Portland Birdwatching Experiences

Yes it rained, it’s spring break in Oregon. It has to rain most of next week as well since it’s spring break for Washington! However.. there were a few sun breaks, just enough to go to a nearby wetlands in a corporate park to see many many waterfowl and have a 2 mile walk before the rains came again. ( Then we had to go to the nearby library to read magazines about birds and cooking!) and warm up .

The major find on this walk were three wood ducks, all close enough to hear the different calls of the male and the females. I had never appreciated the squeaks of the male since they are rather soft compared to other ducks’ verbalizations.

The other wonderful opportunity was to see both ring neck ducks ( both genders) right beside lesser scaups . These are sometimes hard to differentiate especially in poor light at a distance. I love the “hairdos” with attitude on both male species but particularly the ring necks! We got pictures which we can hopefully post on the site soon. Some of the green wing teals were ” tame” evidently being used to the corporate lunch crowd feeding them? but the others like the buffleheads staying in the middle of the ponds far away from any human contact.

It was fun to see the teals just take off right out of the water unlike their dabbling cousins who ” run along” for many feet before take off. These little females had such bright green speculums on the wings they were unmistakable even in the cloudy day.

We got lucky with the sun bursts and the many ducks we saw .

The Kalapuya Indians of the Tualatin Valley where I live called this ” out of provision month”– where all the dried camas and the salmon have been eaten, the new shoots are not yet out and the migratory birds are arriving. Last week before the last snow I did find some nettles and picked them, apparently they were a native food and I certainly didn’t like them — kind of ” soapy” but if that was all to eat I probably would have liked them better.

This week in my wetlands the geese are making mating displays, the kingfishers are very loud and the woodpeckers are drumming for mates. I was so hoping a wood duck would use the house but so far the only bird house occupants in a different house are a pair of chickadees who relentlessly go back and forth picking up the cat hair from a feral cat who lives under the porch but leaves his hair on the side walk where he rubs in the sun.

Last week we went to FernHill wetlands where we saw a flock of tundra swans– could see in the scope they were not trumpeters. Saw many many ring neck ducks, pintails and ruddy ducks . No swallows yet. No rufous hummers back either or my sweet pair of green herons.

The gold finches are turning more and more yellow every day . Spring really is coming.