Two of our favorite things to do are sightseeing and birdwatching (and me being a passenger and letting Dan do all the work driving!), and combining them makes it even more fun. Today we went for a drive, just to get out of the house and go see some new scenery now that the snow is starting to melt.
We went past my favorite rock formation.
This is the whole top of a mountain. Geologically I'd love to understand this formation.
It looks sedimentary, but tilted 90 degrees and then twisted. I never tire of looking at this mountain top.
Some of the deciduous trees are flowering, and catkins festoon lots of the trees lining the road.
Ice has melted out of some of the lakes, but by no means all, and where there is open water, there are ducks. We saw Canada Geese, a few American Wigeon, some Mallards, and two of our favorite ducks.
A pair of Hooded Mergansers were diving and splashing around in one small opening in the ice covered lake, in the mountains due west of us.
Next to the Wood Duck, these are the prettiest of all the ducks.
A male Barrow's Goldeneye, keeping a beady eye on us, from the far shore of the lake.
We’ve been seeing Common Goldeneyes on the river where we walk. We don’t see the Barrow’s often, one or two birds a year is about it.
We also saw a Mourning Dove sitting on a wire.
So, not a lot of new species to add to the list for this year, but three new ones nonetheless, and it is just too neat for words seeing returning migrants making their way north.
Only 3 weeks away from hummingbirds! And only 7 weeks away from a birding trip to Malheur. Can’t wait.