House Wren
May 2012 – Sauvie Island, OR
I don’t usually include 3 similar photos like this, but had a really hard time picking a favorite from this bunch. This bird was particularly focused on signing, along the Oak Island Trail on Sauvie Island.
House Wren
House Wren
Turkey Vulture
April 2012 – Catherine Creek, WA
A number of these Turkey Vultures were riding the updrafts caused by the wind smacking into a nearby cliff. They might be ugly to look at, but they are expert fliers.
Canyon Wren
April 2012 – Catherine Creek, WA
This guy was very territorial, and a bit agitated that some interlopers were on his turf.
Canyon Wren
June 2008 – Smith Rock State Park, OR
Sometimes you only get a second for a shot… like this one. Right after I snapped this shot of a Canyon Wren in Smith Rock State Park, OR, it ducked behind the rock, never to be seen again.
American Three-Toed Woodpecker
February 2012 – Sand Lake, WA
I was pretty excited to see this Three-Toed Woodpecker. But, he didn’t even seem to notice me. He was far more interested in ripping the bark off an old snag in search of grubs. As the name would indicate, these woodpeckers have only 3 toes per foot (other woodpeckers have 4). While these birds are widespread around the northern forests of the world, this sighting is near the southern part of their range in the western US – not a common sighting for the area. In recent years, it’s been determined that the American birds are genetically distinct from their Eurasian cousins, so the addition of “American” to the species name.
Gray Jay
February 2012 – Sand Lake, WA
Gray Jays are fairly common in alpine forests of this area. They among the tamest of birds – the boldest of them have little hesitation landing on people if there is a chance for a tasty treat. They’re also pretty smart birds; leave your food unattended for just a few moments, and they’ll figure out a way in. This explains why they have the nickname “Camp Robber”.
Common Raven
January 2011 – Grand Canyon Rim, Arizona
These intelligent birds love open spaces with lots of updrafts to soar upon… and it doesn’t hurt if there is easy food available from messy tourists.
Bonaparte's Gull
October 2011 – Cannon Beach, OR
I believe this is a Bonaparte’s Gull, though it’s hard to tell, as the bird’s head is wet. Sadly, there was probably something wrong with the bird’s feathers that allowed it to get like this – the feathers should shed water, but if they got a little oily, this could happen. The bird would have a hard time staying warm with its feathers in this state. Hopefully, it was able to survive this… but in the harsh environment of the cold ocean, a minor malady like this can be fatal.
Sanderlings
October 2011 – Ft. Stevens on the Oregon Coast
A couple more images of a flock of Sanderlings that were running up and down the beach… sometimes flying to a new location.
Flock of Sanderlings
I was having fun photographing these birds until some idiot driving his car on the beach (yes, this is allowed on this particular beach) drove right through the flock and made them scatter. I’m sure he didn’t give it any thought. I suppose that’s the definition of being a “thoughtless jerk”. These birds live a precarious existence, just scraping by on little morsels they extract from the inter-tidal zone. Any little bit of stress added to their lives is harmful to them. Sure, these aren’t rare birds, but they deserve their space.
Sanderling
Earlier Image
These restless little birds gather in large flocks for protection. They run along sandy beaches, continuously probing for tiny morsels.
Cactus Wren
December 2010 – Phoenix, Arizona
This Cactus Wren ruffles its feathers to stay warm on an unusually cool day in the Phoenix area.
Red-winged Blackbird - Male
May 2011 – The Oregon Garden
The Red-winged Blackbirds were plentiful, noisy, and flamboyant at the Oregon Garden in May 2011. The bird on the top is a male, obviously, and strutting his stuff in a small wetland.
Red-winged Blackbird - Female
May 2011 – The Oregon Garden
The image on the bottom is a female. Usually the females are more timid, but on this day, they seemed every bit as raucous as the males. I wonder if this habitat was just so perfect that they’d let down their guard a bit.