Alan, David, OBOL,
In my records since 1994 for the Eugene/Springfield area, their average arrival
date is 10 April.
Tom Mickel
Eugene
From: obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of ;
Alan Contreras
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2019 8:13 PM
To: David Bailey
Cc: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; lanebirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [obol] Re: Oakridge and Willamette Pass birds
I see them so infrequently in migration around Eugene that I don’t really know
the normal arrival time. These two were very pale gray and thus probably
east-side birds.
Alan Contreras
acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx
Eugene, Oregon
www.alanlcontreras.com
http://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/edge-of-awe
On Mar 19, 2019, at 8:07 PM, David Bailey <davidcbaileyoregon@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Vespa Sparrows, I think of them showing up around tax day, April 15th.
Would you consider them early migrants? Perhaps they're riding newer models.
Really I meant Vesper Sparrows.
David
David C. Bailey
Seaside, Oregon
On Tue, Mar 19, 2019, 18:10 Alan Contreras <acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Daniel Farrar and I decided to do something a little different in today’s good
weather so we birded the morning around Oakridge with Mary Lee Sayre. We then
checked Hills Creek Dam and went up to the Salt Creek-Willamette Pass area.
The morning was great birding. Mary Lee showed us around the city-owned old
industrial park at the east end of Oakridge and it was very birdy. We saw a
remarkable 8 SAY’S Phoebe, five in the industrial park (three together and two
others singing) and three more just below it at the pond by the side of Salmon
Creek at the dead end of Coho Street. That’s easily the most I have ever seen
in one day, let alone a bit over an hour, in western Oregon. There could have
been more; 8 is a conservative number.
Also at the Industrial Park were two VESPER Sparrows with one Savannah (an
interesting side by side comparison of color and size) and four HORNED Larks
that Mary Lee found a couple of days ago. I have several photos of the larks
to send to lark people. They look very pale and plain.
Also present in those two areas were 7 Western Bluebird, dozens of swallows (a
mix of VG and Tree), one RUFOUS hummer, four Lincoln’s Sparrows at the
creekside area, two Dippers along the creek and a Virginia Rail at the pond in
the industrial park.
After lunch we went up the hill. This was generally slow and we failed to find
the Gray Jay and Mountain Chickadee we hoped for. Along with things starting
with “Sage.” Siskins were widespread in small numbers, otherwise the warm,
windy afternoon produced a very thin soup. The cone crop looks good but there
were no crossbills at all. The Salt Creek Falls road is only open to the ski
trail sno-park
In the late afternoon we checked the Dexter Reservoir causeway. Most of the
winter ducks are gone; two Eared and one Horned Grebe were highlights. All of
them had a fair bit of spring color.
The devastation from recent heavy snowfall is extraordinary. From Lookout
Point Dam to just above Oakridge, hundreds upon hundreds of trees along the
roads have been knocked down and eventually cut back from the highway. The
highway guardrails have been bent nearly flat from tree impacts in so many
places that the torn-up sections were impossible to count. In some sections ALL
of the trees near the highway are flattened. 25 miles of smackdown. I have not
seen anything like it before.
Daniel can add anything I forgot.
Alan Contreras
acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx
Eugene, Oregon
www.alanlcontreras.com <http://www.alanlcontreras.com/>
http://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/edge-of-awe
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