Hi Folks,
As part of a Douglas County Big Day birdathon event organized by Jimmy
Billstine, my team (w/Stacy Burleigh and Bob & Jeannie Pollock), birded
central Douglas County from 0530 to about 1600 (a couple hours over our
original estimate of 8 hrs). We started in Melrose, went out Melqua Rd.,
towards Umpqua (with a side trip to the edge of the Callahan Mtns), various
no-name stops here and there on the way to Ford's Pond, Kanipe Park,
Elkhead, Plat I Reservoir, and Stewart Park Wildlife Area, and back home.
We had an arbitrary goal of 100 species for the day, and at about 1600 hrs
we had our 101st species of bird for the day, a RED-TAILED HAWK along
Cleveland Hill Road.
Our complete list of 101 bird species with some notes can be viewed here:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29493046
(If for some reason this doesn't work, let me know.)
Unusual Species included:
REDHEAD--Pair at Ford's Pond
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER--one calling, singing, and observed in the ceanothus
and nearby oak/pine woods just north of the old tennis courts at Umpqua
Community College.
Other fun observations (expected but uncommon):
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER--nice looks at this neat cavity-nesting flycatcher
just north of the old tennis courts at Umpqua Community College.
VESPER SPARROWS--watched one singing along the BLM road between Melqua Rd
and the Callahan Mtns.
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW--watched and listened to a male singing in the draw
south of the Horse Camp access road at Kanipe Park
IT WAS A REALLY FUN DAY. I had never done a central Umpqua Valley big day
or part big day before. It was a lot of fun looking for all the species we
could find. I had made a list of about 130 possibilities so we could see
our progress and what species we still wanted to try to find. The sun and
heat just about beat us in the afternoon, but we survived!
Best,
Matt Hunter
Melrose
