I meant Broad-tailed, of course. :-)
Stefan SchlickHillsboro, OR
From: greenfant@xxxxxxxxxxx
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [obol] Warner Mountains Broad-billed Hummingbird(s) - No (last weekend)
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2015 23:12:00 -0400
I birded Lake Co last weekend. While I didn't really see anything unusual,
birding was great in most spots I went to. Temperatures were ideal, except for
the 28F morning temperature in the woods NW of Ft. Rock.
On Saturday, I stopped by Ft. Rock, Paulina Marsh and Summer Lake, before
reading about Jim and Roy's discovery of the displaying Broad-tailed
Hummingbird(s) in the Warner Mountains while having lunch in Lakeview. I then
birded the Warner Mountains Saturday afternoon (south of 140 along FR3615 and
FR4011) and Sunday morning (north of FR3615). I found no Broad-tailed
Hummingbirds.
Jim & Roy's spot was easy to find Sunday morning and the habitat looked good
with lots of blooming currants. Take FR3615 north from 140 for 3.9mi. Then turn
right onto FR128 for about 0.5mi. I worked the area for about 3hrs, also
checking out other open areas higher up on FR128.
I have no doubts that the Broad-tailed Hummingbirds were there, but the
conclusion that the birds are common breeders in open areas at higher elevation
(~7000ft) may not be correct.
Birdwise, I also had Western Flycatcher both in the Warner Mountains and at
Silver Creek CG. A Sooty Grouse was hooting along FR3615 in the Warners (south
side; maybe 3mi in). At Silver Creek Marsh, I missed Jim & Roy's Northern
Waterthrush (it was mid afternoon by then), but had a Northern Goshawk as
consolation price instead. At the intersection of 31 & Ft Rock Rd, several
noisy Pinyon Jays flew across the sage early Saturday morning. Vesper,
Sagebrush, Brewer's Sparrow plus Sage Thrasher, White-throated Swift and
Green-tailed Towhee were all easy to get near the state park.
Stefan SchlickHillsboro, OR
