Renee’s Encounter in the Native Plant Nursery

Renee Dompier

(Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians)

Native Plant Nursery Assistant

I’m Renee Dompier, member of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians. I’ve lived in the Willamette Valley of Oregon most of my life. I love the birds, black tail deer, coyotes, squirrels, moles and other animals that also live near here. 

I began as an Intern last fall and was just hired this spring as Native Plant Nursery Assistant. Elderberry Wisdom Farm is an amazing place to work. We get to make constant discoveries as we learn to care for the farm and the new native plant nursery. 

One day last week I was out watering when I noticed a little bird flying in and out of one of the 10-gallon garden pots in the forested area of our nursery. Later on, I walked over and discovered a little bird nest under the tufts of grass in one of the garden pots. When I looked closer, I found four small light blue eggs underneath the grasses.

I was so excited I showed my coworker Joaquin and we found out that it is a Junko nest. These little birds are one of the most abundant bird species in Oregon. You can identify them by their dark heads, rusty brown backs, and white outer tail feathers that flash when they fly overhead. I remember as a child calling them winter birds, but some of them actually live in the Willamette Valley year-round. Some do stay here year-round, but most migrate to the valley from higher elevations in the Cascades and from the north in the fall to winter here. These "snowbirds" are attracted to the valley's relatively mild winter and abundant food sources like seeds and insects. 

Photo of Junko nest at EWF

Photo of baby Junkos at EWF

When I checked on the nest later that afternoon, I found that three of them had begun to hatch! Their little baby beaks were wide open and they were crying for food. I ran to the classroom and grabbed my cell phone to take some photos, and brought out a bowl of water for them. When I saw the mom and dad both flying around over the nest, I turned around and left them in peace. 

By the next morning, all four had hatched! My son was here to help remove some poison oak from the native plant nursery, so he was able to get a photo for this newsletter. 

Now they are a regular part of my morning! Our whole team is grateful these little relatives chose our nursery to hatch their young! We have other birds here – hawks, owls, crows, flickers, robins, crested jays, quail and hummingbirds that live in the trees on or near our farm. We have found hummingbird nests and a quail nest a few years ago, but this is the first nest we have found in a while. I can't wait to watch them grow into little Junkos!