May 02, 2011

Sunshine and 57 species!

Yesterday I participated in the Audubon Society of Portland's Birdathon. I joined my friend Laura's team again this year. She always leads a mellow, informative, and fun bird walk.

We went to Steigerwald NWR. Spring was in the the air! Osprey were busy fortifying their nest.











Many geese were seen on stumps. Seems odd, but there was definitely a trend....


Yellow-rumped Warblers were all over the place.



Swallows and Purple Martins were staking out nesting sites. It seems most birds were focused on nesting.


Or other (ahem) nesting related activites. The world needs more Hairy Woodpeckers!


This male worked on house cleaning after the above activity.



There were lots of dead snags around for nesting. A wren was checking out this hole. Can you see him??







Common Yellowthroats were singing all over the refuge.



Some interesting fungi. It looks like the log has ears.


The sun was shining and things were blooming. This was the nicest day of the year yet. I actually got a bit sunburned.



One of the trails we were on has artwork. Can you ID all these birds?



I'm going to say Red-tailed Hawk, Purple Martin, Downy Woodpecker.






Sunshine, 57 species and friends. I got to meet Jen at I Used to Hate Birds. She writes an awesome bird blog. Be sure to check out her blog post about the fun day.

8 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! Did you see a purple martin?

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  2. Great account - so glad you came this year! I think this should be our new permanent site, do you agree?
    Laura

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  3. Yes, purple martins everywhere!

    Yes, I liked going there, and will raise more money on those per species pledges!

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  4. Awesome! You got a great photo of the woodpeckers. Thanks again for inviting me, it was really fun!

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  5. Thanks, Jen. Like you said: it's all in the cropping :)

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  6. more great photos, thanks! i really enjoyed your birdwatching expedition. and yes, it was a gorgeous day. i managed to get a little sunburn myself, a rare treat these days in portland.

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  7. Looks like such a great time! We are just dying for a sunny, warm day here. It looks like there will be one this week....of course when we are both working. The forecast is so not looking good for removing sod. Such is spring sometimes!

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