[obol] Marion Co. Common Loon and Barred Owl
- From: Roy Gerig <roygerig@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 23 May 2014 17:03:47 -0700
0630 on my way to Stayton, at the last minute I did not turn off and instead
went to look for Tyler Hallman's reported Grasshopper Sparrow along the Old
Mehama Road a few miles up Hwy 22, from a few days ago. 0700-0730 I did not
hear or see it. It may have moved on. Then, since I was already halfway to
Detroit, I went to Detroit Flats where it was as if Spring Migration is totally
over, I saw no transient birds, just a few standard nesting birds there. A
COMMON LOON, looking sharp, was on Detroit Reservoir. Then I tried the road up
to Elk Lake, not having been there since I was 15. The road was a little iffy
from 3500-3700', steep and narrow with big rocks (I moved a few) and a large
and steep drop off on the right, but otherwise OK. There is still a little
snow at 3700-3800'.
At Elk Lake I saw 8 or so VAUX' SWIFTS, lots of HERMIT WARBLERS, a nesting
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, 2-3 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES, and other normal stuff then
clearly heard a BARRED OWL classic hooting 3x while moving quickly through the
area near the Elk Lake campground at 3800'. This was at 11 AM and it hooted
for no reason (I didn't solicit anything)...I have never heard a Spotted Owl
hoot for no reason this late in the day. I stopped at the USFS Detroit Ranger
Station on the way back to Salem to tell someone there about it in case they
didn't already know. There is good looking Spotted Owl habitat, and I saw some
good looking very large potential nest trees including some leaners, most with
old witches brooms, some with chimneys, in the Elk Lake area. I Suggested that
they start shooting them (the Barred Owls)... I looked at the huge relief map
on the table, and it was instructive, to see topographically why so many
eastside birds (Gray Flaycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Sage Thrasher, and
others) are seen there. It is easily the best route in the Marion and Linn
County area to get from here to there (and back again?), from a bird's eye
point of view. I never made it to Stayton today.
More Later,Roy Gerig, Salem OR
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