Post by Dave on Jul 24, 2008 21:35:40 GMT -8
Hello fellow birders,
I just returned from a family reunion/birding trip to north-central and coastal Oregon. Our route (planned for the birds) took us straight down the I5 to the Salem area, east to Sisters, Oregon, west to the coast, and then back home via the I5 again. Woodpeckers were clearly the goal of the trip, with White-headed Woodpecker the key life bird on my hit list. We had the opportunity for about four days of good birding.
Our list of birds started on the I5 and we accumulated about 25 common species by the time we were in southern Washington at our first campsite, Paradise Point State Park. Highlight of the first leg of the journey was a Great Egret just before the campsite. It took us about 6 hours to drive, but we left early, so had all afternoon to explore the Wildlife Refuge across the road, Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. Several hours exploring and we added a bunch of ducks (including Redhead), Wilson’s Snipe, and 1 Black Tern. We returned to the campgrounds with a list pushing 60 species. We also picked up our first woodpecker specie of the trip: Red-shafted Flicker. (more to common).
Day 2 was a travel day again down the I5. Once we were well into Oregon, we went after our second woodpecker. A local birder had graciously given me detailed directions to Acorn Woodpeckers only a short jump off the main highway! We soon were sitting near a group of Acorn Woodpeckers filling up our memory cards with shots of these cool looking birds.
With Woodpecker Species #2 checked we headed east to Sisters, traveling over Santiam Pass, we stopped briefly in a huge burn area that is known for woodies, but it was late in the day and the woods were almost completely devoid of birds. I also was anxious to get to Cold Springs Campground, an area that was known for White-headed Woodpeckers.
After admiring the mix of Ponderosa and Aspen, we set up our tent trailer in a promising looking area and our campsite for the next 2 nights, I went for a big walking loop through the campground. There were hardly any birds, except some Dusky Flycatchers and Pygmy Nuthatch. Species #3 turned out to be Downy Woodpecker, but not quite what I was looking for. I ran into another birder who stopped at the campgrounds for the same reason, but left with no sightings. I was a bit depressed at this point as I had really high hopes of this campsite, but hoped the next morning would produce some action.
As a bit of a distraction away from White-headed, we drove off in search of Williamson’s Sapsucker at a place called Calliope Crossing. We stopped off at Trinity Way to check out some church parking lots for the remote possibility of Pinyon Jay. Pulling off the highway, we heard a racket of jays and soon were looking at my first lifebird of the trip, and my 400th North American bird PINYON JAY!!
After getting pictures of adults and young, we were going to head back to the vehicle when I heard a different noise. I turned around and some movement caught my eye. 15 feet away was a young WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER!!! Lifebird #2 of the trip, Woodpecker Species #4, and my 401st North American bird!!!!! We did spend a good chunk of time here savouring two new birds just minutes apart.
Adult
Juvenile
My brother took this picture....note my elbow up taking pictures from the other side
The late afternoon produced Woodpecker Species #5 Red-breasted Sapsucker, a bit of a surprise as we thought Red-Naped would be first in this area. We never did find Williamson’s but there were no complaints after the stop at the church parking lots!! We also picked up Warbling Vireo, Western and Mountain Bluebird, and Cassin’s Finch.
We were up early on Day 3 and off to the Santiam Pass area in search of Black-backed and a remote chance at 3-toed. I again had excellent advice, and after about 1 hour we had good looks at 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers near a pond in a heavily burned area near the summit. We later had 1 more black-backed along Pacific Crest trail. Woodpecker Species #6: Black-backed Woodpecker.
The habitat
And the Bird!!
The trip back for breakfast produced Green-tailed Towhee near our campsite.
The habitat
And the bird!
After breakfast we went back to Calliope Crossing, but found only Red-Naped (Species #7), Virginia Rail, and a few others.
After lunch we went to Metollus Preserve, and area the Rakestraw guide said, and I quote, “White-headed Woodpecker and Williamson’s Sapsuckers are common in the pines”. So we spent the afternoon in the pines, but almost went completely birdless, except for a Macgillvray’s Warbler, Western Tanager and a couple of others saving the afternoon.
From there we headed to Round Lake Road, a Forest Service Road of about 10 miles that takes you through the burn up to almost the elevation of Santiam Pass. We really enjoyed this road as bird activity had increased as the temperature decreased, and Lazuli Bunting, Wilsons and MacGillivrays Warblers, Olive-sided Flycatcher and the like entertained us. We distinctly heard Pileated Woodpecker but were not going to count it until we saw it! It kept playing with us and we never did get views. Up at Round Lake, we walked the complete lake checking out the partially burnt trees, but ended up with Species #8 Hairy Woodpecker. A Spotted Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, and a bunch of Tree Swallow were also claiming the lake as home. On the way down, we really were looking for 3-toed or Pileated as #9, but instead, we got a surprise. Woodpecker Species #9: Lewis’ Woodpecker! We had forgotten about this possibility and saw two on the way down.
Day 4 we left and drove to the coast with little birding except a Wilson’s Phalarope at Fort Stevens State Park.
Day 5 was a family day, with a trip to Haystack Rock in Oregon.
Not only is a beautiful rock, but I was fully aware of a possible life bird nesting there, and soon had lifebird #3 of the trip, Tufted Puffin!
(Photo credit to Tom again 
On the way back to the campground, a stop in some promising woods for a chance at lifebird #4 was very rewarding. A Hermit Warbler responded to our calling and came in for a quick peek!
(Photo credit to Tom)
Day 6,7, and 8 were all family days.
We were along the ocean, and the odd birding was snuck in here and there, with sightings of ocean birds such as Wandering Tattler and Common Murre.
During one of the days during supper, I again heard a Pileated and new exactly what group of trees it was in up on the nearby hill. I moved my supper to the top of my truck and sat on the canopy determined that I would see this bird. Between bites of chicken, I was rewarded with clear views of Woodpecker Species #10 of the trip: Pileated Woodpecker!
Here is the trip list.
Location: Oregon, US
Observation date: 7/17-24/08
Number of species: 131
Canada Goose X
Wood Duck X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon X
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal X
Northern Pintail X
Redhead X
Ring-necked Duck X
Harlequin Duck X
Surf Scoter X
Barrow's Goldeneye X
Ruddy Duck X
Red-throated Loon X
Common Loon X
Pied-billed Grebe X
Brown Pelican X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Green Heron X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey X
Bald Eagle X
Northern Harrier X
Red-tailed Hawk X
American Kestrel X
Peregrine Falcon X
Virginia Rail X
American Coot X
Semipalmated Plover X
Killdeer X
Black Oystercatcher X
Spotted Sandpiper X
Wandering Tattler X
Black Turnstone X
Western Sandpiper X
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher X
Wilson's Snipe X
Wilson's Phalarope X
Bonaparte's Gull X
Heermann's Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
California Gull X
Western Gull X
Glaucous-winged Gull X
Caspian Tern X
Black Tern X
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Tufted Puffin X
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Vaux's Swift X
Rufous Hummingbird X
Belted Kingfisher X
Lewis's Woodpecker X
Acorn Woodpecker X
Red-naped Sapsucker X
Red-breasted Sapsucker X
Downy Woodpecker X
Hairy Woodpecker X
White-headed Woodpecker X
Black-backed Woodpecker X
Northern Flicker X
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) X
Pileated Woodpecker X
Olive-sided Flycatcher X
Western Wood-Pewee X
Willow Flycatcher X
Hammond's Flycatcher X
Dusky Flycatcher X
Warbling Vireo X
Steller's Jay X
Western Scrub-Jay X
Pinyon Jay X
American Crow X
Common Raven X
Tree Swallow X
Violet-green Swallow X
Northern Rough-winged Swallow X
Bank Swallow X
Cliff Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Mountain Chickadee X
Chestnut-backed Chickadee X
Red-breasted Nuthatch X
White-breasted Nuthatch X
Pygmy Nuthatch X
Bewick's Wren X
House Wren X
Winter Wren X
Marsh Wren X
Golden-crowned Kinglet X
Western Bluebird X
Mountain Bluebird X
Townsend's Solitaire X
Swainson's Thrush X
Hermit Thrush X
American Robin X
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing X
Orange-crowned Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Hermit Warbler X
MacGillivray's Warbler X
Common Yellowthroat X
Wilson's Warbler X
Western Tanager X
Green-tailed Towhee X
Spotted Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Savannah Sparrow X
Fox Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
White-crowned Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Black-headed Grosbeak X
Lazuli Bunting X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Yellow-headed Blackbird X
Brewer's Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Cassin's Finch X
House Finch X
Red Crossbill X
Pine Siskin X
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Beautiful weather, safety on the road, great birds, much to be thankful for. Here is a picture of my faithful sidekick pointing out the fieldmarks on a Black-backed Woodpecker.
Dave Beeke
Chilliwack, B.C.
I just returned from a family reunion/birding trip to north-central and coastal Oregon. Our route (planned for the birds) took us straight down the I5 to the Salem area, east to Sisters, Oregon, west to the coast, and then back home via the I5 again. Woodpeckers were clearly the goal of the trip, with White-headed Woodpecker the key life bird on my hit list. We had the opportunity for about four days of good birding.
Our list of birds started on the I5 and we accumulated about 25 common species by the time we were in southern Washington at our first campsite, Paradise Point State Park. Highlight of the first leg of the journey was a Great Egret just before the campsite. It took us about 6 hours to drive, but we left early, so had all afternoon to explore the Wildlife Refuge across the road, Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. Several hours exploring and we added a bunch of ducks (including Redhead), Wilson’s Snipe, and 1 Black Tern. We returned to the campgrounds with a list pushing 60 species. We also picked up our first woodpecker specie of the trip: Red-shafted Flicker. (more to common).
Day 2 was a travel day again down the I5. Once we were well into Oregon, we went after our second woodpecker. A local birder had graciously given me detailed directions to Acorn Woodpeckers only a short jump off the main highway! We soon were sitting near a group of Acorn Woodpeckers filling up our memory cards with shots of these cool looking birds.
With Woodpecker Species #2 checked we headed east to Sisters, traveling over Santiam Pass, we stopped briefly in a huge burn area that is known for woodies, but it was late in the day and the woods were almost completely devoid of birds. I also was anxious to get to Cold Springs Campground, an area that was known for White-headed Woodpeckers.
After admiring the mix of Ponderosa and Aspen, we set up our tent trailer in a promising looking area and our campsite for the next 2 nights, I went for a big walking loop through the campground. There were hardly any birds, except some Dusky Flycatchers and Pygmy Nuthatch. Species #3 turned out to be Downy Woodpecker, but not quite what I was looking for. I ran into another birder who stopped at the campgrounds for the same reason, but left with no sightings. I was a bit depressed at this point as I had really high hopes of this campsite, but hoped the next morning would produce some action.
As a bit of a distraction away from White-headed, we drove off in search of Williamson’s Sapsucker at a place called Calliope Crossing. We stopped off at Trinity Way to check out some church parking lots for the remote possibility of Pinyon Jay. Pulling off the highway, we heard a racket of jays and soon were looking at my first lifebird of the trip, and my 400th North American bird PINYON JAY!!
After getting pictures of adults and young, we were going to head back to the vehicle when I heard a different noise. I turned around and some movement caught my eye. 15 feet away was a young WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER!!! Lifebird #2 of the trip, Woodpecker Species #4, and my 401st North American bird!!!!! We did spend a good chunk of time here savouring two new birds just minutes apart.
Adult
Juvenile
My brother took this picture....note my elbow up taking pictures from the other side
The late afternoon produced Woodpecker Species #5 Red-breasted Sapsucker, a bit of a surprise as we thought Red-Naped would be first in this area. We never did find Williamson’s but there were no complaints after the stop at the church parking lots!! We also picked up Warbling Vireo, Western and Mountain Bluebird, and Cassin’s Finch.
We were up early on Day 3 and off to the Santiam Pass area in search of Black-backed and a remote chance at 3-toed. I again had excellent advice, and after about 1 hour we had good looks at 2 Black-backed Woodpeckers near a pond in a heavily burned area near the summit. We later had 1 more black-backed along Pacific Crest trail. Woodpecker Species #6: Black-backed Woodpecker.
The habitat
And the Bird!!
The trip back for breakfast produced Green-tailed Towhee near our campsite.
The habitat
And the bird!
After breakfast we went back to Calliope Crossing, but found only Red-Naped (Species #7), Virginia Rail, and a few others.
After lunch we went to Metollus Preserve, and area the Rakestraw guide said, and I quote, “White-headed Woodpecker and Williamson’s Sapsuckers are common in the pines”. So we spent the afternoon in the pines, but almost went completely birdless, except for a Macgillvray’s Warbler, Western Tanager and a couple of others saving the afternoon.
From there we headed to Round Lake Road, a Forest Service Road of about 10 miles that takes you through the burn up to almost the elevation of Santiam Pass. We really enjoyed this road as bird activity had increased as the temperature decreased, and Lazuli Bunting, Wilsons and MacGillivrays Warblers, Olive-sided Flycatcher and the like entertained us. We distinctly heard Pileated Woodpecker but were not going to count it until we saw it! It kept playing with us and we never did get views. Up at Round Lake, we walked the complete lake checking out the partially burnt trees, but ended up with Species #8 Hairy Woodpecker. A Spotted Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, and a bunch of Tree Swallow were also claiming the lake as home. On the way down, we really were looking for 3-toed or Pileated as #9, but instead, we got a surprise. Woodpecker Species #9: Lewis’ Woodpecker! We had forgotten about this possibility and saw two on the way down.
Day 4 we left and drove to the coast with little birding except a Wilson’s Phalarope at Fort Stevens State Park.
Day 5 was a family day, with a trip to Haystack Rock in Oregon.
Not only is a beautiful rock, but I was fully aware of a possible life bird nesting there, and soon had lifebird #3 of the trip, Tufted Puffin!
(Photo credit to Tom again 
On the way back to the campground, a stop in some promising woods for a chance at lifebird #4 was very rewarding. A Hermit Warbler responded to our calling and came in for a quick peek!
(Photo credit to Tom)Day 6,7, and 8 were all family days.
We were along the ocean, and the odd birding was snuck in here and there, with sightings of ocean birds such as Wandering Tattler and Common Murre.
During one of the days during supper, I again heard a Pileated and new exactly what group of trees it was in up on the nearby hill. I moved my supper to the top of my truck and sat on the canopy determined that I would see this bird. Between bites of chicken, I was rewarded with clear views of Woodpecker Species #10 of the trip: Pileated Woodpecker!
Here is the trip list.
Location: Oregon, US
Observation date: 7/17-24/08
Number of species: 131
Canada Goose X
Wood Duck X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon X
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal X
Northern Pintail X
Redhead X
Ring-necked Duck X
Harlequin Duck X
Surf Scoter X
Barrow's Goldeneye X
Ruddy Duck X
Red-throated Loon X
Common Loon X
Pied-billed Grebe X
Brown Pelican X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Pelagic Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron X
Great Egret X
Green Heron X
Turkey Vulture X
Osprey X
Bald Eagle X
Northern Harrier X
Red-tailed Hawk X
American Kestrel X
Peregrine Falcon X
Virginia Rail X
American Coot X
Semipalmated Plover X
Killdeer X
Black Oystercatcher X
Spotted Sandpiper X
Wandering Tattler X
Black Turnstone X
Western Sandpiper X
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher X
Wilson's Snipe X
Wilson's Phalarope X
Bonaparte's Gull X
Heermann's Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
California Gull X
Western Gull X
Glaucous-winged Gull X
Caspian Tern X
Black Tern X
Common Murre X
Pigeon Guillemot X
Tufted Puffin X
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Vaux's Swift X
Rufous Hummingbird X
Belted Kingfisher X
Lewis's Woodpecker X
Acorn Woodpecker X
Red-naped Sapsucker X
Red-breasted Sapsucker X
Downy Woodpecker X
Hairy Woodpecker X
White-headed Woodpecker X
Black-backed Woodpecker X
Northern Flicker X
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) X
Pileated Woodpecker X
Olive-sided Flycatcher X
Western Wood-Pewee X
Willow Flycatcher X
Hammond's Flycatcher X
Dusky Flycatcher X
Warbling Vireo X
Steller's Jay X
Western Scrub-Jay X
Pinyon Jay X
American Crow X
Common Raven X
Tree Swallow X
Violet-green Swallow X
Northern Rough-winged Swallow X
Bank Swallow X
Cliff Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Mountain Chickadee X
Chestnut-backed Chickadee X
Red-breasted Nuthatch X
White-breasted Nuthatch X
Pygmy Nuthatch X
Bewick's Wren X
House Wren X
Winter Wren X
Marsh Wren X
Golden-crowned Kinglet X
Western Bluebird X
Mountain Bluebird X
Townsend's Solitaire X
Swainson's Thrush X
Hermit Thrush X
American Robin X
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing X
Orange-crowned Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Hermit Warbler X
MacGillivray's Warbler X
Common Yellowthroat X
Wilson's Warbler X
Western Tanager X
Green-tailed Towhee X
Spotted Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Savannah Sparrow X
Fox Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
White-crowned Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Black-headed Grosbeak X
Lazuli Bunting X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Yellow-headed Blackbird X
Brewer's Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Cassin's Finch X
House Finch X
Red Crossbill X
Pine Siskin X
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Beautiful weather, safety on the road, great birds, much to be thankful for. Here is a picture of my faithful sidekick pointing out the fieldmarks on a Black-backed Woodpecker.
Dave Beeke
Chilliwack, B.C.
)
