Laughing at the Coast
Last weekend I had a roller coaster of a birding trip. But that’s to be expected when chasing rarities. There were at least seven rare birds reported near Newport (Say’s Phoebe, Solitary Sandpiper, Northern Mockingbird, Marbled Godwit, Nashville Warbler (early), Palm Warbler, and Laughing Gull). Laughing Gull?! Who brought back the Texas souvenir? It wasn’t…
Seattle Part I: Reliable Redpolls
A couple of weeks ago, Jen invited me on a birding day trip to Seattle with her and her pups. How could I resist those faces?! To sweeten the deal, there were life-birds up for grabs. A flock of Common Redpolls was reportedly (reliably) camped out in the birch trees near Green Lake. Redpolls typically…
Alaska By Sea
Speaking of epic, what better way to distract oneself from summer birding woes than to fly to Alaska? When I noticed ticket prices out of PDX were under $200 it was a no-brainer. I once visited The Last Frontier with my family about a decade ago, and I was long overdue for a return visit.…