The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

A familiar site on lakes, marshes, ponds, and rivers, the Mallard [Anas platyrhynchos], with its glossy green head and orange feet, is a stunning duck. Mallards are dabblers, feeding on... — Updated 5/23/2023

Bitter cherry, bird cherry, chokecherry, or bitter berry are all common names for Prunus virginiana. My neighbors have several in their yard that are of the Canada red variety of... — Updated 5/9/2023

The brightly colored Yellow Warbler [Dendroica petechia] spends the winter in Central America, and will soon be migrating 2,000 to 4,000 miles to breed in shrubby streamside areas around Sist... — Updated 3/28/2023

Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga Columbiana) occupies an integral role in the regeneration and maintenance of high-elevation pine forests. They store pine seeds, plucked from cones by their... — Updated 3/7/2023

Our most common owl is the Great Horned Owl, [Bobo Virginianus]. A nocturnal hunter, they hunt silently, gliding over fields and woodlands in search of mostly small mammals. However Great... — Updated 2/14/2023

A full-time resident of our pine forests, the Red-breasted Nuthatch, [Sitta canadensis], can be found climbing up and down tree bark using their enlarged toe and short tail, gathering conifer... — Updated 2/7/2023

Our most common small falcon, the American Kestrel [Falco sparverius], is often seen on fence posts, tree snags, and telephone wires. This 8- to 12-inch tall bird is also known as the... — Updated 12/13/2022

One of our smaller and most tenacious owls, the Northern Pygmy Owl [Glaucidium Gnoma], hunts during the day. Large insects, rodents, and songbirds make up the majority of their diet. Pygmies... — Updated 11/15/2022

A relatively common dabbler duck, the Northern Pintail [Anus acuta], feeds on grains, seeds, crustaceans, and aquatic insects. It gets its name from the long tail feathers ending in a... — Updated 10/18/2022

Berries and insects are being gleaned around Sisters right now - by Cedar Waxwings [bombycilla cedrorum]. They occur in medium to large flocks that will be seen on almost any tree that has... — Updated 10/4/2022

Lazuli Bunting (Passerina Amoena), which means beautiful sparrow, may be Oregon’s most colorful bird, brilliant blue with a cinnamon chest. Named for the gemstone Lapis Lazuli, this bunting... — Updated 9/15/2022

The most widely spread sandpiper in N. America is the Spotted Sandpiper [actitis macularius]. They live along rivers, lakes, and ponds, bobbing and teetering upon the shoreline to eat many... — Updated 8/30/2022

The Pileated Woodpecker (dryocopus pileatus) is home in a mature forest with dead snags that become large drums for the majestic woody. Whether for proclaiming territory, communicating, or ch... — Updated 8/16/2022

Walking through central Oregon’s ponderosa forests, the twittering and chirping one is most likely to hear is the Pygmy Nuthatch, feeding on insects while climbing all over the ponderosa... — Updated 8/2/2022

When the Spotted Towhee [Piplio Maculatus] is seen, often on low branches or on the ground, its colors are a stunning contrast to all the surroundings. It is a common bird of the thickets... — Updated 6/28/2022

The American Dipper [Cinclus mexicanus] or Water Ouzel is found singing and bobbing on fast- moving streams throughout the western U.S. Searching for aquatic insects and small fish, the Dippe... — Updated 5/24/2022

If you want a unique challenge, venture into the Cascades and attempt to find and listen to the brilliant Nashville Warbler [Leiothlypis ruficapilla]. Nashville Warblers are so called... — Updated 5/12/2022

Raucous, boisterous, annoying, disagreeable are just a few terms used to describe the Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri). Granted, much of their behavior can be described as loutish, and... — Updated 4/19/2022

The Western Bluebirds (sialia mexicana) will soon be returning to Oregon after wintering in California and Mexico. Dropping from a perch to feed on ground insects or consuming many berries... — Updated 3/15/2022

The Mountain Bluebird [Sialia currucoides] seeks out open areas with a mix of grasses, shrubs and trees, in mountainous areas up to 12,500 feet. Clearcuts, meadows, and sagebrush/juniper... — Updated 11/30/2021

Frequently seen in fall on lawns, roads, suet feeders, and trees, the Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) are large, black-spotted woodpeckers with a sparkling red slash [male] on their... — Updated 10/19/2021

The American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) are gathering in fields and farms and bird feeders, as thistles and grasses are reaching maturity. The bright warbles and twitters are heard as... — Updated 9/28/2021

Gliding up- and downstream on the Metolius or Deschutes rivers, the American Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) searches for available fish, which is 99 percent of its diet. When its prey is... — Updated 9/7/2021

Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus Rufus) is a fiery and often quarrelsome hummingbird that is the most common visitor to our nectar feeders. The brilliant orange gorget and rufous back flash... — Updated 8/3/2021

The red-naped sapsucker [Sphyrapicus nuchalis] feeds on the sap and insects drawn to the sap after drilling small holes in mostly deciduous trees: birch, willow, and especially aspen.... — Updated 6/29/2021