Van Goes Bye-Bye

Our 2022 Winnebago Solis Pocket was taken this morning to Johnson RV in Sandy, Oregon for sale. Anyone interested in purchasing this well-cared for camping van, call Johnson's at 503-668-5400 

Bird Ramblings

On January 13th a flock of a dozen or more American Robins were busy feeding on the red berries of a European Mountain Ash Tree here in Dallas Retirement Village. With the cold temperatures we have been having, I suspect that worms may be a little hard to get out of the frozen ground, no problem, the Robins can switch to eating berries. I love the adaptability of birds!

Bird Ramblings

Best bird of last week here at Dallas Retirement Village has to be this Merlin, photographed on Tuesday the 6th right in front of The Lodge main entrance. It has been hanging around constantly for several weeks now. Look for it on either one of the tall conifer trees to the north, where it likes to perch at the very top of the tree.  Make sure to get a look at it soon because by the end of the month it will probably be gone, off to its summer home in Canada.
 

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.