Sylvan-Highlands

Portland

Golden Breasted Starling

From the African Rainforest Aviary.
Golden Breasted Starling

From the African Rainforest Aviary.
I'll post other photos from the zoo from time to time, but, for now, I'll leave you with this story.

While heading for the exit after a long day of walking, and looking, and taking pictures, I was drawn to something out of the corner of my eye. A female mallard was calmly sitting in the waters of a rushing fountain, the kind of thing wild fowl generally tend to do.  Standing by the fountain was a boy, and sitting a few feet away, his mother.

The boy was doing everything in his power to bother the duck. -- splashing it, yelling at it, jumping up and down. His mother sat by, watching mutely.  On the pretext of setting up to take photographs, I walked over and began to focus.  In as polite a voice as I could manage, I told the boy that it was probably best to stop bothering the duck, that it wasn't a particularly nice thing to do, and, after a pause, I asked him, with a pointed glance, how much would he like it if someone did that to him.

Emerging from her seemingly somnambulistic state, the mother urged the boy away, and the two left quickly together.

It is not always easy to tell the difference between the animals and the noble souls in a place like this, or perhaps anywhere, for that matter. Wild animals behave the way they do because they have to. To see a crane dancing alone in a field, completely in thrall to its instincts, without even a partner to make sense of the thing, is to understand just how little choice it has over what it does.

But we do have a choice.  We are the creatures who invented choosing.  That we have chosen to set aside places to preserve and protect some of the rarest animals on earth is a testament to our most noble faculties, and to our ability to choose well when the right choice presents itself.

I hope we can continue to choose well, that our less noble faculties don't get the better of us, and compel us to make choices that those judging our actions on some future date consider only with confusion and despair.

Perhaps it was a little less than noble of me to school a small boy in the humane treatment of animals, but judging from the context, that lesson might never have come.  Chances are it went into one ear and right out the other.

But if he had grown up without ever hearing those words, he might never have had the chance to learn the lesson they attempted to instill. Moreover, and more sadly, he might never have cared.

As I dismantle my soapbox and walk away for the evening, I will leave you with a modest bit of preaching: to my mind there is really only one choice when it comes to that lesson.

We all need to learn it. We all need to care.
A pair of Sacred Ibis battling over a scrap of meat.  Actually the battle is over, and the one flying away has claimed the spoils.
I believe this is an Emerald Starling.  The zoo lists all of its animals on its web site, though I've found the list to be incomplete.  This resembles most closely the photo they have for that species, though not entirely, I'm afraid.

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De mest populære hotellene i Sylvan-Highlands

The Paramount Hotel

The Paramount Hotel

3.5 out of 5
808 SW Taylor St Portland OR
Fullt refunderbartBestill nå, betal under oppholdet
Prisen er 1 036 kr per natt fra 18. feb. til 19. feb.
1 036 kr
18. feb.–19. feb.
inkludert skatter og avgifter
Du kan bo på dette hotellet med fasiliteter for forretningsreisende under oppholdet i Portland. Stedet tilbyr følgende tjenester/fasiliteter: wi-fi (inkludert), ...
9,2/10 Wonderful! (3 186 anmeldelser)
Best place to be in Portland

Anmeldelse skrevet 7. feb. 2026

The Paramount Hotel
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland

4 out of 5
1000 NE Multnomah Street Portland OR
Prisen er 1 339 kr per natt fra 15. feb. til 16. feb.
1 339 kr
15. feb.–16. feb.
inkludert skatter og avgifter
Du kan bo på dette hotellet under turen til Portland. Stedet tilbyr følgende tjenester/fasiliteter: wi-fi (inkludert), utendørsbasseng og 2 restauranter. Gjestene ...
8,4/10 Very Good! (1 012 anmeldelser)
Nice and quiet. Friendly staff

Anmeldelse skrevet 2. feb. 2026

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland
Radisson Hotel Portland Airport

Radisson Hotel Portland Airport

3.5 out of 5
6233 NE 78th Court Portland OR
Prisen er 1 089 kr per natt fra 17. feb. til 18. feb.
1 089 kr
17. feb.–18. feb.
inkludert skatter og avgifter
Du kan bo på dette hotellet med golfmuligheter under oppholdet i Portland. Stedet tilbyr følgende tjenester/fasiliteter: wi-fi (inkludert), frokost (mot betaling) ...
8,8/10 Excellent! (2 900 anmeldelser)
En fin opplevelse 😊
Hyggelig hotel med store fine rom. ca. 10 minutter kjøring fra flyplassen. God mat og vin på restauranten

Anmeldelse skrevet 4. mai 2024

Radisson Hotel Portland Airport
Heathman Lodge

Heathman Lodge

3.5 out of 5
7801 NE Greenwood Dr Vancouver WA
Du kan bo på dette hotellet med fasiliteter for forretningsreisende under oppholdet i Vancouver. Stedet tilbyr følgende tjenester/fasiliteter: wi-fi (inkludert), ...
9/10 Wonderful! (2 630 anmeldelser)
clean quiet room we will stay there again

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Heathman Lodge
Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown

Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown

4 out of 5
319 SW Pine St Portland OR
Prisen er 1 182 kr per natt fra 15. feb. til 16. feb.
1 182 kr
15. feb.–16. feb.
inkludert skatter og avgifter
Du kan bo på dette hotellet i luksuriøs stil under oppholdet i Portland. Stedet tilbyr følgende tjenester/fasiliteter: frokost (inkludert), 2 restauranter og ...
8,6/10 Excellent! (1 409 anmeldelser)
Det ble ikke skiftet håndklær og redd opp på rommet mens vi bodde der. Dårlig info om frokost kostet meg USD64.00.

Anmeldelse skrevet 20. aug. 2024

Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown
Courtyard by Marriott Portland City Center

Courtyard by Marriott Portland City Center

3.5 out of 5
550 SW Oak Street Portland OR
Prisen er 1 051 kr per natt fra 17. feb. til 18. feb.
1 051 kr
17. feb.–18. feb.
inkludert skatter og avgifter
Du kan bo på dette hotellet med fasiliteter for forretningsreisende under oppholdet i Portland. Stedet tilbyr følgende tjenester/fasiliteter: wi-fi (inkludert), ...
8,6/10 Excellent! (2 328 anmeldelser)
The rating here reflects the hotel meeting our expectations. (We knew it was a 3 star when we booked.) Excellent location for access to city center. The property is showing signs of it age and has a dated/run down feel. The staff was courteous and efficient but did not have that «little extra» as ...

Anmeldelse skrevet 30. des. 2024

Courtyard by Marriott Portland City Center
Laveste pris per natt funnet de siste 24 timene, basert på et opphold på 1 natt for 2 voksne. Priser og tilgjengelighet kan endre seg. Ytterligere vilkår kan gjelde.

Andre områder i Sylvan-Highlands

About 30 minutes east of Portland on Hwy 84 are a number of waterfalls, none more visible or famous than Multnomah.  Hardly hidden but a gem nonetheless.

Goose Hollow

Skal du til Goose Hollow, står garantert Providence Park og Artists Repertory Theatre på menyen, og for å utforske mer av byen er det bare å hoppe på metroen på Goose Hollow-SW Jefferson Street Station eller Kings Hill-SW Salmon Street Station.

Goose Hollow
Nob Hill

Nob Hill

Når du først er i Nob Hill, bør du få med deg severdigheter som Trevett-Nunn House og Mission Theater, og for å komme deg rundt i byen er det bare å hoppe på metroen fra NW 23rd & Marshall Stop eller NW Lovejoy & 22nd Stop.

Nob Hill
Nob Hill showing signage and outdoor eating as well as a small group of people

Alphabet historiske distrikt

God mat er én av grunnene til at mange reiser til Alphabet historiske distrikt, og mens du er i byen, bør du ta turen til Trevett-Nunn House. For å utforske mer kan du hoppe på metroen på NW Lovejoy & 18th stopp eller NW Lovejoy & 21st Stop.

Alphabet historiske distrikt
Portland sentrum som inkluderer bukt eller havn, båter og piknik

Portland sentrum

3/5(1 anmeldelse av området)

Portland sentrum har mye å by på, blant annet vakker elveutsikt og spennende butikker. Du bør absolutt få med deg attraksjoner som Portlandia og Portland rådhus, og hopper du på metroen på City Hall-SW 5th and Jefferson Street Station eller SW 6th-Madison Street Station, kan du utforske mer av byen.

Portland sentrum
Pearl District which includes outdoor art

Perledistriktet

God mat er én av grunnene til at mange reiser til Perledistriktet, og mens du er i byen, bør du ta turen til Broadway Bridge. For å utforske mer kan du hoppe på metroen på NW 10th & Johnson Stop eller NW 11th & Johnson Stop.

Perledistriktet
Sunrise from the upper tram terminal at Oregon Health Science University. Timing is everything in photography. I have waited a year to get the right timing and weather for this shot. For those fortunate enough to ride the tram daily this is a common sight. Mount Hood in the background.

Southwest Portland

Sellwood-broen og Portland luftbane er to attraksjoner du bør få med deg i Southwest Portland i tillegg til byens vakker elveutsikt. For å utforske mer er det bare å hoppe på metroen på Bancroft St Stop eller S Lowell & Bond Stop.

Southwest Portland


Sylvan-Highlands

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