Bird Ramblings - Starlings

 This is a European Starling, one of the most common birds to be seen here at Dallas Retirement Village, virtually seen here every month of the year. This photo was taken last Friday, see Checklist. It shows the uniquely heavy spotting of the non-breeding plumage. We are more used to seeing them in their breeding plumage in which they are almost totally black with a bright yellow beak.  This is not a native bird. They were introduced to the United States in New York's Central Park in the 1890's and are now spread throughout the United States.

Bird Ramblings - Vultures

It's a busy time for Turkey Vultures. Recently we counted over 30 of them in some open fields while driving home to Dallas from Salem. They were busy picking up small rodent carcasses exposed from the field harvesting machinery. Think of the Vultures as the clean-up crew. In fact, they have been working all summer at keeping our roads clear of roadkill. Soon they will take flight and head South for the winter. I really haven't taken a good photo of Turkey Vultures this summer, so I dug into my files and found this photo taken in California some years ago. It shows the bare red skin of the head that is so helpful in digging through larger dead carcasses. 

Bird Ramblings - Pelicans

This juvenile American White Pelican was photographed at Cottonwood Pond in nearby Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge on August 13th along with a number of other Pelicans. Once an unusual bird to be seen in the Willamette Valley, in the last decade they have become a more common sight. Now is a perfect time to get to see them, come September they will be leaving to migrate South for the winter. Because of the current construction on Highway 22, I would recommend going via Rickreall, taking Highway 99 north, and then west on Coville Rd. to Cottonwood Pond on the right-hand side, also known as Traverner's Marsh. 
 

Beach Birthday Bash

August 18th was Jeanette's Birthday. It was the "Big 80", and at her request we did an overnight at the historic Sylvia Hotel at Nye Beach in Newport with Jeanette's brother Bill, and Jeanette's sister Patty and her husband Kordel. We all met up for lunch at Nana's Irish Pub. After check-in at the hotel, we went for a walk at Nye Beach. 

Of course, I can't walk on the beach without counting and photographing birds. Here is our Check List. After a nice walk on the beach, we walked over to the nearby Allred Hotel for a very nice dinner with a great view of the ocean.

The next morning after breakfast at The Sylvia, we drove over to the South Jetty for a walk on the jetty and the beach, and of course some more birding. Here is our Check List. We finished off our morning with a delightful lunch at Clearwater Restaurant with interesting Sea Lion watching and passing fishing boats.

  

Bird Ramblings - Bluebirds

Last Saturday, August the 8th, was "house cleaning day" at the Western Bluebird nesting box located at the Pavilion in the Dallas Retirement Village. The mother bluebird is shown removing a fecal sac, which is a white coated sack that surrounds the baby bird's waste. Bluebirds keep one of the cleanest nests of songbirds, and this is a daily task necessary to take care of the four baby birds in the nest. Both the male and the female share in the work of bringing food in and carrying out the fecal sacs.  
 

Siletz Bay NWR

Tuesday, August 4th we attempted to escape the extreme heat and smoke of the Willamette Valley with a trip to the Lincoln City area. It was cooler, but still a considerable amount of smoke. We concentrated mainly on the Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge area, with this first stop at the Siletz Keys, an easily overlooked location with a small parking lot. 

The first bid I spotted was this Great Blue Heron. Not so sharp looking, it is actually an immature, still lacking the white stripe on top of its head.

Next, I spotted this Great Egret, notable because they have become so much more common in the last two decades as their populations have expanded north.

Here is the link to our Checklist. We also birded at Alder Island, just on the other side of Highway 101. Here is our Checklist for Alder Island.

Bird Ramblings - Doves

On July 30th I photographed this pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves as they were sharing a romantic moment atop the roof of The Lodge. Eurasian Collared-Doves are somewhat unique in that they can breed year-round. They have already bee successful in nesting once this summer and possibly more. The amount of time they are spending in this courtship has me convinced they will soon be setting up another nest site soon.