I Used to Hate Birds

It's here!  It's here!  It's all starting to happen!  Flowers are blooming, mason bees are hatching, and the birds are getting frisky.  In my last 5MR post I showed you a couple of nests at Marine Park on the Columbia River.  Well, that spot is blowing up with nesting birds, it's amazing.  I'll start with the Great Horneds:


They had a baby! 

3.13.19

 3.20.19

 3.30.19  Youngster concealed by the nest but definitely moving around

So that's cool.  Down the bike path from the owl nest I followed one of the dirt trails into the trees where I noticed a hummingbird flying around.  Since it seemed like everyone I knew was finding hummer nests I followed the bird till she settled down... on a nest.  YESSSSSS!!


It was still under construction and I watched her add spiderweb to the nest lining.  So cute and smart too.  A week later she seemed to be sitting on eggs but I wasn't sure.


Yesterday Jacob and I went by and checked and she wasn't on the nest.  We waited to se…

Over the weekend Jacob and I left our 5MR to do some birding and exploring along the coast.

Sunrise over Mount St. Helens

A herd of Roosevelt elk was grazing close to Highway 30 so we stopped for a peek.


We were heading to Cape Disappointment State Park but took the long way around Chinook Valley where we were hoping for some birds.  No disappointment here!

Western Bluebirds

 Violet-green Swallow

This area is great for birding!  We had our first Rufous Hummingbird for the year, a calling Hutton's Vireo, singing Marsh Wrens, and our first Pacific County Purple Finches.


Last winter Jacob and I had a Northern Shrike here, and Jacob had a Tropical Kingbird and Black Phoebe another time.  Definitely worth taking the detour!

At Cape Disappointment we learned that the jetty is completely closed off for construction.  This was, obviously, disappointing, but we decided to explore the North Head area instead.

Salmonberry blooming!

The birds were very vocal here including some Red Crossbills, a ni…