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Belted Kingfisher

A decent photo of the Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) has been a goal of mine for several years. The critters are elusive and shy, flying before I get close enough for a good picture. But yesterday at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Clark County, WA, I got close… about 15 feet… almost too close for my 300 mm telephoto lens to focus properly. It was a great day for bird watching, temperature in the 50’s, light wind, and some cloud cover. The auto tour is marked with numbers so if you are familiar with those the Kingfisher was sitting on post #12.

Migratory birds were numerous as well as some of the regulars. We must have seen a dozen Great Blue Herons. Tundra Swans were numerous and talkative, sounding like a pack of baying hounds. Two Bald Eagles took residence in a tall tree by #4 and we saw our first Red-shouldered Hawk… the photo of that one came out a bit blurry. Red-tailed Hawks were visible as well as Northern Harriers, mostly females, but one male in residence. A blackberry patch yielded a white-crowned Sparrow and a flock of American Goldfinch. We also saw several Kestrels both perched and hunting. At least a half dozen Great Egrets graced the ponds and we laughed at the Coots, bobbing their heads in rhythm with their feet as they paddled along. Off in the distance we could hear a few Sandhill Cranes talking but they stayed out of sight. Red-winged Blackbirds were singing and visible, hanging on to the cat-tails. Canada Geese were too numerous to count. All in all a great day.

byLarry

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Larry Rea November 8, 2012 October 30, 2017 Birds

Birding near Maupin, OR

The plan for today was to go birding near Maupin (Central Oregon) and to follow the Deschutes River road north some 26 miles downriver to Mack’s Canyon where the access road ends. I was hoping to find a Belted Kingfisher and get a good photograph. I did see one as it fled across the river, out of range for the lenses on my camera.

Three stately Great Blue Herons were feeding in the shallows farther down river.

For the eight miles to Sherar’s Bridge the road is paved but after that pavement turns to gravel… badly wash-boarded gravel… the kind that jolts your bones at any speed. Four miles of jolting was enough. I wasn’t seeing birds so I did a U-turn. It was a nice sunny day and a warm 59 degrees in the canyon but the rough road aggravation was too much. I returned to Sherar’s Bridge and turned north on highway 216 toward the White River Falls State Park and a very scenic waterfall.

Roadside a small female Downy Woodpecker was feeding on a Woolly Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) and paused long enough for a few good photo opportunities. Its look-alike relative, the Hairy Woodpecker, is larger with a more robust bill but the two are often confused. In this case the habitat was a clue also. The Downy is often found foraging on weed stalks.

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) near White River State Park Wasco County

Because I had cut the Maupin road trip short I had time to cross the Columbia River at The Dalles and bird the Dalles Mountain road. It, too, is a gravel road but in slightly better condition for driving. About a mile off highway 14 is a large patch of Himalaya blackberries (Rubus discolor) about an acre or two in size. As I approached a great flock of small birds erupted from the briar patch… next time I will stop earlier and “scope” for birds before scaring them away. It was a mixed flock of birds but I saw enough to know at least some were American Goldfinches.

female American Goldfinch, Dalles Mountain, Klickitat County WA

A little farther up the hill I was treated to six Northern Harriers working in the canyon roadside. Unfortunately they presented little opportunity for close-up photography but I got a good look at their impressive aerial skills. Both sexes were present.

One lonely magpie was in residence at the ranch buildings and it flew well in advance of my approach. They have learned to be very wary of man in all forms.

Even though the species count was low it was an enjoyable fall day.

byLarry

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Larry Rea October 26, 2012 October 5, 2017 Birds

Wood Ducks at Ridgefield NWR

Wood ducks… in breeding plumage. We are at Ridgefield NWR and hit the jackpot.

According to our weather forecasters our winter rains are about to begin so we took the day to visit the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Clark County, Washington. It was a grand day, sunny, temperature about 60 degrees and a light breeze. We were able to see Great Blue Herons up close… Red Winged Blackbirds… several female Northern Harriers… Mallard Ducks, male and female… an American Bittern… Sparrow Hawks… Red Tailed Hawks… Sand Hill Cranes… thousands of Canada Geese… Great Egrets… along with numerous other unidentified waterfowl. But the highlight of the day was several Wood Ducks, some of the males were in breeding plumage.

byLarry

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Larry Rea October 11, 2012 October 5, 2017 Birds

Green Heron at Ridgefield NWR

Green Heron, uncommon… rarely seen… this one was my second sighting. While taking the auto-tour route at the S unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge we spotted this “first summer” Green Heron (Butorides virescens) wading in the slough at the Rest Lake end of the tour. The bird was drawing a crowd, four cars were stopped and some big camera lenses were in evidence.

It’s a little early for the fall migration yet but we also saw (and heard) three Sandhill Cranes. It was a good day.

byLarry

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Larry Rea September 19, 2012 October 5, 2017 Birds

Finding Conboy Lake Refuge

Finding Conboy Lake Refuge was our goal for today. Having heard positive comments about the Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge located near Glenwood, WA, we decided to give it a try. Google maps plotted a course for us from our home to the refuge. However, when we followed the directions we ended up at a locked gate on the opposite side of the lake from the headquarters. Apparently the Google location was positioned in the middle of the refuge. It wasn’t a big deal to circle the lake and find the correct road but it does seem an easy correction to make.

Headquarters found, we took a moment to visit with the Park Ranger before trying the hiking trail. The trail follows along an irrigation ditch for about a mile to an observation platform and then loops back through the forest to headquarters. It was an enjoyable stroll through the woods on a pleasant day. We were a bit early in the season for flowers and the migratory birds haven’t begun to arrive in numbers. We did see a Western Tanager (Piranga rubra) and heard some Sandhill Cranes. A few butterflies were out in numbers, the Mourning Cloak and Western Pine Elfin were the most numerous with a few Silvery Blues.

bird Western Tanager (Piranga rubra) 462 Conboy Lake NWR Klickitat County WA

We will put the refuge on our list of places for a return visit.

byLarry

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Larry Rea May 15, 2012 October 5, 2017 Birds