2022: The Beginning

 2022 has been off to a great start bird-wise. There's already been a life bird, an ABA bird, a state bird, various county birds, a 5MR bird, a yard bird, a new water feature bird, and of course YEAR BIRDS. Jacob and I started the new year in the clearcuts east of Devils Lake in Lincoln City. On the way Varied Thrushes were our first birds of 2022.

Back in Vancouver later that week I went out to the Vancouver Lake lowlands to get my fill of geese, cranes, and swans. 

Sandhill Cranes

Thousands of Snow Geese

I was happy to find my first owl of the year, this sleepy tiny-legged Barn Owl:
 

That weekend someone had found three Common Redpolls at Whitaker Ponds in Portland, a park in my old 5MR. I was not too excited to chase them because I knew there would be a lot of people (the pandemic is still going despite what people seem to think) but Jacob convinced me we should. Thankfully it wasn't long after we arrived that someone located them and we had great looks. 

Oregon state bird for us!

One morning I went out to the Vancouver Lake flushing channel to look for year birds and found myself in the middle of a mixed flock. There were chickadees, kinglets, creepers, juncos, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Bushtits fluttering all around me. 

A couple weekends ago Jacob and I took the kayaks out on Devils Lake for the sunrise. 

The biggest surprise was a flock of over 20 Greater White-fronted Geese flying over. Usually in winter they're in much smaller groups. Red-throated Loons have been fairly abundant this winter with usually a couple seen on the lake from any vantage point. 

Red-shouldered Hawk

 Back in the yard that afternoon we heard a loud noise and looked over to see a Cooper's Hawk had flown into our wire fence, probably chasing something that fit through it. Eventually the hawk flew up to our spruce to recover. 

A tapping sound from the front yard got our attention and it turned out to be a Red-breasted Sapsucker, a new yard bird for me! It was the one bird Jacob had for the yard that I didn't :) 

The next morning we went down to the beach for some year birds and enjoyed the moon setting over the ocean. 

Later we decided to chase the Slaty-backed Gull being seen in Tillamook. We arrived and found zero people and hundreds of gulls, yet the Slaty-backed was the first gull I looked at. I did not believe it would be that easy so I kept looking at other gulls in case I was wrong. Then it flew to the far side of the field where we confirmed in the scope that it was the correct gull. 

This was a life bird for both of us! Sarah and Max who had already seen the gull but were still nearby came back to join us. As they pulled up Max had spotted a hawk that he suspected was the Swainson's Hawk last seen a few weeks before. 

Red-tailed Hawk with Swainson's Hawk

Eventually it flew around and gave us even better views. 

So what was attracting all these raptors, gulls, and other birds? They were spraying watery manure all over these fields, flushing out voles and worms and other fun snacks. The smell was strong. 

A common scenario was an egret would catch a vole, the gulls would notice and chase it till it dropped it, then a gull would gulp down the vole. 

 After this success we drove over to a field where three Trumpeter Swans have been wintering for another Tillamook County bird.

When it was time to drive back to Vancouver from Lincoln City I looked to see if there were any Polk or Yamhill birds I could pick up on the way. I learned there are sewage ponds along my drive that I didn't know existed!

Newberg City Water Treatment Plant (Dog Ridge Rd. Sewer Treatment Ponds in eBird)

I picked up my Yamhill Common Goldeneye here and look forward to stopping here more regularly on my drives back and forth. 

Back in Vancouver a couple of birders shared that a Tennessee Warbler was visiting their yard and they welcomed visitors. 

The most helpful signs! They describe where to look, how often it visits, and when the last sighting was. I waited for an hour and twenty minutes before it appeared in a shrub and then headed to the feeders. 

I couldn't feel my toes but this was an ABA bird for me! 

I have continued to work on filling in eBird bar chart gaps when I can and so I birded Hockinson Meadows, just outside my Vancouver 5MR. I was not in a particularly good mood and was trying to fix that when I stumbled upon a Northern Pygmy-Owl hanging out near the playground. 

Always check those lumps! Sure, 999 times that lump will be a leaf or an apple or whatever but that 1000th time makes it worthwhile. 

A very good lump

I called Jacob who was able to leave work early (to "go help his wife with something") and amazingly the owl stayed in the same spot. It ignored kids, dogs, exercise enthusiasts, and me. After awhile I left Jacob to finish my walk around the park, but returned a bit later to learn the owl was now facing in a more photogenic position. 

Mood enhancement level 10. 

Back in Lincoln City I visited the sewage ponds one morning. At our house by Devils Lake the temperature was a mild 44 but as I drove south the frost increased the temperature dropped. It was 31 at the sewage ponds. So weird. 

I found what I initially thought was a pure Eurasian Green-winged Teal but photos show it is a hybrid. I have yet to find a pure one on my own. 

Yesterday afternoon Jacob and I went down to the Salmon River Estuary and saw out first Turkey Vulture of the year. 

At the end of Savage Road Jacob was looking at crabs under the rocks and showed me this cool fish he found: 

It was identified on iNaturalist as a Saddleback Gunnel. 

It's been a pretty good January so far! Good times!