My wife and I made a trip to the coast today…we drove about 200 miles and one-third of that was along the coast between Seal Rock on the south, and the west end of Hwy 18 north of Lincoln City–some serious fire damage along that hiway near Otis.
It was exhilarating to watch a Brown Pelican feeding frenzy-the beak-first dives, the splashing, the heavy wing beats. After months of covid and dark days of the smoke-in, to see their freedom, their intensity, their mastery of a watery medium where we are interlopers. Exhilarating sure, but humbling. No person, not even another mammals could close to duplicating the act, the action, the activity. Even arching dolphins would watch with wonder. Here are some fed pelicans at rest. None of his would work without well-oiled feathers:
Also at Boiler Bay the usual crows and two species of large gulls. It felt so lucky to see gray in the air and know it was mostly fog, and not smoke:
BASKETT SLOUGH NOW
Some water on both sides of Coville Road now. We drove through on our way home from the coast. A year-rounder at work:
DAWN IN SALEM
Before we left I had too lucky birdy moments. A sapsucker landed near me. Then a passing flock of waxwings stopped long enough for me to get a shot into the rising sun, which washed out all the color. In the wide shot the waxwings are the big guys–don’t get to say very often. Nano-birds are some of our local goldfinches.
Boiler Bay State Wayside, Lincoln, Oregon, US
Sep 21, 2020
8 species
Western Gull X
Glaucous-winged Gull X
Brandt’s Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Brown Pelican X
Bald Eagle 1
American Crow X
Baskett Slough NWR, Polk, Oregon, US
Sep 21, 2020
9 species
Mallard 8
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Northern Harrier 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 2
American Crow X
Savannah Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee 1
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