Looked this up on the Cornell ornithology site and came up with:This is a horned lark, a wintertime migrant to our area -- it likely arrived pretty recently. Interesting note: The Portland area has a year-round resident population of streaked horned larks, which look similar to horned larks and are a threatened species.
Their very generalized range map shows them wintering from the Cascades west and breeding in summer in Canada tundra/steppe terrain - so maybe the east slope of Mount Hood is for lazy larks who want their romantic tundra just a bit closer to winter range...?Look carefully at a bare, brown field, especially in winter, and you may be surprised to see it crawling with little brown shapes. When they turn, you may see a neat yellow face, black mask, and tiny black “horns” waving in the breeze. Horned Larks are widespread songbirds of fields, deserts, and tundra, where they forage for seeds and insects, and sing a high, tinkling song. Though they are still common, they have undergone a sharp decline in the last half-century.
Thanks for your help, everyone!
Tom
