[obol] Scio BBS & Marion County Jackrabbit

[Moore, Randy]

I just saw my first Willamette Valley jackrabbit 2 days ago while doing surveys in exactly the area Bob describes, SW of Finley, on the edge of a x-mas tree farm.
 
  
Randy Moore 
104 Nash Hall 
Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife 
Oregon State University 
Corvallis, OR  97331-3803 
ph.  541-760-5542
fax  541-737-3590 
E-mail  randy.moore at oregonstate.edu 

________________________________

From: bob altman [mailto:baltman at peak.org]
Sent: Sun 6/3/2007 9:08 PM
To: 'Darrel Faxon'; 'Jeff Harding'; 'OBOL'
Subject: Re: [obol] Scio BBS & Marion County Jackrabbit


Back in the mid 90s when I was doing grassland bird surveys in the Willamette Valley, I saw about 12-15 jackrabbitts at maybe 5-6 different locations.  Almost all of the sightings were in/adjacent to Christmas tree farms.  If I remember correctly a couple of those were just south of Finley NWR, but there were others scattered throughout the valley including a couple jackrabbits seen up in the northern valley near Estacada.  I spent a fair amount of time in Christmas tree farms because vesper sparrows were nesting there (and an occasional streaked horned lark), but I would not call the jackrabbits common....in fact they are pretty rare.
 
This is a species that there seems to be little interest in from a conservation standpoint by all the various natural resource agencies and organizations, despite the fact that their historic habitat in the Willamette valley, grasslands and oak savannahs, gets a lot of attention as do the bird, plant, and butterfly species associated with it.  And add to that the fact that although it doesn't appear they were ever common in the valley, they are almost extirpated from the valley now.
 
Bob Altman
American Bird Conservancy
311 NE Mistletoe
Corvallis, Oregon  97330
541 745-5339
baltman at abcbirds.org
 
-----Original Message-----
From: obol-bounces at lists.oregonstate.edu [mailto:obol-bounces at lists.oregonstate.edu] On Behalf Of Darrel Faxon
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2007 8:37 PM
To: Jeff Harding; 'OBOL'
Subject: Re: [obol] Scio BBS & Marion County Jackrabbit
 
Jeff,
    It wasn't too many years ago I saw some along the road just a little south of Marion.  I have also been told that they are actually common on Christmas tree farms south of Corvallis, although I don't remember whom it was tha told me, and can supply no details.
 
Darrel
	----- Original Message ----- 
	From: Jeff Harding <mailto:jeffharding at centurytel.net>  
	To: 'OBOL' <mailto:obol at lists.orst.edu>  
	Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2007 4:31 PM
	Subject: [obol] Scio BBS & Marion County Jackrabbit
	 
	Bill Thackaberry and I found 64 species on the Scio Breeding Bird Survey this morning. The route runs from near Scio, Linn County, through Lyons, into Marion County at Mehama, then taking back roads through grass fields and Christmas trees to Union Hill, south of Silverton. Notable species included:
	 
	A pair of Bald Eagles was on Thomas Creek, east of Scio, the first for this route.
	Wilson's Snipe were winnowing at the first stop, east of Scio.
	An Olive-sided Flycatcher was singing in the hills south of Lyons, nice to hear.
	A Yellow-breasted Chat was singing near the end of the route, in Marion County.
	A Vesper Sparrow was singing in a Christmas tree Farm near the end, on Triumph Road, Marion County.
	 
	There was a Black-tailed Jackrabbit at Union Hill, still out and about at 9:00 AM. Three years ago we found one dead on the road on the way home from this survey. There must be a small population of these rabbits still hanging on in the area. Chris Maser, in Mammals of the Pacific Northwest (1998), says they "formerly reached the vicinity of Salem", but have mostly disappeared from the Willamette Valley.
	 
	Cheers,
	Jeff Harding
	 
	
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