i used to hate birds.

For my friend's birthday on Friday a bunch of us headed out to Chinook Winds Casino Resort on the coast in Lincoln City.  It was far from a birding trip but I did bring along my new Nikon point and shoot (a Coolpix S6100) just in case.  Saturday morning I woke up after only four hours of sleep and decided to hit the beach before hitting the breakfast buffet. 


I found a nice group of gulls hanging around a pool of water in the middle of the beach...


I was most psyched to see a few Heermann's Gulls, which eBird told me were the first I'd seen this year. 


The are definitely up there on my list of favorite gulls...


Also in the mix was a California Gull...


I have never felt too comfortable saying things like "check out those worn primaries," but seriously, check out those worn primaries!  Even more visible on this Western Gull:


And on this Glaucous-winged Gull:


Brown Pelicans were constantly coming and going along the shore with a couple stopping to pose on rocks for…

It was a gorgeous morning up at Ridgefield today.  The air was cool, the breeze was nice, and the birds were out and about like it was springtime. 


I was most surprised to find a Western Tanager flitting about in the trees...


In the same area were a couple of Black-headed Grosbeaks, a handful of House Finches, and an adorable young Swainson's Thrush who seemed to have no idea that he was supposed to hide from my camera.


I am pretty sure I was the first to hit the refuge this morning which always has its advantages, like increased chances of seeing non-bird wildlife. 


Back to birds... I don't often post photos of starlings, so this little fella should feel quite honored:


I just love his or her little splash of shimmery green.  A pop of color, if you will.

Tree Swallow

I watched a Marsh Wren take a dust bath in the middle of the road.  It was pretty cute. 


Shorebirds were abundant.  They were also far away.  From what I could tell it was mostly dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs, sand…

I met up with a couple of lovely birder ladies out at the delta yesterday morning to finally track down the reported Indigo Bunting.  We found him right away...


He moved around quite a bit but I never got a very good photo.   Oh well, still cool to see a second one this month.  We were also successful in finding one of the Eastern Kingbirds that nests at the delta...


Swainson's Thrushes were out in full force singing and calling and even popping out on shaded branches occasionally...


Fact: grasshoppers are probably one of the cutest insects ever.


On our way back we came across another birder looking at the Indigo Bunting who pointed out a robin's nest in the parking lot.  One of the parents flew in to feed at least two little open beaks...


It was a very nice morning walk with good people and my new favorite birding pup, Chipper:


Check out Michele's take on our morning walk (and a much better bunting photo) on her blog, Nature Nut Notes!

Now back on Sunday morning I decided…

I could barely sleep last night after putting an offer on a pretty sweet house, so I had plenty of time to ponder where to go birding this morning.  I decided to do a little lifer hunting just past the Cascades in Wasco county.


The first area I wanted to check was Victor Road where someone had reported some Mountain Quail.  Horned Larks were the first to greet me...


This next bird was closely associating with the larks so I had thought it to be a juvenile, but not completely sure...


I never found the Mountain Quail but I did see more California Quail than I have ever seen in one area before.  Two huge family groups plus other random pairs and singles...


I found a little family of Western Kingbirds making a ruckus in a tree.  Only one was kind enough to pose for me...


Across the road from the kingbird tree a couple of birds paused on the fence for me...


Ummmmm.... What the hell are they??  Finches?  Sparrows?  That one on the right is soooo busted-looking. 


And what about this thing o…