My impression is that the crane route is basically from Sauvie-Ridgefield
across Portland (more or less following the Willamette) with eventual edging
down the foothills not until somewhere around Mt. Angel. I would not expect
many in the eastern 2/3 of Clackamas County. Any observers there to comment?
I also have the impression that a lot of them turn southeast around Creswell,
just like the White-fronts, following the Willamette canyon across to the
Klamath marshes. I don’t think very many go straight south over the western
Siskiyous, though observers there could correct me.
Alan Contreras
acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx
On Oct 15, 2015, at 9:28 AM, Robert O'Brien <baro@xxxxxxx> wrote:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Robert O'Brien <baro@xxxxxxx <mailto:baro@xxxxxxx>>
Date: Thu, Oct 15, 2015 at 9:28 AM
Subject: Re: [obol] Re: testing an hypothesis #2
To: carrotguy55@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:carrotguy55@xxxxxxxxx>
On the other hand, farther north, in Carver, I've neither heard nor seen
Sandhill Cranes
in 42 years here. Canada geese (other than wintering birds) are regular but
not abundant;
White-fronts are regular but only occasional in spring.
Bob OBrien
On Thu, Oct 15, 2015 at 9:15 AM, roger freeman <carrotguy55@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:carrotguy55@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Just to add to this discussion, I can't speak for the west side of the
Willamette valley, but I live in the hills east of Silverton, essentially the
Cascade foothills, and I hear Sandhill Crane flocks every October flying
over. And I am not home that often, so I can imagine I miss many flocks
that may pass over.
Roger Freeman
East of Silverton
On Wednesday, October 14, 2015, David Irons <llsdirons@xxxxxxx
<mailto:llsdirons@xxxxxxx>> wrote:
Paul,
Crane movements through the Willamette Valley seem to be mostly if not
entirely confined to the eastern part of the trough. In all my days of
running Schwan's routes in Yamhill County (nearly five years) I never heard
or saw Sandhill Cranes. We get birds over Portland's West Hills, probably
funneling along the north-south section of the Columbia (Woodland, WA south
to Portland) and then the flight path seems to shift east passing over
Silverton, Lebanon, Brownsville and Marcola east of Springfield. I've always
presumed that cranes move to the east side of the valley to take advantage of
the combination of thermals coming off the valley floor and the uplift over
the western foothills of the Cascades. When I lived in Eugene I would
regularly see and hear cranes over the Coburg Hills and up against the
eastern edge of the valley, but rarely had them farther to the west.
Dave Irons
Portland, OR
From: paultsullivan@xxxxxxxxxxxx <>
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <>; YamhillBirders@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <>
Subject: [obol] testing an hypothesis #2
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2015 21:17:12 -0700
To test whether the reports of Sandhill Cranes migrating over Portland could
be seen in Yamhill County (where the species is really hard to find) I went
to the east end of Parrett Mt., then Chehalem Mt. from 12:25 – 3:25 this
afternoon. The vantage point has a great view of Wilsonville all the way to
Mt. Hood.
Result:
No cranes
I’ve done a couple watches from there previously with the same result.
Carol & I did see 6 Sandhill Cranes flying over Burgerville in Newburg on
Mar. 4, 2007.
Paul Sullivan
