Nature – Page 2

May 10, 2026May 9, 2026

Spring Birding Trip

Trying to put a name to what we just saw

Our first spring visit to Summer Lake was this week. It’s not much later than normal, but this has been anything but a typical wiinter/spring transition.

Regardless, it’s a great half-day drive.

Lord of the reeds . . . Yellow-headed Blackbird

Oregon is a premier birding state, not because of a single site, but because there is such a diversity of habitats.

Coastal rainforests, mountain meadows, and sagebrush steppe all situated on the Pacific Flyway.

How do they manage that perch? Red-winged Blackbird

Central Oregon is on the northern edge of the Great Basin and offers a number of alkali marshlands as ideal birding sites.

Most people think of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge when you mention birding the high desert. And while that’s a massive reserve, at 187,000 acres, it’s not our top pick.

Perhaps the more common song in the marshes . . . Red-winged Blackbird

The Summer Lake Refuge has about 29 thousand acres and an 8 mile loop road skirts around the central marsh ponds.

This narrow gravel track offers up excellent access to viewing areas right from one’s car.

As suspected, there wasn’t a great number of birds . . . groups of waterfowl and some shorebirds. JQ grabbed images of most of them.

It was a perfect spring day, mosquitos were at a minimum so we could enjoy a tailgate lunch and tour with the windows open.

There are bound to be a couple more trips to the Summer Lake, as well as Abert Lake and points east.

Hopefully . . . before the real heat of summer starts to bake the sagebrush steppe.

May 3, 2026May 2, 2026

Tail Waters

We spend a lot of time on rivers. Usually Spring brings a rise in water levels. There is always a period ahead of this surge as temperatures warm and fishing is good.

Then one settles in to wait for run off to end and river flows to return to a fishable level.

Seemed to be casting knots rather than flies.

The Crooked River is a tail-water, meaning it flows out of a dam, which also means that the levels are more regulated. This bit of control has a positive effect on late spring run-off.

This year’s minimal snowpack means there will be a marginal rise to levels. It will become a problem in September when the reservoir dries up, but for now it makes for good fishing.

Caddis flies are food for Buntings as well

This week’s trip to the river was not particularly productive on the fishing side.

There is a Caddis fly hatch timed for the first part of May . . . Mother’s Day Caddis . . . which is just getting started. So maybe next week.

Lark Bunting, known for their flight displays and song

There was a marked increase in bird activity. Of course the Canada Geese and a variety of ducks bobbed in the water and settled on the banks.

We also got to watch a Kingfisher fishing. We added a new species to the list. Though not unusual for the area . . . a Lazuli Bunting was spotted and regaled us with song.

Sighted, also, was the Methuselah of butterflies, a Mourning Cloak in fringed black, was sunning in the willows.

This species overwinters, living for up to ten months which is a couple of lifetimes for a regular butterfly.

Warmer mornings are on tap for the future and the forecast is partly cloudy at worst.

The heat of summer will be on us all too soon, but for now we continue to take advantage of these beautiful spring days.

April 26, 2026April 25, 2026

Just Another Week

There was a noticeable absence of media coverage for Earth Day 2026. As advocates for wild spaces this was not unexpected . . .

but still . . .

Federal support is being systematically reduced and eliminated and that should be a red flag.

American White Pelican

We’d like to encourage readers of this blog to engage in a bit of keyboard advocacy supporting wildlife and wild places.

It’s actually easy and effective to write your representative, their connections are a browser search away.

Our week was very low key.

Summer colds and house projects took up most of our energy. Lists of books read really isn’t blog post worthy. Neither is writing about what was accomplished.

Tip, 14 years old this month and an excellent travel companion

We’re pretty sure you aren’t interested in what got checked off a ‘to-do list’. Understandable . . . we managed to use the time to re-energize.

Of course we did work in a trip to the river. The fishing was not that great, but weather was perfect, lots of birds flying round. Mostly we sat by the river and relaxed. It was nice.

April 12, 2026April 18, 2026

April Sunshine

It was my birthday this week . . . thus we did birthday stuff all week. And by that I mean, we hit the river every other day. The weather was very cooperative.

American Kestrel also called American Sparrowhawk

Days still start cold, but the sun quickly warms the day.

We spent our time this week sitting on the Crooked River and it required no more than a thin sweater.

Turkey Vulture

American Kestrel

Spring will advance to summer quickly on the high desert. However, we’ve got a few weeks where fresh green runs high up the canyon’s walls.

The wildflowers are just starting to show some color. Waterfowl have started to pair off, swim and fly in larger numbers.

These are quiet days on the Crooked. Camping season hasn’t started and school hasn’t ended. We’re taking full advantage.

Spring will also mean a trip to Summer Lake and judging by the increase in bird activity, timing is right.

There isn’t the usual snow pack, so we’ll access the Cascades earlier this year.

Expeditions are filling out the calendar, but for now we’ll enjoy a slice of birthday cake and watch the ducks paddle around in the river.

April 5, 2026April 18, 2026

April Showers

This week the rain settled in over Central Oregon, at times mixed with flakes of snow.

Then Thursday morning we woke to half an inch on the front walk. Not so unusual for a High Desert April, but still.

Also typical in Central Oregon is the sun’s return to mitigate the drizzle. Often the shift is within minutes of the other.

We managed to complete the pergola painting ahead of ‘winter’s’ brief return.

Chimney Rock Campground has an impressive canyon wall

One warmish and sunny day we drove a loop through the Crooked River Canyon.

Expecting wet weather we prepared for rain, but didn’t bring the picnic basket or fishing gear.

A herd of mule deer forded the river just below a spot we’d pulled over to grab some photos for this blog.

A sign the seasons are shifting was increased activity along the Crooked River.

The green is appearing to come back into the canyon walls. Willow buds and wildflowers have starting to show color in the riparian.

We were serenaded from a rock outcropping by a pair of Canada Geese blasting what seemed like a distress call.

Over what? We never determined, but we did eventually see them fly downstream.

There were a few different species of duck ferrying up and down the river, most in flocks of 8 or 10.

Seems they are getting ready to find a mate, nest and rear fledglings.

A recent update at Chimney Rock Campground put in some great walking trails

We actually pulled into a few different sites on the drive down to Prineville. Few people on the stream or in the camp sites made it a perfect time to scout new stopping points.

The day was topped off with a Tastee Treet cheese burger and fries before heading back home to projects still waiting.