Southwest Oregon Statebirding, Plus One Great Stop in California, February 2016

Oregon is one of only 4 states where my statelist is still below the old ABA reporting threshold.  And even though I have 218 on my OR list, that’s still a whopping 41 below the threshold.  Oregon’s very high threshold, the 5th highest of all 50 states, is mainly because of all the varied regions and habitats in the state.  As a result, although I have birded quite a bit in OR, since almost all of that time has been in the northwestern part of the state, I still have a long way to go to reach the threshold. 

My single biggest statebirding opportunity in OR would be to spend a few days birding the drier eastern portion of the state.  Because of the very different habitats there compared to northwest OR, there are close to 70 possible statebirds I could try for there.  Although that’s a large target list, I typically only find a few more than half of my possible targets on a trip like that one – in this case my estimate was 37.  That means just one trip to eastern OR may not be enough to reach, and then surpass, the old threshold. 

So what other significant statebirding possibilities could there be for me in OR?  I started doing a bit of research and found out that there were a few OR species that are only seen in the southwestern portion of the state.  The year-round southwest specialties included California Thrasher (I thought this one was endemic to CA), Oak Titmouse, Red-shouldered Hawk, Mockingbird, and Lesser Goldfinch, with summer specialties like Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Allen’s Hummingbird.  Then there were species I still needed that were only seen in the western portion of the state like Black Phoebe and White-tailed Kite year-round, and White-throated and Swamp Sparrows in the colder months.  Not to mention seabird and shorebird targets only seen on the coast, many most likely in winter.  I figured with this many local specialties I could get at least 10 new OR birds for my list, so there was “critical mass” to justify a trip to southwest OR.

So the next question was how to get there.  My work travels take me to the San Francisco Bay Area every couple of months, and on several of those trips I’ve added some vacation time to bird in the Reno, NV area 4 hours away.  It would be a longer drive to OR (5-6 hours), but still feasible to tack a mini OR vacation onto an upcoming work trip flying in and out of SFO.  Next I needed to decide on whether to go in the winter or the summer.  Going at either time of the year would mean several targets would not be feasible, so each option had pros and cons.  But given that I was anxious to get there, I decided to head to OR on my next SFO trip in February.  Though I was more than a bit concerned about the possibility of rainy conditions in this El Nino winter.

Now it was time for the detailed research.  First I went to eBird and compiled a long list of possibilities, and most likely locations for key targets.  Then I reached out to the OR listserve and received some general guidance for the local specialties.  I noticed that many of my targets in the Medford/Ashland area, including several owls, were being seen by local birder Frank Lospalluto, so I sent him an e-mail requesting some advice.  He replied by offering to go with me to help me search for my local targets, including pre-dawn owling.  I’ve always found statebirding with a local expert is invaluable, especially for owls, so I quickly accepted his offer.  Since I’ll eventually get to eastern OR I wanted to concentrate on those western or southwestern specialties.  So I planned an itinerary spending the first day with Frank in the greater Medford/Ashland area.  Then I would head to the coast for the second day before making my way back to CA.  I figured would have about 28 possible statebirds in those 2 days, though since many were low probabilities, I hoped for maybe 12 new birds for my OR list.  And as the trip neared it looked like my birding days would be between pacific storms, so the forecast was going to cooperate as well. 

Day 1

I met Frank at 4 AM and we headed east of Medford into the mountains in search of four owl species – Saw-whet, Pygmy, Western Screech, and Barred – though I would be happy finding just 2.  Our first several stops for Screech were unsuccessful even though Frank had had success there in the past.  Then at the next stop on Salt Creek Rd. in Eagle Point we had a calling Saw-whet (statebird #1), apparently responding to a Screech Owl call.  OR is only my 14 state for this species even though it is regular throughout much of the country (see my statebird map below).

We made several more stops on Salt Creek Rd. and elsewhere in good habitat, but had no success with the other targets.  By the time we made our way to nearby Lake Creek Rd. it was starting to get light, and despite more good habitat, we couldn’t scare up an owl.  Then as it was almost time to get out the binocs to start searching for daytime birds, we had a Western Screech Owl give a short response to our last bit of owl tape for the day (#2).  It took us almost 3 hours but we had our 2 species of owls.  I’m slowly filling in my statebird map for this western species.

A bit further up Lake Creek Rd. we made our first daytime birding stop, but could only find a few Juncos and Robins.  Frank starting doing a Pygmy Owl imitation and almost instantly we had not 1 but 2 birds respond (#3).  One bird was still calling 10 minutes later when we left this location, which afforded this very nice view of the valley and mountains in the distance.  By the way, the Pygmy Owl was likely calling from the tallest conifer in the distance on the left side of this picture.

With few landbirds in the area, we decided to come down out of the mountains and head for other nearby locations.  Near the bottom of the road we made a quick stop with a nice vista over a riparian area.  Frank quickly picked out a distant Lewis’ Woodpecker which I was lucky enough to get on before it flew off (#4) – not the best of views but there would be more to come.

Next it was off to Agate Lake.  Along the way Frank mentioned that Prairie Falcon was a possibility there, and just then I noticed a mid-sized falcon perched in a roadside tree.  It was just a Merlin, but still a nice bird to add to the day list.  Then as we neared Agate Lake we noticed an even larger falcon perched near the entrance – it was indeed a Prairie Falcon (#5).  That was one I hadn’t even included on my list of possibilities.  I still need this species in several more states in its regular range.

Our next stop was Lower Table Rock, but along the way we picked up the first of several flocks of Lesser Goldfinches (#6), and a flock of Tundra Swans “grazing” in a field.  Lower Table Rock park was a very interesting spot, with groves of oak trees, and patches of low brush and grasses.  Here our targets were Oak Titmouse and California Towhee.  But perhaps most memorable were the Lewis’ Woodpeckers which were everywhere – we saw at least a dozen of these very colorful birds.  Only slightly less common were the Acorn Woodpeckers, attractive in their own right.  But back to the target birds - we heard and then saw several Oak Titmice (#7), and eventually were able to coax several California Towhees into the open (#8) and heard a few more giving their sharp chip notes.  OR is only my second state (after CA) for each of these species. 

Frank next directed us to a spot on Rogue River Road where he has had Red-shouldered Hawks in the past.  Luckily the caretaker for the property was just coming out just as we arrived, and he opened the gate to let us onto the grounds.  After a short walk we made our way to a lush riparian area, where right on cue we soon heard at least 1 calling Red-shouldered Hawk (#9).  My statebird map now pretty well matches the regular range of this species (with the exception of the gap in IA).

We also had a singing Brown Creeper that sounded very different from our eastern birds.  Maybe one to bank pending a split some day?

It was now midday and we started a search of numerous possible valley locations for White-tailed Kite and Mockingbird.  One stop was at Ousterhout Farm where a Mockingbird had been reported each of the last several days.  Frank couldn’t reach the homeowners to gain access to the farm, so we were limited to just viewing the farm from the perimeter.  Unfortunately we came up empty there and at all our other stops for both the Kite and the Mocker.  Though we did find Black Phoebes at two locations (#10).

Then we were off to North Mountain Park in Ashland where Frank had re-found a wintering Swamp Sparrow at the park feeders two days before.  As we neared the park Frank got word that a Pygmy Owl was being seen perched most cooperatively low in a tree in the park.  As we arrived we saw a few birders in the distance with cameras trained into a low conifer.  With a short walk we could see the Pygmy Owl chowing down on a large rodent – by far my best ever view of a Pygmy Owl.

Then we headed to the feeders to try to find the Swamp Sparrow.  It was now mid/late afternoon and we wondered how much time we should spend at the feeders versus heading off to a couple other locations we still needed to get to that day.  After just a couple minutes with no birds at all, soon a small group of mostly Golden-crowned Sparrows arrived.  Just as Frank commented that this group was similar to the group accompanying the Swamp Sparrow a couple days earlier the target bird appeared at the feeder (#11).  OR was one of my last likely states for this species (except for WA perhaps).

With that one pretty quickly under our belts, we headed to Emigrant Lake southeast of Ashland where Frank had seen a Kite most every day that week.  Along the way we heard back from the homeowner at Ousterhoudt Farm who invited us to try for the Mockingbird.  So we planned to quickly check off the nearly sure-fire Kite so we could head right to the farm.  However, the Kite was a no-show despite searches in many different locations around the lake.  Just goes to show you that no bird is ever guaranteed.

As we headed to Ousterhoudt Farm we tried several other locations for Kites with no luck.  Then we got a call that the Mockingbird was once again at the farm.  Minutes later we met the farm owner and he took us right to the bird (#12).  OR was my 44th state for this species (I really need to work on my IA list!).

He also gave us a quick tour of his very birdy property, which included a Barn Owl perched in a nest box – the 5th owl species of the day.

We ended our most successful day with 76 species and 12 new birds for my OR statelist.  Can’t thank Frank enough for all his help!

Day 2

Since we couldn’t find a White-tailed Kite in the Medford/Ashland area, I altered my planned route for Day 2 to head a bit farther north toward Coos Bay where Kites were regular.  Plus I planned to take the back roads en route to Coos Bay where several Kites had been reported recently.  With my new itinerary I came up with a list of 10 additional statebirds that were at least remotely possible that day, but I figured I’d be happy adding just 2.

Despite a couple hours of searching in really nice Kite habitat, once again I came up empty on the Kite.  One interesting stop along the way was at a dairy farm near Norway where a large flock of Doves included numerous hybrid Mourning x Collared Doves.  All had a black ring on the hind-neck.  However some birds had pointed tails like Mourning’s while others had square tails like ECDs.  The mantle of all birds varied from brown like Mourning’s to a bit darker gray than ECDs.  There were also other Doves there that appeared to be pure ECDs – or at least they had such a minor amount of Mourning DNA that they looked like pure ECDs.

My last stop trying for the Kites was at the Ni-Les’tun overlook at Brandon Marsh northeast of Coos Bay.  Although there were no Kites, the parking lot was full of birds, including a surprising Hermit Thrush hopping atop a curb (#13).  Although I would spend quite a bit of time in good Thrush habitat during my 2 days in OR, surprisingly the only one I would see was in this parking lot!  I just need this species in 5 more mainland states to fill in my statebird map.

It was now time to turn around and head back to Route 101 to begin my trek down the coast.  The road was paralleling the Coquille River and I noticed one lone Aechmophorus grebe diving in the river.  With no cars behind me I decided to make a quick stop and check it out.  With a quick binocular view I noticed paler sides and a white face.  Finally it rested on the surface long enough to confirm that it was a Clark’s Grebe (#14). 

My next stop was at Floras Lake where reports earlier in the winter had included 3 of my targets – 1 report each of American Bittern and Snowy Plover, and a few reports of a lone Lapland Longspur but not for several weeks.  As I arrived at the lake and started to put on my boots I could have sworn I heard a distant Bittern.  I walked to the lake edge, and once again thought I heard a Bittern – but couldn’t be sure.  Although I was tempted to check it off I decided to play it safe and not count it.  Next I headed to the short grasses between the lake and the beach where the Longspur had been seen, but with no luck.  Then I headed to the beach to look for the Plover but saw no shorebirds at all.  This wasn’t going well.  On my way back from the beach I noticed two small sparrow-like birds fly in from the south and land in the grasses.  I got brief looks at 1 of the birds before it landed and it looked like a Longspur.  But the view was so brief that I needed to be sure.  I headed to where one bird landed and quickly found a most cooperative male Lapland Longspur in almost full breeding plumage (#15).  I then walked over to the area where the other bird landed and found a second Longspur – either a female or a basic plumaged male.  Who knows if these birds had been there all winter or were just arriving from points south.  My statebird map for this species is still pretty spotty, mostly due to limited winter birding in much of its normal range.

My last set of stops were in Brookings just a few miles from the CA line.  My first target was Allen’s Hummingbird – I was told Brookings was the best spot in the state to try for them.  Specifically I was to check flowers in gardens in Azalea State Park.  Although it was a bit early for them, I was still hopeful.  I found two nice gardens with flowers suitable for hummingbirds, but I could only find an Anna’s Hummer at each spot.  A nice consolation was a flock of Red Crossbills feeding in a tall conifer.

The next stop was at Chetco Point recommended by local birders as a good spot to do a seawatch.  Although I had a fair number of possible seabird targets, the only one that was a realistic possibility was Black-legged Kittiwake.  It was starting to rain lightly when I got to the Point, but visibility was good as I set up my scope.  I had just begun to scan the distant ocean when a closer gull passed through my scope field – it was a Kittiwake (#16).  I stayed at the point for about an hour, and saw several other Kittiwakes.  Interestingly all were flying higher and closer to shore than the larger gulls.  But as expected, I saw none of my other targets.  That completes my statebird map for Black-legged Kittiwake on the Pacific coast – though I still need it in several regular states on the Atlantic.

My last OR stop was to try for Barred Owl in mixed woodlands along Peavine Ridge Road just barely outside of CA.  It was some great habitat, and it was late afternoon on a gray, drizzly day, so I hoped I could coax a response from a Barred Owl.  At one of my first stops I heard a distant series of calls that sounded a lot like Mountain Quail – one I had studied up on prior to the trip.  But they were distant, and I couldn’t quite hear the two-syllable nature of the call.  So I kept trying for Barred Owls with no luck.  I headed back down the ridge for one more try for the owls and heard another series of Quail-like calls – these were much closer and I could hear the two-syllable notes of the Mountain Quail (#17).  Only my 3rd state for this species after CA and NV.  A very nice consolation for missing the owl! 

I ended my 2-day OR trip with 110 species, and an amazing 17 new birds for my statelist – 5 greater than my expected statebird total.  And although I missed 3 western targets (White-tailed Kite, Allen’s Hummer, and White-throated Sparrow), I got several others that were nice bonuses.  That gives me 235 in OR – still 24 short of reportable.  But with an eventual trip to the eastern half of the state, I should be able to exceed the OR threshold by a nice margin.

But as it turned out, my birding time was not over yet…

My hotel that evening was in Arcata, CA, about a 2-hour drive down Route 101.  It was late afternoon as I was heading south through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park when I noticed two people up ahead on the shoulder with long camera lenses pointing across the road to the north-bound shoulder.  I figured they had spotted a bear or other large mammal so didn’t think too much of it.  Although I went by them at 65 mph, I had enough time to look over to where they were looking and noticed a large owl sitting in a tree on the shoulder.  Luckily I was able to quickly pull over and walked back to the photographers.  They had spotted a Great Gray Owl, or I should say THE Great Gray Owl, that had been seen in the area for the last couple months.  I had heard a little about this bird, but didn’t even know where it was being seen, let alone didn’t know that I would be driving right through the area.  Although many birders had missed this bird during its stay, remarkably I was able to happen on it – though I surely would have missed the bird if the other birders hadn’t been out with their cameras to photograph it.  I got this nice phone-scoped photo of the bird - #381 for me in CA.

Truly an excellent ending to a great birding trip!