Twas the Day Before Christmas...

 The sun was shining on December 24th! Rain was predicted for Christmas Day so we took the opportunity to drive up into the woods the day before and do our sort-of-traditional Christmas Day waterfall hike, traditional as of last year, I think, after our friends, John and Barbara Woodhouse, whom we used to bird with on Christmas Day, moved to stay with family in Minnesota because of failing health. Sadly, Barbara Woodhouse died the last day of November 2020. It's been a hard year.

But yesterday was a cool, sunny day and we were determined to enjoy it. And we did. Our first stop up the road was at the old rock quarry, home to a beautiful little lake and usually some interesting wildlife. Last visit there was a weasel and a Dipper. This time it was a Bald Eagle, sitting high above the quarry on a tall snag. I took photos from two slightly different angles, then tried to crop out my camera water spots. Now I can't tell which photos were taken from which angle but here they are...

 

 That was a good start to our excursion. Just a bit farther down the road Johnny spotted another eagle on another snag on the opposite side of the road. I tried taking photos from the car but there were branches in the way so I got out and managed to get a couple shots through the branches.

I wanted to show how tall the snag was so Johnny drove a little farther and I took a photo from there. Snag was farther away now and the eagle very small.

I've cropped the photo so you can see there really is an eagle up there...

We finally reached the waterfall path. I've always called this Yoncalla Falls since it is just off the Yoncalla Rd. but Johnny tells me it is really on Boulder Creek that runs into Yoncalla River, so should be called Boulder Falls. Yoncalla has its own falls that is not visible from the road. You can see it on my Waterfalls blog here: https://ourwaterfallproject.blogspot.com/2016/02/yoncalla-falls.html  In that blog, I call the one pictured below West Fork Yoncalla Falls instead of Boulder Falls. I don't think it has an official name.

The moss and fern cliff next to it is beautiful.

And the elf below it this day is pretty cute.

We only found one American Dipper. Agency Creek was high and wild, so maybe most had moved upstream, or just happened to be under water when we drove by. This bird we watched for several minutes as it hopped out of the water and back in, swimming, diving, presumably catching water creatures.

 

 At one point, we spotted a little brown bird hopping about in the leaves by the roadside. It turned out to be a Hermit Thrush. 

It was a nice day for our now-annual Christmas season waterfall hike. 

Today, Christmas Day, is wet and cold. Very wet. Very cold. But staying indoors has its benefits: ZOOMing with the kids, connecting with friends by phone, and lots of eating. 

Happy Holidays!

Things Are Looking Up

There is nothing like a freshly pumped septic tank to make the world look better. Of course, this is 2020 so worse was to come. Friend and in-law Sarah landed in the hospital with a brain aneurysm. Scary. Thankfully, surgery was successful and she is home recuperating. Now the good times can roll again... 

And they are...

On Tuesday, December 22nd, after years of trying and failing to get a photo of a Wrentit, I finally succeeded! Wrentits have been gradually moving northward, along with many other bird species, as our climate warms. Our farm was the first in Yamhill county to have one seen. That was in 1999. They soon were seen in many places in the county, but only off and on at our farm. And never holding still or staying long enough for a photo. Until yesterday. 

I was cutting blackberries by the creek near the barn when I heard a Wrentit's rattling scold. I watched and saw it flitting around a tangle of bushes, complaining bitterly at my intrusion. I left to retrieve my camera from the house. Then I went back to clearing brush to irritate the bird into appearing again.  (They seldom come into view, preferring to rattle a warning or sing their monotonous trill from cover.) It worked! I sat in my EZ Go, as a blind, and took photo after photo of a fast moving, always behind branches, blur. But one of those caught enough of the little varmint to be recognizable.

The next day, December 23rd, we drove our North Santiam raptor route, one of the two we drive each month from November through March. We were amazed at the traffic. Clearly, not many are staying home for the holidays, in spite of health authorities' pleas. Except the raptors. We did not see many. But in my usual hike around the ponds at Lyons City Park, non-raptor birds were plentiful. A Red-breasted Sapsucker went busily about his work, paying no heed to me and my camera. 

A pair of Hooded Mergansers were also cooperative.

The big event this week has been the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter. They were closest on the Solstice, December 21st, when, of course, it was cloudy and rainy here. But the skies cleared the next night and I took a photo, a distant photo, of the pair as seen from our farm. Honest, they are in this photo. Zoom it up.

Here, I'll zoom it for you...

And closer...

 

 

I asked Johnny if we walked toward them if we would arrive at a place where the world would be saved. He reminded me that you can only walk in that direction, not expect to arrive. Which reminded me of the words of Thich Nhat Hanh that I have posted by my desk: "The problem is whether we are determined to go in the direction of compassion. . or not...  If I lose my direction I have to look for the north star. I will go to the north. That does not mean I expect to arrive at the north star. I just want to go in that direction."

May we all go in that direction in the year to come. Happy Solstice! Happy Christmas Eve!

2020 Strikes Again

 Will this year never end? And will the new year bring better happenings? I sure hope so. The latest mini disaster here on the farm is septic tank problems... as in a blocked line and then an overfull tank and partially blocked leach lines. I won't go into the gory details but Johnny has spent 4 or 5 days (I've lost count) diagnosing and attempting to fix the problems. Septic tank people can't come for a week. I guess other peoples' tanks are taking advantage of the 2020 curse. But other than the tank pumping, which Johnny can't do, he has solved most of the other issues, much of the time while under the house... no mean feat since there is not room for a person under there. Although I'm skinnier than he is, I declined the job..

Before all the septic issues arose, I finished the wreath making project and mailed off wreaths. All arrived at their destinations sooner than expected, except one, which never arrived. So I sent off another. It arrived yesterday, thank goodness.

Below is the inside of the stock trailer, otherwise known as my work room, before gifting the wreaths.

There are other pretty happenings this month. Most mornings in December thus far have dawned with amazing colors in the sky...

 

Here's to a healthy and disaster-free finale to this "interesting" year.

A Sunday Drive: Waterfalls and Dippers

We took the opportunity today to head for the hills on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The hills, it turned out, were socked in with fog. However once we dropped down into lower elevations, along the Nestucca River, we were below the fog. 

Clarence Creek Falls must be the longest waterfall in the world if you count the stream that doesn't stop dropping after that first sheer plunge.

  The Nestucca River has resident American Dippers all along its' course. We saw two by a bridge where we always see them. Then we headed for Alder Glen Campground which has its own little waterfall... and nearly always a Dipper. It did not fail us today.

It was a nice break from wreath making for me and apple gathering and cider making for Johnny.

A Break in the Rain

Hallelujah! 5 days after writing this, I finally found the magic place to get it out of HTML format so I could actually *see* the photos! But I'll leave it as it is since the photos are pretty self-explanatory. Next post I'll be able to do correctly!

During a break in the rain today I took a walk through our woods. The creek is high. The resident Ruffed Grouse was sounding off... and then running off. Our seasonal pond is now full. On the way back, a Black Phoebe was flycatching from the top of the barn. Later, a flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows were feasting on apples in a tree by the driveway. I have not learned how to integrate photos with descriptions in this new mysterious Blogger format, so you'll have to do it yourself. Hint: I did not get a photo of the Grouse. He left too fast.

November on the Farm

At last, the fall colors have arrived, along with frosty nights and busy days. Well, I guess all the days have been busy this fall. I'm not sure if there's more to do than usual or if we're just slower than we used to be.

Deer are everywhere. Maybe because apples are everywhere.

Yesterday, November 9, we ran our first raptor route of the season. I would put captions on these photos if Blogger would let me see them. In this draft I'm writing all I see is HTML or something gobbledygook. So until this gets straightened out, you're on your own to identify them. There are photos of White-tailed Kites, a well-camouflaged Red-shouldered Hawk, a light phase Rough-legged Hawk (taken from a very great distance), and an American Kestrel (the only bird all day that posed nearby). update: Looks like I can add captions now below the photos...

White-tailed Kites

Red-shouldered Hawk

American Kestrel

Rough-legged Hawk