SUNDAY, AUGUST 5. 19B2
BIRDING
Which do you prefer . . .
By JOSEPH HICKS
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFOHD. OREGON
When the weather is on the chilly side, such as we have
experienced this spring and summer, it apparently had little
effect on the migratory instincts of birds, except when such
weather increased or decreased the supplies of food avail
able to the birds.
The fall migration, including large numbers of young
. birds, usually commences in late July and continues into Oc
" tober and November.
However, there have been some indications that the mi
gration this year may have started earlier than usual. On
July 18, there was a very large mixed flock of swallows
. in the Hoover lake area, and two dozen least sandpipers
dropped on Hoover lake to feed and rest.
During the latter part of July, large congregations of
swallows on electrical lines were evident throughout the
valley.
Both greater and lesser yellowlegs were on the river from
about July 4 to July 20. They also may be preparing to
migrate, for their winter migration lakes them to the Strait
of Magellon, South America.
The lesser yellowlegs can be distinguished from the
larger, greater yellowlegs by its straight bill and its call of
single or double "wheus," and its bill is slightly upturned.
This is the first record of a lesser yellowlegs in this country.
This year I was fortunate in making the trip to the, top of
Mt. Ashland just after the road was cleared of snow. The
final slope was covered with beautiful wild flowers. I noted
. blue penstamon (variable), wallflower, dwarf and prostrate
t ' lupin, and a deep pink penstamon (pride of the mountain),
? as well as other flowers unfamiliar to me.
" Both rufous and calliope hummingbirds were busy feed
' Ing on the nectar of these flowers. Fox sparrows, green-tailed
1 , towhees, chipping sparrows, pine siskins, and purple finches
also were seen near the top of the mountain.
; JT
Many birds were still nesting during July. The tree
-' sparrows and the house wrens both were busy with second
'. ' broods. Young birds seen on the Rogue included hairy wood
." peckers, pileated woodpeckers, and one family of four or
five ash-throated flycatchers. The latler are handsome fly
' . catchers with white thro.its and rufous tails.
; During July, H. Pringle reported a nesting pair of hermit
' warblers at Lake of the Woods. At Diamond lake, A. Butler
- observed a nest of grey jays (Canada jay) near his cabin.
: ' He also reported seeing an osprey giving chase to a bald
: . eagle. Such action on the part of the osprey suggests the
; '. possibility of an osprey nest in that area as normally one
would expect the eagle to be the pursuer.
An article in a recent issue of the Audubon Field Notes
' ' explains why Bohemian waxwings and evening grosbeaks
I were in abundance throughout the continent last winter.
I These birds normally inhabit the northern part of the con-
' "' tinent. However, a lack of food in the form of winter seeds
and berries, and a concurrent high population, caused these
birds to spread across the United States. Both species were
b." seen here in the valley.
: In the western states the severity of the winter with a
consequent scarcity of food also caused a mass exodus from
the mountainous areas. Varied thrushes, robins, Townsend's
- solitaires, and mountain bluebirds wore seen in abundance in
-! the southwestern lowlands. Even the rugged Clark's nut-
cracker deserted the high mountains for the lower mountain
! tides, and some even went as far east as Missouri.
' This mass movement explains why I saw Clark's nul
v crackers at Bishop, Calif, about the middle of March.
r
The above doesn't explain the present shortage of Wesl-
i ern flycatchers. F. Sturges has reported he heard one In the
' Ashland watershed area. Perhaps future Audobon Notes will
i' have pertinent information.
t" It won't be long before ducks and geese will be re
J turning from their northern breeding grounds. Even now
a trip to the wildlife refuge south of Klamath Falls is inter
esting. There are still terns, gulls, egrets, pelicans, Western
I and eared grebes, and some ducks and geese present on the
" lakes.
j Nuclear-Powered
Generating Attracts
j: Increased Interest
New York - HIPP - In the
past year, one plant joined
the operating list of nuclear
powered generating facilities
developed by investor-owned
electric companies in the
United States, and changes
In other figures show the
high degree of interest he
companies maintain in future
developments in this field.
Creating a nuclear-powered
generating facility is not a
rush job, and perhaps more
significant than the figures
or plants in operation are
the changes shown from 1061
to 1962 in the numbers of
plants under construction in
preliminary planning, or un
j nticiHoration.
A recent report, from the;
electric companies public in-1
. -,i-om wave some ;
Measure of the activity, short
and long range, shown by
utilities in the growth of nuclear-powered
generating.
The report was issued as of
June, 1962. Taken in compari
son with the Ifst previous ed'
tion, issued in April, 1961
or approximately 14 months
earlier, here is what it
showed:
Fivt Plant To Start
Latest addition to the oper
ating reactor group was that
of the 5.000-kilowatt experi
mental Saxton reactor, at Sax
ton Pa It was built by the
General Public Utilities Corp.
on the Pennsylvania Electric
Co system. The Saxton reac
tor went "critical'' last April
13 although full operation
was not scheduled until later
mis sinning.
Five other reactor plants
In which electric companies
are participating are slated to
go into operation in 1962 and
another in early 1963.
They are listed as under
. construction or design.
In 1961, Saxton was in this
category, but has moved up
to the operational group. In-
eluding Saxton. last year sev
en plants were listed as un
der construction; in 1962 there
are eight. The 1962 additions
1o this category are in wide
ly separated parts of the
country. The 4ft. nun kilowatt
' Peach Bottom reactor, being
constructed on the Philadel
phia Electric Co. system; and
the 325,000 kilowatt Bodega
Bay plant under design by Pa
cific Gas and Electric Co.
In the 1961 report, the
Peach Bottom project was
listed as under design.
Southern California Project
Listed in the 1962 category
of preliminary planning or ne
gotiation are a Southern Cali
fornia Edison Co-San Diego
Gas and Electric Co. project,
a 375.000 kilowatt unit, and
a New England Electric Sys
tem project of 300.000 to 350.
000 kilowatts. A year ago the
southern California project
was under negotiations and
the New England electric proj
ect was in the planning stage.
Two more now classed as 1
under consideration are the i
iMuuncg tieciric lo.s atomic ,
project and the Jersey Central-New
Jersey Power and
Light companies.
"Whether they will be
built," said the report, "de
pends upon competitive con
siderations. Their significance
lies in the fact that both are
recent proposals for large
scale plants, and as such, they
may reflect an increasing in
terest in commercial nuclear
power projects."
One project which was in
the "under design" category
;in ine 1)KI listing, however,
j fell by the wayside. It was a
! project of the East Central
j nuclear group and the Flnri
; da West Coast nuclear group.
There are enough automo-
biles in the U.S. to carry the
I entire population at one time,
I plus all the people in Italy.
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