Aurora

March 25, 2025

Another meetup, this time with my friend Carl, a colleague I worked with down in Salem for over three decades. The past few years I’ve doubled up visiting him and then Frank down in Salem, but it finally occurred to me to meet Carl midway from his home so it’s not such a crowded day. The bakery in little Aurora is just right. It was a good idea and we have an excellent visit, maybe the best we’ve ever had together.

Afterwards I drive a few miles, park in front of a church and take a loop through the flats east of the Pudding River. It’s an incredible day to be here - a record high near 75F, sunny, great visibility, springtime, it’s all you could wish for. To top it off, it’s an excellent day for birding. Nothing new, but I come back with my best list since returning to Portland.

My loop starts with a ride east to Meridian Road, where I turn south and follow the Pudding River as it flows north toward the Santiam. It’s a road well familiar to me, on the route Rachael and I would follow biking south from Portland toward Salem or beyond - something we’d do occasionally after we moved north, or when returning home to Salem after a weekend escape to the city, It’s very quiet today - I see maybe three or four cars in the next hour as I poke along, stopping often to check out another bird or just admire the brilliant day.

In a good omen, this song sparrow flew up near the car and serenaded me while I was unloading the bike.

On Meridian Road, crossing one of the creeks feeding the Pudding River that we’re paralleling. The ride is 95% flat, with intermittent depressions crossing creeks like this one.

My plan had been to ride south past Estacada Highway and torn west on Schneider Road, but I’ve been traveling so slowly that I realize if I complete the whole loop I’m not going to make it back to the car in time to drive home before sundown. I decide to shave a few miles by turning west on Sconce Road instead.

Hey, they do rooms, Rocky! We could stay here overnight the next time we come down this way.

So is there a name for this ridge? It’s on the eastern horizon, about midway between Hood and Olallie Butte.

I turn north when I come to Jackson Road, another ultra-quiet lane that carries me north most of the way back to the car. I’m not sure I see a single car the whole way. What I do see though are constant views East towards Mount Hood and the northern Oregon Cascades, and more birds. New sightings just keep coming along, including the best look at a Stellar’s Jay I’ve gotten in awhile. They’re a pretty secretive bird that I rarely catch out in the open before they disappear into the nearest stand of conifers, but this one’s in the clear on a snag.

Unfortunately in my haste to open up and aim the camera I drop my glasses on the ground. For a second I consider taking the shot first, but I don’t trust myself and reach for the glasses first. They’re the priority, and I don’t want to risk stepping on them or rolling over them with the bike, but by then I miss my chance. Still, there’s no question about the bird with its unmistakable charcoal He goes on the list, the third or fourth sighted or heard but not shot, I grab another image from All About Birds to include here, and remind myself it’s time to make a contribution to the website.

#126: Stellar’s Jay (from All About Birds).

So much snow! The snowpack in central Oregon is reported to be the highest since 2008.

I haven’t done the best job at time management here, and it’s nearing sundown by the time I finally make it back to the Raven. I’ve cut it too close because I have difficulty driving in low-light conditions. I really can’t be out driving after dark any more.

The waterfront is still jammed when I pass by the cherry grove on the waterfront. I’m making it back just in time.

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Today’s list: American crow, American robin, Eurasian starling, Dark-eyed junco, Spotted starling, White crowned sparrow, Tree swallow, Red-winged blackbird, Brewer’s blackbird, Spotted towhee, Northern flicker, Bald eagle, Canada goose, Double-crested cormorant, Ruddy duck, Lesser scaup, Northern shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Domestic mallard, Ring-billed duck,Wood duck, Canvasback, Redhead, Bufflehead, Green winged teal, American wigeon, American coot, Canada goose, Cackling goose, Western gull, Rock pigeon, California scrub-jay, Stellar’s jay (34)

Today's ride: 20 miles (32 km)
Total: 1,317 miles (2,120 km)

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