I'm still nursing a cold. I can't gather the strength to get up in the morning. I slept about 13 hours both Friday and Saturday night. Went to immediate care this afternoon, just to be sure I didn't have anything that was treatable, but no such luck, it's just a nasty virus. I got some Sudafed though and it seems to be drying me up.
I did take a trip today out to Milo McIver State Park with my wife. We visited there years ago when the kids were young and really enjoyed it. They have a fish hatchery there where you can observe salmon close up. It's pretty cool and have always meant to return, but never have until today.
It was about 4:00 PM before we got there so the birding wasn't very good, but the scenery was wonderful. The trails that we took were a little muddy, but navigable.
I did get some views of a Swainson's Thrush shown above. I'm 95% sure that it is a Swainson's and not a Hermit. They look pretty similar, but the Hermit's should have moved out of our region for the summer. In addition, this is one of the few birds I have learned to identify by sound. Swainson's Thrushes make a sort of whistle or "whit". Kind of like whistling for a dog. It's short, increases in frequency and ends abruptly. I saw my first Swainson's at Champoeg State Park earlier this spring. I heard it make that sound, memorized it by repeating it with my own whistle and then listened to both Thrushes on Cornell's All About Birds sit. It was a perfect match for the Swainson's.
I did take a trip today out to Milo McIver State Park with my wife. We visited there years ago when the kids were young and really enjoyed it. They have a fish hatchery there where you can observe salmon close up. It's pretty cool and have always meant to return, but never have until today.
It was about 4:00 PM before we got there so the birding wasn't very good, but the scenery was wonderful. The trails that we took were a little muddy, but navigable.
I did get some views of a Swainson's Thrush shown above. I'm 95% sure that it is a Swainson's and not a Hermit. They look pretty similar, but the Hermit's should have moved out of our region for the summer. In addition, this is one of the few birds I have learned to identify by sound. Swainson's Thrushes make a sort of whistle or "whit". Kind of like whistling for a dog. It's short, increases in frequency and ends abruptly. I saw my first Swainson's at Champoeg State Park earlier this spring. I heard it make that sound, memorized it by repeating it with my own whistle and then listened to both Thrushes on Cornell's All About Birds sit. It was a perfect match for the Swainson's.
Cool! I have yet to find a Swainson's Thrush myself.. I saw a Hermit last week that I tried to turn into a Swainson's, but its rufous tail was undeniable.
ReplyDeleteI saw them last summer at both Ecola State Park and at Beverly Beach campground but haven't seen or heard them yet this year. Hope you kick your cold!
ReplyDelete