Polk County
Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 27, 2016 7A
Sparrows, warblers
sing at Luckiamute
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — On the
border of Polk and Benton
counties lies 315 square
miles of lush wilderness, a
riparian dreamscape in the
making.
Here, the Luckiamute
River carves a new path,
fighting to get to the
Willamette, taking river bank
and gravel roads with it.
“The river’s going to go
where it wants to,” said Gail
Oberst, president of the
Lu c k i a m u t e Wa t e r s h e d
Council. “This part of the
river has been eroding for a
long time. We’re trying to let
it meander. It’s a sign of a
healthy river.”
On the morning of April
16, Oberst and Suzanne
Teller, council outreach co-
ordinator, took 23 people
out for a hike through the
Luckiamute State Natural
Area collecting birds.
Collecting birds is a hobby
of birdwatchers, or birders,
that involves keeping track
of what birds they identify
either by sight or by the
bird’s song. That list can be a
lifetime list — how many
birds you’ve identified in
your life — or an annual
list — how many birds you
identify in one year’s time.
Joel Geier, local bird ex-
pert and Audubon ornithol-
ogist, stopped at a bend in
the Luckiamute River.
“I’m going to try and wake
a screech owl,” he told the
group as he imitated the
predatory bird.
While an owl was not
roused from his slumber,
other birds were pretty anx-
ious to hear this nocturnal
nest-robber’s song hours
after the sun had risen.
A hummingbird that
moved too fast to be identi-
fied as a Rufus or an Anna
zoomed over to check out
the group. Other birds an-
swered Geier’s call, which
announced the birdwatch-
ers’ arrival into the area.
From the north trailhead
parking lot to where the
roughly 2-mile loop begins,
an artificial forest of cotton-
wood and ash trees lines the
right, casting shade along
the trail. Most of the trail is
protected by canopy, making
it a pleasant walk even on a
warm, sunny day.
Where the trail begins, a
red-breasted sapsucker
makes its home. He fusses at
the large group of people in
his territory, while the peo-
ple watch him through
binoculars and camera lens-
es, fascinated by his brightly
colored head.
This is a good spot to see
sapsuckers, Geier said. In fact,
the red-breasted variety is one
of the most sought-after birds
in the region — at least for
birdwatchers. For farmers
and gardeners, the sapsucker
can be a pest, killing off a tree
branch by branch.
L a t e r, i n t h e Fo re s t
Gallery, Geier said all of Ore-
gon’s native woodpeckers
can be spotted with regulari-
ty, except for the acorn
woodpecker, who hasn’t yet
discovered the old oaks of
the Luckiamute area.
All along the walk, hikers
are greeted by native shrubs,
flowers and trees. Most have
been planted by volunteers,
working to repair the habitat
to its natural state. Others
have a history of growing in
the area long before the set-
tlers came.
When birdwatching, it is
important to look through-
out the area, as birds can be
found at various levels.
A white-crown sparrow
makes its way along the tall
grasses. Watchers crane their
necks to see an orange crown
warbler flit from tree to tree.
In the Gallery Forest, a brown
creeper hops up an old cot-
tonwood. A northern rough-
wing swallow zooms around
the riverbank where it has
built its nest, while a red
hawk circles lazily in the sky.
The Luckiamute State
Natural Area is alive with
bird songs, butterflies and
beauty. The north trailhead
loop generally takes about
an hour, but if looking close-
ly for birds or examining the
local flora, it can take three
or four hours.
For more on the Luckia-
mute State Natural Area and
other Polk County features,
see Explore Polk County on
May 25 in the Itemizer-Ob-
server.
EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
Joel Geier, local bird expert and Audubon ornithologist, shows the group of birdwatch-
ers the silt from the Luckiamute River, which floods frequently during wet winters.
EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer
Birdwatchers keep as still as possible, watching an orange crowned warbler dart between cottonwoods and Douglas
firs in the Luckiamute State Natural Area on April 16 during the Luckiamute Watershed Council’s annual bird walk.
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
The native flowers, shrubs and trees were nearly as popular as the birds on the annual spring bird tour at the Luckiamute State Natural Area on April 16.
Matinees are all shows
before 6pm. New pricing for
matinees are: Adult $7.25
Children $6.75 • Senior $7.00
Pricing does not reflect
3D showings.
Friday - Sunday April 29 - May 1
SUNDAY, MAY 1 ST
HOURS: 9-3
EARLY ADMISSION SUNDAY 6AM-9AM $5
REGULAR ADMISSION $1 ★ FREE PARKING
ESPRESSO BAR PROVIDED BY
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THE BOSS (Digital) (R)
(12:00 2:25 4:50)
ZOOTOPIA (Digital 2D) (PG)
(11:40 2:10 4:45)
RACHET AND CLANK (Digital) (PG)
(12:15 2:35 5:00)
JUNGLE BOOK (Digital 2D) (PG)
(11:35 2:05 4:35)
MOTHER’S DAY (Digital) (PG13)
(11:25 2:00 4:30)
KEANU (Digital) (R)
(12:20 2:40 5:05)
BATMAN V SUPERMAN:
DAWN OF JUSTICE (Digital) (PG13)
(1:15)
CRIMINAL (Digital) (R)
(4:25)
HUNTSMAN: THE WINTER’S WAR (Digital) (PG13)
(1:30 4:10)
7:15
7:20
7:25
7:05
7:10
7:30
9:30*
9:40*
9:35*
9:25*
9:45*
9:50*
7:00
10:00*
6:50 9:25*
Monday - Wednesday May 2 - May 4
THE BOSS (Digital) (R)
ZOOTOPIA (Digital 2D) (PG)
RACHET AND CLANK (Digital) (PG)
JUNGLE BOOK (Digital 2D) (PG)
MOTHER’S DAY (Digital) (PG13)
KEANU (Digital) (R)
BATMAN V SUPERMAN:
DAWN OF JUSTICE (Digital) (PG13)
CRIMINAL (Digital) (R)
HUNTSMAN: THE WINTER’S WAR (Digital) (PG13)
(2:25 4:50)
(2:10 4:45)
(2:35 5:00)
(2:05 4:35)
(2:00 4:30)
(2:40 5:05)
7:15
7:20
7:25
7:05
7:10
7:30
(1:15) 7:00
(4:25)
(1:30 4:10) 6:50
Thursday May 5
THE BOSS (Digital) (R)
(2:25 4:50) 7:15 9:30
JUNGLE BOOK (Digital 2D) (PG)
(2:05 4:35) 7:05 9:25
RACHET AND CLANK (Digital) (PG)
(2:35 5:00) 7:25 9:35
ZOOTOPIA (Digital 2D) (PG)
(2:10 4:45)
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (Digital) (PG13)
7:00 7:00 10:15 10:15
BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (Digital) (PG13) (1:15)
CRIMINAL (Digital) (R)
(4:25)
MOTHER’S DAY (Digital) (PG13)
(2:00 4:30) 7:10 9:45
KEANU (Digital) (R)
(2:40 5:05) 7:30 9:50
HUNTSMAN: THE WINTER’S WAR (Digital) (PG13)
(1:30 4:10) 6:50 9:25
* Not showing Sunday, May 1st