Bald Eagle

Posted on March 7, 2013 by jley1

Bald Eagle

March 2013 – Hillsboro, Oregon

A pair of Bald Eagles likes this perch near my home. It’s the tip of the highest tree around (which in this area is pretty darn high), with a view to a nearby pond.

Bald Eagle

September 2012 – Hood Canal, Washington

Bald Eagles are fairly common all over Puget Sound, and on Hood Canal as well… but, they’re still striking to see. This young bird was fairly unconcerned as I walked right underneath. I actually had to back up to get the entire bird in the frame. This was taken near the mouth of the Hamma Hamma River, where it pours into Hood Canal.

Lesser Goldfinch

Posted on January 15, 2013 by jley1

Lesser Goldfinch

January 2013 – Hillsboro, Oregon

At a quick glance, these birds can pass for an American Goldfinch in winter plumage. But, the olive back is a good indicator.

Dark-eyed Junco

Posted on January 13, 2013 by jley1

Dark-eyed Junco

January 2013 – Hillsboro, OR

More Dark-eyed Juncos on a branch… Ok, maybe time to “branch out” from this setup…

Dark-eyed Junco

December 2012 – Hillsboro, OR

These are common backyard visitors… visiting the back yard. I took this image and the one below trying out a new camera trap – an automatic trigger when the bird lands on the branch. Still have to work out the bugs on this, but it shows promise.

Dark-eyed Junco

Varied Thrush

Posted on December 28, 2012 by jley1

Varied Thrush

December 2012 – Eugene, OR

These are normally very skittish birds. Their song is familiar to anyone who has spent time in northwest forests – a series of alternating tones, each sung after a pause of a few seconds. But, they don’t make themselves visible very often. The pair pictured here was bucking that trend a bit… perhaps it was the winter that made them less apt to fly at the first sight of people?

Varied Thrush

This female was a bit less bold than the male… both in personality and in coloration. She generally hung-back in the undergrowth.

Varied Thrush

Another view of the male, to see the coloration on his back. These birds are visually similar to one of our most common birds – the American Robin. They’re both thrushes of about the same size, and have similar colors.

Western Scrub Jay

Posted on December 28, 2012 by jley1

Scrub Jay

December 2012 – Eugene, OR

These are pretty common birds throughout the Willamette Valley in Oregon. This one was a regular visitor to a backyard.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Posted on December 27, 2012 by jley1

Golden-crowned Sparrow

December 2012 – Eugene, Oregon

A few of these birds were visiting a back yard in Eugene, OR. Sometimes, you can barely see the yellow-crown, but there’s no mistaking it. Read More →

Anna’s Hummingbird

Posted on December 27, 2012 by jley1

Anna’s Hummingbird

December 2012 – Eugene, Oregon

This female has something wrong with her leg, which appeared to just dangle. She was able to cope with it, but she might have been having a hard time cleaning herself (these birds use their feet for that), as you can see all the crud on her bib. Hopefully, she’ll be OK in the long-run.

Anna’s Hummingbird

June 2012 – Hillsboro, Oregon

This male was looking a bit beat-up. You can’t see it in this photo, but he’s missing nearly all the secondary feathers from his left wing (they’re just growing back in). It didn’t seem to slow him down though – he was busy chasing other hummingbirds from the area…

Northern Shoveler

Posted on November 23, 2012 by jley1

Northern Shoveler

October 2012 – Fern Hill – Forest Grove, Oregon

This female Norther Shoveler only paused for a second before resuming her relentless search for morsels on the water’s surface. Those big flat bills are handy tools.

Northern Shoveler

A small group of males spent a good deal of time preening their feathers. After the preening, they flapped around a bit, getting all their feathers back into place.

Long-billed Dowitcher

Posted on November 23, 2012 by jley1

Long-billed Dowitcher

October 2012 – Fern Hill – Forest Grove, Oregon

A group of 3 Long-billed Dowitchers were probing the shallows in a corner of Fern Hill. We spotted them when we first arrived… and when we left an hour or so later, they were still there… still probing.

Long-billed Dowitcher

These birds spent the summer on the Arctic coast, but by mid-autumn, are in their wintering grounds from the Oregon coast down to Mexico.

Surfbird

Posted on November 21, 2012 by jley1

Surfbird

November 2012 – Bandon, Oregon

A number of Surfbirds were picking through the tidepools at Bandon Beach. Interestingly, there weren’t a whole lot of birds at all at the beach on this particular outing.

When you look at this image contrasted with the one below, it doesn’t even look like the same bird. But, in flight, these birds are very distinctive.

Surfbird

March 2009 – Seal Rock State Wayside, Oregon

This Surfbird (Yes, that’s the actual name of this bird species), was one of a small flock, picking through the tidepools looking for small morsels. These frenetic little creatures don’t linger long in any one place.