Mountain Bluebirds & Raptors

       This weekend we went to Sunriver! It was a super fun weekend and I saw some cool birds!

    On our way home we stopped by the painted hills and I saw lots of Mountain Bluebirds there. I had never seen them before so it was exciting. 

    They were pretty skittish, but I got a few good photos! They are so pretty.

    We also went back to the nature center in Sunriver, which I was excited about. There is a lake by the nature center where they released a Trumpeter Swan, and there are lots of birds that gather there. Above is a Belted Kingfisher that was flying from tree to tree.

Above is an American Coot, I see them a lot in the Columbia River.

Here is the male Trumpeter Swan. There was also a female one in a cage, a sign said that they are planning to release her in a week or so, but she is getting used to the environment first.

They have lots of raptors at the nature center in captivity, because they wouldn't survive in the wild alone. The center was closed, but we could still see this Swainson's Hawk because it was outside. There was also a Hawk-Owl (I'm not sure what type) but I couldn't get any great photos of it.

Ospreys

Hello! Today my mom and I went around our town looking for Osprey nests. In Oregon, especially where we live, there are so many Ospreys around. Along I-84 there are dozens of nests on almost every tower in the river. I love seeing Ospreys but have never photographed them before. Here are my photos.

 While looking for a nest off of the interstate, I spotted an Osprey perching on a sign. My mom pulled over and I got some really cool shots!

 The first nest we saw was pretty far away, so I didn't get any great photos. There were a couple birds in it though!

 This nest is by a trail near the Hood River. I was very pleased to see two Ospreys in it. They were posing perfectly.

 Osprey nests are basically huge piles of sticks lined with some softer materials such as grass, moss, and algae. Ospreys build platform nests, and they can be found on many different high platforms like telephone poles, trees, or man-made towers. They are re-used year after year. Ospreys need to nest near water because they eat fish. I see Ospreys fly by with fish in their talons a lot.

I had a fun time finding these nests with my mom. Ospreys are such cool birds. Happy Summer! bye!

Brazos Bend State Park (Part 3)

On the last day, we went to Brazos Bend State Park, which we had gone to three years earlier, on our last trip to Texas. This is what I was most excited for, since a lot of awesome birds reside there. Wetlands and swamps are some of the best places to go birding.

 I saw many Common Gallinules (Or Common Moorhens) all around the park.

 I was very very happy to see an Anhinga. I love the pattern on their wings.

 They are also sometimes called "snakebirds" because of their long necks.

 A female Northern Cardinal.

 Another bird I was very excited to see was this Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron. They are so pretty.

 I saw two Little Blue Herons.

 A Green Heron (a species I've been wanting to see for a long time), ready to dive.

 These two Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks were posing perfectly for me!

 It was super exciting to see all these new birds. I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Gulf of Mexico (Part 2)

We drove an hour south to the beach on Sunday. The couple of days we spent there were so fun and I got a lot of awesome bird photos. I've gotten a bit tired of seeing the same Oregon birds over and over, so it was really nice to see all these new birds.

 This is a Black-Bellied Whistling Duck on the side of a little stream.

 Me and my Grandma saw this cormorant by a little pond near our condo. Sadly, we discovered it had a fishing lure stuck on it's back.

 I believe this is a Willet, but I'm not 100% sure.

 There were a LOT of Laughing Gulls on the beach.

 I'm not quite sure what this little bird is (since all sandpipers look super similar), but my best guess is that it's a Western Sandpiper.

 I took this photo of a Snowy Egret from the balcony of our condo. I love the egret's bright yellow feet.

 This is a Roseate Spoonbill which I was very happy to see. It was by a little stream, but I accidentally scared it and it flew up and perched on the power line.

 I'm pretty sure this is a Eastern Kingbird. Whatever it is, it's really pretty.

 A White Ibis by the beach.

 I saw this little birdy twice on the boardwalk to the beach. I think it's a juvenile Eastern Meadowlark.

 Another Willet at the beach.

 I LOVE these photos I got of this heron. Sadly, I don't know what type of heron it is....

 These are probably my favorite bird pictures I've ever taken.

 A Brown Pelican diving for his dinner.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. I had a great time taking them :)