The Raptor Identification class took its field trip at the Preserve and at
Fernhill Wetlands on 10/10, rather than drive to Bonney Butte.
We enjoyed an adult Peregrine Falcon flying in and landing on the mudflats
around Oak Island Marsh (north end of Preserve) and watched it walk about and
drink from puddles before flying to a nearby conifer and then joining a
Red-tailed Hawk in flight for a few minutes before it finally drifted out of
view.
One adult Bald Eagle remained perched in the ash trees on the east side of the
marsh our entire time there and by the time we left a second adult had perched
less than 100 feet away in adjacent oak trees. This is the grove where a pair
nested prior to 2005. Twice in the last week I've been hearing eagle
vocalizations in the middle of the night from my house at the NE edge of the
Preserve.
Can anyone tell me if night-time vocalizations are common with bald eagle pairs?
A male northern harrier and American kestrels rounded out our morning before
heading to Fernhill where we watched an immature tundrius peregrine perched on
a snag in the se sector. It rained pretty steadily yet the bird remained
perched for quite some time. It was a cormorant landing on the snag above it
and craning its neck at the peregrine that got it to finally fly off.
Steve Engel, Nature Program Supervisor
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve | Parks and Recreation Department
phone 503-681-6283 |fax 503-681-6277
web www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/ParksRec |Twitter @hillsboroparks |Facebook
A CAPRA Nationally Accredited Park and Recreation Agency
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