Red-Breasted Sapsucker at the Dunes

I don't get many chances to see Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber). They live in our area, and I've seen them at Modesto Junior College, Cal State Stanislaus, and on my beloved Tuolumne River, but only a few times at each spot. We are on the road for Thanksgiving up in Oregon along the Pacific Coast, and we were taking a short walk today at Holman Vista near the beautiful town of Florence.

At first we didn't see a single bird, but once we reached the vista point itself and stopped moving, the birds started making themselves known, including a Wrentit, some Northern Flickers, a Spotted Towhee, and a juvenile Bald Eagle soaring high overhead. But it was the bright red head of the Sapsucker that really caught our attention. It was moving around a lot, but settled on a tree trunk for a moment, allowing me to get a couple of shots.

Sutton Creek, which flows below Holman Vista, is part of a deflation basin. Historically this area was a dune system, but the planting of a European dune grass sort of "overstabilized" the dunes. The grasses trapped sand right along the beach forming the higher ridge seen on the left. Beyond the beach however, wind blew away the sand, leaving behind a basin in which trees and shrubs could take root. Occasional ponds and streams provide water and food, so a large variety of birds and other animals moved in.

Red-Necked Grebe in the Siuslaw River Estuary at Florence, Oregon

Thanksgiving is not one of the times that I expect to see a great many birds. I'm usually traveling through the Cascades and Siskiyou Mountains in winter-like conditions, and this year was no exception. But then I arrive at my destination on the Oregon coast at Florence, and I have better luck. Florence lies along the estuary of the Siuslaw River. A lot of birds winter in the region where temperatures are more mild. The waters of the Pacific moderate the local conditions.

I saw some interesting birds over the holidays, but the last night I was watching the gulls and Buffleheads near the marina when I saw I different bird. I got pictures and realized I had come across a new bird for me, a Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena). It's a bird I have little chance of ever seeing back home. The last time anyone saw one in my county was in 2008.

Red-necked Grebes breed far to the north in the Arctic, but spend winters along the coast as far south as the LA/San Diego coast. They eat fish, amphibians, and invertebrates.

The Siuslaw River rises in the Coast Ranges of Oregon and flows 110 miles to the sea. The river is not particularly large, but it has a huge estuary that is influenced by the tides as far upstream as 26 miles. The lower river has miles of wetlands that provide critical habitat for birds and other wildlife. It is one of few Oregon rivers that is undammed, but logging has had a huge effect on the health of the river.

One of the Reclusive Ones: Marsh Wren at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area in Oregon

Some birds might be relatively common, but at the same time they can be very reclusive and hard to see. They can be even harder to photograph. I got lucky with one of those kinds of birds last week as we traveled through Oregon. It was a Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris). It was only the fourth time I've seen one, and only second time I've gotten pictures. We were stopped at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area just inland of Reedsport on the Umpqua River. We actually weren't looking for the elk because we have lots of pictures of elk. The meadow along the river is often a good place to look for birds.

I inadvertently drew the bird out of reeds and into sight. I could hear a bird singing in the thick vegetation but I'm not well-versed in bird calls. I suspected it might be a Marsh Wren, so I pulled out the smart phone to check the call. It played louder than I expected, and suddenly the Marsh Wren jumped out of the reeds wondering who the competition was. Calling birds this way is not really ethical, as it may upset the birds and cause them to use energy that they can't spare.

For more information about Marsh Wrens, I recommend an excellent post by fellow nature blogger Siera Nystrom at the Natural History Journal.

Back From the Brink: Peregrine Falcon at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

I saw a particular bird species for the first time on Thursday after hoping to see one of them for years. It was a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), one of the iconic success stories of the environmental movement. The species was on the brink of extinction because of DDT contamination, but the banning of the pesticide allowed populations to slowly recover. Although they are no longer on the endangered species list, their total world population is only around 140,000 individuals. But for all my searching, I'd never seen one until last week when I visited family in Florence, Oregon for the holidays.

Now, I realize that Florence is not the location I mentioned in the title of the blog. That's the funny part. It was dusk and the bird was so distant that I only got a few fuzzy shots that were only good enough to identify the bird. The best shot, much photoshopped, is below.

Fast forward to Saturday. We were on the long drive home, but we can rarely resist the urge to see what's going on at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge in California's Great Valley near the town of Williams. There is a marvelous six-mile auto tour through the refuge. We were on the back half of the drive when I saw an unfamiliar bird up on of the trees. Very much to my surprise it was another Peregrine Falcon! And this time I got pictures!

It was a great trip through the refuge, but I was deeply bothered by one thing: no one was minding the shop. The visitor center and bathrooms were closed and there was no law enforcement anywhere. Technically people could have driven in and vandalized anything they wanted. They could even have shot birds There was in fact shooting going on in the distance, but I don't know if it was legal or not). It was the partial government shutdown of course. Trump has left our national parks, monuments and refuges unprotected because of his obsession with a useless wall. He has much to answer for.

A Surprise from the Archives: Hermit Warbler and Juvenile at Cape Perpetua, Oregon

Sometimes the birdwatching surprises come when one is going through the archives, and makes a discovery from a couple of years back in time. That happened today as I was going though the pictures of a Pacific Northwest trip in the summer of 2015 and came across a set of pictures I had forgotten I had taken. I never followed up at the time to try and identify this bird, but it didn't take long to find that it was a Hermit Warbler (Setophaga occidentalis), This beautiful female was hopping through the trees at Cape Perpetua on the Central Oregon Coast, accompanied by a fledged chick.

The warblers have been a real challenge for me. They are mostly migrants in our area, so I've only had a few opportunities to see them (with the prominent exception of the Yellow-rumped Warbler which is common in our area). There are more than forty species (I've recorded just six of them), and some of them display a lot of variation within a single species. I look forward to the fall season!

Rufous Hummingbird in Florence, Oregon

We are on the road again (that's what geo-tripping is all about). We're along the Oregon coastline finding a way to stay cool, and have found ourselves in Florence. I was walking to the Harbor Vista County Park when a hummingbird caught my eye. Hummingbirds are generally a tropical species, so I tend to expect just one or two possible species this far north, primarily an Anna's. But this one had gold tones, so I realized right away I had spotted a Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus).

The Rufous Hummingbird is a world-class migrant, traveling nearly 4,000 miles from southern Mexico to Canada and Alaska. I've seen them only a few times, once last spring on the Tuolumne River (definitely a migrant), once in Southern California (a winter shot), and now I can add a summer sighting in the Pacific Northwest.

Hooded Mergansers on the Siuslaw River Estuary in Oregon

I've had a couple of new birds show up on the blog in the last couple of posts, including the White-tailed Kite that surprised me last week a few blocks from home. On the other hand, I did some heavy-duty traveling and found myself in Oregon for Thanksgiving. I was visiting family in their home on a bluff above the Siuslaw River estuary.

The Siuslaw River marks the northern boundary of the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area, which extends south for forty miles along the coast. The north bank of the river is preserved as Harbor Vista County Park, which was a short walk away through the neighborhood. I walk there whenever I visit, and something interesting is usually happening on the tidal flats. When the tide is out, there are several acres of mud, and various shorebirds will be hanging out. When the tide is up, the water birds show up. When I got there the tide was in, and I saw some Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) for the first time (it's been three years of bird-watching, but I'm still getting started).

The pair of them were hunting for prey in the flooded tidal flat. While I watched, one of them caught some kind of crustacean and gobbled it up.

I think they were a couple of females, but as always, I accept corrections. They are ducks that nest in cavities in trees, and when the ducklings are only 24 hours old, they jump out of the nest onto the ground, falling 50 feet or more. They follow mom to the nearest water source.

I'll be back in Oregon in a few weeks for the holidays. I hope to see a few more interesting birds then!

A Thanksgiving Feast: Ticks on Elk...Brewer's Blackbirds at Dean Creek

 Well, that was a strange enough sight. We were driving north into Oregon for the holiday weekend, and stopped for a few moments at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area on the Umpqua River near Reedsport. The Roosevelt Elk were there in fair numbers, but one seemed to have some black warts or something (picture below). They turned out to be birds.

At the distance it was hard to tell the species, but I suspect they were Brewer's Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus). The Cornell Bird Site does mention that they will pick bugs off the backs of livestock, but it is possible that they are Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater). I welcome corrections; both species are reported from this location.

As is usually the case, the elk didn't seem to mind having birds walking around on their backs and hindquarters. If the birds were after ticks and that kind of pest, it would be a relief to have the birds working hard to remove them. Still, it was an odd sight.

The Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area is on Highway 38 just two or three miles upstream from the town of Reedsport. Parking is free.

A Bald Eagle at the Rocky Creek Bridge in Oregon

It's probably no secret that I'm in Oregon this week attempting to see the total Solar eclipse. Time will tell if we manage to find a spot in the path of totality, but in the meantime we have having a great time visiting family and seeing the sights. Among them was a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), which we saw during a short stop at Rocky Creek Bridge near Depoe Bay.

The Eagle was first sighted flying across the small cove carrying a good-sized fish (and being harassed by a gull who was hoping for the eagle to loose its grip). Someone better versed in fish will have to determine the species.

The Eagle flew to a tree across the cove and alit in a fir. The Bald Eagle is relatively common in the Pacific Northwest, so folks up this way probably don't get all that excited to see them, but I've only seen them a few times down in California, so this was kind of exciting.

Rocky Creek Bridge was built in 1927, linking Otter Creek to Depoe Bay. It was bypassed by Highway 101 in 1955 and was closed for a time, but was later reopened to allow a scenic loop to follow along the sea cliffs below 101. The wave action in the small cove is hypnotic.

Bald Eagle at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (and one in Oregon)

Photo by Mrs. Geotripper

I spent the better part of two weeks in the Pacific Northwest visiting relatives for the holidays, and I knew we had a good chance to glimpse some Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), seeing as they are more common up that way. We did in fact see a few, but few decent pictures emerged from my efforts. On the way home, we stopped, as we almost always do, at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, and wouldn't you know there was a Bald Eagle hanging out on a small island right next to auto-tour road in the refuge. Mrs. Geotripper got the best shot (above).

The Sacramento Refuge has a very scenic backdrop for bird viewing, with the highest part of the California Coast Ranges to the west, Lassen Peak and other volcanoes to the north, and the Sutter Buttes to the southeast.

We mentioned our excitement about seeing eagles on our Facebook page, and found out that two of them were sitting in a tree next to the Oregon house that we had just left! It's too ironic. Anyway, I did actually see one of those eagles in Oregon, but it was high above, and I got just this fuzzy shot of it soaring over my head.

Hermit Thrush at Cape Perpetua, Oregon

I don't see Hermit Thrushes (Catharus guttatus) very often, and catching photographs of them has proven difficult (although I have a few). I've been on the road, as is usual for this time of year, and we were stopped at Cape Perpetua on the central Oregon Coast to have a look at the pounding surf. I haven't been expecting to see all that many birds out and about in the winter environment, but I've been pleasantly surprised many times over. As we were leaving the visitor center at the Cape, I saw a bird lurking just over my head, and there was the thrush! It felt close enough to touch, but as you can see, the angle for pictures was very steep. 

For the most part, Hermit Thrushes spend the winter much further to the south, especially in the southern tier of American states and Mexico. The exception is the west coast of the United States, where they may winter as far north as Washington state. The climate stays warmer because of the moderating effect of the nearby Pacific Ocean.

If It's a Common Bird, Make Sure It Has Attitude: Song Sparrow at Yachats, Oregon

I haven't covered that many sparrows on this blog so far. I'm still pretty new at this game, and have limited confidence when it comes to telling them apart. It doesn't help that the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) has 24 recognized subspecies! But I posted one today because it had some serious attitude. And comes from a highly varied background.

We were driving along the Oregon coast near Yachats when we got out for a view of the waves (which were pretty intense today due to an approaching storm). I was looking far out to sea, but this little sparrow was on the bush right in front of me singing its heart out, and pretty much daring me to take pictures.

The Song Sparrows are a widespread North American species, with a range that extends from southern Alaska and Canada into northern Mexico. There is an additional isolated population in central Mexico that is 900 miles from any other Song Sparrows.

The many subspecies and regional differences are emblematic of how evolution proceeds. The birds are common and widespread, but encounter different environments at the margins of their range. These different habitats favor different adaptations, such as size or coloration, or different food preferences. If populations become isolated, they may become differentiated enough to be classified as separate species.

If you've ever wondered about how Darwin's 13 species of Galapagos finches came about, or the 56 species (living and extinct) of Honeycreepers of Hawai'i, then these very common North American birds provide some insight. Variation is the key to evolutionary change.

Great Blue Heron at Ashland, Oregon

I guess I have to admit that I like Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias), since they've been profiled here six times now. including a life-and-death struggle with Bald Eagles on Vancouver Island a year ago. We were taking a short break this afternoon at the roadside rest near Ashland, Oregon, when Mrs. Geotripper spotted a heron in the nearby field. I snapped a few pictures, as well as a video of the heron hunting. It's fascinating to watch how they hold themselves so steady as they walk forward. Although it didn't catch anything while I filmed, I can't doubt that some kind of amphibian or bug became a meal tonight. They seem very patient...

Western Meadowlark on the Oregon Coast

I'm sure it's not unusual, but walking along the Siuslaw River estuary on the central Oregon coastline, I was expecting to see all manner of shorebirds, and the odd crow or maybe even a Bald Eagle that has been said to be lurking nearby. I wasn't really expecting to see a Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), but that was what I got pictures of this morning. Thinking back, it wasn't that strange, as the vegetated dunes that characterize this section of the Oregon coast are covered with grasses that make for excellent habitat for the Meadowlarks. In any case, it's always a delight to see one.

Barn Swallows on the Oregon-Washington Coast

There are several birds that I see often but have a hard time capturing in a photograph. The Steller's Jays in the last post are an example. Today we visit with another, the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). They are common around the irrigation canals around my home, and they are indeed abundant all over the country (in summer; in winter they are found all over South America). But they don't stay still! They swoop and soar all over the place, and only occasionally stop to rest.

I finally caught a few taking a break during my summer vacation along the Pacific Northwest coast. Several were perched on the roof of a house in Florence, Oregon, and a few days later I found another building a nest in the eaves of the restaurant at Kalaloch Resort on the coast of Washington in Olympic National Park.

The birds are great aerial acrobats, chasing myriad numbers of bugs in the air. Their flying ability also shows in their extensive migrations from South America to North America and back again. They are also adaptable. They once built nests primarily in caves, but fewer do so now. They've taken over eaves and bridges wherever humans develop a landscape.

They are beautiful colorful birds, at least when they sit still long enough for you to get a good look!