Something new came soaring into the Central Oregon skies last week, and it would be wonderful if you’d watch for it: an adult turkey vulture wearing a patagial (wing/auxiliary) tag. Bird research scientists use patagial wing tags as a tool to check on the movements of large birds. The best-known example are those scientists working […]
Jim Anderson
Posted inOutside
Cougars on the Rise
Two cougar sightings in recent weeks prompt a reminder of what to do around them
“Oregon is home to more than 6,000 cougars, or mountain lions. While cougar sightings and encounters are rare, it is wise to educate yourself about the big cats.” So says the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, and they’re spot on! Cougars can be found anywhere in the state, but the highest concentrations are in […]
Posted inOutside
The Curiosity Gene
A look back at the life and times of a Northwest naturalist
Well, I’m headed for 92 years on this good earth, gettin’ ready to take the Big Field Trip out among the stars. One of the things I’m most grateful for are the hundreds and hundreds of good times (and friends) I’ve enjoyed as a naturalist, especially the years I spent with the Oregon Museum of […]
Posted inOutside
Hummingbirds Ahead!
Reports from all over the Willamette Valley, aka The Swamp, are coming in on Oregon Birders Online with the news of hummingbirds from the California border to the Columbia River. According to one account: “Our hummingbird feeders are exploding with hummingbirds right now. This is the most spring hummers we’ve had in a very long time. […]
Posted inOutside
Woodpecker Festival Ahead
On April 1, registration will be open—no foolin’—for The East Cascades Audubon Society‘s premier birding event, held in Sisters: the Dean Hale Woodpecker Festival. The event itself will run from May 30 to June 2. This isn’t “just any old” birding event. People from all over the world take in this one because they’ll have […]
Posted inOutside
Wild Thinking
Local students learn about the importance of wildlife corridors
I get invited to lots of places to speak, but my favorite locations are schools. The bright young minds of kids who ask great questions keep me young, despite my 91 years. A recent Monday morning, found me in the classroom of Anne-Marie Eklund at Cascades Academy in Tumalo. We were joined by Michelle van Hilten, […]
Posted inOutside
Turkey Vultures are Back Again
In spite of all the snow and cold, turkey vultures are on their way north, to their summer haunts. While air temperature does play a role in the movement of turkey vultures and other birds, it’s really the sun’s relationship to the horizon and the amount of daylight that controls their migration calendar. If you […]
Posted inOutside
On Flies in Winter
Those annoying residents sitting in a stupor on your wall? Your neighbors have them, too
“Hey Jim,” a recent email read, “How about a Source article describing the nature and intent of ‘winter flies?’ They come into our houses—fly around slow and stupidly—do not feed—and within a day or two, they die. When they do, they seem almost completely dehydrated and they actually crumble to dust and body parts when […]
Posted inOutside
Eagle Watch
In the wake of the federal shutdown, the annual event that almost wasn’t in 2019
Eagle Watch, the premier event of spring in Central Oregon for the last 24 years, is set to happen Feb. 23 and 24 at the Round Butte Overlook—a little way from Culver on Lake Billy Chinook. If you’ve been taking part over the years, you know what fun it is for anyone wanting to know […]
Posted inOutside
A Reason to Love Oregon: The Sunstone
Gem of the Oregon Outback, and the official Oregon state gem
The Oregon Sunstone has an appropriate name, reflecting, as well as absorbing, the light from the sun in all its hues and beauty. For just that reason, it’s the official state gem of Oregon. But you can’t just go out in your back 40 and pick one up—unless you live in the eastern part of […]