we are a litle different here just south of us 15 minutes drive is almost desert with sagebrush and a litle grass but 15 minutes north of here are high mountains. The juncos don't migrate but just change elevations with the weather and seasons. In late fall or early winter with the first snows the juncos show up. they stay most of the winter unless it'e extremely bad they head lower but in early spring they move uphill towards the mountains and forest and alpine tundras. but in late fall the cold and heavy snow drives them down here to the foothills and valleys. the cowbirds head south in fall with the blackbirds. but return early spring and i see most of the young cowbirds with the red wing blackbirds who get the job of feeding them.

About four or five years ago, when I began actively feeding birds suet, I had a lot of Juncos. I try to add scraps to a tray that sits on my central air unit, and that's where they'd typically eat, but they'd also venture to my hanging suet. I also read that they love fritos, so perhaps adding crushed fritos to my suet attracted them as well. I don't use black sunflower seeds because the hulls contain a toxin that inhibits plant growth - and I'm an avid gardener / landscaper. In addition to suet I also provide nyger seed, safflower seed and wild mix bird seed. Ever since I added millet to my suet the wrens stuck around and refuse to leave. Huge mistake. At the same time I've added more evergreen trees & shrubs to my landscape, and they love the shelter it provides near my feeders. Especially considering we have chicken hawks (coopers hawks) in the area, so I try to keep my feeders near brush or trees.

What neighborhoods are you looking at? Some have low inventory, and some have practically zero (Sunnyside, Buckman, Richmond, some NW). There seemed to be a moderate amount available in Laurelhurst, Irvington, Grant, as they are more expensive. I'm a Portlander and I bought a house (after renting here for 5 years) in Jan. after seriously looking for 1 month and moderately looking for 12 months. The realtors kept saying inventory would increase but it never really did, in my opinion. It's really tight, if no new homes were listed, in about 1-5-1.6 months all the homes would be sold. A realtor told me that a healthy market for buyers would have 6 months of inventory. You are at an advantage by having cash, for sure! You probably know that most offers in desirable areas are well above asking and have 15-40 offers, and happen within 3-7 days of listing. So there is an 'okay' inventory, but it goes sooo fast, some real estate sites can't keep up! Because of the fast pace, I went with Redfin. I did my own looking and arranging tours. I couldn't even afford to wait around for the first realtor I worked with to call or email me back to schedule something. I had already missed out by the time we could connect! We bought in Sabin, and paid waaaay too much for a small fixer we can't afford to fix up (for now, at least!). But it's a great block and people are really turning it around. There is a trend in Sabin, Vernon, Albina and along the Interstate corridor to buy neglected old homes and fix them up. It's the alternative to A) building new (hard to do here, due to the urban growth boundaries) and B) buying an already nice house in an equally nice neighborhood because there is such little movement there. Some of these homes are just gorgeous - big old four squares and lots of craftsmans - but they often require cash because the bank won't lend on a leaky roof or whatever. Yes, it's a major hassle and cost to renovate. But it's cheaper and quicker than waiting around. And a great investment. A house like ours fixed up would sell for $150 more today. Nothing meets your parameters here- but there is the opportunity to create it! I've obviously been bit by the renovating bug, and totally understand if that's of your cup of tea. Just putting it out there. Keep us updated!

If I get to the coast, I have a really hard time leaving paradise and making day trips to see other places, so I'd probably never make it to Astoria, except it's on my way DOWN to paradise...but if you get bored, or the weather isn't great, maybe you'll venture out. I ate at a nice restaurant in Astoria recently and while searching for the name to post here, (it's Bridgewater Bistro - good food, nice place!) I came upon this recommendation as one of the 10 best restaurants outside of Portland. I'd definitely try it on my next visit. Albatross Albatross (address and info) Astoria Helmed by the dude behind Thistle in McMinnville, and ex-PDX Chef Eric Bechard, this cooly laid-back, brick-walled eatery is heavy on the reclaimed touches (an ancient cash register, a retro stereo, etc.), and on farm-to-table eats like boldly flavored clams, and one of Oregon's best burgers w/ caramelized onions & a smooth white cheese sauce on a pillow-soft bun.