Wandering Through The Wetlands

I loved getting out and about this month and enjoying some of the sunny weather that we've been blessed with here in Oregon.   The wetlands are a few minutes away from my home, and some of my favorite places to spend part of my day.

The highlight of the month was a Snowy Owl my husband and I spotted while visiting the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area.   It was quite the muddy mess trekking through the quick-sand type mud and a cold stream to get close enough where I could get a picture of this beautiful creature.

The Snowy Owl is one of the largest Owls in North America.  Only during the winter months can they be seen in the Northern United States.  The rest of the time, they remain in the high Arctic areas.  This was quite the treat seeing one of these magnificent birds in the wild!

Snowy Owl



I love how soft he looks around his face!

Another place I enjoy visiting is the Meadowlark Prairie Wetlands.  I usually go for a morning or afternoon stroll with my dog.  There's even benches along the way to sit and relax while watching the wildlife.

Great Blue Heron in flight

You nearly always see a few Red Tail Hawks on your visit

Meadowlark Prairie Wetlands 

A pair of Great Blue Heron

The third wetlands that I enjoyed visiting this month was the Delta Ponds Park.  It's a birdwatchers paradise!  The park is an 150 acre wetlands area where numeros species of birds can be seen throughout the year. There have been 145 recorded  sightings of different species of birds in the area.  On my short visit, I saw quite a few.  There were great blue heron, hawks, cormorants, geese, many smaller birds, and a variety of different species  of ducks.  Along with  all the beautiful birds, western pond turtles make this area their home as well.

There are invasive Red-eared slider Turtles which are prohibited in Oregon!  (Basically illegally released pets.)  The Western Pond Turtle is what the sign shows at the Delta Ponds.  So next time, I'll have to look more carefully! 



Double-Crested Cormorant at the Delta Ponds



If you are ever in the area,  plan on a visit to at least one of the three sites, you won't be disappointed!