My six children are divided evenly between the east and west coasts.
We had an East Coast Christmas, and then we flew to Seattle to spend time with family on the West Coast.
Including a new puppy!
When the family went back to school and work, we drove south, crossed the Columbia River, and birded the northwest corner of Oregon.
First stop was the rich tidal marshes of Svensen Island.
Then we birded near Astoria, which has this iconic column, which we did not go to see.
Because we go where the birds are!
Brewer’s Blackbird at the Hammond Marina
We ended our day at the remains of the Peter Iredale, which ran aground in 1906.
Our hotel had a magnificent view of the Astoria Bridge!
Monday morning we drove a little further south to Cannon Beach.
We were thrilled to find three Harlequin Ducks!
…and two Black Oystercatchers
The sewage settling ponds were one of our favorite hotspots!
In Seaside we found both of our target birds: Black Turnstone (left) and Surfbird (right).
The Surf Scoter was unimpressed with the Surf Man.
An homage to Lewis & Clark in Seaside. They over-wintered near here before returning to President Jefferson with their impressive travel report.
At the close of the birding day we re-visited Fort Stevens and walked along “Social Security Beach” to the mouth of the mighty Columbia River.
Short-billed Gulls, hunkered down in the cold wind!
Sunrise on Tuesday on the OTHER side of the Columbia River, at Cape Disappointment in Washington State.
It was…brisk…out on the long jetty.
The cold doesn’t bother them, anyway…
We added 30 species to our Oregon list, bringing it to our third best state, behind North Carolina (#1) and Maryland (#2). We enjoyed exploring Clatsop County, Oregon, as well as Pacific County, Washington.
Life is wonderful where I am, but I do miss the Pacific Northwest and Douglas Fir trees!
My.Bird.Walks. 
Since the bird photos didn’t have earlier dates indicated, you took all those photos “live”! Wonderful! I think I saw some cormorants, on their way to somewhere else, while I was in Wichita. I lived in “Riverside”, where the Little Arkansas snaked through. It was on a bend of the Little Arkansas, where quite a few (five or six) were sitting on the river – they avoided me. They all turned in unison, wherever they decided to look. Wonderful that you got to see your east and west children (and grandchildren) within a short time, and got to do some wonderful birding (with photos to prove it).
Lorraine Boyd Cypress, TX
>
LikeLike