B10 The BulleTin • Friday, January 22, 2021
Raptors return to Smith Rock State Park
BY CRISTINA PETERSON
For The Bulletin
For centuries, probably lon-
ger, golden eagles have nested
in the cliffs of
Smith Rock
State Park.
This year will
be no excep-
tion.
PARKS
Eagles are
returning
to some of the dozen docu-
mented nests in the park where
they settle in and raise their
young. Around this time each
year, mating pairs add material
to nests from previous years.
Females lay one to four eggs
and incubate them for about
six weeks. They will then care
for the fledglings for about
three more months. Typically,
only one or two will survive to
fledge. Juvenile golden eagles
reach full independence by
sometime in the fall.
Golden eagles are protected
by several laws including the
Bald and Golden Eagle Pro-
tection Act, the Migratory
Bird Act, and the Lacey Act.
The Eagle Act prohibits any-
one from harassing, shooting,
or possessing a bald or golden
eagle or any of its parts. Eagle
population numbers were once
so low that the birds warranted
specific measures to ensure
their survival. These efforts
have been successful in stabi-
lizing populations.
Golden eagles are extremely
sensitive to human distur-
bance. This can include the vi-
sual presence or noise impacts
from people who are too close.
If eagles encounter these un-
expected stressors, they might
abandon their nest and leave
the young with little chance of
survival.
Because of eagles’ sensitivity
to disturbance, the Monument
area of the park is closed to
climbing starting Jan. 15. Hik-
ers using the Canyon Traill are
limited to groups of four or less
and noise in the area needs to
be minimized. Additionally,
the park-wide drone ban goes
into effect. This ban prevents
any unmanned aircraft from
getting too close to the golden
eagles or to other nesting rap-
tors in the area. These closures
will remain in effect until Aug.
1. Park staff post signs to notify
visitors of these closures and
share the information on their
website and several partner
websites as well.
Visitors can observe the
nests from the small picnic
shelter just a short walk from
the parking area or from the
Rim Trail by looking across the
Crooked River, north toward
the Monument area. The nests
often look like dark areas on
the wall but a lot more detail
can be seen with a magnified
view so don’t forget to bring
binoculars!
Eagles have also nested at
another popular climbing area
in Central Oregon known as
Trout Creek which is located
along the Deschutes River
north of Madras. Trout
Creek is on land man-
aged by the Bureau
of Land Manage-
ment (BLM). Still,
the same laws apply
to protecting golden
eagles. To avoid dis-
turbance, that area
closes to climbing be-
ginning Jan. 15 each
year.
Other raptor species,
such as peregrine and prai-
rie falcon also use the cliffs of
Smith Rock State Park to nest.
These birds use pockets or
small ledges called “scrapes.”
Additional climbing areas are
sometimes closed in February
or later if falcons are observed
nesting. Typically falcons use
the areas around Kiss of the
Leper, but they’ve also been
spotted near the Smith Rock
Group and the Voyage of the
Cowdog.
Climbers as a whole typ-
ically respect the closures at
Smith and Trout Creek and
help to ensure others do too.
Hundreds of thousands of vis-
itors enjoy Smith Rock State
Park each year. Before it was
a state park with trails wind-
ing through the canyon cut by
TOP: A quail looks for food along
the edge of thick bushes in front
of a Bend business on Jan. 2
BOTTOM: An American Kestrel flies
along the Deschutes River near the
Old Mill District on Jan. 13.
the last four years,” said Crab-
tree. “For some reason, there
is just a huge concentration
around there, not sure what it
is, the people who own it let
grass grow there. Hawks find it
as a good place to hunt and eat
during the winter.”
Crabtree has been birding
in Central Oregon since he
moved here in 1981 and was
birding 12 years prior to that.
He found that being on the east
side of the Cascades, where the
weather is more dry, made for
better birding due to not hav-
ing to battle the rain during the
winter months.
In the almost 40 years of liv-
ing in Central Oregon, he has
seen the rise in popularity of
birding spanning college-aged
to retired people.
“When I moved here, there
weren’t a lot of birders,” Crabree
said. “The ranks of birders
Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin photos
Birds
Continued from B1
There are roughly 300 spe-
cies of birds in Central Oregon,
with about 150 that stay year-
round, including various types
of owls, hawks, geese and rob-
ins. The East Cascades Audu-
bon Society lists more than 100
different spots between De-
schutes, Crook and Jefferson
counties. Three popular loca-
tions are Hatfield Lakes, Powell
Butte and Crooked River Na-
tional Grasslands.
“I like the challenge: There
are many species that we have
that are so similar to one an-
other, it takes a lot of practice
to know them apart, which is
really rewarding and a lot of
fun,” said Chuck Gates, of the
Prineville Bird Club. “The best
part is how beautiful the birds
are. Birds I’ve seen 1,000 times,
I never get tired of them.”
Conventional wisdom says
that birds will seek warmer cli-
mates during the winter, which
could lead to a belief that a cli-
mate similar to Central Ore-
gon would not be a hot spot for
birding.
Yet, compared to areas up
north, Central Oregon is warm
enough to stay for the winter.
During the winter months, ea-
gles and hawks are more com-
mon than other times in the
year.
Making the hunt for find-
ing and catching a glimpse of a
bird is a yearlong activity.
“Every month of the year
because birds are constantly in
motion, spring and fall is when
the most birds are in the area
because they are migrating,”
said Gates. “We get dozens of
rare birds every season. “
Crabtree, who is a East
Cascades Audubon Society
member, spent Wednesday af-
ternoon in the Redmond and
Terrebonne area, managing to
locate 40 different hawks.
“That particular field has
been a hot spot for hawks for
A S ENIOR M OMENT
More Information
Visit Smith Rock State
Park’s website: state-
parks.oregon.gov.
Search for Smith
Rock State Park and
look for any current
closure notices.
Jupiterimages
Portrait of a golden eagle
the Crooked River,
and cliffs with premier
climbing routes, many
wildlife species made the
park their home. Protecting
natural areas that include valu-
able habitat for these animals is
one of the objectives of Oregon
state parks.
Area closures to protect
raptors from disturbance
during their nesting season
is one of the many ways the
park upholds this aspect of
their mission. The future of
these species relies on peo-
ple’s compliance with these
closures.
grew; now there is a strong con-
tingent of birders. I’m not one
of the young ones any more.”
And to find a bird, often-
times, you do not have to go far.
“One of the big attractions
about birding is there are
birds everywhere,” Gates said.
“There is nowhere you can’t go
in North America where you
can’t find a bird.”
e e
Reporter: 541-383-0307,
brathbone@bendbulletin.com
SHORELINE WATERPROOF
BREATHABLE JACKET”
Senior Living Solutions
A Senior Moment is committed to personally
assisting you with fi nding the right community
to meet your needs at no cost to you!
• Retirement living
• Foster care
• Memory/Alzheimer’s care • Nursing homes
• Independent living
• Assisted living
Nancy Gotchy, 541-408-0570 | Tiffany Plagmann, 541-788-3487
www.aseniormoment.us
We are 100% local, independent and not affi liated with any single provider network.
LES NEWMAN’S
QUALITY OUTDOOR WEAR
On NE Franklin Avenue across from Les Schwab
541-318-4868
Peacherine Ragtime
Society Orchestra’s
Stage and Screen Spectacular
A musical escape back to
the entertainment, sights,
sounds, and comedy of the
early 20th Century!
Sponsored by:
Albertazzi Law Firm
Streaming tickets on sale soon!