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.   

Short Walks for Big Day

Yesterday was October Big Day, a Global Day of Bird Counting by eBird. If you are a reader of this blog, you know that I have been suffering from debilitating back and hip pain that affects my standing and walking. And you will remember that I had some spinal injections to decrease the pain. That helped for the first day, but since then I have had to continue to take a great number of pills to maintain any level of comfort. The bottom line is that our bird walking milage has dropped to a minimum.  So, to participate in eBird's October Big Day, we put together a trip to the coast that had three stops with "short" walks.

 

Salmon River Estuary

This is essentially a rest-area on Fraser Rd just off of coastal Highway 101. It has nice, paved parking, a restroom and a short trail with a view across the Salmon River Estuary. We make it a habit to take a quick stop here on most trips to the Lincoln City area. On-foot milage on this stop was 0.13 miles.

Bird List

Sand Point Park

Sand Point Park is a Lincoln City Park hidden away on the East side of Devils Lake. It's small with parking for only six cars.  On this day boat racing was underway making birds scarce. Our walk here was so short that eBird considered it as a Stationary Count. Bird List

 

Siletz Keys

Siletz Keys is a part of the Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Here is where we hit the jackpot for the day.  We discovered this "new to us" eBird Hotspot last month. It is visited by very few birders, but its location on the edge of the bay makes for a great variety of birds. Our milage on this short loop trail was 0.25 miles. Bird List

  

Thursday's Bird Watch!

 I enjoy watching Acorn Woodpeckers, they always have something going on in their lives.  They also can be very chatty.  In this case there seems to be a dispute between a mother and her child.  I suspect the juvenile male on the right is demanding to be fed by the female, presumably his mother, on the left.  I love her stubborn look in her effort to ignore his demands.  This photo was taken in Ballston County Park on September 28th. 

Sheridan South Side Park

 Our birding experience started out yesterday at Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, but the fog was so bad we gave up and headed west for some clear skies and sunshine.  We found both by driving west on Highway 22 and made a stop at Buell County Park on Mill Creek.  Our best bird there was hearing a Great Horned Owl.  Jeanette put together a lunch from supplies in the van, and we sat at a picnic table hoping to hear the owl again, which we did not.  On a whim we drove over to check out Sheridan South Side Park and Fishing Pond. Here we were astonished to find the former pot-holed mud and gravel parking lot was completely replaced by a brand-new asphalt lot with striped parking and a restroom.  Also, a new asphalt trail completely circles the pond, replacing the former muddy path. These are major improvements and will certainly bring us back this fall and winter to watch and photograph waterfowl. 

Thursday's Bird Watch !

 

Last week while the Village Birders were riding the bus to the Emile Marx - Lloyd Strange Fishing Hole, a number of large birds were spotted in the field along Rogers Road.  I recognized them as unusual enough that I asked Lane to turn the bus around and go back to get a closer look.  There were four birds, two of which were clearly Red-tailed Hawks. Unsure of the other two I took this photo, guessing they might be Rough-legged Hawks. When I got home and downloaded the photos into my laptop, I realized that I was wrong.  After more checking and scrutiny, I settled on the light morph of a Red-tailed Hawk, and specifically because of the total white breast, a juvenile.  This bird is so unusual that it has been ten years since I have photographed a juvenile light-morph Red-tail Hawk.    
 

Pain Progress

Close family and friends know that for the past six months or more I have been dealing with debilitating back pain that has curtailed my ability to walk. It has completely engulfed my life. A regimen of pills, patches and support band have failed to keep ahead of the downward spiral of increasing pain.  X-rays and MRIs have shown degeneration of the lower spine in the lumbar area and stenosis of the nerve that leads to my hips and legs.  

Yesterday afternoon I was finally able to receive a procedure of injections from the Salem Pain and Spine Specialist. I came home in a fog. After eating dinner and watching the news, I went to bed and saw the start of the Vice Presidents debate. I saw the candidates shake hands, the interviewers introduced, and then I guess it was lights out.  At midnight I woke up to take a pee and took a pill more less out of habit. Back in bed I realized I could turn over without pain.  I lay there the rest of the night thinking of all the trips we could take in the van and trails we could explore to seek out birds. It was as though my brain was again awake and enthused to embrace my former life. This morning, I was able to walk the halls pain free as we went for our morning workout, and then coffee and newspaper downstairs in the lobby. 

Now is a wait and see time.  How long will the treatment last?  Is it only temporary?  Is there something more that will have to be done?  In the meantime, I am going to enjoy as many as possible of a new/old relative pain free days as I can.