The Finley Tri-color will always be intimately connected to Malheur for me
because it showed up about a day before Audubon Society of Corvallis' annual
bus trip to Malheur. The bus was diverted to McFadden Marsh before heading
east. The heron was cooperatively perched in a snag so we got to see
everything, even the toes. Lars
On Feb 15, 2016, at 9:54 PM, Alan Contreras wrote:
Enjoyed your post. I saw the 1976 heron at Finley too - at least the upper
half of it, as it was in tall grass. I also saw the Ona Beach bird many years
later.
.
.
Alan Contreras
acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx
Eugene, Oregon
On Feb 15, 2016, at 9:51 PM, Priscilla Sokolowski <priscillanhk@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Aha! I've been sitting here most of the afternoon/evening, thinking to
myself
"wasn't that a "Tri-colored Heron that was hanging out at Finley back in the
mid-70s probably 76 or 77 - for a week or more?" And wondering, since the
only records being mentioned for a while today were the 1945 sighting; was I
mis-remembering what species it was? But I was pretty sure it had been a
Tri-colored Heron. So I cheered when I saw the posting about a Tri-colored
Heron being photographed at Finley on 12-31-76. I was going on outings and
attending meetings with the Corvallis Audubon Society in those days and
everyone was all a-flutter about this bird. So was I, of course. (I lived in
Corvallis for a few years back then when I first came to Oregon. I
subsequently moved to Eugene fall of 78 and from various indications, I'm
still here). We saw the Heron from Bruce Rd. On the south side of the road.
It was west of the two 90 degree bends after passing the McFadden parking
lot, and before the next parking lot, right about where there is a culvert
running under the road. GPS: 44.389559, -123.297837 (from google maps). It
was on the south side every time I saw it - two or three times. I still
think of that bird every time I pass that spot; (and probably mention it to
whomever I'm with). It seems like that bird might have been around for two
or three weeks, though I can't be sure anymore. I bet there are others who
remember or wrote things down back then. Fred Ramsey would probably be one
such person. He was still leading over night birding trips when I saw him
last, two, maybe three years ago when I birded with Corvallis Audubon again
at Snag Boat Bend. It was fun to see him again after .... 40 years! Yup, 40
years. Took me a while on that outing before I suddenly realized I
recognized him. I think I had to ask someone to remind me of his name. Then
I went and spoke with him for a while. Fred L Ramsey wrote a "Birding
Oregon" book in about 78 - and I have a copy. It was mostly a collection of
many hotspots in Oregon with descriptions of birds likely to be seen at
each. Paperback, spiral bound, green cover with a sketch of an owl on the
cover. Published by Corv. Audubon Soc, (OSU bookstore). Copyright 1978. AH!
In the Finley section of this book, Fred mentions this bird we are
discussing:
"One fine morning in 1976, a Louisiana Heron settled at the (McFadden)
marsh, staying more than two weeks." (I guess my memory is doing okay after
all).
Of interest to me, and I would think, others as well, Fred's book also
mentions that Coyote Creek near West 11th (Fern Ridge) was a possible winter
roosting site for Long-eared Owls. He wrote of the area north of W11th at
Coyote Creek: "The Ash thickets you pass through are just the sort of place
one finds wintering Long-eared Owls, and they have been seen here.: I
thought he said Shore Ln might also be one, but no, I just checked. He says
Shore Ln has "... an Owl roost used by Barn and Great Horned Owls." I've
gone out there and there is a lovely and very dense but small stand of
cedars/fir threes just east of the parking area. Sometimes old books like
this bring forgotten information back to light.
I see from
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=&an=fred%20l%20ramsey&tn=birding%20oregon&n=100121503&cm_sp=mbc-_-ats-_-used
that there are five places which have this book for sale for as low as
$5.50. Powell's in Portland is one of those places.
Pardon my lengthy rambling soliloquy. I'm of an age where nostalgic memories
are more entertaining than anything else I am doing and sometimes fully
subvert my attention ...
Priscilla Sokolowski
On Mon, Feb 15, 2016 at 8:40 PM, <whoffman@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
BOGR lists 3 records: the one collected at Malheur NWR 31 Oct. 1945, one
photographed at Finley NWR 12-31 May 1976, and the Ona Beach bird, 11-13
Nov. 1993.
Wayne
From: "Tim Janzen" <tjanzen@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Alan Contreras" <acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx>, "Shawneen Finnegan"
<shawneenfinnegan@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "obol" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2016 6:04:59 PM
Subject: [obol] Re: 1945 Oregon Tricolored Heron record
Dear Alan,
If the specimen is somewhere in the museum, it isn't on display anywhere.
There are a few specimens of rare warblers in the museum, but I don't think
that there are any specimens of any other review species on display in the
museum. I suspect that the specimen wasn't preserved. It would be nice to
find the specimen if it was preserved. Perhaps it was sent to some other
museum such as the Burke Museum.
Sincerely,
Tim Janzen
From: obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf ;
Of Alan Contreras
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2016 5:38 PM
To: shawneenfinnegan@xxxxxxxxx
Cc: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx OBOL
Subject: [obol] Re: 1945 Oregon Tricolored Heron record
I think that specimen may be in the museum.
Alan Contreras
Eugene, Oregon
acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 15, 2016, at 5:34 PM, Shawneen Finnegan <shawneenfinnegan@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Someone recently asked if there was a record of Tricolored Heron from
Oregon. Dave found the reference in Littlefield's Birds of Malheur NWR,
Oregon. It was collected on October 31, 1945 at Benson Pond by G. Benson.
Cheers,
Shawneen and Dave
Sent from my iPad
