14 Summer 2025 Applegater
BIRD EXPLORER
Rufous Hummingbird
BY HEATHER PALADINI
The most common hummingbird in
Oregon is the Rufous Hummingbird,
Selasphorus Rufus. We begin seeing them
in the Applegate Valley in spring, as
they return from their overwintering
grounds in Mexico to spend the warmer
months here.
The Rufous Hummingbird is known for
being one of the feistiest hummingbirds.
It is incredibly territorial and defensive
and can scare away birds many times
its size with its dive-bombing attack.
Rufous Hummingbirds, which measure
about three inches in length, exhibit
sexual dimorphism, which means there
are noticeable differences between adult
males and females. Adult males are almost
entirely a rusty, or rufous, orange, with
a bright white chest and a fiery red and
iridescent throat, which they use to attract
mates and deter predators and intruders.
Some adult males have iridescent green on
their backs, while their female counterparts
are mostly green with rusty flanks and
patches of rust on their green tails, with a
bright white chest.
In the spring, Rufous Hummingbirds
live along the West Coast in northern
California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska,
and parts of Idaho and Montana. They
overwinter to the south in Mexico. The
Rufous Hummingbird has the longest
migratory journey of all birds,
relative to its body size, traveling
over 3,000 miles one-way
from as far north as Alaska
to Mexico.
Rufous Hummingbirds
depend on nectar and insects
as their primary food source.
Therefore, they migrate
to warmer climes in the fall
and winter as nectar and
insects become scarce in their
northern range.
Their springtime northward migration
aligns with the blooming of our
native manzanita shrubs, Arctostaphylos,
a family of plants in the Ericaceae,
or heather, family. Rufous Hummingbirds
and manzanita have a strong
mutualistic relationship. Manzanita’s
early-blooming flower is a favorite
food of the Rufous Hummingbird.
The small, bell-shaped flowers with
their tubular structure are the perfect
shape for their long, slender bills, and
the flowers provide the nectar that
hummingbirds need to sustain them
on their journey and to prepare for the
breeding season. In return, hummingbirds
help pollinate the manzanita. Thus,
each ensures the other’s sur vival
in perpetuity.
Summer update from
Star Ranger Station
Happy summer to the Applegate
community and our valued partners!
Over the past several months, Forest
Service (FS) staff have undergone quite
a few transitions. While it’s always
bittersweet to say goodbye to colleagues,
we’re excited for them as they move on
to new adventures. One change that will
directly impact the Siskiyou Mountains
Ranger District (SMRD) is the upcoming
retirement of District Ranger Jen Sanborn,
effective June 1. Jen has dedicated 36
years to federal service, primarily here
in southern Oregon. Her career has
been split between the Bureau of Land
Management’s Medford District and
the U.S. Forest Service on the Fremont-
Winema and Rogue River-Siskiyou
National Forests.
With all the changes, two questions
commonly arise about recreation access
and wildfire response this summer. We’re
happy to share that recreation and district
crews have been working hard preparing
for the season—clearing roads, prepping
campsites, and removing hazardous trees
near campgrounds, trailheads, and day-
use areas. Most campgrounds opened
by May 1. Some services, like bathroom
cleaning and maintenance, may happen
less frequently this summer.
On the wildfire front, we’re in good
shape. Our engines are fully staffed,
and we’re prepared for the season ahead.
Beginning mid-June, crews will shift to
seven-day staffing schedules. Dutchman
Lookout will also be staffed, depending
on snow levels. When not engaged in
fire suppression or critical training, fire
crews will also support high-priority fuels-
reduction projects across the district.
In May, we removed the gate on
Forest Service Road 1050 (Elliott Creek
Road), near the private inholding known
as Joe Bar. The chain of locks and the
privately sourced gate post will be available
for pickup at the Star Ranger Station.
Removing the gate has reopened access to
several trailheads and around 45 square
miles of public lands.
We will also be installing a new gate on
Forest land along the 1060 Road to restrict
motorized access to the Blue Ledge Mine
Superfund Site.
Project Updates
Up p e r A p p l e g a t e Wa t e r s h e d
R e s t o r a t i o n Pr o j e c t ( UAW R P )
Environmental Assessment. This spring,
pile-burning activities were conducted as
part of the UAWRP. While broader project
work is temporarily on pause, we have
completed the planning and groundwork
needed for long-term restoration goals. For
more information, including maps, visit
fs.usda.gov/r06/rogue-siskiyou/projects/
archive/52305.
Thompson (formerly Grayback)
Shaded Fuel Break Categorical
Rufous Hummingbird. Photo: Anne Goff.
Rufous Hummingbirds begin nesting
between April and July, depending on the
climate of their locality. Their nests are
tiny, only about 1.5 inches across, and are
made of bark, moss, and lichen, filled with
soft downy fluff like that of thistle, and
glued together with spiderwebs. Their little
white eggs are the size of jellybeans and are
laid in clutches of two or three.
The Rufous Hummingbird’s enhanced
spatial memory helps it remember the
locations of specific flowers and feeders
from one year to the next, making it a
rather efficient collector of nectar. Like
all hummingbirds, the Rufous is an
important pollinator, playing a role in the
reproduction of many flowering plants. It
is a food source for many predatory birds,
including hawks and owls.
Exclusion. This important fuels-reduction
project along FS Roads 1010 and 1020
proposes thinning, piling, pile burning,
and under burning on approximately
1,000 acres. Community input has
been vital to project development.
Remaining environmental surveys are
scheduled for completion this year. We
hope to have a decision signed by winter
2025, with implementation potentially
beginning next spring. For project details,
visit fs.usda.gov/r06/rogue-siskiyou/
projects/63141.
Ye l l ow j a c k e t E n v i r o n m e n t a l
Assessment (formerly Little Applegate
EA). The Yellowjacket project aims to
strengthen landscape resilience to wildfire
while connecting fuels reduction work
across the Upper Applegate Watershed
and Ashland Forest Resiliency Project
areas. It also supports local economies
through timber production. The project
is moving forward under an Emergency
Action Determination, in alignment
with Executive Order 14225, Immediate
Expansion of American Timber Production
(March 1, 2025).
So far, project teams have been refining
the scope of work through field visits
and site evaluations. Public involvement
opportunities will be offered once a more
detailed plan is finalized. Stay tuned!
Staying Informed
GovDeliver y: Ou r p r i m a r y
communication tool for project updates
and news. Customize your subscription
at public.govdelivery.com/accounts/
USDAFS/subscriber/new. Need help?
Unfortunately, the population of the
Rufous Hummingbird has declined 67
percent since 1970, due to a variety of
mostly human-induced conditions: habitat
loss, climate change, invasive species, and
pesticide use.
Attract hummingbirds
to your garden
If you want to attract more Rufous
Hu m m i n g b i r d s t o y o u r g a r d e n ,
remember that, as with any pollinator,
they need sources of food, shelter, shade,
and water.
Hummingbirds are attracted to bright
red, pink, and orange colors. This is
why most hummingbird feeders are
bright red. Please note that nectar from
flowers is not red, even when the flower
is red; it is the bright red flower that
attracts the hummingbird to the nectar,
so the “nectar” in the feeder need not be
red. In fact, red dye can be harmful to
hummingbirds. You can easily make your
own nectar by mixing one part sugar with
four parts water, stirring until the sugar
is dissolved.
Even better, you can create a more ideal
hummingbird habitat by adding nectar-
rich, tubular-shaped flowers that are
orange, pink, and red to your garden and
green spaces. Some varieties to consider
are honeysuckle, bee balm, columbine,
hummingbird sage, red flowering
currant, Oregon grape—and don’t forget
the manzanita.
Heather Paladini
heather47bear@gmail.com
Jen Sanborn (right) with
her husband Doug (left).
Contact Amanda Merz at amanda.
merz@usda.gov.
Forest Webpage: Our website was
recently updated. Our new homepage
is: fs.usda.gov/r06/rogue-siskiyou. View
current and recent projects at fs.usda.gov/
r06/rogue-siskiyou/projects.
Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest
(RRSNF) Facebook Page: Follow us for
highlights, updates, and forest happenings
at facebook.com/R6RRSNF.
We’re looking forward to a safe and
enjoyable summer and hope to see you
out in the forest!
For more information, contact Molly
Juillerat at molly.juillerat@usda.gov.