Notes, birds, nature, meanderings.

Musings about birds, nature, and our meanderings on the Central Oregon Coast

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Tualatin River NWR

Ok, I know it's not on the coast, but a couple of weeks ago we had to make a trip to Portland, and had a couple of hours on our return trip.  We chose to use them at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.  Spring was in the air with WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS singing loudly near the entrance.

Killdeer


A beautiful solitary KILLDEER greeted us in a large puddle in the median.  We walked through the visitor center first, then stopped by the viewing area between the two main buildings.








Rufous Hummingbird



A flash of movement caught our eye, as a brilliant RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD flicked through the flowers.










On the water, large flocks of WHITE CHEEKED GEESE were interspersed with a variety of other waterfowl, including COOTS, BUFFLEHEAD, MALLARDS and RING NECKED DUCKS.
Ring-Necked Duck

Bufflehead

Follow the Leaders



A pair of CANADA GEESE appeared to lead a line of CACKLING GEESE in a large loop.










There were a few other visitors on the trail, and we all stopped to watch the BULLFROGS in one of the ponds.






Bullfrog
 Along the way towards the woods, WHITE-CROWNED, GOLDEN-CROWNED and SONG SPARROWS were plentiful. 
Golden-Crowned Sparrow
White-Crowned Sparrow

Song Sparrow


Lincoln's Sparrow


















As we watched another unique sparrow, an experienced birder stopped by and told us we were looking at a LINCOLN'S SPARROW - our first!









Mallards



We found a pair of MALLARDS drifting along the edges of a well-hidden creek - I wonder if they had a nest nearby?






 


The singing of WARBLERS greeted us as we moved from the open meadows and wetlands to the dense forest.







Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Audubon's)
Many other creatures were enjoying the rich forest, including SPOTTED TOWHEE and tiny CHIPMUNKS.

Spotted Towhee
Black-Capped Chickadee

Trillium
A loud knocking caught our attention, and we were thrilled to watch a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER working its way around a tree.
Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Stopping at the wetlands viewing area, we heard and then saw our first GREATER YELLOWLEGS, along with a GREAT EGRET and a number of waterfowl, including EURASIAN and AMERICAN WIGEON and NORTHERN SHOVELERS.  

Tualatin River NWR is a beautiful place to visit, with a nice visitor center, public restrooms and plenty of parking.  The paved paths are available year round, and other paths are open during the summer.  A wide variety of habitat makes the number and variety of species a constant surprise.  Plan to visit!

3 comments:

  1. Great post- that is definitely a fun park to visit. Congrats on the new bird!

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  2. Glad you enjoyed TRNWR! I haven't been there in about two weeks. Good to see the bull frogs are back. They are fun to watch. Did any of them croak? I still jump when I hear them, they are so loud, although that happens more on the service road along the canal that isn't open until May.

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  3. We plan to go back next month so we can walk down the service road. None of them croaked while we were there :o)

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