I Used to Hate Birds

It's been another long emotional month in 2020.  I have barely blogged because really I don't know what to say beyond the obvious (or what should be obvious):  Black lives matter and wear a fucking mask. 

Our Lincoln City neighbors

At least there are still birds to look at.  At the beginning of June a Glaucous Gull was still lingering on the beach here despite everyone celebrating the reopening of the beaches.
'mericans love driving on the beach
Baby birds have been happening this month, starting with baby robins.
West Devils Lake Road
Young Hairy Woodpeckers have been around the neighborhood and our yard.

West Devils Lake boardwalk
Dad was always leading the young male around (backyard)

A couple times this month I had to return to Vancouver for vet appointments for the mutts.  On one occasion I went birding at the end of Lower River Road and heard a young Great Horned talking. I was looking up at it when I stumbled upon its parent feeding on a dead rabbit on the ground.


One morn…

Last week I decided to head south on 101 for a couple hours to see what I could find in the tiny bit of Douglas County that runs along the coast.  It's a fairly large county, over three times the size of Lincoln by area (eleven times the size of Multnomah!), yet not heavily birded. 


My eBird checklists in the county prior to last week were all from driving to Coos Bay with Audrey in 2017 to chase the King Eider and all of the Mallards along the way.  My county total was 15. 

I made one stop in Lane County where there is a view of Lily Lake, the surrounding dunes, and the ocean, and randomly added three birds to my Lane list.  Continuing south I missed the Douglas County sign as I was busy running over an already dead beaver.  Yay. 

My first stop was the parking lot next to the closed Carter Lake campground.  A Hermit Warbler was singing low and in view for once.


This tiny parking lot yielded 8 county birds total, all expected forest species.  A bit further south is the Carter Lake…