Happy New Year from Portland, Oregon! Stay safe, healthy and happy! 🙂
All posts tagged: suburban wildlife
Up Close & Personal … Red-breasted Sapsucker
While stopping at my favorite lookout spot at the park Sunday I heard a noise. Suddenly this gorgeous red-breasted sapsucker landed on the tree right in front of me. Red-breasted sapsuckers live in forests along our entire west-coast. They are robin-sized woodpeckers who nest in […]
Hummingbird Magic at Christmas!
Sparkly tree topper resting, guarding, protecting, “I’m not sharing today” I recently put out a hummingbird feeder for those who stay over winter. One feisty hummer spotted it right away right and now fiercely guards “his feeder”. Then I put out a second hoping other […]
Happy Friday from my Garden!
Deer visit throughout the year, but in early spring we get to see young fawns. These two weren’t afraid but some scamper off into the forest when they spot me. Have a peaceful weekend and stay healthy and safe! 🙂
Up Close & Personal … The Bewick’s Wren
Wrens are small, active songbirds that rarely sit still for very long. Bewick’s wrens are about 5 1/2 inches long and live in the underbrush along forest edges. Wrens are easily identified by their distinctive white eyebrows, beige and brown plumage and long white-tipped […]
Hummingbird Magic!
“Can you see me now?” Hummingbirds never cease to amaze me! There’s an unbelievable amount of energy packed into these tiny birds. They appear seemingly out of nowhere, feast on their favorite flowers and then … they disappear again. Just like that! Sometimes if I’m […]
Happy Friday from my Garden!
These adorable tiny bushtits visit our garden multiple times every day. They always come in large flocks, perhaps as many as 50 and more. They announce themselves with a cheery chatter and then descent onto the suet feeders. Bushtits are small kinglet sized birds around […]
Hummingbird Magic!
Look at this tongue!! “I feel good” he chirps dewdrop bathtub freshly filled what sunrise delight. I haven’t been sleeping well since the beginning of the pandemic. Many nights I wake up, often from Covid nightmares. After a particularly awful nightmare one night, I got […]
Oregon’s Nature Nooks … North Clackamas Park
Here are a few more photographs of these adorable, hungry young swallows. Amazing how quickly the parents would race back and forth to feed their babies! When I finally got home I told the Zendog “Every time I visit the park there’s a surprise waiting […]
Oregon’s Nature Nooks … NorthClackamas Park
After I had noticed the swallows around the bird house I began stopping by the nesting box every time I visited the park, once upon arriving and then again after my walk before leaving. Somehow, I never saw the swallows and never heard any sounds […]
Oregon’s Nature Nooks … North Clackamas Park
Earlier this spring, on one of my many walks at North Clackamas Park I spotted a pair of brilliantly colored violet-green swallows. They were busy flying in and out of this small nesting box right by the community garden. There are four bird houses hanging […]
Up Close & Personal … The Townsend’s Chipmunk
The arrival of spring always brings with it the Townsend’s Chipmunk. These adorable tiny rodents are related to squirrels and every bit as agile and acrobatic as their much larger relatives. They mostly scavenge on the ground, picking up sunflower seeds and bits of suet […]
Up Close & Personal … The Spotted Towhee
This spotted towhee visited my garden last Sunday after it had snowed. The clouds had mostly drifted off into the distance and sun rays were peeking through the forest. The afternoon lighting was beautiful and the neighborhood quiet. Suddenly this distinctly patterned bird hopped right […]
Zunday Zen … I spy …
a rodent … no … a hardworking hipster Portlandia squirrel lugging an acorn up the old Douglas fir moving so quickly it’s almost  a vertical blur munching, crunching, keeping an eye on the scene all while hungrily enjoying the local forest cuisine From Portlandia to Michigandia greetings […]
in cahoots with muddy boots 