Salmon River Estuary

 

We make a lot of repeated trips to count and photograph birds to many of the same locations. Some become favorites, and we probably visit them at least once or more every month.  But every now and then we find a new, to us, location.  This was the case for this eBird Hotspot on the Salmon River Estuary at the Oregon Coast. It's almost hidden away on Fraser Road, just off busy Highway 101, north of Lincoln City.  There are no signs to announce a name of the parking lot, complete with an Information kiosk, restrooms, graveled trails, and picnic tables. There are only signs to the effect that it is "only open dawn to dusk, no camping or over-night parking", and a gate that is electronically controlled. I had recently picked up a clue, when a birder put in an e-bird observation list, and left the comment, "what is this place?". That of course caught my attention, and I followed up with some map research. Taking Highway 18 west, we took the exit to the right towards Tillamook and Hwy 101, and then a quick left on Fraser Road. Out of sight around the bend we found this wonderful parking lot and proceeded to enjoy a wonderful bird walk.  See our list here.

Birding by Car

I have recently been plagued with knee pain resulting from a series of falls in the last month, which has made going on a bird walk of any distance impossible.  For the last two days we have resorted to birding by car. The justification is that we are doing a survey of Osprey nests. It's especially appropriate because this is the time of year that Osprey return North to breed, nest, and raise their young. 

Yesterday, March 19th, we found our FOY (First of the Year) Osprey in the Cottonwood trees along the Rickreall Creek Trail System in the Roger Jordan Community Park Section next to the Dallas Aquatic Center.

Today, March 20th, after checking seven different locations, we found this pair on a nest along Buena Vista Rd, south of Independence. The female is deep down in the nest, and her male is on a pole just across the road.

Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge

Our destination for this morning's birdwalk was the Rick Guadango Memorial Loop Trail at nearby Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge. We had bright sunshine with very little wind.  We met several old friends and saw a respectable number of birds. You can see our total bird count here.

Bald Eagle

European Starling

Western Meadowlark

Ankeny Hill Nature Center

 Yesterday afternoon we drove out to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, south of Salem, to check out the new Ankeny Hill Nature Center.  We were delighted with what we found, and although the main building, Mark Gehlar Hall, is still closed because of Covid, we went for a walk on the Big Loop Trail and made a bird list.  

The most impressive sighting was a pair of American Kestrels.  We watched the male dive to the ground and fly back to his perch with a small rodent. He did not start to eat it immediately, but I noticed she flew further away. Did he mean for the catch to serve as a gift?  Was she playing coy and testing his resolve? It's interesting to watch nature play out and attempt to interpret our observations. 

 We enjoyed our time on the trail. It is well graveled, so appropriate year around. There is much of nature to observe there born out be the fact that we saw a herd of fifteen Elk. I'm sure we will be returning.

Finally, the Rain Ends!

Finally, after seven rain soaking days, the rains have ceased and we have bright sunshine in Dallas, Oregon.  And for the first time in seven days, I got in a morning bird walk here at Dallas Retirement Village!  There was a cold wind from the north, but the combination of a dry day and sunshine brought out the birds.

One of three White-crowned Sparrows, after not seeing any for a month here at Dallas Retirement Village.

European Starlings are ever present and so vocal.

Two sets of pairs of Eurasian Collared-Doves, busy with what birds do in the Spring.

An American Crow, the dominate thief of all things edible.

A hapless young Bald Eagle is chased out of our air space by a Common Raven.

A pair of Western Bluebirds appear to be laying claim to this nesting box for the third year in a row.

Winter Adventure Trip

 Dallas to Canyonville - Feb 18

We have been itching to travel south to California for some sunshine and warmer temperatures. Not too far into California, but at least to the Red Bluff area in Northern California, where we knew that daytime highs would be in the 70's. Thursday night the 17th, the subject came up again, and a look at the weather forecast revealed that snow was expected in the Siskiyou's on Sunday the 20th, which meant we had two days to make it over the passes. The next morning, we started packing, and by 1:00 in the afternoon we were on the road. The 7 Feather's Rest Stop in Canyonville was our parking spot for our first night. We had a quiet night, so I was surprised when I stepped outside in the morning to find 6 other class B vans had parked adjacent to us during the night. 

Canyonville to Red Bluff - Feb 19

While parked at 7 Feathers Rest Area we got a call from son Tony that he was picking up his new car in Davis, California the next day. We said, "Well, we are going to be in Red Bluff tomorrow." He was bringing grandson Bobby with him and agreed to drive up and meet us in Red Bluff. We met at Del Taco for a late lunch, and then took them on a short walk in the Red Bluff Recreation Area. Tony and Bobby left to check-in at the Hampton Inn, and Jeanette and I stayed and set-up in the Sycamore Grove Campground in site #29. Later in the afternoon we made plans for pizza at E's Locker Room, and Tony provided the transportation in his  beautiful new car, a 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid.

 

Layover Day at Red Bluff - Feb 20

We decided that we really wanted to get more birding time in the Red Bluff Recreation Area, so decided on a second night in the Sycamore Grove Campground. You can look at our morning bird list here:

 eBird Checklist - 20 Feb 2022 - Red Bluff Rec Area - 33 species

Red Bluff to Anderson - Feb 21

On our last morning at Sycamore Campground, we finally got to bird with local birders, Scott and Susan Isaacson. We had met them on our first day at Red Bluff when they stopped to look at our van, and we had been trying to get together to bird ever since. You can see our bird list here.

eBird Checklist - 21 Feb 2022 - Red Bluff Rec Area - 46 species

After saying our good-byes to Scott and Susan, we began our travel day.  First we had a hamburger at McDonalds in Red Bluff, then we were off to Anderson to the T-Mobil store to add some data to my phone after receiving a notice from T-Mobil at 4:30 in the morning that I was about to run out of data. Once T-Mobil had worked their magic, we were exhausted and elected to park in their parking lot for the night.  I spent the remainer of the afternoon and evening processing photos for the bird list, and we dined on take-out from Panada Express next door.

Anderson to Blue Lake - Feb 22 

Our morning started with some confusion. In checking our route for the day, Apple Maps had changed yesterday's suggested route of Highway 299, to Highway 36. In attempting to make calls to find out if there was a problem with 299, I discovered that my phone did not work! This mandated a return to T-Mobil, which did not open until 10:00.  We got gas, and groceries while waiting. At T-Mobil much confusion reigned as to what the person had done the day before to my phone plan, and what changes were needed to correct the problem. It was 11:00 before we left, and we decided to chance 299 as it was a better road. Whiskeytown Lake Visitor's Center was our stop for lunch, and while there the snow flurries started.

Alternating snow flurries continued with sunny areas as we climbed pass after pass, chain-up areas, and roadside snow. None posed a problem, but we discovered, that road construction and wildfire damage repair resulted in many traffic stops and delays, and perhaps was a clue as to why Apple Maps had suggested a different route. Before dusk we arrived at Blue Lake Casino, our parking destination for the night.  An inquiry of an employee about parking areas brought the information that because the casino was closed, RV parking was free! 

 

Blue Lake to Brookings - Feb 23

 

Sunshine dominated the day as we drove Hwy 101 up the coast, enjoying ocean views and the Redwoods. Our first major stop for birding was in Crescent City for a walk and birding at the Beach Front Park, and then lunch and a second walk at B Street Pier.   A cold NE wind made 45-degree temperature fee like 30 something.

We continued on to Brookings for a major stop at Fred Meyers for groceries, gas, and propane before heading on to Harris Beach Rest Area for our overnight parking.  Much to our surprise and dismay they have instigated a new policy of 4-hour parking only!  Our second option was to stay in the campground across the Highway.  We had a nice talk with the host and learned that we could use a tent site for $20.  We made a loop through the campground and found a nice camp site, and as Jeanette was filling out the registration form, I discovered that we had no cell reception! That is an automatic rejection for us. I realize that many people think it's no big deal to go without cell service, but we depend on cell service for so many things, for example, all the bird reporting that I do, weather reports, road conditions, route planning, and not the least, connecting us with family and friends.

Our next step was to drive back into Brookings and look for a parking location.  After cruising around Brookings for a bit, we settled on the Fred Meyer parking lot.  After all, we had already given them a bunch of money for groceries, gas, and propane. It worked out fine and we had a quiet night. 

Brookings to Dallas - Feb 24

By 7:00 AM we were on the road again, with a determination to drive straight home, and not stop for another night.  We chose the route up Hwy 101 to Newport, changing drivers every hour, and one person ate lunch while the other was driving. We were home before 2:00PM at 270 miles.

  

   

      

   

 

Continual Learning

Red-breasted Sapsucker

I go on a bird walk daily.  It may be at a city or county park, or even at a nearby refuge, but a majority of the time it is just within my local neighborhood here at Dallas Retirement Village. That may sound boring, because as you might suspect, I see some of the same species every time. But the hidden gem here is the astonishing amount of learning that is connected with this repetitive activity. I know before walking out the door I will hear and see some American Crows, Anna's Hummingbirds, California Scrub Jays, and European Starlings, just to name a few. But occasional I get a surprise, like a hawk, or an unusual sparrow, or, like today, a Red-breasted Sapsucker.  In fact, today, I saw two Red-breasted Sapsuckers! But, the real point of my post today is not about unusual birds, as it is about the value of birding every day. It inevitably leads to a greater understanding of birds in general, or in this case, some birds in particular. I have known for some time that Sapsuckers drill holes in the bark of trees to have access to sap. They then revisit these sap "wells" to slurp up the sap again and again. Insects are also interested in the sap, but sometimes get caught in the sticky sap which serve as an extra bonus for the sapsucker. On a recent bird walk my wife and I observed an Anna's Hummingbird visiting a sap well to harvest the sweet sap. Then yesterday on Jan 13th, we found two Red-breasted Sapsuckers on two different trees, and at both locations, a pair of Anna's Hummingbirds swirling around to sneak in for a serving of sap. Who knew that hummingbirds are dependent on sapsuckers for provisions? My conclusion is that there is much to learn with continual daily observations.