Have you ever seen the masked witchety? How about the oompalump? Living deep within the marsh, oompalumps can be a challenge to see.

Late August and early September are wonderful for many reasons, but bird song is not one of them. It's the quietest time of the year. Only the occasional mourning dove drones on, and even then it sounds more like a job requirement than real enthusiasm. Bewick's wrens still utter a few songs from the bramble patches along the Bear Creek Greenway warning off other males, and the irrepressible house finch still offers a couple of songs. But that is about it.

Ashland is recognized throughout the West for its Shakespeare plays. The Rogue River is noted for its rafting and fishing. But Southern Oregon is even more widely known among birders.

Oh, to be a bird now that August is here. I confess I am miserable in the heat of summer. When the thermometer tops 100 degrees everything outside is a chore. The wall of heat greets me as I step from the house to weed or to mow or even to head for the car to run a few errands.

It's not often that a new bird becomes established in the Rogue Valley. There have been few in the last 30 years. The barred owl has made its way slowly down from Canada. Their numbers in Jackson County are not large, but they are causing concern because of their interactions with spotted owls. Northern mockingbirds have established a modest breeding population after working their way north from California.

It seems everybody loves an omelet. Crows, jays, raccoons, weasels — even squirrels and mice — love to eat eggs. They are a complete meal and don't have a lot of defenses, other than mom. They can't run and they can't fight back.

Those who arise early or tend toward insomnia are fully aware that many spring birds begin the day painfully early. The impending day may be showing only the barest hint of pale sky on the eastern horizon, but tree and violet-green swallows have already taken flight to serenade the countryside from pitch black skies. Soon American robins join in with a flute-like song delivered at a deliberate pace.

Killdeer look as intelligent as any other bird. Indeed they can be downright crafty. Yet when it comes time to raising young, it is hard to imagine any bird being more addled.

Few enjoy the morning commute. There are drivers on cell phones drifting along 10 miles per hour below the speed limit, traffic lights that conspire against you, and the school bus that stops every 100 yards to pick up one more eager student. Before you complain too much, consider the commute of the black-footed albatross.

It looks like a woodpecker. Well, sort of. And it acts like a woodpecker "» sometimes. Simply put, acorn woodpeckers are oddballs.