Newsletter of The Pendleton Bird Club Kákya Táymut Taymut, Pendleton Bird Club Newsletter Volume 13 No. 3 March, 2015 Page 1 Newsletter of The Pendleton Bird Club Kákya Táymut

Kakya Taymut, Pendleton Bird Club Newsletter Volume 13 No. 3 March, 2015 Page 1

Newsletter of The Pendleton Bird Club

Kákya Táymut KUK-yuh TIE-moot, Umatilla Indian Translation: Bird News

tember or October, and birders are anxiously

awaiting their return. Below is a listing of some

of the birds that will arrive in Umatilla County

between mid-April and mid-May. Hopefully,

you will visit your favorite birding haunts to

witness spring migration as birds repopulate

Umatilla County and surrounding areas for the

nesting season.

Contributed by Aaron Skirvin

HIS IS AN EXCITING TIME of year for

birders. Over the next 75 days, hundreds of

millions of birds will be moving northward

from their wintering areas in the southern

US, Mexico, and Central and South America to their

breeding habitats in the US and Canada. Hundreds of

thousands of them will pass through Umatilla County, and

many will stay to nest here. Most species involved in this

mass migration haven’t been seen locally since last Sep-

Volume 13, No. 3 March, 2015 Pendleton, Oregon

Blue-winged Teal

Lesser Yellowlegs

Solitary Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Franklin’s Gull

Forster’s Tern

Red-necked Phalarope

Wilson’s Phalarope

Flammulated Owl

Common Poorwill

White-throated Swift

Vaux’s Swift

Calliope Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Black-chin. Hummingbird

Lewis’s Woodpecker

Western Kingbird

Dusky Flycatcher

“Western” Flycatcher

Hammond’s Flycatcher

Warbling Vireo

Cassin’s Vireo

N. Rough-winged Swallow

Barn Swallow

Bank Swallow

House Wren

Yellow Warbler

Townsend’s Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Orange-cr. Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Western Tanager

Green-tailed Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Brewer’s Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Black-headed Grosbeak

Lazuli Bunting

Bullock’s Oriole

Gambel’s White-crowned Spar-

row (peak of spring migration)

Spring Migration’s Underway but More to Come


Bird Migration Unfolds on BirdCast

B irdCast, http://birdcast.info/forecasts/, is a

webpage by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

with predictions of weekly bird migrations

across the United States. After a short “Continental

Summary,” the site features a nation-wide, time

lapse, weather forecast for the week, including

wind speed and direction, and precipitation. It’s

helpful to click on “-” (in the lower right corner of

the weather map) to slow down the speed of the

time lapse. Next are the migration summaries, bro-

ken down into the following four regions: Upper

Midwest and Northeast, Gulf Coast and Southeast,

Great Plains, and West. Each of these sections has a

short regional forecast summary, followed by lists

of “Species on the Move” divided into Beginning

to Arrive, Arriving, Peaking, and Departing. The

lists include the date each species is expected to

arrive or leave and the expected migration peak.

These bird lists are based on years of data from

eBird, an online tool for birders to keep track of

bird sightings. It’s educational and fun to check

out the lists, especially if you are traveling to an

unfamiliar region of the country. Remember that

the lists are region-wide, and some species may not

be found in all areas. For example, the first bird on

this week’s West list is Lucy’s Warbler, a bird of

the desert southwest, not found in eastern Oregon.

Also remember that topography, local microcli-

mates, habitat availability, and food resources can

affect the birds that you find in your favorite bird-

ing places.

Contributed by Jean Reiher

April Bird Club Meeting

6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 9, 2015

Potluck at 6:30

followed by

Hummingbird

Banding in Idaho

Presented by: Carl Rudeen

Pendleton First Christian Church

215 North Main Street, Pendleton

May Bird Club Meeting

7:00 p.m., Thursday, May 14, 2015

Hummingbirds

As Pollinators

Presented by: Barbara Clark

Pendleton First Christian Church

215 North Main Street, Pendleton

Calendar of Events

http://birdcast.info/forecasts/


Why Are Bluebirds Blue?

“It’s a trick of the light"

Why are bluebirds blue? Unlike many other bird

colors, blue is not a pigment but a color produced

by the structure of the

feathers. Tiny air

pockets and melanin

pigment crystals in

each feather scatter

blue light and absorb

the other wave-

lengths. The even

finer structure of the

feather gathers the bouncing blue wavelengths

together and directs them outward — a trick of the

light.

To listen to today’s two-minute program, click on the link below then click on the (Play) button:

http://birdnote.org/show/why-are-bluebirds-blue

BirdNote │ Stories about birds, the environment and more.

Cool Facts About...Woodpeckers

From the “cool facts” below, identify the species in each photo. Answers are on Page 10.

Strongly migratory, this bird prefers to find food on the ground; ants are its main food. Generally nest in holes in trees but have nested in earthen Belted Kingfisher burrows.

The largest sapsucker. Distinc-tive plumage; striking color difference between male and female. Drills sap wells in conif-erous trees then returns to eat sap and insects foraging at sap wells.

Found from sea level to high in the mountains. Tends to spend more time foraging on tree trunks and large branches than smaller branches. Help to con-trol bark beetle outbreaks in infested forests.

Often an acrobatic forager, is at home on tiny branches or balancing on slender galls, sycamore seed balls and suet feeders. Frequent members of mixed flocks including chicka-dees and nuthatches,

A. ________________________ B. ________________________ C. ________________________ D. ________________________

I am particularly attracted to willow

thickets in the West and across Canada.

Look for my black cap and yellow under-

parts for easy identification.

My favorite breeding habitats are ripar-

ian, including edges of beaver ponds,

lakes and bogs and overgrown clear-cuts

of montane and boreal zone.

My population is in decline in the West,

likely due to loss of breeding habitat

(western riparian woodlands).

Who Am I?

http://birdnote.org/show/why-are-bluebirds-blue


T HE REDHEAD IS A FAIRLY common duck in Umatilla County. The males are con-

spicuous with their rusty-red heads and

necks, grayish sides, black around the chest and tail,

and a bluish bill with a black tip. The females are

mostly mottled brown but also have the bluish bill

and yellow eyes.

Redheads nest in perennial marshes, wetlands, and

ponds in the prairie region of the northern US and

southern Canada, the Pacific Northwest, and central

Alaska. After the mating period,

the males leave the breeding ar-

eas, usually flying north to larger

bodies of water. Here, they un-

dergo a molt which leaves them

flightless for about 30 days.

The females, of course, remain to

make nests and lay eggs. The

nest is usually concealed in

rushes or marsh grass over shal-

low water. Now, the hens do one

of three things. They make their

nest and lay and incubate their

eggs themselves. Or, they may

lay some eggs in their nest and

lay a few in the nests of other

female Redheads or other spe-

cies of ducks. And, the third option, called “brood

parasitism”, is to lay all of their eggs in the nests of

other ducks, letting the other hens incubate the eggs

and take care of the ducklings. Canvasback is appar-

ently the chief victim of the Redhead’s brood parasit-

ism, but other species are readily parasitized as well.

Statistics do show, however, that the parasitized eggs

do not have as good a chance of surviving as those

the Redhead broods herself. It is interesting to note,

however, that Redhead babies raised by other species

grow up and retain their identity as Redheads later in

life.

Redheads are in the family of Pochards that are div-

ing ducks. Redheads may occasionally dabble as

well. Their fall migration follows set patterns. The

westerly Redheads follow the Pacific Flyway and

many spend the winter in San Francisco Bay and

south to the west coast of Mexico. The vast majority

of Redheads follow the Mississippi Flyway to spend

the winter on the Gulf Coast.

Redheads are mostly vegetarian, feeding on aquatic

plants and some mollusks. This makes them a popular

duck for hunters as they are

one of the best ducks to

prepare for eating.

According to the results of

a US Fish and Wildlife Ser-

vice survey in 2009, there

were approximately 1 mil-

lion Redheads in the

United States and Canada.

While these numbers are

impressive, loss of habitat

is a threat to greatly dimin-

ishing the number of Red-

heads, as well as other wa-

terfowl.

Redheads are distinguished

from Canvasbacks by their rounded head and bluish

bill. The Canvasback has a strongly sloping forehead

and, in breeding season, the males have much whiter

sides and backs. Redhead males also have a rather

distinctive call that is described something like a cat

meowing.

The scientific name of Aythya is taken from a seabird

mentioned by Aristotle and others but not further

identified. The name has since been associated with

several other diving ducks. The specific name, ameri-

cana, refers to American, where almost all Redheads

dwell.

(See Redhead, Continued on page 7)

Bird Of The Month Redhead (Aythya americana)

Contributed by June Whitten

Redhead, male, photo by Greg Lavaty.


Moonbird: The Toughest

Four Ounces of Life on Earth

Editor’s Note: A few months ago, PBC member Andrew Clark sent

Jack Simons an email with an attached article from the Spring 2014

edition of Bird Conservation magazine. The article was about the epic

journeys of a small shorebird known as the rufa Red Knot (Calidris

canutus rufa). After reading the article and digging deeper into the

amazing feats of this bird, Jack thought it worthwhile to share the

story of the rufa Red Knot with our readers. Although the Red Knot

has only been recorded once in Umatilla County, it is an uncommon

but regular fall migrant and occasional winter resident along coastal

Oregon, and our Red Knots are considered the roselaari rather than

the rufa subspecies that occurs along the east coast. The sad plight of

the rufa Red Knot is an example of the unintended consequences that

some human activities have on populations of birds and other wildlife.

In the article below, Jack summarizes the information provided in

Bird Conservation magazine and two US Fish & Wildlife Services

webpages: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/redknot/ and http://

www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/horseshoe.fs.pdf .

ierra del Fuego...as in Argentina...as in an archi-

pelago off the southernmost tip of the South

American mainland. We are talking so far south

that the only thing further south would be Antarc-

tica. Tierra del Fuego is the starting point of our story about a

small shorebird that was banded along with several hundred

other Red Knots by researchers in February 1995.

Likely, all of these birds have since died (with the exception of

our lone survivor) because the aver-

age life span of a rufa Red Knot is

seven to eight years. That sole survi-

vor bears a leg band with the in-

scription “B95” and is now known

by bird enthusiasts and conserva-

tionists as Moonbird. This amazing

four ounces of energy has logged as

many miles as it takes to fly to the

moon...and halfway back – 320,000

miles!

Tagged as a juvenile, B95 will

spend its winters in Tierra del

Fuego then in the spring begin its

epic 8,900-mile journey northward

to its breeding grounds in the Canadian tundra near the Arctic

Circle. By autumn, Red Knots reverse their journey and travel

southward on their 20-inch wingspans another 8,900 miles to

their wintering grounds in southern Argentina, making this bird

one of the longest-distance migrants in the animal kingdom (see

map on Page 7).

On its northward journey to the breeding grounds,

Moonbird will land at a staging area in Delaware

Bay. In mid-May, knots historically made their way

to this location to feed on horseshoe crab eggs.

Timed correctly – and starving at this point in their

migration – knots devoured the myriad protein-rich

green crab eggs essential for their migration to their

breeding grounds. It is estimated that nearly 90 per-

cent of the entire population of the Red Knot sub-

species rufa can be present on the bay in a single

day. This of course makes them very vulnerable to

both human-caused and climate-caused interac-

tions.

Unfortunately, in the lifetime of Moonbird the rufa

population of Red Knots has nose-dived from

150,000 to about 30,000 individuals due to prob-

lems associated with climate change and overfish-

ing of horseshoe crabs.

The horseshoe crab has been an evolutionary survi-

vor with an ancestry that can be traced back over

400 million years, which means horseshoe crabs

lived before the dinosaurs and survived the great

asteroid event that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 mil-

lion years ago. Because of intense harvesting of

horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay, the reduction in

food available to migrating Red Knots may be re-

sponsible for the decline in Red Knot populations.

In addition to

their role as a

food source for

migratory birds,

horseshoe crabs

provide bait for

commercial

American eel

and conch fish-

eries along the

east coast. Their

unique blood is

also used by the

biomedical in-

dustry to pro-

duce Limulus

Amoebocyte Lysate (LAL), a clotting agent that

aids in the detection of human pathogens in pa-

tients, drugs, and intravenous devices. No other

procedure has the same accuracy as the LAL test.

(See Moonbird, Continued on page 7)

Moonbird / B95. Photo by Patricia M. Gonzales

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/redknot/

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/horseshoe.fs.pdf

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/horseshoe.fs.pdf


F INALLY, I CAN GO OUTDOORS without bun-

dling up. With the changing from winter into

spring come wildlife, birds, and all the

shades of green. This week even brought sev-

eral days of blue skies. Amen.

There are six pairs of Common Mergansers paired up

along the river. I was blessed this week as I stood in

awe as a male showed off for his mate. It was one of

our rare sunny afternoons and he stood proudly on the

river bank showing her his blue green head, bright red

bill, his artistically painted white and black body. His

feathers were so perfect that they looked painted on.

He stood there with his brilliant

orange feet neatly beneath his

body.

Two pairs of Hooded Mergan-

sers appear about once a week.

It is such a rare sight that I stand

and take in their beauty until

they see me and fly off. The

males are proudly displaying

their raised crests for their

mates. I never tire of these sweet

and beautiful birds.

At least two pairs of Barrow’s

Goldeneyes make an appearance

almost always on the same days

as the Hooded Mergansers do.

The female’s heads are choco-

late brown with their small

golden eyes showing in the

sunlight. Their mates of course

are in their full glory.

Only four of the Great Blue

Heron nests are active this year.

For two days a lone Heron stood in nest five but flew

off never to return on the third day. All four pairs are

sitting on eggs as this month comes to a close. I get to

enjoy the rolling of the eggs if I am out at just the right

time.

Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, and House Sparrows

are appearing everywhere. The male Ring-necked

Pheasants are beginning to make their territorial warn-

ing calls more and more. I have yet to see one but I

expect it will be any day now.

Last weekend, as the sun was rising into the morning

sky, a lone Canada Goose came flying just above the

river honking as it headed into the sunrise. It was truly

a beautiful sight. Almost daily now I can either see

them or hear them as they are migrating north.

I am really concerned about our lack of rain and snow

this winter. The river is at the level right now that we

normally see in August. The Osprey should be return-

ing within the next two weeks. It looks like it might be

a tough year for them and fishing to feed their young. I

will watch closely.

My favorite sighting this month was watching a Black-

crowned Night-Heron as it slept

in a barren tree. He was high up in

the tree standing on one of his

yellow legs, his white plume gen-

tly moving in the morning breeze.

Two American Crows came by

and dive-bombed the tree, which

woke him up, and he quickly

dropped his other yellow leg

down and grabbed on to the

branch beneath his feet. His eyes

opened to reveal their red color.

He slowly stretched out one wing

and then brought it back to his

side. He then stretched out the

other one and brought that one

back to his side. He then slowly

walked along the branch and went

deeper into the tree toward the

center as the crows flew back

across the river towards their nest.

When I write to you next month

spring will be in full bloom and

my sightings should be bringing great joy to my life.

Ani

By Anita Crawford

You can read more stories

by visiting my blog at http://anicraw.wordpress.com/

http://anicraw.wordpress.com/


Update: Late in the fall of 2014, the rufa Red Knot

was listed as a federally threatened species under

the United States Endangered Species Act – the

most critical status that can be awarded to a sub-

species. This followed a decade of intensive peti-

tioning by environmental organizations and a law-

suit against the Department of the Interior for al-

leged negligence in the protection of endangered

species through failure to evaluate and list them.

The reasons for the rufa Red Knot’s listing were

varied, including habitat degradation, loss of key

food supplies, and threats posed by climate change

and sea level rise. Red Knots may be particularly

vulnerable to climate change, which is likely to

affect:

the arctic tundra ecosystem where the knots

breed;

coastal habitats due to rising sea levels;

food resources throughout the bird’s range; and

storm and weather patterns.

Conservation organizations have also petitioned the

US Fish & Wildlife Service to protect the roselaari

Red Knot as threatened under the ESA. But, so far,

the agency has found that “…the petition seeking to

protect roselaari subspecies of red knot (Calidris

canutus roselaari) under the Endangered Species

Act (ESA) does not present substantial information

to indicate that protection may be warranted.” More

information about the agency’s decision may be

found at http://www.fws.gov/alaska/fisheries/

fieldoffice/fairbanks/pdf/red_knot_faq.pdf

It is depressing that we live during a time of neglect

and selfishness concerning the environment we live

in, but it is also true that hope and change usher in a

new tomorrow that can be inspired by the smallest,

most innocuous amongst us – even a four-ounce

bird that has flown as many miles in its lifetime as

it takes to fly to the moon and half way back.

Submitted by Jack Simons

(Moonbird, Continued from page 5)

(Redhead, Continued from Page 4)

Redheads can often be found, especially in winter, in the

ponds at the McNary Wildlife Nature Area and on the Colum-

bia River and its tributaries. During spring, they can be found

at McKay Creek NWR, Wanaket, Ukiah sewer ponds, and

other smaller ponds in Umatilla County.

Submitted by June Whitten

Some of the information for this article was derived from:

http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/redhead#ad-image-0

and

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Redhead/id

http://www.fws.gov/alaska/fisheries/fieldoffice/fairbanks/pdf/red_knot_faq.pdf

http://www.fws.gov/alaska/fisheries/fieldoffice/fairbanks/pdf/red_knot_faq.pdf

http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/redhead#ad-image-0

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Redhead/id


ENERALLY THE WEATHER this

report period has had above normal tem-

peratures and below normal precipitation.

It appears in some cases, spring migrants

are arriving in the area earlier than normal. It will be

interesting to see how migration progresses throughout

the spring.

February 15, Jeff and Colleen Blackwood saw 2 Short-

eared Owls while on a walk near their home on the

north side of the Umatilla River near Mission.

February 20, June and Duane Whitten and Diana and

Rocky Dillenburg checked the York Road vicinity and

where able to find one of the SNOWY OWLS that have

been seen in the area. At least one of the owls was reported to

still be in the area March 12.

February 21, Nancy Porter, a resident in Ukiah, reported there

were at least 50 Tundra Swans on the Ukiah settling ponds.

February 21, George and Leanne Ruby birded to Ukiah via Al-

bee Road. George reported that it was 37 degrees with light

snow on the ground and snow

flurries. Highlights of the trip

included Western Bluebirds,

Wild Turkeys, a Northern

Shrike and a Say's Phoebe. The

Ruby's counted a total of 19 spe-

cies during the their travels.

February 22, Aaron Skirvin

(Aaron) and Diana LaSarge

(Diana) decided to look for birds

in the southern part of the

county. Highlights included the

2 overwintering Sandhill

Cranes in the area they had

previously been reported 1.2

miles north of Pilot Rock.

They counted 12 Bald Eagles, 6 Golden Eagles, and a Chukar

in Jack Canyon, 2 Northern Shrikes, 5 Townsend's Soli-

taires, several Western and a few Mountain Bluebirds around

Ukiah and Albee and about 100 Wild Turkeys on the eastern

edge of Ukiah.

On the same day, Chris Burford reported several Evening

Grosbeaks showed up in his home in Pendleton. On February

27, Chris reported there were over 12 males and females using

their feeder as well as 3 Spotted Towhees and several Varied

Thrushes they had been seeing this winter.

February 28, Dan Baum had a Spotted Towhee

briefly visit his neighbor’s back yard. The next

day, Dan decided to see if he could find the Snow

Bunting and SNOWY OWLS reported previously.

He failed to find any Snow Buntings, but was able

to locate one of the SNOWY OWLS on Watts

Road. February 28, a Sharp-shinned Hawk made

a brief visit to his yard.

February 26, the WWW Bird-

ers, including June Whitten

(June), Diana Dillenburg

(Diana D.) and Jean Reiher

(Jean), ran the northern Uma-

tilla county raptor survey.

Their count was 79 Red-tailed

Hawks, 30 American Kes-

trels, 2 Northern Harriers,

one adult Bald Eagle, one

Prairie Falcon, 2 Cooper's

Hawks, and one Great Horned

Owl on a nest. Along the

Walla Walla River Road they

were sad to discover the

TRUMPETER SWAN re-

ported earlier on a pond near the road, had died and

was lying on a small island in the pond. Driving up

the Walla Walla River to the bridge to Harris Park,

the group found the first Dipper reported this year.

June reported they found only one Rough-legged

Hawk on the trip and located another Great

Horned Owl on a nest.

March 5, Connie Betts (Connie) birded at McKay

Reservoir and found the year’s first Osprey. Some

of the other species she observed included a juve-

nile Bald Eagle, Black-billed Magpie, lots of

February – March Sightings

Wild Turkey photo by PBC member Diana LaSarge.


American Robins, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern

Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-winged

Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Loggerhead

Shrike, Mallard, Canada Goose and Western

Grebe.

March 4, while driving home

from work, Diana saw a young

Golden Eagle soaring circles

over St. Mary's Catholic Church,

flying very low over the houses

and the gas station there. This is

a very unusual sighting for down-

town Pendleton. March 5, Diana

heard her first Killdeer at the

Nixyaawii Governance Center

(main office for the Umatilla

Tribe) north parking lot. She said

there has been a Killdeer staying

around the north parking lot and

buildings the past three years.

March 7, Frank Prindle was

sitting in his home at the top of North Hill, when

looking out the window he noticed a large black

bird flying toward his house. It landed on the

power pole on the edge of his yard and he was able

to confirm that it was a Pileated Woodpecker.

Pileated Woodpeckers are occasionally seen in the

city and I (Dave Herr) wonder if this was a young

bird displaced from its parent territory?

Aaron and Diana birded Echo Meadows the after-

noon of March 9, looking for Long-billed Curlews

and Sandhill Cranes. They were successful in

locating both species. They found 10 Long-billed

Curlews, the first reported this year. They found

Sandhill Cranes in 3 locations, estimating there

were more than 500 birds. They also found 8

Dunlins (new for the year) east on Emert Road and

6 Greater Yellowlegs (another new bird for the

county) foraging in a small pond just south of the

road.

March 10, Sherry Sallee reported that the last time

she saw the Anna’s Hummingbird that had been

visiting her feeder was March 7. Sherry notes that

the Anna’s Hummingbird was in their yard for

one day short of six months. Aaron speculates that

since Anna’s Hummingbirds breed this time of

year in southern California and probably western

Oregon, the bird may have left to look for a mate.

June and Jean were the only members of the WWW to bird

March 11. June reports there were lots of Sandhill Cranes still

on Echo Meadow, mostly on Andrews and White House Road.

There were also 5 Greater Yellowlegs on Emert Road as well

as a Great Horned Owl on a nest. There were at least two

visible Rock Wrens along

Rieth Road and probably

more calling. They also saw

Violet-green Swallows and

one Great Egret along the

route. During their travels

they noted numerous Red-

tailed Hawks, many on or

near nests.

Driving to Burns on March

11, Aaron found several Wil-

liamson’s Sapsuckers at Bat-

tle Mountain State Park, a

new species for the year. Re-

turning home on March 13,

Aaron found several Greater

White-fronted Geese on the

Pilot Rock sewer ponds, another new species for the year. In

the afternoon of March 16, Aaron saw a single adult Ross’s

Goose amongst a large flock of Cackling Geese. The flock

was feeding in a field on the north side of Stanfield Meadows

Road about 200 yards east of Mann’s Pond. It was the only

white goose in the flock.

March 15, Carolyn Featherston drove east on Stanfield Mead-

ows Road and saw an immature Eagle (perhaps a Golden) sit-

P BC Photographer Showcase

Pileated Woodpecker photo by PBC member Mike Morehead.

“Bohemian Waxwing” by PBC photographer Carolyn Featherston.


ting in a field. She also found the season’s first Yellow-headed

Blackbird and reported there were a group of 50 –75 Sandhill

Cranes east of Rosenburg Road.

The WWW Birders went south on March 18. Best birds of the

day were several Williamson’s

Sapsuckers observed in the Battle

Mountain area. There were both

Western and Mountain Bluebirds

(Mountain outnumbering West-

ern), mostly along Albee Road.

Lots of Evening Grosbeaks in

Ukiah and it appears Western

Scrub-Jays have made Ukiah their

home. There were 4 Sandhill

Cranes along the creek off High-

way 395 before the Ukiah exit.

Two Bald Eagles were feeding on

an elk where Cable Creek enters

Camas Creek. There were

Clark’s Nutcrackers along Cable Creek Road. Common

Goldeneyes, Redheads, Canvasbacks, Green-winged Teal

and Ring-necked Ducks were on Ukiah Sewer Ponds. The

group found Long-billed Curlews in several loca-

tions, but finding 23 Long-billed Curlews 1.2

miles south of Pilot Rock was unexpected. Al-

though it is getting late, Rough-legged Hawks are

still around, the group counted 6 or 7 during their

travels.

Several years ago Aaron

compiled a list of migrant

species that could be ex-

pected to arrive back in the

county during mid-April to

mid-May. This list is re-

published in this newsletter,

so check it out. Although it

is fun to go birding anytime

of year, this list adds an

additional incentive to get

out and see which newly

arrived spring species you

can find. Please send all your bird sightings, in-

cluding any new arrivals you find to me, Dave

Herr, at [email protected] or call 541-276-6413.

Canvasback photo by PBC member Jim Ward.

Newsletter Editor: Position vacant

Email Address:

Technical Editor: Aaron Skirvin, 541 215-0761

Email Address: [email protected]

Field Sightings Editor: Dave Herr, 541 276-6413

Email Address: [email protected]

Photo Editor and Newsletter Publisher:

Jack Simons, 541 276-8566 Email Address: [email protected]

Click on the link to visit

our club’s website:

www.pendletonbirders.org

A. Northern Flicker

B. Williamson’s Sapsucker

C. Hairy Woodpecker

D. Downy Woodpecker

Cool Facts About ”Woodpeckers” from Page 3...

Who Am I? from Page 3....

Wilson’s Warbler

mailto:[email protected]




http://www.startlogic.com.pendletonbirders.org

Documents

Newsletter of The Pendleton Bird Club Kákya Táymut Taymut, Pendleton Bird Club Newsletter Volume 13 No. 3 March, 2015 Page 1 Newsletter of The Pendleton Bird Club Kákya Táymut