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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us February 17, 2005 Winter is a great time for birding � just leave your cat at home By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings A handsome fox sparrow kicked through the leaves and dirt on the ground, hoping to turn up a seed, while over his head, four goldfinches clung at all angles to a birdfeeder. North Mountain Park is a great place to go birdwatching during the winter months. The bare trees allow for easy sighting of seasonal birds. Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings A pair of wood ducks paddled across a pond as a red-winged blackbird called out from his perch atop a cattail. A flock of two-dozen mourning doves settled in a bare oak that - like a Christmas tree with a star - was topped by a scrub jay. With a slow flapping of wings, a great blue heron rose up and soared across the North Mountain Park natural area. "Doesn't that just lift your heart?" asked Rogue Valley Audubon Society member Gwyneth Ragosine, watching from the side of the park's ponds. Despite occasional showers, the birds were out in their usual numbers at the park, one of the prime local birdwatching spots. "The best place to see birds in the Ashland area in winter is North Mountain Park," said Denny Niebuhr, also an Audubon society member. "You can see 20 species without any trouble." And indeed, within just a few minutes, two crows flew by following the course of Bear Creek, mallard ducks whirring their wings made a bee-line for the pond, a flicker darted away with a characteristic flash of its white rear and a raucous flock of non-native starlings drowned out the chirps of nearby robins. The birds are attracted by numerous birdfeeders set up at the park, carefully selected plants that yield berries and seeds, and the ponds and wooded areas that were enhanced alongside the creation of athletic fields at the park several years ago. Although temperatures are chilly and rain is common, winter is an ideal time for birdwatching at North Mountain Park and other locations around Ashland, according to local birders. "It's a really good time for beginners because the birds are not hiding behind leaves all the time," Ragosine said. "When it's all leafed out, people get frustrated because they can't see anything." Winter also draws mountain-dwelling birds down to the valleys. Juncos - small, grayish brown birds with black heads- fly down to lower elevations and can be frequently seen on the ground beneath bird feeders, according to Niebuhr. "People think of migration as being from north to south, but there's another kind of migration that is coming down from the mountains," he said. During winter, birds stay active and don't retire to escape the afternoon heat, Niebuhr said. Additionally, birds are easier to spot in winter because they are not silently tending their young as they do in spring and summer months, according to Ragosine. Beginning and advanced birders can find birds in a number of areas other than North Mountain Park. A variety of waterfowl frequent a pond that lies along the Bear Creek Greenway near the Ashland Dog Park. The greenway also passes by Talent, where ponds there attract waterfowl, Niebuhr said. Many other species of birds also live along the greenway, including wrens, sparrows, towhees, woodpeckers and dippers, which bob on rocks in fast-moving streams before darting into the water, according to Ragosine and Niebuhr. The dipper also can be seen on Ashland Creek in Lithia Park, they said. Around Emigrant Lake, people can spot bald eagles, woodpeckers, sparrows and finches and see the bold black and white feathers and red eyes of western grebes, according to Niebuhr. Even a drive along Interstate 5 will yield multiple sightings of hawks, mostly red-tailed ones, sitting atop fence posts or any other available pole. "People start noting hawks during the winter," Ragosine said. "They start thinking, 'Oh, there's a hawk on every pole.'" The hawks come down from the north and are hunting rodents in the undeveloped areas along roadways. The raptors prefer fresh meat and are not waiting for road-kill, as some people assume, she said. People who want to attract birds to feeders will have the best luck with black-oil sunflower seeds and thistle seed rather than millet. Birds generally ignore millet, the yellow seed usually seen in parakeet food. Feeders should be cleaned at least twice per winter to help prevent the spread of disease, Ragosine and Niebuhr recommended. They also urged pet owners to keep their cats indoors. "The concept of an outdoor cat doesn't go along with preserving song birds," Niebuhr said. Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 482-3456 x 3018 or [email protected]. Get Out o Help count and learn to identify birds at North Mountain Park from 9 to 10 a.m. this Saturday, as well as alternate Saturdays through March 26, with experienced Audubon members. Information will be submitted to Cornell University's FeederWatch project, an annual nationwide bird monitoring effort. o Watch and identify birds at North Mountain Park on your own using bird guidebooks from the park's Nature Center library. Nature Center hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. 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