I spent one night at the Best Western Ponderosa Inn, just outside of Sisters
Oregon, and saw lots of wildlife. The motel staff feed cracked corn and
other stuff to the wildlife just over the fence on Forest Service land. Mule
Deer come in all of the time, particularly each morning. When I got there, I
saw two Eurasian Collared Doves. In the lobby of the motel, there's a
loose-leaf notebook with monthly summaries of the birds observed by someone
at the motel, probably the owner. I noticed that Eurasian Collared Doves
appeared for the first time on the July, 2008 summary sheet.

Pygmy and White-breasted Nuthatches are regulars, as are White-headed
Woodpeckers. I saw White-headed Woodpeckers, close up, next to the motel
parking lot. Up the road, near Black Butte Ranch, I found what appeared to
be a begging juvenile White-headed Woodpecker, staying tight to an adult.

Western Gray Squirrels are also regulars at the motel, along with an
abundance of Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels and chipmunks. The motel binder
indicates that the chipmunks are Allen's Chipmunks which are new to me. I
need to study up on my chipmunks. It appears, if you're in Central Oregon,
you've got Yellow Pine, Least, and Allen's Chipmunks to differentiate, maybe
more.

I was pretty disappointed by the lack of butterflies in this area. Beautiful
country, though.

Kelly McAllister
Olympia, Washington