ORWW Elliott State Forest: 2018 Draft Recreation Plan: Chapter 9 Birds and Birding

2018 SWOCC Elliott State Forest Draft Recreation Plan

Chapter 9. Birds and Birding

Fig. 9.1. Two Barn Swallows. Photo by Daniel Patton, BLM Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, May 22, 2018.

Birds and Birding
By Matthew Smith, Tara Boyd, and Daniel Patton

Current Use

Currently, birding in the Elliott is just used as a recreational activity and for hunting, however, there is little to no precise data on locations of bird nesting or hunting spots in the Elliott which make these activities difficult without luck on your side.

The Audubon Society of Portland held a two-month long “Birds of the Elliott State Forest” art exhibit in their facility in 2017 (Moulton 2017). The artist, Suzie Moulton, is a huge fan of the Elliott State Forest as hiking through it helped her through some personal tough times. Suzie sketched each bird she came across while hiking through the Elliott, and later created an assortment of different birds from textiles, which were showcased in the Audubon Society’s headquarters. She even created a game called Project Bird Baby Nest with the goal to entice people and children into learning more about birds native to the Elliott State Forest.

“Birding is a major recreational industry,” stated Marty Giles (personal communication, May 22, 2018). Birding is an activity where one can watch, photograph, and/or record data of the various bird species. The Elliott State Forest and bordering lands are the home of some 103 different species of birds, give or take (Decker 2011: E-6-9).

Fig. 9.2. Red-Winged Blackbird. Photo by Daniel Patton, BLM Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area, May 22, 2018.

Roadblocks to Development / Activity

Depending on the recreation areas that are close to birding areas, they may scare birds away making bird watching very difficult. A study led by Dr. Christopher McClure found that “[research] results demonstrate that noise alone is enough to cause some birds to avoid a site.” (Gray, The Telegraph) Road and trail accessibility may hinder desires for proceeding to the locations, as people prefer easier to get to sites (personal experience). The roads should be freed of potholes and the trails cleared of debris. Signage is a must in order to keep travelers from getting lost, possibly funded through donations and/or using funds generated by the options listed under “Income / School Trust Fund Potential”. Seasonal patterns - they may be in one area of the forest during one season and completely gone during another, so seasonal areas could be utilized for other recreation activities during migration periods

Map 9.1. “Map showing listed species habitat and lack of recreation potential” (Sim et al 2014: 32).

Income / School Trust Fund Potential

There is potential for School Trust Funds by selling maps of specific bird observation, nesting, and/or hunting locations (after research is done to find these locations) to those unwilling to adventure out and find them on their own. It would cost around $1.27 to create one map, which could then be sold between $3 and $10, depending on the rate of return, which would be a margin of $1.73 to $8.73 each map. Another possibility would be to sell postcards with pictures of the birds in the Elliott on them. Postcards are typically cheap to print, around $0.71 each, and can be sold for $5 a piece, giving a margin of at least $4.29 per postcard. (“Same Day Postcard Mailings”) Selling other birding merchandise and memorabilia (i.e. magnets, coffee cups, posters, etc.) could be another potential but the margin may not be as great. We would need a gift shop for these, or work something out with local businesses surrounding the Elliott to sell the items through them.

Birding passes could be a possibility, but I would not suggest it because that might deter people instead of attract them. The “Oregon Birding Association” awards grants up to $750 for each project that promotes “education, enjoyment, conservation, and science of birds and birding in Oregon”. This could be a great opportunity for income to at least start a birding project for the Elliott.

Recommendations for/against Development

Fencing off key habitats and nesting zones for bird safety and livability with specifically marked zones for birding would be an option. Research is needed to locate prime nesting zones.

Birding locations may interrupt other recreation activities. To prevent this, birding locations should remain separated from the other recreation locations while birds inhabit the areas. In Map 9.1, the circular tan zones are areas said to be protected due to spotted owl habitats. It appears as though only logging is not permitted.

Table 9.1. Birds of the Elliott (Decker et al. 2011: E-6-9).

Common Name	Species Name	Status
Chickadee, Black-Capped	Poecile atricapillus	Endemic Native
Chickadee, Chestnut-Backed	Poecile rufescens	Endemic Native
Corvus Crow	Corvus brachyrhychos	Endemic Native
Corvus Raven	Corvus corax	Endemic Native
Creeper, Brown	Certhia americana	Endemic Native
Crossbill, Red	Loxia curvirostra	Endemic Native
Dipper, American	Cinclus mexicanus	Endemic Native
Finch, Purple	Carpodacus purpureus	Endemic Native
Flicker, Northern	Colaptes auratus	Endemic Native
Grosbeak, Evening	Coccothraustes vespertina	Endemic Native
Heron, Great Blue	Ardea herodias	Endemic Native
Jay, Gray	Perisoreus canadensis	Endemic Native
Jay, Steller's	Cyanocitta stelleri	Endemic Native
Jay, Western Scrub	Aphelocoma californica	Endemic Native
Junco, Dark-Eyed	Junco hyemalis	Endemic Native
Kinglet, Golden-Crowned	Regulus satrapa	Endemic Native
Nuthatch, Red-Breasted	Sitta canadensis	Endemic Native
Owl, Barred	Strix varia	Endemic Native
Owl, Great Horned	Bubo virginianus	Endemic Native
Owl, Northern Pygmy	Glaucidium gnoma	Endemic Native
Owl, Northern Saw-Whet	Aegolius acadicus	Endemic Native
Owl, Western Screech	Otus kennicottii	Endemic Native
Siskin, Pine	Carduelis pinus	Endemic Native
Sparrow, Fox	Passerella iliaca	Endemic Native
Sparrow, Song	Melospiza melodia	Endemic Native
Thrush, Varied	Ixoreus naevius	Endemic Native
Towhee, Spotted	Pipilo erythrophthalamus	Endemic Native
Vireo, Hutton's	Vireo huttoni	Endemic Native
Woodpecker, Downy	Picoides pubescens	Endemic Native
Woodpecker, Hairy	Picoides villosus	Endemic Native
Woodpecker, Pileated	Dryocopus pileatus	Endemic Native
Wren, Winter	Troglodytes troglodytes	Endemic Native
Wrentit	Chamaea fasciata	Endemic Native
Sparrow, House	Passer domesticus	Exotic
Starling, European	Sturnus vulgaris	Exotic
Dove, Rock	Columba livia	Exotic Oregon Game
Blackbird, Red-Winged	Agelaius phoeniceus	Migratory
Bunting, Lazuli	Passerina amoena	Migratory
Cowbird, Brown-Headed	Molothrus ater	Migratory
Flycatcher, Hammond's	Empidonax hammondii	Migratory
Flycatcher, Pacific-Slope	Empidonax difficilis	Migratory
Goldfinch, American	Carduelis tristis	Migratory
Grosbeak, Black-Headed	Pheucticus melanocephalus	Migratory
Hawk, Cooper's	Accipiter cooperii	Migratory
Hawk, Red-Tailed	Buteo jamaicensis	Migratory
Hawk, Sharp-Shinned	Accipiter striatus	Migratory
Heron, Green	Butorides virescens	Migratory
Hummingbird, Anna's	Calypte anna	Migratory
Hummingbird, Rufous	Selasphorus rufus	Migratory
Kestrel, American	Falco sparverius	Migratory
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Migratory
Kingfisher, Belted	Ceryle alcyon	Migratory
Nighthawk, Common	Chordeiles minor	Migratory
Oriole, Northern	Icterus galbula	Migratory
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Migratory
Pewee, Western Wood	Contopus sordidulus	Migratory
Robin, American	Turdus migratorius	Migratory
Sapsucker, Red-Breasted	Sphyrapicus ruber	Migratory
Solitaire, Townsend's	Myadestes townsendi	Migratory
Sparrow, Chipping	Spizella passerina	Migratory
Sparrow, White-Crowned	Zonotrichia leucophrys	Migratory
Swallow, Barn	Hirundo rustica	Migratory
Swallow, Cliff	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota	Migratory
Swallow, Tree	Tachycineta bicolor	Migratory
Swallow, Violet-Green	Tachycineta thalassina	Migratory
Swift, Vaux's	Chaetura vauxi	Migratory
Tanager, Western	Piranga ludoviciana	Migratory
Thrush, Hermit	Catharus guttatus	Migratory
Thrush, Swainson's	Catharus ustulatus	Migratory
Vireo, Cassin’s	Vireo cassinii	Migratory
Vireo, Warbling	Vireo gilvus	Migratory
Vulture, Turkey	Cathartes aura	Migratory
Warbler, Black-Throated Gray	Dendroica nigrescens	Migratory
Warbler, Hermit	Dendroica occidentalis	Migratory
Warbler, MacGillivray's	Oporornis tolmiei	Migratory
Warbler, Nashville	Vermivora ruficapilla	Migratory
Warbler, Orange-Crowned	Vermivora celata	Migratory
Warbler, Townsend's	Dendroica townsendi	Migratory
Warbler, Wilson's	Wilsonia pusilla	Migratory
Warbler, Yellow	Dendroica petechia	Migratory
Warbler, Yellow-Rumped	Dendroica coronata	Migratory
Waxwing, Cedar	Bombycilla cedrorum	Migratory
Wren, House	Troglodytes aedon	Migratory
Yellowthroat, Common	Geothlypis trichas	Migratory
Nuthatch, White-Breasted	Sitta carolinensis	Oregon Endemic Sensitive
Duck, Merganser	Mergus merganser	Oregon Game
Grouse, Blue	Dendragapus obscurus	Oregon Game
Grouse, Ruffed	Bonasa umbellus	Oregon Game
Dove, Mourning	Zenaida macroura	Oregon Game Migratory
Duck, Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Oregon Game Migratory
Duck, Wood	Aix sponsa	Oregon Game Migratory
Duck, Harlequin	Histrionicus histrionicus	Oregon Game US Concern
Pigeon, Band-Tailed	Columba fasciata	Oregon Game US Concern
Quail, Mountain	Oreortyx pictus	Oregon Game US Concern
Bluebird, Western	Sialia mexicana	Oregon Migratory Sensitive
Falcon, Peregrine	Falco peregrinus	Oregon Migratory Strategic
Eagle, Bald	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Oregon Threatened Strategic
Goshawk, Northern	Accipiter gentiles	US Concern
Flycatcher, Little Willow	Empidonax trailii brewsteri	US Migratory Concern
Flycatcher, Olive-Sided	Contopus cooperi	US Migratory Concern
Martin, Purple	Progne subis	US Migratory Concern
Murrelet, Marbled	Brachyramphus marmoratus	US Threatened
Owl, Northern Spotted	Strix occidentalis	US Threatened