I ran the 2016 Summit Prairie Breeding Bird Survey last Friday, July 1st. I
had tried to do it on the previous Friday, but I got rained out half-way
through it for the second time in three years. The weather was delightful
on the 1st, but because it was late in the season I missed several species I
normally record. Here's the full list:
Canada Goose
15
Mallard
2
California Quail
1
Great Blue Heron (first record)
1
Turkey Vulture
1
Red-tailed Hawk
4
American Kestrel
3
Sandhill Crane
5
Killdeer
3
Long-billed Curlew
1
Wilson's Snipe
24
Wilson's Phalarope
1
Mourning Dove
5
Common Nighthawk
3
Rufous Hummingbird
1
Belted Kingfisher
2
Red-naped Sapsucker
1
Hairy Woodpecker
2
White-headed Woodpecker
2
Black-backed Woodpecker (4th record)
2
Northern Flicker
11
Western Wood Pewee
42
Hammond's Flycatcher
5
Dusky Flycatcher
6
Ash-throated Flycatcher (2nd record)
1
Warbling Vireo
10
Gray Jay
6
Steller's Jay
1
Clark's Nutcracker
1
Black-billed Magpie
42
Common Raven
3
Tree Swallow
8
Violet-green Swallow
2
N. Rough-winged Swallow
4
Cliff Swallow
60
Barn Swallow
2
Mountain Chickadee
5
Red-breasted Nuthatch
7
House Wren
14
Western Bluebird
5
Mountain Bluebird
1
Hermit Thrush
2
American Robin
65
European Starling
10
Nashville Warbler
1
MacGillivray's Warbler
9
Yellow Warbler
8
Yellow-rumped Warbler
4
Townsend's Warbler
3
Chipping Sparrow
9
Savannah Sparrow
2
Song Sparrow
25
Lincoln's Sparrow
2
Dark-eyed Junco
13
Western Tanager
33
Black-headed Grosbeak
3
Lazuli Bunting
9
Red-winged Blackbird
89
Western Meadowlark
3
Brewer's Blackbird
31
Brown-headed Cowbird
1
Cassin's Finch
4
House Finch
American Goldfinch
1
TOTAL SPECIES
63
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS 642
Big misses were Pygmy Nuthatch (first ever), White-breasted Nuthatch (5th
time), Brewer's Sparrow (4th time), Vesper Sparrow (3rd time), Red Crossbill
(1st time), Pine Siskin (3rd time). Encouraging news this year is that the
642 individuals are the most I have seen since 2004. If I had recorded
those easy misses it would have tied the record for most species I recorded
on the count since 2004.
This was the 31st year that I have done the survey. I enjoy it thoroughly,
but like others who have posted on OBOL lately I am struggling with how much
longer I should hang on to the route. My son, Nate, has been my assistant
since 2000. Though he is not a birder, he knows a lot of calls. There were
many, many times this year that he'd hear something and tell me what it was
and where it was calling from. About half the time I would pick it up, but
the other half I just couldn't hear a damned thing. This is happening a lot
more frequently than it did even two years ago. It tells me that my time is
limited for doing this and I just cannot do it by myself anymore or the data
will be skewed. It makes me wonder have we really had a decline in Western
Wood Pewees along the route from an average of 62 in the 90s to an average
of 35 this decade or is it simply that I can't hear the more distant ones
anymore? I think if Nate can't do it at some point (thank goodness the
Forest Service gives him Fridays off and Silver Lake is close by) I will
have to hand the reins over to someone else. It is one of my most rewarding
birding experiences. It is all rural with a lot of it more than 3 miles
from the nearest residence. The early morning sun on the Ochocos is
exhilarating. The sound of Sandhill Cranes and Long-billed Curlews on
Summit Prairie is like travelling back in time. But as they say, you have
to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em, and I'm afraid that day
is getting near.
Tom Crabtree, Bend
