Birding

January 26, 2025January 25, 2025

Winter’s Chill

A fringe of ice suggests how cold it’s been

Winter continues to tempt us with sunny days, then thwart our activities with bitter cold.

For most of the week temperatures hovered in the mid-thirties and mornings started in the teens. Too cold for these old bones.

Towards the end of the week we made a trip to the Crooked River. It had warmed up into the forties, and driven by a case of cabin fever we were ready to get outside.

Cirrus clouds streaked the sky, but some sun managed to shine through. Bowman Dam had been gushing water downstream to near spring levels.

Likely an attempt to prepare for a spring run off from above average snow levels in the mountains.

However, today it was back down to winter levels and the lack of wind made mirror surfaces of the still water.

There was an abundance of bird activity. A rather large flock of Robins darted from willow thicket to stream side . . . only slightly alarmed by our presence.

At one stop we watched a Heron perch on a bolder and survey the stream . . . marveling at the graceful curves of his plumage.

Then he flew by us and headed downriver, perhaps looking for a better roost.

At the reservoir a Bald Eagle flew in a spiral over the water, then plucked a rather large fish from the surface.

It happened so quickly and we were so mesmerized by the aerobatics, that cameras didn’t come out until it was over.

A final un-documented, bird sighting happened as we turned into our driveway.

A low flying Raven passed just over the hood of our car with a Chinese takeout box in his beak. Not a clue where it came from, but a fitting close to a peaceful day.

October 27, 2024October 26, 2024

Another Trip to the River

Rain, marking a transition between fall and winter, started up this week. But it didn’t stick around long.

We headed up to the Crooked River to take advantage of a perfect fall day. Morning starts with a dusting of frost and fog obscures the view. We just add an extra layer of flannel under the vest and venture out.

By midday the frost is gone and the fog has burnt off. October skies are typically clear and the sun feels warm, even if there is a bit of chill to the wind.

This time of year migration is in full swing, which boosts the variety of bird sightings. JQ’s camera is kept busy with the renewed activity.

The Kestrel has come back along the river and is hanging near their old nesting site. Hours pass watching the comings and goings of all the different critters.

Another seasonal shift on the river is water levels. As irrigation needs subside, the reservoir restricts flow to start the process of resupply.

These lower flows are matched with temperature shifts, which in turn trigger bug hatches. This is good for the fish and the fisher.

All too soon shorter days will bring cold days and hard frosts. Snow is not far behind which will cause a shift to our travels.

But for the present we’ll add warm shirts to the packing and shift from iced to warm drinks. There is still plenty of sunny fall days to enjoy.

August 25, 2024August 24, 2024

A Change in the Weather

There has been a shift in the weather this week. Days are cooler and skies hold more clouds. There’s even some rain.

The start of Fall is a welcome event in this house . . . certainly not for pumpkin spice … ewwww!

A pile of stuff , , , just to go fishing?

There were a couple of trips to the Crooked River this week. This is one spot that seems immune to smoke plumes and has become a regular destination.

Seasons shift means we don’t have to start quite so early and we can linger on the river longer.

The other harbinger of fall is the return of migratory birds. The honking of geese has become a daily occurrence. We’ll need to work in a trip to Summer Lake soon.

The Osprey was fishing and even the Kestrel peeked out from its hiding spot.

This might be in part because we did lounge longer. Regardless, it’s always nice to see old friends.

Some warmer weather is in the forecast, but it stays closer to 70 than 100 . . . and that’s a good sign.

As the heat of summer wanes, we’ll pick up the pace on outings, staying longer and venturing further. This is perhaps our favorite season and we’ll take full advantage of it.

September 17, 2023September 16, 2023

Mosquitoes in September?

This week we headed over to Summer Lake. It’s a trek we’ll make a couple of times over the next few weeks as the winter migration gets underway.

It bears repeating . . . Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge offers the best vantage point for birding. To start, it’s on the Pacific Flyway.

More importantly, the marshes and ponds are bordered with a loop road and numerous turnouts. These two elements mean we are within easy viewing distance of a multitude of bird species.

There is one other, not so great, aspect of this wetland sanctuary . . . mosquitoes. Clouds of the little buggers.

I was under the impression that one encountered this pest only in spring and early summer. I was wrong. Application of some trusty repellent and at least the biting was down to a minimum.

We’d come in the late afternoon to take advantage of the evening light and perhaps capture the sunset. It was too early in the season to have the wetlands teeming with waterfowl. With the exception of mosquito swarms, it was a pleasant evening to be birding.

Photographers refer to this time of day as golden hour. The sun casts long shadows and paints a warm hue to the light cast.

We found some nice images and have plans to return in a few weeks when the activity increases. Hopefully, without mosquitoes.

August 13, 2023August 12, 2023

Hints at Summer’s End

Not sure you’re ready for this . . . but I saw a vee of geese heading south yesterday.

Summer is spinning to an end and if you chance a look, you’ll see leaves are starting to turn.

While it’s just the start of the migrations, this week we drove over to Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge. As a bonus, on the AQI (Air Quality Index) map it seemed to be out of the smoke plume.

There was smoke, but it was hung up on the Abert Rim, shrouding the southern end of the valley in a brownish haze. This made for a lousy photo backdrop, but the air was pretty clear over Summer Lake.

The road that runs through the center of the refuge follows a series of the canals used to move water between ponds. These were lined with thick fresh growth of dark green reeds and cattails. There was an abundance of dragonflies and frogs, but not many birds.

In recent trips to Summer lake we’ve started to drive the whole loop road. Instead of retracing our route, we turn west at a northern junction.

Here the road turns into a narrow set of ruts on a gravel levy that follows the refuge’s boundry with School House Lake.

These ponds offered up a variety of shore birds plying the shallow waters. Grebes, Pelicans, Gulls, Geese, Stilts and Blackbirds had all congregated in this northwest corner of the reserve.

After shooting a SD card load of images, we stopped for lunch. The heat of the day was pushing wildlife to cover so we headed back over the Paulina ridge and home.