2BP: Squirrels 'n' Stuff

February 29 - March 4, 2016

With the weekend behind us, we all settled into a regular routine for the week.  Pongo.  Work.  Hospital.  Dinner.  For the next four days, that was basically my life.

Canada Goose -- Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Bald Eagle

We woke up early enough one morning to get to Baskett Slough.  The light wasn't very good.  Still, I took some photos and Pongo enjoyed the short drive through the refuge.  It was his only real adventure for the rest of the trip.

We saw a bald eagle.  It was high on the hill, though, and Baskett Slough doesn't allow dogs out of cars even on leashes.  So, I had to settle for long shots from the parking lot.

Aside from this short trip to Baskett Slough, Pongo had to settle for walks around the neighborhood.  We spent a lot of time taking walks, though.  They were good for both of us.

Western Gray Squirrel -- Salem, OR

We saw a lot of squirrels on those walks around the neighborhood.  I suspect these sightings were Pongo's favorite aspect of the entire trip.  He seems sworn to rid this country of every squirrel he sees.  It's an obsession with him.  Sometimes it's entertaining to watch him get so focused on something, but it's not so fun when he just about yanks my arm off trying to catch the damned thing.

Western Gray Squirrel -- Salem, OR

By Friday, my mother was settled in and recovering at home.  Dad had things pretty well under control.  It was time for us to head home.  We made a brief stop at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge on our way out of town then bombed our way home.  That was pretty much it.  Mom continues to do well in her recovery.

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, OR

2BP: Pacific City to Newport

February 28, 2016

Sunday.

My mother had been recovering nicely and would continue to do so.  The list of potential visitors for the day was overflowing.  Pongo had been stuck in a crate for the better part of two days with four more days of crate time looming for the work week.  I was getting itchy feet.

Grand Ronde, OR

Oregon Route 130

I was thinking of going to Mount Hood.  Pongo enjoys snow and we'd never been there.  The weather knocked it off my list, though.  It was raining all over Oregon, meaning it would be snowing at higher elevations.  I like going to the snow but driving while it's snowing is not something I enjoy.  So, we headed to the coast instead.  The nice part of this plan is that I know how long it takes to get from just about any point on the Oregon coast to Salem.  I'd be able to ensure we'd get back in time for me to spend a few hours in the hospital with my mother.

Little Nestucca River, OR

On my last trip to Oregon during Thanksgiving, my dad and I tried to drive down the coast from Tillamook to Newport.  We only made it to Pacific City.  Pongo and I agreed to try to complete that trip.

Nestucca River, Pacific City, OR

Haystack Rock, Pacific City, OR

The Pacific City beach is one of the more spectacular beaches on the Oregon coast.  There are three haystacks know as Haystack Rock on the Oregon coast.  One is near Coos Bay, another is at Cannon Beach and the last--my personal favorite--is at Pacific City.  There's a connection to my mother here.  She's an author.  In her first book, Haystack Rock was a central symbol.  I'm not sure which Haystack Rock it was.  I'll have to ask her when I call her tomorrow.

Pacific City, OR

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area

According to Wikipedia, the Haystack Rock in Pacific City is also known as Chief Kiwanda Rock.  Huh.  I had no idea.  Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area is adjacent to the Pacific City beach.  It has cliffs and tide pools and a big dune that kids love to climb.  My brother tells me we used to like to climb the dune and run down it when we were kids.  I have no recollection of that.  There's nothing unusual about that.  He's got a sharp memory.  Mine's a bit dull.  Funny, those facts work both for and against both of us.

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, Pacific City, CA

Two people died falling from those Cape Kiwanda cliffs last month.  Sad.  Yosemite has the same problem with its cliffs.

Stay away from cliffs.

That's my public service announcement for the day.

Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Canada Goose

Our next stop was at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  It's a beautiful refuge along Highway 101.  I've seen a few bald eagles there.  No eagles on this trip, unfortunately.  We saw a lot of dusky Canada geese, though.  Canada geese aren't the most exciting birds to spot, but I still enjoying seeing them in the wild.  I like how geese are distributed along the West coast with Canada geese in the North and now and Ross' geese in California.  We get a few Canada geese in California as well.

Siletz Bay, OR

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Otter Crest, OR

Devil's Punch Bowl State Park, OR

I don't suspect most people n Oregon have considered how Otter Crest got its name.  Sea otters used to be plentiful along the Oregon coast.  They are all gone now.  They were hunted to extirpation.  The last Oregon sea otter died over one hundred years ago.  They may be making a comeback.  A lone otter was spotted in Depoe Bay (a few miles from Otter Crest) in 2009, but as of yet a permanent population has yet to return,  We can only hope.

Devil's Punch Bowl State Park, OR

Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, OR

California Sea Lion

When we reached Newport, Pongo and I headed down to the waterfront.  I didn't really have a plan.  I was thinking about grabbing some chowder at Mo's, but the sun was out so I didn't want to leave Pongo in the car.  as we drove we heard the barking of sea lions so I found a place to park and we got out to take a look. Holy cow!  What a show these beasts put on!

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

Pongo used to be frightened by the noise sea lions make.  He begged to go back into the car on one of our first trips when we encountered a large number offshore in the Seventeen Mile Drive in California.  He's come a long way.  On this trip he poked his head through the fence railings to get a better look.  They were close and they were loud but he just grinned and wagged his tail.

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

Out on the South Jetty in Newport we saw a wide variety of birds including a number of harlequin ducks.  Boy, they are beautiful.

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Beverly Beach State Park

We headed back to Salem after the stop at the jetty.  We had plenty of time to get back and for Pongo to have dinner before I went to the hospital.  I sat with my mother and showed her the pictures from the day.  She seemed to enjoy them.  She says she enjoys my photography.  I'm never sure if she really means it or if she just says that because she's my mom.  One of the things I am sure of, though, is she understand my need to be alone.  She's the same way, although she handles people better than I do.

Beverly Beach State Park, OR

Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline

Neighborhood Critters

January 24, 2016

I feel like I've been neglecting the neighborhood wildlife lately.  It's winter, I should be out collecting those local bird pictures.  I haven't been doing that.

I've been a little under the weather over the last week.  I figured if I wasn't up for a decent day trip I could at least get out and at least make up for a little lost local time.

So, let me introduce you to my neighbors.

Western Gull -- Oakland/Alameda Estuary, Alameda, CA

Bufflehead

I live a block from the Oakland/Alameda Estuary.  As you can imagine, we see a lot of seagulls.  I don't take a lot of pictures of seagulls, though.  They're too damned hard to identify.  I keep my out for easy ones.  Ring-billed gulls.  California gulls.  Western Gulls.  Adult gulls, no juveniles.  I've got no chance with juveniles.

Bufflehead -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Brush Rabbit

Rabbits and ground squirrels are common on the shoreline.  Brush rabbits can be found just about anywhere while black-tailed jackrabbits stick to a particular fenced-in are of the MLK Shoreline.  At night they seem to spread out across the entire fenced-in area, otherwise they tend to stick to the back corner.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

What keeps the rabbit population in check?  Poachers, for one.  I've heard stories of shotgun shells being found in the rabbit corner and the population being decimated only to rebound in a few months.  I'm not sure if there's anything to those stories.  Northern harriers are commonly seen in the area, as is the occasional cooper's hawk.  I expect the main cap on the potential rabbit population growth is this particular red-tailed hawk shown in the picture below.  It's rare to visit the area near Arrowhead Marsh in the morning and not see this individual bird, and he/she has been there for at least three years.  I've even seen the bird eating a rabbit in a tree.

Red-tailed Hawk -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Greater White-fronted Goose

Canada geese are always around in winter.  Sometimes a few greater white-fronted geese will stop by as well.  Last year one had an injured foot and stayed for the entire winter.

Canada Goose -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Common Goldeneye

Shorebirds are plentiful on the shoreline.  Like gulls, I tend to avoid shooting shorebirds because they can be difficult to identify.  Some aren't difficult and some are even kind of exciting.  The shoreline is one of the few places one can find a ridgway's rail.  I didn't see any ridgway's rails on Sunday, but I saw a few sora's and even a couple of virginia rails.

Sora -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

My favorite inhabitants of the shoreline are the burrowing owls.  It takes a little luck to see one.  They're only around in winter and I've only seen them early in the morning.  They look like large potatoes with big yellow eyes.  They tend to hide behind the burrow mounds so I often can only see their heads.

Burrowing Owl -- Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland, CA

Thanksgiving 2015: Baskett Slough & Sand Lake

November 25, 2015

I spent Wednesday with Pongo and my Dad.  The plan was to drive down the coast from Tillamook to Newport.  We made it as far South as Pacific City.  If you look on a map, that means we covered around thirty percent of that drive.  Too much cool stuff to see in an afternoon.  It was a pretty awesome day.

Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Canada Goose

Pongo and I started our day at Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.  It's an amazing place for seeing Canada and cackling geese, but you have to get there early.  In California's Central Valley, the snow and ross' geese are present at the refuges throughout the day.  At the Ankeny and Baskett Slough refuges near Salem the geese take off to find food in the morning and return at night.  The early morning take offs at Baskett Slough are loud and exciting.  On this particular morning we caught the tail end of it.

Cackling Goose -- Baskett Slough National Wildife Refuge, OR

I really struggled to get good shots at Baskett Slough.  Now that I think about it, I've always struggled to get good shots there.  The early morning light is dramatic but it's also a little tough for me, at least at the Slough.

Canada & Cackling Geese -- Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Dad, Pongo and I started our coastal adventure at the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  I love that place.  watching the production line is fascinating.  The samples are fun.  The gift shop has an amazing selection of cheese and other goodies.  I bought a pound and a half of fudge.  I didn't think we'd ever be able to eat all of it but it didn't make it past Friday night.  Dad bought some ice cream and it was delicious.  I bought some cheese too but I left it at Mom and Dad's.  I hope they enjoy it!  :-)

Dad & his ice cream -- Tillamook Cheese Factory, Tillamook, OR

After the cheese factory we drove to Netarts and Cape Lookout.  This is Dad's stretch of coastline.  He had a story to tell around every corner.  I enjoyed listening to his memories.

Cape Lookout State Park, OR

Cape Lookout State Park, OR

Cape Lookout State Park, OR

Sand Lake Recreation Area, OR

Dad used to take us four wheeling in the dunes at Sand Lake when we were kids.  My brother and I still talk about that.  I didn't recognize much about this area except for the gas station where we'd turn off the highway to go to the dunes.  I recognized it immediately.  That was cool.

Sand Lake Recreation Area, OR

Pongo spent the day warming up to Dad.  He's always been a little wary of Dad, but by the end of the day he had his head in Dad's lap.  I was happy about that.  Pongo is a special dog but he's very high strung and while not exactly a special needs dog, he's a rescue who was found as a stray puppy and still seems to suffer from the effects of that trauma.  He doesn't warm up to people easily.

Sand Lake, OR

Clay Myers State Natural Area at Whalen Island, OR

Pacific City, OR