Bird Watching - The Outdoor Directory for Birding

The afternoons are still warm but the nights are cooling down here. The afternoon shadows fall across the front yard much earlier in the day. Shorebirds are on their way south and all our hummingbirds have left. No more are they zooming around the tangle of honeysuckle on our deck. Fall is a great time for birding with many species of birds on the move. The Hawkwatch migration count will begin soon on Mt Hood and the Vaux Swifts will be here soon roosting each evening by the tens of thousands in the old brick chimney at Chapman Elementary School. This is a good time to think ahead to the cooler, wetter birding outings of fall and winter. A good pair of warm, waterproof boots and waterproof parka add so much to your comfort and enjoyment of fall birding. I like to have a broad brimmed waterproof hat too. Most hoods on rain parkas get in the way of binoculars. Sometimes I turn my head quickly and find I am trying to look through my hood. I like my Outdoor Research Gortex hat but there are many others, too.

Posted by bill@birdingguide.com at 07:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On June 28, 2007 the American Bald Eagle was delisted from the federal threatened and endangered species list after oveer 40 years of efforts to bring our national symbol back from the brink of extinction. The population of Bald Eagles in the United States was one time estimated to be between 250,000 and 500,000 birds but by 1963 a National Audubon Society survey showed only 487 nests in the continental United States. DDT poisoning, habitat destruction and shootings had taken a terrible toll. With ongoing political efforts from the White House to reduce protections for wildlife and to gut the Endangered Species Act it is important to remember we would not have the American Bald Eagle with us today without the courageaous efforts of people in the past to ban toxic chemicals and to protect our birds and other creatures with federal legislation. So when I see a magnificent Bald Eagle soaring overhead or diving into lake to capture a fish I am reminded how important it is to stay vigelant in our efforts to preserve the birds, mammals, butterflies and ohter living creatures that are still facing extinction.

Posted by bill@birdingguide.com at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

And a wildflower paradise, too! Driving north from the town of Hood River on the Columbia River, through Trout Lake. Wa we soon came to the SE corner of Mt Adams. A rough dirt road enters the Yakama Nation Reservation, forks and ends at Bird Lake and Bench Lakes beneath Mt Adams. In early to mid summer this area has some of the finest wildflower displays I have ever seen. Recently we took a couple of trips(a one day and a three day outing) to go birding and to photograph butterflies for a contest I am entering in September. As soon as we stepped out of our vehicle we were greeted by Western Tanagers. Gray Jays and Clarks Nutcrackers made their presence known quickly. We spotted several Mountain Chickadees, Woodpeckers, a Goldeneye swimming across Bird Lake and an American Pipet. All seen at the lake before beginning our bird walk. California Tortiseshells have been so numerous this year that walking stirs up hundreds of these beautiful butterflies. Many varieties of Checkerspots and Frittilaries are common as well as Blues, Sulphers and Parnassians. When in the Northwest include the Mt Adams area for a marvelous birding, butterflying and wildflower experience.

Posted by bill@birdingguide.com at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)