Birding

June 25, 2023July 1, 2023

Being Outside

This week we are back on the Crooked River.

We do this a lot . . . visit a location repeatedly throughout the year. For us, it is often the destination, not necessarily the journey.

There are times when exploring a space, looking for something unique, new or just different is the mission.

But that is not this week. This week we’re trying to just get outside.

There are few places as relaxing as a spot next to moving water. It’s still early summer and the days are warm and the camp sites are still relatively empty. Neither of those will be true in a couple of weeks.

The Osprey caught fish . . . I did not.

We spotted an Oriole, which is actually pretty rare around here.

These song birds forage in riparian corridors and mainly eat insects, berries and nectar.

The canyon is painted with yellow balsamroot and wild iris. June is peak wildflower season in the high desert.

Mostly, we sat in camp chairs on the edge of the stream just enjoying being outside.

June 18, 2023June 18, 2023

Along the Marshes

This week we headed over to Summer Lake and birding. The sage plain and hay fields along Route 31 were dressed in a lush green hue. Small patches of snow still clung to the upper edges of Winter Ridge, but the refuge was in full summer regalia.

May and June are great months to be at Summer Lake. You’ll still encounter some migrating birds, but the majority are nesting residents.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Redwinged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds have taken up stations in the cattails lining the canals. offering up a chorus of calls as we drive the dirt roads marking the Marsh’s edge.

This trip never disappoints. There is always some visitor or resident to pose for a picture. Most of the large migratory species have moved north, but a squadron of pelicans is still here.

Most of JQ’s subjects were small residents, some hanging in reeds others dancing along branches.

We’re not expert at this, which is reinforced when a windowed mini-van with birders pulls up to chat.

Occupants are six bespectacaled folk with narrow brimmed boaters. We observed more than one set of Swarovski binoculars on lanyards around their necks. The question … have you seen any Snowy Plovers?

Tip is tucked into the Subaru’s shadow, I’ve got Nikon bios on a Sony camera strap and push the bill of a stained ball cap back to exchange information.

Attempting my most knowledgable voice I name a few sightings, ones I can actually pronounce correctly, then deny seeing a Snowy Plover.

Only …

After the van is gone and we consult the Field Guide, we then realize that wasn’t true.

We HAD actually . . . we had chased a Plover along the road for a few hundred yards.

I was saying something to the effect “stupid little bird… move” as a Snowy Plover (as best as we can tell) was actually hopping off the roadway in front of our car.

In our defense there are a dozen Plover varieties in Sibley’s book, and to that, one really should include Killdeer. Though twice a Plover’s size the Killdeer exhibits similar colors and markings.

Had we known . . . there would be an image of a Snowy Plover.

Alas, we didn’t, but JQ got a lot of great frames and Plovers are now on the list.

April 30, 2023April 29, 2023

White-fronted geese trail behind two Sandhill Cranes

This week Central Oregon skipped spring and went straight to summer. Not complaining, but it was an abrupt shift in weather and attitude.

We’re long overdue for a Summer Lake trip, so we loaded up the bird books and headed east.

It might be a bit cliche . . . turn seventy and post a piece on birding. Is that too much, old guy? In between trips to the river, which by the way are great places to bird, we do regular bird-centric excursions.

Over the years we’ve sat, eyes pinned to lenses, along a lot of different marshes. Living on the northern edge of the Great Basin puts us close to a few stopovers on the Pacific Flyway. One of the best, in our opinion, is Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge.

Unlike wildlife areas with better ‘press,’ Summer Lake never disappoints. Here we squint across a hundreds of yards of field. The loop road, often just a couple of tire ruts along the top of a dike, allows for great birding opportunities.

It was an unseasonably warm spring day, perfect time to catch the first round of migratory birds moving across the country. Some will spend weeks, others will move on in a few days.

The great thing is they never cease to amuse; like an acrobatic yellow-headed black bird bouncing from stalk to stalk, or Clark’s Grebes hunting a secluded section of the pond.

There is another visit scheduled for later this spring, well before the summer heat.

February 12, 2023February 10, 2023

Finding Whychus Creek

This week we thought it might be nice to take a walk. We don’t backpack, but we do often day hike. which in the winter can be tricky to find clear paths. A lot of people winter hike with snowshoes, and we’ve done that, but it’s not practical with Tip.

There are literally hundreds of short trail loops within a half-hour drive.

Most include a scenic overlook, waterfall, or some natural wonder. This week we went looking for a stream we’d heard a lot about, but had never actually seen.

Wychus Creek headwaters in the Sisters Wilderness area winds through the town of Sisters and empties into the Deschutes River a few miles west of Terrebonne.

An overlook loop is part of a series of interconnected trails that allow you to explore the creek or backpack up into the wilderness area.

(Right to left) Sweeping views of The Three Sisters and Broken Top Mountains.

The portion we walked is not only popular. but well groomed. Its half mile loop swings by a walled off ledge above the creek.

From this point you are treated to spectacular views of the Three Sisters and Broken Top with Mt. Bachelor to the south and Mt. Washington to the northwest.

On a different day . . .

We explored the area along the Middle Deschutes, about midway between Bend and Lake Billy Chinook.

Most of the Middle Deschutes River from this spot extending upstream above Bend is a designated paddle route that often includes walking trails. One section of those paths runs through a wildlife preservation area.

Borden Beck Wildlife Preserve is along a section of this trail. Caught in the middle of a dispute between land development or riparian preservation it wasn’t until 2019 that this parcel on the edge of Lower Bridge road received some protection.

The Deschutes River winds through marsh bottomland offering great birding at the right time of the year. This is not that time of year.

Sagebrush, juniper and blackberry line the trail

However, for a January day it was sunny and relatively warm. We got in a walk and figured out where to find the preserve’s parking and access point.

Both places have been added to the calendar for fall visits. After weeks of hiding from the frigid winter weather it was nice to get outside again.

September 25, 2022September 24, 2022

Breath of Fresh Air

Wildfire smoke finally dissipated so we headed east to Summer Lake. We have been waiting for a chance to go birding before waterfowl hunting season.

Cedar Creek Fire still threatens, but a few rainy days and a shift in weather patterns have us breathing easier, literally.

Summer Lake had an afternoon thunderstorm forecast. Ahead of any storm clouds, the valley was mostly basking in late summer sun.

A few migratory flocks were present. We caught a squadron of pelicans lumbering across the sky. Actually we’re so used to raptors and bug eaters darting across a river it gave us pause.

The squadron will hold pretty tight ranks in the air but they are gliders. There are minimal wing flaps which might account for the slow pace they took to pass overhead.

Marshland along the southwest loop road was dry. However, the canals were actively directing water onto land between Windbreak and Bullgate Dikes.

There were a lot of ODFW (Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife) workers, but only a couple of cars. Without the worry of someone needing space on the narrow road, we can pull over anytime something is sighted.

One stop was to watched Ibis feeding. We also spotted White-fronted geese whose size is evident by the tiny ducks next to them. They breed near the Arctic Circle and migrate along the Pacific Flyway to winter in freshwater marshes.

The north half of the refuge’s loop road is closed for the season. But it’s easy to drive along Windbreak dike to a camping site on the SE side of the refuge.

As we finished up lunch, the storm clouds were rolling in over Fremont Ridge. Guess it’s time to head home and stay ahead of the rain.