Thursday's Bird Watch

This Bald Eagle was photographed on last Sunday morning at the Salem Riverfront Park.  I believe this is the male.  He looks pretty angry. Possibly he is protecting the female on the nest nearby which was impossible to see on this visit due to all the new leaves on the Cottonwood trees. A pair have had a nest at this location for several years now and we can always count on a sighting when we visit the park.  Coincidentally, Salem Riverfront Park is the location of our next Bus Birding Trip for Dallas Retirement Village residents on June 7th and 9th.  
 

Ross's Snow Goose

At the end of March, a Ross's Snow Goose was reported at our nearby Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.  It was a big deal, because its normal migration route is on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. It was a lone Ross's Goose mixed in with literally thousands of the very common Cackling Goose. Should be easy to spot as it is all white and the Cackling Goose has a brown body and black neck and head with only a small white cheek.  We went in search of it many times in the past three weeks, with no luck.  Today, I believe it was our tenth attempt, and finally success! As we inched along on the gravel road, looking intently through each group of Cacklers, we spotted this white goose. I grabbed the camera and snapped this photo, and in that instant the whole group took flight. But we got our Ross's!  Here is the link to our complete Check List.

Thursday's Bird Watch!

If the minute you walk out the door, you hear a bird singing, chances are almost 100% it's a White-crowned Sparrow.  For the past month the song of the male White-crowned Sparrow has dominated the bird world throughout the Dallas Retirement Village.  He can be heard and seen in all four corners of the Village.  I can think of no other song-bird that puts its heart and soul into its son quite like the White-crowned Sparrow.
 

Thursday's Bird Watch

 An Osprey brings in a stick for the nest on April 5th, marking a new season of nesting.  This is probably one of my favorite times of year, when the Osprey return from their winter thousands of miles away to build their nest, mate, and raise their young. Jeanette and I keep track of about a dozen Osprey nest locations in Polk County, but this is the only one in Dallas.  It's easy to find, just off South Main Street in the old Willamette Mill site.  Check it out as they go about their housekeeping chores and hopefully raise some young.

New Baby Hummingbird!

You will have to look closely to see this mother Anna's Hummingbird feeding her newborn. We have a scope set up in our living room in our second-floor apartment here at Dallas Retirment Village, trained on this hummingbird nest in a dogwood tree in the Central Courtyard.  We check on it many times a day, and notice when the female leaves the nest, and most of the time comes to the juice feeder in our balcony.  This morning on one of her return trips to the nest I spotted her feeding her baby!  Jeanette went to the garage and got a step ladder for me to stand on down by the nest to get this photo. We have been folowing this nest closely since finding it on Tues March 26th.   

Village Birders at Sarah Helmick Park

The Village Birders from Dallas Retirement Village took their first Birding Bus Trip of the year to Sarah Helmick State Park today, April 4th, 2024.  This is our forth year of Birding Bus Trips.  We lucked out on the weather and missed the rain altogether. 

Sharp eyes, aided by binoculars, and e-Bird's Merlin Identification app allowed us to observe and identify 15 different species.  Here is our e-Bird Observation List. 

Our most interesting observation were the Turkey Vultures warming up in the morning sun and launching into circles to gain altitude and travel out to find their prey for the day. 

Of course all was not about birds, we enjoyed some of the first of the Spring wildflowers.

 

Shooting Star

Fawn Lily

 

 

Thursday's Bird Watch

Dale Pader, Facility Operations Director here at Dallas Retirement Village, stopped us on the street last Tuesday, March 26th, to alert us to a nesting Anna's Hummingbird in the Central Courtyard.  I went directly to the Courtyard, found the nesting bird, and took this photo.  Unfortunately, I lost track of the tree the nest was in, and mistakenly found an empty nest in another tree, which led me to conclude for three days that the bird had abandoned the nest.  Very fortunately, Dale just happened by the Courtyard on Friday the 29th,  and pointed out the bird and the nest to us.  I was both embarrassed and elated at the same time.  Anna's Hummingbirds have an average of 16 day incubation period, so we will be looking for the hatchlings in a couple of weeks 
 

Murlark Osprey Pair

The pair of Osprey that visit a nest site in West Salem seasonally to raise their chicks is becoming a lesson in persistence. Osprey are known for returning to the same nest year after year. Salem Electric in an effort to draw Osprey away from nesting atop power poles has put up a number of platforms on poles to provide them an alternative. In this case, this pair of Osprey have their own opinions, and their continued success year after year points to their stubbornness or persistence. They are the most successful nesting pair in the West Salem area. Always the first to return from their wintering grounds someplace in Mexico or Central America, they always produce the most young.  All this in spite of the fact that their nest has been moved on them at least four times in the last few years. When we stopped by to check on them this morning at their most recent nest building project on a pole put up by Salem Electric on Edgewater St NW, we were surprised to find it empty. We turned down Murlark Ave to check on another nest site on Patterson, when all of a sudden Jeanette spotted a new nest on a power power pole on Murlark Ave with three or four birds. Stopping to examine closer, we found this start of a nest on a pole with two Osprey, and two decoy birds that had obviously been placed to discourage their nesting.   

Here it looks like there is an "eye to eye" conversation going on between the Osprey and the fake bird,  perhaps about who actually belongs at this location.  

Thursday's Bird Watch

 

While on a bird walk here at Dallas Retirement Village on Saturday morning this past week, I heard a loud drumming sound, possibly coming from the large aluminum streetlight pole at the corner of Tilgner and Brentwood, but I could not see it.  I suspected it was a Northern Flicker, well known for their antics in Spring when they drum out loudly on metal roof flashing and rain gutters to impress the fairer sex.   Luckily for me, DRV resident Joyce Pelo came by walking her little dog, and she spotted it on the shady side of the street sign.  Much to my surprise it was this little Red-breasted Sapsucker! Although I have heard and seen Northern Flickers many times making this loud drumming sound, never before have I seen and heard the much smaller Red-breasted Sapsucker.  I hope he is successful in attracting a mate!

Polk County First Osprey

This morning, we found our first Osprey of the season for Polk County.  We have been checking Osprey nest sites almost daily for the past week or so with anticipation of their return from their southern winter vacation. Of the six West Salem area nest sites we checked, three sites had an Osprey! This beautiful female was the first one we found off of Riverbend Rd NW. Next, we found one on the nest site at the ball field in Wallace Marine Park but failed at a good photo.  The third Osprey we found which is pictured below, was on Murlark Ave. Here the story gets a little complicated, in that there is no longer a nest on Murlark Ave. due to ongoing construction in that exact location. We found the bird waiting on a power pole. There is a relatively close nesting site nearby on Edgewater that Salem Electric put up last year, and hopefully the Osprey will decide that it is an acceptable alternative. 

Other nesting sites without Osprey were Bartell Dr. and Salem Audubon Nature Reserve on Eola Dr. I'm sure in the coming days other arriving Osprey will find their way to these two other sites. 
   
 

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. 
 

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! 

 

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 List. The 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'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.

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'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.
 

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.

    

Florence to Toldeo - Day 4

 We arrived at the Siuslaw National Forest Alder Dune Campground at Dune Lake just north of Florence on Friday with fond memories and the idea that we would stay two nights and enjoy a day of not traveling, just relax and hike around the trail at Alder Lake.  But as the afternoon turned into evening, we realized there was a catch in the plan. The cell service turned from poor into worthless, making it impossible to work on e-Bird Lists and photos.  The new reality was that we would leave first thing in the morning, drive over Cape Perpetua, and hope for cell service at Yachats. Arriving at Yachats Ocean Road, we had glorious sunshine and 3 bars of cell service. I got right to work getting caught up with photos, bird lists, and a blog post. 

Yachats Bay Rd.

While in Yachats we took another walk-through Yachats Community Park and Wetlands and made this Bird List. After lunch in the van, we continued north up the coast enjoying full sunshine and impressive ocean views through Waldport, Seal Rock, and Ona Beach.  At Newport we turned off Hwy 101 and took the Yaquina Bay Rd. to Toledo, birding as we drove along the bay, here is our Bird List.  We stopped at Paddle Park just before Toledo and parked for the afternoon. I spent more time on bird lists and Jeanette spent time outside in the sunshine counting birds and taking photos.  Here is her Bird List.  

Paddle Park

In late afternoon we continued on into Toledo and got gas in the van as usual because it's always a good price in Toledo.  Then on to the Port of Toledo Marina & Moorage where we parked for the night.  Dinner and enjoyed some YouTube on the tablet made possible with good cell service using our phone as a Hot Spot. 

Florence to Winchester Bay - Day 3

Glenn and Jeanette checking some birds

Our first stop for birding for the day was at Cleawox Lake in Honeyman State Park, Jeanette and I had enjoyed it so much the day before that we wanted to share it with our friend Glenn Pannier, plus we wanted his help to verify a possible Osprey's presence. Glenn spotted it, and we got photos, our first Osprey of the year! Here is our Bird List.

Our second stop was Stables Road, an e-Bird Hot Spot on the Smith River just North of Reedsport.  An old favorite of the three of us, it again did not disappoint us. Here is our Bird List. Next was a lunch stop at Subway in Reedsport.

Our third bird stop was Salmon Harbor Marina in Winchester Bay where we did a driving tour and got the following Bird List, and then a second Bird List at Half Moon Bay.

Dropping Glenn back at his trailer at Siltcoos Lake, we continued north, trying to make up our mind of an overnight spot.  We ended up at an old favorite of ours, Alder Dune Campground just north of Florence. When we stepped out of the van, we were greeted with the birds sounds, so made one more Bird List for the day.

 

Waldport to Florence - Day 2

 Day two started where day one finished, at the Alsea Bay Viewpoint in Waldport. While I worked on the blog post of the previous day setting in the dinette, Jeanette sat in the front seat watching the bay for birds through the windshield, taking bird photos and making a Bird List. One of the greatest features of our van is the Truma furnace that allows us to enjoy warmth and comfort regardless of what's going on with the weather outside. Strong winds out of the SW created magnificent wave formations which dictated that our birding activity for the day would take place in protected locations. With that in mind our next stop for the day was the Yachats Community Park and Wetland. 

Tucked away in the middle of Yachats is the Commons, a real gem and a favorite of ours, which seems to be enjoyed mostly by friendly locals. Extreme right arm shoulder pain continues to limit my camera use, (who knew they only design cameras for right hand use), but here is our Bird List with a few photos.

Our next protected area to enjoy was the Alder-Dunes Campground. Parked in the day-use area at Dune Lake and enjoyed a view of the lake while we ate our lunch.  The sun began to shine in earnest, the bugs came out, and the birds got active.  We opened a couple of windows and using our Merlin Bird Identification app made a Bird List. 

On to Florence for some shopping at Fred Meyer, and then a stop at Cleawox Lake in Honeyman State Park for an honest to goodness bird walk.  A nice maze on woodchip paths wound through the salal and rhododendron thickets and picnic benches along the lake shore. Here is our Bird List.

We finished our day with dinner with our friend Glenn at Darling's Resort on Siltcoos Lake.  And, as you might have guessed, one last Bird List.

Our night-time parking was free at the Three Rivers Casino.

Alsea River Adventure - Day 1

Jeanette scanning for birds at Mill Creek Park

  

 On Wednesday we set off on a 5-day trip to the Oregon Coast in our Winnebago Solis Pocket camping van, with the goal to take advantage of a three-day window of a good weather forecast for Thursday thru Saturday. Our first day was spent driving Highway 34 down the scenic Alsea River to Waldport. This is a trip we love to take, stopping at every boat ramp, picnic spot, and campground to check out the bird life.

Our first stop was Clemens Park, a Benton County Park, 21 miles west of Corvallis. Light rain greeted us at a muddy parking lot filled with pick-ups and cars of fisherman plying the Alsea for late returning Steelhead. We elected for a pass, and journey on. No cell service here.

Next stop was Mill Creek Park, another Benton County Park, and probably our favorite. Besides the parking lot, boat launch, and restroom, there is some picnicking area and short trail up the river. Here is our bird list. 2 - 3 bars of cell service

 

Close by is the next boat launch, Campbell Park. Very similar to Mill Creek with parking lot, boat launch and restroom, just minus the extra picnicking area. Here is our bird list. 1 -2 bars of cell service

The last of the Benton County Parks was the Salmonberry Park and Campground.  The campground was closed for the winter, but there is a nice Day Use Area out front with parking, rest room, and boat launch. Here is our quick bird list. There is no cell service. 

Missouri Bend Recreation Site is a Bureau of Land Management park with river access. We zeroed on birds here. There is no cell service.

River Edge Campground is a Siuslaw National Forest operation, with a poorly maintained Day Use Area with river access, and a large seasonal, reservation only, group camping area.  We zeroed on birds here. There is no cell service.

Blackberry Campground is another Siuslaw National Forest Campground. It has a resident host. There is a boat launch. Here is our Bird List. There is no cell service.

Mike Bauer Wayside is a Siuslaw National Forest Day Use Area. No overnight camping allowed. Fishing access and restroom. We zeroed on birds. 

The end of our Alsea River journey ended in Waldport at the Lower Alsea Bay viewpoint. Here is our bird list.  

  
        

Thursday's Bird Watch

 

This Yellow-rumped Warbler was photographed last week on the 11th of February at The Pavilion here at Dallas Retirement Village. Now is a good time of year to spot these brightly colored little birds before the trees leaf out. They are busy little birds, so it takes patience to get a good look at them.  I consider these winter birds for us because they hang around here from November through April.  Come Spring they will head for the conifer forests of the Oregon Coast Rang to nest and raise their young.

This is being posted remotely from the Lint Slough Trailhead in Waldport on the Oregon Coast.  We are on a 5-day camping/birding trip, so look for upcoming posts.  
 

Thursday's Bird Watch

This American Kestrel was photographed here in Dallas Retirement Village on January 28th. While parking our campervan in the Jasper Street parking area, we noticed it perched atop a Douglas Fir tree in the water collection basin.  The American Kestrel, formerly called a Sparrow Hawk, is the smallest member of the Falcon Family.  They are a common sight in Polk County, perching on power lines alongside country roads, looking for large insects and small rodents.  Due to the absence of blue on the wings, this would be considered a female.
 

25th Anniversary

 

Today I realized that this month of February marks the 25th anniversary of our retirement! A milestone, that we could not have possibly imagined for sure. 

Within weeks, we had packed up our Toyota RAV4 with our bikes and bags, and took off for Southern California, where my mom spent her winters in a mobile home park at the Salton Sea. We spent several weeks there sleeping in her screened-in front porch. We took daily morning walks with her and learned new species of birds.  We hiked the Chocolate Mountains at her doorstep.  We took a week's bicycle tour of Imperial County, circling the Salton Sea. The above photo is us leaving on that tour.

Eventually we made it back home to Salem, I guess.  Now, I'm not sure what we did next, but by September I know we put our bikes on the train, stopping for lunch in Lacey Washington at my sister Rachel's home, and then started pedaling north to Canada and then down the coast to the Mexican border. We were in love with adventure, and it has continued to dominate our life.      

Thursday's Bird Watch

The black bill, black hood, and piercing bright red eye make for an easy identification of this bird as a Spotted Towhee.  Smaller than a Robin, and larger than a Junco, they are normally a shy bird foraging for food on the ground deep in the bushes.  This one appeared a little bolder.  Perhaps he is interested in establishing a territory.  He was photographed on January 23rd in the new Dog Park next to the Maintenance Building here at Dallas Retirement Village.  So, if you are interested in letting your dog have some time off leash, remember this is also a good place to look for birds.  

Birding in Style

 This morning, we went birding with our friend/fellow resident LaVerda and her friend Chris from McMinnville. We met up at Pintail Marsh in Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge.  The fog was so thick we spent the first 30 minutes sitting in our warm van together waiting for the fog to clear.  It never did entirely, so after making a bird list, primarily of what we could hear, we ventured on to Independence to bird at Mt. Fir Park. Here the weather was clear, and we were able to see, photograph, and make a decent bird list. We decided on lunch next, but the first three restaurants we tried were all closed on Mondays! Luckily for us, we settled on the Independence Hotel. We had a wonderful lunch and excellent service in the patio overlooking the Willamette River. Again, we made a bird list of the birds we could see or hear while coming and going from the restaurant. The four of us enjoyed birding together so much that we hope to do another trip soon, maybe in the McMinnville area next.

Thursday's Bird Watch

 Two weeks ago, I posted a photo of a pair of Western Bluebirds here in Dallas Retirement Village and said that I hoped they would hang around and again use the nesting box at The Pavilion. This past Friday, our first venture out on foot to look for birds in almost a week because of the snow and ice, we were rewarded with this sighting of the Western Bluebird pair at the nesting box! We watched them go in and out of the nesting box several times, assuming they were checking it out for a nesting site, but it's also possible they were looking for shelter in this string of bad weather. We were thrilled to see them again, particularly at the nesting box, and rest assured we will continue to be checking on them.

Thursday's Bird Watch

With the cold ice and snow conditions this past week there were lots of discussions among Dallas Retirement Village residents concerning hummingbird juice feeders.  It is essential to hummingbird survival to be able to have access to juice feeders in these arctic conditions, but most of the people attempting to provide juice found they were dealing with the feeders freezing solid. Many were changing out their feeders several times a day in an attempt to provide liquid juice.  As far as I know, resident Carolyn Wall may have the best solution, a heated feeder, as shown in the photo.  Plugged into electricity, a lightbulb gives off enough heat to keep the juice from freezing. 

 

Winter Survival

Continuing snow and sub-freezing weather is keeping us contained indoors, but Jeanette is keeping busy trying to keep our hummingbird juice feeder, located outside on our balcony, working. In this photo, taken yesterday, with the temperature at 18 degrees, you can see that leaking juice has made icicles! It's been quite entertaining to watch the Anna's Hummingbirds fight for control of the feeder.  For my part, I venture outside several times a day to check on the campervan where I have the thermostat for the propane furnace set at 40 degrees to keep the freshwater system from freezing. One thing I hadn't counted on was the snow, which turned to solid ice, has covered the solar panel. The batteries which provide electricity to run the furnace are normally kept charged by the solar panel. I have had to resort to running the engine several times a day to make sure the batteries keep charged.  A few more days to go before we get out of the freezing weather. 

Thursday's Bird Watch

This pair of Western Bluebirds were photographed at Dallas Retirement Village last Friday, January 5th.  The female is at the top, looking rather questioning, and the male is in a supporting role at the lower right corner.  We were especially happy to see them as we have not observed any Western Bluebirds here at DRV since October.  Our hope is that they will continue to hang around and use the nesting box at the Pavilion area as bluebirds have successfully done for the past two years. 
 

Thursday's Bird Watch

Currently, one of the most interesting and dependable birds to watch at Dallas Retirement Village is the Red-breasted Sapsucker.  There appears to be a pair that reside in a weeping cypress tree on the west-side of Tilgner Ave, almost across from the Maintenance Building.  Several DRV residents have noticed the birds and mentioned to me how much they enjoy watching them go about their job of taking sap from this tree. Although I have recently featured these Sapsuckers in previous Looking Ahead articles, I'd like to emphasize that if you want to see them to get it done in the next few months because come Spring, they will move off to better habitat for nesting.