It had been a while since my last visit to Fernhill Wetlands, and when the weather forecast and calendar aligned, I was excited to see what was waiting for me this time. The extended paths around fields were flooded, but there was plenty of action along the main trails. The Great Blue Herons were the showboats, dancing, strolling, roosting on the high poles, or just sitting still looking regal. Lots of Cackling Geese too, and a variety of ducks. The Redwings were out in force, and other songbirds too.

I relearned the important lesson of not putting the camera away until I’ve actually climbed into the car to drive off: back at the car after a couple hours of wandering, I looked up and saw a Cooper’s Hawk perched above where I had parked.

It was such a fun outing I decided to extend it a bit with a visit to Beaverton Creek, one of my favorite urban wetlands. It’s a short trail, but there’s always something interesting to see. This time, I watched a Cormorant bring a stick to another waiting in the center of the pond, hand it off, and then sun its wings while the other took the stick to an undisclosed location.