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
