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Coming in 2012! A new book showcasing a fast and fun way to go birding
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| In Freeway Birding, San Francisco to Seattle Harry Fuller will show you how and where to squeeze more precious minutes of birding into your life. Ostensibly, you are driving up or down the I-5 corridor on a business or family trip. But your eyes are constantly scanning the sky, the fence posts and the open country, and your binoculars are on the back seat.
Harry Fuller will highlight all of the spots beside or a short distance off the freeway where you can snag a few minutes of birding while you stretch your legs. His route goes via I-80 from San Francisco to Sacramento (including the 505 cut off between I-80 and I-5), then up I-5 all the way to Seattle, Washington. Freeway Birding, San Francisco to Seattle will be published mid-year 2012 by Living Gold Press. Why this Book? Harry approaches birding from a new angle, taking our busy lifestyles into consideration. His book will mirror existing regional guides but will be geared for the birder on the road, including milepost data, which exit to use for which locale, driving times, places to stop for food, seasonal information on species and road conditions. Note that even some National Wildlife Refuges have NO freeway exit warnings. Detailed maps and an index will be part of it. This will be a handy reference for locals and visitors alike! Sample Location Descriptions Maxwell Rest Area amidst rice paddies. DO NOT miss this stop on the northbound side of I-5 between July 15 and April 15. This is at milepost 584. There are four water storage ponds here.They’re grouped along the northeast edge of this rest stop. They may attract hungry or resting birds in any season. Also, it’s worth scanning the surrounding flatland for cruising raptors, herons, ibis. In summer there are Swainson’s Hawks in this area. Western Kingbirds nest in the rest stop trees. One September weekend, in ten minutes I counted scores of Western Sandpipers, dozens of Black-necked Stilts, a Northern Harrier, Barn, Cliff and Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Killdeer, Great Egret, Belted Kingfisher, dense swirls of Brown-headed Cowbirds on the lawn, House Sparrows under the cars. Did I mention the White-faced Ibis? A handful of whirling Red-necked Phalaropes? Imagine what you could get in twenty minutes staring through the fence between the parking lot and the ponds. A shaded oasis amidst the flat farmland, this rest stop can attract migrating Cedar Waxwings, hungry Yellow-billed Magpies, the local Red-winged and Brewer’s Blackbirds and various shorebirds including Long-billed Dowitcher. There are no vending machines here but the toilets are open 24 X 7. Myrtle Creek, Oregon The Myrtle Creek town motto : "Where Nature Is Your Neighbor." Elevation 702 feet. Take I-5 Exit 108 at the north end of Myrtle Creek. You’ll drive across a bridge over South Fork of Umpqua River. At the west end of the bridge are pull-outs. Check the river below for Common Merganser, Kingfisher, and Opsrey in the warm months. Once across the bridge the road curves right (south) into the remnants of a business district. You are on North Main Street. On your left will be SOCO Coffee, a good place for food, drink and rest rooms. It’s at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Main Street. Across the street from SOCO follow Fourth Avenue downhill toward the river. You are now alongside Millsite City Park with RV hook-ups and a ball field. Free access and parking. Quickest way back to I-5 is re-trace your route. In the brushy margins and cottonwoods by the river you may find Yellow-rumped and Townsend's Warblers in winter, also both kinglets in fall and winter. Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker, and the usual sparrows (inc. Golden- crowned and Fox) in season. I have spotted wintering Lewis’s Woodpeckers crossing the river. Brewer’s Blackbirds, American Robins and Western Scrub-Jay (coastal) may be working the outfield. Resident: Pacific Coast Red-shouldered Hawk which are vocal year-round. Also, American Kestrel and Spotted Towhee. |
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