Spring time is here!

I live in Portland, Oregon and my favorite place to visit is luckily right in the city. The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens is full of animal and plant life all year round. This time of year, trees and flowers are blooming, and the birds are gearing up for breeding season. I took advantage of a sunny day for my first photography outing of spring.

Fall is Beautiful!

I have been making sure to get out and take photos this fall, and mostly because I was trying to capture the Ruby-crowned Kinglet bird who I saw at one of my favorite locations during a field trip. Although I was not finding this little bird, I was basking in the beauty of fall. The colors, the reflections and the migrating bird presence was always delight. And luckily for my birthday, I was surrounded by little kinglets as well.

Anatidae. More specifically - Geese!

Last year in my biology class, we had to do a report on a family of our choosing. I decided on Anatidae, a family of birds which include ducks, geese and swans. Oddly, this was my choice since I had so many of my own photos I could use and I loved the idea of making a power point presentation and see my pics on the screen. I found out a lot about these birds and they are still a favorite to photograph. This post, it is all about Canadian geese!

Wildlife Rehabilitation

I am so privilege since I have the opportunity to volunteer at a local wildlife rehabilitation facility. Springtime is baby bird season (and a few mammals). It is both a fun and sad season since animals really do have the best possibility of survival with their parents. If you do see a baby bird on the ground, it is best to either place the baby back in her/his nest, or in a cardboard box in a tree as close to the test as possible. The same is true for mammals, except you will not want to handle them with your bare hands. Birds can't smell (except turkey vultures) but mammals can.

A baby barn owl demands food.

A recently hatched bird, opens his mouth wide, awaiting food.

Baby brush bunnies were a delight to feed.

Just out of the shell nest of baby birds whose mother had died.

You know this is a baby crow due to his blue eye color.

A baby killdeer is just the cutest thing on earth.

A baby hummingbird is fed special nectar. You can see how small she is compared to the person's finger.

A young swift clings to a towel, since they cling rather than perch. He is waiting patiently for worms, since swifts are insect eaters. Usually when I see babies in the care center, it means the annual month-long event of the swifts entering a local school chimney (quite the sight!) is happening soon.

Two western screech owls look at my with annoyance.

Using a stuffed animal as a surrogate fooled this cute little finch. She begs it for food and even though we are the ones feeding her, she still doesn't associate humans with feeding her.

An older fledgling cedar waxwing helps out by feeding a younger one. This was precious to witness but we had to make sure the older one fed herself enough as well.

By the end of duckling season, the volunteers are not so excited by the cuteness. Mostly they can just think about the messy clean up involved in their care. At a pond, they are still super cute!

A brief winter visit to the crystal springs

Winter is my favorite time of year to visit the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens since there is a lot of migrating water fowl and less people. The sserenity of the gardens are a perfect treat for any day. This time of year the gardens are free, so if you live in the Portland vicinity, check it out.

Cascade Raptor Center

A hawk enjoys a water bottle spray on a hot day.

I volunteer at the Audubon Wildlife Care Center and get to see amazing birds of all sorts every week. A bird handler I work with mentioned one day about Cascade Raptor Center in Eugene and told me it was remarkable and I had to go there some time. For someone like herself to say that, I knew it was a must see! Every year I take the girl I have mentored since she was 12 (she is now 19) camping somewhere. This year I decided camping near Eugene would be fun so we could enjoy the outdoors, visit the raptor center and eat at my favorite place in Eugene, Pizza Research Institute who has the best vegan pizza.

Ki, a Red-Shouldered Hawk stands patiently at an education talk.

I timed my trip to the Cascade Raptor Center to correspond with the education bird talk and got to meet a red-shouldered hawk named Ki and a Turkey Vulture named Kali. They were both so fascinating and the bird handlers who very informative. The woman handling Kali was especially enthusiast about her privilege to be a part of the vulture’s life and even had an amazing vulture tattoo on her wrist. It is great to see such enthusiasm! These birds are in a facility such as this due to injuries or other issues that make it so they can not go back to the wild successfully. The raptor center gives animals a second chance at life while being able to educate the public. In conjunction to the center, they also run a rehabilitation center for raptors.

This Turkey Vulture Kali has attitude and I love it!

A Kestrel

A bald eagle enjoying some sunshine.

A Snowy Owl who just had a drink of water.

This Northern Goshawk mesmerized me.

Saw-Whet Owls are just adorable!

A Western Screech Owl tried to hide. They are my favorite!

A Long-Eared Owl displaying her namesake.

More Bald Eagles! Beautiful!

A White-Tailed Kite! Wow!

These White-Tailed Kite sisters were rescued together.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of native birds and small mammals that visited the center, making the visit exceptionally unique.

A Western Grey Squirrel, which you never see in Portland anymore.

A deer surprised up roaming the streets in Eugene, just below the raptor center.

These photos really do not do the raptors justice. I highly recommend that if you get a chance, check this place out in person. You will love it!