Thursday, March 14, 2024

Thursday's Bird Watch

Last week we went to check on the Buena Vista County Park. Located on the banks of the Willamette River right next to the Buena Vista Ferry, it has just recently reopened after a 2-year closure for remodel and renovation.  There are big improvements for parking at the boat launch area and a second restroom.  We had no need for a boat launch, but as you might guess, we were there to look for birds.  Our best photo was of this handsome male Common Merganser in his bright breeding plumage. He came riding past the park on the rain swollen Willamette River, possibly looking for a suitable mate for the season. Here is our eBird Observation List
 

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Using Merlin on the Scooter


One of the tools we have regularly used for the past several years in birding is the phone app Merlin. It's an amazing app that can identify birds by sound. I have now been able to mount a phone holder on the handlebar of my scooter so I can use the phone/app hands free as I motor along with both hands on the scooter controls. Yesterday afternoon we did a bird trip on the Rickreall Creek Trail System. This screen shot shows three of the birds Merlin identified as I rolled along: Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch, and California Scrub-Jay. Here is our eBird Observation List. We have now used the scooter/phone/Merlin combination on three trips, and loving life! 

 

Friday, March 8, 2024

Taking the Scooter for a ride.


Daily I ride my new Phantom electric scooter around the halls of the Dallas Retirement Village, going to lunch, dinner, and various meetings and events.  It has become the most pain-free way to move about, staying off of my bone spur plagued foot. Yesterday, we reversed rolls, and we took the scooter for a ride in our camper van to Toledo. Jeanette needed to return some books she had on loan from the Toledo History Center, and we took the scooter along to be able to do a bird walk on the cement walkway along Depot Slough called the Depot Slough Path. Despite overnight temps in the 20's, and roadside snow in the coast range, by mid-morning when we arrived in Toledo the temps were in the 40's with bright sunshine. We quickly discovered that I could coordinate my scooter speed with Jeanette's walking speed, and we could conduct a bird walk as normal, and to my great joy, without foot pain! Here is the link to our eBird Observation ListThe scooter fits perfectly in the back of the van and is easy to load and unload using an 8" wide board. Our imagination is on fire with future rides for the scooter.      

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Thursday's Bird Watch


 During our snowstorm last Friday March 1st here at Dallas Retirement Village, the sun came our briefly, and Jeanette and I rushed out hoping to photograph a bird in the snow.  We were fortunate to get this Dark-eyed Junco in Vern and Ann Beeson's Garden Home front yard.  Vern had sent me a text to let me know they had a lot of birds at their feeders.  Thanks for the tip Vern! As I have said many times before, Juncos are my favorite winter bird.  I still remember being fascinated with the first one I saw outside of my grandmother Scott's window in the snow under her camelia bush, 77 years ago.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Electric Scooter!


 For six months I have been dealing with debilitating foot pain. Footwear changes and attention to therapeutic stretching exercises, failed to bring healing. Time off my feet brings only temporary relief, curtailing my active lifestyle of walking to increased time in my rocking chair. Birding observation trips now occur from the front seat of our van. Jeanette literally waits on me hand and foot.  Medical visits, referrals, and x-rays have now pinpointed the problem as bone spurs. 

Today, hope arrived in the form of this electric scooter. This should allow me access to the halls, elevators, and dining rooms at Dallas Retirement Village pain free. But most importantly, Jeanette and I will be able to get back to putting on some miles on the trails, identifying and photographing birds!



Thursday, February 29, 2024

Thursday's Bird Watch

Jeanette and I were off to the Oregon Coast this past week to capture some sunshine and go birding, so I don't have a local bird to feature has I normally do.  However, I will share the best bird of our trip, this female Osprey.  I photographed it on Friday the 23rd at Cleawox Lake in Honeyman Lake State Park, south of Florence.  We were excited to see it as it is our first Osprey of the season.  Osprey migrate as far south as Central America in the winter.  We see them returning here in the Willamette Valley normally as early as mid-March. So even though it's still a little early to see them here in Dallas, we are now starting to keep an eye out for them.
 

Monday, February 26, 2024

Toledo to Dallas Retirement Village - Day 5

 Day 5 found us at the Toledo Marina and Moorage, after a quiet night. Coffee, computer work, and breakfast started our morning off.  Before leaving town, we checked out the location of the Toledo History Center. We will be returning here to the History Center with the bus from Dallas Retirement Village on this coming Wednesday. 

We left Toledo on Hwy 20 in a light mist, which turned to rain before clearing to sunshine by the time we passed through Corvallis. It's been an adventure filled five days, that has left us inspired to do more in the upcoming months, and perhaps years. We birded in the six counties of Benton, Lincoln, Lane, Douglas, and Polk, turning in almost two-dozen eBird lists. We post these blogs in part to keep or family and friends informed of our where abouts, but also to share the inspirational places we visit. In addition, in all honesty, we have the selfish motive to have a record of places and dates of our travels to refer to since age seems to have an effect on the recall and clarity of our adventures.