Thursday, July 25, 2024
Thursday's Bird Watch
Wild Turkeys have found their way back to Dallas Retirement Village! A number of residents have reported seeing them in the past several weeks, but we didn't ge a chance to see them until the morning of July 17th, and that was only because Mary Ransier, better known as "Front Desk Mary", tipped us off as to their location. This is the momma Turkey and one of seven of her juveniles, known as "poults". Hopefully more DRV residents will get a chance to watch this family as the mother continues to guide her poults around and through the yards of Dallas Retirement Village.
Sunday, July 21, 2024
Yaquina Meander
Chitwood Bridge
We soon ventured off the modern route of Hwy 20, and onto the old route which next took us through Eddyville where Little Elk Creek joins the Yaquina River. There the route gets interesting as the highway parallels the historic Oregon Pacific Railroad and hugs the Yaquina River on its meandering way to join the Yaquina Bay at Toledo.
Our next stop was Chitwood Bridge, a revisit of our trip in May. Conveniently it was time for lunch, so we set up our chairs in the shade with a view of this historic covered bridge across the Yaquina River. I had a chat with the neighbor that actually owns this little viewpoint. He maintains this out of the goodness of his heart for people to enjoy for a day visit. Overnight parking is not allowed due to past problems of trash and theft.
We next joined the main route of Highway 20 for a short stint before turning left over the hill to reconnect with the Yaquina and the railroad. It's a gravel road. I recommend a slow pace as you continue on and eventually you will be rewarded with the hamlet of Elk City and the Elk City County Park. This is where Big Elk Creek joins the Yaquina, and at 22.5 from Yaquina Bay is I believe the head of tidewater.
Continuing along the Yaquina River, we made a stop in the shade at Cannon Quary Park and a look for birds. We had been tipped off by the Chitwood Bridge viewpoint owner that Toledo was having their Summer Festival and would be crammed. It was a godsend because arriving at Toledo we discovered an impossible crowd. So, it was on to Paddle Park for a little recovery stop and a bit of pondering our options for the night. We ended up at Boiler Bay State Wayside, and a quiet night except early morning thunder, lighting, wind and rain.
Refreshed, we headed home to unpack and plan the next adventure,
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Thursday's Bird Watch
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Places We Love to Bird - Lent Slough Trail
We first discovered this quiet hidden trail in June of 2021. It was an instant favorite which we have returned to many times. The trail takes you into lush coastal forest along the edge of Lent Slough off the Alsea Bay in Waldport. The quietness gives you a sense of remoteness that belies the proximity to the hustle and bustle of busy Highway 101 and the madness of tourism.
Yesterday, we were able to share it with our good with friends Michael and Melissa Garguilo. They now live in Lincoln California, but at one time we all lived in Elkton Oregon. They called us the other day and let us know they are vacationing in Waldport Oregon, so Jeanette and I planned a day to get together with them and do some birding on the Lint Slough Trail and share some lunch. Here is our eBird Observation List.
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Thursday's Bird Watch
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Sand Point Park
A string of triple digit temperatures in the Willamette Valley motivated us to break away for an overnighter at the Oregon Coast, where temperatures were 20 to 30 degrees cooler. We left Dallas around nine in the morning on Tuesday and were back home the next morning by eight. We wedged this in between a Physical Therapy appointment on Tues morning and a Fitness Class at Dallas Retirement Village on Wednesday morning. The highlight of our trip was Sand Point Park. A small hidden away park on the eastside of Devils Lake. It only has room to park about six cars, and we enjoyed having the park to ourselves to lunch on a picnic table and watch for birds. It was kind of sandwiched into the middle of our day, stopping on the way to bird at Van Duzer Rest Area, and the Salmon River Estuary before Sand Point, and after lunch at D River Open Space, Devil's Lake State Park, and Cutler City Wetlands. Our overnight parking space was at Chinook Winds Casino in the upper parking area, a dependable quite location. My first trip driving since my shoulder surgery on May 28th, it was a real lift to my spirits.
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Places We Love to Bird - Rickreall Creek Trail
The Rickreall Creek Trail System runs through our small community of Dallas, Oregon. When completely developed, eight different sections will connect to form a continuous stream-side trail. It makes a perfect birding location for us as we rotate through the various sections to meet our whim of the moment. In all, we have identified 110 different species of birds in 165 trips and provided 71 photos to eBird.
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