Dippers and More

Today, Sunday, the last day of March, we drove up Agency Creek Road for our sometime sort of Dipper survey. It was a beautiful day.

On my long hike into the first nest area that we know about, I found dozens of blooming Grouse Flowers, or Snow Queens, Synthyris reniformis, a plant I only recently learned existed. I have looked all over our place without finding any. But not a mile away, along the high bank over Agency Creek, they were plentiful.

Even more exciting were the tiny, beautiful white and black butterflies that were flitting about them. It was very difficult to get photos of them, but I tried.

 I have sent my blurry photos to Butterflies & Moths in hopes they can identify them. I don't remember ever seeing these butterflies before.

I saw no Dippers at that first nest site but there were splats (my word for white bird poop) along the rock wall where they have nested in the past. So maybe they will again...

The next site I also hiked into and I also saw no birds but may have heard singing. Or not.

Both of the two bridges Dippers nest under had people around them so we did not bother to stop. The waterfall upstream from the bridges was pretty, even though unoccupied by Dippers this day.

It was beginning to look like a Dipper-less day until we pulled off at the Yoncalla junction where the most faithful Dipper lives. And there we had a bonanza. Looking downstream I saw a Dipper, a pair of Hooded Mergansers and a pair of Wood Ducks. The Hoodies disappeared quickly out of sight.

But the Wood Ducks stuck around, way downstream, preening and bathing. They were foo far for good photos but I tried.

Looking upstream, I saw a bird fly catching over the stream. It turned out to be a Black Phoebe, a bird I have never seen before on Agency Creek. It did not hold still for a photo. But the resident Dipper flew past me and lit on a rock within photo distance. So I took lots of photos.

 As we drove farther up the road, I heard a Dipper calling. I got out and walked the stream trying to find it. Johnny drove ahead, pulled a chair out of the van and sat down to watch for birds. The Dipper flew right past him. Now that's the way to bird watch on a warm, sunny day.

No Dippers seen at Asinine Bridge but lots of evidence they are around. None seen at the upper bridge either, but on the way home we stopped at the two bridges we missed going up and heard one call as it flew upstream.

It will be easier to find Dippers later in the spring when they are feeding nestlings. But it was a beautiful day to be out and exciting to find Grouse Flowers (that bloom when the grouse call) that are also known as Snow Queens (because they start blooming in mid-winter when there is often still snow on the ground). And especially the beautiful, mysterious, tiny (size of a dime), black and white butterflies.