Jefferson County 6-9-16

Hi All,

On my days off this week I decided to head over to Jefferson County, which extends from the crest of the Cascades east out into the desert, just north of Deschutes County.  I am not sure just why I selected this county to tackle, but had a great time none-the-less.  My list there stood at 135, so I figured I’d at least try to push it over 150.  Between gathering info from the East Cascades Audubon Society website and personal conversations with Chuck Gates, I had a pretty good idea of where to go to fill in some of the blanks, so headed out about 0800 on Thursday (6-9-16) morning.  It was not a spur of the moment decision, but the way I packed the truck one would have thought otherwise.  Having done this often, I have a pretty good idea what I need, so it was done in under 15 minutes.

I stopped at Detroit Flats along on the way, but it was windy and there was not much there.  Next stop was at the Hoodoo Ski Resort area to try to add Cassin’s Finch and Clark’s Nutcracker to my Linn County list, but dipped again.  On the way I heard on the radio about a forest fire north of Sisters, somewhere in the area of Billy Chinook Lake, so hoped it was not where I wanted to be in the next 24 hours or so.  I also had to figure out whether I wanted to bird the desert or the mountains first, and opted for the desert, mainly because I planned on camping in the mountains, and so would be there at dawn the next day.

So I drove through the town of Sisters and onto Redmond, turned north on Hwy 97.  As I still needed White-throated Swift (207) on my Deschutes list, I took a right at Terrabone to Smith Rock St Park where they were easy to see.  Next stop was at the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint, which is just into Jefferson County.  Here I was hoping to add a Canyon Wren, but if there were any around, they were quiet.  I thought I’d try my hand at taking burst photos of White-throated Swifts.  This is a difficult challenge.  This birds can whiz by at high speeds as well as turning a different direction in megaseconds. One batch of 6 actually turned out fairly well, but the rest got the delete button. 

The R&R Bridge

The Old Bridge - Bungee Jumping Anyone?

White-throated Swift

View of the Crooked River from the west end of the viewpoint

There are 3 bridges which straddle the canyon here, and it is a long way down to the Crooked River.  One is a R&R bridge, one is an old, no longer used bridge, and, of course, the last is the one which all the traffic now uses.  On the old bridge was a bungee jumping set up.  In the 20 minutes I was there I did not see any brave souls test their cardiac status, and it never entered my mind to consider it.  While there I added Bullock’s Oriole (136) and House Wren (137).  Along the way to Haystack Reservoir saw a Western Kingbird (138).  

It has been at least 20 years since I was last there, so no wonder my Jefferson list stayed so stagnant for so long.   Over on the east side the 40 some odd American White Pelicans were quite obvious.  I scanned the south and east shoreline adding Gadwall (139).  I determined I would need to head over to the campground on the south shore, and on the way there added American Goldfinch (140), Lazuli Bunting (141), Horned Lark (142) and Vesper Sparrow (143).   I did not find anything new from the vantage point of the campground, so moved on to my next destination.

White Pelicans at Haystack Reservoir

Western Meadowlark near Haystack Reservoir

Vesper Sparrow near Haystack Reservoir

Chuck had explained to me where to find Long-eared Owls, and they were not too far away from here, so I headed off to the south.  Upon entering the Crooked River National Grasslands I stopped to take a picture of a Mountain Bluebird and in the process found a Lesser Goldfinch (144).   It was then on to locate the owls.  They were supposed to be in an undisclosed location in some willows along a small creek.  I tried my best to sneak up on them so as not to flush them.  Plus I was hoping for some pictures if possible, but they saw me first and spooked, flying a short ways in opposite directions.  I decided not to bother them anymore, and it was great to have my first owl on the county list (145).

My next stop was to be the Rim Rock Springs, a wet area in the middle of the desert.  Along the way out of the grasslands I saw a Loggerhead Shrike (146), so that was a nice addition to the list.  Instead of taking the trailhead to the marsh, I opted to follow Chuck’s directions and drive to the east side and was able to meander not to from  some parts of it.  Quite quickly I picked up Marsh Wren (147) and Cinnamon Teal (148).  I played the song for a Sora and a Virginia Rail (149) piped up.  I kept playing the Sora song but never did get a response. 

As I was getting low on gas, I headed north to Madras.  I was puzzled by how much southbound traffic there was as I had to wait about 3 minutes to cross over the main drag to the station.  I was having second thoughts about getting back in the northbound lane in order to reach my next destination, but eventually gave in, although to do so I headed south first and took the first convenient left, then returned to the northbound lane.

My next stop was to be the “New” Madras Sewage Lagoons.  I was unfamiliar with them as they had been created sometime after I wrote the book on Sewage Lagoons back in ‘99, and they were said to be visible from the road.  A little bit of a let down was seeing the plastic lining.  I am sure this is better for the environment, but it usually decreases the quality of birding.  Nevertheless, I found both Bank (150) an Northern Rough-winged (151) Swallows. 

Still needing some grassland species, I headed back south to the grasslands where I found Sage Thrasher (152), Brewer’s Sparrow (153), Gray Flycatcher (154) and California Quail (155).  I had printed out material for these various sites, and the one on the grasslands described “Gray Butte” as having some springs on its slopes which attract some interesting birds.  So I kept heading south and opted to go to the west side of the butte.  

Gray Butte

Wiley Coyote near Gray Butte

I wonder if Chuck Gates has been down this road?

Can you see his hoof stomping?

It is probably a good time to explain to the reader that all the roads in the grasslands are dirt, and some are better than others.   The father south I went, seeing the butte off to the east, the worse the road seemed to get.  Little by little I started descending into a ravine.  Off on the west/right, there were two other, smaller buttes, and I reasoned that there must be a road which went to the west, between them.  By the time I got to where there should be such a road, I did not find one.  And by now, the ravine was quite narrow and steep.   It was too steep to back up, and to narrow to jockey my truck to turn around, so I had no choice but to keep going.  So I kept going down and down and the condition of the “road”  did not get any better.  I was seriously beginning to wonder if I was going to make it back out of there.  

I began to mutter under my breath, “Why would anyone make a road here,” and “there better be a really good bird down here to make this all worth it!” Well, at least the view was great.  It was a good thing my wife was not there, or I’d feel even more guilty.  Well, I eventually came to a place wide enough to make a few back and forth turns so as to be headed back uphill.  

I should explain here that this ravine had a small trickle of a creek that went beside the “road” for most of the way, but by now the two were inseparable, so it was a good thing the wet boulders were not too large, or I’d probably still be there.  So I bowed my head and asked the Good Lord to get me out of this mess of my own making.  One sometimes wonders where an adventurous spirit might lead you.   

Tis a good thing the clearance of the truck is as high as it is, for I did not scape the undercarriage once, although the back tires spun out a few times. Eventually I made it out of there, found a “good” road heading west, and made it to Hwy 97.  Along the way there was a young bull along side the road, so I stopped to take his picture.  When I was done and asked him how he was doing.  He looked a about how I felt, kinda mad, and when he lowered his head and began stomping his hoof, I decided to mooooove on.  I think I began to notice a new creaking sound to the truck, but this was much less when I programmed my hearing aid to a setting that tunes out the mundane sounds, and it disappeared altogether when I took them out.   I have not heard it since.......

It was now about 06:30 and I retraced my route to Sisters and west toward the pass.  I exited on Forest Service Route 12 with plans to spend the night at Round Lake, a higher elevation.  But the farther west I got and the higher I went, the dark clouds started rolling in brining some rain, and I had some doubts about camping out up there.  The literature mentioned that the recent burn in the area had resulted in there being more woodpeckers, Sooty Grouse and Mountain Quail, so I kept going.  With the chard trees and regeneration of new ones, as well as all the buck-brush, it really was quite scenic.  The birds were pretty sparse though, being windy and slightly rainy, but I did add a Lewis Woodpecker (156).

It was almost dark when I got to the area.  I drove a little past the entrance to the lake and found a Sooty Grouse along side the road who froze until I got his pic.  I then came back to the entrance road but pulled down a side spur on the opposite side, which had a flat area a short ways to the end.  As usual I did not sleep so well, and listened for owls or poorwills when awake, but did not hear any.

Sooty Grouse near Round Lake

This area burned thoroughly a few years ago

I woke up about 0600, an hour or so after dawn.  It was still cloudy and rainy, so I headed back downhill, stopping quite often to play Mountain Quail songs, but got no response.  I kept hearing an unfamiliar bird singing at almost every stop, but just could not figure out what it was until one finally perched where I could see him - Fox Sparrow!  They just don’t sing in the valley during winter, and I just have not heard them often enough to realize this was what it was.  Otherwise, House Wrens and Macgillivray's Warblers were everywhere.  Less common birds were Olive-sided and Dusky Flycatchers, Northern Flickers, Yellow Warblers, Lazuli Buntings, and one each of Red-tailed Hawk, Kestrel and Warbling Vireo.  When almost back to the pavement I stopped at a mixed forest and heard a Cassin’s Vireo (157).  

My plan was now to go to Whiskey Springs, which I have heard good reviews of.  I followed the directions to a T, but could not find the place.  I was supposed to look for some deciduous vegetation among the conifers, but never saw any.  Guess I had better take Roy Gerig next time.  It was still quite windy and on my way back out to the Hwy I began passing forest service trucks hauling water.  I figured this wind could not be good for fighting fires.  

As it was looking clearer to the east, I headed back to the town of Sisters, got some coffee, and headed NE toward Alder Springs.  The write up sounded interesting and I still needed some of the birds of that habitat.  The trailhead was 5 miles off the pavement and somewhere along the way was the county line, where I crossed back in to Jefferson County.  There was lots of blue sky now, but the wind was still strong, interfering with birding to some degree.  But I needed a walk, and the scenery was looking to be worth it.   Now that I am back, I can recommend this place to hikers looking for a great outing.  The trail headed east, and there is a canyon to the north and to the south, and you hike along a ridge between them for a ways before descending to the smaller canyon to the south.

The Canyon to the North

The Canyon to the South

Near the Riparian Zone

The Creek at the bottom

Black-headed Groseak

Y

Along the way down I spied some Pinyon Jays (158), one bird I have not seen many times.  I saw them again on my way back out as well.  I took many pictures of the canyons and it is hard to know which ones to post.  I also played Canyon Wren songs in appropriate places, but got no response.  The last 200 yards or so, when you are almost to the bottom, you reach the riparian zone with willows and other small trees, the greenery exemplifying the life water can bring.  I did not want to cross the creek, so explored the small area as I could.  It looks like as the season progresses, the creek would have less water or possibly dry up, allowing for more exploring on the other side.

There were plenty of birds there:  A pair of Yellow-breasted Chats (159) were quite vocal.  Some others were Turkey Vultures, a Golden Eagle, Mourning Doves, White-throated Swifts, Lewis Woodpeckers, Ravens, a Gray Flycatcher, an Ash-throated Flycatcher, Lazuli Buntings, Violet-green Swallows, House Wrens, Rock Wrens, Yellow Warblers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Bullock’s Orioles, Cowbirds and Robins.  

It was not too strenuous of a hike, 1.5 miles downhill and the same back uphill.  I’d like to take my wife there some day, so I had better talk it up (as well as belittle the truck in the ravine experience) so she takes an interest.  Very soon after starting the hike back out of there, my camera gave me the message that the battery was dead, so I hoped there would be no more missed photo opportunities, and it turned out there were not.  When I was getting close to the trailhead, I sat down and waited where I had a great view of the canyon on the north, played the canyon wren song one last time.  There were some Rock Pigeons who apparently had reverted back to the wild, seeking refuge among the rock walls, which I thought was refreshing.  Then, a lone Starling flew over my head, down into the canyon.  This almost spoiled the serenity of the place.  I could excuse the Rock Pigeons for being there, but this Starling held no sympathy from me. 

While driving out a Lark Sparrow flew across in front of me.  However, I was not sure which county I was in, so checked to odometer reading so I could figure it out later on.  It sounds like they are hard to find in Deschutes County, where even top county lister Paul Sullivan does not have it (or so I hear), so I was hoping it would be there so I could brag to him about it.  However, when back in Sisters getting some food for the trip home, I checked it out, and it was in Jefferson County by maybe a quarter mile.  It may be the last time I use my present DeLorme Atlas as it separated into a few individual pages.  I have used Elmer’s Glue in the past when a page or two has come detached, but I think it is beyond recovery now.  I could use the google map ap but it is just too small and just not as practical as the good ‘ol DeLorme.  So I guess reaching 160 for the county is fairly respectable.  

The trip home was uneventful.  I was going to stop at the pass as well as Detroit Flats, but the weather got bad again as I traveled west.

Next up…… I am toying with the idea of working on Clatsop and Columbia Counties, not so far away.  Both are below 120 and have plenty of holes to fill.  Later.