[Umpqua Birds] Short Saturday Field Trip to Eastwood
- From: "Jay Walters" <waltershome@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <umpquabirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 06:49:47 -0800
The third installment of Matt's Four-in-a-Row Short Saturday Field Trips this
past Saturday morning included visits to Eastwood Park and the nature trail at
Eastwood School. We saw (according to Matt's great record-keeping) no less
than 30 species, mostly along the very diverse trail at the school. The many
highlights included 20 bushtits in a flurry of activity in a thicket, a merlin
sitting high in an ash tree along Deer Creek, and a male Coopers hawk in
display flight over the park as we were leaving. It was a great morning at a
worthwhile birding venue minutes from downtown Roseburg!
Here is Matt's list of sightings from the outing:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S17145301
If you've ever walked the half-mile long trail at Eastwood School, you've
enjoyed its diversity of habitats from lowland Oregon ash to upland white and
black oak, with stands of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine along the way. The
main stem of Deer Creek flows along a goodly stretch of the trail, too, adding
another dimension to the variety of habitats and their winged inhabitants
you'll find at the school.
The main trail roughly follows the perimeter of the 42-acre school campus.
There are several side trails, too - check out the map on a large sign
immediately to the right as you enter the school grounds off Waldon Avenue.
The school campus may also be accessed from Eastwood Park via a footbridge
across Deer Creek. The trail and grounds are best enjoyed in the evenings and
weekends, and during the summer, when school is not in session.
I've seen river otters, gray fox, beaver, birds aplenty.and signs of bear along
the Eastwood trail. You never know what you're going to find out there!
Jay Walters
Roseburg, Oregon
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