Here it is, my 300th blog post (hmm... only according to my dashboard, not according to regular math). Damn it would have been awesome if I saw my 300th bird today. But I didn't. Still stuck at 299. The bird to post ratio is officially askew.
Anyway, I had a great weekend of birds and snow and vegan jalapeno poppers. On Saturday I drove up to Scappoose to look for some birds seen around recently. I was psyched to find a couple of Rough-legged Hawks...
Not much else exciting there. On Sunday I had the privilege of birding with the famous Seagull Steve. I showed him where the Tufted Duck should have been, where some stinky cow bones were rotting on Sauvie Island, and of course the five-minute blizzard at Westmoreland Park. My only success was the Snow Bunting being exactly where it should be.
Snowy Westmoreland Park
At Westmoreland Seagull did manage to give me some guidance on Thayer's Gulls that I will hopefully remember. Here's one:
Also around was this adorable pigeon...
There were a few Canvasbacks out on the pond and a pretty snow-dusted Eurasian Wigeon made things better:
This gull had obviously never applied lipstick before:
How embarrassing. This afternoon I went up to Ridgefield without checking the weather forecast. It seemed calm when I arrived, but then it started snowing like crazy. It didn't stick at least.
Nothing mind-blowing at Ridgefield but lots of nice birds giving nice views in the nice snow. It was nice.
Bald Eagle
Purple Finch
Northern Harrier
Greater White-fronted Goose
That was about it for my weekend birds. Good times!!
Anyway, I had a great weekend of birds and snow and vegan jalapeno poppers. On Saturday I drove up to Scappoose to look for some birds seen around recently. I was psyched to find a couple of Rough-legged Hawks...
Not much else exciting there. On Sunday I had the privilege of birding with the famous Seagull Steve. I showed him where the Tufted Duck should have been, where some stinky cow bones were rotting on Sauvie Island, and of course the five-minute blizzard at Westmoreland Park. My only success was the Snow Bunting being exactly where it should be.
At Westmoreland Seagull did manage to give me some guidance on Thayer's Gulls that I will hopefully remember. Here's one:
Also around was this adorable pigeon...
There were a few Canvasbacks out on the pond and a pretty snow-dusted Eurasian Wigeon made things better:
This gull had obviously never applied lipstick before:
How embarrassing. This afternoon I went up to Ridgefield without checking the weather forecast. It seemed calm when I arrived, but then it started snowing like crazy. It didn't stick at least.
Nothing mind-blowing at Ridgefield but lots of nice birds giving nice views in the nice snow. It was nice.
That was about it for my weekend birds. Good times!!
The inclement weather didn't seem to bother the raptors. And a Eurasian Wigeon too? Not bad!
ReplyDeleteLots of raptor sightings for you! Very nice. Wonderful series of images to scroll through!
ReplyDeleteNeat to see a Rough-legged Hawk again and really like the close up of the harrier!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 300th post! Those are some nice raptors. Good luck on your 300th bird!
ReplyDeleteYou had an on again off again kind of snow day...YIPPIE on the birds you saw--dang that you didnt add a newby...I tell ya from my own experience its gets tough at the 300 mark...I sat there for alonnnnggggg time then I shot up to 326 after some travel to other states..now If I add one new one a yr Im thrilled-- if you go to Gauatemala thats not fair---lol Ive heard of some amazing numbers from such a trip. Love the hawk shots in this post!!
ReplyDeleteI have been hearing about the snow in the northwest, is it a bit unusual? It does look like you still have a great day of birding. I love the hawks and eagle. And the wigeon is pretty. Sorry, you could not get your numero 300. I might be visiting that area again in August for my SIL wedding, maybe you can give me some of the biridng hotspots to visit while I am there. If you do not mind my email eileen3600@live.com Thanks, I enjoyed your post and photos.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen. Congrats on your 300th post and for providing a lovely selection of images, especially the raptors.
ReplyDeleteSo many blog posts, what a huge nerd. It was great birding with you in such mild and idyllic weather. How do you get close to harriers? I can't do it.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have seen 400 species before you know it, Jen.
ReplyDelete