“In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.”
― Robert Lynd

There are few things I enjoy more than birding, except perhaps, writing down the birds I’ve seen with a favorite fountain pen.  I saw some amazing birds in the Tillamook area and I took over 200 photographs on January 12, 2015.  There are just a few here because when I returned home, I realized a setting on my camera had been bumped and most of the photos were not useable.  It happens to everyone eventually I guess.  Lesson learned.  Regardless, my list for the day topped out at 44 species, bringing my Big Year total to 69 species so far.  I have a good start on the year, that’s for sure.

The stars of today included the Tundra Bean-goose (from Russia), a few Common Loon’s, a female Ruddy Duck, a couple of Lesser Scaups, Canvasbacks, a Cooper’s Hawk  and a Western Grebe.  I had amazing views of a Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, and of course the goose. Continue reading →