Bird Ramblings

This Yellow-rumped Warbler was photographed in a cherry tree along Tilgner Avenue in front of the Assisted Living building here in Dallas Retirement Village on December 31st. I think of the Yellow-rumped Warbler as a winter bird because they appear here starting in November and continue until April when they move to higher elevations in the conifer forest for nesting. I say this with a degree of certainty because I have documented their presence and/ or absence here since November of 2019. Look to enjoy their bright yellow accents for the remaining winter months.
 

Bird Ramblings

This White-crowned Sparrow was photographed at John C. Barnard Park here in Dallas on December 16th. I continue to be excited about this new park. It is a great part to bird this time of year with our wet weather conditions. Because of its excellent layout of concrete walkways, it's possible to make a loop through the park without getting your shoes all muddy. In general, White-crowned Sparrows hang around our area all year long, and fortunately for us they have been successful in nesting here in the shrubbery of Dallas Retirement Village. Keep that in mind this Spring when the males start to sing, it might provide a clue to a nearby nesting site. 
 

Bird Ramblings

 

This striking bird is a Killdeer, a shore bird about the size of an American Robin. They prefer open fields and oddly enough gravel roads where they make a nest right in the rocks. The speckled eggs blend in, making them almost impossible to see. The parents are well known for distracting humans by calls of distress and feigning injury by dragging their wings as they run away from the nest site. This sighting was on December 20th on the west-end of the Rickreall Creek Trail System, which is best accessed from SW Oregon Falls Dr on a trail section dedicated to the public by David Radke, son of Dallas Retirement Village resident Gary Radke.

Our Christmas Bird Count

There is an official Audubon Christmas Bird Count, a tightly organized annual event for North America from December 14 through January 5th.  However, this was our own Christmas Bird Count and conducted only by us on this Christmas Day in our own living area of Dallas Retirement Village. We braved cold temperatures and rain showers to identify, count, and photograph as many birds as we could this morning. Here is our eBird Checklist.  
 

20 Years Ago

 Click on the link below to find out what we were doing 20 years ago this week.

Cascade Ramblings - Ramblings: Shellburg Falls Hike: Santiam State Forest

Chasing the Sunshine

Port of Toledo Marina Morage

Over breakfast yesterday morning we noticed that the Weather Forecast for the day was continuing cold and fog for Dallas and surrounding areas, but sunshine for the Oregon Coast. Our calendar was open, no meetings or classes or other responsibilities. Buy eight o'clock we had packed the van and were driving toward Toledo. The temperature was 44 and the fog was light along the Kings Valley Highway, and as we crossed over the Coast Range the sun started to break through. By the time we reached Toledo we were in bright sunshine with a temp of 61 degrees!

The Depot Slough Path is one of our favorite birding locations. Despite lots of sunshine, the birds were almost nonexistent. Debris along the path suggested there had been high water, and I suspect that it affected the waterfowl. As we walked up the slough birds began to appear and eventually, we got in a good list, which you can see here. 

Next, we traveled a short distance along Yaquina Bay to Paddle Park, another favorite birding location, and a perfect stop for lunch. Jeanette did some more birding while I worked on my laptop with the bird photos.

Paddle Park

Paddle Park

Bird Ramblings

 This duck photo is of a Redhead. It was one of two males Jeanette and I found on November 28th at the Sheridan South Side Park and Fishing Pond. Redheads are considered rare birds in our area, just passing through during their migration. Dallas Retirement Village will be taking Independent Living Residents on the Thursday's Scenic Drive to this park on December 18th. These Readheads are continuing to be reported by other birders, so hopefully they will still be hanging around as well as many other migrating ducks and geese.