Crater Lake and Clark's Nutcracker

 We’ve returned to Crater Lake in Oregon this June 14th. We found our arrival a bit too early. The park has been hit with 649 inches of snow this year, and there was plenty still on the ground. All the trails were snow covered. Only the south entrance to the park (Hwy 62) was open.


Why so much snow? Meteorologists are talking about “La Nina” a cooling of the waters about the equator. Such cooling pulls artic air further south, hence, more snowfall. Next year, the expectation is for a more mild winter—only 528 inches of snow. Mild, huh?

We did not waste the experience, though. We made our way to Discovery Point in order to gaze on the Phantom Ship, Wizard Island and the vast body of water that defines the lake. It is hard to imagine a lake as large (33 miles around), deep (1943 feet at its maximum), but still as pure and blue as any body of water you can find.

While there we took note of a few of the birds.  This, of course, is a Clark’s Nutcracker.

Summer Tanager

I am seeing and hearing greater numbers of Summer Tanagers this year starting in April. They have shown up around my house and everywhere imaginable. This one I photographed in the Pecan Grove near the Soccer Complex in Waco, Texas.

The Summer Tanager is the only all red bird in North America. Many think they are seeing a cardinal at first glimpse. Look closely and one can see a rather stout bill that is longer than that of the cardinal. Also, the male cardinal has its beak lined with black.

North American Tanagers eat a wide variety of insects. They prefer wasps and bees but will take moths and caterpillars. When a bee or wasp is caught, the tanager will bring it back to a perch to beat off the stinger before eating them. They may eat some fruits later in the summer.

This group of birds exhibits a dramatic degree of sexual dimorphism. The female Summer Tanager is not at all red. She is drab yellow green. Immature males may look mottled with red and yellow patches as they molt into the adult red during their first spring, a condition called in eclipse.

The males can be readily seen, in most cases, but listen also for its call, pit-i-tuck, pit-i-tuck.

Well Equipped

Well equip your birder with an outstanding birder binocular, The Vortex 8 x 42 Viper. This binocular is excellent in low light conditions often present in early morning or evening when much activity is evident. Watching Short Eared Owls frolic across open pastures feeding at dusk is greatly facilitated by the light gathering power of these wonderful binoculars. The Viper has XD glass and XR coatings to enhance image resolution and color accuracy while providing extraordinary brightness. The Viper is argon purged to extend the useful life of the binocular while providing superb water and fog proofing. It is lightweight and possesses excellent eye relief.

Couple the Viper with a wonderful field guide like the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America and your birder is set for a grand experience. The Fifth Edition of this field guide is touted as one of the best guides on the market today.