Springtime in Oregon : March 28 to April 20, 2019

Here is another update.  Things are hopping here with new migrants arriving almost every day.

I'll start off with few sure signs of Spring.  First up, eggs in a "nest".   These are the eggs of a Wilson's Snipe and these birds don't really build a nest but simply lay their eggs in a small hollow on the ground.  (P.S. Click on any picture to enlarge it)

Some sort of cheery little butterfly.

The first (Garter) snake of the season.  A sun-warmed back ...

... attached to a head further up along.

 A set of photos of Douglas Squirrels, also known as Chickarees.

 A Downy Woodpecker.

A Red-Breasted Sapsucker working on a nest hole.

 Now, a few "portrait" shots. 
First up is a Chestnut-Backed Chickadee, one of the friendliest critters in the woods.

A Dark-Eyed Junco, previously known as the Oregon Junco.

A California Scrub Jay.

A Band-Tailed Pigeon,

A Brown-Headed Cowbird.

A Red-Winged Blackbird.

A White-Throated Sparrow.

A Song Sparrow.

A Yellowlegs, probably a Greater, but could be a Lesser.

Another shot of a White-Throated Sparrow.

A set of pictures of a Golden-Crowned Sparrow.

Not a great pic, but adequate for identification purposes.  This was a new yard bird for me; a Chipping Sparrow.

Another Yellowlegs, here in breeding plumage.

A Steller Jay.

A few shots of immature Bald Eagles.

An Osprey.


And, one more Song Sparrow.

 A couple of flying Canada Geese.

A Ring-Necked Duck.

Mallard Ducks, First a male ...

... then a female.

A Lesser Scaup.

A Common Loon.

 A series of shots of an adult Bald Eagle with a prized head of salmon that was accosted by a younger eagle.  The adult wound up dropping the fish head back into the river and no one had a fish lunch.

Some photos of Wood Duck in my backyard.

 And, the female Hooded Merganser who has been on my backyard pond for a few weeks now.

Someone I bumped into while walking in the backyard.

 A set of shots of a Double-Crested Cormorant.

This next one is pretty crummy, but does serve to show why this bird is called "double-crested".

And finally, some shots from yesterday of members of a flock of Yellow-Rumped Warblers (Audubon plumage) that were way up in my backyard trees.

 Thanks for stopping by!