After running an errand near Tangent this morning, I detoured on a loop through
the Plainview/Ward Butte area east of Lebanon.
Along the south side of Glaser Dr. from 0.5 mile to 1 mile east of Seven Mile
Drive is a field that has recently been grazed down by sheep, creating good
conditions for wintering larks and pipits. I stopped to watch small flocks of
Savannah Sparrows and about a dozen Horned Larks right at roadside, taking time
to check for bands on the larks. Most or all of the latter appeared to be the
Threatened endemic subspecies, "STREAKED" HORNED LARKS (ssp. strigata). Of
about 8 birds for which I got reasonably clear looks at the legs, none were
banded.
I also noticed a big flock of several hundred AMERICAN PIPITS (probably well
upward of 400), mostly far out in the field to the south but with smaller
groups occasionally flying over into the grass field on the north side of the
road. A dozen or more Horned Larks were also out in that area, but mostly too
far out for good looks.
While parked there, five times in the space of a few minutes I heard a
"kididdle" call from about 50 m to 80 m out, which immediately had me thinking
of longspurs, but I never managed to locate the bird. From listening to
recordings on Xeno-Canto after I returned home, what I heard seemed closest to
Chestnut-collared Longspur as in this recording: [
https://www.xeno-canto.org/104375 ;| https://www.xeno-canto.org/104375 ] but I'm
not 100% positive.
There was also a large flock of Killdeer farther out in the field, and two
subadult Bald Eagles were squabbling over something out of sight down in a
swale, about a third of a mile out. One of the Horned Larks sang briefly in the
bright sunshine. In short, there were a lot of interesting birds in this
location. With continued good weather, hopefully others can get a look at
whatever bird or birds were making that call.
I checked for Say's Phoebes around Ward Butte where they often winter, but
didn't find any. On my way back to Corvallis, along Davis Rd. a couple miles
west/northwest of Shedd, I saw another flock of about 20 Horned Larks but
didn't manage to get a decent look at any of them.
Nice morning to be out there in the open spaces of southwestern Linn County.
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
