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www.TheCreswellChronicle.com: The Great Outdoors
Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery
Wizard Falls is located on the Metolius River near Camp Sherman, about 20 miles west of Sisters. The site sits among large ponderosa pines at an elevation of 2,760 feet and comprises about 35 acres.
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Crappie – it's what's for dinner
"Crappie fishing is just plain fun," Moore said. "You sit there on the reservoir and you catch fish. There's a lot of action and it keeps you busy. They're my favorite fish to fish for."
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It's fawning time
Most fawns are born from late May to mid-June, but some can be born into August. Our first ones were seen June 12.
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Goin' deep for big macks
Located near Willamette Pass in the northwest corner of Klamath County, Odell Lake was named for William Holman Odell in 1865 while surveying for the Oregon Central Military Road, which later became Highway 58.
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McKenzie Pass open for business
It's hard to imagine hiking through these lava fields. However, the Pacific Crest Trail meanders across the wide valley in a fairly easy hike. Good, sturdy hiking boots are recommended and if you have a dog, be sure you have booties for its feet to avoid cuts.
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Local knife maker wins awards
The two latest knives I've tried out are from Gerber Legendary Blades, but were designed by Creswell resident Bill Harsey.
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What's on the spit?
If you can name anything with fins, fur or feathers, chances are that Tiffany Haugen has probably cooked it.
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A Prickly Surprise
The North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is a large rodent with black to brownish-yellow fur, a round body, small head and small ears. It has strong, short legs and hairless soles on its feet that enable it to climb trees. Of course everyone knows the porcupine for its quills – upwards of 30,000 to be precise.
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Pipevine Swallowtail
Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor) can be found in much of the country, including Oregon.
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Bentonite Clay and the Painted Hills
Natural processes changed the layers into bentonite, a type of clay that expands greatly as it absorbs water. As it dries, the clay contracts and cracks apart, making the hills look like a giant pile of colored popcorn
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Texas is for Birders
Then suddenly it appeared in a juniper tree only 30 feet away – a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The bird looked more as though it belonged in an Amazonian jungle than the hill country of southwest Texas.
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A surprising wildlife sighting
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has orange-red fur on its back, sides and head, with white fur under its neck and on its chest. Its long bushy tail is tipped with white, and it has pointed black ears, and black legs and feet.
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Surviving a night out
Most people can survive a night out on the town, but fewer are able to survive a night out in the woods. Enter Peter Kummerfeldt, who served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force as a survival instructor. He has been giving seminars on topics such as Essentials of Survival, Building a Better Fire and Plastic Bag Survival at the Central Oregon Sportsman's Show for several years.
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Birds and birders flocking to Burns
The huge flocks of snow geese and Ross's geese definitely fell into the category of highlights on our five-day trip. At times they turned the blue sky white and blocked out any background noise with their loud chorus of calls.
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American White Pelican
The American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is one of the largest birds in North America, standing about four feet tall and having a wingspan of up to nine feet.
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Tenajas
Tenajas, also spelled tinajas (Spanish for a large earthen jar), are natural pockets in the rock that were scoured out by the erosive force of water.
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Lake Creek Lodge
Two really cool things can be found just north of Black Butte, one literally and one figuratively.
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Two Flies for the Crooked River
A few fish were rising and it looked to be a good day of fishing on the Crooked River. The falling snow added to the beauty of the canyon and I ignored the chill in the air and in my fingertips.
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Townsend's Solitaire
Townsend's solitaires are medium-sized songbirds that are most easily identified by their gray body and white eye-ring. They also have a buff wing patch and white outer tail feathers.
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Snowshoes: Then and Now
The earliest evidence of snowshoes dates back to about 6,000 B.C.E. in central Asia. It is believed that snowshoes arrived in North America when the first people migrated here via the land bridge that once connected the two continents.
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Mule Deer Initiative Follow-up
Now that deer hunting is over and a new year has begun, the Oregon Department of Fish and Game has some updated numbers to compute for their Mule Deer Initiative (MDI), a program developed to address the issue of declining mule deer populations throughout the state.
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Mink
January 7, 2010
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Snow Fleas
On warm winter days you can see these little snow fleas jumping about on the snow. They are actually a species of wingless scorpion flies known as springtails.
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A few of my favorite things
It's that time of the year again when you almost drive yourself crazy trying to come up with gift ideas for those outdoor folks on your list. Fear not, help is on its way. Here are a few of my favorite things.
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The Great Elk Hunt of ‘09
I did come to two conclusions – I miss my wall tent and it was a good thing I had some beef in the freezer.
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Hunting, for the birds
The Malheur River drainage in eastern Oregon has some of the best public lands chukar and quail hunting in the state. The best opportunities are from the Warm Springs Reservoir to Juntura and along Highway 20 from Juntura to Harper.
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Alpen Pink Series Binoculars
For those looking for some great optics and a way to help find a cure for breast cancer, Alpen's new Pink Series binoculars are the answer.
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Obsidian Rocks!
Obsidian is my favorite rock. It's smooth and shiny and sharp. As a matter of fact, it's one of the sharpest natural materials known to man.
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Deschutes River Steelhead
Steelhead anglers are very happy with the Deschutes River run this year. So far ,almost 600,000 steelhead have passed over Bonneville Dam, and biologists were predicting 360,000 fish for the year.
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Ultimate Survival Kits
I get excited about survival kits and first aid kits. I like to have a variety of each, not that I get lost or hurt every time I go out in the woods. Depending on the activity - such as hiking, hunting, camping or just driving – a different size kit is needed.
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Hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail
Sitting on the edge of South Matthieu Lake, I realized that this spot is arguably one of the most scenic in the state. I also realized that I'm sitting on the northern edge of what geologists call the Sisters Bulge.
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Mule Deer Initiative
The program is aimed at identifying and reducing limiting factors of mule deer populations in five designated Wildlife Management Units (WMU) (Maury, Murderers Creek, Heppner, Warner and Steens Mountain).
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Ring-necked Pheasant
This large, chicken-like bird is very distinctive with its long tail, usually held up at an angle, and its long wings that are rounded in flight.
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Cascade High
Lingering snowfields provide additional snowmelt that feeds the small streams cutting through pumice-filled valleys.
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Preparing for the Hunt
Although most hunting seasons are still several weeks away, now is the time to start making preparations.
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American Coot
The American Coot (Fulica Americana) fails the duck test. You know -- If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
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A volcanic comparison
Complete darkness. Total silence. Few places on earth are as dark and quiet as the inside of a cave.
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Virginia Rail, a secretive marsh bird
These very secretive birds are more likely to be heard than seen and often remain hidden in dense vegetation. They are most active at dawn and dusk.
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The pronghorn is not a true antelope
One of the more unique mammals of Central Oregon is the pronghorn antelope. Although its Latin name, Antilocapra americana, means "American goat-antelope," the pronghorn is not a member of the goat family or the antelope family and is not even related to any of the African antelopes.
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Readin' Sign
In most cases, the animals track us humans better than we track them. Plus, they're getting smarter. They've seen man wandering around outdoors for the last four million years or so with his eyes to the ground following their tracks.
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Short-eared Owl
Usually found in open grasslands, the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) is one of the most widely distributed owls in the world.
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Mourning Cloak
The Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) is easily identified by its dark red dorsal surface and bright, yellowish border around the wings. Between the dark red and the border is a darker band with bright blue spots.
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Evening Grosbeak
A flock of Evening Grosbeaks arrived at my feeders the other day, cleaned out the sunflower seeds in a matter of minutes and then moved on. I don't think I could afford to feed them if they remained.
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Ruddy Duck
The Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) is one of the more unique or strange ducks that I've seen. It looks like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon.
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Snowshoes and a lodge
Once on the ridge, we had great views of Three Fingered Jack to the north and Mount Washington to the south. A chilly, invigorating breeze filled the air; after all, we were standing on the crest of the Cascade Range.
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Mountain Bluebird
During one of the last snowstorms, a flock of Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) flew into my yard and began feasting on juniper berries right outside my window. What a way to observe wildlife on a cold, wintry day – from the warmth and comfort of my own home!
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Winter Backyard Birding
Just because winter is upon us doesn't mean we still can't enjoy birds in our backyard. As long as you offer a few essentials, the winged ones will remain.
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FivePine Lodge getaway
I've done enough "roughing it" in the outdoors in my life that I've decided it's okay to spoil myself once in a while. That's exactly what I did recently at FivePine Lodge in Sisters.
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Christmas Gear
It's that time of year again when we need to start thinking about what to buy for family and friends who enjoy the outdoors. Here are a few of my favorite things that could go on their list, or yours.
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Picture This
I love photography. I got my first camera in the late 1970s for a Christmas gift from my parents. I was so excited that I began snapping photos of anything and anyone who wouldn't run off.
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Preparing a cold cache for winter
Lately there have been a lot of caches being made for the upcoming winter. I'm not talking about the looming financial crisis; I'll leave that column to the economic experts who helped create this problem. I'm referring to squirrels and their annual food crisis.
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Big Obsidian Flow -- Lost Lake Trail
Mountains, forests, lakes, lava, high desert. This sums up the Central Oregon landscape and the reasons for much of the area's recreation. All of these landforms can be viewed from a great trail within Newberry caldera.
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Western Flying Adder
Lately I've been seeing some big dragonflies whizzing past me while up in the forest
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Bike Maintenance
Time to tune up bikes for some Central Oregon fat tire trail riding.
June 12, 2008
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Yellow-Headed Blackbird
With its brilliant yellow head and its loud, raspy, rusty-hinge call, it is a very conspicuous bird in wetland areas with cattails.
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Wilson's Phalarope
When I spotted a few pairs of small birds in some shallows on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, I wasn't sure if they were ducks or sandpipers. It turns out they are sort of something in between
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Eagle Rock Lodge Provides a relaxing getaway
The osprey watched us from a high perch as we floated by. A pair of mergansers took off from the riverbank and flew fast and low downriver like a pair of Air Force fighter jets. The bottom of the crystal clear river seemed to zoom by as we watched from our seats in the McKenzie River drift boat.
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Cedar Waxwing
These medium-sized songbirds have a crest on their head and a yellow band at the tip of their tails. A black mask edged in white gives them sort of a devious Batman-like appearance.
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One Cast, One Fish--Pulling a Babe Ruth
Finally, Garrison grabbed a rod and did something I haven't heard about for many years. He pointed toward shore and said, "One cast, one fish." I simply laughed.
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