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Spring 2010 Newsletter |
| May1, 2010 ECAS 16 Kansas St, Bend, OR. 97701 |  | Spring is here! Over the winter we have been getting ready for the new season of projects and field trips. Dave Tracey is once again leading the birding-by-ear walks along the Deschutes River at Sawyer Park. The transition to ECAS has gone very smoothly and we are proud to highlight our new logo designed by Don Sutherland. |
We are also very excited to announce a new birding resource we have been working on that will highlight all the birding locations, projects and events in Oregon. Chuck Gates has been the force behind this project but we have had help from many birders throughout the State. It is continually being updated and improved but make sure you book mark this site …. see Over 1,000 people attended the weekend-long Eagle Watch 2010 at Lake Billy Chinook this past February. Great weather contributed to the record number of attendees. The East Cascades Audubon Society participated by having a booth and offering free guided bird walks. Over 25 people took advantage of the walks and many more visited the booth. Children’s activities were a big hit in the booth. A big thanks to all the volunteers that helped lead walks, answered questions and staffed the booth. Volunteer in 2010 - We need you: Lots of opportunities! We are continually looking for volunteers. If you would like to participate in any of our projects please contact Nicole … we could always do with a hand with our successful Lewis’s Woodpecker project and little birding experience is needed. Dean Hale is our new volunteer coordinator so please contact him if you want to find out more about all the different ways to help. We would also like volunteers to sit on a finance committee to help guide the board on financial decisions and planning. This will help us as we apply for grants and give us financial advice on taxes and other monetary issues. We are also looking for volunteers for an education action group that will help shape our policy and plans for bird / conservation education. We are planning on involving a wide range of people in this group, but especially educators. Please help us with this. Contact Larry Berrin if you would like to help.
In addition, we are looking for people who would like to work on the BirdingOregon project and collect / update bird events from around the State. We also need help counting breeding shorebirds at Summer Lake. Last year this was highly successful and we had about 12 people spread out over the wildlife management area to count Curlews, snowy plovers, stilts and Avocets … details . Contact Marty at Summer lake to sign up (phone 541.943.3152). The Woodpecker festival will not be held this year. If you are interested in helping to bring this back next year, please contact Steve Dougill. We need volunteers to sit on an advisory group to help strategize and define the look / feel of the festival.
Bird - A - Fun - Join East Cascades Audubon Society for a fun fundraiser this summer! The Bird-A-Fun fundriaser will take place between June 1 and July 15. Form a team, create a funky team name and go birding! Sign up folks, family and friend to pledge funds for species observaed and environmental education with ECAS. For more information (coming soon) visit the ECAS website at www.ecaudubon.org.
In the News The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change, follows a comprehensive report released a year ago showing that that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline.
"For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses such as commercial hunting, loss of forests, the use of DDT and other pesticides, a loss of wetlands and other key habitat, the introduction of invasive species, and other impacts of human development", Salazar said. "Now they
are facing a new threat - climate change - that could dramatically alter their habitat and food supply and push many species towards extinction." Full story at
http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2010/03/state_of_the_birds.html Portland Audubon ran fall surveys and will run spring surveys around downtown buildings looking for strike victims, collecting baseline data to help them develop a Lights Out program and the development of Bird-friendly Building Design Guidelines. See below on newly introduced legislation to make federal buildings more bird-friendly! http://salem-news.com/articles/march102010/abc-politics.php
Birding Trails Update - JoAnne Bernt The Oregon Cascades Birding Trail brochures have been printed and are being distributed throughout the state. With nearly 200 birding sites along more than 100 miles of scenic road ways, the brochure offers outdoor adventure for birders of all skill levels. To date we have distributed more than 2500 brochures. You can find them at most ranger stations and visitor's centers throughout the Oregon Cascades region. If you are unable to find one, contact JoAnne Bernt at kandj@web4mix.com. We will send you copies for the cost of postage. Good birding!
Successful work mornig at Lower Bridge - Eva Eagle There was quite a buzz on COBOL about Lower Bridge this month, not just about the birds but about the impact that one person, a neighbor named Dave Jenkins, was making on an area that had been too long neglected. Folks could see the results and wanted to help out, so the Conservation Committee organized a workday on April 17 to help Dave clear the downstream trail of knapweed. As I approached Lower Bridge in my car that morning I was nervous about the turnout and sorry that I was a few minutes late. But soon I saw half a dozen cars parked on both sides of the road, several large bags of weeds already sitting at the trailhead, and perhaps a dozen people strung out along the trail, hard at work. My only worry as I grabbed my gloves and tools was not about turnout then, but about where I should dig in myself. We had no shortage of weeds to remove, huge old bushes from last year with the young vigorous ones coming up beneath. Fortunately we also had no shortage of weeders, about fifteen in all, which made for light work. Trail sections that had been choked in knapweed emerged from the day clear for walking. Hurrrah! And by lunchtime we had two dozen large bags of weeds ready to take away. But let’s not forget the birds. Of course we stopped everything for the right sights and sounds. The famous Bewick’s Wren of Lower Bridge consented to visit the weeding site and to sing all morning. A pair of harriers performed courtship displays over the Deschutes from time to time. A red-tailed hawk decided that our nest protocols should not allow us within a mile of her nest, so she kept flying over with that eerie call until finally we just weren’t worth the effort. And plenty of other birds to watch in this amazing habitat. I think that, except for the hawk and the weeds, a good time was had by all. And a good day’s work done.
Wednesday Birders go to the Wallowas - by Judy Meredith Stretching the definition of the group, eight of us spent January 25 to Jan 28 going Wallowa County to do some winter birding. The Wallowa area is known by birders as THE place in Oregon to find certain birds that migrate south from higher elevations or from Canada and the Arctic during the harsh winter season. One flaw in our plan was that no harsh winter conditions occurred this year to urge the birds to come south to Oregon so we had to work for our birds. This was a group geared for such work! We drove from Central Oregon with good winter roads and no snow or ice en route. We stopped near McNary Dam for a stretch and birding break along the way. We scoped flocks of ducks and also re-found a Harris Sparrow where one had been reported a few days before but no Lesser Black-backed Gulls were to be found around the dam. Headquartering in Enterprise, we birded the usual places including the Fish Hatchery,Golf Course Road, Leap Lane, Schoolhouse Lane, Crow Creek Road, Wallowa Lake and State Park, Liberty Lane, Tenderfoot Valley Road and the Ferguson Ridge Ski area. We repeatedly checked feeders and neighborhoods with good habitat in Joseph and Enterprise.  | Highlights included several small flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS, two nice flocks of about 15 GRAY PARTRIDGE very close to us along the road, and a raptor show that re-played daily. We enjoyed a group of a dozen or more SHORT-EARED OWLS flying low over a field in one area, a close, singing NORTHERN SHRIKE, several flocks of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS and one small flock of barely accommodating AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS. Very nice local birders let us into their barn to see their roosting BARN OWL and told us about the GYRFALCON they had been seeing in the area all winter but alas, we could not find it despite spending several hours in that area. |
A major highlight had to be the camaraderie and the laughs that we shared over radios while in the vehicles and while relaxing in the evenings doing our countdowns over dinner and a brew. The group shared a few high-fives as some got lifer looks at birds and several of the birders had cameras along to record the fun and the birds. Kevin Smith, Darwin Wile, Sheran Wright, Diane Kook, Steve Dougill, Don Sutherland, Mike Golden and Judy Meredith were the group on the trip. I bet we will do this again next year so watch the chatter on COBOL and the website next winter.
Merger Accomplished! by Mary Oppenheimer
On January 5, 2010, Central Oregon's two birding organizations merged into one -- the East Cascades Audubon Society. On that date, the Articles of Merger previously approved by the boards of both organizations were filed by the Oregon Secretary of State, and the Central Oregon Audubon Society became the East Cascades Audubon Society or "ECAS" -- a name honoring the two predecessor organizations. Our new Board includes names familiar to you from both the East Cascades Bird Conservancy (ECBC) and Central Oregon Audubon -- Steve Dougill and Larry Berrin, Presidents of the two organizations, are now President and Vice-President of East Cascades Audubon Society. ECBC's array of field trips and research and conservation activities continue, and so do our Audubon affiliations and undertakings. Members of both organizations are now members of East Cascades Audubon -- though former members of ECBC are not necessarily members of National Audubon. (For details, see the "What Kind of Member Are You?" elsewhere in this Newsletter.) Once the merger was complete, a whole series of transition tasks began. Some were fairly straightforward; some were surprisingly complex. Even establishing a new bank account took a great deal of time! Much has been accomplished, including the new logo -- designed by Don Sutherland -- that you see on this Newsletter. But there is still much to do. This includes revising the ECAS Constitution and By-Laws to reflect not only the merger but changes in state and federal law and in National Audubon Society policy. These changes will require membership approval -- we'll provide full details on the website and in our newsletter at a later date. These are merely the transition tasks: with the combined resources of both organizations, we anticipate new conservation and education projects as well. Many thanks to Steve Dougill, president of ECBC, and Larry Berrin, president of COAS, for their leadership in the merger process. Thanks also to Kevin Black-Tanski of Sage Grant-Writing for his invaluable help in in figuring out and documenting all the steps in the process. Do Central Oregon Audubon and East Cascades Bird Conservancy still exist?
Only the name of Central Oregon Audubon Society changed -- it still exists as an Oregon non-profit corporation and a federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The East Cascades Bird Conservancy (ECBC) did cease to exist as an Oregon non-profit corporation, and therefore as a federal 501(c)(3) as well. However, we have registered "East Cascades Bird Conservancy" as an assumed business name of the East Cascades Audubon Society. This should prevent administrative confusion and makes it easier for us to process checks or mail intended for either of the prior organizations.
Interesting Story - We ask you for a bird related photo and a story to go with it ... contact Steve to submit something. This first one is from Miriam ...  | I took the attached foto last summer of a stellar jay in my yard. I don't know if the bird lost its upper bill in an injury or whether it was born that way, but it has overcome its disability by using its tongue! It has a very aggressive personality and is always the first bird to the peanut cup on my back deck. I am sure its aggressiveness has helped it survive. It stayed around the neighborhood all winter and it is still here this spring, as feisty and strong as last year. The photo shows a peanut in its mouth. |
Winter field notes: by Chuck GatesUpcoming ECAS Field Trips: Are you a winter person? I'm not. It always seems that winter days are about 15 hours long and there is little time to do anything but eat, sleep, and work. Others must have a whole different take on winter because many Central Oregon birders were out and about this winter and found some very nice birds in our area.
Starting with the water birds, the winter of 09-10 gave us some nice surprises even though an early cold snap caused many winter residents to vamoose. GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE act like avian winter bookends in Central Oregon. We see them at the beginning of winter and right at the end. A SNOW GOOSE spent the winter in Redmond and CACKLING GEESE were found occasionally with flocks Canada Geese (Mary Oppenheimer had one as a yard bird this winter). EURASIAN WIGEONS were reported from Bend, Redmond, and Prineville. Certainly the oddest duck report came from the Prineville CBC with a half dozen CINNAMON TEAL who forgot to fly south for the winter. Two RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were spotted by Craig and Marilyn Miller at Lake Billy Chinook in January. No one reported a loon this winter from any location and the only grebe reported was a WESTERN GREBE early in December on Ochoco Reservoir. Even rail reports were low although 3 VIRGINIA RAILS were found on the Prineville CBC and, surprisingly, 3 SORA were reported on the Bend CBC. DUNLIN were found at Houston Lake in December and again on the Madras CBC. Twenty WILSON'S SNIPE were located on the Prineville CBC and two RING-BILLED GULLS were spotted loafing in the Old Mill District of Bend in early December.
This winter was all quiet on the game bird front. CALIFORNIA QUAIL numbers were reported as low by many people and the only other Gallinaceous bird report was 18 WILD TURKEYS who showed up on the Prineville CBC. We've known of this flock within the circle for some years but this is the first time they have shown themselves during the Christmas Count. The news that the ODFW might declare open season on EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES didn't seem to reach the birds themselves. These birds continue to increase rapidly with 287 being counted on the Prineville CBC and 149 in Madras.
With the state-wide Winter Raptor Surveys sponsored by the ECAS, raptor reports are plentiful and good raptors are well documented. Couple that with the Christmas Bird Counts and we have a pretty good idea of which raptors frequent our area. Some of the more impressive numbers include 43 NORTHERN HARRIERS on the Prineville CBC (a record). Eighteen SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS were tallied on the Bend CBC. The high count for COOPER'S HAWKS was 7 on the Bend count but Prineville was close with 6. Our President, Steve Dougill, spotted a NORTHERN GOSHAWK at Tetherow Crossing west of Redmond in January. The Redmond CBC reported a whopping 112 RED-TAILED HAWKS. The Prineville CBC tallied 4 FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and the Culver Winter Raptor Survey produced 22 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS on January 11th. What's more incredible than 22 Rough-legged Hawks you ask? Well, how about 22 Golden Eagles on the Millican WRS? Incredible indeed! The winter AMERICAN KESTREL high count came in from the fledgling Madras CBC with 44 birds seen. The Redmond CBC found 12 MERLIN while the Prineville CBC reported 12 PRAIRIE FALCONS. BARN OWLS were spotted in Prineville and Powell Butte. A group of LONG-EARED OWLS spent the winter in the willows around Haystack Reservoir.
On the woodpecker front, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKERS were reported from Bend and Redmond. One AMERICAN THREE-TOAD WOODPECKER and 9 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS were found foraging in the B&B burn near Sisters.
The passerine news was somewhat interesting this winter. A few ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD reports came in from Bend and the first SAY'S PHOEBE was found in early January. NORTHERN SHRIKES were comparatively abundant this year and 2 LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES were seen on the Redmond CBC. The first TREE SWALLOWS showed up at Hatfield Lake on February 20. Wintering ROCK WRENS were found in Redmond and Culver while CANYON WRENS were spotted in Bend, Redmond, and Cloverdale. Occasional HERMIT THRUSH reports trickled in and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were seen at Madras in late December. A GRAY CATBIRD found its way to a yard near Sisters and a late SAGE THRASHER was located near Gateway in December. AMERCAN PIPIT sightings came in from Sunriver and Madras. Two SAVANNAH SPARROWS were found on the Utopia CBC and a single FOX SPARROW report came in from Lake Billy Chinook in January. LINCOLN'S SPARROWS were reported from most CBCs and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was found along the First Street Trail in Bend. Christmas Bird Count TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS were tallied in Madras, Prineville, Redmond, and Bend. Maybe the two best bird reports of the season were the 10 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS found by Peter Low at Dutchman's Flat Sno-Park and the single COMMON REDPOLL reported from the Madras CBC. Finally, in the "because they always get left out" department; Prineville tallied 1580 HOUSE SPARROWS during their CBC
May 2 Summer Lk for Shorebirds etc. May 16 Redmond and Lower Bridge and Smith Rock May 22 High Lakes Area June 13 Woodpeckers--Deschutes and Jefferson Counties
Spring Events: Recurring Events : The third Thursday of selected months is Birder's Night at the Environmental Center in Bend. For a schedule of talks and slide shows [see] for more info. - Wednesday Morning birders ... details
- Birding by Ear with Dave Tracey ... details
More Dates: For more events see the ECAS web site Bird Class taught by Damian Fagan at Central Oregon Community College - Field trips on 5/6; 5/13; 5/20; 5/27 .... see www.cocc.edu Birders Night - May 20th, Sue Anderson, Butterflying May 27 - 30, Devon Batley from ONDA will lead a raptor monitoring survey trip to Hart Mountain close to the CA border. There is only room for 8 people so sign up now ... details Summer lake shorebird survey - Weekend of June 5 - 6. Steve Dougill is organizing this. details Birders Night - June 17th, Paul Bannick: Noted nature photographer and author of "The Owl and the Woodpecker" brings us his presentation. July 15Annual Picnic: Details TBA Birders Night - August 19, Nicole Nielsen-Pincus on Vaux's Swifts
ECAS Trip Reports: Steve Dougill Mid March found ECAS joining with Lane County Audubon for a combined field trip to Fort Rock. At first light we were treated to 47 Sage Grouse leking in a hay field before a Bald eagle swooped in and chased them off. Close by Sage Sparrows were singing. The main focus was winter raptors and we found all the targets including Golden Eagles sitting on wires above us, and fantastic views of Ferruginous and Rough Legged hawks and nesting Prairie Falcons. |  |
Later in the day we drove up through the snow to Thompson Reservoir and found large flocks of Tundra Swans on the edge of the ice. In the forest were crossbills, and great looks at a white-headed woodpecker.
Four of us camped at Summer lake (temperatures dipped into the single digits) to show the LCAS folks the area. Thousands of Snow Geese filled the marsh, occasionally put up by the patrolling Bald Eagles. Cranes, Bittern and thousands of waterfowl including 2 Eurasian Widgeon. In early April, Dean led a trip to Hatfield Lake and the nearby farmland. It was cold and blustery with a few shorebirds and waterfowl. The highlight was an Easter egg hunt! Mid April saw a group head out to Burns for the White Goose spectacle. Thousands of Snow and Ross’s Geese, hundreds of Curlews and Cranes. Again it was cold but the birding was great with 89 species totaled.
Birding Oregon web site: Chuck Gates  The ECAS is happy to announce the creation of the online Birding Oregon Site Guide. This guide provides information to birders and directs the viewer to over 1000 hotspots for birding in the state. The guide was assembled under the direction of Chuck Gates but involved over 120 volunteers from all parts of Oregon. There were even a few out-of-staters that contributed to the project. The guide can be accessed online at http://www.birdingoregon.info/. Included in the guide are directions, geographic coordinates, DeLorme Map directions, Google maps, and general information for each site. It’s organized by counties and clicking on a chosen county will take the viewer to a page that contains a wealth of information. For each county, the county seat is noted and geographic information like area and high elevation are listed. A list of rare birds seen in the county is provided for the reader and the top county listers are included with their corresponding list numbers (how many birds they’ve seen in the county). Finally, a contact person is listed so visitors can make a connection with a local birder who may assist them or take their bird reports. County checklists have been created for every county. The checklists are produced in a printable format and are presented as a two-page document that can be printed on both sides of one sheet of paper. Two checklists were created for each of Oregon’s 36 counties. The first checklist is a comprehensive list of all the birds that have ever been found within the county boundaries. This list is primarily a resource for people interested in county species lists. The font is small and every rarity ever seen is included. The second checklist is designed to be more useful to the birder in the field. The county rarities have been removed from these lists. This allows for a much larger font and increased functionality. Most of the birds that are normally seen in that county are present on the second checklist. The main body of each county page consists of the individual site guides. The guides range from 12 sites in Columbia County to over 60 sites in Klamath County. Each site contains information and links that are designed to direct the birder to the site with a variety of informational resources. One important feature of our website is ease with which current technologies are integrated into the guide. On the home page, the viewer can click on an icon that say’s Google Earth kmls (click to see) and be transported to a satellite view of every site. Birders get an aerial view of the birding site of their choice. Google map technology is used to direct birders to the sites and GPS coordinates can be entered into a mobile device for turn-by-turn instructions. Links to informative websites are provided when appropriate. Integration with Oregon’s leading bird database (birdnotes.net) is in the works and our website will be closely linked to the main ECAS website as well as the Oregon Field Ornithologist website. Direct links have already been established with Oregon’s other Audubon chapters. I invite you to check out the ECAS Birding Oregon Site Guide before your next Oregon birding adventure. If you do, please comment on its usefulness. Volunteers will be diligently updating and editing the site based on comments from readers like you. Enjoy the guide.
News from the Winter Wings Festival: Dave Hewitt, Klamath Basin Audubon It was great to see so many people from across Oregon at the Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls this past February. The 3-day festival was a huge success. Over 550 people registered and nearly all of the field trips sold out. The workshops, presentations, and other activities were well attended too, and post-festival evaluations from participants have been overwhelmingly positive. We hope to build on our success next year with an even bigger and better festival, and we hope you'll join us.
We were very fortunate this year to have a number of top-notch experts assisting with field trips, workshops, and other aspects of the program, including:
- Scott Weidensaul (keynote presenter and trip leader)
- Bill Clark (presenter and trip leader)
- Rick Sammon (Canon photography)
- Jeff Smith (HawkWatch International)
- Dick Ashford (American Birding Association)
- John Alexander (Klamath Bird Observatory)
This year's festival drew in folks from all across the western US and from as far away as Arizona and Texas. We put together a Google Map to show the geographic "footprint" for this year's festival -- check it out: http://bit.ly/ciHpC7 We hope to see more central Oregon birders in 2011!
Field observations during the festival were tracked with eBird ( http://ebird.org). We recorded 93 species over the three days. As usual, raptors and waterfowl stole the show. Of particular note was a count of over 130 Bald Eagles leaving their night roost in Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge during the flyout field trip on Sunday -- this is a high count for recent years. Some other notable highlights
included:
- Western and Clark's Grebes
- American White Pelican (3 stuck around all winter in town)
- Eurasian Wigeon (many)
- Northern Goshawk
- Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk (juvenile light morph; found by Bill Clark)
- Peregrine Falcon
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Barn Owl
- Short-eared Owls (putting on a show in the evening at the LKNWR auto
tour route)
- Tree Swallow (arrived very early)
- Rock and Canyon Wrens
- California Towhee
- Cassin's Finch
Wrap-up information, including a summary of the bird observations, will be posted to the festival web site soon: http://www.winterwingsfest.org/
Finally, we'd like to thank our title sponsor Pacific Power, our host Oregon Institute of Technology, and all of the other presenters, leaders, sponsors, vendors, and the nearly 100 volunteers that made it all happen. With field trips and activities again planned for a full 3 days during the 2011 festival, we hope you'll join us in observing and recording the diversity and abundance of bird life in the Klamath Basin of Oregon and California!
News from other Oregon Audubon chapters: As we become more involved with the local Audubon chapters we will feature some of their projects and ways to get involved. PO Box 381, North Bend, OR 97459; 541-266-7382PO Box 148, Corvallis, OR 97339 PO Box 1265, Port Orford, OR 97465; 541-332-0261 PO Box 354, Klamath Falls, OR 97601 PO Box 5086, Eugene, OR 97405; 541-485-2473
PO Box 38, Lincoln City, OR 97367; 541-921-4009 // 541-992-0440
189 Liberty St NE – Suite 210, Salem, OR 97301 – 503-588-7340
Siskiyou Audubon Society (no website)
PO Box 2223, Grants Pass, OR 97528
Oregon Vaux’s Swift Count - Nicole Nielsen-Pincus (nnielsenpincus@yahoo.com)
Migration season is upon us and it’s just about time to start welcoming the swifts back again. While the large concentrations of Vaux’s swifts at communal roosts is most impressive in the fall, the spring is also a great time to view (and count!) large groups. Once again I’ll be looking for volunteers to count swifts at their roost locations across the state. We’d like to cover 2 dates this spring: May 1st and May 9th . Below is a list of known roosts in Oregon. If you can add information to this list or are willing to volunteer and count swifts at one of these roosts this spring please contact Nicole Nielsen-Pincus (nnielsenpincus@yahoo.com). Please see our website for more information on the project: http://www.ecbcbirds.org/Projects/OregonVauxsSwiftSurvey/tabid/108/Default.aspx
Oregon Vaux’s Swift Known, Suspected and Historic Roosts: Locale | Roost location | Adair Village | old heating plant stack from former military hospital | Albany | Montana/5th Street | Albany | Ferry/ 9th Street | Albany | Jefferson/4th St | Albany | Fire Station Lyons and 6th St | Albany | house SE Railroad/4th St | Banks | Banks School District Admin Bldg | Corvallis | First Presbyterian Church (Madison Ave) | Corvallis | Wiegand Hall at Jefferson and 30th street. | Corvallis | Whiteside Theater | Corvallis | Madison and 2nd St | Cottage Grove | Village Green | Eugene | Agate Hall (U of O) | Eugene | Old Warehouse ? | Eugene | Susan Lowdermilk's chimney | Forest Grove | ? | Independence | "Old" library bldg at 3rd and Monmouth | Independence | home at 7th and Monmouth | Independence | P.A.R.K. bldg at Main and D St. | Junction City | Laurel Elementary School? | Lake Oswego | Lake Oswego Lakewood Center | Lebanon | 600 block of Main St in Lebanon Hotel | Mapleton | Lion's Club/Library | McMinnville | 2 story bldg at Third & Davis St. | McMinnville | Residential- Wallace Rd. | Medford | Voorhies Mansion at Eden Valley Orchards | Monmouth | ? | Mt. Angel | High School chimney | Oregon City | Main Street (Hansen Log Furniture Company) | Oregon City | Old high school | Portland | Chapman Elementary School | Portland | Duniway Elementary School | Portland | Leslie Patton's home | Roseburg | Pottery Shed of the Arts Center on Harvard Ave | Roseburg | UACT building | Roseburg | St. Georges Episcopal Church? | Salem | “Capital place” | Salem | Christy Chapman's home | Silverton | Palace (movie theatre) | Silverton | 108 1st St. | Silverton | South Church St. Residence | Stayton | School ? | Toldedo | (OR Coast) residential chimney |
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| Eastern and Central Oregon | Bend | Christmas Presence building | Prineville | Bowman Museum (3rd and main) | La Grande | Foley Building | La Grande | Catholic Church Chimney | Lakeview | Flynn's Furniture | Union | High School chimney | Union | Union Hotel |
Upcoming Spring North American Migration Count - By Chuck Gates
The 2010 Spring North American Migration Count falls on the weekend of May 8 & 9. This is a statewide count that is organized by county. Each county has a coordinator who organizes volunteers and assigns routes. Volunteers then scour their assigned areas and count all the individual birds they can find. These totals are submitted to the county coordinator and he/she then forwards the results on to the state coordinator (me). The state coordinator then enters all county data into a state database. This database, now more than 15 years in the making, tallies the statewide totals.
Every year the ECAS sponsors this project and every year it is a struggle to get volunteers to help out with the count. The efficacy of any count depends, in a large part, on the number of volunteers that cover each county. More volunteers usually results in more thorough coverage and better data. Some counties (like Deschutes County) have a large volunteer base while other counties (like Jefferson County) have large areas that go unexamined due to the lack of volunteers. It is the goal of the ECAS to cover as much of the state as possible so we can develop a complete picture of bird migration in Oregon. You can help this migration count by volunteering to lead a group or ride with a leader. No experience is needed to ride along and you stand to see new areas and birds you’ve never seen before. Most groups will tally more than 50 species and some can exceed 100 species in a long day of birding. Please consider joining a count. Better yet, consider joining a count in a county unfamiliar to you. Some counts occur on Saturday (Crook & Deschutes) and some on Sunday (Jefferson). It’s entirely possible to do different counts on different days. You can see a full schedule of dates at http://www.ecbcbirds.org/Default.aspx?tabid=69. Feel free to contact me at 541-280-4957 or cgates326@gmail.com. I hope to see you on the spring NAMC.
News from other Local groups: No group works alone and we would like to introduce you to a range of other conservation / wildlife groups in Central Oregon that are active and support out mission. If you are active in a group not represented here and would like to contribute a regular piece, please contact us. Spring Nesting Season is Here - Kevin Lair, Wild Birds Unlimited Spring is in the air in Central Oregon. Most male birds have molted into their impressive breeding plumage and are singing to broadcast their territory and attract a mate. Spring is a very busy time for birds. Much of their day is spent in search of food. Natural food supplies, not yet bolstered by growing warmth, are at an all time low. Help your feathered friends prepare for the rigors of nesting by keeping your seed and suet feeders full. Healthy, well fed adults have the best chances of producing many healthy offspring. Encourage birds to raise families in your yard by providing safe and enticing nesting spaces. Consider adding a nesting box for cavity nesting species such as chickadees, nuthatches, bluebirds, tree or violet-green Swallows or Northern Flickers. While each species has specific requirements in terms of box design, in general a good nesting box should have the appropriate entrance hole size for the target species, should have adequate ventilation and drainage, and should allow for easy clean out following the nesting season. When placing nesting boxes on your property, consider the following general recommendations:
- Most birds prefer privacy for nesting. Avoid installing boxes immediately adjacent to feeders or high human traffic areas.
- Avoid facing boxes to the south or west as they tend to be more exposed to wind and hot afternoon sun
- Mount the box at least 5 ft high (some species prefer higher). If lower birds are more susceptible to predators such as cats.
Prepare your yard now for more birds, and their young, this spring and summer. The Deschutes National Forest Eagle Cam is up and running again! Due to late season problems and the old camera being damaged during a storm, we finally have a new operational camera. The camera is part of a cooperative project to bring live video of wild eagles and wild salmon to the Oregon Zoo’s Great Northwest Exhibit where the same species are kept in captivity, and to the internet. Available technology has allowed us to share the behavior of bald eagles in real time. The new camera is infra-red and will allow you to see what goes on at night. We’ve seen flying squirrels and deer mice check out the nest before the eagles returned. And good news – the pair is sitting on 2 eggs. Due to this technology, folks are getting a glimpse into what it’s like to be a doting parent this time of year. Check out the website at http://www.fs.fed.us/outdoors/naturewatch/eaglecam.html. In addition, we are conducting our annual bald eagle surveys across the forest to determine reproductive success of known sites. This summer, the Forest will be applying the new white-headed woodpecker monitoring protocols and strategy. This information will assist biologists in determining habitat and biological needs of this species. One aspect of the strategy calls for conducting nest site searches. This is where East Cascades Audubon Society members could greatly provide assistance. If interested, please call Monty Gregg, Sisters District Biologist, at 541-549-7724.  | For anyone who’s had the opportunity to bird the forests of the Metolius Preserve, the riparian meadows and rimrock canyon of Rimrock Ranch or planted willows as part of the remarkable floodplain and wetlands restoration at Camp Polk Meadow, you’ve seen the handiwork of not just the Deschutes Land Trust, but also of their funding partner, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). OWEB funding provided the largest component of the Land Trust’s purchase of 3 miles of Lake Creek and 1,240 acres of forestland that now make up the Metolius Preserve. Similarly, a grant from OWEB anchored the Land Trust’s purchase of a unique conservation easement on 1,123 acres of Rimrock Ranch on Whychus Creek, protecting the canyon, multiple active eagle nests and an important migration corridor for wildlife moving between large blocks of public land. |
| At Camp Polk Meadow Preserve, OWEB’s funding is allowing the Land Trust and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council to realize a 13 year old dream of “re-meandering” nearly 2 miles of Whychus Creek, restoring the meadow’s hydrology and wetland complex. While fisheries restoration often steals the spotlight, each of these local projects aptly illustrates that birds are frequently the biggest beneficiaries of these conservation investments. |  |
Back in 1998, Oregonians voted to make a visionary commitment of 15% of Oregon’s Lottery revenue to protect and restore wildlife habitat and our system of state parks. Today, OWEB is the primary state agency providing funding to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat in Oregon. Since 1998, OWEB has provided essential funding to allow land trusts and watershed councils to protect and restore thousands of acres of essential bird habitat across Oregon, as well as here in Central Oregon. However, unless reauthorized by the voters, this critically important funding source will automatically disappear in 2014. To assure that a portion of the lottery continues to be invested in protecting and restoring important habitat, a coalition of Oregon conservation and park user groups are working to place a measure entitled Water, Parks & Wildlife on the November ballot that would continue this essential funding source and make it permanent. To qualify the measure for the November ballot, Oregonians for Water, Parks & Wildlife are working now to collect signatures across Oregon, including here in Central Oregon. With new projects like the 450 acre Whychus Canyon Preserve and the 33,000 acre Skyline Community Forest in process, this unique state funding source takes on ever greater significance and it’s important that Central Oregon’s birding community understand the stakes. Central Oregon birders looking more information or wanting to get involved can start by visiting the Oregonians for Water, Parks & Wildlife website at www.waterparkswildlife.org . And if you haven’t had a chance to visit and bird these protected natural areas, please be sure to check out the Land Trust’s docent-guided tour schedule at http://www.deschuteslandtrust.org/news-reports/current-events . Greenprint of Deschutes County In a parallel effort, the Deschutes Land Trust, the Trust for Public Land and Bend Parks & Recreation District are leading a coalition of local and state agencies to develop a “greenprint” of Deschutes County. The Greenprint is a process developed by TPL and used around the country to create a community vision or plan that helps prioritize the investment in “green infrastructure, such as important wildlife habitat, scenic view protection and trail opportunities. Having a community-based Greenprint will help public agencies, local conservation groups, park providers and recreation groups coordinate their efforts to conserve natural areas and complete trail connections. The partner organizations also expect that the Greenprint will make Central Oregon’s conservation priorities much more competitive for state and national funding sources, which are always in high demand and in short supply. While the initial rounds of public input and data collection have already taken place, the Greenprint partners expect to unveil maps and seek additional public input later this spring. In the meantime, if you’d like more information on the Greenprint of Deschutes County, you can visit http://www.deschuteslandtrust.org/protected-lands/current-projects/greenprint or join the http://www.facebook.com/centraloregonoutdoors facebook site for the latest Greenprint news. MALHEUR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - February 2010 Bird Report, Stephen Shunk, Refuge Volunteer
Winter still lingers here in many respects, but the bird activity in February certainly signaled the upcoming seasonal transition. A number of birds started singing this month, waterfowl began arriving in good numbers, and many resident species initiated courtship and pair-bonding activities.
Note that the average arrival dates mentioned below are actually the average dates a species is first reported, as opposed to its actual return date at the Refuge, which is difficult or impossible to monitor.
Early in the month we enjoyed the return of the SNOW (arr. 2/1) and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE (arr. 2/16), TUNDRA SWANS (arr. 2/1), and SANDHILL CRANES (arr. 2/18). The Snow Geese and swans arrived just under two weeks ahead of their average arrival date, and the cranes and White-fronts hit their targets almost to the days. Also appearing a bit early were the NORTHERN PINTAILS. By the middle of the month, waterfowl numbers had begun to climb rapidly as Malheur Lake and other water bodies opened up. New species for the season included: RUDDY DUCK, NORTHERN SHOVELER, CINNAMON TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, and CANVASBACK. Other waterbird highlights included the first RING-BILLED GULL of the year.
The winter raptor theme continued in February, with additional surveys conducted on and around the Refuge. We also ran the first two of our free winter raptor tours on February 19 and 20. Highlights included the spring emergence of the Belding’s ground squirrels, which in turn concentrated raptors in the agricultural areas. Up to 75 BALD EAGLES were tallied in a single day, and the evening roost at the Sod House Ranch hosted at least 25 birds. GOLDEN EAGLE, PRAIRIE FALCON, RED-TAILED HAWK, and NORTHERN HARRIER were all observed performing various courtship displays, and increasing numbers of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS easily outnumbered Red-tails. A handful of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS appear to have overwintered east of the refuge along Hwy 78, between Princeton and Crane, aka Raptor Alley. A single RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was observed soaring over Buena Vista ponds on 2/19; this is a few miles north of Benson Pond, where we have had a bird overwintering. Summaries of the raptor surveys and tours follow this report.
A handful of songbird species began arriving about mid-month, and the resident SONG SPARROWS began singing in early February. One MARSH WREN was also heard singing, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were already staking out territories by the middle of the month. The first SAY’S PHOEBE was reported 2/17 and the first SPOTTED TOWHEE was seen at Refuge HQ on 2/19. Both birds were a bit earlier than the average, at 5 and 11 days respectively. One TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE and one HAIRY WOODPECKER continued at HQ, and a small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS was seen occasionally around the compound. MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and AMERICAN ROBINS began dispersing from their winter concentrations, and the first CANYON WREN song was heard 2/18 at Page Springs. HORNED LARKS started appearing regularly along roadsides in the northern part of the refuge.
RAPTOR SURVEY RESULTS
Lower Blitzen River Valley, Feb 17
Rough-legged Hawk – 34
Red-tailed Hawk – 26
Buteo sp. – 8
Northern Harrier – 28
Prairie Falcon – 2
Bald Eagle – 15
Golden Eagle – 9
Raptor sp. – 3
TOTAL BIRDS – 125
Upper Blitzen River Valley, Feb 18/Catlow Valley, Feb 24
Rough-legged Hawk – 5
Red-tailed Hawk – 20
Buteo sp. – 2
Cooper’s Hawk – 3
Northern Harrier – 34
Prairie Falcon – 4
American Kestrel – 1
Bald Eagle – 3
Golden Eagle – 11
Raptor sp. – 1
TOTAL BIRDS – 84
RAPTOR TOUR TALLIES
Friday, February 19
Rough-legged Hawk – 21
Red-tailed Hawk – 17
Ferruginous Hawk – 4
Red-shouldered Hawk – 1
Northern Harrier – 17
Prairie Falcon – 4
American Kestrel – 2
Bald Eagle – 75
Golden Eagle – 16
Cooper's Hawk – 2
TOTAL BIRDS – 170
Saturday, February 20
Rough-legged Hawk – 20
Red-tailed Hawk – 14
Ferruginous Hawk – 5
Northern Harrier – 22
Prairie Falcon – 2
Bald Eagle – 55
Golden Eagle – 17
Cooper's Hawk – 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1
TOTAL BIRDS – 131
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| Help support ECAS and become a member today [Join] In this issue Audubon groups in Oregon ECAS Project News News from other groups
The Board ...
Mary Oppenheimer Damien Fagen Kevin SmithLocal Info: Information on ECAS projects and volunteer opportunities, [see] Sign up for COBOL, the local listserver for staying connected with Central Oregon's birds [link ] Local yard bird project [link ] Local rare and unusual bird photos [link ] Where to go birding in Central Oregon [link ] Recent COBOL archive [link]
Fundraising: As a non-profit we rely on you to help keep the organization alive. Currently we are seeking funds to hire an Executive Director which would solidify the organizations base and allow it to grow. Please help us reach this important goal.
Volunteering: We have many volunteer opportunities ranging from bird surveys, conservation work days, and helping on booths at county fairs. Other needs include working with bird data, contacting members, writing grants, and sharing ideas. [Contact ] Diane Kook, our volunteer coordinator.
Suggestions & Comments:
Please send any comments about this newsletter and how we might be able to improve it to the [ECAS]
Checklists:Checklist for Central Oregon birds [get it] Checklist for Deschutes birds [get it]
Businesses:Does your buisness want to support ECAS and bird conservation in the local area? Please contact us for the benefits we can provide your company by becoming a supporting member.
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The ECAS is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping birds and their habitats. Although we are based in Central Oregon, we organize several Sate-wide projects and are strong advocates for conservation. We encourage you to visit us at http://ecAudubon.org and become a member of this growing and energetic organization. As always, enjoy the birds! |
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Spring 2010 Newsletter |
| May1, 2010 ECAS 16 Kansas St, Bend, OR. 97701 | | Spring is here! Over the winter we have been getting ready for the new season of projects and field trips. Dave Tracey is once again leading the birding-by-ear walks along the Deschutes River at Sawyer Park. The transition to ECAS has gone very smoothly and we are proud to highlight our new logo designed by Don Sutherland. |
We are also very excited to announce a new birding resource we have been working on that will highlight all the birding locations, projects and events in Oregon. Chuck Gates has been the force behind this project but we have had help from many birders throughout the State. It is continually being updated and improved but make sure you book mark this site …. see Over 1,000 people attended the weekend-long Eagle Watch 2010 at Lake Billy Chinook this past February. Great weather contributed to the record number of attendees. The East Cascades Audubon Society participated by having a booth and offering free guided bird walks. Over 25 people took advantage of the walks and many more visited the booth. Children’s activities were a big hit in the booth. A big thanks to all the volunteers that helped lead walks, answered questions and staffed the booth. Volunteer in 2010 - We need you: Lots of opportunities! We are continually looking for volunteers. If you would like to participate in any of our projects please contact Nicole … we could always do with a hand with our successful Lewis’s Woodpecker project and little birding experience is needed. Dean Hale is our new volunteer coordinator so please contact him if you want to find out more about all the different ways to help. We would also like volunteers to sit on a finance committee to help guide the board on financial decisions and planning. This will help us as we apply for grants and give us financial advice on taxes and other monetary issues. We are also looking for volunteers for an education action group that will help shape our policy and plans for bird / conservation education. We are planning on involving a wide range of people in this group, but especially educators. Please help us with this. Contact Larry Berrin if you would like to help.
In addition, we are looking for people who would like to work on the BirdingOregon project and collect / update bird events from around the State. We also need help counting breeding shorebirds at Summer Lake. Last year this was highly successful and we had about 12 people spread out over the wildlife management area to count Curlews, snowy plovers, stilts and Avocets … details . Contact Marty at Summer lake to sign up (phone 541.943.3152). The Woodpecker festival will not be held this year. If you are interested in helping to bring this back next year, please contact Steve Dougill. We need volunteers to sit on an advisory group to help strategize and define the look / feel of the festival.
Bird - A - Fun - Join East Cascades Audubon Society for a fun fundraiser this summer! The Bird-A-Fun fundriaser will take place between June 1 and July 15. Form a team, create a funky team name and go birding! Sign up folks, family and friend to pledge funds for species observaed and environmental education with ECAS. For more information (coming soon) visit the ECAS website at www.ecaudubon.org.
In the News The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change, follows a comprehensive report released a year ago showing that that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline.
"For well over a century, migratory birds have faced stresses such as commercial hunting, loss of forests, the use of DDT and other pesticides, a loss of wetlands and other key habitat, the introduction of invasive species, and other impacts of human development", Salazar said. "Now they
are facing a new threat - climate change - that could dramatically alter their habitat and food supply and push many species towards extinction." Full story at
http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2010/03/state_of_the_birds.html Portland Audubon ran fall surveys and will run spring surveys around downtown buildings looking for strike victims, collecting baseline data to help them develop a Lights Out program and the development of Bird-friendly Building Design Guidelines. See below on newly introduced legislation to make federal buildings more bird-friendly! http://salem-news.com/articles/march102010/abc-politics.php
Birding Trails Update - JoAnne Bernt The Oregon Cascades Birding Trail brochures have been printed and are being distributed throughout the state. With nearly 200 birding sites along more than 100 miles of scenic road ways, the brochure offers outdoor adventure for birders of all skill levels. To date we have distributed more than 2500 brochures. You can find them at most ranger stations and visitor's centers throughout the Oregon Cascades region. If you are unable to find one, contact JoAnne Bernt at kandj@web4mix.com. We will send you copies for the cost of postage. Good birding!
Successful work mornig at Lower Bridge - Eva Eagle There was quite a buzz on COBOL about Lower Bridge this month, not just about the birds but about the impact that one person, a neighbor named Dave Jenkins, was making on an area that had been too long neglected. Folks could see the results and wanted to help out, so the Conservation Committee organized a workday on April 17 to help Dave clear the downstream trail of knapweed. As I approached Lower Bridge in my car that morning I was nervous about the turnout and sorry that I was a few minutes late. But soon I saw half a dozen cars parked on both sides of the road, several large bags of weeds already sitting at the trailhead, and perhaps a dozen people strung out along the trail, hard at work. My only worry as I grabbed my gloves and tools was not about turnout then, but about where I should dig in myself. We had no shortage of weeds to remove, huge old bushes from last year with the young vigorous ones coming up beneath. Fortunately we also had no shortage of weeders, about fifteen in all, which made for light work. Trail sections that had been choked in knapweed emerged from the day clear for walking. Hurrrah! And by lunchtime we had two dozen large bags of weeds ready to take away. But let’s not forget the birds. Of course we stopped everything for the right sights and sounds. The famous Bewick’s Wren of Lower Bridge consented to visit the weeding site and to sing all morning. A pair of harriers performed courtship displays over the Deschutes from time to time. A red-tailed hawk decided that our nest protocols should not allow us within a mile of her nest, so she kept flying over with that eerie call until finally we just weren’t worth the effort. And plenty of other birds to watch in this amazing habitat. I think that, except for the hawk and the weeds, a good time was had by all. And a good day’s work done.
Wednesday Birders go to the Wallowas - by Judy Meredith Stretching the definition of the group, eight of us spent January 25 to Jan 28 going Wallowa County to do some winter birding. The Wallowa area is known by birders as THE place in Oregon to find certain birds that migrate south from higher elevations or from Canada and the Arctic during the harsh winter season. One flaw in our plan was that no harsh winter conditions occurred this year to urge the birds to come south to Oregon so we had to work for our birds. This was a group geared for such work! We drove from Central Oregon with good winter roads and no snow or ice en route. We stopped near McNary Dam for a stretch and birding break along the way. We scoped flocks of ducks and also re-found a Harris Sparrow where one had been reported a few days before but no Lesser Black-backed Gulls were to be found around the dam. Headquartering in Enterprise, we birded the usual places including the Fish Hatchery,Golf Course Road, Leap Lane, Schoolhouse Lane, Crow Creek Road, Wallowa Lake and State Park, Liberty Lane, Tenderfoot Valley Road and the Ferguson Ridge Ski area. We repeatedly checked feeders and neighborhoods with good habitat in Joseph and Enterprise. | Highlights included several small flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS, two nice flocks of about 15 GRAY PARTRIDGE very close to us along the road, and a raptor show that re-played daily. We enjoyed a group of a dozen or more SHORT-EARED OWLS flying low over a field in one area, a close, singing NORTHERN SHRIKE, several flocks of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS and one small flock of barely accommodating AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS. Very nice local birders let us into their barn to see their roosting BARN OWL and told us about the GYRFALCON they had been seeing in the area all winter but alas, we could not find it despite spending several hours in that area. |
A major highlight had to be the camaraderie and the laughs that we shared over radios while in the vehicles and while relaxing in the evenings doing our countdowns over dinner and a brew. The group shared a few high-fives as some got lifer looks at birds and several of the birders had cameras along to record the fun and the birds. Kevin Smith, Darwin Wile, Sheran Wright, Diane Kook, Steve Dougill, Don Sutherland, Mike Golden and Judy Meredith were the group on the trip. I bet we will do this again next year so watch the chatter on COBOL and the website next winter.
Merger Accomplished! by Mary Oppenheimer
On January 5, 2010, Central Oregon's two birding organizations merged into one -- the East Cascades Audubon Society. On that date, the Articles of Merger previously approved by the boards of both organizations were filed by the Oregon Secretary of State, and the Central Oregon Audubon Society became the East Cascades Audubon Society or "ECAS" -- a name honoring the two predecessor organizations. Our new Board includes names familiar to you from both the East Cascades Bird Conservancy (ECBC) and Central Oregon Audubon -- Steve Dougill and Larry Berrin, Presidents of the two organizations, are now President and Vice-President of East Cascades Audubon Society. ECBC's array of field trips and research and conservation activities continue, and so do our Audubon affiliations and undertakings. Members of both organizations are now members of East Cascades Audubon -- though former members of ECBC are not necessarily members of National Audubon. (For details, see the "What Kind of Member Are You?" elsewhere in this Newsletter.) Once the merger was complete, a whole series of transition tasks began. Some were fairly straightforward; some were surprisingly complex. Even establishing a new bank account took a great deal of time! Much has been accomplished, including the new logo -- designed by Don Sutherland -- that you see on this Newsletter. But there is still much to do. This includes revising the ECAS Constitution and By-Laws to reflect not only the merger but changes in state and federal law and in National Audubon Society policy. These changes will require membership approval -- we'll provide full details on the website and in our newsletter at a later date. These are merely the transition tasks: with the combined resources of both organizations, we anticipate new conservation and education projects as well. Many thanks to Steve Dougill, president of ECBC, and Larry Berrin, president of COAS, for their leadership in the merger process. Thanks also to Kevin Black-Tanski of Sage Grant-Writing for his invaluable help in in figuring out and documenting all the steps in the process. Do Central Oregon Audubon and East Cascades Bird Conservancy still exist?
Only the name of Central Oregon Audubon Society changed -- it still exists as an Oregon non-profit corporation and a federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The East Cascades Bird Conservancy (ECBC) did cease to exist as an Oregon non-profit corporation, and therefore as a federal 501(c)(3) as well. However, we have registered "East Cascades Bird Conservancy" as an assumed business name of the East Cascades Audubon Society. This should prevent administrative confusion and makes it easier for us to process checks or mail intended for either of the prior organizations.
Interesting Story - We ask you for a bird related photo and a story to go with it ... contact Steve to submit something. This first one is from Miriam ... | I took the attached foto last summer of a stellar jay in my yard. I don't know if the bird lost its upper bill in an injury or whether it was born that way, but it has overcome its disability by using its tongue! It has a very aggressive personality and is always the first bird to the peanut cup on my back deck. I am sure its aggressiveness has helped it survive. It stayed around the neighborhood all winter and it is still here this spring, as feisty and strong as last year. The photo shows a peanut in its mouth. |
Winter field notes: by Chuck GatesUpcoming ECAS Field Trips: Are you a winter person? I'm not. It always seems that winter days are about 15 hours long and there is little time to do anything but eat, sleep, and work. Others must have a whole different take on winter because many Central Oregon birders were out and about this winter and found some very nice birds in our area.
Starting with the water birds, the winter of 09-10 gave us some nice surprises even though an early cold snap caused many winter residents to vamoose. GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE act like avian winter bookends in Central Oregon. We see them at the beginning of winter and right at the end. A SNOW GOOSE spent the winter in Redmond and CACKLING GEESE were found occasionally with flocks Canada Geese (Mary Oppenheimer had one as a yard bird this winter). EURASIAN WIGEONS were reported from Bend, Redmond, and Prineville. Certainly the oddest duck report came from the Prineville CBC with a half dozen CINNAMON TEAL who forgot to fly south for the winter. Two RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were spotted by Craig and Marilyn Miller at Lake Billy Chinook in January. No one reported a loon this winter from any location and the only grebe reported was a WESTERN GREBE early in December on Ochoco Reservoir. Even rail reports were low although 3 VIRGINIA RAILS were found on the Prineville CBC and, surprisingly, 3 SORA were reported on the Bend CBC. DUNLIN were found at Houston Lake in December and again on the Madras CBC. Twenty WILSON'S SNIPE were located on the Prineville CBC and two RING-BILLED GULLS were spotted loafing in the Old Mill District of Bend in early December.
This winter was all quiet on the game bird front. CALIFORNIA QUAIL numbers were reported as low by many people and the only other Gallinaceous bird report was 18 WILD TURKEYS who showed up on the Prineville CBC. We've known of this flock within the circle for some years but this is the first time they have shown themselves during the Christmas Count. The news that the ODFW might declare open season on EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES didn't seem to reach the birds themselves. These birds continue to increase rapidly with 287 being counted on the Prineville CBC and 149 in Madras.
With the state-wide Winter Raptor Surveys sponsored by the ECAS, raptor reports are plentiful and good raptors are well documented. Couple that with the Christmas Bird Counts and we have a pretty good idea of which raptors frequent our area. Some of the more impressive numbers include 43 NORTHERN HARRIERS on the Prineville CBC (a record). Eighteen SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS were tallied on the Bend CBC. The high count for COOPER'S HAWKS was 7 on the Bend count but Prineville was close with 6. Our President, Steve Dougill, spotted a NORTHERN GOSHAWK at Tetherow Crossing west of Redmond in January. The Redmond CBC reported a whopping 112 RED-TAILED HAWKS. The Prineville CBC tallied 4 FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and the Culver Winter Raptor Survey produced 22 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS on January 11th. What's more incredible than 22 Rough-legged Hawks you ask? Well, how about 22 Golden Eagles on the Millican WRS? Incredible indeed! The winter AMERICAN KESTREL high count came in from the fledgling Madras CBC with 44 birds seen. The Redmond CBC found 12 MERLIN while the Prineville CBC reported 12 PRAIRIE FALCONS. BARN OWLS were spotted in Prineville and Powell Butte. A group of LONG-EARED OWLS spent the winter in the willows around Haystack Reservoir.
On the woodpecker front, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKERS were reported from Bend and Redmond. One AMERICAN THREE-TOAD WOODPECKER and 9 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS were found foraging in the B&B burn near Sisters.
The passerine news was somewhat interesting this winter. A few ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD reports came in from Bend and the first SAY'S PHOEBE was found in early January. NORTHERN SHRIKES were comparatively abundant this year and 2 LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES were seen on the Redmond CBC. The first TREE SWALLOWS showed up at Hatfield Lake on February 20. Wintering ROCK WRENS were found in Redmond and Culver while CANYON WRENS were spotted in Bend, Redmond, and Cloverdale. Occasional HERMIT THRUSH reports trickled in and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were seen at Madras in late December. A GRAY CATBIRD found its way to a yard near Sisters and a late SAGE THRASHER was located near Gateway in December. AMERCAN PIPIT sightings came in from Sunriver and Madras. Two SAVANNAH SPARROWS were found on the Utopia CBC and a single FOX SPARROW report came in from Lake Billy Chinook in January. LINCOLN'S SPARROWS were reported from most CBCs and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was found along the First Street Trail in Bend. Christmas Bird Count TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS were tallied in Madras, Prineville, Redmond, and Bend. Maybe the two best bird reports of the season were the 10 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS found by Peter Low at Dutchman's Flat Sno-Park and the single COMMON REDPOLL reported from the Madras CBC. Finally, in the "because they always get left out" department; Prineville tallied 1580 HOUSE SPARROWS during their CBC
May 2 Summer Lk for Shorebirds etc. May 16 Redmond and Lower Bridge and Smith Rock May 22 High Lakes Area June 13 Woodpeckers--Deschutes and Jefferson Counties
Spring Events: Recurring Events : The third Thursday of selected months is Birder's Night at the Environmental Center in Bend. For a schedule of talks and slide shows [see] for more info. - Wednesday Morning birders ... details
- Birding by Ear with Dave Tracey ... details
More Dates: For more events see the ECAS web site Bird Class taught by Damian Fagan at Central Oregon Community College - Field trips on 5/6; 5/13; 5/20; 5/27 .... see www.cocc.edu Birders Night - May 20th, Sue Anderson, Butterflying May 27 - 30, Devon Batley from ONDA will lead a raptor monitoring survey trip to Hart Mountain close to the CA border. There is only room for 8 people so sign up now ... details Summer lake shorebird survey - Weekend of June 5 - 6. Steve Dougill is organizing this. details Birders Night - June 17th, Paul Bannick: Noted nature photographer and author of "The Owl and the Woodpecker" brings us his presentation. July 15Annual Picnic: Details TBA Birders Night - August 19, Nicole Nielsen-Pincus on Vaux's Swifts
ECAS Trip Reports: Steve Dougill Mid March found ECAS joining with Lane County Audubon for a combined field trip to Fort Rock. At first light we were treated to 47 Sage Grouse leking in a hay field before a Bald eagle swooped in and chased them off. Close by Sage Sparrows were singing. The main focus was winter raptors and we found all the targets including Golden Eagles sitting on wires above us, and fantastic views of Ferruginous and Rough Legged hawks and nesting Prairie Falcons. | |
Later in the day we drove up through the snow to Thompson Reservoir and found large flocks of Tundra Swans on the edge of the ice. In the forest were crossbills, and great looks at a white-headed woodpecker.
Four of us camped at Summer lake (temperatures dipped into the single digits) to show the LCAS folks the area. Thousands of Snow Geese filled the marsh, occasionally put up by the patrolling Bald Eagles. Cranes, Bittern and thousands of waterfowl including 2 Eurasian Widgeon. In early April, Dean led a trip to Hatfield Lake and the nearby farmland. It was cold and blustery with a few shorebirds and waterfowl. The highlight was an Easter egg hunt! Mid April saw a group head out to Burns for the White Goose spectacle. Thousands of Snow and Ross’s Geese, hundreds of Curlews and Cranes. Again it was cold but the birding was great with 89 species totaled.
Birding Oregon web site: Chuck Gates The ECAS is happy to announce the creation of the online Birding Oregon Site Guide. This guide provides information to birders and directs the viewer to over 1000 hotspots for birding in the state. The guide was assembled under the direction of Chuck Gates but involved over 120 volunteers from all parts of Oregon. There were even a few out-of-staters that contributed to the project. The guide can be accessed online at http://www.birdingoregon.info/. Included in the guide are directions, geographic coordinates, DeLorme Map directions, Google maps, and general information for each site. It’s organized by counties and clicking on a chosen county will take the viewer to a page that contains a wealth of information. For each county, the county seat is noted and geographic information like area and high elevation are listed. A list of rare birds seen in the county is provided for the reader and the top county listers are included with their corresponding list numbers (how many birds they’ve seen in the county). Finally, a contact person is listed so visitors can make a connection with a local birder who may assist them or take their bird reports. County checklists have been created for every county. The checklists are produced in a printable format and are presented as a two-page document that can be printed on both sides of one sheet of paper. Two checklists were created for each of Oregon’s 36 counties. The first checklist is a comprehensive list of all the birds that have ever been found within the county boundaries. This list is primarily a resource for people interested in county species lists. The font is small and every rarity ever seen is included. The second checklist is designed to be more useful to the birder in the field. The county rarities have been removed from these lists. This allows for a much larger font and increased functionality. Most of the birds that are normally seen in that county are present on the second checklist. The main body of each county page consists of the individual site guides. The guides range from 12 sites in Columbia County to over 60 sites in Klamath County. Each site contains information and links that are designed to direct the birder to the site with a variety of informational resources. One important feature of our website is ease with which current technologies are integrated into the guide. On the home page, the viewer can click on an icon that say’s Google Earth kmls (click to see) and be transported to a satellite view of every site. Birders get an aerial view of the birding site of their choice. Google map technology is used to direct birders to the sites and GPS coordinates can be entered into a mobile device for turn-by-turn instructions. Links to informative websites are provided when appropriate. Integration with Oregon’s leading bird database (birdnotes.net) is in the works and our website will be closely linked to the main ECAS website as well as the Oregon Field Ornithologist website. Direct links have already been established with Oregon’s other Audubon chapters. I invite you to check out the ECAS Birding Oregon Site Guide before your next Oregon birding adventure. If you do, please comment on its usefulness. Volunteers will be diligently updating and editing the site based on comments from readers like you. Enjoy the guide.
News from the Winter Wings Festival: Dave Hewitt, Klamath Basin Audubon It was great to see so many people from across Oregon at the Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls this past February. The 3-day festival was a huge success. Over 550 people registered and nearly all of the field trips sold out. The workshops, presentations, and other activities were well attended too, and post-festival evaluations from participants have been overwhelmingly positive. We hope to build on our success next year with an even bigger and better festival, and we hope you'll join us.
We were very fortunate this year to have a number of top-notch experts assisting with field trips, workshops, and other aspects of the program, including:
- Scott Weidensaul (keynote presenter and trip leader)
- Bill Clark (presenter and trip leader)
- Rick Sammon (Canon photography)
- Jeff Smith (HawkWatch International)
- Dick Ashford (American Birding Association)
- John Alexander (Klamath Bird Observatory)
This year's festival drew in folks from all across the western US and from as far away as Arizona and Texas. We put together a Google Map to show the geographic "footprint" for this year's festival -- check it out: http://bit.ly/ciHpC7 We hope to see more central Oregon birders in 2011!
Field observations during the festival were tracked with eBird ( http://ebird.org). We recorded 93 species over the three days. As usual, raptors and waterfowl stole the show. Of particular note was a count of over 130 Bald Eagles leaving their night roost in Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge during the flyout field trip on Sunday -- this is a high count for recent years. Some other notable highlights
included:
- Western and Clark's Grebes
- American White Pelican (3 stuck around all winter in town)
- Eurasian Wigeon (many)
- Northern Goshawk
- Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk (juvenile light morph; found by Bill Clark)
- Peregrine Falcon
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Barn Owl
- Short-eared Owls (putting on a show in the evening at the LKNWR auto
tour route)
- Tree Swallow (arrived very early)
- Rock and Canyon Wrens
- California Towhee
- Cassin's Finch
Wrap-up information, including a summary of the bird observations, will be posted to the festival web site soon: http://www.winterwingsfest.org/
Finally, we'd like to thank our title sponsor Pacific Power, our host Oregon Institute of Technology, and all of the other presenters, leaders, sponsors, vendors, and the nearly 100 volunteers that made it all happen. With field trips and activities again planned for a full 3 days during the 2011 festival, we hope you'll join us in observing and recording the diversity and abundance of bird life in the Klamath Basin of Oregon and California!
News from other Oregon Audubon chapters: As we become more involved with the local Audubon chapters we will feature some of their projects and ways to get involved. PO Box 381, North Bend, OR 97459; 541-266-7382PO Box 148, Corvallis, OR 97339 PO Box 1265, Port Orford, OR 97465; 541-332-0261 PO Box 354, Klamath Falls, OR 97601 PO Box 5086, Eugene, OR 97405; 541-485-2473
PO Box 38, Lincoln City, OR 97367; 541-921-4009 // 541-992-0440
189 Liberty St NE – Suite 210, Salem, OR 97301 – 503-588-7340
Siskiyou Audubon Society (no website)
PO Box 2223, Grants Pass, OR 97528
Oregon Vaux’s Swift Count - Nicole Nielsen-Pincus (nnielsenpincus@yahoo.com)
Migration season is upon us and it’s just about time to start welcoming the swifts back again. While the large concentrations of Vaux’s swifts at communal roosts is most impressive in the fall, the spring is also a great time to view (and count!) large groups. Once again I’ll be looking for volunteers to count swifts at their roost locations across the state. We’d like to cover 2 dates this spring: May 1st and May 9th . Below is a list of known roosts in Oregon. If you can add information to this list or are willing to volunteer and count swifts at one of these roosts this spring please contact Nicole Nielsen-Pincus (nnielsenpincus@yahoo.com). Please see our website for more information on the project: http://www.ecbcbirds.org/Projects/OregonVauxsSwiftSurvey/tabid/108/Default.aspx
Oregon Vaux’s Swift Known, Suspected and Historic Roosts: Locale | Roost location | Adair Village | old heating plant stack from former military hospital | Albany | Montana/5th Street | Albany | Ferry/ 9th Street | Albany | Jefferson/4th St | Albany | Fire Station Lyons and 6th St | Albany | house SE Railroad/4th St | Banks | Banks School District Admin Bldg | Corvallis | First Presbyterian Church (Madison Ave) | Corvallis | Wiegand Hall at Jefferson and 30th street. | Corvallis | Whiteside Theater | Corvallis | Madison and 2nd St | Cottage Grove | Village Green | Eugene | Agate Hall (U of O) | Eugene | Old Warehouse ? | Eugene | Susan Lowdermilk's chimney | Forest Grove | ? | Independence | "Old" library bldg at 3rd and Monmouth | Independence | home at 7th and Monmouth | Independence | P.A.R.K. bldg at Main and D St. | Junction City | Laurel Elementary School? | Lake Oswego | Lake Oswego Lakewood Center | Lebanon | 600 block of Main St in Lebanon Hotel | Mapleton | Lion's Club/Library | McMinnville | 2 story bldg at Third & Davis St. | McMinnville | Residential- Wallace Rd. | Medford | Voorhies Mansion at Eden Valley Orchards | Monmouth | ? | Mt. Angel | High School chimney | Oregon City | Main Street (Hansen Log Furniture Company) | Oregon City | Old high school | Portland | Chapman Elementary School | Portland | Duniway Elementary School | Portland | Leslie Patton's home | Roseburg | Pottery Shed of the Arts Center on Harvard Ave | Roseburg | UACT building | Roseburg | St. Georges Episcopal Church? | Salem | “Capital place” | Salem | Christy Chapman's home | Silverton | Palace (movie theatre) | Silverton | 108 1st St. | Silverton | South Church St. Residence | Stayton | School ? | Toldedo | (OR Coast) residential chimney |
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| Eastern and Central Oregon | Bend | Christmas Presence building | Prineville | Bowman Museum (3rd and main) | La Grande | Foley Building | La Grande | Catholic Church Chimney | Lakeview | Flynn's Furniture | Union | High School chimney | Union | Union Hotel |
Upcoming Spring North American Migration Count - By Chuck Gates
The 2010 Spring North American Migration Count falls on the weekend of May 8 & 9. This is a statewide count that is organized by county. Each county has a coordinator who organizes volunteers and assigns routes. Volunteers then scour their assigned areas and count all the individual birds they can find. These totals are submitted to the county coordinator and he/she then forwards the results on to the state coordinator (me). The state coordinator then enters all county data into a state database. This database, now more than 15 years in the making, tallies the statewide totals.
Every year the ECAS sponsors this project and every year it is a struggle to get volunteers to help out with the count. The efficacy of any count depends, in a large part, on the number of volunteers that cover each county. More volunteers usually results in more thorough coverage and better data. Some counties (like Deschutes County) have a large volunteer base while other counties (like Jefferson County) have large areas that go unexamined due to the lack of volunteers. It is the goal of the ECAS to cover as much of the state as possible so we can develop a complete picture of bird migration in Oregon. You can help this migration count by volunteering to lead a group or ride with a leader. No experience is needed to ride along and you stand to see new areas and birds you’ve never seen before. Most groups will tally more than 50 species and some can exceed 100 species in a long day of birding. Please consider joining a count. Better yet, consider joining a count in a county unfamiliar to you. Some counts occur on Saturday (Crook & Deschutes) and some on Sunday (Jefferson). It’s entirely possible to do different counts on different days. You can see a full schedule of dates at http://www.ecbcbirds.org/Default.aspx?tabid=69. Feel free to contact me at 541-280-4957 or cgates326@gmail.com. I hope to see you on the spring NAMC.
News from other Local groups: No group works alone and we would like to introduce you to a range of other conservation / wildlife groups in Central Oregon that are active and support out mission. If you are active in a group not represented here and would like to contribute a regular piece, please contact us. Spring Nesting Season is Here - Kevin Lair, Wild Birds Unlimited Spring is in the air in Central Oregon. Most male birds have molted into their impressive breeding plumage and are singing to broadcast their territory and attract a mate. Spring is a very busy time for birds. Much of their day is spent in search of food. Natural food supplies, not yet bolstered by growing warmth, are at an all time low. Help your feathered friends prepare for the rigors of nesting by keeping your seed and suet feeders full. Healthy, well fed adults have the best chances of producing many healthy offspring. Encourage birds to raise families in your yard by providing safe and enticing nesting spaces. Consider adding a nesting box for cavity nesting species such as chickadees, nuthatches, bluebirds, tree or violet-green Swallows or Northern Flickers. While each species has specific requirements in terms of box design, in general a good nesting box should have the appropriate entrance hole size for the target species, should have adequate ventilation and drainage, and should allow for easy clean out following the nesting season. When placing nesting boxes on your property, consider the following general recommendations:
- Most birds prefer privacy for nesting. Avoid installing boxes immediately adjacent to feeders or high human traffic areas.
- Avoid facing boxes to the south or west as they tend to be more exposed to wind and hot afternoon sun
- Mount the box at least 5 ft high (some species prefer higher). If lower birds are more susceptible to predators such as cats.
Prepare your yard now for more birds, and their young, this spring and summer. The Deschutes National Forest Eagle Cam is up and running again! Due to late season problems and the old camera being damaged during a storm, we finally have a new operational camera. The camera is part of a cooperative project to bring live video of wild eagles and wild salmon to the Oregon Zoo’s Great Northwest Exhibit where the same species are kept in captivity, and to the internet. Available technology has allowed us to share the behavior of bald eagles in real time. The new camera is infra-red and will allow you to see what goes on at night. We’ve seen flying squirrels and deer mice check out the nest before the eagles returned. And good news – the pair is sitting on 2 eggs. Due to this technology, folks are getting a glimpse into what it’s like to be a doting parent this time of year. Check out the website at http://www.fs.fed.us/outdoors/naturewatch/eaglecam.html. In addition, we are conducting our annual bald eagle surveys across the forest to determine reproductive success of known sites. This summer, the Forest will be applying the new white-headed woodpecker monitoring protocols and strategy. This information will assist biologists in determining habitat and biological needs of this species. One aspect of the strategy calls for conducting nest site searches. This is where East Cascades Audubon Society members could greatly provide assistance. If interested, please call Monty Gregg, Sisters District Biologist, at 541-549-7724. | For anyone who’s had the opportunity to bird the forests of the Metolius Preserve, the riparian meadows and rimrock canyon of Rimrock Ranch or planted willows as part of the remarkable floodplain and wetlands restoration at Camp Polk Meadow, you’ve seen the handiwork of not just the Deschutes Land Trust, but also of their funding partner, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). OWEB funding provided the largest component of the Land Trust’s purchase of 3 miles of Lake Creek and 1,240 acres of forestland that now make up the Metolius Preserve. Similarly, a grant from OWEB anchored the Land Trust’s purchase of a unique conservation easement on 1,123 acres of Rimrock Ranch on Whychus Creek, protecting the canyon, multiple active eagle nests and an important migration corridor for wildlife moving between large blocks of public land. |
| At Camp Polk Meadow Preserve, OWEB’s funding is allowing the Land Trust and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council to realize a 13 year old dream of “re-meandering” nearly 2 miles of Whychus Creek, restoring the meadow’s hydrology and wetland complex. While fisheries restoration often steals the spotlight, each of these local projects aptly illustrates that birds are frequently the biggest beneficiaries of these conservation investments. | |
Back in 1998, Oregonians voted to make a visionary commitment of 15% of Oregon’s Lottery revenue to protect and restore wildlife habitat and our system of state parks. Today, OWEB is the primary state agency providing funding to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat in Oregon. Since 1998, OWEB has provided essential funding to allow land trusts and watershed councils to protect and restore thousands of acres of essential bird habitat across Oregon, as well as here in Central Oregon. However, unless reauthorized by the voters, this critically important funding source will automatically disappear in 2014. To assure that a portion of the lottery continues to be invested in protecting and restoring important habitat, a coalition of Oregon conservation and park user groups are working to place a measure entitled Water, Parks & Wildlife on the November ballot that would continue this essential funding source and make it permanent. To qualify the measure for the November ballot, Oregonians for Water, Parks & Wildlife are working now to collect signatures across Oregon, including here in Central Oregon. With new projects like the 450 acre Whychus Canyon Preserve and the 33,000 acre Skyline Community Forest in process, this unique state funding source takes on ever greater significance and it’s important that Central Oregon’s birding community understand the stakes. Central Oregon birders looking more information or wanting to get involved can start by visiting the Oregonians for Water, Parks & Wildlife website at www.waterparkswildlife.org . And if you haven’t had a chance to visit and bird these protected natural areas, please be sure to check out the Land Trust’s docent-guided tour schedule at http://www.deschuteslandtrust.org/news-reports/current-events . Greenprint of Deschutes County In a parallel effort, the Deschutes Land Trust, the Trust for Public Land and Bend Parks & Recreation District are leading a coalition of local and state agencies to develop a “greenprint” of Deschutes County. The Greenprint is a process developed by TPL and used around the country to create a community vision or plan that helps prioritize the investment in “green infrastructure, such as important wildlife habitat, scenic view protection and trail opportunities. Having a community-based Greenprint will help public agencies, local conservation groups, park providers and recreation groups coordinate their efforts to conserve natural areas and complete trail connections. The partner organizations also expect that the Greenprint will make Central Oregon’s conservation priorities much more competitive for state and national funding sources, which are always in high demand and in short supply. While the initial rounds of public input and data collection have already taken place, the Greenprint partners expect to unveil maps and seek additional public input later this spring. In the meantime, if you’d like more information on the Greenprint of Deschutes County, you can visit http://www.deschuteslandtrust.org/protected-lands/current-projects/greenprint or join the http://www.facebook.com/centraloregonoutdoors facebook site for the latest Greenprint news. MALHEUR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - February 2010 Bird Report, Stephen Shunk, Refuge Volunteer
Winter still lingers here in many respects, but the bird activity in February certainly signaled the upcoming seasonal transition. A number of birds started singing this month, waterfowl began arriving in good numbers, and many resident species initiated courtship and pair-bonding activities.
Note that the average arrival dates mentioned below are actually the average dates a species is first reported, as opposed to its actual return date at the Refuge, which is difficult or impossible to monitor.
Early in the month we enjoyed the return of the SNOW (arr. 2/1) and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE (arr. 2/16), TUNDRA SWANS (arr. 2/1), and SANDHILL CRANES (arr. 2/18). The Snow Geese and swans arrived just under two weeks ahead of their average arrival date, and the cranes and White-fronts hit their targets almost to the days. Also appearing a bit early were the NORTHERN PINTAILS. By the middle of the month, waterfowl numbers had begun to climb rapidly as Malheur Lake and other water bodies opened up. New species for the season included: RUDDY DUCK, NORTHERN SHOVELER, CINNAMON TEAL, AMERICAN WIGEON, and CANVASBACK. Other waterbird highlights included the first RING-BILLED GULL of the year.
The winter raptor theme continued in February, with additional surveys conducted on and around the Refuge. We also ran the first two of our free winter raptor tours on February 19 and 20. Highlights included the spring emergence of the Belding’s ground squirrels, which in turn concentrated raptors in the agricultural areas. Up to 75 BALD EAGLES were tallied in a single day, and the evening roost at the Sod House Ranch hosted at least 25 birds. GOLDEN EAGLE, PRAIRIE FALCON, RED-TAILED HAWK, and NORTHERN HARRIER were all observed performing various courtship displays, and increasing numbers of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS easily outnumbered Red-tails. A handful of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS appear to have overwintered east of the refuge along Hwy 78, between Princeton and Crane, aka Raptor Alley. A single RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was observed soaring over Buena Vista ponds on 2/19; this is a few miles north of Benson Pond, where we have had a bird overwintering. Summaries of the raptor surveys and tours follow this report.
A handful of songbird species began arriving about mid-month, and the resident SONG SPARROWS began singing in early February. One MARSH WREN was also heard singing, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were already staking out territories by the middle of the month. The first SAY’S PHOEBE was reported 2/17 and the first SPOTTED TOWHEE was seen at Refuge HQ on 2/19. Both birds were a bit earlier than the average, at 5 and 11 days respectively. One TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE and one HAIRY WOODPECKER continued at HQ, and a small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS was seen occasionally around the compound. MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and AMERICAN ROBINS began dispersing from their winter concentrations, and the first CANYON WREN song was heard 2/18 at Page Springs. HORNED LARKS started appearing regularly along roadsides in the northern part of the refuge.
RAPTOR SURVEY RESULTS
Lower Blitzen River Valley, Feb 17
Rough-legged Hawk – 34
Red-tailed Hawk – 26
Buteo sp. – 8
Northern Harrier – 28
Prairie Falcon – 2
Bald Eagle – 15
Golden Eagle – 9
Raptor sp. – 3
TOTAL BIRDS – 125
Upper Blitzen River Valley, Feb 18/Catlow Valley, Feb 24
Rough-legged Hawk – 5
Red-tailed Hawk – 20
Buteo sp. – 2
Cooper’s Hawk – 3
Northern Harrier – 34
Prairie Falcon – 4
American Kestrel – 1
Bald Eagle – 3
Golden Eagle – 11
Raptor sp. – 1
TOTAL BIRDS – 84
RAPTOR TOUR TALLIES
Friday, February 19
Rough-legged Hawk – 21
Red-tailed Hawk – 17
Ferruginous Hawk – 4
Red-shouldered Hawk – 1
Northern Harrier – 17
Prairie Falcon – 4
American Kestrel – 2
Bald Eagle – 75
Golden Eagle – 16
Cooper's Hawk – 2
TOTAL BIRDS – 170
Saturday, February 20
Rough-legged Hawk – 20
Red-tailed Hawk – 14
Ferruginous Hawk – 5
Northern Harrier – 22
Prairie Falcon – 2
Bald Eagle – 55
Golden Eagle – 17
Cooper's Hawk – 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 1
TOTAL BIRDS – 131
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| Help support ECAS and become a member today [Join] In this issue Audubon groups in Oregon ECAS Project News News from other groups
The Board ...
Mary Oppenheimer Damien Fagen Kevin SmithLocal Info: Information on ECAS projects and volunteer opportunities, [see] Sign up for COBOL, the local listserver for staying connected with Central Oregon's birds [link ] Local yard bird project [link ] Local rare and unusual bird photos [link ] Where to go birding in Central Oregon [link ] Recent COBOL archive [link]
Fundraising: As a non-profit we rely on you to help keep the organization alive. Currently we are seeking funds to hire an Executive Director which would solidify the organizations base and allow it to grow. Please help us reach this important goal.
Volunteering: We have many volunteer opportunities ranging from bird surveys, conservation work days, and helping on booths at county fairs. Other needs include working with bird data, contacting members, writing grants, and sharing ideas. [Contact ] Diane Kook, our volunteer coordinator.
Suggestions & Comments:
Please send any comments about this newsletter and how we might be able to improve it to the [ECAS]
Checklists:Checklist for Central Oregon birds [get it] Checklist for Deschutes birds [get it]
Businesses:Does your buisness want to support ECAS and bird conservation in the local area? Please contact us for the benefits we can provide your company by becoming a supporting member.
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The ECAS is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to helping birds and their habitats. Although we are based in Central Oregon, we organize several Sate-wide projects and are strong advocates for conservation. We encourage you to visit us at http://ecAudubon.org and become a member of this growing and energetic organization. As always, enjoy the birds! |
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