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sh1njuk1This is the second of my candidate books for local ecology. The title is Birds of the Willamette Valley Region. The authors are Harry Nehls, Tom Aversa, and Hal Opperman. It was published in 2004 by the R. W. Morse Company, in Olympia, Washington. Its ISBN is 0-9640810-4-0.
SUMMARY: This is a book that contains pictures and information of all birds commonly observed in the Willamette Valley Region, which the authors interpret to extend throughout the entirety of the actual valley as well as parts of the lower Columbia River valley.
NOTE: I am a complete amateur in the field of bird-watching, so this review will consist of me specifically recording which of these birds I have personally seen, the location, and the circumstance. This will not include every bird listed in the book, but will force me to interact with the book in the way I am best able to at this time.
LIST OF BIRDS
Canada Goose: Have seen them everywhere. A gaggle of them like to feed on the lawn of Beaverton High School during the winter.
Wood Duck: Have seen one at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron garden. A beautiful bird!
Mallard: Have seen them everywhere. Cannot think of a non-chlorine body of water in the region that doesn't host them.
Cinnamon Teal: Have seen one at the local habitat exhibition at the Oregon Zoo.
Ruddy Duck: Have seen one at the local habitat exhibition at the Oregon Zoo.
Great Blue Heron: Have seen one regularly in the habitat water feature next to the Beaverton Transit Center.
Turkey Vulture: I have seen a tame one in a cage at the Audubon Society. Such a cutie! <3
Bald Eagle: Have seen them everywhere. Most recently across the lake at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.
Red-Tailed Hawk: Used to prey on Mom's pigeons. Have only seen from a distance, high in the air.
California Gull: I think this is what we commonly call a "seagull". Have seen them everywhere. Feasting at garbage dumpsters across the region!
Rock Pigeon: Have seen them everywhere. In particular pecking about on the sidewalk in downtown Portland.
Barn Owl: Saw one once in childhood when visiting the Audubon Society - it was in a cage recovering from injury. A memorable bird!
Anna's Hummingbird: A mating pair of these regularly visit my dad's garden!
Red-Breasted Sapsucker: I remember my dad excitedly pointing one of these out to me at the Audubon Society once in childhood.
Northern Flicker: A regular visitor to my dad's suet feeder.
Stellar's Jay: A family of these used to live in the neighbor's pine tree. We rescued a chick that fell from the nest and cared for it for a few days. (I remember we were able to release it, and it returned to its family.)
Western Scrub-Jay: We have a regular at dad's suet feeder - I see him all over the neighborhood when I take walks!
American Crow: Have seen them everywhere. We have several that hang out a bit down the street and like to talk noisily with each other.
Common Raven: Saw a tame one in a cage at the Audubon Society upon my most recent visit. Very friendly! <3
Bushtit: Have seen these cute little birds hopping in and out of bushes many a summer by now.
American Robin: Have seen them everywhere. We had a nest in our apple tree for many years.
European Starling: My dad's most hated bird! Used to see them throughout the neighborhood, but not recently.
Dark-Eyed Junko: One male regularly visits my dad's suet feeder.
Bullock's Oriole: A cat we owned in childhood killed one of these. My dad kept its body in the freezer for years because it was so beautiful.
American Goldfinch: An occasional visitor to my dad's suet feeder. So yellow~!
WHAT DOES THIS BOOK MEAN TO ME?
Birds are easy to take for granted. They hop or fly about on the perimeter of our societies, trying their best to survive in our human environments. But they should be acknowledged as the impressive survivors that they are, for one - they are the last living relatives of the dinosaurs! Also, without them, our lives would be much quieter, and one more essential linchpin of our local ecology will have given way, with uncertain and unnerving consequences.
I learned from this book that a lot of human-made environments mimic natural ones: pigeons, for example, find ornate historical buildings as easy to make nests in as a rocky cliff face. Many of the birds I see regularly about me in the suburbs belong to a "scattered woodlands fading into prairie" niche in nature, and have adapted just fine to older suburbs with mature trees.
Finally, the book mentioned many bird-viewing spots in the area that I intend to visit as time and distance permits, with the hope of seeing local flora and fauna in a relatively more pristine environment.
This book was... a difficult read. But hopefully, it can provide a foundation for further study about the birds that exist all across this region, and which I now know better how to see. Only 7 more books to go!
SUMMARY: This is a book that contains pictures and information of all birds commonly observed in the Willamette Valley Region, which the authors interpret to extend throughout the entirety of the actual valley as well as parts of the lower Columbia River valley.
NOTE: I am a complete amateur in the field of bird-watching, so this review will consist of me specifically recording which of these birds I have personally seen, the location, and the circumstance. This will not include every bird listed in the book, but will force me to interact with the book in the way I am best able to at this time.
LIST OF BIRDS
Canada Goose: Have seen them everywhere. A gaggle of them like to feed on the lawn of Beaverton High School during the winter.
Wood Duck: Have seen one at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron garden. A beautiful bird!
Mallard: Have seen them everywhere. Cannot think of a non-chlorine body of water in the region that doesn't host them.
Cinnamon Teal: Have seen one at the local habitat exhibition at the Oregon Zoo.
Ruddy Duck: Have seen one at the local habitat exhibition at the Oregon Zoo.
Great Blue Heron: Have seen one regularly in the habitat water feature next to the Beaverton Transit Center.
Turkey Vulture: I have seen a tame one in a cage at the Audubon Society. Such a cutie! <3
Bald Eagle: Have seen them everywhere. Most recently across the lake at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.
Red-Tailed Hawk: Used to prey on Mom's pigeons. Have only seen from a distance, high in the air.
California Gull: I think this is what we commonly call a "seagull". Have seen them everywhere. Feasting at garbage dumpsters across the region!
Rock Pigeon: Have seen them everywhere. In particular pecking about on the sidewalk in downtown Portland.
Barn Owl: Saw one once in childhood when visiting the Audubon Society - it was in a cage recovering from injury. A memorable bird!
Anna's Hummingbird: A mating pair of these regularly visit my dad's garden!
Red-Breasted Sapsucker: I remember my dad excitedly pointing one of these out to me at the Audubon Society once in childhood.
Northern Flicker: A regular visitor to my dad's suet feeder.
Stellar's Jay: A family of these used to live in the neighbor's pine tree. We rescued a chick that fell from the nest and cared for it for a few days. (I remember we were able to release it, and it returned to its family.)
Western Scrub-Jay: We have a regular at dad's suet feeder - I see him all over the neighborhood when I take walks!
American Crow: Have seen them everywhere. We have several that hang out a bit down the street and like to talk noisily with each other.
Common Raven: Saw a tame one in a cage at the Audubon Society upon my most recent visit. Very friendly! <3
Bushtit: Have seen these cute little birds hopping in and out of bushes many a summer by now.
American Robin: Have seen them everywhere. We had a nest in our apple tree for many years.
European Starling: My dad's most hated bird! Used to see them throughout the neighborhood, but not recently.
Dark-Eyed Junko: One male regularly visits my dad's suet feeder.
Bullock's Oriole: A cat we owned in childhood killed one of these. My dad kept its body in the freezer for years because it was so beautiful.
American Goldfinch: An occasional visitor to my dad's suet feeder. So yellow~!
WHAT DOES THIS BOOK MEAN TO ME?
Birds are easy to take for granted. They hop or fly about on the perimeter of our societies, trying their best to survive in our human environments. But they should be acknowledged as the impressive survivors that they are, for one - they are the last living relatives of the dinosaurs! Also, without them, our lives would be much quieter, and one more essential linchpin of our local ecology will have given way, with uncertain and unnerving consequences.
I learned from this book that a lot of human-made environments mimic natural ones: pigeons, for example, find ornate historical buildings as easy to make nests in as a rocky cliff face. Many of the birds I see regularly about me in the suburbs belong to a "scattered woodlands fading into prairie" niche in nature, and have adapted just fine to older suburbs with mature trees.
Finally, the book mentioned many bird-viewing spots in the area that I intend to visit as time and distance permits, with the hope of seeing local flora and fauna in a relatively more pristine environment.
This book was... a difficult read. But hopefully, it can provide a foundation for further study about the birds that exist all across this region, and which I now know better how to see. Only 7 more books to go!