Royal Fluff: Kinglets of the Upper Deschutes  by Sevilla Rhoads Regulus satrapa and Corthylio calendula When you see royal terms like ‘king’ and ‘crowned’ in a bird’s name, you…

The 2023 American Birding Association’s Bird of the Year: the Belted Kingfisher.  Megaceryle alcyon A special thank you to Marina Richie for inspiration! Every now and then you encounter a…

At four in the morning on December 20th, the Sunriver forest was so quiet, you could hear the light snow patting the frozen trees.  It was just above freezing.  Suddenly, startlingly close,…

By Sevilla RhoadsSpecial thank you to Chuck Gates for reviewing this post. Owls of the Upper Deschutes Part One: The Great Horned Owl (bubo virginianus) Noah Strycker’s Birding Without Borders…

  By Sevilla RhoadsSpecial thank you to Marilyn and Craig Miller for inspiration, information, and editing. Glistening frosts crystallize the Upper Deschutes’ river meadows in October and November. A few…

  By Sevilla Rhoads, including a conversation with Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot Introduction  Like so many others in Central Oregon, our family spent many days sitting inside these past two months…

Sunriver’s Autumn Colors – Wood Warblers By Sevilla RhoadsThank you to Chuck Gates for his time reviewing our bird blog posts for accuracy. In autumn, Sunriver’s conifers may not turn…

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) By Sevilla RhoadsThank you to Chuck Gates for his time reviewing our bird blog posts for accuracy. We recently lost a much-loved family pet. We processed…

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) By Sevilla RhoadsThank you to Chuck Gates for his time reviewing our bird blog posts for accuracy. One reason to pause and notice birds, even if…

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) By Sevilla RhoadsThank you to Chuck Gates for his time reviewing our bird blog posts for accuracy. Distressed cries echo insistently across Sunriver’s meadows, so you look…

April on Sunriver’s Waterways: A Fond Farewell to Three Winter Duck Species Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)Barrows Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica)Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) By Sevilla Rhoads As we say goodbye to winter’s…

One of Our Coolest Common Finches Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) By Sevilla Rhoads While I watch and photograph Red Crossbills in Sunriver, people passing by often stop to ask, “What…

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) By Sevilla Rhoads Even people who tend not to notice birds turn their heads to stare when this species swoops across Sunriver with…

(Sturnus vulgaris) By Sevilla Rhoads  The most fervently despised species in the U.S. descended from eighty birds brought to this country from England because they are mentioned in Shakespeare’s Henry…

(Buteo jamaicensis) By Sevilla Rhoads Almost every time you walk the trails around the airport and stables, you can see one or more Red-tailed Hawks.  Perhaps you spot them perched…

(Corvus corax) By Sevilla Rhoads Who is that striking dark figure watching you with keen black eyes?  The subject of legends across cultures and time, Sunriver is a place the…

(Ardea herodias) By Sevilla Rhoads Often described using words like majestic and stately, Great Blue Herons pose year-round on Sunriver’s waterways, meadows, and lakes. These long-legged, sharp-billed birds are often…

(Colaptes auratus) By Sevilla Rhoads Even though we see and hear this woodpecker almost every day in Sunriver, we remain constantly awed by the dashingly handsome and flamboyant Northern Flicker….

by Sevilla Rhoads, SNCO Volunteer Almost every day at the nature center, you can find one of the cutest of our local little birds: the Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli). It…

Each year between December 14 and January 5, birders set out to census birds for the nation’s longest-running community science bird project. The Christmas Bird Count is administered by the…