First Swans of the Season

Jeanette photographing swans

Rainy days have forced us to do our birding from the van. It's warm and dry inside the van.  You sit up much higher than in the car, making it easier to spot birds.  And if I'm honest, I don't have to walk, which is still a problem for me due to back pain.

Yesterday morning, we choose to visit Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge in hopes of finding some swans that Jeanette had spotted flying at a distance two days ago. Tundra Swans had been reported to eBird last week at Parvipes Marsh.  Most of the Refuge is closed off for breeding birds from Oct 1 through March 31, so you can't really hike there to get a look at them.   You can, however, get a distant view of Parvipes Marsh from Smithfield Road. This was our plan, and the photo at the top shows Jeanette doing her best to get a photo from that great distance.  

Below is one of the photos showing 6 of the 26 swans she was able to count. Notice the tall swan on the right, which presents a dilemma for us.  Could it be a Trumpeter Swan?  The trouble is that no one has reported a Trumpeter this season this far South yet. The smaller Tundra Swans arrive here from the North earlier than the Trumpeters.  The closest Trumpeters that have been spotted so far this year are at Ridgefield NWR in Washington. Do we get bold, and risk being corrected?     

 

Thursday's Bird Watch

I photographed this Anna's Hummingbird female at our balcony juice feeder last week from my office window.  Several of our residents have excitedly reported to have hummingbirds back at their feeders. This after a summer of hummingbirds not being around. So where were they? I honestly don't know for sure.  Perhaps they were dispersed throughout a larger area taking advantage of all the summer flowers available.  No need to hang around juice feeders.  Or maybe they sort of left the area because of all the construction of the roof replacement on the Apartment building and the siding on the Lodge building.  Now with construction over, and the flowers of summer finished, they are back and interested in our feeders.  Whatever the reasons, I know we are all happy to have them back at our feeders.  And that reminds me it's important to continue feeding through the upcoming winter months.  Anna's Hummingbirds were originally limited to California, but their range has extended north, due to the appeal of year around gardens and feeders.  Now they are year around residents, and dependent on our help for subsistence.    
 

Lyons City Park

Yesterday we drove to Lyons Oregon to an old favorite birding site of ours, Lyons City Park.  We discovered this park in December of 2013.  Despite bitter cold weather and snow, we enjoyed our experience and knew we would be back, in fact I checked, and we have been back 34 times! The park is made up of abandoned log ponds. On this day we were completely surprised to discover major upgrades.  Now there is a paved and striped parking lot, a new restroom, and cement walkways. 

We had driven in fog from Dallas, thru Salem and up the Santiam Canyon to arrive in bright sunshine and brilliant fall colors. I couldn't get my gear together and out the door of the van faster enough. We started a quick bird list for Lyons City Park and walked down the path to the third pond which crosses over to the ponds of the John Neal Memorial Park. 

We started a new bird list here for John Neal Park and walked on.  John Neal Park and campground are closed for the winter, but you can walk through it on foot. We choose a shorter path because of my continuing back pain. Returning to the van, we enjoyed a lunch of hot tomato soup and tuna fish and crackers, while listening to the high-pitched calls of the American Widgeon on the pond. It would be impossible to have had any more fun.  

 

    

Thursday's Bird Watch!

While driving through Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge on Smithfield Road last week, we came across this Great Egret in a private pond just across the road from the entrance to Van Duzer Vineyards.  Great Egrets are about the same size as the much more common Great Blue Heron, but easily identified by pure white plumage.  Two smaller egrets, the Cattle Egret and the Snowy Egret are not normally seen in this part of Oregon.  It is only in recent decades that the Great Egret can now be seen here in the Willamette Valley year around.  In addition to being spotted in the shallow water of our ponds and rivers, they can also be seen on bare field "mousing". 

 

Mt Fir Park - Independence

A wonderful morning of birding at Mt. Fir Park in Independence.  

Here is the link to our bird list

 

California Scrub Jay

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Anna's Hummingbird

Thursday's Bird Watch!

The Western Meadowlark is Oregon's State Bird.  However, due mainly to urban sprawl their numbers have radically declined here in the Willamette Valley. Fortunately for us at Dallas Retirement Village we are only minutes away from the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, and there within the hundreds of acres of protected habitat the Western Meadowlarks are flourishing. This photo was taken while hiking the Rich Guadagno Trail on October 10th.  Their sweet piercing song rings out clear, and always puts a smile on my face.  I was lucky enough to catch this Meadowlark in mid-song.

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.