Hi Russ & All,
I'd agree that Ash-throated Flycatchers are close to their northern
"west of Cascades" range limit in the Umpqua Valley.
In the Willamette Valley there are occasional reports from the Fern
Ridge area west of Eugene. A couple of years ago Bob Altman and I heard
one on Peterson Butte (near Lebanon) which is a sheep ranching property,
with habitats similar to the Umpqua Valley's oak/grassland habitats.
This is also one of the places where Vesper and Grasshopper Sparrows can
still be found in the Willamette Valley. But those kinds of reports are
exceptional. I don't know of anyplace north of Douglas Co., west of the
Cascades, where anyone finds Ash-throateds annually.
Since Ash-throated Flycatchers are cavity nesters, I'd guess that their
range west of the Cascades is closely tied to the availability of
large-diameter trees in woodland habitats. I can't remember if Bob
talked about them specifically at the OBA meeting in Sutherlin, but
looking at how the range of Lewis's Woodpeckers has shrunk, it seems
like Ash-throated Flycatchers could be affected by some of the same
factors.
Anyway they are certainly cool birds to have around.
Checking my notes, four of the five birds that I recorded this Sunday
were along the short stretch of Driver Valley Rd. between where Old
Pioneer Rd. heads over the hill south to Sutherlin, and where Elkhead
Rd. takes off toward Mildred Kanipe Park to the north. The bird that was
closest in was 1/2 mile west of Elkhead Rd.
Last year I ran across a pair hanging around an oak snag with cavities,
2 miles east of Elkhead Rd. The folks who were on last Sunday's field
trip might remember this last place as a spot where we spent some time
standing around on the road, enjoying the sunshine.
So that stretch of 4 miles along Driver Valley Rd. seems to be a good
area for this species. There are no doubt other many other good places
around the Umpqua region, but for me it's always helpful to have a good
example of a place to look at, to get a sense of the type of habitat
that a species looks for.
Happy birding,
Joel
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