Dean Hale Woodpecker Festival Shirt Artwork |
Brewers Sparrow |
[***
Editors Note:
This Sisters Oregon Woodpecker Posting is part of a 4-part series on my June 2014 trip
Day 1: Arrival & self guided touring
Day 2: Ochocos Tour
Day 3: Black Butte Tour
Day 4: Catch up Tour - Dry Creek Burn ***]
The last of my three day Woodpecker Festival featured a "Catch up Tour" where festival participants requested various birds they were hoping to get. Most birders wanted to go where we went on Saturday, so we re-united with our guides from the previous day and had some fun exploring different areas. Some target species were mountain grouse, Hermit Warblers, Lewis's Woodpecker, and Pileated Woodpeckers. With those two woodpeckers, my total woodpecker species for this festival would hit the maximum 11 species mark.
Our first stop was an old burn that had now become a brushy field. Brewer's Sparrow and White crowned Sparrows were present. We noted the slight difference in Western White crowned Sparrows (see above), whose eye line is from the eye back. The western species essentially has white lores while the eastern species has a complete black eyeline! [compare]
Steller's Jay |
Townsend's Warbler - Should have a yellowish breast |
Hermit Warbler |
The Dry Creek Burn area had several Lewis's Flycatchers easily seen. When we were there, they were very active, flycatching and moving from snag to snag. These were not life birds, but still, breathtaking to see. Only nature could have come up with such a colour combination! Lazuli Buntings and Olive sided Flycatchers were singing and easily seen in the area as well. I saw several Stellar's Jays as well, but they were a little camera shy.
One last stop at Suttle Lake made one last try at seeing Pileated Woodpeckers - Mission Accomplished! We also saw more Hermit Warblers! The Hermit Warbler shown below has a yellowish breast - hinting of some genetic traits from Townsend's Warbler.
Hermit Warbler - with yellowish breast of a Townsend's Warbler |
Hermit Warbler - My only lifer on day 4! |
Red Crossbills (Type 2 – Ponderosa Pine Crossbill ) were seen almost daily on this trip |
The last four postings really detailed my Oregon trip and my personal birding highlights. I had a great trip and wanted to document what happened photographically and through my blog so that I would not forget about it and also to share the experience with my blog readers. Its expensive to travel, not just financially but environmentally, time not with family, opportunity costs abound ... so the least I can do is document my trip. I like knowing I can at any time go back and look at this trip, my old Florida trips, or my trip out to BC two years ago and easily re-live the highlights of those trips. This concludes my Oregon Trip to the Dean Hale Woodpecker Festival. If I had to rate this trip I would rate it.... 11 out of 11 Woodpeckers! ;-)
MacGillivray's Warbler at Black Butte Swamp |
Rufous Hummingbird at Cold Springs Campground |
Good Birding!
Dwaynejava
Life List Summary based on my 50 target birds (crossed out birds were missed):
2 Canyon Wren (#351)
3 Townsend's Solitaire (#352)
5 Black-throated Gray Warbler (#353)
6 Townsend's Warbler (#354)
7 Hermit Warbler (#355)
8 MacGillivray's Warbler (#356)
9 Western Tanager (#357)
10 Green-tailed Towhee (#358)
11 Brewer's Sparrow (#359)
13 Black-headed Grosbeak (#360)
14 Tricolored Blackbird (#361)
15 Bullocks Oriole(#362)
16 Cassin's Finch(#363)
17 Red Crossbill(#364)
19 Cassin's Vireo(#365)
21 Steller's Jay(#366)
22 Western Scrub-Jay(#367 - Seen while driving through Prineville)
24 Pygmy Nuthatch (#368)
25 Rock Wren(#369)
26 Northern Pygmy-Owl (#370)
30 Calliope Hummingbird (#371)
32 Williamson's Sapsucker (#372)
33 Red-naped Sapsucker (#373)
34 Red-breasted Sapsucker(#374)
35 White-headed Woodpecker(#375)
36 Hammond's Flycatcher(#376)
37 Gray Flycatcher(#377)
38 Dusky Flycatcher(#378)
44 Cinnamon Teal (#379)
47 Clark’s Grebe (#380)
50 White throated swift (#381)
51-Barn Owl(#382)52-Band tailed Pigeon (#383)
53- American Three toed Woodpecker (#383)
Dean Hale Woodpecker Festival Websites:
http://www.ecbcbirds.org
http://www.ecaudubon.org
PS: I photographed and attempted to identify some butterflies while in the Sisters Oregon area. The eight or so species below were photographed in Central Oregon.
Becker's White - Seen at Smith Rock State Park |
Nelson's Hairstreak? |
California Tortoiseshell |
Pale Swallowtail - Common around Sisters Oregon |
Hoary Comma |
Great Arctic |
Two banded Checkered Skipper |
Ancilla dotted Blue - Smith Rock State Park |