Hi Caleb & All,
Nice find! Regarding your question as to how unusual it is to find a
Green Heron at this date ...
According to Tom Mickel's compilation of spring arrival dates for the
Eugene-Springfield area, the average arrival date for Green Heron there
is March 7th. Alan McGie didn't tabulate arrival dates for Green Heron,
in his equivalent compilation for the Corvallis area.
This is one of those species for which it's difficult to be sure which
sightings represent "arrivals." They could easily be around for weeks
without anyone noticing, until someone happens to wander across one.
In mild winters, a few spend the winter in the mid-Willamette Valley.
The Airlie-Albany CBC has recorded Green Heron on roughly half of the
counts since 2000.
Happy migration,
Joel
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2016 16:18:29 -0700
Subject: [obol] Green Heron Polk County
From: Caleb Centanni <caleb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Hi everyone,
A GREEN HERON was present at the Monmouth Sewage Ponds at about 3:15
P.M. It flew around the drainage ditch just south of the southernmost
ponded, landed and extended it distinctly reddish neck. A bird of very
clear, bright, and distinctive plumage. I will post a photo later. How
unusual is a record this early?
In other birds (;, a BLACK PHOEBE was flycatching on Ash Creek south
of the northeast pond, a large number of LESSER SCAUP, at least 400,
were present, and both AUDUBON'S and MYRTLE WARBLERS populated the
shrubs.
Good birding everyone!
-Caleb Centanni
