Raptor Road Trip!

On Feb. 7 we went to the Raptor Road Trip on Sauvie Island! When we got there we drove past some cormorants near the Sauvie Island bridge. Then we got some information and set out right away to the first viewing spot. Upon arriving at the first place the first thing we saw as soon as we got out of our car was a flock of sandhill cranes!

At the top of the hill we saw two adult bald eagles and their nest, tundra swans and a couple other birds such as jays. Then, on to the second viewing spot. I've never seen so many snow geese in my life! There must have been thousands of them all making a HUGE racket! Between the places there must have been a raptor on every other tree! I've never seen so many eagles, hawks and other raptors!

On our walk up to the third and final viewing spot, we saw more cranes, geese, an eagle, two harriers and some others. When we arrived at the end of the trail we were surprised to see Laura, (aka Birdnerd) from Laura goes birding! She told us that earlier they saw a prairie falcon tear apart a bird :-0! Then we saw another bald eagle, more cranes, a yellow rumped warbler, a downy woodpecker, and some more Canada geese. After a little while we headed back to our car and made our way back to check out the Audubon's Society's education birds.

So that was the story of our trip around the viewing spots. I will tell the rest of the story with some pictures.

Enjoy :-)

This bald eagle was right next to the road.

This was taken through my new binoculars - a bald eagle in its nest.

These were sandhill cranes at viewing spot #3.

Hazel the northern spotted owl - one of Audubon's education birds.

Meet Finnegan the peregrine falcon.

Aristophanes the common raven.


Bird list for the day.

1. Double crested cormorants
2. Sandhill cranes
3. Bald eagle
4. Red tailed hawk
5. American kestrel
6. Snow geese
7. Dark eyed (Oregon) junco
8. Tundra swans
9. Black capped chickadee
10. American coot
11. Western scrub jay
12. Yellow rumped warbler
13. Downy woodpecker
14. Common merganser
15. Northern harrier
16. Canada geese
17. American robin
18. Gull
19. European starling
20. American crow
21. Turkey vulture