Crooked River – Page 2

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.

July 28, 2024July 27, 2024

Another week of high temperature avoidance meant an early morning trip to the Crooked River. We’re also dealing with an influx of wildfire smoke. However, we’ve managed to stay out of the worst of the plumes.

Not sure how long that will last.

The extreme heat subsided this week, giving a few more hours before shelter is required. We managed nearly four hours of peaceful stream time a couple of different mornings.

Fresh from a dive, our osprey searches for another target

The Kestrel family seems to have moved on, replaced by the Osprey. Birding action at the old tree continues unabated.

Fishing is good. This warmer weather wakes up the aquatic insects. The river’s edge is a lush green as summer’s heat has yet to dry out the riparian growth.

We continue to manage avoiding the worst of the smoke plumes and have some other excursions planned, but these days that means keeping a close eye on the fire reports.

July 21, 2024July 26, 2024

Early Morning Observations

This week we found one way to avoid the heat is to get going at dawn, and of course, be home by noon.

Destination: Crooked River

Departure: 5:00 a.m.

Reward: Pleasant morning sitting by a stream.

When you sit quietly, nature comes to you. Or more to the point, you notice what was around you all along.

Finally, back on the river

Before the heat of the day pushed us out, there were visits from a kingfisher, osprey, heron, numerous songbirds, and a collection of wrens.

Early morning sun illuminated a web filled with spider snacks.

Stalking spent flower blossoms revealed a plethora of wonders in the frame of a macro lens.

On rivers edge there is still plenty of green

After lunch at the Tastee Treet, we headed home to avoid the oppressive afternoon sun in air conditioned luxury. Soon there will be another early morning jaunt.

July 7, 2024July 6, 2024

A Week to Regroup

A wade in the stream is always Tip’s first move

As we brace for an upcoming heat wave, we have time to reflect on this past week.

The knee is improving and stitches have been removed, but not much activity occurred. For Jack, that means we didn’t go fishing.

However, we did set up some camp chairs by the Crooked River and watched the wildlife, while sharing a cheeseburger from the Tastee Treet.

So, I guess the week wasn’t a total failure..

Brown butterfly feeding on blooming yarrow

The weatherman is handing out “excessive heat” warnings in Central Oregon, and it looks like those alerts will carry through the week.

These type of temperatures are hard to escape even in the depths of a river canyon. Unfortunately, river wading is off the list for now, so I guess we’ll hide out in the AC comfort of home.

Summer heat has cast a brown hue to the grasses

Although we are thinking about venturing to higher elevations of the Upper Deschutes . . . we will just have to see.

June 9, 2024June 8, 2024

Now it’s Summer

Back on the Crooked River again this week. Fishing is getting good and the weather is perfect for a day of sitting along the stream.

American Kestrel (adult male), this small falcon is rusty above with slate-blue wings and two black slashes on the face.

In June the kestrals show up and we may have discovered a nest site,

Though it’s on the back side of an old snag . . . on the opposite side of the river . . . making it difficult to confirm.

Kestrels typically hunt ground prey like small mammals, lizards and large insects.

There was a lizard exchange that first drew our attention to the fact that this pair of kestrels might not be just using the tree as a feeding station.