On Saturday afternoon Holly, Pip and I headed up in the Siskiyou Mtns east
of Gold Beach. We camped in an old burn area with great views to the NW at
3,500 feet and had awesome views of comet Neowise after 10PM. No owls or
nightjars though. However, I was awoken at 0500 on Sunday by a snarling,
growling cougar on the hillside behind our campsite. This continued almost
nonstop until I finally got myself out of bed at 0600. It continued off and
on until we left to hike at 0800. Pretty cool. We took a short hike up to
Collier Butte where I was able to find a MT CHICKADEE but no Rock Wren
which I had in this area previous yrs.
On Monday I was working off same road east of Gold Beach at Hunter Creek
Bog (technically a serpentine fen). I heard a CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAY call
several times, not the first time I have heard them there. Elevation about
1650 feet. I have also found them in a serpentine Jeffery Pine savannah at
about the same elevation east of Brookings (Packsaddle Mtn. area). I think
they probably breed in this open serpentine woodland habitat. I have never
seen them up higher (like above 2,000 ft) so I think their potential
breeding habitat includes only open lower elevation serpentine woodlands.
Of course they breed along coast from Brookings north to Ophir in lowlands
all the way to the beach. They do not breed in the Curry Coast
Range/Siskiyous though I think except in this specialized habitat, at least
that I know of. Interesting. They breed in the warmer lowlands of SE Coos
also but not in Coast Range.
Today working in Chetco Bar burn area east of Brookings. Five miles up the
North Bank Chetco River Road gets one to the Gardner Ridge Road. 6.5 miles
up this at about 2,000 feet there was a PURPLE MARTIN nesting colony in a
snag field on a large rock outcrop above the road. I saw at least 8-10
martins. Also some VG Swallows there. There are many miles of good PUMA
breeding habitat in the burn- probably many nesting PUMA. Where I was
working along Panther Creek (near confluence with Chetco River)I had many
birds still calling/singing including: two dippers, a chat, Mac Warbler,
Cassin’s Vireo, Lesser Goldfinch, and an Acorn Woodie.
Oh azaleas and Volmer’s lily in full bloom at Hunter Creek Bog- sweet!
Merry summertime,
Tim Rodenkirk
headed back to foggy Coos Bay
