Cascade Ramblings

Plat I Reservoir Birding

2012-01-29T07:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took our friends Michael & Melisa with us on an Umpqua Valley Audubon Society birding trip. It was called the “Raptor Run” and was led by veteran birders Dale & Elva Paulson. We started at Fords Pond, and then went to Plat I Reservoir, and then multiple stops along North Bank Road. Jeanette, Buster, Melisa and Michael are shown here at Plat I Reservoir where Jeanette is probably pointing out the location of the two Bald Eagles we spotted here. As to raptors, for the day we spotted a total of 7 Bald Eagles, 8 Red-tailed Hawks, and one American Kestrel. In all we saw 31 different species of birds.

Rare Trumpeter Swan Sighting

2012-01-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning Sue Butkus from the Elkton Community Education Center called to alert us of a swan she had spotted along Hwy 38 on her way to work. We packed up our gear and went in search to see if we could find it and make identification. We found it in a large field with 50 Canada Geese about a hundred yards from the highway. Because of the distance it was hard to get a quality photo and make a positive identification. But after considerable scrutinizing I’m relatively certain it’s a Trumpeter Swan, which is classed as a rare sighting in this area. The other possibility is a Tundra Swan, which is a little more common, but is smaller and normally has a yellow spot at the base of its bill. We hope to go back today for second look.

Spotter at Work

2012-01-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

On our way back to Elkton yesterday we stopped in Cottage Grove at the Row River Nature Park, informally known as the Cottage Grove Ponds, to do some birding. When we are birding Jeanette usually serves as the spotter. Her sharp eyes are almost always the ones to first spot a bird, then she points it out to me, and if I get a chance I get a photo. Here she is using a bird call on her iPod to call out a Bewick’s Wren that she spotted which disappeared in the bush. The Bewick’s came back out to investigate as well as a Pacific Wren. Jeanette was able to hold their attention long enough that I was able to get photos of both birds.

Narrow Escape

2012-01-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

We had a narrow escape yesterday when we almost accepted volunteer positions at the Cape Perpetua Visitors Center. Our own peculiar penchant of looking for volunteer opportunities put us in this precarious position. It started innocent enough; I left Jeanette by herself at the Visitors Center while I went to retrieve the motor home. When I returned we were almost ready to sign a contract. It was only the viewing of the dark shaded host site and a few breaths of fresh air that brought us to our senses and saved us from making too hasty of a commitment. --- photo – Jeanette viewing Cook’s Chasm at Cape Perpetua.

The Long Way Home

2012-01-23T16:46:00.000-08:00

If you have been keeping track of our where-abouts, and you know your geography, you will know that the Sea Lion Caves are way north of our turn off to Elkton! But, that is where we were this morning at the Sea Lion Caves looking out over the ocean. Actually today’s post should probably be titled “Good Fortune” or something similar, so let me explain. Leaving Bullards Beach on Sunday morning we thought we were headed home to Elkton, but after stopping in Coos Bay for groceries, we realized we didn’t have to go home, and could spend some more time going up the coast on Sunday, the one sunny day in the forecast. It instantly made real good sense, because for one I was tired of driving in the hard winds of Sunday, secondly it would allow us to stop at Cape Perpetua the following day and check out our volunteer whale watching site we would be manning in March. Plus we could swing through Dallas and attend an update on my mom’s care, and get in a visit with daughter Lisa and grandsons Will, Luke, & Jake. Two minutes after making the decision we pulled into the Mill Casino RV Park. Now here is when the “Good Fortune” began to really become apparent. Not only could we relax and not continue driving, we found out that Elkton was without electricity! So as I sat in my warm motor home watching the wind whip the waves across Coos Bay, sipping a glass or two of wine, watching the football games, I did consider myself most fortunate. And today as we continued up the coast in the bright sunshine stopping at the Sea Lion Caves, Cape Perpetua, and many other stops, we continued to consider ourselves most fortunate. We are camped tonight at South Beach State Park and will continue on to Dallas tomorrow.

Whale Watching Training

2012-01-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

Dr. Carrie Newell is shown here lecturing on whales during the “Whale Watching Spoken Here” training held at Bullards Beach State Park. Dr. Newell is a very enthusiastic, entertaining and informative person and we learned a lot about whales, and Gray Whales in particular. The purpose of the training is to prepare us for manning a whale watching site for two days in March. We attended along with our Elkton neighbors Lyle & Stephanie Schnabel. The Schnabels and we made the somewhat perilous journey down here to Bandon in our RV’s yesterday, having to use Hwy 42 as Hwy 38 was closed. We will be returning to Elkton tomorrow, probably with a strong tail wind.

Juncos in the Snow

2012-01-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Seeing Juncos in the snow this morning in my front yard took me back to my very first sighting of a Junco, they were in the snow under my grandmother’s camellia bush. I remember vividly every detail of peering out the window and observing the sharp contrast of the dark colors of birds on the white snow as they searched for camellia flower seeds. That was 65 years ago, strange what an impression it made on my mind and is so clear all these years later.

Bandon Marsh

2012-01-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday as we worked our way up the coast I got in several stops for birding besides the Garrison Lake stop as previously posted. In Coos Bay I got to count a few birds in the Coalbank Slough while Jeanette did some shopping at Fred Meyer, and later at the Mill Casino RV Park we walked along the bank and counted some more. But the most impressive stop was one we made earlier in the afternoon at the Ni-les’tun Unit of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. We got to see a number of expected birds there, but just at the end as I looked a little closer at what looked like just a stub in the marsh grass, I discovered a Wilson’s Snipe, a first for my Life List. For more photos and information on the Ni-les'tun Unit, check out the Trip Journal for the first stop we made here in October.

Garrison Lake

2012-01-13T18:16:00.000-08:00

We started working our way back home to Elkton today. A lunch stop was made at Garrison Lake in Port Orford where this photo was taken. While Jeanette fixed lunch I counted birds, 10 birds in 10 minutes or so. Kind of interesting to me is that when we stopped here a few years ago to check out this lake it was through the eyes of a fisherman, today it was through the eyes of a birder. The weather is so nice we have decided to spend one more day and night on the coast. We are camped tonight at the Mill Casino RV Park in North Bend, one of our favorites, and will drive on to Elkton tomorrow.

Sunny Days

2012-01-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

This is our campsite at Harris Beach State Park where we have been enjoying the warm sunshine of the Southern Oregon Coast for a couple of days now. We have gotten in some short hikes, I’ve hiked all five trails in the park, and we’ve done lots of birding. The plan is to head home tomorrow while the weather is still good and be ready for the cold and rainy weather that starts this weekend.

Escape to the Beach

2012-01-11T17:01:00.000-08:00

We have been planning to spend a couple of nights at the coast in our RV, and were thinking of some place close like Sutton Campground north of Florence. But this morning during the 6:00 news when the weather map showed a 64 degree forecast for Brookings, we shifted gears, and by 7:30 we were packed and were pulling out of Elkton bound for Brookings. We stopped for lunch at the harbor in Port Orford and later stopped to play a little bit at Lone Ranch Beach, just North of Brookings. We had a great time enjoying the sunshine on the beach, spotting Black Oystercatchers, and watching Ravens cavorting in the updrafts. We are set up tonight at Harris Beach State Park and will be here for a couple of nights, unless we change our minds.

Chapter Two

2012-01-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

This photo came from my neighbor’s roof top where I spotted this Black Phoebe yesterday. Today while on my daily walk I saw a Black Phoebe, but at a different location, the Elkton High School, which is located in between my house and the Elkton Community Education Center where I took the previous posted photo. I have yet to see two Phoebe’s together, so I am leaning toward the position that we have one solitary Black Phoebe that I have now seen in four different locations.

Black Phoebe

2012-01-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

I snapped this Black Phoebe photo today in the pond at the Elkton Community Education Center. We are used to seeing Black Phoebes during the winter in California and Arizona, but not so much around here. In fact the Umpqua Audubon Society lists them as uncommon in Douglas County. For several weeks now we have been seeing a single Black Phoebe hanging around our neighborhood, but I have not been able to get a photo. We have also spotted one a block away on a downtown building. The question now is how many birds have we seen; one bird in three different places, or three birds, each in a different location? Perhaps time will tell, as we will be paying close attention.

A Fox Sparrow

2012-01-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

We went to the coast yesterday in search of sunshine and birds. This Fox Sparrow is the first bird we happened upon. Someone mistakenly thought from its chipping sound that it was a Junco. In her defense, I would say that they do sound quite similar, and that they are, after all, a member of the same family. I think this sparrow is also often mistaken for a Song Sparrow.

We did have lots of sunshine and saw a good number of Fox Sparrows, Wrentits, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Our plan was to take the Carter Dunes Trail to the beach and be able to add some gulls and perhaps some Brown Pelicans. In the end we were thwarted from our plan of reaching the beach due to high water covering the trail, and simply circled back on the Taylor Dunes Trail.

Start of the Year

2012-01-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

Today we started the New Year with our first birding trip and observation submission to eBird with a trip to Reedsport. We have a walk that we have been doing for a couple of years now along the Scholfield Levee that is always productive. I have been kind of holding it in my back pocket for several months now to use as a starter for the year of 2012. We have been watching the weather and keeping our fingers crossed for this day. We lucked out with a dry day and were rewarded with a respectable number of birds. In all, we counted a total 286 birds, representing 27 different species. Jeanette is shown here at one of the stops along the levee counting ducks on the Reedsport Duck Pond.

Year in Review

2011-12-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

Two major changes loom dramatically in my mind as I review 2011 for Jim, Jeanette and Buster. At the end of June we made the decision to end our volunteer work. This brought to a close many years of volunteering with Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, Oregon State Parks, and Arizona State Parks. While volunteering had provided an economical means for us to have adventures, it had begun to extract a price in energy and freedom. By September we began to feel that our thirty-one foot Holiday Rambler motorhome was too much, and we downsized radically to a twenty-four foot Winnebago View, which in addition to being much easier to drive, costs half as much to operate. Age, health, and money all have played into these decisions, but our hope is that we will continue to enjoy traveling and camping, perhaps in smaller economical campgrounds, and have the time to pursue our love of birding more fully.

Winter Escape of 2009

2011-12-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

The dark rainy days here at the end of December are providing me with lots of time to sort through photos and write reviews for RVparking.com. Today, it’s going back to our trip to Death Valley in January of 2009. Some great days of camping, hiking, and sunshine with our friends Dan & Charlene Lawry. I am shown here checking my altimeter at the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

Just took this photo of a male Purple Finch at our feeder this afternoon. It's color seems to be the most Christmasy I could probably find, so Merry Christmas!

Mother and Child

2011-12-23T07:59:00.000-08:00

I took this photo last week of these two Lesser Scaup, but it wasn’t until I got home and was looking closer at the images on my computer that I realized what I had. In the fore ground is a female adult, and in the background is a juvenile. Notice the mother has just returned to the surface with something in her mouth. According to Wikipedia, “The origin of the name scaup may stem from the bird's preference for feeding on scalp - the Scottish word for clams, oysters, and mussels.” So, I’m guessing that maybe that’s a freshwater clam or mussel in her mouth. We watched both ducks dive several times, so I know the juvenile is capable of finding its own food, but like its human counterpart, this juvenile still looks to mom to provide it something to eat.

RVparking

2011-12-19T09:14:00.000-08:00

It seems I’ve got a new winter project, writing reviews on campgrounds. Some time ago, like maybe this summer, I installed a free App on my I-Pod for RVparking.com. I’ve used it a little, and on our last trip to California, I began to see its real worth. Not only is it helpful in locating an RV park or campground to stay in, you can also leave a review which can later serve to remind you what you liked or did not like about the park and what you paid. On top of that you can post photos, which again can serve as a nice reminder of your time. I’m beginning to see it has kind of my own collection of campground information. Of course others can do the same, and so collectively it begins to really be a huge source of information, and it’s all free. So, my project now is to review all the parks and campgrounds we have stayed in and add photos, that should keep me busy for some time.

The Continuing Search

2011-12-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

It’s becoming a habit of mine to search out the warmest spot around for a hiking/birding destination. I check the weather forecast for several towns, and follow up with a look at the web cams. With cold fog hanging in the inland valleys, the coast has been the winning area lately. Yesterday, Coos Bay was the warmest around by about five degrees, so I settled on the John Topits City Park for an afternoon bird walk. The park has a great network of paved trails that circle the Empire Lakes. One of the birds that we saw and I photographed is shown here, a male Ring-necked Duck on Lower Empire Lake. I also got some photos of a juvenile Lesser Scaup on Upper Empire Lake. It seemed like birds were a little scarce, but the warm sunshine was an ample reward, and still we ended up with 14 different species identified.

In Search of Warmth and Birds

2011-12-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

The reported sighting of a Snowy Owl in the Siltcoos Estuary last week, and my search for the warmest nearby weather, came together to suggest a birding trip yesterday. Our Friend Janet Schaller went with us for an afternoon trip to the Siltcoos Recreation Area, north of Reedsport. We didn’t see the owl, but in all honesty the warmth of the sun and the abundance of other birds caused us to kind of forget about the Snowy. There were a large number of Bufflehead Ducks on the water, Yellow-rumped Warblers flittered in and out among the trees in search of bugs, and the normally shy Hermit Thrush, seemed extra curious in regards to our presence. In all we spotted 16 different species of birds, a glorious afternoon of sunshine and birding.

Back to Home & Routine

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

We are back home in Elkton and into our normal routines. Jeanette is shown here at coffee this morning at Arlene’s Café with her exercise friends. The group meets weekday mornings at 6:30 for exercise, followed by coffee at 7:30. I usually monitor the coffee hour. Without a local newspaper it’s one of the better ways to know what’s going on.

F.Y.I.

2011-12-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a number of little tidbits of information for you.

--we did get the generator repaired and by noon on Friday it was reinstalled in the Winnebago and running.

---after an assessment of all things, we decided that this was the time and place for our turn around and to head home. We made a quick stop for groceries, and fuel, and grabbed a hamburger.

--- the greater Chico area had one more challenge to hurl in our face, it seems the hamburger was not quite right and by that evening after stopping in Red Bluff for the night we were fighting food poisoning.

---- after dragging out of bed late morning we managed to drive as far as Medford where we spent the night at Pear Tree RV Park, and will continue on to Elkton today. (in much better health)

--- if you read this blog on a handheld device like a smart phone, you will notice that the format has been changed, simplified, and with a white back-ground. Evidently Blog Spot (Google) decided for whatever reasons, to make the change. I noticed it affected all blogs that I read that use Blog Spot. If you read this blog with a regular computer it will still be with the green background.

Grimy Gulch

2011-12-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

We are still waiting “semi-patiently” in Chico for our generator to be repaired, so the idea for today’s post is drawn from a side trip we took few days back while staying at Black Butte Lake. Jeanette had talked with the Ranger and found out about free camping available at Stony Gorge Reservoir some 25 miles away. So we took off one afternoon to investigate. No campgrounds were shown on the map nor listed in any of the books I have. We saw no signs and drove past a road we should have taken, but after some back tracking we finally located the right road and found the campgrounds. They were closed, and I would have to say it was almost a sense of relief, because the name "Grimy Gulch" did not leave me with a feeling of clean campsite.

Aloha Black Butte Lake

2011-12-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

We didn't know it at the time, but Tuesday was our last afternoon of soaking up the sun at Black Butte Lake. Where we were camped at Buckhorn Campground, there are no hookups, so we ran the generator a couple of times a day to keep the batteries charged up. Because the air mattress in our Comfort Couch uses an electric pump to inflate and deflate, we scheduled our generator time with our getting up and going to bed time. We also used this time to charge up our laptops, cell phones, I-pods, and MiFi. During this charging session on Tuesday night our generator abruptly stopped. I’ll spare you the rest of the details. The short version is we are now in Chico having the generator repaired under warranty at Jeff’s Truck Repair. They removed it from the RV yesterday and are working on it and hopeful they will be able to reinstall it this afternoon. We have spent the night at nearby Almond Tree RV Park with all the luxuries of full hook-ups---electricity, water, sewer, and cable TV. Our general plan is to be back in Oregon in time for Jeanette to keep a doctor’s appointment on the 21^st. In the mean time we will knock around this part of California soaking up the sunshine as long as we can.

Birding Overdose

2011-12-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

We went birding at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge yesterday and kind of overdosed on birding. I believe Sacramento NWR is one of the premier bird refuges in the nation; it is certainly the best one I have ever visited. We were here the first time in March of 2005 and spent two days birding, but everyone said we were too late to witness the spectacular Snow Geese migration. This time we hit it.

The afternoon started out innocent enough. At the Visitor Center I noticed a Snowy Egret in a pond; Jeanette spotted a pair of House Finches in a tree. On park personnel’s recommendation we start the 6 mile driving loop. A Vulture soars overhead, a Flicker flees for cover, and a Black Phoebe sits on the fence. The list is starting to grow. The first water way holds a dozen Coots, a similar number of Mallards and a couple of Marsh Wrens. We drive on and spot two Ravens and admire a swooping Northern Harrier. This is the greatest. A half dozen White-crowned Sparrows dart along the road. Ring-necked Pheasants can be seen in twos and threes. Our numbers are increasing. Meadow Larks work the ground, a Red-tailed Hawk is perched in a tree, and a lone American Pipit walks a shoreline. The count is really expanding. A larger pond reveals Pintails, Gadwalls, Northern Shovelers, and Great White-fronted Geese. Too many, we will just have to estimate their numbers. We drive on to a larger pond, covered with signature Snow Geese so numerous we cannot see the water. We cannot even guess their number. Now we notice ponds to our right as well as are left contain Snow Geese, the air is filled with birds in flight, who could possibly know their numbers. About this time we realize this is not a place to count birds, just check off species. I photograph and Jeanette tries to discern Ross’s Snow Goose from the common Snow Goose. My eyes are burning, my mind is numb, we stop for a cup of coffee. Bufflehead, Avocets, Cinnamon Teal and Ring-necked Ducks catch our attention. We are only halfway around our six mile loop, but I make a pronouncement---we need to leave, I have birded enough. We start to drive, but spot some Least Grebes, a Nuttall’s Woodpecker in a thicket, a Great Blue Heron lumbers overhead, a Great Egret stands alone, a Bald Eagle watches from a snag. I press on, Red-winged Blackbirds, Double Crested Cormorants, stop---what are those, Rudy Ducks? Yes, in winter plumage. Drive, stop, juvenile Common Moorhens. Now I drive with determination, a flight of Juncos and a Robin. I make it to the gate, we turn for our campground. I need blinders to focus on the road, I wonder if I can drive to our site with my eyes closed. --- 38 species in all if you’ve counted.

Nightmare at 3:00 AM

2011-12-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

I don’t have a photo to go with today’s post, and it’s a good thing because it would be ugly. At 3:00 this morning wind gusts against the motor home woke me up, and in the background I thought I could hear the refrigerator trying to start, and then the next thing I noticed was the warning flashing lights on the refrigerator. Oh no,--- we are out of propane.

On Thursday morning when we were leaving Red Bluff my propane tank had registered 1/3 so I stopped to get propane. The attendant said the tank was full and he could not add any. Motorhome gauges for propane, water, and sewer waste tanks are notoriously inaccurate, so I immediately concluded the gauge was wrong and went on my way.

On Friday we moved to the Buckhorn Recreation Area at Black Butte Lake, thirteen miles west of Orland, where we are camped without any hookups. By Saturday the gauge read empty, stupid gauge.

At three o’clock this morning it was pretty easy to conclude we were actually out of propane. The furnace came on about that time, and only blew cold air. Jeanette tried lighting the stove as a test, no flame. Now we are really in a pickle, because our generator also runs on propane, which means if the motor home battery is dead we would not be able to run the generator to recharge it. We assume the gates are locked until 7, so we are stuck. Now try going back to sleep with all that in your mind!

To bring this story to an end, daylight did eventually come, the motor home did start, we did leave the park, and we did get propane.

As a footnote, while in town we did laundry, bought groceries, had lunch and visited Sacramento Wildlife Refuge. More on that tomorrow.

Good Morning of Birding

2011-12-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

This morning was another bright sunny morning in California, only most import of all, we were free of the wind that had plagued us Friday night and all day Saturday. Free of the wind we got a good start for a morning of birding, out the door and down the trail by 8:30. We were rewarded with Western Meadowlarks, almost too numerous to count, easily over 4 dozen. A few even called out with their melodious song, like the one shown in the photo. We hiked three miles in three hours and identified 23 species of birds. An import additional sighting was a Coyote hunting for ground birds, who was unaware of our presence for a short time.

Sunset at Black Butte Lake

2011-12-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

I took this photo tonight thru the window of our Winnebago in our campsite at Buckhorn Campground at Black Butte Lake. We are set up in campsite #8, the same campsite we were in last year, click here to see that post. We plan on staying here as long as the good weather holds. Last year we fled from here to escape a rain storm. We have thought of this campground all year, yearning to return, at last we have, and we are looking forward to many days here with great birding. Of the 90 sites here, only one other one seems to be occupied.

Camping at Sycamore Grove

2011-11-30T16:36:00.000-08:00

The weather forecasters put a scare on us about severe winds for today, so we just sort of hunkered down in the motor home this morning. We did have a lot of wind which completely “raked” all the leaves for me leaving us with a clean campsite, but I noticed that now all the leaves are all piled up against the restrooms. The only other campers left this morning, so we now have this 30 site campground all to ourselves. By eleven o’clock we were getting cabin fever so decided to walk to the store for some milk. We thought it would be about a mile and a half. Turned out the closest convenience stores were two and a half miles, but no milk, so it was a half a mile further to the grocery store, so now a three mile walk, which meant a six mile round trip. But hey, we needed the excise and a break from birding.

Birding at Red Bluff

2011-11-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

When we arrived at the Red Bluff Recreation Area yesterday afternoon temperatures were just shy of 70 degrees. After selecting a site in the Sycamore Grove Campground we set off for some birding. In an hour’s time we identified 19 different species. Northern Flickers (top photo) were the most numerous, easily over 2 dozen. The Red-tailed Hawk (lower photo) was the most impressive of the four different species of hawks we saw. This is an area that we love to bird in since discovering it in 2009. The campground is never crowded, as in this visit, there is only one other camper plus the hosts in this 30 site campground. Rates are unbelievable low, 16 dollars a night, which we pay half. And there are miles of trails and the Sacramento River. Everything meets our criteria of a perfect place to stay and bird. The plan is to stay here two more nights before heading to Chico for Tony’s birthday on Thursday.

What a View!

2011-11-28T17:12:00.000-08:00

You might think I am talking about the view we had of Mt Shasta during lunch at a rest stop, or the view we have at our campsite at Sycamore Grove Campground tonight, but actually what I want to give accolades to is our new Winnebago View motor home. This was our first trip south over the Siskiyous in this motor home. Climbing over the Siskiyous is something I had come to dread with our past motor homes built on Chevy and Ford chassis, it has always been a struggle up the steep climbs and a serious matter to pay attention to on the steep declines. But, the handling of this View with its Mercedes Benz chassis was a whole new experience today. Plenty of power for climbing, smooth shifts from the transmission, lots of margin on the braking, and precise control with the steering. It was a pleasure to drive all the way. And on top of that, the fuel costs are half of what the others were.

Seven Feathers Casino

2011-11-27T16:33:00.000-08:00

We took off today on our annual migration to the south in search of warmth and sunshine. We had planned to leave tomorrow, but by mid-day we were packed and ready. A little head start on tomorrow’s goal of Sycamore Grove Campground in Red Bluff sounded like a good idea, so we drove as far as the Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville. We are set up in the parking lot where they allow RV’ers to stay for free. A free shuttle is provided to take you to the casino, but we walked since we wanted the exercise. Buster seemed to take an interest in the Salmon & Eagle sculpture at the main entrance. I love seeing the success the Native Americans are having with casinos. The “taxation” that has built these elegant entertainment centers is purely voluntary. I don’t care to be taxed, so I am able to enjoy these facilities for free!

Jake Learns Birding

2011-11-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

My six year old grandson Jake is shown this morning using binoculars to be able to describe a Red-tailed Hawk perched in a distant tree. He and his mom Lisa and brothers William and Luke are here in Elkton for Thanksgiving. We all took a walk this morning to check out the new playground equipment at the grade school. Of course a walk means a birding experience for Grandpa. Jake was a good student. He has a keen mind which was demonstrated on the way back home when he pointed out the exact tree where we had spotted a number of Steller’s Jays.

Eagle Eye

2011-11-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

I took this photo of a young Bald Eagle yesterday, which sort of gives me the idea of where the expression “eagle eye” comes from. We took advantage of a dry day to go hiking, and the coast looked warmer than inland, so I chose the Carter Lake area and made a loop with the Carter Dunes Trail and the Taylor Dunes Trail. We had bright sunshine the whole way and in the end were rewarded with this young Bald Eagle, which I believe to be a second year bird. It takes four years for them to fully develop the white head and tail.

A Black Phoebe

2011-11-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

I took this photo of a Black Phoebe on a country fence yesterday during my walk. I first became aware of Black Phoebes some years ago along the Coachella Canal in Southern California near the Salton Sea. I have since enjoyed them every year while wintering in California and Arizona. I was pleased but a little surprised to see this bird yesterday. It seemed as though he should have been further south by now. As I reflect on that sitting in my den on this cold rainy morning,--so should have I.

Today a Deer

2011-11-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

This is a deer I saw on my walk today. It is the third daily photo in a row that I am posting that features a critter, and all three critters were found within the city limits of our little town of Elkton. Ironically all three of these critters are considered by the locals to be pests. And in a note of further irony, I think they could all contribute to a fine Thanksgiving Table.

Doves Prompt Search

2011-11-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

I took some photos of Eurasian Collared Doves in my yard this morning. That led me to consider using this photo in a post, but I knew I had posted several blogs on Eurasian Collared Doves before, but my age-faded memory had no clue when. That made me realize I really needed a search function for the blog. And that caused me to look at the Design feature in my blog, and ------ look at that, I now have a Search feature! Look at the top right-hand corner. Hopefully it will be helpful to you in searching for a blog that you want to read again, I know it will be helpful for me.

Wild Turkeys

2011-11-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

I did take my camera with me on our walk today, and we did spot 13 different species of birds including 17 Mallard Ducks, 30 American Robins, and 40 European Starlings, but this is the best photo I could produce. This handsome pair, Mr. & Mrs. Tom Turkey, are technically known as a “Wild Turkey”, but it would be hard to convince any of the local people here in Elkton that they are “wild”. They are in fact a year around nuisance, raising heck with people's gardens and flower beds, and pooping on the streets and sidewalks. Every year about this time as Thanksgiving draws nigh I consider doing my part to help curb the local population, and provide for my table at the same time. hmmm

The Camera, Always the Camera!

2011-11-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

I always take my camera with me. I carry it in a shoulder bag with my binoculars, a bird guide, and a windbreaker and a few odds and ends. I bought this particular shoulder bag last winter when we were in San Diego at an REI store and I’ve used it almost every day since. Each day when I take off for a walk, which is usually a combination of a walk for exercise, a walk for our dog Buster, and an opportunity to do some birding, I throw this bag over my shoulder and off we go. However, this morning was an exception. It was overcast and actually raining, but I was impatient to get a walk in, so I left the bag with my camera at home to stay dry. I grabbed an umbrella as I went out the door, giving my wife and dog an excused absence on the walk. Two blocks away from the house the rain let up. As I continued walking on our town’s brand new sidewalk overlooking the Umpqua River, I noticed some movement in a quite backwater. A closer look revealed two pair of exquisite Hooded Mergansers. Few ducks rival the striking pattern of the males, and few females can match the fluffy hairdo of the females. But here I was without my camera! A strong curse and a vow to always always always take the camera were made once again.

Sunrise Send-off

2011-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

This was the sunrise display from our campsite yesterday morning, signaling our last morning. We ended up spending all three nights at the Mill Casino RV Park while we were in Coos Bay because we got such a great deal, 15 dollars a night for full hook-ups plus free Wi-Fi and cable TV! Every day we went birding in a different area, plus did some shopping and then back to the RV Park for the night. We always enjoy staying at the Mill Casino Park, the staff is friendly, the grounds are immaculate, and the location is very convenient for exploring area. We have stayed here many times and will be back again for sure. Check out the TRIP JOURNAL for our stop at Bluebill Lake on the way home.

Millicoma Marsh

2011-11-10T07:06:00.000-08:00

We went birding yesterday morning at the south end of Coos Bay at Millicoma Marsh. I had read about the area in the pamphlet “Oregon Coast Birding Trail”, and it turned out to be an amazing place to bird. The large number and variety of small birds, like sparrows, had us stumped for identification several times. Then there was also the large number of water fowl on the bay. In fact after a quick break for lunch in the motor home we went back with the scope to help us make some positive identifications. We logged a record number of 30 birds, and I was able to add photos of a King Fisher and a Greater Yellowlegs to Cascade Ramblings.

Cape Arago

2011-11-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning while our motor home was being worked on at Porter’s RV we took a fun walk along the Coos Bay waterfront, walked the Boardwalk, visited the Visitors Center, and in general enjoyed the amenities of city life. After lunch we took a driving tour out through Charleston, Sunset Bay State Park, and Cape Arago State Park. At Cape Arago we walked down to an observation point to count some birds. Jeanette shown here, counted 18 Brown Pelicans in formation. We sighted Cormorants, Gulls, and Harlequin Ducks. While walking back to the motor home it started raining. We made a quick retreat into the motor home and luxuriated in the warmth and dry with hot coffee and cookies. This is the thing I don’t think non RV’ers get, and it’s what we get such a kick out of; total comfort anytime where ever you are!

Exploring the North Spit

2011-11-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

We did some exploring of the North Spit of Coos Bay yesterday looking for birds. It was our first time here. After driving the length of the road, we settled on hiking on the South Dike Road out to the beach. It was a little scarce on birds. A small flock of 14 female Red-wing Blackbirds stumped us. Without the tell-tale red on the wing of a male it was confusing to identify what we were seeing. At the beach we spotted two Mew Gulls, winter visitors to our coast and a new addition to my Life List. We later found the settling pond with hundreds of birds which I hope to come back and count on another day. We also stopped at the boat launch where I took a photo of a Horned Grebe. We are visiting the Coos Bay area for a few days, the main reason being to have the computer control box for our slide in the motor home replaced, which is happening today, hoping this solves the mysterious self-actuation problem.

Trip Down Memory Lane

2011-11-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

November weather has given me pause to wonder what I was doing ten years ago. I discovered that ten years ago this past week, on November 3^rd of 2001, Jeanette & I and our friend John Stolting took an eight mile hike in the Olallie Scenic Area. We took the Red Lake Trail stopping at Red Lake, Averill Lake, Wall Lake, and Sheep Lake. Turning up the Potato Butte Trail we stopped at Big Spud and Little Spud Lakes before gaining the summit of Potato Butte. Wow, that was a great trip down memory lane. (Click on any off the underlined destinations for a view of that page.)

Photo Editing

2011-11-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

With the colder damp weather setting in I am spending more time working with my computer files, organizing, editing, deleting and so forth. Today while working on a file of photos taken in 2006 here in Elkton, I came across a good photo of the MonarchButterfly. I had forgotten all about it and had failed to include it in my CRITTERS section. So I added it and also a photo of a Tree Swallow. I’ve decided that I’m going to add a little notice on the TRAILHEAD page of whatever recent photo I have just added. This will give the reader some idea of what’s going on behind the scene as I had new photos.

Hiking or Birding?

2011-11-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

These two kids set out yesterday to see if they could still do a real hike, not just a couple of mile birding walk, but an honest “take your lunch with you” hike. Check the Trip Journal to see how it went.

Western Gray Squirrel

2011-11-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

This Western Gray Squirrel is the latest addition to the squirrel family found in the Critters section. I was surprised when I totaled them up that in the last 10 years I have added 12 different species of squirrels to Cascade Ramblings. My first one was a Douglas Squirrel taken on a cross-country ski trip near the Santiam Pass in December of 2002. I have photographed them in the three states of Oregon, California, and Arizona, and in all kinds of places, from common city and state parks to a remote campsite in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains. As I look at the photos and think back I am struck by the fact that they truly make up a cast of a dozen different characters. You can see them all by using the SEARCH function and typing in the word “squirrel” in the Critters box.

Acorn Woodpecker

2011-10-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

One of the things I enjoy about birding is all the things I continue to learn about birds, even after the original sightings. This is where a good photo is particularly helpful. A week ago I took a photo of an Acorn Woodpecker while at Lake Mendocino in California. Today, while editing photos of the trip I became aware that one of the photos I had taken was of a female Acorn Woodpecker. (notice the black band between the white forehead and the read crown) I previously only had a photo of a male in the Critters section of Cascade Ramblings. Now I have both male and female photos of the Acorn Woodpecker.

Red-tailed Hawk

2011-10-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

This fleeing Red-tailed Hawk is one of the first birds we spotted on a hike we took today. A call yesterday to our friend Eddie Harrod set up this trip, and at his suggestion we started at Cottage Grove’s North Regional Park. We took the paved path that winds through Cottage Grove’s new Disc Golf Course, then skirts along the edge of the Middle Field Golf Course. We had a section we had to endure through houses and businesses, but soon picked up another paved path that took us through the East Region Park where the birds were the most numerous on and around the many ponds. A call to Eddie’s wife Jeannie provided a shuttle for us back to our cars. We ended up with a hike of almost 5 miles and identifying 15 different species of birds.

Great Birding Trip

2011-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

We are back home in Elkton now, concluding our trip down into Northern California. Besides the wedding that was the purpose of the trip, we got to do a lot of birding in some great new places. This photo of a Marbled Godwit was taken during a stop near Eureka California. We were looking for a break from driving, and I recalled a county park I had seen on the map on Humboldt Bay right off Hwy 101 called Fields Landing. We parked the motor home, and while Jeanette made some fresh coffee, I stepped out with Buster and right way noticed a good number of birds. The net result is three new Critter photos for Cascade Ramblings, this MarbledGodwit, a Black-bellied Plover, and a Willet. In all during our trip I was able to add new photos of 9 different species of birds.

Lake Mendocino

2011-10-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

This has turned out to be a really strange stop! We arrived here at Kyen Campground at Lake Mendocino with high hopes, the weather was perfect, warm and sunny, the lake was beautiful, and the campground looked inviting in a wooded setting. But, as we drove through the campground, the occupied sites all appeared to be homeless people, tents and stuff strewn around, and almost no vehicles. We did not have a comfortable feeling. Luckily for us, as we were starting to drive away we stopped to talk with the campground hosts. They assured us it would be alright, some would be leaving, it would be quiet, and offered to help us with a site next to them. I had just got the motor home leveled, and the slide out, when Jeanette started spotting birds. She asked for her binoculars, and then a chair, and that was as far as we got. We were besieged with birds, for the next 45 minutes we identified a dozen species of birds right from our site. Most exciting for us were a number of Oak Titmice, a brand new bird for us. Strange, we were set to drive away, and 15 minutes later we were in a birders paradise. Sort of like 0-60 in 5 seconds.

Novato RV Park

2011-10-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

We picked Novato RV Park to stay in because of its proximity to San Rafael where Tony & Maggie’s wedding was held yesterday. It has worked out well for us as a base of operations to meet with family and attend the wedding. It’s on the pricey side at fifty dollars a night, but it’s been very convenient and has a store, deli, laundry, and free Wi-Fi. Another big plus is its location right next to Rush Creek Open Space, a 522 acre preserve with miles of trails for hiking, running, & cycling, and the Rush Creek Marsh, a huge birding area. You probably got the picture;- - I’ve spent time birding there the last three days, counting hundreds of birds and adding four new birds to my Life List, plus a couple of photos to the Critters section. Tomorrow, we start back north, planning on a first night’s stay at Lake Mendocino.

Ferndale to Cloverdale

2011-10-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was primarily a travel day, didn’t take any photos or do any birding, just drove from Ferndale to Cloverdale, with a stop in Willets for diesel and groceries. It was a pretty route through the redwoods and brought back memories of our bicycle tour from Canada to Mexico 12 years ago on this same route. Here in Cloverdale we are camped at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds, another one of those "under the radar" good RV camping spots. It was 80 degrees when we arrived yesterday afternoon, so we spent some time sitting and relaxing on the shady side of the motor home. Today we move on to Novato to be ready for the big day of Tony & Maggie’s wedding on Saturday. We will be staying in the Novato RV Park and attending the wedding rehearsal dinner tonight. My mistake not a “rehearsal dinner” - - a “Soiree”.

Traffic Delay

2011-10-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

OK, we are used to traffic delays because of road work and bridge construction, but this was a first for us, having to stop and wait for a herd of Elk to cross. We were heading south on Hwy 101 when this incident occured, interesting enough right at the Stone Lagoon Information Center. Luckily, Jeanette had just cleaned the windshield this morning, because I snapped this photo from the driver’s seat. (Remember, you can click on the image to see a larger view.) In spite of the delay we were able to stay on schedule and are set up this afternoon at one of our favorite and usual stops Ferndale, in the Humboldt County Fairgrounds Campground.

This was the main bull.

This cow was the last slow-poke coming across. Notice my Garmin GPS screen in the lower right hand corner. Incidentally, the GPS did not pick up the elk herd.

Who Could Ask for Anything More?

2011-10-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

I can’t imagine asking for anything more than the day we just had. We spent the morning checking out three different National Wildlife Refuges in the Bandon Area. The first one we stumbled on by accident, the Ni-les‘tun Unit of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, which is brand new and has so much potential in the years to come I guarantee you will be returning there again.(check out the Trip Journal) The second one was the Bandon Unit of the BMNWR. We were aware of this one and have stopped before, but we enjoyed spotting birds here and counting. The last of our morning adventure was at Coquille Point a part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Here the scenery is spectacular and we enjoyed seeing hundreds if not thousands of Brown Pelicans on the rock islands. After lunch we drove on down the coast amazed at the warm weather and great views of the coastline. Now this evening we are tucked into this quaint site at the Port of Brookings Harbor Beachside RV Park. As I write the sun is still shinning, it’s warm, our windows are all open, and we are serenaded by the waves breaking on the beach.

Bullards Beach State Park

2011-10-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

Our second night stay is at Bullard’s Beach State Park. This afternoon we went out and visited the Coquille River Lighthouse. That’s Jeanette and Buster sitting in the sun at the base of the lighthouse. As you can see from the photo the weather is fantastic. I think it was 70 degrees in Coos Bay today. I also got some photos of Surf Scoters and a Double-crested Cormorant in the Coquille River estuary. We have given ourselves permission to take a leisurely route to the wedding, and so far it’s working.

The Start of a New Journey

2011-10-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

We are beginning a small journey that will take us down the coast of Oregon and Northern California to the San Francisco area and back. The purpose for our trip is to attend the wedding of Jeanette’s son Tony on Oct 22^st in San Rafael. Our first stop is in this sunny campsite in Eel Creek Campground about 10 miles south of Reedsport. We can’t believe our luck, we are the only campers here, and with my Senior Pass it’s only ten dollars for the night. However it’s always a little hard to choose a campsite when you have so many choices. In the end we just picked a sunny one. It’s a great start for our little journey. (check the Trip Journal for more--)

Change in the Bird Scene

2011-10-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

This Lesser Goldfinch (as well as some American Goldfinches) is one of the birds we have been seeing again at our feeder in good numbers for the first time since last spring. We have also been noticing during our daily walks a good number of American Robins and large numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos that evidently have migrated down from higher elevations. Canada Geese can also be heard daily as their flocks fly over. However, equally noticeable are the birds that have left, the noisy Ospreys, swooping Violet-green Swallows and circling Turkey Vultures, all are gone, migrating south. It is for sure a time of change in the bird populations we watch here in Elkton.

Harvest Time

2011-10-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

This time of year we daily see Steller’s Jays and Western Scrub Jays flying off with oak acorns in their mouths busily harvesting. Today we were caught off guard when a Red-tailed Hawk flew up in front of us carrying something. We watched him perched on a limb for some time, and eventually came to the conclusion that he had a squirrel in his talons. I imagine it went something like this, --- a squirrel busy harvesting acorns failed to notice an approaching Red-tail and became harvested himself.

Faithful Bird Dog

2011-10-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today the weather is a little iffy, and we are still suffering from our colds, so we were standing at our front window doing a little “birding” watching our bird feeder. I set down my binoculars and my bird book in a chair and went to get my camera. When I came back I found Buster in this position with the book and binoculars. Birding paraphernalia always means a walk to him.

A Mouthful

2011-10-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

A single sunflower seed from our feeder makes a mouthful for this Black-capped Chickadee. The last four days have seen a dramatic increase in the number birds we see at our feeder and on our daily walks. Some are grouping up and migrating as was the case with the 103 Turkey Vultures we saw two days ago, but I also have the impression that there is a sense of urgency in the feeding that is going on particularly with the resident birds. With the change in the air to fall it is probably well timed to add as much fat as possible.

Red-shouldered Hawk

2011-10-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have been hearing this bird for the last three days, and it’s been driving me a little crazy. The first day I only heard it, but could not quite remember what it was. The second day I got a quick glimpse of it and recognized it as a Red-shouldered Hawk. We became very familiar with the Red-shouldered Hawk last winter in two different locations in California, San Lorenzo Park in King City, and El Chorro Park in San Luis Obispo. It has a very distinct call of a series of high clear notes. Today just as I was stepping out the door to take Buster for his walk, I heard the call, and then saw the hawk fly to a tree where I was able to identify it for sure and get this photo even though it’s not the greatest. I’m thrilled to be able to add it to my Douglas County sightings.

Brother returns to Civilization

2011-10-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

On September 22 my brother Mark and his wife Holly finished up their epic journey on the Pacific Crest Trail and have returned to their home in Bend. He reports that they hiked 2130 miles from the Mexican border to Washington’s border on the Columbia River. Although they had originally hoped to make the Canadian border, a heavy snow pack, and lack of days forced them to stop short of that goal. I am extremely proud of what they accomplished, and once again they have raised the bar of competition in the Scott Family.

Mountain Chickadee

2011-09-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

We took several bird walks while at Collier Memorial State Park. Yesterday’s walk up Spring Creek produced this photo of a Mountain Chickadee, a rarity for those of us that live west of the Cascades. I was actually able to add three birds to my Life List. Besides this Mountain Chickadee, we also saw a White-headed Woodpecker and in the evening walking along the Williamson River I saw a Fox Sparrow. We came back home to Elkton today ahead of the rains and with hopes to recover from our colds.

Some Office Time

2011-09-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

Jeanette has been suffering from a cold almost our whole trip and today it seems that I have succumbed, so it feels good this morning to stay inside the warm motor home and spend some time working at the computer desk on Cascade Ramblings. We had already decided last night to spend an extra day here at Collier Memorial State Park, so it seems a good fit. Collier is the park we volunteered at last October, we love the area and find it extra enjoyable to be here as campers not workers.

Collier Memorial State Park

2011-09-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

Here is our campsite in Collier Memorial State Park. We arrived at the logging museum area of the park late morning to meet friends Ron & Beverly Noble. While Ron and I wandered through the logging equipment, the girls made lunch. After lunch the Nobles journeyed on and we moved our motor home to the campground. I got out the chairs and we actually sat down to just relax and enjoy the nice weather. We soon noticed bird activity and were pulled into watching, identifying and counting. We counted a dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers that were busy feeding on aphids in the aspen leaves. Most active and entertaining however were the squirrels. Douglas Squirrels chattered away with their squeaky calls high in the tall ponderosas where they were harvesting pine cones. Chipmunks scurried through the campsites looking for left-overs. Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels poked out of their burrows and scampered to boulders to sit in the sun, their bodies fat from a summer of feeding. Ah,-- we may stay another day.

Dan the Man

2011-09-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

We stayed last night in Bend with friends Dan & Charlene Lawry. Dan is show here pointing to the 400 watt inverter he installed today in our View. This will allow us to use our TV and also charge up our computers when not connected to an electrical connection. Which means we will have the freedom to camp in small campgrounds that do not have electrical connections and we will still have all the comforts of life. Dan, you’re the Man!

Tonight we are camped at La Pine State Park, tomorrow we travel on to Collier Memorial State Park and meet up with friends Ron & Bev Noble.

The New View

2011-09-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

This is our new Winnebago View which is proving to be the perfect vehicle for my own new personal view as I shared in yesterday’s post. We are currently camped at Champoeg State Park as a part of a little trip we are taking. We left Elkton Friday taking the back-roads through little towns such as Lorraine and Monroe in route to Rickreall where we planned to stay at the Polk County Fair Grounds for the night. Arriving there we found it full for a special event. No problem, we called my daughter Lisa in Dallas for permission to camp in her drive way. We were in fact going to watch her boys play soccer the next day. After soccer on Saturday we continued on to Champoeg State Park taking the back-roads through French Prairie, roads I have bicycled many times in years past, arriving to find the campground full. Again no problem, we called Jeanette’s cousins Larry and Ginny in nearby Donald to see if we could park in front of his house, which we did and had a great time visiting, walking the historic streets of Donald, having dinner, and watching the Ducks play. Today we came back to Champoeg, and with the crowds of the weekend leaving, easily got a site. This new View (view) is working out pretty good.

Slowing Down

2011-09-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

For the past several years my family and close friends have had to listen to me complain about getting old and slowing down. I have been in an almost constant state of agitation and depression at finding myself no longer having the energy and desire to pursue the fast active life style I once did of fishing, backpacking, skiing, and bicycle touring. In fact, a person who shall remain nameless who sort of serves as my pastor/counselor/friend, suggested over coffee one day that I should make up a list of some of the positive things that are happing to me in my elder years. Are you kidding me??? What is positive about getting old and slowing down? I’ll tell you, nothing! Well, my attitude turned the corner on me this week. I was driving back to Elkton from the Eugene area in our new smaller motor home that we have recently purchased in part because I was getting too old to confidently drive or back up the last huge ten ton beast. I turned off the Interstate at the small town of Goshen to proceed down the old Highway 99. As I turned on to the old two lane highway, my face suddenly broke into a huge smile, I remembered this was the route Jeanette & I had cycled in the fall of 1999 on our way from Canada to Mexico. After Goshen came Creswell where we had a snack, then on south through Saginaw to Cottage Grove where we stopped for lunch, before cycling on to Curtain, through Drain and to Elkton where we camped at the RV Park. (Click here to see Trip Journal) I continued to smile as I drove on past small farms and tired business, 55 mph, then 50, down to 45. I had forgotten at 45 mph you can drive with your window down. And I continued to smile as I thought how this new motor home was just the ticket for enjoying the less traveled roads. Shorter, narrower, with a nimbleness of it handling, it is a joy drive. I’m not just taking about life in the slow lane where the young and energetic zoom by on either side; this is about choosing to get clear off the Interstate, and traveling down the back roads, the country roads, the forgotten places passed by with time. This is about leisure, appreciation, and memories. Ah, yes I’m slowing down, slowing down on purpose, enjoying the journey, and smiling all the way.

Swallow Update

2011-09-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

After being gone from Elkton for three days we are back and did our morning bike ride out Henderer Road this morning. To my astonishment, not a single Violet-green Swallow was seen. The power lines that only a few days ago sagged with the weight of hundreds of birds now were completely bare. Which leads me to conclude in regards to the two questions I pondered in my post before last that this was a collecting site that grew each day until the time was right, or everyone one got there, and now they have all left in-mass.

Minto-Brown Birding

2011-09-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Minto-Brown is one of Salem’s outstanding city parks, and Jeanette and I have enjoyed it for years for hiking, biking, and now birding. Its natural setting with a network of paved paths makes it an easy destination to enjoy the outdoors through all the seasons. We had some free time this morning so we went for a bird walk there. We saw the usual assortment of small birds, lots of Song Sparrows, some Black-capped Chickadees. We also saw quite a few Steller’s Jays that where busy harvesting filberts. They employed a cleaver method of opening the nuts; they would drop them on the path in front of us expecting us to step on them and crush them open. Our most surprising sighting of the day was the Peregrine Falcon shown above.

Massing Swallows

2011-09-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Every morning when we ride out Mehl Creek Road and back we observe a large number of Violet-green Swallows collecting on the power lines. Today I walked out and made an actual count. To my amazement there were over 1,300 swallows. This is an annual event every September at the junction of Mehl Creek and Henderer Roads. It leaves me with a couple of puzzling questions. Is this a collection site where the swallows gather until some critical mass has collected or certain secret migrating date occurs and they all scurry off to Mexico together? Or is this a collecting spot where swallows collect and leave daily? In other words, am I seeing the same birds collecting daily in anticipation of their great migration date? Or am I seeing new birds each day that collect and then fly off together, only to be replaced the next day by birds on their way south from further north?

Always Prepaired

2011-09-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Walking through Elkton this morning we spotted this RV pulling a trailer loaded with a backhoe. Jeanette said, “Hey, you never know when you will need one of those, maybe you will need to dig a latrine.” “Or”, I added, “Maybe you’ll need to level your camping site”. Being RVers we know how important it is to always “be prepaired”. In other words to have with you in your RV what you will need to meet most situations, but I have to admit this struck us as overkill!

Follow Up

2011-09-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

To follow up on yesterday’s post, I did contact the State Police and report the snagging incident, and in fact an officer did call me back later in the day to check with me. I am aware of the public’s perception on the value of reporting. The conversation around the coffee table goes something like this. “Did you call about the snagging?” Someone usually pops off with, “A lot of good that will do.” So I am very happy to report that the police did follow up. This morning I did see and talk with the trooper that called me yesterday. The snaggers from yesterday had not returned but he had been there early just in case and was prepared to make an arrest. It does make a difference to call, they do follow up. The number to call is 1-800-4252-7888.

Patience Snagged and Snapped

2011-09-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Since returning home to Elkton in June, I have begun a daily regimen of bike riding. Five mornings a week at 6:30 I join some other riders and we ride out a quiet road along the Umpqua River for an eleven mile round trip. For the last several weeks when we ride across the bridge we see men attempting to snag salmon. It’s an annual thing, and although illegal, it gets to be accepted as just part of the season. However, this morning on our return trip I noticed they were attempting to snag the fish using a rope and a grappling hook! My patience snapped. I rode on home, got my camera and returned to take some photos. By then the sun was fully up and they had discarded the grappling hook and where using traditional fishing rods to attempt to snag the salmon. “Snag or attempt to snag gamefish” is unlawful. Oh, by the way here is their license plate.

A New Chapter

2011-09-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

First, let me apologize to my faithful readers for the recent lack of posts. We have been way too busy with several things, one of which was trading for a new smaller motor home. It seems that since making the decision in June, to give up volunteering at state parks and such, that our Holiday Rambler coach was overkill. We no longer needed an RV that we could live in for months at a time, but instead needed something that would work a little better for short trips, be easier to drive, cheaper to operate, and allow us to camp in the smaller sites of national forest campgrounds. We ended up with this 2010 Winnebago View which has an economical diesel engine, is 7 feet shorter in length, a foot and a half shorter in height, and a foot narrower. It’s also 5 tons lighter, and should get two to three times better mileage. So, we begin a new chapter in our lives, one in which we hope will involve lots of short trips to ramble around in the great outdoors in comfort appropriate for two elderly persons.

Heading North

2011-08-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

I normally limit myself to one blog a day, but there is so much going on with my brother Mark and his wife Holly on their epic journey of the Pacific Crest Trail that I have to post again today. After spending last night in Klamath Falls I took them up to catch the PCT near Fish Lake. They are shown here in the morning sun starting their next section which will take them 50 miles north to Crater Lake in the next three days. At Crater Lake they will receive their support package of food that Jeanette sent ahead several days ago. From Crater Lake they will continue North to their next take out point at Elk Lake where they will get off the trail for a few days at home in Bend. Will they get back on the trail??? Mark is now hoping to get as far as the Columbia Gorge this season. Their original goal of the Canadian border will probably have to wait for another year, hopefully one with less snow.

California Finished!

2011-08-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

With this section of the Pacific Crest Trail in Castle Crags State Park, my bother Mark and his wife Holly have finished up the PCT in California. With all the extra snow this season they have been forced to “flip-flop” on the trail and do sections of the trail out of order. Earlier in the trip they had gotten off the trail in Southern California and came up to Oregon and hiked south from Lake of the Woods to Etna Pass, then got a ride to Dunsmuir bypassing the Russian Wilderness and the Trinity’s, and then hiked south to Burney Falls. After several more “flip-flops”, which I will not attempt to remember or explain, this section from Etna Pass to Castle Crags was the last of the PTC in California to finish. This leaves them with a sense of accomplishment, having hiked 1,700 miles since leaving the Mexican border in April. You can follow them on thier blog on Post Holer.

Sea Gulls

2011-08-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

“There is no such a thing as a Sea Gull”, I always tell my students when I’m leading bird walks in the winter along the Lower Colorado River in Arizona, “there are however many other different kinds of Gulls”. Two completely different looking gulls are shown here in this photo I took Thursday at the coast on Winchester Bay. The larger one in the background is our very common Western Gull, the smaller darker one in the foreground is a Heerman’sGull. The next time you go to the beach, don’t assume you are just looking at sea gulls, take a closer look and note some differences, and you may be surprised at what you find.

Hooded Mergansers

2011-08-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Mystery Bird turned out to be a juvenile Hooded Merganser. I have now spotted and photographed these birds for four days, and after hours of research I am confident in my identification. The adult male Hooded Merganser is very dramatic in his plumage, so it’s quite a stretch of the imagination to think these non-hooded juveniles are the same, but they are. Another fact that makes this identification unusual is that they are normally nest further north.

Mystery Bird

2011-08-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

The following three photos are of an unfamiliar bird I have not been able to identify. I have seen and photographed it on the Umpqua River at Elkton for the last three days. If anyone has a clue, please leave a comment or send me e-mail.

Least Sandpiper

2011-08-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

I’ve been scratching my head for several weeks for locations in Douglas County where I would be able to find new species of birds to add to my eBird List. And, wouldn’t you know it, that location now appears to be right under my nose! For the second day in a row the Umpqua River right in front of our city park, the Alfred Tyson Park, has given me a brand new species. Yesterday it was the Spotted Sandpiper; today it was a Least Sandpiper. When I saw this small bird today I started taking photos and just assumed it was the same sandpiper as yesterday. When I got home and looked closer I realized it was a different species. That is when the detective work began and I checked the bird guides and looked for clues as to what I had seen. After much deliberation I finally am satisfied that what I photographed is a juvenile Least Sandpiper.

Spotted Sandpiper

2011-08-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

Doing daily walks around Elkton for Buster and bird watching I repeatedly see the same species every day, so whenever I get to see a new bird, I consider it a real gift. This was the case with this Spotted Sandpiper feeding in the Umpqua River. At first sighting I was ready to dismiss it as another Killdeer. When I took a closer look with the binoculars I realized it did not have the facial pattern for a Killdeer, but I was unclear what it was, so I continued to watch it. Then it turned to me and I noticed the telltale spotted breast, and as I continued to watch I saw the trade mark tipping back and forth that made it a positive identification of a Spotted Sandpiper, a first for me in Douglas County.

Wandering Tattler

2011-08-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

My habit every morning is to check my status on the Internet site eBird. This morning when I looked I saw to my great surprise that my most recent addition from the day before was supposedly a “Wandering Tattler”. What the heck, I thought, has someone hacked by account? Oh, I get it, a little joke, not the Cascade Rambler, but the Wandering Tattler. I yelled for Jeanette, we began brainstorming on who would do such a thing. The list is pretty short, I only know two people on eBird. The duties of the morning took me away from the computer, and it was after lunch before I got back to the problem. First order of business, contact eBird and see who did it. Then I remembered that eBird had sent out a warning notice last week that August was when they review all the names of birds and because some names change we should all be looking at our bird list. Relieved, I explained to Jeanette the probable answer. So then the question was what bird had its name changed? I closely checked the computer trip list against my paper list and discovered that the missing bird on the computerized eBird list was a Western Tanager. Oh, did Western Tanager get changed to Wandering Tattler. I pulled up the form that I use to fill in my sightings, scrolled down the list to “Tanager, Western”, it’s still there. But just below on the next line I notice – “Tattler, Wandering”! Evidently when I entered my list on the day before I had clicked on the wrong line, so nobody hacked my account, nobody is trying to call me a Wandering Tattler; I’m still the Cascade Rambler.

Unusual Sighting

2011-08-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday Jeanette and I went birding at the Elkton Community Education Center. Almost right away Jeanette spotted what at a distance looked to be some kind of unusual heron. Upon closer examination she determined it was no less than the Great Rusted Heron. Luckily I was able to get a photo to be able to verify her finding.

Pigeon Guillemot

2011-08-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

It’s getting harder and harder to find new birds to add to my Douglas County eBird list, but on Friday’s trip to Winchester Bay we did actually add two more species, one of which was this colorful Pigeon Guillemot. The other bird was a couple of juvenile Heermann’s Gulls, but I failed to get a photo of them. A good number of the Pigeon Guillemots were hanging around the piers with Western Gulls, and Double-crested and Pelagic Cormorants. I think they were all looking for stray pieces of crab bait from the crowd of crabbers lined up along the pier.

No Picture

2011-08-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

On the way to the coast yesterday in a quest of finding some new birds, I was discussing the idea with Jeanette how I actually now needed two pair of binoculars when I am birding, one to see birds close at hand with a low magnification, and a more powerful pair to spot birds at a greater distance. The down side would be one more thing I would have to carry. Suddenly I had a brainstorm, what I really needed was a bird caddy; you know like a golfer, I could use a caddy. The caddy could carry several pairs of binoculars and hand me the appropriate one to meet the situation. Maybe a tripod with a spotting scope too. The caddy could also carry several birding guides that again would be close at hand for me. If the caddy had a sharp eye, they could call out the position of bird in a nearby tree or bush. Of course the caddy would be able to hand me my camera when I needed it, carry some snacks and water. I guess Jeanette didn’t quite get the picture----her response was---“in your dreams!”

Feeding Time

2011-08-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is yet another juvenile demanding to be fed by its mother! They are everywhere right now. This is a juvenile Common Yellowthroat, but we also saw a number of juvenile Spotted Towhees, and American Goldfinches, all acting like, well, juveniles. The first female Common Yellowthroat we saw this morning was difficult to identify, but later we saw one with a male, and there was no question. The male Common Yellowthroat’s contrasting colors are anything but common. A few minutes later after firming up our identification we were lucky enough to see some feeding juveniles and I got this photo.

Worn-out Chickadee?

2011-08-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

It was such a quiet morning when we were leaving to take Buster for a walk, that I was going to leave my bird paraphernalia; binoculars, bird guide, and camera at home. But just as I stepped out the door, the cheerful song of the Chickadee caught my attention, and then it proceeded to fly up to the post of the feeder. I went back in and got my camera and took this photo. I was a little puzzled as to why this Chestnut-backed Chickadee looked so bedraggled. My first idea was a juvenile, but they usually have a plump well fed look to them. When I looked it up in my “Sibley Guide to Birds”, he shows a “Worn adult”. I’m going with that. In my mind I can easily imagine a worn out adult, tired of chasing bugs for its young ones, and tired of trying to get them to leave the nest and fly off on their own.--- Tired and worn-out.

Buster and Birding

2011-08-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

We took Buster for a long walk out Schad Road this morning as far as Elk Creek Ranch in search of birds. He was enthusiastically met by one of the ranch dogs that was very anxious to make his acquaintance. Birding however, for us was far less exciting. It seems to be a quiet time of year for birds. Gone are the wonderful spring songs of the males seeking to entice their mates, silence now fills these cool overcast mornings, giving the impression that the birds may still be asleep. We did see hundreds of Violet-green Swallows congregating on power lines, amassing for their migration to the south. I’m feeling that it’s going to be a long wait until October for the fresh influx of migrating birds from the north.

South Lane Birders

2011-08-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

I went birding this morning at Lynx Hollow State Park with the South Lane Birders. It was a very calm morning, pretty much a bust for birds. The five of us could only come up with nine different species in two hours of birding. We saw the following:

1.  Chipping Sparrow (1)
2.   Western Wood-Pewee (3)
3.   Purple Finch (2)
4.   Cedar Waxwing (4)
5.    Spotted Towhee (3)
6.    Great Blue Heron (1)
7.    Turkey Vulture (1)
8.    Canada Goose (14)
9.     Song Sparrow (1)

Screeching Cooper's Hawk

2011-08-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

Continuing on the theme of juveniles----we are seeing them everywhere right now. We stopped today for a picnic lunch in Salem’s Bush Park. Our lunch was interrupted with some loud screeching calls. Jeanette got my binoculars and camera out of the car and we went to have a closer look. What we found were two juvenile Cooper’s Hawks up in the oak trees loudly protesting or I should say demanding more food I would imagine. Again, juveniles are tricky to identify because their plumage is nothing like the adult plumage, so it took us some time to come up with a positive identification.

Juvenile Behavior

2011-07-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

The last two mornings we have been birding at the Elkton Community Education Center, and we have observed a large number of juvenile birds. It’s that time of year when most of the birds have hatched, but the juveniles are still hanging around close by. Because their plumage is quite often different than the plumage they will have as an adult, it sometimes is challenging to make identification. One of the identifying clues that we have begun to pick-up on is their odd behavior. Although in most cases they are the same size as their parents, they are not out forging on their own yet. They can be seen hanging around the nesting area, waiting, even demanding to be fed. In fact, they usually act a pretty goofy. This juvenile Red-winged Blackbird in the photo is one of four we spotted in a Douglas Fir this morning. They hadn’t seemed to have figured out yet about predators. They seemed content to goof off in the tree and were more concerned about preening their feathers than gainfully being employed in searching out their own food. Remind you of any teen-agers you might know or have known?

North Umpqua Trail

2011-07-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

At the invitation of our neighbors Lyle and Stephanie Schnabel, we took a trip up the North Umpqua River on Friday to visit with them and their extended family and friends who are camping at the Eagle RockCampground. In talking with them we discovered that every year for the past some forty summers they have met and camped together here on the North Umpqua. Quite a wonderful tradition. While in the area, Jeanette and I decided to hike a little bit on the famed North UmpquaTrail. We did just a short section of the Marsters Segment, from the bridge to the junction of the Illahee Flats Trail, as the afternoon heat quickly took its toll on us.

Wild Mare Horse Trail

2011-07-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

We are back home in Elkton now and all caught up in our daily routines of morning bike rides, Buster/bird walks, and all the normal household chores, so I sort of forgot to report on our last day at Bluebill Lake. On Sunday Morning we took a different route to the beach by using the Wild Mare Horse Trail. From our camping site at Bluebill Campground we walked over to Wild Mare Campground and then took the Wild Mare Horse Trail to Horsfall Beach. The horses’ hooves had chewed up the sand pretty good making hiking a little slow. Birding was only fair, but the mosquitos we outstanding along the trail. Buster arrived back home with double or maybe even triple the number of mosquito bites compared to our bird sightings.

iBird Explorer Western

2011-07-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here is an App I highly recommend if you have an iTouch, iPhone, or iPad. The original iBird Pro was 29.95 and included Hawaii & Alaska, now there is a Western version that lists for only 9.95---but is currently on sale through the rest of the month through iTunes for 6.95! I’ve been using this App for the last several days and am very impressed. There are both painted images and photos, and lots and lots of information. There are four different displays to choose from for browsing, bird songs, and a seamless connection to the Internet for additional information. I originally choose the Sibley’s App which I have used for the last year or so, but now this App I find has much more to offer.

Baby Swallows

2011-07-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

After we got setup in our campsite at Bluebill Lake Campground on Friday afternoon we took Buster for a walk to nearby Horsfall Beach. When we got to the Horsfall Beach parking lot I was surprised to see some Barn Swallows swooping through the area. The Horsfall Beach parking lot is a very busy area, crammed with RV’s, trailers, and off-road-vehicles it looks something like a circus or a refugee camp. The din of people, unmuffled sand bikes and quads is everywhere. But there are no barns, or buildings of any kind for Barn Swallows to make their nest on as far as the eye can see. But wait; there is a concrete restroom building. When I investigated a little closer I found several empty nests and this occupied nest tucked in under the eaves on the back side. These baby Barn Swallows sit patiently waiting for the next bug from their parents

Morning Sun

2011-07-23T08:25:00.001-07:00

This is the morning sun coming into our site at Bluebill Campground this morning. In my last post I said we would be coming back; you might not have imagined it would be this soon, but as we were driving away from Bluebill Lake on Wednesday we were already making plans to return. Friday morning we packed up the motor home and drove back over here to Bluebill Lake to spend three nights. The campground was completely empty when we arrived, so we got to choose any site we wanted. It has remained quiet with only a few campers drifting in last night. We had perfect weather here yesterday afternoon and it looks to be the same for the next few days. We are looking forward to lots of birding and enjoying the good weather,---Elkton was going to be too hot, you know in the high eighties.