Squawk! Bird is the word. This is gonna be my little blog/journal where I talk about cool birds I have seen/want to see.

©repth

Nighthawk - 6/15, Bend, OR










The Nighthawk is a nocturnal migratory bird only in Oregon for a very short period of the year. I knew they were possible to see but I didn't think I actually would. One night on vacation in Bend, I decided to go out at night on a whim to see if I could maybe hear one or something. Almost immediately I heard one and the next 20 minutes I spent running through the forest searching. I was about to give up when I came to a clearing and looked up and - there he was - and then just like that he was gone.

Nighthawk

White-Headed Woodpecker - 6/17, Bend, OR

I saw this guy out on a morning walk, by chance. His white head shone in the sun. Very loud boy, he wanted me to find him. They are quite rare only living in scatter swaths in the PNW. I think I only found him because there had been a fire nearby recently and this species of woodpecker specifically is attracted to burnt areas.

Fun Facts

  • Woodpeckers' tongues wrap into their skulls, creating a "seatbelt" to protect their brains as they peck.
  • Woodpeckers have been known to steal entire clutches of baby chicks out of other birds' nests and eat them alive. Fun.
White headed woodpecker