Ridgefield NWR & Vanport Wetlands

I had the urge to visit Ridgefield this afternoon even though I was just there on Friday.  As usual, I was glad I did! 

Across from the flooded field where the snipe usually hang out was a Great Horned Owl sleeping in a tree.  Just past the field on the left was another GHO soaking up some sun...


Maybe there's a nest nearby?  Further up the road I found some shorebirds...


Long-billed Dowitchers... a new bird for me!  I think I've seen them before but only at distances where I couldn't really tell for sure.  There were a couple Greater Yellowlegs among them too.

After the refuge I had owls on the brain so I headed to Vanport to see the GHO babies for the first time...


Holy crap they are the cutest things I've ever seen.  Mama (or Papa?) kept an eye on them from a nearby branch.  I didn't want to stay too long and bother them so I just shot off a ton of quick photos.  Luckily they were moving around quite a bit so I got to see different sides of them.


Not sure what they were doing here.... making out?


And I know you wanna see their fuzzy backsides....


And the profile shot....


Alright alright, I hope you haven't died from the cuteness overload!!


I'm psyched to check up on these guys again soon!

Comments

  1. Your caption are a riot. I've never seen baby GHOs. Really coooool. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Ok not quite but those owl babies are ridiculously cute!!

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  3. Here's something to consider:
    http://blog.aba.org/2011/02/owl-seekers-code.html

    Not trying to be preachy, you can chart your own course. It's just something that made me reconsider my relationship with owls.
    greg

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  4. WOW that was awesome--those Owl chicks are a HOOT pun intended!! cant wait to see more of those guys--HIGH 5 on the dowitchers!!!

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  5. @Greg- thanks for the info. I will definitely follow their recommendations and not visit them too often (and try not keep my mouth shut next time).

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  6. Thanks for posting the owl baby pictures! We saw them last weekend.

    Fortunately, these owl babies are fairly protected by the fence around the large wetlands. Hopefully in Pdx, more people are bird lovers than owl-haters.

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  7. I saw the parent on the nest earlier this year, but I'm out of state at the moment, so I really appreciate your photos of the babies!

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  8. I loved the owls... On my list for this year, but finding some might take a miracle...

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  9. Saw new GHO babies in this same tree over the weekend. Very cool!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/7230309@N05/6879765370/

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