Thursday's Birdwatch!

This is a Red-shouldered Hawk, photographed on January 3rd in the Dallas City Park. Do not confused this with the more common larger Red-tailed Hawk.  The Red-shouldered Hawk is a somewhat recent arrival to Oregon, having expanded its range northward in the last four decades.  We have observed them here in the Dallas City Park and along the Rickreall Creek Trail System from the first of September thru the middle of May, which brings up the question where do they go in the summertime during breeding and nesting season?  I suspect they go to more remote locations in the coast range. I have no evidence, but it is my best guess.

In an update from last week's article on the Bald Eagle; Dallas Retirement Village resident, Judy Widmer, went in search of the Bald Eagle's nest. She texted me for confirmation on the location before locating it herself. Which brings up a point, if you have questions, feel free to text me at 541-670-9189.

 - Jim Scott  
 

Thursday's Bird Watch!

It's almost a given that you can see Bald Eagles at nearby Basket Slough National Wildlife Refuge, especially if you drive down Smithfield Rd. where this nest is located.  The female is shown at the nest in this photo, and the male is on a limb off to the side in the same tree. It's impossible to miss the giant Cottonwood tree this nest is in on the South side of Smithfield Rd., East of Livermore Rd. Bald Eagle pairs continue to use the same nest year after year, so we will be watching this nest as we did last year.  This photo was taken on December 31, and on that day we saw a total of 8 Bald Eagles at Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.
 

Thursday's Bird Watch!

This is a Mourning Dove which is our native dove.  The other common dove to be seen here at Dallas Retirement Village is a Eurasian Collared-Dove, a non-native introduced species. They are easy to tell apart, the Mourning Dove lacks the black collar on the neck of the Eurasian Collared-Dove.   In addition, the Mourning Dove is a light tan color, and the Eurasian Collared- Dove is a light grey color.  In general, the Eurasian Collared-Dove is seen more often here at DRV, so we were surprised and pleased when we saw four Mourning Doves together the day took this photo on December 24th here at DRV. 

Final Bird of The Year

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Yesterday we took off in the van for a day of birding at Baskett Slough NWR.  It is a favorite way of ours to bird in bad weather.  We turn on the furnace and enjoy the warmth and comfort of the seats as we locate and photograph birds. We were parked enjoying our lunch at the Morgan Lake parking lot, when a man pulled up in a pickup and walked over to talk with us.  It was Ken Chamberlain, a well-known and experience birder.  He recognized our van. As we chatted about birds, he mentioned that he had found the rare, Black-crowned Night-Heron at the Sheridan South Side Park. We had looked for it a couple of weeks ago but had failed to find it.  He explained exactly where he had found it, so we said our goodbyes and traveled on to Sheridan. Arriving at the first pond, we searched the water line on the far side and grassy banks to no avail. I asked Jeanette for a cup of coffee. She went back to the stove to boil water and make coffee and asked ME to find a photo so she would know what we were looking for.  While I was looking for an image of the Back-crowned Night-Heron, she brought up my coffee, picked-up her binoculars and exclaimed, "there it is".  With her instructions, I proceeded to locate it and take some photos. It's a juvenile, so not the distinct black and white coloring that we are familiar with from our years in Southern California and Arizona. We were thrilled to have our last bird of the year to be this special, Black-crowned Night Heron.     

 

Birding at Buena Vista

Historic Buena Vista is probably best known now days for the ferry that transports people and vehicles across the Willamette River, one of the few still operating. Right next door to the ferry landing is the Buena Vista Polk County Park.  The recent renovation of paved parking lots and roadways, and the addition of a concert riverside sidewalk, all make for easy travel, particularly with a walker.  We tested this out on Tuesday. Parking the van at the upper parking lot was easy.  The paved road to the lower parking lot and boat ramp, all though steep, worked well. and the concrete sidewalk put us riverside and right next to some shrubbery filled with a flock of American Goldfinches. The park has been a favorite over the years, and I think in particular because of the river location we have seen a great variety of birds. It was exciting to find it very easy to bird using my walker.  We will be returning. Here is our bird list.
 

Thursday's Bird Watch!

Keeping track of the Anna's Hummingbirds in The Lodge Central Courtyard here at Dallas Retirement Village is becoming an obsession of mine, especially because I am convinced, we have a courtship going on.  The male that I featured last week continues to guard the territory from a dogwood tree in the north-east corner of the courtyard.  This week I am showing a photo of the female.  She prefers to perch in the third tree over in the south-east corner of the corner of the courtyard.  Notice they both seem to enjoy perching in the dogwood trees on the Christmas lighting wires.  In today's photo, taken on December 19th the female's posture seems to suggest she is anticipating a visit from the male. 

Window Birding Station

I have discovered a new favorite bird watching location, and it is right here in the Dallas Retirement Village. From our apartment in The Lodge, the view looks down into the Central Courtyard to the fountain which is encircled with dogwood trees. I can sit comfortably, without pain, in my walker and use my binoculars and camera to observe and document bird life. The dogwood trees have been used by Anna's Hummingbirds to nest in for the past three years. Currently, there is a lot of action going on with the hummingbirds as they determine territory and mates. When that is settled, hopefully the female will build a nest. Will she use a previous one, or build a new one? I will be watching.