Blue Heron At Fernhill Wetlands

Today I actually saw my first lazuli bunting, which was awesome, but I guess I'm just going for a better photograph with the blue heron.  I loved the tree in the water, with all of its texture and color and how the light set off the heron...and I'm a sucker for blue herons, enough said!  

It was such a fun day...doing a full tour of the Forest Grove area of Washington County with my girlfriend and fellow birder, Debby.  She lived in Forest Grove, so it was fun to see her neck of the woods, topped off with a visit to Sugar Mamas for scones and milk...yum!

I hadn't been to Fernhill Wetlands since it opened, so it was nice to see green instead of just mud.  We actually saw eagles, blue heron, pintails, killdeer, and one of my favorite, cedar waxwings!    We also stopped at Beal Pond where there is an osprey nest and you can get quite close and still be out of sit of the birds.

We also visited "Laurelwood" and took a nice little hike up the hill to get some beautiful shots of the valley looking west toward the coast.  I really loved these photos, as you can see how rural and beautiful this part of the county is.

More photos on flickr.