Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Yamhill Valley Christmas Bird Count

 Although it looked like we would not get far, with a foot of snow on our farm, we headed out anyway to do our sector of the Yamhill Valley Christmas Bird Count. Johnny had driven out over our snow covered driveway the day before and the snow covered road had been beat down by trucks. When we reached the highway, it was packed snow with few cars. We slowly made it to our count sector... and ended up having the best results for this count that we have ever had. 

The first bonanza came early, just after we entered our sector up Gopher Valley Rd.... a flock of birds in the few open places in a field alongside the road. I knew American Pipits have been seen there occasionally in the past, but I had never found any. I could not tell for sure what these birds were since they kept disappearing behind snow drifts. So I took photos. My Nikon Coolpix is a superb birding buddy. And here is what it saw:


 The little bird with the thin bill and long legs was, indeed, an American Pipit. It was hard to tell how many of them there were as they were mixed in with Golden-crowned Sparrows, but I guesstimated a dozen.

Onward we drove over packed snow meeting few vehicles... but every single one stopped when we were stopped and asked if we needed help. Johnny told them "Just birdwatching". They all laughed and gave us a thumbs up.

Although on the drive from our farm to the start of our sector we had seen very few birds, now they appeared wherever the snow was replaced with water or soggy grass. Hawks began appearing on tree tops, vague in the fog... but the camera helped when binoculars could not. This guy was just a dark blob until the camera detected a red tail.

And a silhouetted small raptor... Kestrel? Merlin?... turned into an obvious Kestrel with the camera's expertise.


Just as exciting as the Pipits, but far easier to see, was a group of five Mountain Quail in one of those snow-free pockets close to the road as we climbed higher into the hills. They seldom picked their heads up for pictures but I took their photos anyway. It was Johnny's first time to see these beautiful birds.






Soon after seeing the quail, PGE trucks started coming up behind us and passing as we pulled out of their way. Before long, someone driving toward us stopped and came out of his car to tell us that around the next bend were seven trucks and equipment with trees and power lines over the road so there was no going any farther. We thanked him, turned around, and headed back downhill to follow side roads. We were disappointed not to be able to get to the area where we often find a Dipper, but, like everything else that day, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The first road we came to was Thompson Mill. Soon after it leaves Gopher Valley and makes a sharp bend, there is a huge field next to that bend that often has flocks of birds in it. This day was no exception. And the birds were not what we usually see there. We spotted the Killdeer first, but there were other birds difficult to see at the distance and behind hillocks of snow. So I stood on the tailgate of our pickup and, as I had suspected without being able to see well from the ground, there were at least six Snipe feeding with a few Killdeer.



Our friend and birding partner Mary lives in our sector of this count, off the road at the top of a mountain, and was unable to join us because of deep snow. By the time we were in her area, the road going up her way had been plowed, sort of, but was still challenging as it is steep. Johnny was determined, however, to get close and see what birds Mary had managed to find. With only a few hair raising moments, we arrived at the foot of her impassable driveway to find Mary walking along looking for birds. She had found the deep forest birds that we had not... kinglets and chickadees and a sapsucker. 

Getting the truck turned around to head downhill was challenging but Johnny succeeded and we left Mary to bird in the snow and fog as we went back down to Gopher Valley road, meeting more PGE trucks fixing lines. Apparently, those were lines that brought power to Mary's hilltop home as when we arrived home, we heard from Mary that her power had just returned, after being out since early morning.

It was a very good count day after an unpromising start from our snowy farm. Pipits and Mt. Quail and Snipe... hooray! 



 

Monday, December 27, 2021

Let it snow!!


May as well let it snow as it will do it anyway. We have a foot of the white stuff right now. When the sun comes out it is beautiful. But loud when it slides off the roof. Some photos from the farm this morning...










This was taken from my upstairs office window



This is also from the office window, as the snow slides off our metal roof



The lawn llama is covered in snow. That's a first.



Those white lumps are stacks of firewood not yet brought to the woodshed.

Our farm with Spirit Mountain in the background


Our seasonal pond... not entirely covered with ice yet.

Agency Creek that flows through our farm

The snow about to come off the greenhouse roof.

Yet another photo from upstairs window. When that ledge of snow drops, it makes a tremendous loud sound as it hits the greenhouse roof below.

Ah, but when winter comes, can spring be far behind?

The Optimist doesn't think so. Johnny built this Snow Person Optimist in a lawn chair. I decorated his hat with tulips. The Optimist knows how to enjoy winter while looking forward to spring. So may we all!

 


Monday, December 20, 2021

December Rain and Snow

 December has been a whirlwind so far. It started out on the first day with our Grand Ronde raptor route that included wreath deliveries to friends. The next day was my Beached Bird survey. Those were about the only two good weather days in the month so far.

The King Tides and stormy weather had completely re-sculpted the dune at Bob Straub State Park, where I do my beached bird survey. The dune had become a very long steep cliff. When I arrived just as the 9 foot tide was going out, the waves were lapping at the base of the dune so I had to walk on top of it to get to my starting point, one kilometer from the access trail at the parking lot. Up on top were logs that had been thrown up there by the stormy sea.

 



By the time I reached my starting point, I could hike and look for dead birds on the sand since the tide was going out. When I finished my survey and was walking back, I could not resist taking a photo, as usual, of beautiful Chief Kiawanda Rock off Cape Kiawanda. Another lovely day on the Oregon coast... one I carefully chose out of a month of stormy seas. Not too many beached birds either!

We did our North Santiam raptor run on the 8th, when the weather was wet at our farm but dry by the time we got to Salem where our route begins. At the far west end of our route, in Gates, it was raining and the birds were hiding, but the middle gave us our usual number of raptors... Birds can fly, after all, to find decent weather... and food.

It was a foggy cold and misty day on the 10th when Johnny called me out of the house to say there was a Bald Eagle on the big broken topped fir at the west end of our fields. It posed for my camera.


Four days later, we had our first snowfall of the year. I took photos early in the morning before it turned to slush.

The tree in our front yard is getting almost too tall for me to string lights on... so I just throw the strings over the top. It looks very pretty at night but the lights are not very visible in my photos.

 

Up in the mountains around us, the snow did not melt but just accumulated. Two days after our snow had come and gone, we attempted to do our sector of the Upper Nestucca Christmas Bird Count. Very little of our area was passable. There was a lot of snow in the count circle.

 We have been pet-sitting friend Mark's wee dog while he is recovering from falls and other undetermined health problems. Ranger (or RainGear as Johnny calls him, having originally misunderstood what his name was and decided to stick with RainGear) loved the snow... although it was very deep for his short legs, only 3 of which touch the ground, one having been injured in a car accident Mark had a few months earlier. But Ranger gamely bounded ahead whenever the trail was open enough. Otherwise one of us broke trail for him. Here he is on Johnny's heels...


There were not many birds to be seen, but plenty of pretty scenery.




And now, one week before Christmas Day we have snow and cold rain with more of the same predicted. Winter officially begins tomorrow... when the days start to lengthen. I am typing this at 6 a.m. when the outside world is still pitch dark. Bring on the light!


Sunday, November 28, 2021

November in Photos

 

Lots of foamy water and big driftwood from the high tides and storms on my beached bird survey this month


I took a day of nice weather to photograph birds on our farm




...and this cute chipmunk

The llama changed from Autumn leaves to Thanksgiving



The little dot on the peak of our barn roof is a Black Phoebe who has been here daily this month

Here is the Black Phoebe closer

A double rainbow on November 23