We watched this belted kingfisher plunge headfirst into the river, catch a fish, then eat his catch. Brilliant!
It was 79 degrees and sunny at one point last week. We spent a relaxing day sitting on the banks of the Crooked River getting berated by a pair of Canada Geese.
Feels great to be out on the river
Magpie, perching
Magpie, scoping out our campsite
Robins, eating juniper berries
Robin, basking
Flicker, catches evening light
Belted Kingfisher, on the hunt
Then this week … it snowed.
Woke up to this …
Every morning we woke to a couple of inches of fresh snow. We had to break out the snow shovels and they even plowed streets again.
On the bright side, snowpack in the mountains is closer to normal. However, we didn’t attempt any road trips all week. These morning snows would mostly melt away by late afternoon, at least on the roadways. But it brought our adventures to a standstill.
Central Oregon didn’t have as many problems as some western parts of the state … we didn’t lose power or have a bunch of downed trees. I’m sure the skiers were glad to have the season extended.
We are SO ready to shake off winter and jump into spring.
But still, we are ready for spring to come back. Right now, the forecasted week of rain is actually looking good.
Rolling hills in the Deschutes River Canyon are draped in spring green
This week found us on the Lower Deschutes River near Maupin. The river is still running crystal clear, but the fishing was slow. One of the reasons to ply the Deschutes as spring starts, is to see what stage the stonefly and caddis hatches are at.
The Lower Deschutes River
Starting early spring, I’m picking at the river’s bottom looking for Skwala, Golden and Dark Stonefly Nymphs. As the river temperatures rise, these bugs (order Plecoptera) start their march to the river’s edge. Eventually these aquatic insects climb onto rocks and bushes to transform into large Stoneflies and present excellent dryfly fishing.
Tiger Swallowtail
The canyon vegetation has started to shift from winter’s dull browns into spring greens. Wildflowers are also starting to emerge. patches of tiny little pink petals, clumps of yellow blossoms from Balsam Arrowroot, as well as buds on the trees and bushes. With new flowers are butterflies and a variety of insects.
Folklore has it that a longer black band is a predictor of more severe winter. Not saying we hold to folklore but our caterpillars seem have mostly black. For now these guys are just eating a bit more in preparation for their transformation into Tiger Moths.
Central Oregon is putting on it’s Spring regalia … which we’ll enjoy before the dry summer weather sets in.
This week we marked the first day of spring. The earth has started it’s annual tilt toward our galaxy’s brightest star, making the light part of our day slowly get longer.
The seasonal shift also means there will be increased activity at Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge. That is where we headed on the first of what will be a couple of spring drives to this excellent birding spot.
Fremont Point (right), located west of Summer Lake and Abert Rim (upper left) is south
Over the course of a few months the population at Summer Lake ebbs and flows. various groups of migratory flocks move in, stay a few days, then move on. From late March to May. northern movement is at its peak.
Swans on a migratory layover.
American Coot
Red-billed Gull
Sandpiper
Trumpeter Swan
Coots are residents of Summer Lake year round.
Early in the morning you can find a wide variety of birds resting up for their next journey. By midday the migration starts. Conversely, at the end of the day you catch new arrivals settling in.
Trumpeter swans and Canada Geese at Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge
There was enough wind to push clouds of mosquitoes out of our way. A light cloud cover allowed the sun to warm the day to shirtsleeve weather. Perfect conditions for a birding expedition.
These reeds offer good cover for nesting birds.
It’s still early in the season, but Red-winged Blackkbirds have started staking claim to patches of reeds and cat tails along the canals. Trumpeter Swan numbers have grown since January.
We also caught sight of a pair of Sand Hill Cranes and watched flocks of Red-billed Gulls perform aerial acrobatics in the sky overhead.
There are still a large variety of ducks paddling and diving in the ponds. Though this close to the end of hunting season means they’re still rather skittish.
There are a couple of camp sites where you can scan groves of willow and poplar trees for a variety of small birds. This trip we didn’t take the time to do much of that type of counting. Did catch sight of some flickers and followed the flight of some raptors. By the time we headed home we’d noted a couple dozen different bird species.
As the pandemic ebbs, mandates ease, and business attempts to crank back up to normal, we look back on some of the lessons learned . . . hopefully to be taken forward.
Clark in felt cave
It was discovered that napping is an excellent means of self-care. The best practitioners would be our cats. Besides the efficient distribution of hair to all corners of a house, cats are innately adapted to finding and filling small, quiet spaces. All around us are examples of the cat nap.
Matriarch Greta and kids …
Boo
Clark
Lewis
“think I’ll rest up a bit before lunch … “
Social distancing measures certainly aided in slowing the daily pace. Retirement also removed a lot of daily pressures associated with work. We completely understand how getting pulled out of the daily grind has given people a new prospective. There isn’t so much an unwillingness to work as the realization life has many more important aspects.
Nearly 16 years ago we took in a tiny black stray. Long story short, she was pregnant and we kept the entire litter. Over the years we have fostered, adopted and rescued 19 dogs and cats, most of whom have lived out their lives with us.
The nap is a natural component to quieting your life. Wading into a moving stream, watching the flight of a raptor, or picking up a good book are points of meditation. Napping may be less an indicator of old age and more the culmination of life lessons teaching us to take a moment.
So it was another uneventful week at our house. Not a lot of activity to post about. However, the canning projects are progressing as there are still a few things we want to get into jars this winter. Thought we’d share a super easy recipe that makes an incredible orange jam.
Nothing like bitter, chunky Marmalade … this is a sweet, tart jam.
With citrus in season oranges are easy to find fruit, even these days. This is an excellent way to preserve some of that juicy goodness for later.
On the bright side, snowpack in the mountains is closer to normal. However, we didn’t attempt any road trips all week. These morning snows would mostly melt away by late afternoon, at least on the roadways. But it brought our adventures to a standstill.
