No subject

turned left onto Pentilla Road and, without seeing it, I continued
driving to Pentilla's W end at the intersection of Jackson Road.  I did
not need to get out of the car as the LOON was right there swimming
next to the road at Jackson and Pentilla.  Excallent!!  I watched it
from about 9am until 9:30 when I went to Astoria.  I returned around
11:30 and it was in mid slough about half way between the bridge and
Jackson Road.

I chatted with a local woman who reminded me that Mike Patterson had
also reported a BLACK PHOEBE somewhere on Jackson Road, so I went
looking for it and located it at the property on the S side of the road
at the intersection of Jackson Road and Brownsmead Dike Road.  The
PHOEBE was actively moving around on the various field fence wires W of
the house.

I left the site around 2:30 or so and the LOON had mover W to the R/R
bridge and was eventually beyond it.  It may have been visible from the
end of Blind Slough Road (S side of slough and E of R/R track), bit I
did not check there.

Other birds seen in the Slough:

RED-THROATED LOON  (50-100 yds E of bridge)
Western Grebe
Horned Grebe
Bufflehead
Double-crested Cormorant
Pied-billed Grebe

Birds in the neighborhood:

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Kestrel
Pintail
American Wigeon
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Coot
Robin
Varied Thrush
Towhee
Junco
BLACK PHOEBE   (Jackson Rd near Brownsmead Dike Rd)
That bird whose name shall not be mentioned (thousands)

"Yes, But…" 
Ice & Sun Warning:

ICE:  
Thinking I was making the right decision roadwise (first mistake), I
left early and took Hwy 30 rather than US 26, but still encountered a
lot of slow going along Hwy 30 due to a lot of ICE stretches.  This
made for very slow going for all early traffic on Hwy 30 this morning. 
The road is otherwise clean (no tree debris, no slide residue).  It was
fine coming back to Portland.

SUN:
Again, thinking I was making the right decision weatherwise (second
mistake), I chose today, Monday, because it was not rainy – WRONG!  The
Sun was interfering with good slough viewing from Pentilla Road from
11:30 when I returned from Astoria, until after 2p when I left.  A
Cloudy, Overcast, or Raining day would have been better, Simply because
the Sun would have been blocked.  Very Lovely LOON anyway!

Bill Clemons
SW of Portland in Mtn Park
Willclemons AT Yahoo dot com


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