Outdoors
Rec
B
Saturday, June 18, 2022
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Return of the elusive
BRAD
TRUMBO
CATBIRD
UPLAND PURSUITS
T
he cool humidity of
summer rain stuck
to my skin as the
front rumbled in. Light-
ning fl ashed in the distance
casting a disco ball lighting
eff ect on the riparian fl oor
beneath the dense stand
of white alder and choke-
cherry. The alder catkins
released the few remaining
tufts of cotton seeds as
the branches rattled in the
breeze, and among the
clatter of leaves, the faint
cry of the gray catbird
drifted through the timber.
The catbird was one of a
few species to successfully
raise a clutch for the fi rst
time in the alder run during
the spring of 2021 and I was
unsure if it would return.
When I purchased the prop-
erty in 2016, cattle had been
grazing the meager acreage
and kept the brush tamped
down in the now lush creek
corridor and the birds have
taken notice of the vegeta-
tion rebound. Bullock’s ori-
oles, yellow warblers, and
even a varied thrush all
appeared last spring, but
their appearance in 2022
was uncertain.
I had stalked the cat-
bird with my Nikon for a
week and it proved formi-
dable in the predator avoid-
ance department. Wary and
cunning, it would tolerate
only fl eeting glimpses,
bolting the moment it real-
ized I had established line-
of-sight. The bird left me
to log dozens of useless
photos as my target acquisi-
tion skills had rusted since
the upland bird hunting
season closed.
I knew its namesake cat-
like call, but the variety
of other voices I thought I
was hearing was the cat-
Stalking this
master of
mimicry
with a
camera
An excellent
photo of the gray
catbird exercising
its vocal cords.
John Benson/
Contributed Photo
bird proudly showcasing
its robust vocal array.
Kneeling by the paddock
fence and peering through
the lichen-encrusted rails
and tree branches fi nally
provided a couple moments
to observe the wary bird.
Male catbirds sing a
tune that can be minutes
long and comprised of bits
of other bird songs, even
those of domestic chickens
and frog ribbits. Tones of
the American robin, red-
winged blackbird, lesser
goldfi nch, House fi nch, and
House wren projected from
the catbird’s powerful vocal
cords as I photographed. All
of these species were simul-
taneously present
on the homestead,
but had I never
laid eyes on
them, I would
have been left to
assume the cat-
bird was putting
me on.
While not as
showy as beauties
like the Bullock’s
oriole, the catbird is a
beauty in its own right.
If you believe the color
gray can be rich and deep,
then you’ve probably spied
the catbird at some point in
time.
See, Catbird/Page B6
It took a week to capture this
modest photo of the gray
catbird as it darted among the
alders and shrubbery.
Brad Trumbo/Contributed Photo
Chinook
season opens
June 25 on
Imnaha and
Wallowa
rivers
EO Media Group
ENTERPRISE — For the
fi rst time since 2016, anglers
will be able to fi sh for spring
chinook salmon in the Imnaha
and Wallowa rivers.
This year’s spring chinook
run is exceeding biologists’
expectations.
“All current projections
indicate this year’s run will
exceed our preseason fore-
cast and provide an opportu-
nity to harvest spring chinook
locally,” said Kyle Bratcher,
district fi sh biologist at the
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife (ODFW) offi ce in
Enterprise. “In the past, these
have been popular fi sheries
and we’re glad to see numbers
that allow anglers to get out
there.”
Through June 1, a total
of 149,031 adult chinook had
passed Bonneville Dam on
the Columbia River near Cas-
cade Locks. That’s 29% above
the average for 2012-2021,
and 110% above the 2017-21
average.
Regulations for the two
rivers:
• Imnaha River: Open June
25 to July 10 from the con-
fl uence with the Snake River
upstream to the Summit Creek
Bridge.
• Wallowa River: Open
June 25 to July 24 from the
lower fence of Minam State
Park upstream to the confl u-
ence with the Lostine River.
The bag limit for both
rivers is two adult hatchery
spring chinook per day, and
fi ve hatchery jacks. Anglers
must stop fi shing for salmon
for the day when they retain
two adult salmon and may
not continue to fi sh for jacks
(which are under 24 inches
long).
Hook gaps can’t exceed 3/4
of an inch, and all other state-
wide and zone regulations
apply.
Want to make dad’s day? We love our gear and gimmicks
S
o much is going on in the outdoor
world that I almost forgot that Father’s
Day is barreling down on us. I’d
already written and submitted another
article and suddenly remembered and had
to cancel the fi rst one to slip this one in.
I’m lucky, I had the best mom and dad in
the world and I hope you did too. But even
if they aren’t perfect, your dad still holds the
position of the most infl uential man in your
life. But if you’re like me, I never knew what
to get dad.
He seemed to
have every-
TOM
CLAYCOMB thing he
needed. When
BASE CAMP
he got older,
he didn’t
hunt and fi sh as much and pretty much just
wanted to work on the farm and fi x fence and
feed cattle. So all he’d ever ask for is a pair of
leather work gloves.
Come on, you can put a little more eff ort
into buying your dad a Father’s Day gift than
I did. Now for the good news. If your dad
is an outdoorsman then take heart — out-
doorsmen are easy to buy for. We love our
gear and gimmicks. And due to a deluge of
advertising we’re convinced that if we could
just have this lure or that bullet that our life
would be great and we’d be successful.
You don’t have to spend a fortune to
light up his eyes, BUT, you do have to buy
exactly what he wants. His tastes/needs
will be very, very specifi c. So do a little
research. Ask him what he wants. Get a list
so it will still be a surprise as to what he
gets. Or talk to a local outdoor store and ask
them what is hot.
Or, I get to test a lot of gear every year.
Here are some items that have caught my
eye.
FISHING
• Mister Twister plastics
• Mister Twister jig heads
• Flies from fl ydealfl ies.com These are
very economical
• New fi shing rod/reel. Buy him a good
one that will last for a long time and he’ll
remember you every time he uses it.
• Frogg Togg rain gear
• Dip net
• ProLine Baits Spray this in a bag of his
Mister Twister tails and it will increase his
catch.
• 5.11 tactical pants. Great for fi shing
due to having multiple pockets.
• Electric fi sh fi llet knife from Smith’s
Consumer Products
• Heybo fi shing shirts
Tom Claycomb/Contributed Photo
Outdoorsmen love their gear. In this one Otis Range Box alone
I have a million diff erent pull-through cables, jags, brushes,
cleaning oils, patches and the list goes on and on.
HUNTING
• Smith’s Consumer Products and
Knives of Alaska both make the two top
boning knives on the market.
• Ammo-this one will be very specifi c.
• Smith’s line of knife sharpening gear
• Day packs
• GPS
• Fire starting gear. Waterproof matches,
fi re starting tinder and I always carry a few
cheap Bic lighters.
• Blue Book of Gun Values
• Bowden Tactical. They off er a lot of
accessories to dress up his AR.
• CLAMTAINERS off ers plastic con-
tainers to carry his ammo.
• Alien holsters
• 5.11 tactical pants are great for hunting
• UMAREX Airguns. Airguns are
wildly popular right now and Umarex
off ers a plethora of options.
• JSB makes the best pellets
• XGO base layers
• Otis Lead Remover hand wipes
• Otis Elite Range Box
• Axil hearing protection
BACKPACKING
• Alps Mountaineering “Dash” back-
packing chair
• Alps Mountaineering tents. They off er
all sizes.
• Garmont makes some awesome hiking
boots. Italian boot companies are legendary
for mountain climbing boots.
• Firestarting gear
• I just found some fl ashlights. They uti-
lize solar charging so you don’t have to
carry a lot of batteries plus, you can also
charge other gear off of them. How cool is
that? Check out hybridlight.com.
• Small aluminum coff ee pot. I pick
these up at garage sales.
• Alps sleeping pad
• Hiking socks
• Backpacking meals
• Smith’s Consumer folding knives.
They off er a lot of options.
• Adventure Medical Kits gear. I love
their moleskin for blisters when hiking.
• Aquimira fi ltered water bottles
BONUS GIFTS
• BRG9 Elite 9mm. Very economical.
$399.99 16+1 Great EDC gun.
• Guided fi shing trip
• Go fi shing with him this summer. That
will be the best gift you could ever give
him. I love it when Katy or my girls go
fi shing with me.
• 5.11 wrist watch
• Diamond Blades Surge knife