KenM
Well-known member
A trip to see our family in Portland Oregon, by courtesy of Delta airlines (absolutely no complaints), a 9.5 hour flight LHR-Portland direct, landing mid-day (8 hours behind GMT). A c20m. transfer to our accommodation (a condo in my daughter's and partner's house). Our itinerary was 15-17th inclusive at the condo, departing South and road tripping to pre-booked three site accommodation for 6 days (Bend, Corvallis and Cannon Beach).
Returning on Sat.24th. spending a further 4 days with the family before departure on the 28th. Hire car was a small Hyundai Kona SUV, overall mileage travelled was c600 miles and it was a pleasure to drive...I could get used to automatics!
On our first morning at my daughter's, her partner Cedric suggested a half day trip (him and I) to Sauvie Island, a mere 30 minute drive away....to which I reluctantly agreed as I'd have to take my bins and camera just in case we bumped into anything of interest. Realistically I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary, as I've been a good number of times over the years and the date was a little early for any meaningful movement of passerines etc, thus we climbed into his 5.3 litre work pick-up truck, then headed out to the Freeway and Sauvie Island.
The plan was that he'd Blackberry pick whilst I ''casually'' birded, thus with me looking up and him (non-birder) looking down...we should have it all covered and surprisingly....it worked far better than one might have ever imagined! We crossed the bridge looking down on the mighty Willamette river and within moments Osprey, Purple Martin and Red-tailed Hawk came into view...''a good omen'' said I?
We drove almost parallel to the river for perhaps a couple of miles before stopping in a National forest state car park, clambering out the truck before following the well trodden path we grabbed a couple of bottles of water, as it was somewhat hot...c30+ degrees C. The path (bramble-edged mostly) took us through old forest (very tall Aspen type trees and clearings, with low lying meadow and river edge. As I was ''struggling'' to find any form of avian life I started to pish (very thirsty work in the heat of the day) eventually pulling out a couple of Black-capped Chickadees, a Western-wood Pewee then Cedric shouted look at this!
As I looked over, a basket half full of blackberries held with one hand, whilst excitedly pointing with ''tother'' to a small leaping pale green ULO (unidentified leaping object) about two foot off the ground disappearing into the leafage. Cricket said I? no he replied! a frog! as we parted the leaves, there two foot off the ground, a superb Pacific-tree Frog....life tick for all!! Images subsequently taken and ID'd later that evening. Eventually we arrived at the river bank with the ubiquitous Turkey Vulture overhead, also Vaux Swift missile-ing through the Barn and Violet Green Swallows overhead.
At this point we decided to head back along the trail, with Cedric getting more ''credits'' for pointing out...two White-tailed deer that I'd totally missed, walking straight passed just a few metres away...another lifer!! After a bit more ''pishing'' I evoked the soft ''wh-ipp-wh-ipp'' return of Swainson's Thrush followed by several heavily shadowed sightings, a meagre tally from moi...just seven avian species to show for a 2 mile trudge. Little did I know that we were about to experience another Lifer, certainly one that I'll take to the grave (almost put me in it!!).
With a c100m to go before reaching Cedric's truck, I zipped my camera away into the case as we ambled along the path, me staring into the trees and Cedric wilting under the weight of his c5lbs of Blackberries to which he was still adding. As we moved out of direct sunlight onto a more shadowed track there was a sudden shout from Cedric...lookout! as he pointed downwards, I couldn't see anything at first, assuming that it was another Tree-Frog thus I slowed my down-step before knee-jerking back into my chest with absolute horror!! Directly beneath my foot, a coiled, head reared, c18'' snake with a bright red spitting black-forked tongue!!
If ever time stood still, yet incongruously flashed by simultaneously, this was it! From jaw-dropping horror, to standing on one leg, whilst trying to unzip my camera bag with expletives pouring forth, lest I was unable to image what could potentially be the most remarkable circumstantial shot that I'd ever taken, was just too much to bear. :eek!:
Eventually dis-entangling my camera from the case and getting this stunningly beautiful glossy black reptile, sporting a complete contrasting white dorsal stripe from fore to aft, with accompanying lateral red spots, was certainly a moment never to be forgotten!
The gods were smiling that day, as I managed several frame fillers before it slithered into the track edge labyrinth of cover, to put that encounter into some sort of perspective, it was only the fourth wild snake that I'd ever seen, add to which it's ID and toxicity level was completely unknown to me.
Later identified as a Red-spotted Garter Snake and relatively harmless, what a start to the holiday ''three lifers'' in one afternoon!
To be continued.....
Returning on Sat.24th. spending a further 4 days with the family before departure on the 28th. Hire car was a small Hyundai Kona SUV, overall mileage travelled was c600 miles and it was a pleasure to drive...I could get used to automatics!
On our first morning at my daughter's, her partner Cedric suggested a half day trip (him and I) to Sauvie Island, a mere 30 minute drive away....to which I reluctantly agreed as I'd have to take my bins and camera just in case we bumped into anything of interest. Realistically I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary, as I've been a good number of times over the years and the date was a little early for any meaningful movement of passerines etc, thus we climbed into his 5.3 litre work pick-up truck, then headed out to the Freeway and Sauvie Island.
The plan was that he'd Blackberry pick whilst I ''casually'' birded, thus with me looking up and him (non-birder) looking down...we should have it all covered and surprisingly....it worked far better than one might have ever imagined! We crossed the bridge looking down on the mighty Willamette river and within moments Osprey, Purple Martin and Red-tailed Hawk came into view...''a good omen'' said I?
We drove almost parallel to the river for perhaps a couple of miles before stopping in a National forest state car park, clambering out the truck before following the well trodden path we grabbed a couple of bottles of water, as it was somewhat hot...c30+ degrees C. The path (bramble-edged mostly) took us through old forest (very tall Aspen type trees and clearings, with low lying meadow and river edge. As I was ''struggling'' to find any form of avian life I started to pish (very thirsty work in the heat of the day) eventually pulling out a couple of Black-capped Chickadees, a Western-wood Pewee then Cedric shouted look at this!
As I looked over, a basket half full of blackberries held with one hand, whilst excitedly pointing with ''tother'' to a small leaping pale green ULO (unidentified leaping object) about two foot off the ground disappearing into the leafage. Cricket said I? no he replied! a frog! as we parted the leaves, there two foot off the ground, a superb Pacific-tree Frog....life tick for all!! Images subsequently taken and ID'd later that evening. Eventually we arrived at the river bank with the ubiquitous Turkey Vulture overhead, also Vaux Swift missile-ing through the Barn and Violet Green Swallows overhead.
At this point we decided to head back along the trail, with Cedric getting more ''credits'' for pointing out...two White-tailed deer that I'd totally missed, walking straight passed just a few metres away...another lifer!! After a bit more ''pishing'' I evoked the soft ''wh-ipp-wh-ipp'' return of Swainson's Thrush followed by several heavily shadowed sightings, a meagre tally from moi...just seven avian species to show for a 2 mile trudge. Little did I know that we were about to experience another Lifer, certainly one that I'll take to the grave (almost put me in it!!).
With a c100m to go before reaching Cedric's truck, I zipped my camera away into the case as we ambled along the path, me staring into the trees and Cedric wilting under the weight of his c5lbs of Blackberries to which he was still adding. As we moved out of direct sunlight onto a more shadowed track there was a sudden shout from Cedric...lookout! as he pointed downwards, I couldn't see anything at first, assuming that it was another Tree-Frog thus I slowed my down-step before knee-jerking back into my chest with absolute horror!! Directly beneath my foot, a coiled, head reared, c18'' snake with a bright red spitting black-forked tongue!!
If ever time stood still, yet incongruously flashed by simultaneously, this was it! From jaw-dropping horror, to standing on one leg, whilst trying to unzip my camera bag with expletives pouring forth, lest I was unable to image what could potentially be the most remarkable circumstantial shot that I'd ever taken, was just too much to bear. :eek!:
Eventually dis-entangling my camera from the case and getting this stunningly beautiful glossy black reptile, sporting a complete contrasting white dorsal stripe from fore to aft, with accompanying lateral red spots, was certainly a moment never to be forgotten!
The gods were smiling that day, as I managed several frame fillers before it slithered into the track edge labyrinth of cover, to put that encounter into some sort of perspective, it was only the fourth wild snake that I'd ever seen, add to which it's ID and toxicity level was completely unknown to me.
Later identified as a Red-spotted Garter Snake and relatively harmless, what a start to the holiday ''three lifers'' in one afternoon!
To be continued.....