Common Redpoll (Carlton, Yamhill Co, OR, 04/20/13)

This Common Redpoll is currently visiting a feeder in Carlton, Yamhill Co. Nice bird!

Little Bunting and Spruce Grouse (Joseph, OR, 04/14/13)

My main goal this weekend was to catch a displaying Spruce Grouse at McCully Creek. Ok, I was also going to look (at least for a few minutes) for the Little Bunting in Joseph …

When I arrived in Joseph on 4/13, the Bend guys had already taken position at the feeders in the alley between Lake & College and Joseph & Williams, so I simply joined them and the fancy bunting was soon found. On 4/14, I decided to go back for pictures. Tim Jantzen and I soon relocated the bird and got good looks. I snapped the following pictures …

We heard and saw the bird sing several times today. It was hard to discern the song through the cacophony of siskin and goldfinch songs.

The back pattern (at least to a degree) and the back of the head.

This Mountain Bluebird was trying to hold on in the wind along Klages Rd near Joseph.

 

Btw, I succeeded finding a Spruce Grouse, but it was too dark for good pictures. Access was somewhat difficult because of the snow.

An early AZ weekend trip (04/07&08/2013)

Another AZ weekend blitz yielded 125 species including Violet-crowned (Paton’s) and Lucifer Hummingbird (Ash Canyon B&B), Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, Olive and Grace’s Warbler at Upper Carr Canyon, an Elf Owl at the Spirit Tree Inn. We looked for the Rufous-capped Warblers at Florida Canyon, but we didn’t have the timing quite right and failed.

Buff-breasted Flycatchers were common in Upper Carr Canyon.

This one is a Hammond’s Flycatcher from Florida Canyon, a migrant.

This Vesper Sparrow was very confiding at the San Pedro House.

Finally, a Pyrrhuloxia in bad lighting.

Rentenaar Rd sparrows (Sauvie Island, OR, 03/17/13)

I spent a couple of hours at Rentenaar Rd this morning while others got their lifer Common Eider somewhere else …

This White-throated Sparrow (above) was very cooperative.

The Clay-colored Sparrow (above) only put in a brief appearance.  It is not a brightly marked bird, so I had to convince myself that it wasn’t a Brewer’s, but the bill-size, lack of streaking on the neck and lack of a full white eye-ring sealed the deal for me.

The Harris’s Sparrow (below) was there, but played hard to get for a picture.

I also heard both Sora and Virginia Rail.

An update to “Where are we here?” – Yes, it’s Barney Reservoir!

I’ve often wondered how to access that little speck of blue in the extreme SW corner of Washington Co. It is Barney Reservoir, for those who have never wondered …

A couple of year’s ago I tried my luck from the Cherry Grove (Patton Valley) side. Lee Falls Rd and Roaring Creek Rd either dead-end or just don’t go anywhere useful. Summit Rd does, but you soon get to a timber company gate and it’s unclear how to proceed. In summary, the Cherry Grove side is a no go.

So, on Sunday March 3, we had a family outing to see if we could access via Yamhill Co. And yes, we succeeded. From the Cherry Grove area, we took Mt. Richmond Rd to Pike, OR. Pike can also easily be accessed via Pike Rd coming from the town of Yamhill. Once in Pike, take Turner Ck Rd north out of Pike. This road is initially paved, but turns into gravel in a couple of miles.

After several miles on Turner Creek Rd, you get to an intersection with a wooded pond to your right. Take that right turn (N Fork Trask River Rd and follow it to the SE corner of the lake). Actually, this was much easier than I thought.  Staying on this road will get you to the wetland in the pictures I took as well as a small boat launch. Staying on this road hugging the lake wherever you can will eventually end up at the dam at the NW corner of the lake. The west side of this dam is extensive and the habitat looks interesting for a vagrant Rock Wren.

There were not many birds near the reservoir, but then, it’s winter. Common Mergansers were the only waterfowl on the lake. We were fortunate in that there was no snow anywhere.

From the dam, we proceeded on N Fork Trask River Rd  (we briefly took Williams Rd to attempt to reach Stimson Mainline or the Saddle Mountain area, but we were blocked by a gate) which funneled us back down to the – ahhhm- North Fork of the Trask River. This canyon is quite impressive and we found American Dipper at a couple of spots. The North Fork of the Trask River will get you pretty much straight to Tillamook, so this might be quite a detour depending on what you had in mind.

I’m sure Barney Reservoir would be quite interesting in fall. Who knows what shows up there after a fall storm. It’s uncharted territory, really. After mid May, the higher elevations around Barney Reservoir could be rewarding as well.

Where are we here? (Washington Co, OR, 03/03/2013)

It is Washington Co … Doesn’t quite look like Hagg Lake, does it? Hmmm …

While the pix are terrible, the location may not. I can’t really tell just yet though. It was only my first visit.