Road Trip!

Took a 2-week road trip to try to see some new Oregon birds, escape wildfire smoke (not entirely successful), and visit family in Colorado.

Summer Tanager, at a fruit stand in Kimberly, Oregon (near the Painted Hills and John Day), that had been around for about 2 weeks already. I searched for 30 minutes and got one glimpse, then continued searching. Finally, Alan purchased some fruit, and that did the trick! The bird immediately appeared on a branch above the fruit stand.

Plumbeous Vireo, rarely seen in Oregon, at Page Springs Campground near Malheur NWR. This species was also seen at Page Springs around the same time in 2017, 2018, and 2019. I tried several times before finally seeing it. On 9/22/20 around 10am, I heard it faintly call a couple of times near the river, so I crept closer to the sound and was looking for a place to stand in the shade, when I noticed the bird sitting on a branch about 3' off the ground, and only about 8' away from me!

Common Nighthawks

Amazing show of Common Nighthawks at the Cannon Beach settling ponds at dusk the last few nights.

Malheur May 2020

Mountain Plover

Mountain Plover, working the wrack line just north of the mouth of the Necanicum River, on Gearhart ocean beach. An OBRC review list bird, found by Steve Warner the day before.

Necanicum Estuary, on a cold winter morning.

Rounding out the Year

Hooded Oriole, 6th Ave., Seaside, 12/30/19

Red-shouldered Hawk, along Biz. Hwy 101, just south of intersection with Wireless Road, 12/30/19

Eurasian Wigeon, Mill Pond, Astoria, 12/30/19 (probably the same one I saw during CBC 12/15/19).

Christmas Bird Count

Counting birds in Astoria in a Christmas Bird Count 12/15/19, a tradition started in 1900 by the Audubon Society. Over 77,000 people participate in CBCs each year in the US, Canada, and Latin America.

Highlights included finding Eurasian Wigeon in two different places (above) and also finding Common Goldeneye (below) in two places (a species that only we found).

One of the unique birds that only we found was a Great Egret, way off in the distance. Scoping proved that it was indeed an egret, and not just a plastic bag.

Another unique bird, that only we found, was Orange-crowned Warbler (above), at Bucky's feeder on 6th near Exchange, across the street from where a goat lives (below).

It was foggy all morning, and only warmed up to the low 40s all day, but at least it didn't rain!

We found two Lincoln's Sparrows in a the brambles in a big field along the Columbia River, in the morning fog.

Diana in the CBC (with sky as imagined by Alan).

Nehalem Bay State Park

20 Snowy Plovers were nestled in the sand
along the upper beach, near access point 23.

(Trail starts in north part of campsites.)

A flock of Snow Buntings flew by and landed briefly.

Sanderlings flew back and forth.

Looking north from Nehalem Bay SP,
near a high tide in December.

Looking south from Neakahnie Mountain,
towards Manzanita then Nehalem Bay SP.