October 14, 1805

 Over two hundred years ago today, on October 14, 1805, Lewis & Clark with the Corps of Discovery were battling the rapids of the Clearwater River. One of their dugouts struck a rock and overturned. They lost some of their trade goods, a precious commodity that paid for food, labor, information, and services along their journey. They still had two more days to go before reaching the mighty Columbia River. They would be the first white men to ever see it east of the Cascade Mountains. They were however not done with rapids; they still would have the dangerous Celilo Falls to deal with.   

Short Walks for Big Day

Yesterday was October Big Day, a Global Day of Bird Counting by eBird. If you are a reader of this blog, you know that I have been suffering from debilitating back and hip pain that affects my standing and walking. And you will remember that I had some spinal injections to decrease the pain. That helped for the first day, but since then I have had to continue to take a great number of pills to maintain any level of comfort. The bottom line is that our bird walking milage has dropped to a minimum.  So, to participate in eBird's October Big Day, we put together a trip to the coast that had three stops with "short" walks.

 

Salmon River Estuary

This is essentially a rest-area on Fraser Rd just off of coastal Highway 101. It has nice, paved parking, a restroom and a short trail with a view across the Salmon River Estuary. We make it a habit to take a quick stop here on most trips to the Lincoln City area. On-foot milage on this stop was 0.13 miles.

Bird List

Sand Point Park

Sand Point Park is a Lincoln City Park hidden away on the East side of Devils Lake. It's small with parking for only six cars.  On this day boat racing was underway making birds scarce. Our walk here was so short that eBird considered it as a Stationary Count. Bird List

 

Siletz Keys

Siletz Keys is a part of the Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Here is where we hit the jackpot for the day.  We discovered this "new to us" eBird Hotspot last month. It is visited by very few birders, but its location on the edge of the bay makes for a great variety of birds. Our milage on this short loop trail was 0.25 miles. Bird List

  

Thursday's Bird Watch!

 I enjoy watching Acorn Woodpeckers, they always have something going on in their lives.  They also can be very chatty.  In this case there seems to be a dispute between a mother and her child.  I suspect the juvenile male on the right is demanding to be fed by the female, presumably his mother, on the left.  I love her stubborn look in her effort to ignore his demands.  This photo was taken in Ballston County Park on September 28th. 

Sheridan South Side Park

 Our birding experience started out yesterday at Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, but the fog was so bad we gave up and headed west for some clear skies and sunshine.  We found both by driving west on Highway 22 and made a stop at Buell County Park on Mill Creek.  Our best bird there was hearing a Great Horned Owl.  Jeanette put together a lunch from supplies in the van, and we sat at a picnic table hoping to hear the owl again, which we did not.  On a whim we drove over to check out Sheridan South Side Park and Fishing Pond. Here we were astonished to find the former pot-holed mud and gravel parking lot was completely replaced by a brand-new asphalt lot with striped parking and a restroom.  Also, a new asphalt trail completely circles the pond, replacing the former muddy path. These are major improvements and will certainly bring us back this fall and winter to watch and photograph waterfowl. 

Thursday's Bird Watch !

 

Last week while the Village Birders were riding the bus to the Emile Marx - Lloyd Strange Fishing Hole, a number of large birds were spotted in the field along Rogers Road.  I recognized them as unusual enough that I asked Lane to turn the bus around and go back to get a closer look.  There were four birds, two of which were clearly Red-tailed Hawks. Unsure of the other two I took this photo, guessing they might be Rough-legged Hawks. When I got home and downloaded the photos into my laptop, I realized that I was wrong.  After more checking and scrutiny, I settled on the light morph of a Red-tailed Hawk, and specifically because of the total white breast, a juvenile.  This bird is so unusual that it has been ten years since I have photographed a juvenile light-morph Red-tail Hawk.    
 

Pain Progress

Close family and friends know that for the past six months or more I have been dealing with debilitating back pain that has curtailed my ability to walk. It has completely engulfed my life. A regimen of pills, patches and support band have failed to keep ahead of the downward spiral of increasing pain.  X-rays and MRIs have shown degeneration of the lower spine in the lumbar area and stenosis of the nerve that leads to my hips and legs.  

Yesterday afternoon I was finally able to receive a procedure of injections from the Salem Pain and Spine Specialist. I came home in a fog. After eating dinner and watching the news, I went to bed and saw the start of the Vice Presidents debate. I saw the candidates shake hands, the interviewers introduced, and then I guess it was lights out.  At midnight I woke up to take a pee and took a pill more less out of habit. Back in bed I realized I could turn over without pain.  I lay there the rest of the night thinking of all the trips we could take in the van and trails we could explore to seek out birds. It was as though my brain was again awake and enthused to embrace my former life. This morning, I was able to walk the halls pain free as we went for our morning workout, and then coffee and newspaper downstairs in the lobby. 

Now is a wait and see time.  How long will the treatment last?  Is it only temporary?  Is there something more that will have to be done?  In the meantime, I am going to enjoy as many as possible of a new/old relative pain free days as I can.    
 

Birding Turner Lake

 Hidden away next to Kings Valley Highway and just south of Highway 22, is a private reservoir named Turner Lake.  Although shown on the eBird map as a Hotspot, access is controlled by the Oregon Fishing Club. The Village Birders from Dallas Retirement Village were fortunate enough to have the services of Tim Johnson of Santiam Flycasters and also Salem Audubon, provide access and guide us on a bird walk around the lake. Fog hampered our view, but with the help of our Merlin phone apps we were able to identify 27 different species.  Eventually the sun won out over the fog, and we actually were able to see some of our birds. A big thanks to Tim, and also to Lane our bus driver. Here is the link to our bird list.