10
Wednesday, March 8, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Tales from a
Sisters
Naturalist
by Jim Anderson
The robin
with no tail
Ken Hashagen and I
often get together to discuss
bluebirds, kestrels, great
gray owls, eagles. Ken is the
president of East Cascades
Audubon Society of Bend.
“Discuss” is a polite
word for it. Just a few min-
utes in, we’re waving our
arms about and I can feel
my blood pressure building
up as we get into it about the
latest sighting we’ve had on
this or that raptor! He sent
me that great image of one
he saw while driving down
the road.
We both band birds,
Ken’s now a Master Bander,
but was under my permit for
a while, and I have been at it
for over 60 years. Like me
— and many, many birders
— he too drives with one
eye on the road ahead and
the other scanning the tops
of the trees we drive past,
looking for raptors and a
pygmy owl.
You just have to get your
lead foot off the gas pedal
to do that, especially if one
of your kids shouts, “Dad!
Look! There’s a robin with
no tail in the top of that
tree!”
If you’re going like blue-
bloody-blazes down the
road at 65 mph, concentrat-
ing on not hitting a bicyclist,
pedestrian, mule deer or
18-wheeler, it’s difficult to
spot a pygmy owl in the top
of a juniper.
The rewards for sud-
denly coming upon one,
and having the time and
intelligence to pull over
slowly and safely are well
worth it. I was going over
the McKenzie Pass to
Springfield one day not too
many summers ago and had
to dodge a pygmy owl drag-
ging a fresh-dead pine squir-
rel across the road.
As I came to a stop a few
feet beyond the little owl
and started scrambling for
my camera, I could hear him
already scolding me, and —
drat it all — by the time I
got my camera he’d made it
to the other side of the road
into a thicket, and vanished
in the underbrush.
A pygmy owl is noted for
its pugnacious attitude and
the ability to kill and devour
birds, mammals, reptiles
and amphibians way bigger
than it is.
If you see one and want
to get a closeup photo like
Ken’s, all you have to do
is become a pygmy owl.
That’s done by staying in
your car, opening the win-
dow and whistling in short
bursts with a trill at the end.
The owl, especially if it’s
a male, will quickly react
to the territorial sound and
usually come looking for it
(a possible intruder). This
website has the call: www.
allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Northern_Pygmy-Owl/
sounds.
The owl has no idea it’s
you making the fake call,
but concentrates all it’s
searching abilities trying to
see that other owl calling. If
you keep it up and get the
little guy to fly, he’ll be in
your car, or on the top of
your head if you let him.
A pygmy owl in the
top of a tree alongside the
road is really a common
sight throughout Central
Oregon in winter. Not so
during nesting season, but
around November they
begin showing up and peak
in December and January.
And the big thrill comes
when the owl turns its head
Lawmakers
push to
protect pot
users’ info
from feds
By Kristena Hansen
Associated Press
PHOTO BY KEN HASHAGEN
The robin with no tail; an adult Northern Pygmy Owl.
(which they can do in the
blink of an eye).
The feather pattern on
the back of the owl’s head
resembles two eyes looking
right at you! Both male and
female have “eyes” in the
back of their heads. Come
to think of it, both my mom
and dad had similar physical
features, but — more often
than I care to remember —
I discovered they were for
real!
While wood-cutting a
couple of years back, my
sons and I were in a location
that had a resident pygmy
owl. Obviously, we had no
idea it was there, but after
about 10 minutes of cutting
wood with my trusty Skil®
saw I shut it down to refuel
and we heard the sharp
whistle of a pygmy yelling
at us: “Shut that stupid thing
off and get out of here! This
my home!” So we did, but
not before I put up the small
owl nesting box I always
carry with me when out
woodcutting.
I know someone read-
ing this column will see one
next winter, so please give
me a call (541-480-3728).
I’ll make an effort to live-
catch the little guy and band
N
Dish e e w
s!
New s!
Hour
Come check out what’s new!
541-549-SPOT (7768)
161 N. Elm St. #A, Sisters
Construction of the
roundabout at the
intersection of US 20 and
Barclay Drive/McKinney
Butte Rd. is underway.
In order to complete the
Barclay side of the roundabout,
Barclay Drive is closed for an
approximate 4-5 week period.
is great late!
New s!
Beer
him with a USGS bird band.
This will give us the oppor-
tunity to keep track of him
or her as it travels about the
Northwest, and especially
learn of how long it may
live, or when it dies, why,
how and when.
I make it a habit to stop
for all birds I see lying on
the shoulder or in the road-
way. Very few are banded,
but when I find one that is
it’s always a thrill. As soon
as I get back home I go to
my ancient MacBook, open
the Bird Banding Lab web-
site (https://www.pwrc.usgs.
gov/bbl/) and follow the
links to reporting a banded
bird.
Have fun, and please:
keep off that cell phone
when you’re driving, you
can’t see pygmy owls when
you’re talking on your cell
phone.
SALEM (AP) — Oregon
lawmakers worried about a
nationwide crackdown on
legalized marijuana under
the Trump administration
are rushing to protect the
personal information of pot
customers.
A bipartisan group of
lawmakers is taking one of
the first direct state actions
in response to White House
spokesman Sean Spicer sug-
gesting a boost in enforce-
ment of federal anti-mari-
juana laws.
Legislation would require
pot businesses to destroy
internal logs of their custom-
ers’ names, addresses and
birth dates within 48 hours.
Four states have shops that
sell the drug and are required
to check IDs to verify that
customers are at least 21. But
many in Oregon take it fur-
ther, logging and retaining
personal details for marketing
purposes.
Colorado and Alaska pro-
hibit keeping that private
information. It’s also frowned
upon, although not illegal, in
Washington state.
Storm Damage?!
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The majority of work will occur Monday
through Saturday during daytime hours.
Traffi c on US 20 will remain open, and
work will not provide signifi cant delays
for traffi c except for the detour of Barclay
Drive. Travelers trying to access Barclay
Drive should follow signed detour routes
using Pine Street. Additional information
about closures and detours will be
posted when applicable.