Southern Oregon Coast: Anniversary

Hi All,

Last Wednesday (4/20/16) my wife and I headed toward the southern Oregon coast for a few days.  The 20th was our 36th anniversary, and we did not have any specific plans as to where we would stay or all the places we might go, although we did have some ideas.  The idea of heading that direction was from my wife, as she wanted to revisit a place near Coos Bay where we had been some 20 +/- years ago, called the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and I was not objecting since it gave me the opportunity to work my bird lists for the counties we would be in.  

Just before leaving home, I spied a raptor out the back window that just did not look “right.”  So I grabbed my binoculars and dashed out onto the front lawn where I figured I would have the best view, and it turned out to be a Peregrine Falcon, only the second I have seen at my place in some 30+ years.  Plus, it was not one of the local wintering subspecies, but one that must winter elsewhere, being quite whitish underneath and lighter grey on the back.   I took this as a good omen that we’d be having a good trip - such is how I think for sure.  

We left about 10:00 and headed straight west to Newport, 90 minutes away, and decided we needed a walk when we got there, so headed to the trail which skirts the Marine Science Center.  But first, we checked some feeders where a Bullock’s Oriole has been coming all winter, but he was not around, so we headed to the trail.  It was high tide, so the water of the bay was up close to vegetation, forcing shorebirds close to the high water mark.  At one point there were some 150 shorebirds, mostly Western and Least Sandpipers, with a few Dunlin mixed in.  While taking pictures of them, I noticed one that was different, so zeroed in with the lense and ended up documenting a rare spring appearance of a Baird’s Sandpiper.  They are somewhat common in fall migration, and this was the first spring bird I have seen in Oregon.

Baird's Sandpiper

After that we headed south, stopping here and there at a few viewpoints to scan the ocean and take in scenery.  It continued to be a sunny and not too windy day, and the water was pretty smooth.  When we reached Florence, we ate lunch at the marina where we could take in the sights while we ate.

After lunch we continued our journey south to Reedsport and then to adjacent Winchester Bay, where we checked in to our lodging.  As we needed a walk, we headed out to the jetty area, and walked on the beach for a while and sat on some driftwood.  It was still quite sunny and not too breezy, making the afternoon quite pleasant.  In the area I was able to add Least Sandpiper (149) and Western Sandpiper (150) and on the jetty, Surfbird (151), to my Douglas County list.  Next we went east of Reedsport to  Dean Creek where elk can almost always be seen from the wayside, and today was no different.  We counted 65, mostly cows.  Across the road from the wayside is some kind of former dwelling where some very old rhododendrons have grown quite tall, making quite a scene.

Elk

Huge Rhododendrons near elk viewing area

By the time we were finished there, Rosie needed to set up our room for a romantic dinner, so I let her off and went birding, trying to add a few species to my Douglas County list.  As the tide had now shifted to low tide, I went to check out some exposed mudflats, looking for shorebirds, and added Semipalmated Plover (152).  A short walk in town netted me a Savannah Sparrow (153).

Entering our room, I was greeted by this nice spread.

Our romantic dinner.

So we had a nice candlelight dinner and reminisced about 36 years together.  It was certainly great that my schedule worked out to be off these days.  In a few years I hopefully won’t have to worry about schedules and such.    

In the morning, before breakfast, I headed out to the marina area and found Purple Martin (154), Pine Siskin (155), Band-tailed Pigeon (156) and Wilson’s Warbler (157). 

After breakfast we continued south. The next stop was in Coos Bay only about 20 miles away, where we took a walk by some aeration ponds.  There was a dike through the midst of them leading to an overlook of the beach and ocean.

Beach overlook

The ponds held some 75 Gadwall (the largest flock I have ever seen of this species) and a few Bufflehead, Ring-necked Ducks and Mallards, plenty of Marsh Wrens and Red-winged Blackbirds, and a few Golden-crowned Sparrows, the latter of which was an addition to my Coos County list (143).  After that we took the bridge across the bay, through North Bend, Coos Bay and Charleston to the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve where we had been some 20 years ago.  One thing we remembered about the walk there was loads of skunk cabbage along the trail.  

The boardwalk at the South Slough Reserve

We were getting tired, and my daypack was wearing on me.

Taking a break

Looks like he had no trouble with his day pack!

The "tunnel" part of the walk.

It was quite evident that Wilson’s Warblers had arrived en masse recently as they were singing virtually everywhere we went.  Other additions to my Coos list were Pacific Slope Flycatcher (144), Brown Creeper (145) and Hermit Warbler (146).   

We finally finished the loop trail, got in our car, and headed south again, stopping at Subway in Bandon.  While we had plenty of food with us, we were feeling like we needed a little reward for such a long walk.  After lunch we continued south into Curry County with Gold Beach as our destination.  There were lots of waysides and side trips we could have stopped at, and it was hard to know where to stop and and where not to.  I decided to take Rosie to Cape Blanco, a spot where you have quite a panorama of the coast, and on a nice day, the view can't be beat.  However, by now the wind had kicked up and so did the rain, so our time there was shortened.  At least on the way out we saw a couple Wild Turkeys (123), a new addition to the Curry list.

Another place we stopped, was the south end of the bridge just before Humbug Mountain.  I had mentioned to Rosie before we left our home that maybe we should hike to the top of it, but now our bodies were not quite up to it, being tired from the last hike.  But here, where a creek entered the ocean, was a large flock of gulls, and I added Herring Gull (124).  It is a unique place with a campground and some day I’d like to explore it better. 

Upon reaching Gold Beach we drove to the north jetty of the Rogue River. There were 2 Greater White-fronted Geese here (125) which were another addition to the Curry list.  It was still windy so we stayed in the car as we watched Fishermen, Sea Lions, Cormorants and Osprey trying to catch fish.  It appeared to me that the Sea Lions were fishing as a team.  A group of them would all submerge at the same time, and basically surface at the same time. At one point I counted 6 Osprey flying over the water between and beyond the end of the jetties.  All this tells me there must be plenty of fish in the area. 

Greater White-fronted Goose

Osprey with a lamprey (can you see the blood?)

Sea Lion

A group of 6 Sea Lions

From there we drove over the bridge and into Gold Beach to the motel for the evening.  There was still plenty of light, but it was just too windy to enjoy the great outdoors.  Plus, I remembered I could watch the Warriors play the Rockets, something to pass the time doing.

We both slept well, and after breakfast were out and about by 08:30.  I was hoping to find a couple species of grebes in the harbor, but it was not to be.  There were some 50 or so seals on the beach, and the usual Osprey, Cormorants and Sea Lions were out fishing again.  

Seals on the beach

So after exploring the harbor, jetty and coast, we drove inland along the Rogue River about 5 miles to a trail we had read about.  On the way out we noticed an Osprey sailing around on the left side of the road.  He then started diving and it looked like he was going to be playing roulette with us, but he ended up grabbing a piece of bark on the road just as if it were a fish, not even landing, no doubt intending to add it to his nest building or repairing.  

We found the trail OK, and after walking on it for a few hundred yards, realized that it paralleled the road, was up and down, and we figured we could just as easily walk on the gravel bars near the river much easier anyway, so abandoned the trail for easier walking.  There were plenty of birds around, but only one new addition was to get on the list-Wood Duck (126).  For those of you readers who live in Oregon, you are no doubt aware of the non-native plant called “Scotch Broom.”  It is all over the western part of the state, and quite noticeable at this time of year with its yellow blossums.   On a rare occasion a plant will have red blossums, and we found a large one along the river.

Scotch Broom with red flowers

The Rogue River

I have to admit, seeing that river reminded my of my hope to eventually do a canoe trip of some 40 miles on these lower stretches of it.  It is sooo scenic.

Driving back to Gold Beach yielded my Purple Martin (127) for the county.  We took one more jaunt to the north jetty before heading back north.  We decided we would return home late today rather than spend one more day traipsing around for two reasons:  The weather was not looking real promising, and I needed to work Sunday, so it would probably be best to get a good night’s rest the preceding two nights.  Just a mile or so north of Gold Beach a Sharp-shinned Hawk (128) was the final addition to Curry, leaving me with many shorebirds and waterfowl still needed there.

Again, we stopped here and there to check out the views or make short walks.  Two places we did walk were the Humbug Mountain Campground and Arizona Beach.  Both places are nice, and a trail goes under the North/South Hwy 101 to the beach.  We opted to eat at the Flores Lake Park, but the lake was virtually devoid of birds.  From there we pretty much drove straight to Newport, then east inland and toward home.  One short stop we made was at a popular wayside facing north where one can see the picturesque Heceta Head Lighthouse.   I remember seeing a picture of such in a National Geographic magazine when I was a teen (late ‘60s) in an article about Oregon (I think) and hoped that some day I might visit that beautiful state.  And now, low and behold, I married someone from there and now live here.  Now isn’t that uncanny!

The scenic Heceta Head Lighthouse.

About 4 miles out of Newport we found ourselves behind a long line of stopped cars, and assumed there was an accident up ahead.  We made the decision to backtrack to Newport, and take the road along the bay/river east to Toledo hoping to beat the traffic.  It was a risk, for if it did not pay off, we’d be in worse shape, behind even more cars heading east.  So when we reached the highway, there were no cars in sight, and we did not see another one going our direction for quite some time, so the risk paid off, and we got home around 0830 pm.  Upon getting my email, I saw that two other birders had refound the Baird’s Sandpiper, so that was indeed interesting.  

Next up:  Probably the next post will be a big day in Marion County on 5/5/16 with three other birders, hoping to beat the old record for one full day of birding.  However, I am not sure what that record is.  A former record holder says he and others listed 110, so if that is the one which still stands, we should have no trouble besting that.  Stay tuned. 

Deschutes County - reaching 200

Deschutes County - On reaching 200

One of my goals this year, besides reaching 100 in each of Oregon’s 36 counties, is to surpass 200 in Lane, Linn and Deschutes Counties, mainly because I was within striking distance, so to say.  I was able to do so in Lane earlier this year with  the help of Dan Heyerly and Diane Pettey.  My focus was now on Deschutes, and Judy Meredith has been providing me with birding info to get me to my goal.  I ended last year at 190, and in February increased it to 197.  Even though it is early for most migrants, there were enough holes on the list which should be gettable by now, so made plans to head over last Thursday and return Friday.  Plus, it was just plain convenient for me to go at this time. 

Late Wednesday, on a whim, I called Roy Gerig to see if he might be interested in going along, to which he was.   He even had an old friend Dan who had just moved to Bend whose house we could crash at, so that was a plus.  Roy’s former wife had recently passed away from cancer, so he appreciated the invite to help him move on to a new era.   He had been toying with the idea of doing a big year anyway, so this seemed to come at the right time.

When coming over the bridge into Salem, there were at least 100 Cliff Swallows swarming about, no doubt soon to be nesters. I met Roy as his house around 0800 and we headed east, stopping at Detroit Flats, which was pretty birdy with Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrows, Tree Swallows, Crows, various ducks, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, a Lincoln’s Sparrow,  an Orange-crowned Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Rufous Hummingbird.  The best bird was a Common Loon though.  Detroit Flats has become a great place to find displaced east-side migrants, but there were none today.  

Common Loon at Detroit Lake

From there we continued heading east and stopped at the Hoodoo Ski Resort.  We saw 5 species:  Stellar’s and Gray Jay, Pipit, Raven and a small flock of Brewer’s Blackbirds.   We spied the blackbirds at quite a distance, coming toward us in their undulating flight and began to get our hopes up that they just might be something unique to the higher elevations, but were let down when they landed nearby, allowing the ID.  We went over to the snow park and arrived when the snow mobiles were not in hearing range, but even with the quietude were not able to hear anything.  On the way back to the highway, I saw a Mountain Bluebird, which was new for my Linn Co list, so that was encouraging.  

The next stop was Indian Ford Campground.  We saw and heard a few birds:  Varied Thrush, Junco, Hairy Woodpecker, Pygmy Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, Song Sparrow, and an early Common Yellowthroat.  We talked about and concluded that the place was just not as productive as it used to be.

Varied Thrush - Indian Ford Campground

Squirrel - Indian Ford Campground

Next stop was Calliope Crossing.  We did not find any Calliopes, but did find Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, a Red-naped Sapsucker (mostly at least), Northern Flicker, White-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches, Mt Chickadees, Song, Fox, White-crowned and Lincoln’s Sparrows, Brown Creeper, 

We next headed to Bend, picked up Dan and went to Hatfield Lake.  Roy was wondering why a sewage lagoon was named after a senator, and we could not come up with a good reason, although there were a few not so good ones we joked about.  We walked around the east side, went to the second lake, and returned on the west side.  There were many ducks with a good variety of species. I wanted to find a marsh wren, but we dipped on it.  The recently reported Red-breasted Merganser, White Pelican and Redheads were not to be found either.  At the second lake I added Greater Scaup (198) and Yellow-headed Blackbird (199) to my county list, leaving me within one by the day’s end.  Otherwise, it was great to see at least 10 Cinnamon Teal.  Other waterfowl were Canada Geese, Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks, Bufflehead, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Common Goldeneye, Pied-billed Grebe and Coots.   Some 150 Coots were all in a very tight group in the middle of the first lake, and stayed together the whole time we were there, except when dive bombed by a Bald Eagle.  We figured he must not have been very hungry since the coots were easy pickings.  Guess he enjoyed scattering the flock.  Land birds encountered were Meadowlarks, Solitares, Robins, Mt Chickadees, Flicker, Red-winged Blackbird, Cowbird, Killdeer, Rock Wren, Savannah Sparrow.

After that we went back to Dan’s place and chilled out for a while.  After watching the Beavers sweep the huskies we ended up eating pizza while we watched the Warriors serve notice to the Spurs that they are still the champs.  

The next morning we left Bend about 0600 heading east to the Millican Sage Grouse Lek.  We arrived before sunrise, but there was plenty of light.  The lek is some 200 yards beyond the gate, but the birds are so huge they can be seen easily even from quite a distance.  I think we counted about 17 birds altogether.  Please remember to not disturb the lek by doing something you should not do, like trespass onto the private property they are on.  The Grouse was a cool bird to reach the 200 level for the county as well.

Sage Grouse at Millican Lek

Sage Thrasher near Millican Lek

Sagebrush Sparrow near Millican Lek

While watching the Sage Grouse males strut their stuff, Roy (Biologist/Experienced Birder) began explaining to Dan (Engineer/Novice Birder) that by mating season the male testicles become enlarged by 200X, hence they have a lot of testosterone, which helps explain why they were so macho around the lek as they inflate their chest sacks and chase each other around. So when female grouse wander around among the males, she chooses some lucky strutter and they go off into the bushes and do their thing. It was soon afterward, we came up with the analogy of comparing them to men at a pub, and what happens when some lady walks into the bar:  Muscles flex and bulge, eyeballs pop out of spring-loaded sockets, competition follows, tempers rage, bar fights ensue.  Such is the conversation when three dudes have nothing better to talk about while watching male sage grouse strutting their stuff, and other details and jokes are here left out.  

Toward the end of our time there, a nice young female BLM worker arrived and we offered her what info we thought would be helpful, which I am sure she appreciated.  She relayed that soon a web cam would be set up near the lek so they could be watched/studied from a distance.  One of us took it upon themselves to share our pub analogy, but I don't think she was very impressed.  So after feeling rejected, we strutted off into the sagebrush, looking for other birds of interest. 

Other birds in the area were Vesper and Sagebrush Sparrows (201), Sage Thrashers (202), Horned Larks, Ravens, a Kestrel.  We thought the Vesper Sparrows were likely the first early migrants.  I thought I needed one for the county but after getting home and looking over my list, I see it was already checked.  We drove slowly back out to the highway looking for Lark and Brewer’s Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrikes without success.

Next stop was at the canyon overlook a mile or two west where we finally heard a Canyon Wren (203).  There were also  Rock Wrens, Robins, Mt Bluebirds and Tree Swallows there, but no White-throated Swifts.  Next stop was at the bottom of the hill where we went north to the badlands parking lot.  The best birds here were a flock of 5 Pinyon Jays.   Man, it has been many years since I saw them, so that was a nice reacquaintance.  Otherwise, more of the usual common species were there:  Mt Bluebirds, Meadowlarks, Ravens, White-crowned Sparrows, and one migrating Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Mountain Bluebird at Badlands

From here we headed to the First Street Park in Bend to walk along the river, and try (again) for the Black-capped Chickadee, as well as look for a Marsh Wren, neither of which we found.  There were a pair of Trumpeter Swans (204) which was probably a nice bird.  I was expecting a Mute Swan after someone told us there were swans ahead, but such was not the case.  (We did see the Mute Swan at Hatfield Lake though - but figured these are not countable) Otherwise, birds in attendance were Anna’s Hummingbird, Tree and NRW Swallows, Mt Chickadees, Juncos, Scrub Jays, House Sparrows, Starlings, EC and Mourning Doves, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Mergansers, Red-tailed Hawk, and a distant accipiter.  

Trumpeter Swan - Bend

After this we returned to Dan’s to pack the rest of our stuff, and headed to Sisters where we bought brunch and then headed the 4 miles to Cold Springs Campground to eat it, and hopefully listen to Woodpeckers while enjoying the food. Cold Springs was pretty quiet, and no woodpeckers graced us with their jack hammers.  After eating we walked around the area and did find a female Williamson’s Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker and Flicker.  Non woodpeckers were Brown Creepers, Red and White breasted Nuthatches, Juncos, Mt Chickadees.

Mountain Chickadee at Cold Springs Campground.

We next headed west over the mountains while Dan headed back to Bend.  We stopped at Hoodoo once again, but the only bird we found was a Steller’s Jay.  This was Roy’s first trip to the east side this year, so was happy to have added a few species to his year list.  One we somehow missed was a Magpie.  Seems to be quite the exception when that bird does not get seen.

Just think, another 100 species or so and I might be getting close to Crabtree in Deschutes County.

Canoe Birding On The Luckiamute River

4/2/16

Hi All,

After driving around locally in Polk County on Thursday, and seeing the Luckiamute River nice and full, I hatched a plan to canoe it Friday since the weatherman was promising great weather.  My wife was even agreeable, so was looking forward to another nice time on the river.

I have canoed down this river from Helmick Park to Buena Vista, which is on the Willamette River, every spring for at least the last 10 years, sometimes 2 or 3 times, usually with my wife, and twice we have been accompanied by friends in another canoe.   As the crow flies, it is only about 6 miles, but by river it is 15.   One needs to go in the spring when the water is high as if you go in summer it is generally going to be too low and hence there will be more fallen trees to deal with which are submerged when the water is higher. 

This is one of my favorite activities as it is always so peaceful on the river.   A 200 yard straight stretch is the exception from the constant bends along the way.  Once you are in the boat away from Hwy 99, the only thing you hear are birds and water lapping against the boat,  which are occasionally disturbed by an airplane, car or motorized boat.  I knew it would be a little early for most migrants, but it would be worth it - just plain therapeutic!   I usually try to make the trip in early May when migrants are much in evidence but the water is usually lower then.  I have never found any rare birds on this trip, but one of these day I suspect I will.  As far as animals go, we have seen deer crossing the river in front of us, beaver, mink, otters and raccoons. 

Well, my wife Rosie woke up with a headache so it was going to be a solo trip after all.  She does not like me going alone, so ends up begrudgingly going anyway, but not today.  She asked me if I had the “invasive species permit.”  I have to admit this is one of my pet peeves.  Just to take a canoe on the river I now need a permit.  If I understand the name of the permit, I assume the cost is supposed to defray dealing with or preventing “invasive species.”  What a joke.  Anyway, I dug out last year’s permit, wondering if I paid for 2 years.   It said, “Good for the year of 2015.”   I figure it was not too much trouble to change the 5 into a 6, and wha-la!   I was now ready to go. 

One great benefit of having my wife along is that it is easier to take the canoe off of the truck.  I would have to muscle it myself now.  At least it is only 70 pounds, so there are ways to handle the awkward thing.  I have found the best place to put in is on the south side of the bridge going over the Luckiamute right on Hwy 99.  Then you can leave your vehicle just north on the corner of Old Fort Road.  

I was glad to be off, alone on the river.  Most of you probably know that going quietly down a river is a great way to see wildlife, as you can sneak up on something without them noticing you.  If you have read my last 2 posts, you may remember my buying a new camera, and so I had some grandiose ideas about a fabulous photography trip, coming back with proof of what birds and animals one can find along the riverbanks. 

No sooner had I rounded the first bend when there before me was a large log jam.  Hmm.  The last few years the river has been free of such, so this is probably just a fluke (or so I thought).  And the father along you proceed down river, the less likely you will find a log jam because the river widens, making it less likely for one to develop. Usually there is a way around these, or, through them, and I was lucky that there was a narrow channel on the right side of it.  

THE FIRST LOG JAM.  ON THE EXTREME RIGHT SIDE WAS A NARROW CHANNEL

Shortly afterward I spied a Turkey Vulture sunning himself on the top of a tree.  

LOOKS LIKE HE IS WAVING ME ON

Ah, a good photo opportunity.  It was then that I realized taking pictures in a moving boat was not as easy as I imagined it would be.  Once you were in focus you had better snap the shutter, for one second later it was out of focus.  This was also when I realized steering the boat was going to be more of a challenge without my wife along.  More than once while taking pics I ended up going backwards when I was done.  Needless to say, not too many bird pics were taken, and of those most are not good enough to include here.  There was some nice scenery though.  This next shot is where the river narrows and, depending on how high the water is, there can be rapids.  If the water is low there are none, and if it is high, there are none.  Somewhere in between low and high, there can be a few 2-3 foot high swells.   Last year this trip was one of those in-between times and as we bounded over the first wave, the bow dove into the next one, sending a flood of water all over my wife.  She was drenched from the neck down, and the canoe was literally half full of water.  Luckily there was a place to pull over just after, and fortunately my wife had packed extra clothes in the dry sack.  But today the water was high, and there was nothing but smooth (and fast) sailing.

A NARROW CHANNEL WHERE RAPIDS CAN FORM

As this was a birding trip, I should mention there were plenty of birds around.  ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were singing everywhere, and a close second were BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES and BEWICK’S WRENS.  Other birds in evidence were CROWS, STELLAR’S JAYS, RED-TAILED HAWKS, SONG SPARROWS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, SPOTTED TOWHEES, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, MALLARDS, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, BELTED KINGFISHERS,ROBINS, and HOODED MERGANSERS. At one point, I flushed a female Mallard who was perched on a large limb some 30 feet above the water.  Now that was a first! Later along on the trip I flushed a pair of SNIPE, a first for this jaunt.

About 1/3 of the way, there is a railroad trestle going over the river.  I always remember it because the first trip down there was a log jam there, and we had to portage around it.  Since there is one piling right in the middle of the river, a log jam would seem likely to be encountered here all the time, but since that first trip, we have not had to deal with such again…….until today that is.  

LOG JAM AT RAILROAD TRESTLE

THIS IS HOW IT IS DONE!

This was no little one either.  It must have been 40 feet from the front of it to the back, and there were no small passages through.  I had to sit there in front of it for a while trying to figure out how I was going to get past it.  I have to admit here that there were 2 reasons I was glad my wife was not along now.  She simply hates having to deal with such, and the other is that since she was not along, my weight in the back of the canoe lifted the front up just enough to that I could get a running start and propel the boat onto most anything that was only 3-4 inches high.  That way, once you are half way over something, you can go to the front of the boat and are that much father along.  This enabled me to get the first jump on the jam. I decided it was going to be the easiest simply going over it in the middle section, so pulled and pushed it until I reached the other side. One benefit (if there is such) of a log jam is that it is easier to take a leak on one rather than standing up in a canoe…

With the jam behind me, I figured it could not get any worse.  But about a mile down river, I ran into another.  This time it was due to a large fir tree which had recently fallen across.  In some ways it was worse than the last one, because it was more of a jungle to get through due to all the limbs sticking every which way.  Once on it, I could see the work of a beaver who had been eating away at the bark. At least it seemed at the time to be the work of a beaver, but my wife was wondering if it may have been a porcupine.  I doubted such, but I guess it is not too far out of the question for one to cross a fallen log.  And I thought beavers did not eat conifer trees.  Seems like the bark would get rather caked in your mouth with all that sap. With two jams out of the way, I sure hoped there would be no more.  

THE NEXT LOG JAM, CAUSED BY A LARGE FIR TREE

SUSPENSE OR SUSPENDED?  AM I SERIOUS OR DELIRIOUS?  PRECARIOUS? 

EVIDENCE OF BEAVERS

One pleasant thing I have always run into on this trip was flushing GREAT-HORNED OWLS from some of the larger trees along the banks.  I have dislodged as many as 6 on one trip in the past.  Today was no exception.  Not long after the last log jam one flushed on my right, and flew across the river, Stellar’s Jays in hot pursuit.  They always seem to perch where you can’t see them very well, so I did not even ready the camera.   Too bad, for this one perched right out in the open and, even though I was scanning for him, I did not see him until it flushed again, this time flying right over my head.  I ended up flushing one more a few more miles down river. 

HOODED MERGANSER AND MALLARD

Around that time I scared a raccoon who must have been scrounging for food in the thickets to my right.  They seem so cute with that black mask, but I hear they can be quite feisty when confronted.  In the vicinity I also flushed a beaver, who let me know he was unhappy with my intrusion by flapping his tail on the water.   I would flush two more later in the trip.

Eventually I made it to the bridge where the Corvallis Road crosses the river.  There were a few Cliff Swallow nests on the underside of it, but I did not see any today.  Matter of fact, I did not encounter any swallows until I reached the Willamette River where there were a few NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, probably the same ones Joel Geier saw the previous day.   The next bridge is not very far away, the one where the Buena Vista Road crosses the river.  Immediately before the bridge an eddy takes off to the south and is about 100 yards long.  This is where I have eaten lunch on past trips, and was planning on doing so today.  As I entered it, looking for a shady place, a pair of COMMON MERGANSERS at the far end saw me.  Now if they were Mallards, they would have simply been able to raise up off the water, flying almost straight up.  But Common Mergansers cannot do such, and need a long unobstructed path to gain altitude, and since the banks were lined with tall trees, they had no choice but to fly my way and were only about 30 feet above me when they flew over.  

After lunch I got caught up on communications.  When I started this trip down the Luckiamute, I had texted a few people who I thought would be interested in knowing about it.  A certain friend who we had canoed with in the past was one, and she had replied as follows: “Lucki - am- u.  I am envious!”  I decided to send her a picture of the log jam and figured she would be a few shades less green with envy  than the fir bows I had to deal with.  I also told my wife where I was who by now would probably be starting to worry some.

Going under the bridge of the Buena Vista Road lets me know I am on the home stretch.  I used to flush a Barn Owl from here, but have not seen him in a few years now.  Lodged in the support beams of the bridge are debris from the flood of ’94, and that was some 20 feet over my head now, so I could only imagine how the area looked back then. You also paddle by the Luckiamute Landing area, so you know you are getting close to the Willamette River.  I got to see where the river washed out the area much too close to the road going in to the parking area.  

BRIDGE FOR THE BUENA VISTA ROAD

DEBRIS FROM THE '94 FLOOD, AND OLD CLIFF SWALLOW NESTS

About a half mile from the Willamette River a landowner has some peacocks which I always hear, and today they piped up as if on cue. When the big river comes into view, there is also an eddy off to the south of the Luckiamute where bass fishermen patronize, but there were none today.  A small flock of cormorants were at the far end, who took off when they saw me, most, like the mergansers, needing a long runway to get airborne, flew quite close.

ONE OF MANY STELLAR'S JAYS

WHERE THE LUCKIAMUTE MEETS THE WILLAMETTE RIVER

Once on the Willamette, you can look up-river and see the Santiam River entering from the east.  My wife does not particularly like this part of the trip either, because the turbulence of the river tosses you around a little bit, making  you feel like you don’t have control of the boat.  

From the confluence of those rivers, it is only 2 miles to the park in Buena Vista, and is easy.  At this time of year you can just drift along, letting the current take you all the way. I had texted my wife to head over to Buena Vista, as planned.  A couple of motor boats and a jet ski awakened me to the reality that I was back in civilization.  I sure hoped one of the boats was not the river patrol, or I might have to show him my “permit,” and neither was, so I was relieved.  My wife showed up shortly after I docked, so it was nice to have two people to load the canoe on the truck.

Birds - here is a list of what I saw.

Double-crested Cormorant ~25

Great Blue Heron 1

Canada Goose one large flock, plus 2 pairs

Mallard 5 

Hooded Merganser 2

Common Merganser 2

Turkey Vulture - many

Osprey 1

Bald Eagle 4

Northern Harrier 1

Red-tailed Hawk ~10

Wilson’s Snipe 2

Killdeer 1

Rock Dove 1

Mourning Dove 4

Great-horned Owl 2

Rufous Hummingbird 1

Red-breasted Sapsucker 3

Downy Woodpecker 6

Hairy Woodpecker 2

Northern Flicker ~8

Tree Swallow 1

N Rough-winged Swallow 4

Stellar’s Jay - many

Scrub Jay 6

Crow 4

Raven 1

Black-capped Chickadee - many

Bushtit a few

White-breasted Nuthatch 1

Brown Creeper a few

Bewick’s Wren - many

Pacific Wren 1

Ruby-crowned Kinglet a few

Robin a fair amount

Starling not too many

OC Warbler many

Yellow-Rumped Warbler 1

Spotted Towhee a few

Song Sparrow - many

White-crowned Sparrow a few

Red-winged Blackbird a few

Purple Finch 1