October-November yard birds
Who’s excited about Downy Woodpeckers in their yard? This gal! Confirmed male. And female. Pretty exciting news. I hope they stick around. And I hope they make little downy chicks in the spring for cuteness’ sake. This week has been all about gobs of Pine Siskins eating gobs of sunflower seeds. (and a House Finch…
Dad visit and incidental birding
I managed to squeeze in a bit of birding while my dad (from Florida) and aunt (from Texas) visited at the end of September. Luckily, my dad’s almost as enthusiastic about birds as I am, and, well, my aunt was outnumbered (and a good sport). I first took my jet-lagged relatives to Chapman Elementary School to…
Cape Lookout State Park
One of my favorite bike-camping destinations along the Oregon coast is Cape Lookout State Park. The hiker-biker campground here is tough to beat: thick stands of sitka-hemlock forest AKA hammock-trees galore, seclusion from car-campers, miles of hiking nearby, and mere steps from the ocean. A tip from me to you: Don’t feel like biking 72 miles from Portland to…