We ran the Boardman Raptor Route on 1/16. The weather was ideal for
counting birds -- cloudy skies, no fog or wind, temps in the low 40s, and
just a little bit of rain. We hit our all-time high for raptors (150) and
had a great time.
Results included:
68 Red-tailed Hawks (a new record for us; biggest concentration was along
Kunze Lane)
37 American Kestrels
8 Northern Harriers
25 Bald Eagles (another new record; most were seen from the Umatilla NWR
auto tour route)
1 Prairie Falcon
2 Merlins
3 Coopers Hawks
1 Coopers/Sharpie
1 Great Horned Owl
2 Barn Owls
Other notable sightings included 4 Tundra Swans at the Umatilla NWR, the
first time we've seen them there. Also, we saw two sizable flocks (i.e.
thousands) of Snow Geese in the fields along Hwy 730 between Paterson Ferry
Road and Irrigon.
Better late than never,
Bill Bradford
Lora Minty
