Two ravens circling in company in the clear winter sky, paths interweaving along with their sotto voce conversation. Soaring and soaring together with rarely a flap, in which they are most unlike crows although in this particular view their size was hard to gauge. Here along the edge of the Cascade foothills - largely ag land and towns - crows rove in flocks and are certainly commoner, but ravens stray down from the mountains often enough in ones and twos. So fun to see them show up!

Twilight settling in the valley, pink alpenglow on Wy'east rising to the north.

New Mastodon account has been set up at @dendroica - I have not decided yet whether to close down and redirect this one, but anticipate I will primarily use the new account going forward.

Crisp clear November morning with the soil still crunchy and filigreed with frost. Small flocks of Canada Geese moving in the distance; and overhead four Tundra Swans, white adults, winging toward the south while my dog noses the thawing mounds of pocket gophers. Here on the margin of the foothills, waterfowl habitat is more scattered than in the Willamette bottomlands, but from time to time we see swans in passage.
#Birding #TundraSwan

During a break in the weather yesterday we drove the auto tour loop at Ridgefield NWR. Rising and falling noise from huge Cackling Goose flocks; ducks and Pied-billed Grebes unperturbed by the car and close by in the ponds and irrigation ditches; two Northern Harriers in complex aerial interplay; white swans in flight against gray sky; a lone Northern Shrike scanning the muddy fields from the bare branches of a tall sapling.
#birding
https://ebird.org/checklist/S121969284

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Warning: Area guarded by attack kestrel.