris Sparrow has been hanging around a certain portion of the Deschutes River Trail.  Another hour spent without success.  So it was north to Jefferson County with less than 3 hours of light left in the day. We managed a few county birds each.

Then it was the long drive back.  Thankfully the road going over the pass was clear and dry.  We stopped at Lost Lake where we were able to get a response from a Saw Whet Owl after some playback.  We hoped for the same in Marion County but it was not to be.  I got home about 01:00 AM, quite late.  

River Otter

River Otter

Female Red Crossbill.  You can see why she is named such as their bills cross over,
allowing them excellent ability to pry open cones for seeds.

Another shot of the same bird from a different angle. 
The upper bill always is on the right side of the bird.

Male House Finch

Well, this blog is getting quite long, so I should post it.  You can be sure I'll be active in taking more pics.  Matter of fact, I got a great deal on a photographer's blind, which I set up in my back yard near the feeding station, so I intend to get some interesting photos there.  Later