Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

September is peak Green Heron season here in Portland so Sam and I went out to Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge on the hunt to see one. We got super lucky and there were a few other birders on the walkway around the lake who had just spotted one, we nonchalantly moved closer, prompting the guy who first spotted it to patiently point out the little bugger hiding in the grass behind some branches. (BELOW)

These pictures are from the loop trail which took less than two hours. All of these birds have been making me think of three of my favorite pieces of bird media from this year:

Something in the Woods Loves You - A beautiful nature writing mental health memoir recommended by my brother Andrew. A lot of great heron stuff that made me think of Riley.

LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching - The all time best birdwatching movie and it's for free on YouTube. Two brothers set out to record a Big Year (an attempt to see as many bird species as possible in a year,) and end up making a hilarious and original love letter to birds and birders. I had known about this for a year or two, but I think I was stubbornly avoiding it on account of it being hard seeing others live your dream. I read a really great piece in Audubon Magazine (for free on Libby with my library card, highly recommend,) about the film and how much birders loved it, which inspired me to finally watch it. It was one of my favorite films of the year and helped inspire Sam's birding era, the Green Heron was a lifer for both of us.

The Dark Wizard - A four episode HBO documentary about Dean Potter, the legendary climber and BASE jumper. This was kinda a wild watch for me as the anxiety of watching someone do risky things hits me hard. This guy's whole thing was pushing himself to the limits and playing on the edge between life and death. The doc was a really fascinating look into his life and psyche as well as the many teeth chattering physical feats he was constantly pulling off. One cool thing about these free climbers and thrill seekers is that they are always recording or have a camera crew nearby, which gives this show some amazing footage to work with. Dean had a very intense and spiritual connection to ravens which is why I am writing about it now, and the final episode has a raven scene which blew me away completely.

Anyway I guess this one was a media recommendation newsletter, that's fun! Enjoy the following pictures.

If you have any thoughts or questions I think that commenting on the article on my website is the best option. I am pretty sure that replying to this email doesn't send it to me, my personal email brynnilsen95@gmail.com is best for that.