Force Lake, etc.

I wanted to do some local birding this morning and Force Lake is about as local as it gets for me...  Yesterday's excursion to Cooper Mountain had me a bit disappointed in variety of birds but today more than made up for it.  I was seriously ducking from swallows and hummingbirds, nearly tripping over tanagers and cowbirds, and of course scaring the crap out of mamas and their new ducklings...


There are way more swallows flying around now than there were on my last visit.  I saw mostly Cliff, Tree, and Barn Swallows but there may have been others...


And now for the colorful birds... Western Tanagers seemed to be everywhere, but it may have just been the same two pairs moving around...


Warblers were everywhere as well.. Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, Wilson's, and Yellow...


A Bald Eagle and a pair of Osprey all stopped by for visits...



A pair of Spotted Sandpipers was out on the lake...



Warbling Vireos were also quite common along the lake and the gated road to Vanport.  They showed off their acrobatics at times...



Anna's and Rufous Hummingbirds were zipping by my head at the lake... This one actually perched on a branch right in front of me...


Oh yeah and there were bugs.  They were thick. I probably inhaled hundreds.  They weren't biting though, so it wasn't too bad.  The big one is a swallow. 

 
A Bewick's Wren paused to scold me before flitting off into the brush...


And lastly, the flycatcher... I believe it's a Western Wood-Pewee but that might not be true at all.



That was a lot of birds for just a couple hours not far from home! 

Before I left this morning I saw a Black-headed Grosbeak in the yard too!  Other than that, the feeders have been dominated by starlings and House Sparrows.  The starlings have been acting especially crazy the last few days.  I'm wondering if they have some babies they're feeding?  Last year at this time I was seeing lots of young birds at the feeders but haven't seen any yet this year... 

Comments

  1. So many cool birds. would luv to see a Western Tanager. Warbling Vireo would be awesome too. Fun pics..except for the bugs. Makes me crawl just thinking about it.

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  2. Nice variety of birds! As for the starlings...as I pulled into my neighborhood after work yesterday, all I could hear were baby starlings. They make a horrible buzzy sound. I think they all fledged yesterday and I have dozens in my yard and surrounding yards. I hate the sound of them! I momentarily watched a few being fed by adults and thought it was cute, then I snapped out of it.

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  3. Pewee it is! I got a glimpse of either a Willow Fly or E. Wood-Pewee today, but I only saw its head for a second...bah!

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  4. You have a fabulous site--I too am a beginning birder and a Leo. I am going to enjoy keeping up to date on your excursions.

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  5. WOW...inhaled a bug--I hope not!! that Western tanager collage is awesome!! SUch a cute line of ducklings too..and EAGLES and Ospreys? You have an uncanny knack for bringing back the big ones..Super photos again this post!!The carolina wrens here have fledged their first batch and all the birds seem a bit stressed--I figure its family duties!!
    Love that new header image--great shot there!!

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  6. Wow, you are seeing some great birds on your outings. I will always love the Western Tanager. I love your collage. Definitely a favorite of mine. Cool sighting of the Snipe on the bridge. Wonderful birds and photos, Jen!

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  7. I love the collages you have been putting together. Nice idea!

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