Swallows have been braving our
spring weather since its first signs in mid
February. Now we are getting a rush of migrants
returning with warblers and shorebirds, flycatchers and
hummingbirds. It's a fun time to get out
birding. For ECBC so much has been
happening! See Diane's piece about volunteers ...
we had over 600 people volunteering for us on projects
last year! We worked with LaPine Middle School
to promote birding and gave each of the students in Anna
Bajorek's 5th grade class free copies of "Birds of the
Inland NW and NW Rockies" Authors Harry Nehls, Mike
Denny and Dave Trochlell, that had been donated to
us. The kids were very excited and a big thank you
goes to Judy Merideth, yet again, for helping out with
this. |  |
 | Liz O'Connell has been working hard
to promote the Cascade Birding Trail. Originally
established more than ten years ago, this is a fantastic
resource for local birders and tourists visiting the
area ... [see ]
. We are
currently seeking funds and partnerships to print more
brochures and create signage to promote this
resource. |
As part of this effort we have submitted
the trail to the National Geo-Tourism Map Project for Central
Oregon ... [see] and add a comment to encourage its
inclusion in the guide. ECBC also has worked with
VisitBend, to get birding featured on their web site ... [see ]
We must thank Oregon Wild, yet again, for
continuing to support our volunteers in the Glaze Meadow
Project. We have received a $500 grant to continue this
important project. Thank you Tim Lillybo for making this
happen.
As you will realize there has been a
slight difference to the delivery of the newsletter. We
are now hosting the historic newsletters on our web site [see] and are not using
a pay-for-service to manage them. Due to the individual
security settings on people's individual email accounts and
computers, we feel that we can deliver the newsletter just as
efficiently. If you are unable to receive this
newsletter through your email, just go to the link and see the
newsletters there. We publish the newsletter four times
a year; February, May, August, and November. Finally, there are three events to look
out for, coming up soon. ECBC is hosting a
bird-a-fun
from mid-May to mid-June.
The idea is that teams (or individuals) will spend a
day trying to see as many species as possible and getting
sponsorship dollars for each species they see.
Money collected will go directly to supporting ECBC
projects and especially in revitalizing the Cascade Birding
Trail … we need to gather the old partners together, update
the brochures, print more and add signage to the stops.
The team that collects the most money will be awarded
four spots on a fall pelagic trip out of Newport to see
Albatrosses, shearwaters and more, kindly donated by [The Bird Guide]. A
big thank you goes to Greg Gillson for this.
Please contact Jim Moodie for
more information or see …[details]
The second annual Woodpecker festival
will be hosted in early June in Camp Sherman.
This year there are more field trips than ever and
great guest speakers … [details] In July, there is a fun golfing event at
Quail Run Golf Course in between LaPine and Sunriver.
This is an Audubon friendly golf course.
See the article later on or … [details]
Volunteer in 2009- We
need you:
ECBC is an active
organization. We have a number of projects that we carry
out and we would like you to participate in them, get involved
and meet some great people. We are featuring a few below
that are either new or need little birding experience.
See the web site for a full list of projects. Summer Lake:  | We are working closely with
ODFW to help complete some breeding shorebird
surveys in the wildlife management units at
Summer Lake, two hours SE of Bend.
Volunteers can stay at the cabin on the preserve or
camp while the work is going on. We need
volunteers who can count birds such as Avocets, stilts
and other shorebirds for the weekend of May 30-31 or for
a single day. This is a fantastic wetland with
breeding Snowy Plover and all sorts of marsh birds
including Pelicans, Bitterns, Egrets, Night herons and
much more …. Contact [Steve
Dougill] for more
information. |
Kestrel and
Bluebird nest box Project :  | Kestrels are on the decline. We
have a very successful project that maintains over 120
nest boxes in Central Oregon. We need people to adopt a
section (a number of boxes), clear them out once a year
and check on the nest outcome. We are hoping to ramp up
our banding effort at these nests to gather long-term
population and demographic data. Contact [ Dean Hale ] for more information (so
you know its going to be a fun project). We
had a great response from the last newsletter. We
are still looking for one or two new volunteers.
|
White headed
Woodpecker Surveys: | These spectacular birds are easy to
identify! We are partnering with the Sisters Rangers
District in assessing their management practices in
improving habitat for these woodpeckers. The project
involves walking a marked trail through the forest
(Metolius Area) and looking for WH Woodpeckers and their
nests. This is a great area and a great bird. Not only
that, but after signing up as a Forest Service Volunteer
they will reimburse you for your vehicle miles. Just
several part day commitments are needed. Contact
[Monty Gregg] for more
information. |  |
Hart
Mountain:  | Close to the California border in
Southern Oregon is a spectacular refuge that needs our
help. They would like some bird surveys done as well as
all raptor nests checked for current activity. This is
the second of two trips and runs from June 12 -
15... [details]. We are looking for
people with mixed birding abilities; not much experience
is needed to check the status of raptor nests, however
we need a couple of people who can help out with more
detailed bird censuses. Right now we are slated to
camp, but depending on use we should be able to use the
refuge's cabin. There are hot springs, fantastic
birds and out-of-this-world scenery. What else could you
want …. Contact [Steve
Dougill] for more
information. |
Conservation work days: We are
looking for people to get involved with the conservation
committee that helps to shape ECBC’s policy and actions for
active management of bird habitats in Central Oregon.
Right now the committee is looking at ways to work with the
City of Bend to promote birds in their planning and
development plans, working with the Deschutes Land Trust in
their restoration efforts at Camp Polk, working with the
Forest service and Oregon Wild to clean up Glaze Meadow,
working with interested parties to increase protection for
Lake Abert, and work with a local developer to secure
protection and interpretive resources for a riparian area in
downtown Bend -Contact [ Eva
Eagle] for more information. There are also many other projects.
Please visit the web site to find out more. Spring is in the air and many of our ECBC
volunteer projects are gearing up to get underway with
volunteer opportunities that are just waiting for YOU and your
participation. While you are sitting here reading this
small article, take a moment and in your mind, place yourself
along the side of Green Ridge, looking out over the expanse of
forest, sitting with other volunteers who too are watching and
waiting in anticipation for raptors to come flying by. I
have heard from many who have volunteered for this project,
that the excitement and anticipation of ‘what might just
happen along’ is thrilling. Or place yourself in a
forest, standing in awe as you watch the mating and feeding
activity of Lewis’s Woodpeckers at nest boxes and natural
cavities. ECBC volunteers have been known to climb
trees, peek in nest boxes looking for successful breeding of
American Kestrels, have gotten on their hands and knees
pulling noxious weeds from Camp Polk Meadows, or have taken
down harmful fences in pristine locations. North
American Migration Counts, Glaze Meadow surveys all of these
things you too can be a part of. So, picture
this…picture yourself finding new places to bird, new friends
to bird with, or maybe even new life birds…and while you are
having fun being ‘ a part of it all’ you are also providing
valuable insight and data collection that will help our bird
friends now and in the future. I have only mentioned a
few of our projects, so please take a moment now to visit our
website, ecbcbirds.org, or write me, Diane Kook volunteer
coordinator, by sending me an email at
doiseau@bendbroadband.com, and find out how too you can be a
part of all the ‘bird’ fun!
Here is a list of the donated time and
mileage given to our projects in the year 2008. A very
impressive amount!! MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!
Let’s have another record year of giving and having fun doing
it at the same time!
Time
Hours
Volunteers
ADMINISTRAION | 1047:45:00 | 1066 | 10 | LEWO PROJECT | 251:40:00 | 1227 | 16 | HAWK WATCH | 0 | 0 | 0 | CAMP POLK SURVEYS | 51:00:00 | 141.2 | 5 | FIELD TRIPS | 369:30:00 | 2665 | 10 | EARTH DAY | 17:30 | 0 | 6 | NAMC/SPRING | 1037:00:00 | 5852 | 299 | NAMC/FALL | 786:00:00 | 5339 | 197 | SHORBIRDS SURVEYS/FALL | 0 | 0 | 0 | SHORBIRDS
SURVEYS/SPRING | 19:00 | 20 | 5 | GRAY FLYCATCHER SURVEY | 0 | 0 | 0 | WINTER RAPTOR SURVEYS | 2492:25:00 | 45,082.50 | many | ANNUAL COMMITTEE | 279:30:00 | 154 | 21 | GLAZE MEADOW SURVEYS | 19:00 | 329 | 4 | CONSERVATION | 75:00:00 | 320 | 19 | BIRDER'S NIGHT | 33:00:00 | 96 | 5 | KESTREL BOX | 178:00:00 | 1531 | 5 | WED AM BIRDING | 170:00:00 | 1500 | 1 | EAGLE WATCH | 60:00:00 | 0 | 3 |
|
|
|
| GRAND TOTALS | 6886:20:00 | 65322.7 | 606 |
ADMINISTRAION | 1047:45:00 | 1066 | 10 | LEWO PROJECT | 251:40:00 | 1227 | 16 | HAWK WATCH | 0 | 0 | 0 | CAMP POLK SURVEYS | 51:00:00 | 141.2 | 5 | FIELD TRIPS | 369:30:00 | 2665 | 10 | EARTH DAY | 17:30 | 0 | 6 | NAMC/SPRING | 1037:00:00 | 5852 | 299 | NAMC/FALL | 786:00:00 | 5339 | 197 | SHORBIRDS SURVEYS/FALL | 0 | 0 | 0 | SHORBIRDS
SURVEYS/SPRING | 19:00 | 20 | 5 | GRAY FLYCATCHER SURVEY | 0 | 0 | 0 | WINTER RAPTOR SURVEYS | 2492:25:00 | 45,082.50 | many | ANNUAL COMMITTEE | 279:30:00 | 154 | 21 | GLAZE MEADOW SURVEYS | 19:00 | 329 | 4 | CONSERVATION | 75:00:00 | 320 | 19 | BIRDER'S NIGHT | 33:00:00 | 96 | 5 | KESTREL BOX | 178:00:00 | 1531 | 5 | WED AM BIRDING | 170:00:00 | 1500 | 1 | EAGLE WATCH | 60:00:00 | 0 | 3 |
|
|
|
| GRAND TOTALS | 6886:20:00 | 65322.7 | 606 |
Personality: Diane Kook- Volunteer of the Year 2008 -
by Judy Merideth Diane Kook was chosen to be awarded for
her longstanding work on the Lewis’ Woodpecker project. She
has devoted so very many hours to this. She was chosen to
present her project to an annual conference of Partners in
Flight in Texas in 2008. Diane answered some questions
for this story. Diane is an RN who has worked at St.
Charles Medical Center in Bend for the past 15 years. She
loves being a nurse, especially on her unit where she can care
for elderly people who are ill and she can try to meet their
many needs. She feels strengthened by her
co-workers. Diane has 2 wonderful sons now grown.
Keegan lives in Bend and Logan lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
Diane also has a grandson Kole here in Bend. Kole even has his
own binoculars at her house and at his own house and he calls
Grandma Diane when he sees birds. Diane met her husband Peter
10 years ago on a birding trip with friends. Peter is a
birdwatcher himself (and past Volunteer of the Year for ECBC)
so Peter and Diane share this love. Her
first memory of birds was as a young child in Illinois,
walking down to a lake to swim and a beautiful Northern
Cardinal was there. That memory has stayed with her all her
life. She first became interested in nestboxes working with
Don McCartney and his Kestrel nest project. She saw how
important it was for cavity nesters who come here to breed, to
have more homes as they were finding fewer and fewer cavities
available. Lewis’ Woodpeckers ( LEWOs) were losing out too and
in decline. When ECBC first approached the LEWO nestbox
project, she had the time to do it and thought, “This is
something I would love to do and what a way to help these
birds out”. Thus it began! Asked what conservation meant to her,
Diane found it difficult to put into words. It is
clearly a strong feeling inside her spirit. She describes how
changes over the years have left plants, animals and birds
without a place to be and she can “feel my heart sing when we
can offer them a place with food and water, nest boxes,
pulling noxious weeds, giving them a better chance to survive
in a world not as friendly as it once was”. She
feels that conservation can be a part of our everyday lives,
reaching into everything. Diane’s hope is for a strong future for
Lewis’ Woodpeckers. She says, “My heart reaches out to these
beautiful and fascinating birds. I hope that the success
of this project will spread across the West so that more boxes
will be built and more LEWOs will nest and that their numbers
will gradually increase and where they once were, they will
soon be there again.” Congratulations Diane. We all admire the
many hours of work and the strong attachment you have for this
project. You have inspired many members to work on
conservation projects.
In The News:Liz
O'Connell represented the ECBC and The Birding Trails
at The Governor's Tourism Conference in Salem in mid
April. The
ECBC was featured with Steve Dougill on the front page on The
Central Oregonian newspaper on 3/25/2009. Devon
Batley and Howard Horvath represented ECBC on a TV spot with
Good Morning Central Oregon in early March.
Upcoming ECBC
Field Trips: Field trip information can be checked [LINK]. Thet are fun and casual. Come and enjoy
the birds with us. May
3 Sunday - Redmond Sewage lagoons, Lower Bridge, Smith Rocks
etc. May
17 Sunday - Crook County .... the annual popular mad dash
around the County with Chuck Gates Wednesday Morning Birding Group: by Mike Golden
Are you a
beginning birder? Are you new to the area? Don’t know where
many of the good birding spots are located? Need someone to
bird with for the day? Try the Wednesday
morning birding group! This group, started by Judy Meredith
about two years ago is a great way to get started in birding,
improve your birding skills and find interesting new birding
spots. It is a blend of good, intermediate and beginning
birders. The focus is on having fun while birding. The
atmosphere is low key, congenial and educational. It is free.
You do not have to be a member of any organization to
participate. Binoculars are handy, but we can help if you need
them. Spotting scopes and bird books are plentiful. The group
size varies. We have had as few as two and as many as
thirteen. We meet for coffee, (breakfast is available) and
then a halfday or more of birding depending on the weather and
where the trip for the day is planned. Carpooling is the mode
of
transportation.
The ECBC
Wednesday morning birding group has been meeting weekly for
nearly two years. We meet every Wednesday at Nancy P’s Bakery
Company, 1054 Milwaukie Ave., just off Newport Avenue and
across the
street from Newport Market.
Meeting time during the winter is 8:00am but the time usually
moves earlier as temperatures warm and days get longer.
Sometimes special trips require earlier times. If you have a
special spot you would like to visit, the group is always open
to new ideas. Schedule changes, even at the last minute, are
not unknown particularly if someone has heard of a hot spot or
a rare bird has been sighted. The meeting schedule is posted
for several weeks in advance. Consult the ECBC website for the
location and duration of each trip.
Good birders
in the group share their knowledge about bird identification,
bird habitat, good birding locations and conservation issues.
In addition to birding, what makes Wednesday morning birding
appealing, is the engaging people and
the perspective that they bring to birding and to other issues
in the local area. Having many eyes available to look for
birds is also a big plus. It is not always the
best birders who spot the best birds. We
have found life species for at least seven birders. These
include WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, DIPPER, EURASIAN COLLARED
DOVE, PRAIRIE FALCON, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and RUFF.
Wednesday
morning birding is not without its controversies and
discussions. We have had disagreements over the identity of a
BALD EAGLE, or if it was even an eagle; distant REDTAIL HAWKS
have morphed
to MERLINS and then to
SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS; RUFFS have turned to SANDPIPERS and back
to RUFFS. A sitting SHARP-SHIN was a COOPERS HAWK for a long
time. Even at the end some are not convinced, but the
discussion is lively and enjoyable.
Over the
past two years 29 birders have participated with over 150
species of birds seen in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook
County. Interesting species seem to show up every week. We
have seen
LAUGHING GULL, RUFF,
PECTORAL,and BAIRDS SANDPIPER, COMMON SNIPE and other shore
birds at Redmond Sewer Ponds and Hatfield lake. A BEWICKS
WREN, WARBLING VIREO, YELLOW BREASTED CHAT, and COMMON
YELLOWTHROAT showed up at Lower Bridge. BALD AND GOLDEN EAGLES
are regular sightings as well as most of the waterfowl that
regularly visit the area. A highlight trip is to Wickiup
Reservoir in the
fall where it is not
uncommon to see in excess of 30 BALD EAGLES, some very close.
WOOD DUCKS have been regularly seen along the Deschutes River
as well as the local TRUMPETER SWANS. Interesting
though not wild species seen this year
along the Deschutes River are MUTE SWANS and MANDARIN DUCKS.
It is not uncommon to see several species of raptors each week
including REDTAIL HAWKS in abundance,
ROUGHLEG HAWKS, MERLINS, KESTRALS AND
PRAIRIE FALCONS. Among the woodpecker species we have seen are
WHITE-HEADED, DOWNY AND HAIRY as well as a WILLIAMSON
SAPSUCKER in west Bend. All three species of nuthatches are
seen regularly.
Try Wednesday morning birding. Its fun,
its entertaining its enlightening.
Birding for
Birdies Event: WHAT: First ever ECBC nine
hole golf FUN-RAISER and barbecue WHERE: Quail Run Golf Course,
LaPine, Oregon WHEN: July 19, 2009, 10:00am.
Barbecue approximately 1:00pm (subject to
adjustment) COST:
$55.00 for golf and barbecue. $8.00 for barbecue only
Want
to have some fun? Want to play some golf?
Want to do something good for birds? Want to do all
three?. Plan to join us for the first ever BIRDIES
FOR BIRDS, a FUN-RAISER for ECBC. Quail
Run Golf Course in LaPine has agreed to host this first ever
event. They are an Audubon, bird friendly course.
It will be a scramble format with golf skill secondary to
having a good time. Anyone can participate so contact
your golfing (or non-golfing) friends and sign up. You
can sign up as a foursome, threesome, twosome or
individually. For those who do not have partners we will
fill out the rosters. You do not need to be a member of
ECBC to play. For
$55.00 you can play nine holes of golf and enjoy an informal
barbecue afterwards. You do not have to play to join us
for the barbecue. In fact we would like you to bring
family and friends even if you do not play golf. There
is the possibility of a local birding trip that coincides with
the golf to entice more participation. A
riding golf cart is included in the price, but if you choose
to walk, more money goes to the birds. Rental
Clubs are available. Don’t
worry about golf balls or tees. We will provide already
trained (used) balls for those who need them. The
date is July 19, 2009 with tee off at 10:30am. Sign-up must be before June 19, 2009,
A
signup form is available here
or
contact: Mike Golden, gardenbug99@bendbroadband.com and Judy Meredith,
jmeredit@bendnet.com
Recent Field trips - by
Steve Dougill
Mar 22 – Summer Lake –
Hardly spring, with a blustery cold day with rain off and
on. Still, 12 hardy folks traveled down to this great
area for a day of birding. We started off at first light
at Fort Rock where we were treated to 48 sage Grouse lekking
in a hay meadow. Lots of raptors around with Prairie
Falcons, Ferruginous and Rough Legged Hawks, and both Eagles
present.
At the wildlife management area of
Summer Lake we were up for lots of white geese … perhaps 5000
Snow Geese in large flocks all over the place. Many
other waterfowl too, including huge numbers of dabbling ducks
and a single Eurasian Widgeon poked its head up for a few
people to see it. A few Cranes had returned and a small
flock of Greater yellow legs heralded the beginning of spring
migration.
Everyone got great views of a Bittern
as it flew over the reed beds. In total, we saw 88
species; not bad for a windy and cold day. April
5 – Burns Area – We took the slow route to Burns and
birded our way east. We were held up first thing by 2
male SAGE GROUSE on a dirt road, walking along and giving
fantastic views. There were also a few sage sparrows and
lots of Sage Thrashers. At Hampton, there were lots of
eagles and a few ferruginous hawks hunting the numerous ground
squirrels. In the flooded pastures around Burns we came
across lots of SANDHILL CRANES and more than 150 LONG BILLED
CURLEWS. Still, the star attraction was more than 10,000
white geese; lots of ROSS’S GEESE with lesser amounts of SNOW
GEESE. On the way home we spotted a few Stilts and 3
Avocets. What a beautiful, day. It started off at
18 degrees and got up to 68! Thank you to the 16 folks
who came. April
12 – Sage-lands east of Bend and Hatfield Lake. It
was cold and windy! Most of the birds were hard
to see in the sagebrush, but we eventually got good views of
Sage Thrashers, Sage sparrows and Loggerhead Shrike.
Closer to Bend at Hatfield Lakes, we found a few early
shorebirds including several Greater Yellowlegs and 4 Dunlin
in their beautiful summer plumage.
Winter /
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 - see article
above
- Birding
by Ear every wednesday. Meet at Sawyer Park along the Deschutes
River starting at 8:00 am. Please follow this [link] for a map:
Attendance is FREE and ALL AGES and skill levels are welcome
to attend. Bring your binoculars and be prepared for chilly
weather, so dress warm with gloves and appropriate
footwear. Typical time and distances will vary, but
generally the walk will from 1.5-3 miles long over the
course of a 1.5-2 hour walk. Our objective will be for
all to have an enjoyable time and get to know our local
birds better, by sight as well as by ear. We will
focus early on getting to know the relatively small number
of resident and wintering birds and then share the
excitement as we note the arrival of neotropical migrant
wrens, vireos, swallows, swifts and others. The
morning chorus will fill the air with song over the next few
months, and knowing the bird vocalizations adds another
level of enjoyment and strengthens our connection to nature
as we soak in this wonderful seasonal
phenomenon. [Contact] Dave Tracy for more information.
Tel (541)
390-9931
More
Dates: For more
events see the ECBC web site Fern Ridge Wings & Wine Festival
- Saturday, May 9, 2009 at Secret House Winery and Fern Ridge
Reservoir near Veneta, Oregon, east of Eugene. Activities
includes bird and nature walks, hands-on workshops, canoe
trips, educational talks, children’s activities, and a
wine-tasting/bird-watching van tour. Some activities require
pre-registration and a fee North American Migration Counts May 9
and 10 - State-wide ... [ details] The Film "Woodpecker" - This
screening of "Woodpecker" is the first in Oregon and will
benefit the ECBC and the Woodpecker Wonderland Festival,
scheduled for June 5-7 in Camp Sherman. After the 1-hour film,
Steve Shunk will lead a panel of biologists and philosphers in
a brief discussion of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker phenomenon.
Tickets ($15) can be purchased in advance by calling the
Sisters Movie House at 541-549-8833. Map and directions to
Sisters Movie House are here: http://www.sistersmoviehouse.com/. ECBC /
Deschutes land Trust Field Trip Friday, May 15, 2009
Metolius Preserve 7 - 11am Birding by sight and
sound. Birders Night Thursday, May 21, 2009
- Steve Shunk of Paradise Birding with "Finding birds in the
forest." Steve will talk about trees and other landscape
characters that folks can use to help each other find the
birds .... [ details] Help Count
breeding shorebirds - Summer lake Saturday, May 30,
2009 5/30 - 31 Day trip or both days to help count
breeding shorebirds at Summer lake WMA ..[ details] Second Annual
Woodpecker Wonderland Festival Friday, June 05, 2009 June 5 -
7: Camp Sherman ... [ details] Hart Mountain - Bird Surveys Friday,
June 12, 2009 6/12-15 - Come
check raptor nests at Hart Mountain. Also help conduct
bird surveys ... [ details] Birders
Night Thursday, June 18, 2009 Dave Tracy, a fiber optics
engineer in Bend, brings us “Hummingbirds”. Dave is our local
expert on hummingbirds and his yard has attracted some special
ones ...[ details] Birders
Night Thursday, July 16, 2009 - Gary Ivey, biologist, and
Western Crane Conservation Manager with International Crane
Foundation will talk about what we know about Sandhill Cranes
that nest and migrate through Oregon ...[ details] Bird and
Golf Sunday, July 19, 2009Quail Run Golf Course ...[ details]
Woodpeckers are back and investigating
nest boxes! The North American Migration Count (NAMC)
is an annual event that occurs in both the spring and
fall. The spring count is always the second weekend in
May and the fall count is the third weekend in
September. County coordinators are assigned to organize
the counts in each county. Volunteers are assigned
regions and fan out, counting every bird they can find in
their region. The count period is 24 hours and is either
on a Saturday or Sunday, depending on the preferences of the
coordinator.
The main goal of the NAMC to gather bird
migration data that can help inform decision makers on issues
that pertain to birds. Data has been collected since the
early 90's and that data is currently being processed in a
central database with the expressed intent of having the data
analyzed at a future date. A secondary goal of this
project is to get more people into the field enjoying
birds. Since these two dates provide some of the most
productive birding of the year, we hope to use this event as a
showcase for our state's avian wonders and promote bird
conservation and appreciation.
If you would
like to assist in counting birds in any one of Oregon's 36
counties, contact the state coordinator Chuck Gates at cgates326@gmail.com
or go to the ECBC website and retrieve the list of county
coordinators at http://www.ecbcbirds.org/Default.aspx?tabid=69
.
Spring migration is beginning and we are
eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Vaux's swifts to roost
sites around Oregon once again. We are designating May 2
as the day for an official spring migration count.
Although counts are more typically done during the fall
migration, we'd like to get some data from the spring as
well. If you are able to conduct a volunteer count or
scout for roost locations, please contact Nicole. For
more information about Vaux's Happening [see]. 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 The Nuthatch.
President
Obama signs Public Lands Act: Badlands and Spring
Basin become Wilderness! On March 30th President Obama signed the
Public Lands Management Act into law, which included Badlands
and Spring Basin Wilderness along with the Mt Hood, Soda
Mountain and Copper Salmon Wilderness areas in Oregon. This
bill created close to 40,000 acres of high desert wilderness
in Central Oregon. The long trail for Badlands and Spring
Basin started over 20 years ago when BLM began its process of
recognizing wilderness-quality lands as Wilderness Study
Areas. In 2002, ONDA began its campaign to secure permanent
protection of the Badlands and Spring Basin as
Wilderness. Bill Marlett, ONDA’s founding executive
director, said “....it is impossible to acknowledge all who
have helped this campaign succeed. But without question, it
was an impressive team effort.” To learn more about these special places
and for hiking information visit www.onda.org Oregon’s high desert still contains many
more acres of public land eligible for wilderness designation
and our focus for the future will include areas in the John
Day Basin, Owyhee Canyonlands and Central Oregon.
ONDA Volunteer Trips for Summer and
Fall
ONDA still has plenty of ways for you to
get our and help the desert and have fun! Here are some
upcoming trips: 2nd Annual Owyhee River Float Trip -
Owyhee River (Rome to Leslie Gulch)
May 2 (Saturday) early
morning to May 6 (Wed.) afternoon
This
trip is a jaw-dropper. We offer this full-service guided
trip at prices below other commercial trips thanks to the
generous cooperation of Ouzel Outfitters. Come learn
about the Owyhee river canyon country's amazing geology; the
threats to managing its conservation future, and how you can
help ONDA preserve it.
Bridge Creek Restoration Trip
June 3 (Wed.) afternoon to June 7 (Sunday)
afternoon
Bridge Creek is the site of
a cooperative project using beaver to restore fish habitat in
a severely eroded watershed. But the beavers can't do it all
on their own! There is much work to be done: trees to plant,
data to collect and fish to survey. Wilderness Inventory
Lower Snake River,
Oregon.
July 8 (Wed.) evening to July 12 (Sun.)
morning
Over the years, ONDA volunteer
inventories have resulted in the documentation of millions of
acres of Oregon Wilderness: a crucial first step in achieving
official Wilderness designation and protection for these
areas. Sutton Mountain Restoration Trip
September 18 (Fri.) evening to Sept. 20
(Sun.) afternoon
Join us for a weekend,
restoring habitat on Sutton Mountain WSA, next to the Painted
Hills and the lower John Day River. We'll spend time
planting and protecting riparian vegetation along Bridge
Creek, an important steelhead trout stream that flanks the
West side of Sutton Mountain. This scenic area offers
exceptional views, hiking, and wildlife and geology
viewing. Pine Creek and Spring Basin Backcountry
Fence Pull
September 24 (Thurs.)
evening to Sept. 27 (Sun.) afternoon
Spring Basin is one of Oregon's newest
Wilderness Areas. Come hike out to camp in the highlands
on the edge of this Wilderness Study Area and remove obsolete
barbed wire fence. This fence is not only an eyesore for
a Wilderness area, it also tangles wildlife and impedes their
movement within this gorgeous area.  Get Ready for Spring
Nesting - Kevin Lair,
Wild Birds Unlimited Spring is in the air in Central
Oregon. Male birds are molting into their most impressive
breeding plumage and the dawn chorus is growing louder as more
birds sing to broadcast their territory and attract a mate.
This is a 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, and Tree or Violet-green
Swallows. 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 4 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.
Yard Bird
Survey Data: Yard Bird Surveys: Looking at One Yard
over Time- Jim MoodieIn previous looks at yard bird survey
data, I’ve explored how a species or group of species has
changed in their numbers over the year (2007). Another
means of investigating the data is to look at diversity trends
over several years. Of course, this is one of the goals
of the project, to collect yard survey data over a number of
years from many participants. By doing so, we may be
able to detect changes in populations that might not be so
readily seen using other survey techniques. As the
second year (2008) of data is just coming in, we do not have a
long term data set yet.
However, I have been keeping track of
species and how many individuals observed on/from my yard
since 2003. I was able to convert this information into
the 10-day period format to make it possible to compare data
across years. While the data are from one yard, we can
still discern some patterns. The first graph below looks
at the average number of species seen during a 10-day period
over the course of the year. The error bars are 95%
confident intervals. What are error bars and confidence
intervals? These are ways of keeping track of the
variation. If, for example, I recorded the same number
of species for a 10-day period for each year, say 12, that
time period would have no variation and thus no error
bars. The larger the error bars the more variation for
that time period. While some researchers report
variance, standard deviation, standard error for their error
bars, I prefer 95% confident intervals. 95% CI can
visually tell you when there is a significant increase or
decrease in a group of averages. If the error bars do
not overlap, you can be fairly certain there is a real jump in
the numbers.
As you can see in the first
graph, species diversity starts low in January (period one)
with usually fewer than 15 species observed. And
diversity stays near this level through March (that dip during
period nine is most likely due to often limited observations
during this time period due to travel: spring break).
Diversity then steadily increases during April leading to high
diversity throughout May. But notice the expanded error
bars during the latter part of April and all of May. As
you can see in the second graph, which plots each year in a
different color, spring is a fickle time for bird
diversity. Weather conditions most likely
influence migration patterns. The spring of 2008 seemed
to be ideal for detecting migrants. If you recall, the
weather went through a number of cold-warm cycles throughout
the season. The number of species seen for the three
time periods in May 2008 were each about 10 species higher
than the previous maximum!
Following the migration in
May, things quiet down quickly. Notice that while the
number of species is around 35 throughout June and July, the
confidence intervals shrink; they are even smaller than during
the winter months. August and September is a return to
greater variation, though not much of an increase in overall
summer numbers. A comparison of spring and fall
migration illustrates the contrast between the two seasons:
spring build up in numbers occurs rather quickly compared with
the slow steady drop off in fall. Of course, this is a
broad overview of diversity patterns for one yard, but we
could also look at patterns for individual species or groups
of species in a similar way.
Hopefully, this little
exercise will entice more of you to consider keeping track of
the birds that you see in your yards over the year. Long
term data sets are the only way to really detect patterns in
population trends, timing of migration, etc. While this
study is not at the scale of the Christmas Bird Counts, Feeder
Watches, and Breeding Bird Surveys, it can provide more detail
of what is going on with the birds here in Central
Oregon. Stay tuned for more analysis, and go
birding—it’s good for you!
USFWS - Spring News from Hart Mountain
National Antelope Refuge, March 2009-by Marla Bennett Greater
sage grouse - The time is almost here to begin counting
greater sage grouse. The birds are arriving and
beginning to stage on their lek sites. Hart Mountain has 57
leks, many of them in remote and nearly inaccessible
locations. We will count as many leks as we have
volunteers for and access to. Lek counts will run from March
16-May 1. Lek
counts help us determine the population trend. The
Oregon state sage grouse biologist, Christian Hagan, stated
that since 2005, sage grouse populations have declined
approximately 30% across the state. Hart Mountain is no
exception: in 2005 Hart Mountain counted 859 grouse on
the trend leks. In 2008, we counted only 198 birds (54% of the
2007 count, 31% of the 2006 count, and 23% of the 2005 count).
The brood counts last year indicated high recruitment at 2
chicks per hen, so let’s hope this year’s lek counts show an
increase in the population. The
wildlife are coming back! Each July, chubby Townsends
ground squirrels go underground into burrows for
hibernation. They sleep through the warmest and coldest
months, living off their fat reserves. On Feb. 21, the
first sleek ground squirrel showed himself at Hart Mountain
headquarters. These charming creatures loosen and aerate
soils, bring deep soil nutrients to the surface, increase the
water infiltration rate and soil fertility. They are
also the main prey of predators such as badgers, coyotes,
weasels, snakes, and raptors. Least chipmunks, the smallest and most
widespread of the chipmunk family, disappeared into their
burrows in late 2008, and have played peek-a-boo with the
outside world a couple of times. Chipmunks store fruits and
seeds in underground burrows for winter dining. They have not
yet finally emerged from their winter torpor for the year, but
are expected soon. Pronghorn leave Hart Mountain in winter in
favor of warmer climes with accessible forage. They
returned early this year, probably because of a noticeable
lack of snow pack. Their tracks were first seen on Feb.
2. On Feb.27 several large herd were seen hear
headquarters, their normal fawning grounds. Fawning
should commence in early May. The volunteers are also coming back -
Beginning in mid-march, the faithful volunteers of Hart
Mountain will begin arriving to help with lek counts, building
maintenance, raptor nest counts, bird point counts, office
work, and fence removal, building and maintenance.
Without the help of volunteers, Hart Mountain would not be
able to continue the biological program. If you are
interested in volunteering please contact Marla Bennett,
541-947-2731. Weed treatment program to begin - In
summer 2009, Hart Mountain will begin its own weed treatment
program. Since 2000, the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture
(ODA) has treated the most pernicious weeds on Hart Mountain.
Because staffing is low, little time is available for the 1
employee to devote to weeds, but devote she will. At
least we have begun!
 | This year is a big year for the
Deschutes Land Trust’s Camp Polk Meadow Preserve. The
restoration of Whychus Creek through the meadow will
swing into high gear as we and our restoration partners
(Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and Deschutes
National Forest) finally break ground on the restored
creek channel. While last year was dedicated to
planning, preparation and permitting, this year will be
full of action. You can expect to see crews in the
meadow digging the restored channel from May-July and
you can get an up close look at the work by joining a
Land Trust restoration
tour.
Tours will be ongoing during the restoration so you can
get before, during, and after looks at this exciting
work. Then, in October more than 100,000
new native plants will be planted around the restored
channel. We hope you’ll join us for a special ECBC
planting day in October. Contact Eva Eagle for more
information (golden_eagle@mac.com).
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In
the meantime, consider helping with the ongoing bird survey
project at Camp Polk Meadow. This project will provide
critical pre-restoration data that will help gauge avian
response as the restoration gets underway and then once it is
finished. (Contact Eva Eagle to help with surveys golden_eagle@mac.com). Finally, if you can’t join us for a
restoration tour or bird surveys, please join the Land Trust
for one of our walks, hikes or work parties! Our spring and
summer schedule includes lots of bird trips
and is always accessible online. For
more information on the Camp Polk Meadow Preserve restoration,
visit the Land Trust’s restoration
page.
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