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.