Three sore Butts, circa 10,000 miles (round trip) and 20.5 hours in the air! (1 Viewer)

August 11-25th. Heathrow to Portland, Oregon. It's been 2 years since our last visit (taken us that long to assemble the necessary ''Air Miles'' to supplement the trip). Wonderful once there by courtesy of Delta Airlines (a really great carrier). However there's always a price to pay...and not just fiscal.

The first downside is rising at 6am, (Wife, Grandson and moi) followed by the all-in transit add-ons...Cab/Airport/Flight to destination (10.75 hrs.), then transfer to my daughters house, and the expectation of a small family get-together (when all we wanted was sleep....as we'd been awake for 20+hours! Only to be advised (though not compulsory)...If I wished? I could join two of my daughters friends for a 6am pick-up on a boat fishing trip to the Columbia River!
Before I could utter ''you must be joking''....my selfish photo opportunism kicked in!...even though I was ''bug-eyed.. and fit to drop.

At 6am Sunday (8 hours behind GMT) hauling myself out of bed at the sound of the alarm!...(not knowing whether I was on land, sea or air) a quick cup of Rosie Lee, before being driven to the boatman's house some twenty minutes downtown, where we swopped trucks for an even bigger 5+ litre truck, which conveyed the three of us, and not forgetting the all important twin engine boat to the jetty. It was here where I realised, just how ''handy'' I was to become in assisting the launching of ''the beast'' from trailer to water. Put it this way...It was a 3 man operation...and I was the pivotal ''3rd man''...Harry Lime springs to mind.

Once in the boat and on the river...birds started to appear, Purple Martins, Glaucous Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Killdeer, Eared Grebe and a distant Osprey!...things are looking up I thought, little did I realise that I would soon be unleashing my shutter release on Pandion haliaetus, with dropped jaws and complete abandon.

Getting closer, to be continued....

Looking forward to reading this Ken.

ClarkWGriswold said:

Looking forward to reading this Ken.

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Drats!...that means I've got to finish it.:t:

......Back to the boat on a grey Sunday morning with a somewhat misty cool river ahead and Cap'n Chris! giving his multiple HP engine full throttle, to a Salmon/Steelhead hot-spot c2km down river towards the opposite bank. It has to be said it was a ''White-Buttock'' and vertebrae challenging ride....I was certainly not expecting as much thrust! With my spirit very much on board...somewhat ahead of my vital organs which were still at 30,000' somewhere over the Appalachians. :eek!: Upon arriving at designated hot-spot, where the ''big litres'' were swopped for the gentle chug/drift of the secondary ''egg whisk'' outboard, I was immediately struck by the Hi-Tech kit on the boat.

Radar screen to show where the fish were :eek!:...and at a depth of c5 metres!! not to mention the spinning lures that activated an audio signal when a bite occured! Jeez..I thought, that's what Birders need! Radar mounted on said head! wired to a hand-held smart-phone giving height, bearing and speed, plus a beep for when migs land, and location co-ordinates with beeps increasing with frequency to a near continuous tone for when you are just about to tread on the ''Lancey''. N-a-a-h!...too easy. :-O
After 4 hours with just two ''nibbles'' for the amigos, and an Osprey frame filler for me, which made me a very happy bunny! Cap'n Chris decided that he would head up river to another favoured spot, with all tackle retrieved, and ''big litres'' opened up into the mid-channel for the final ''hair raising'' charge! As we finally eased down and swopped over to the ''egg-whisk'', I suddenly espied a superb adult Bald Eagle almost half hidden on an embankment tree, certainly the closest I've been to this magnificent beast c30m away, at this point the camera became more active. Another 3 hours and a 3rd ''nibble'' elapsed, before a consensual ''throwing-in'' of the towel was agreed. At that point the ''americano shakes'' were getting to me, all I wanted to do was curl-up over a cup and review the rushes. Ironically...as we pulled up anchor, a flyover Osprey holding a Steelhead just to show my amigos...how it's done! Was embellished with my comment of it being caught in less than a ''metre'' of water...not five! needless to say it was not well received.

To be continued....

Superb photos Ken. And love the over-engine barge.

Rich

Great stuff Ken, keep it coming!

Chris

Monday 13th and the following day Tuesday 14th, were spent recuperating locally (Irving Park), and the parks downtown, notably Schultz Plaza and Chapman's Park. Interestingly the local park (Irving)...appeared to be bereft of migrant passerines unlike previous years, apart from occasional flyover Hummers, Vaux Swift and Barn Swallow, there was no real ''action'', However the downtown parks held double digit species....dunno? The transport system is second to none! with regular buses and trams to take you almost everywhere in Portland and beyond! My ''all day'' (seniors ticket) was $2.50 (under £2)....an absolute bargain by anybodys standards!

Birds encountered were- American Robin, Starling, House Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Anna's Hummingbird, White-crowned Sparrow, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Lesser Goldfinch, Wren Tit, Black-capped Chickadee, Bush Tit, Red-tailed Hawk and Turkey Vulture. The front gardens local to my daughter's abode yielded Scrub Jay, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Northern Flicker and Song Sparrow.

My daughter had booked us all into a campsite on the coast at Whalen Island, primarily for the Three 14 year old boys (for a ''Fortnite'' Free ), three-day trip Wednesday/Thursday, to include Friday at Pacific City and Cape Kiwanda...so I could spend some time with the boys ''hanging out on the beach'' (suitably clad with binoculars and camera :-O....to include a seminal moment of absolute terror! followed by relief in more ways than one.

To be continued.....

ClarkWGriswold said:

Superb photos Ken. And love the over-engine barge.
Rich

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Cheers Rich :t:

Scridifer said:

Great stuff Ken, keep it coming!

Chris

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.....and Chris! Hope all "share my experience" on the next instalment! :t:

Wednesday 15th, found us heading West to the coast and Whalen Island campsite, a comfortable sub two hour drive through the Tillamook Forest of dense and neck breaking conifers, the scenery was truly, and very apt on this occasion...awesome! Descending from elevation we eventually flattened out going through a few miles of open farmland, where I briefly laid eyes on an overhead wire, the only American Kestrel of the trip! Then as we turned off the main road crossing the bridge to the campsite, we were greeted by a pole perched Belted Kingfisher calling racously!....as it winged across the creek. After check-in (c $21 per night for one tent and one vehicle) we proceeded to erect our three tents....an exercise I last executed 50 years ago! :eek!: After the erections were completed three tents in a line, perhaps c50m from the all important ''convenience'', an isolated block structure replete with an attendant solitary c5m high street light, the stage was now set for a ''brief encounter'' of perhaps the worst and best kind!

Having effected the task, with the boys playing football and the rest of the gang chin-wagging, I thought I'd slip quietly out of camp to go hunting, under the pretence of checking out the amenities . To the South, there was an unbroken superbly lit afforested ridge stretching East as far as the eye could see, and above which I could see numerous raptors stretching their wings. Most of the BOPs were Turkey Vultures, then an immature, followed by an adult Bald Eagle distantly morphed into view, soon to be joined by several variably plumaged Red-tailed Hawks! Wending back to camp, I informed all and sunder...that the ''amenities'' were tickety boo, and that any nocturnal visits should be made with a torch, as tripping over guide ropes in the dark would be most unpleasant! After a late dinner over an open fire (Salmon), we eventually climbed into our respective tents the boys in the outside tent, wife and I on the inside, and daughter and partner behind on the foreshore. After squeezing ourselves into two ''undersized'' sleeping bags perched up on an inflated mattress with the missus taking the side immediately adjacent to the zipped ''door'' we soon drifted out of consciousness into the land of nod z-z-z-z-z-z. It was in the pitch black early hours that I...when barely awake...became aware of a ''scratching'' noise! thinking that I was still part in dream, and part out, I ignored it. But then it became louder, at which point I managed with difficulty to release my arms from the sleeping bag/straight jacket and looked tentatively towards the bottom of the mattress where it met the tent wall, which was lit by the block house sodium street light, whereupon I could make out a silhouetted shape which was moving around making ''the noise''....I then realised to my horror! that the scratching silhouetted shape was actually inside the tent!!!...then on all fours it suddenly turned towards me straight on...and my jaws froze! I couldn't enunciate the word ''B-B-B-B-e-a-r!!!'' I was reduced to a primal fear that I'd never experienced before. It was at this juncture, that my wife burst out laughing! as my facial expression was dimly lit by the toilet light passing through the tent wall. It turned out, that she was trying (in the dark) to find the tent door zip...hence the abortive ''scratching'', the laughter thereon in was manifold, as we (clutching torch) made our way to the ''blockhouse'' :-O

To be continued.....

Nice report Ken! Glad you survived your "near death experience"!

Sharp looking Red-tail, too. Not many immatures are so well marked in the eastern US.

Your 'Good Lady' is never going to let you forget that one Ken! Brilliant! 3

Chris

birdmeister said:

Nice report Ken! Glad you survived your "near death experience"!

Sharp looking Red-tail, too. Not many immatures are so well marked in the eastern US.

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Cheers birdmeister :t:

Scridifer said:

Your 'Good Lady' is never going to let you forget that one Ken! Brilliant! 3

Chris

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Cheers Chris....that'll be One never to forget.:t:

Being confronted by a bear, or the wife? Just give me a moment...

ClarkWGriswold said:

Being confronted by a bear, or the wife? Just give me a moment...

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.....Is there a difference :eek!: :-O

KenM said:

.....Is there a difference :eek!: :-O

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ones a pent up ball of aggression and the others a bear:-O

Thursday 16th, after last nights trauma!....and woken by an early sun, I slipped out the tent with my optics hidden....''just off to the ablutions'' I whispered (I think I glimpsed her dog-eye open ) As I left the aforesaid I noted some passerine activity on the path behind. A large Flycatcher atop yonder bush, Olive-sided Fly. and several flashes of bright ''yellow'' below. It was good to see some migs at last, diving in, and out of cover. After a few moments I'd seen...non-Orange-crowned Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Wilson's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Hermit Thrush, and Empid sp! What a great start to the day...and all before breakfast. Once replete with vitals, we wandered along the edge of the tidal inlet and noted Glaucous-winged Gull, California and Western Gulls, Great Egret and (frustratingly) a relatively close flying adult Bald Eagle. Unfortunately it dropped behind some trees before I could frame it.:-C The rest of the day was spent generally mooching about but with a return visit to the ''early am'' passerine spot, showing a reduced flow but adding House Finch and American Goldfinch to the days tally.

Friday 17th we checked out of the campsite and headed South to Pacific City, a relatively short 30 minute drive found us on the coast, overlooking Cape Kiwanda, with the offshore rock stack looking very similar to Cannon Beach's Haystack Rock, albeit further off the coast, however, not unlike it's Northern congener....It was another ''sea bird city'' where I was going to get...my one and only trip ''tick''.


To be continued....

ClarkWGriswold said:

ones a pent up ball of aggression and the others a bear:-O

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:clap::clap:

Some nice pics Ken - love the Wilson's playing peekaboo!

Chris

Great read as usual Ken!

Scridifer said:

Some nice pics Ken - love the Wilson's playing peekaboo!

Chris

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wolfbirder said:

Great read as usual Ken!

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Thanks Guys.....another instalment ensues. :t:

Friday 17th....arrived at Pacific City and immediately hit the beach, or should I say the rocks from whence I (with difficulty, looking mostly into the sun :eek! scanned for seabirds which were in abundance offshore around the stack which was somewhat further out than ''Haystack'' at Cannon Beach, thus making distant ID somewhat difficult. However I managed to snap just Black Oystercatcher (not very well), Western Sandpiper and the trip-tick Grey Whale!...Thus I've included shots of Pigeon Guillemot and Tufted Puffin from my last visit to Cannon Beach, as these were seen on the day...albeit distantly, also Common Murre , and Brown Pelican, needless to say various Cormorant and Gull species but because of the distance and lighting I was unable to confirm to species level. The Grey Whale wasn't even on my radar (It might have been on Cap'n Chris's though....had he been there. ) I was alerted to it's presence through ''the sound'' by some people standing on some rocks close by....I was certainly amazed as to it's relative proximity to the shoreline, apparently the most common whale on passage past this coastline. I also discovered that the ''blow'' shape....is an aid to ID :eek!: also the fact that this particular cetacean carried limpets on it's body/dorsal is peculiar only to Grey Whale apparently. Now into late afternoon, we had to think about ''mounting up'' and ''high-tailing out'' back East (as they say in the movies). On balance I preferred Cannon Beach to Pacific City due to it's proximity to Haystack Rock, that said, I truly had a Whale of a time!...and could be tempted back.

To be continued.....