Everyone Enjoys Sunshine

This Downy Woodpecker appears to enjoy soaking up some sunshine.  We have had more than our fair share of cold fog hanging on in the Willamette Valley this winter, brought on by an extended temperature inversion.  So, when the sunshine comes out as it has the last couple of days it’s time to get out and get to birding.  We made a trip yesterday from West Salem to Dallas to see grandson Jake on his ninth birthday, and then continue south to Elkton for some more work on moving more of our stuff. On the way to Elkton we stopped in Corvallis to bird at Jackson-Frazier Wetland, and in Cottage Grove to bird at Row River Nature Park.  Considering that we counted birds in Salemtowne before we left home that means we counted birds in three separate counties yesterday. I think that’s some kind of a personal record.  This morning we had an abundance of glorious sunshine in Elkton, so we took an hour off from packing and got in a good bird walk, counting twenty six different species of birds. This tiny male Downy Woodpecker was one of the highlights.