A jaunty little fellow sporting a dashing black mask, spiky crest, and shiny red droplets on its feather tips, the cedar waxwing is the perfect antidote to a drab January afternoon.

If you’ve never been bird watching before, seeing this guy happily scarf down copious amounts of berries might be just the motivation you need to get outside the next time the winter doldrums hit.

The Bird Alliance of Oregon ( birdallianceoregon.org ) lists no less than 15 spots to go birding in the Portland metro area. Some, however, are better in the wintertime than others. So, we spoke with Bird Alliance expert Sarah Swanson about what to keep in mind.

“The cool thing about winter birding is, although somewhat dreary, it’s pretty mild in Portland,” she explains. “So we get birds that fly south and s

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