Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Acorn Woodpecker female

Acorn Woodpecker male

On this last day of the year of 2022, I have been looking back on the year and other years, at bird trips and blog posts, and it's obvious that birding has become the central focus of my life. Every day, with very few exceptions, I am out counting birds, photographing, and submitting observation lists to eBird.org. Each week I write an article about birds for Looking Ahead, the weekly newsletter for the Dallas Retirement Village. This last week, the final article for the year, featured this pair of Acorn Woodpeckers, photographed here at DRV on December 21st. They are striking birds with an almost clown like appearance. It's been a tough year or more for them.  Their neighboring habitat was destroyed when 99% of the oak trees were removed to make room for a new housing development. I had last seen them on May 19th, 2020, so I was pleased and excited to see them again in our neighborhood. This morning as I write this post, I am thinking and looking back on our world situation, filled with so much turmoil, division and destruction, and yet life still persists. Perhaps it's possible to look ahead and take hope we can find a way to live in harmony and cooperation.     

 

      

 

Winter Birding

Jeanette listening for birds with her iPhone

Winter birding is all about looking for warmth and sunshine.  Yesterday we chose the Oregon Coast, a few degrees warmer, the sun brighter, and the air a little clearer than the Willamette Valley where we live. Specifically, we went to our current standby, the Alder Island Trail in the Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Lincoln City.  The leafless trees now make for a baren woods devoid of color but do make the birds a little easier to see.

 

Possibly the best bird of the day, the elusive Hermit Thrush

A first for us at this location, a Common Loon

  

The ever-dependable Great Blue Heron

Here is the link to our complete Observation List.

 

Cold Weather Birding

Jeanette checking a pond on Perrydale Rd.

With the recent continuing cold weather, we have changed-up our birding practice from walking in the freezing outdoors to the comforts of our Winnebago camping van.  We have used it a number of times recently and discovered it is a very comfortable option. We turn on the furnace, have snacks and hot beverages at hand, and a potty for any emergency needs. In addition, the van sits up higher than a car, and the large windshield provides a great view. We are fortunate that we live in Dallas, a rural community, surrounded with miles of country roads to explore. Below are some bird photos taken yesterday from the van while driving along Myers Rd.

Killdeer

American Robin

Wison's Snipe

Red-tailed Hawk

 

 

Return to Toledo

Toledo Waterfront Park and Pavilion

Toledo was not our destination when we left home in the van yesterday morning.  It was cold and foggy in Dallas, and we were looking for warmth and sunshine. Based on the weather forecast we had selected Lincoln City. Our first stop was just north of Lincoln City at Cascade Head Interpretive Wayside on Fraser Rd off of Highway 101, which has a good viewpoint out over the Salmon River Estuary.  Despite bright sunshine it was still a cold 37 degrees. We made a quick bird list and got back in the warm van and drove south through Lincoln City to Siletz Bay and the Alder Island Trail where the temperature was 47 degrees.  Sitting in the van with the sun pouring in the windshield we enjoyed a quick lunch before birding the loop trail. The day was still young, so we decided to extend our birding trip to include a stop in Toledo via the route up the Siletz River. We seem to be drawn back to Toledo again and again, I quess for a variety of reasons. Jeanette and I both have early childhood memories there. We both continue to be drawn to small towns, but in truth we are drawn mainly to Toledo's Waterfront Park along Depot Slough, and as you might have guessed, the birding. The Depot Slough Path meanders through the Marina and the Waterfront Park alongside Depot Slough which serves as a good location for waterfowl year around. Here we seemed to be protected from the cold east wind and the bright sunshine warmed us to the point we almost didn't need our winter coasts. The bird sightings mounted, and the light was just right for photos. 

Hermit Thrush

We identified 17 different species of birds, of which I was able to photograph ten. The Hermit Thrush was the "bird of the day". It is the most elusive of the Thrush Family which in includes, the Varied Thrush, the Swainson's Thrush, and the American Robin.  We were thrilled to get this sighting and photo; it is the first ever for this location of a Hermit Thrush.  They really have earned their name and are quite secretive.  You can see our complete Observation List here.  

  

 

American Bittern at Huddleston Pond

 The American Bittern is an uncommon and secretive bird, able to camouflage itself into the cattails to be almost invisible.  A member of the Heron Family, it is flagged as rare at this location of Huddleston Pond in Yamhill County.  On November 20th, it was reported for the first time ever at Huddleston Pond by well-known birder Paul Sullivan from McMinnville. The next day Nov 21, it was photographed by Susan Kirkbride, the current top birder for Polk County. On Nov. 25th Jeantte and I made it back to Huddleston, after having missed it on the 19th, and failed to find it, and then repeatedly failed for the next four days in a row. Ken Chamberlin, another well-known birder, photographed the bird on December 1st, so we made a determined effort yesterday, Dec. 2nd.  The weather has been on a cold streak lately with freezing temperatures each night, and even some snow and ice. As we took a back road route through Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, the sun came out and our spirits soared.  But as we drove through Sheridan and then Willamina the clouds darkened and dampened our enthusiasm. Arriving at Hampton Park and Huddleston Pond, it seemed a foolish idea.  The temperature had dropped five degrees in the last fifteen minutes, the good light was gone, and a strong wind from the south made for very poor conditions.  We made a pact as we bundled up in the van to walk to the known location at the far end of the pond, for at least a quick check, even though common sense told us it would be futile. Ten minutes later after scanning the cattails, we had our first sighting. I clicked away with the camera, and Jeanette entered a hurried bird list in her iPhone, before we scurried back to the warmth of the van. We have previous counted American Bitterns, on the Oregon Coast, and in the Klamath Basin, but never have we worked so hard for a single sighting.  

Coastal Escape

 We were able to carve three days out of our busy schedule to escape to the Oregon Coast in our camper van. We left on the first dry day, Wednesday November 9th, and returned on the next day of rain, November 11th. Even thought we were desirous of getting away from it all for a few days, Jeanette found herself still involved in solving problems. Here she is shown conducting business with Dallas Retirement Village on her iPhone in the middle of a birdwalk on the Bluebill Trail in the Coos Bay area. It was a good thing, as she was able to put together a replacement instructor for the water aerobics class. The Bluebill Trail is a favorite of ours, you can check it out here.

Freezing weather and icy road conditions favored a driving route down I-5 and over to the coast through Elkton to Reedsport. We made a quick stop to count birds at Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, and then lunch at Subway in Reedsport.  The next birding stop was at William Tugman State Park for a quick break, and then on to Bluebill Lake where we had a great time birding (list).  Pony Village in North Bend was our final stop for the day with dinner from Taco Bell and an overnight parking spot.

We started our morning at the North Bend Boardwalk to bird, but cold fog and clouds prevented the morning sun from providing any heat, and a sharp wind soon sent us back inside the van. Next was a drive out to the Charleston Boat Basin to check out an e-Birding Hot Spot. Here we found a locked gate, so backtracked to Empire and a stop at John Topits Park to bird the Empire Lakes.  A wonderful asphalt tail system provides a great opportunity for walking, and the lakes gave us a fantastic number of birds. (list).

Wood Duck pair

We spent the remainder of the morning in the van working on bird photos and lunch before morning on to Mingus Park in Coos Bay for afternoon birding (list). 

Eurasian Wigeon male

Rain was forecast for the next morning, so we decided to start driving north up the coast while we still had dry conditions and daylight.  Overnight parking ideas started with the Umpqua Lighthouse, then next to Flornce, then Yachats and eventually ending in the dark at Waldport at our secret and continuing favorite location. Dinner and to bed. In the pre-dawn light, I got to hear and see a big fight as a Western Gull and a Glaucous-winged Gull chased off a Bald Eagle. 

As we continued north up the coast, we continued to by-pass possible birding stops due to cold overcast weather. Finally, we made a birding stop at a big time favorite of ours, Alder Island Trail at Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Here on the Alder Island Trail, the sun shone through, and we were treated to a good number of active birds. (list)

Downey Woodpecker female

Again, we were grateful for the warmth of the van to spend the rest of our morning.  I worked on photos, and Jeanette worked at reorganizing cupboards.  We enjoyed lunch while watching hikers arrive to walk the trail, only to have to scurry back to their cars when the rain arrived. As we drove home, we had the sense that we had a good trip and were successful at a "reset" to our busy lives. 

  

Return to Livermore Road

American Kestrel with a rodent

Yesterday we returned to one of our winter weather coping methods, birding from the van. Checking back on e-Bird I discovered that since 2019 we have been making trips on Livermore Road to look for birds.  Here is an interesting Blog Post from November 2020.  Livermore Road is located just north of the popular Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge and serves as a connecting road between Bethel Rd. on the north and Smithfield Rd on the South. Using the van, which sits up high and has a very large windshield gives us great views and the opportunity to do our birding in a dry and warm environment. We were motivated yesterday to go to Livermore Road and search for a pair of Sandhill Cranes that were reported the day before.  We zeroed out on finding that rare migrating species but enjoyed an afternoon drive having the road to ourselves which made stopping to look and photograph birds easy. This was the last dry day before the rain got serious.  

Killdeer peeking out of its hiding place

Brewer's Blackbirds were seen in large flocks.

To see our complete e-Bird Observation list for the day click here.

Huddleston Fish Pond

 Huddleston Fish Pond in Willamina was originally a log pond. Hampton Lumber Company donated the pond and surrounding land for a park to the City of Willamina. We first discovered the pond when we had a canoe back in the nineties, and I was interested in fishing.  I remember it as difficult to navigate the canoe around the remaining logs. The pond is so much more now than just a fishing destination. The path around the perimeter of the pond is used by many people just for walking. It is one of our long-time favorites for birding, we have been reporting our bird observations to eBird here since January 2014.

Jeanette is shown here using Merlin's Sound Identification app on her iPhone to record a Green Heron.

adult Green Heron

immature Green Heron

Great Blue Heron

female and male Mallards

This pair of Mallards put on quite a display of courtship for us. You can see our complete observation list here.

After Willamina, we continued on to Sheridan for a lunch stop at Subway, and then for birding at Sheridan's South Side Park and Fishing Pond.  You can see our observation list here. 

We took our usual loop route home, driving through the small communities of Ballston and Perrydale, enjoying the fall foliage and rural setting.

    

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

We took off on Saturday to spend a couple of days with our friend Glenn who volunteers for the Siuslaw National Forest in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.  His current assignment is Camp Host at the Tahkenitch Landing and Campground at Tahkenitch Lake. We love to spend time with him because he is as crazy as us about birding.

 

lunch time

Red-breasted Sapsucker

We spent time with Glenn birding and touring the campground, had lunch and then took off to hike a section of the Tahkenitch Dunes/Three Mile Lake Trail. Our afternoon was spent at Glenn's camp counting birds.  Here is our afternoon bird list.

On Sunday, our morning began early in the dark listening to a pair of Great Horned Owls calling. After breakfast we traveled with Glenn down to Winchester Bay to bird first at Salmon Harbor and then at Lake Marie.

Jeanette is shown here glassing for birds across the Umpqua River from Ork Rock County Park in Salmon Harbor. Here is our Salmon Harbor bird list.

 

Brown Pelican

Double-crested Cormorant with fish still attached to fishing line

Our next stop was for a hike around Lake Marie in the Umpqua Lighthouse area. A more scenic hike around a lake buried in thick costal forest cannot be found. Here is our bird list.

Jeanette & Glenn

Hairy Woodpecker male

Many centuries old Sitka Spruce

Cell service was not existent for us at Tahkenitch Landing, so we parked for the afternoon and evening at Gardner where we had excellent cell reception, and I was able to get caught up on bird lists and photos.  On Monday, for our route back to Dallas we chose to go through Elkton, where we stopped for breakfast at Arlene's and got to meet up with our longtime friend Joan Smith and mom and friends.  After breakfast, Joan took us for a tour of their farm place and the town. Our time in Elkton with Joan was the highpoint of our day, and we left with many memories of our past life in Elkton.  

  

Coastal Visit

This was a second trip to showcase some of the interesting sites to visit close to Dallas for Mary Sites and Jaylene Wilson. The focus of this trip was the Lincoln City and Depot Bay areas.  Our first stop was the Alder Island Trail in the Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge at the south-end of Lincoln City.

The Alder Island Trail is one of our all-time favorites. A trail of less than a mile circles the island's edge giving good views to the Siletz River and connecting sloughs. Its graveled surface provides good year around access. It has a small parking lot, and no dogs are allowed.  

A quick clinic got Mary and Jaylene up and running in using the Merlin phone app, which is a free app that identifies birds by description, photo, or sound. We had a fun time identifying birds by sound and sight. I was kept busy keeping track of our observation count and attempting some photos.  You can see our Observation List here.

Great Blue Heron

Our next stop was for lunch at the nearby Pelican Brewing Company, a brand-new facility with a fantastic location right on the edge of Siletz Bay. A real treat with great food and top-notch service. They are extremely busy, do not take reservations, and the rest room is gender neutral. 

After lunch, we continued South taking in the sights of Salishan, Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area, Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, and Depot Bay. 

Black Turnstones

Black Turnstones were a real treat to see on a bay dock.  They have just arrived this month for their winter stay from their summer nesting area in Northern Alaska.

   

 

Covered Bridge Tour

 The focus of this trip was bridges rather than birds.  Sister-in-law Mary Claire Sites has recently moved from Pleasanton; California to the Dallas Retirement Village and was interested in showing her guest and friend Jaylene Wilson some interesting sites in the area.  We settled on a tour of historic covered bridges in nearby Linn County. I selected a loop tour of five bridges centered around the town of Scio. We were unable to visit the Shimanek Bridge because the road was closed, but we did get to the other four, with a stop in the middle for lunch at the Covered Bridge Coffee House.    

Hoffman Bridge

Our first stop was the Hoffman Bridge just north of the small town of Crabtree. Built in 1936 over Crabtree Creek, it was one of the two oldest bridges we visited.

Gilkey Bridge

Our second stop was Gilkey Bridge, built in 1939 over Thomas Creek. 

Covered Bridge Coffee House - Scio

Our lunch stop was at the Covered Bridge Coffee House on Main Street.  It was a favorite, and a must stop for anyone that tours the bridges. Open for breakfast and lunch as well a Friday night dinner.  

Hannah Bridge

Our third bridge to visit was Hannah Bridge built in 1936 over Thomas Creek. The surprise feature here was on the far side of the bridge, a brand-new park, Bilyeu Den County Park with creek access via stairs from a parking lot with restrooms. This is a day-use only park.

Bilyeu Den County Park

Larwood Bridge

Our fourth bridge was Larwood Bridge, built in 1939 over Crabtree Creek.

Larwood Wayside Park

Larwood Wayside Park provides parking, and a foot bridge over Roaring River to give you access to picnic tables and restrooms. From the park you can walk up to Larwood Bridge. 

Hiking to The Knoll

Yesterday morning we were all set for an all-morning AARP Safe Driving Class here at the Dallas Retirement Village, then we got a call that the class had been cancelled! Our immediate response was to escape to the coast for the day.  We threw together a lunch, day packs, and birding gear and headed out. A destination of The Knoll, a Lincoln City Open Space Park, popped into my mind.  It was one of the Lincoln City Parks that we had not been to yet, and based on the map, it would take some exploration to find. It turned out that my assumption was correct, it did take some searching, perseverance, and luck to find the traihead, and the trail route.

Jim at the Cul De Sac Trailhead

Based on a Google aerial view, I picked out what looked like a parking lot.  Luckily it was the Cul De Sac Trailhead, the primary trailhead. Street signage gave no clue, so I had to go from the "seat of my pants" kind of navigation. Jeanette noticed a bar code at the trailhead sign from which we were able to download a trail map on my phone. We sought advice from a local hiker, and as we had learned from years of bike touring, "never trust directions from a local", turned out to be true once again. The trail we wanted to The Knoll via the other two trailheads, was not from this sign where I am pictured, but from an unmarked trail back by our parked car. 

 

Jeanette at the Sal La Sea Trailhead

After a circular route that brought us back to our parked car, we took off on the unmarked trail and arrived at our hoped for second trailhead, Sal-La-Sea Trailhead, where Jeannette is pictured.    

Jeanette and Jim at the Port Drive Trailhead

The third trailhead, Port Drive Trailhead, is actually a "Dead End" for car traffic. But is possibly the trailhead you would want to use for the shortest hiking route to The Knoll. 

Jeanette at The Knoll

The Knoll has an open meadow at the summit and provides a spectacular view past Lincoln City to Government Point. Here is the link to the Lincoln City Parks and Recreation page for The Knoll:

Trail Travel Information (lincolncity.org)