[HouseFinch]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this: it's just a little about my 'local patch', where I do the majority of my birding.

On any given day, I can see birds from a wide range of habitats, because of where I live: forest birds, waterfowl, marsh birds, open country birds, and even a few seabirds from time to time.

My family and I live above what is known as Svensen Island(named after the small community east of Astoria, Oregon, that we live in). The northern edge of our backyard is a bank, which leads down to railroad tracks. Between the tracks and the island is a slough, which flows out to the Columbia River behind the island: beyond the river, mountains can be seen, those that form a border between Oregon and Washington. At high tide, part of the island is flooded, although it wasn't always this way. The island was once basically a huge pasture, where beef cattle roamed. However, a few winters ago, after a lot of heavy rain, a dike on the island broke, and has not been repaired thus far. Subsequently, the island is now the acquired home of numerous waterfowl and marsh birds. The trees at the back of the island seem to be the favorite roosts of Bald Eagles. Last summer, I heard the winnowing of Wilson's Snipes for the first time, and I wondered if the now marshy Svensen Island has brought them here. If ever the island becomes permanently flooded, it is my secret wish that a pair of Common Loons would come to nest upon our private lake.

Whatever the outcome, I feel fortunate to have grown up and continued to live in this lovely varied habitat, where I can truly be close to Nature.