Despite recent cold, last night below 20 degrees, Henry Hagg Lake in southern Washington County is open water. Plenty of waterbirds to be found. Side roads very icy so I had to park my dainty Prius along the main road.
EBird was surprised at the Western Grebes and I had to coax it to accept the two Barn Swallows…but after the Salem CBC I sorta expect the swallows to be hanging around open water on very cold days.
Some of the many mergansers cruising the lake:
I was most interested in the small land birds feeding on the snow, and got a nice sequence of the usually secretive Hermit Thrush right out in plain view:
In cropping these shots I kept the lake visible in the near backround. I now think of this guy as an honorary shorebird.
This Hermit Thrush was keeping his feet warm, hunting just off the edge of the snow:
WORLD’S TINIEST SNOWBIRD?
This kingle3t’s ancestors must’ve been super during the last ice age, ’cause he’s got the moves. Climbing icy slopes, leaping 8-inch crevasses in a single bound, finding balance and perches on iced surfaces…all the while finding something to eat. Behold the “snow king-let:”
Henry Hagg Lake Park–Eagle Point Recreation Area, Washington, Oregon, US
Jan 13, 2017 2:25 PM – 3:05 PM Comments: lake not frozen
23 species
Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) 120
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 200
American Wigeon (Anas americana) X
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) X
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) 1
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) X
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 200
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) X
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 40
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) 30
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 14
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
American Coot (Fulica americana) X
California Gull (Larus californicus) 8
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) X
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) X
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 1
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 15
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) 2
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