Pollinator Garden Day!

Today was Pollinator Garden Day at the John C. Barnard Park, a brand-new Dallas city park. This was an event put together by the Polk Soil & Water Conservation District and the City of Dallas. Located on east-end of Academy Street, the park has all kind of playground facilities, winding sidewalks, a basketball court, and now a pollinator garden with 300+ native plants! I volunteered to take photos, plus I made up a bird observation list, and have nominated the park for an eBird HotSpot. I was so pleased that the first bird I head singing was a Western Meadowlark, Oregon's State Bird. 

Construction is not quite finished, but this is a park I highly recommend and will be returning to for sure.

Thursday's Birdwatch!

Our Red-breasted Sapsucker is back! Last week on October 8th we found a Red-breasted Sapsucker in the Weeping Cypress tree on Tilgner Ave across the street from the Maintenance Building. It's always a treat to peer into that tree and find the Sapsucker at work. Jeanette and I have been keeping records of bird observations at Dallas Retirement Village using eBird.org for over 5 years now.  Our very first sighting of a Red-breasted Sapsucker at DRV was on Jan. 9th, 2020. The species has since been seen here 76 times, almost every month of the year, except it has never been seen during the months of June, July, or August. Why? Is the sap not running in those summer months, or are the birds off nesting in some secluded locations? Let me know if you have an opinion. 

Thursday's Bird Watch!

This is a first-year juvenile White-crowned Sparrow, one of a mixed group of four adults and juveniles we spotted on a bird walk on September 28th in the shrubbery of the west-end of DRV's Assisted Living building. You may not recognize this as a White-crowned Sparrow because it's a dull colored juvenile instead of the sharp contrasting white and black crown of an adult. We have White-crown Sparrows scattered throughout DRV, and this juvenile is proof of their successful nesting this year. 
 

Seeking Solace

 

Inspiration Garden at Mt. Fir Park in Independence is a favorite birding location for us. We went there this morning to seek solace in these tyrannical Trump times. There were no ICE agents lurking in the parking lots, nor military helicopters overhead, only the drone of a small private plane. People were walking their dogs; volunteers were working at trimming the shrubs. Birds sang; flowers still continue to bloom. Ash Creek lies placid, awaiting the coming fall rains. The air was fresh, the sun was shining, all was right with the world. We identified birds, took photos, and made an eBird List. All the lies, hate and greed of this administration seemed miles away. The leaves will die and fall to the ground; we wait with hope for the magic of new life to fill our world once again. 

baby Turkeys wait for their mom.

Sunflowers wait to feed the finches

Fernhill Wetlands

 Dallas Retirement Village residents Vern and Anne Beeson put together a bus trip to Fern Hill Wetlands in Forest Grove. DRV provided the bus and driver, Lane. Fourteen residents braved the rainy weather for this adventure. Enroute, we made a stop at the Carlton Bakery for some extra energy. Fern Hill is a part of more than 700 acres in Forest Grove owned by Clear Water Service for water resource management. Jeanette and I, with our friend and fellow resident, Dan Sewell, did the Fernhill Lake Loop, putting together an impressive bird list which you can see here. 

Greater Yellowlegs

Wilson's Snipe

After everyone got to explore as much as they wanted of the impressive grounds, the trails, and the ponds, we boarded the bus to go to McMenamins Grand Lodge for lunch. 

Gathering Time for Vultures

This morning Jeanette and I took a drive south of Dallas on the Kings Valley Highway, making a stop at the historic Ritner Bridge, a Polk County Park. This Turkey Vulture was spreading its wings to warm-up in the morning sun, preparing for flight. With a wingspan of five and half feet, it's an impressive sight.  It's that time of year when Turkey Vultures bunch up to fly south for the winter. On this day we counted 17 at this location, circling around forming a loose group.   

 

Thursday's Bird Watch

My guess is that most people will recognize this bird as a Turkey. In the birding world, in order to separate this from the domestically raised Turkey, this is known as a Wild Turkey. This is one of ten Wild Turkeys we saw here at Dallas Retirement on Sep. 17th. Wild Turkeys are seasonal visitors here at DRV, continuing to hang around until early Springtime when they disappear to bread and nest in a more isolated area, and then in a couple of months reappear here with new young ones in tow.  Here is a link to our eBird list for that morning.