[Umpqua Birds] N. Bank Road Large Falcon, etc.
- From: Matthew G Hunter <matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: umpquabirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 21:50:04 -0800
Greetings Birders,
Mark Hamm and I spent this morning and early afternoon up N. Umpqua Hwy and
N. Bank Rd. Our main goal was to relocate the large falcon that Liz Gayner
reported and photographed last week. Amazingly, we were successful, we
think, and it turned out to be a large:
PRAIRIE FALCON (photos and video linked below). We birded up the N. Umpqua
Hwy, then as we headed south on N. Bank Road, we stopped several places and
finally reached about 4 miles south of the bridge and immediately saw a
candidate large falcon in a lone black oak tree to the north on the hill.
Upon putting our scopes on the bird, we could see that it was a
gyrfalcon/prairie falcon type bird--gray-brown with a fairly light face. It
was facing right and away from us, so we could not see its front. As it
turned its head we could see that it had a dark whisker mark, pale cheek,
another dark mark farther back on its head, and a contrasting pale eyebrow.
We could also see that the wingtips fell short of the tip of the tail, but
not as far as would be the case for a gyrfalcon. Based on looking at ours
and Liz Gayner's photos, the bird was in the very same tree as during her
observation, and at nearly the same time (between 1015 and 1030). Because
of this, we presume it is the same bird that she saw. After several
minutes, the falcon flew to the east about a quarter mile to the top of
another tree on our side of the ridge. Several minutes later it flew down
over the ridge to the north and out of sight for us. We stayed around for
another half hour or so, but did not see it reappear. We also came back
briefly in the afternoon, but did not see it. I suggest that anyone
wanting to see the bird go there in the morning and just sit and wait at
the location (making sure your observation includes 1000-1030). Of course
there is no guarantee, but this "repeat" seems hopeful.
We also took a short walk within the North Bank Habitat Management Area, NE
from the interior picnic/parking area. Some highlights, of which I have
photos, include:
GOLDEN EAGLES--at least two different immature birds. Note what appears to
be a very full crop (bulge between the chest and throat of the bird) on the
second bird with the greater white in the base of the tail.
"YELLOW" immature GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW--I'm pretty sure it's a
Golden-crowned Sparrow. It was mostly yellowish and whitish. Beautiful
bird. I'm not 100% sure what the condition is called, but I think it is a
condition where melanin is lacking, but the carotinoid pigments
(reds/yellows) are still produced (I think Sibley calls this "Lacking
Eumelanin" (
http://www.sibleyguides.com/2011/08/abnormal-coloration-in-birds-melanin-reduction/).
In the photos, notice that where the Golden-crowned Sparrow would have
yellowish or warm tones (especially about the forecrown) the bird is very
yellow there. And where it would be darker or have more melanin for
durability, such as near the wingtips, it is more whitish. I'm just
thinking out loud, so if you have any insights or thoughts, I would be
interested in hearing them.
WRENTITS--Not rare, but we had gorgeous looks of these quite
cinnamon-pinkish-breasted individuals. There are several subspecies of
Wrentits in Oregon, and what we have in the central Umpqua Valleys is
unclear, so it is fun to get some photos of what ours look like.
Photographs show the bird getting a poison oak berry.
BALD EAGLE--I included a couple photos of a very dark immature Bald Eagle,
so you could compare with the immature Golden Eagles (compare shape, size
of head vs tail, amount and placement of white). I didn't include a photo,
but want to mention... from a pullout on N. Bank Rd. Mark and I saw a pair
of adults across the river (I don't remember the mile marker) at a known
nest location, and the female was standing on the nest.
Photos and video at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewghunter/sets/72157650390997475/
In this set I include Liz Gayner's photos for reference, then my falcon
photos, a short video of the bird in flight, then a still grabbed from
another video to show the dark wingpits, ... then photos of the eagles and
other birds mentioned.
The location from which we first observed the Prairie Falcon can be found
associated with this checklist from that location (but there are better
areas to park nearby):
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S21428435
Enjoy! And good luck to anyone who goes to look for the Prairie Falcon.
They do occur here on occasion, but it has been many years since I've seen
one here; they are few and far between. I am not aware of any documented
records of Gyrfalcon for Douglas County (anyone?).
Best,
Matt Hunter
Other related posts:
