I haven't been able to sit still much the last week... I've had lots to do and the sunshine and lack of rain makes me feel like I have to do something outside, regardless of the temperature. Finally last night some rain arrived and I am feeling less guilty about sitting on the couch under a blanket, catching up on last season's Breaking Bad, and consuming as much coffee as I can before work.
Sunday afternoon I took the dogs for a long walk along the Frenchman's Bar Trail in Vancouver. I was hoping to maybe run into the Snowy but did not.. Just flock after flock of sparrows. The White-throated is always a nice treat...
Trees are finally starting to look bare here and I will not miss constantly mistaking falling leaves for birds...
On Wednesday morning the dogs and I hiked up Beacon Rock, an 848-foot-tall monolith about 45 minutes east of Portland in Washington. It was super windy and seemingly bird-free, but the views were pretty nice and it was a good way to tire the dogs out.
Lewis and Clark originally named the rock Beaten Rock but changed it to Beacon Rock later. In 1915 a fellow named Henry Biddle bought it for a buck and built the trails, handrails, and bridges. His family gave it to Washington as a gift so it could be a state park. That's all the history lesson I got for ya, courtesy of Wikipedia.
View of the Columbia River Gorge to the west
View of the gorge to the east
Yesterday morning I took the dogs for a long walk from Broughton Beach. It was the ultimate winter morning, only it's still fall.
No exciting sightings, but some nice birds.. I saw the Snow Bunting for a second as it flew directly over my head, possibly disturbed by the airport canons. A Red-tailed Hawk was perched above the Sea Scout Base. I thought he was doing the old hawk-in-a-pipe trick:
But no...
Across Marine Drive a kestrel was perched with a fist full of breakfast...
Thankfully it's hard to see... But it looks a lot like something I had seen on the ground earlier...
Those human hand-like feet will give me nightmares. Your welcome.
A couple of Western Meadowlarks were standing in the grass right along the bike path...
A couple of crows were kicking off their morning with some High Life, the champagne of beers, and possibly, the breakfast of champions.
In other news I got a new cookbook: VivaVegan! It's filled with delicious-sounding Latin inspired vegan recipes. I tried out the Creamy Corn-Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie (Pastel de Choclo) and it was rather tasty. I omitted the olives and raisins though and it definitely could have used some jalapeños, or as I chose to use, a heaping dose of Tapatio...
Next I'm going to try the Portobello Feijoada: Brazilian Black Bean Stew with Portobello Mushrooms... Yummy!
Sunday afternoon I took the dogs for a long walk along the Frenchman's Bar Trail in Vancouver. I was hoping to maybe run into the Snowy but did not.. Just flock after flock of sparrows. The White-throated is always a nice treat...
Trees are finally starting to look bare here and I will not miss constantly mistaking falling leaves for birds...
On Wednesday morning the dogs and I hiked up Beacon Rock, an 848-foot-tall monolith about 45 minutes east of Portland in Washington. It was super windy and seemingly bird-free, but the views were pretty nice and it was a good way to tire the dogs out.
Lewis and Clark originally named the rock Beaten Rock but changed it to Beacon Rock later. In 1915 a fellow named Henry Biddle bought it for a buck and built the trails, handrails, and bridges. His family gave it to Washington as a gift so it could be a state park. That's all the history lesson I got for ya, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Yesterday morning I took the dogs for a long walk from Broughton Beach. It was the ultimate winter morning, only it's still fall.
No exciting sightings, but some nice birds.. I saw the Snow Bunting for a second as it flew directly over my head, possibly disturbed by the airport canons. A Red-tailed Hawk was perched above the Sea Scout Base. I thought he was doing the old hawk-in-a-pipe trick:
But no...
Across Marine Drive a kestrel was perched with a fist full of breakfast...
Thankfully it's hard to see... But it looks a lot like something I had seen on the ground earlier...
Those human hand-like feet will give me nightmares. Your welcome.
A couple of Western Meadowlarks were standing in the grass right along the bike path...
A couple of crows were kicking off their morning with some High Life, the champagne of beers, and possibly, the breakfast of champions.
In other news I got a new cookbook: VivaVegan! It's filled with delicious-sounding Latin inspired vegan recipes. I tried out the Creamy Corn-Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie (Pastel de Choclo) and it was rather tasty. I omitted the olives and raisins though and it definitely could have used some jalapeños, or as I chose to use, a heaping dose of Tapatio...
Next I'm going to try the Portobello Feijoada: Brazilian Black Bean Stew with Portobello Mushrooms... Yummy!
mmmmmm....vegan pot pie...that looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteThe 40 0z crow shot is awesome. And the gorge shots...truly impressive. Looking forward to migrating north next month.
WELL from one Vegan to another YUMMM. I had Baby Bellas mixed with some seasoned roasted Potatoes tonight..LOVE them with lots of GARLIC of course. I never get tired of the white throats they are such cool and unruffled birds...they never freak out like the cardinals...in my yard when I walk out the back door..
ReplyDeleteWondering if those crows were gonna chug that bottle?
Hey! Look at you! Birdgirl is cooking! :) Love it. I made a Tamale Pie thing and it was really good. I have some improvements I will make next time. Good ole comfort food.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the disturbing image of the human hands on a rodent. Nightmare material for sure.
Now I'm off to check out OBOL for Snowy Owl sightings. Maybe this weekend...
Hi Jen, you have some beautiful and scenic photos. The views were awesome. I would love to visit Oregon someday and see these sights. Great shot of the hawk and your veggie dish look yummy. Have a great weekend and happy birding!
ReplyDelete