*Salem Audubon Society - Minto-Brown City Park Field Trip *
Nov 4, 2015
7:45 AM
Traveling
2.75 miles
271 Minutes
*Field Trip Summary: *
This was our first very cool day to bird and our first trip in Fall birding
to start at 8:00 am. We had two first time participants among 17 of us with
Fred Stephens and myself.
It was 37° to start with coolness and fog. Frost was reported around
Valley areas. Five students joined us from Jane Goodall School with
teacher, Rachel Mitchell. We walked out the parking lot to the field then
moved our planned walk clockwise to the river because of truck traffic. At
the River trail and viewing the rocky edge across we had no Spotted
Sandpiper, no Killdeer but a Merlin, either Richardsonii or
Pacific-probable first year female-and a highlight to behold. It was
perched low on a piece of wood at the rocky shore across the river and
seemed to be jittery in its head movement. It flew across the river toward
us and through the woods with a flight course that matches this species.
We had as many as four feeding flocks on the trip. There were 100 + gulls
that we did miss down river on the far rocky bar, but in lieu of time
sought variety returning from the river to the row of cherry trees and crab
apple spot. A Sharp-shinned Hawk at the top of a fir gave great study. The
field with the Osprey nest which is falling apart yielded an American
Kestrel and later a female Northern Harrier in the field past the
restoration plantings.
Returning to the parking lot we walked to the bridge, then the trail east
in our available time. We had as many as four feeding flocks on the trip.
The students contributed to the joy of the trip and we hope they return if
their time allows.
*Field Trip Highlights:*
We missed Bald Eagle, Varied Thrush, Anna's Hummingbird, both
nuthatches, again no Hairy Woodpecker.
We had great looks at the 5 raptors. The Sharp-shinned Hawk and the
Merlin brought forth great conversation.
Scoping and study of the 7 California Gulls offered good view and
student contribution that gave interest to others.
2 Hutton's Vireo came in closely for views of bills, structure
characteristics and secondary wing comparison to Ruby-crowns.
Golden-crowned Kinglets were very vocal throughout the woodland spots.
On the return walk along the oxbow we had a notable flyover of a
disturbed and calling and circling and almost chaotic flyover of Dusky
Geese in the air. Fred noted one orange collar.
*A complete list of bird observations follows.*
*Our next SAS trips are: *
· *Monday, November 16th*, SAS Shorts Minto-Brown Parking Lot Bird
Walk, *8:00am-9:00am*;
· *Thursday, November 19th*, Coast Trip with Wes Craven-Meet at
Jack-in-the-Box on Mission and 25th, 7:30 am for all day trip;
· *Saturday November 21*, Ankeny NWR Field Trip, *8:00 am-Noon;*
· *Sunday, December 13*, SAS Shorts, Ankeny Eagle Marsh *9:00am-10:30
am*;
· *Wednesday, December 16*, Minto-Brown Field Trip , *8:00 am-Noon*
.
*The Christmas Bird Count for Salem Circle is Saturday, December 19, all
day-join us if you can by signing up. *
15 Cackling Goose (minima)
8 Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)
200 Canada Goose (occidentalis/fulva)
1 American Wigeon
9 Mallard
2 Green-winged Teal
6 Common Merganser
7 Pied-billed Grebe
25 Double-crested Cormorant
2 Great Blue Heron
3 Great Egret
1 Northern Harrier
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
1 Red-tailed Hawk
7 Ring-billed Gull
5 Glaucous-winged Gull
1 gull sp.
2 Belted Kingfisher
1 Red-breasted Sapsucker
2 Downy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
1 Pileated Woodpecker - calling in the woods past the bridge
1 American Kestrel - Male perched on wire near Osprey nest
1 Merlin
2 Hutton's Vireo with good comparison views to Ruby-crowned Kinglet
4 Steller's Jay
3 Western Scrub-Jay
57 American Crow
21 Black-capped Chickadee
1 Chestnut-backed Chickadee
8 Brown Creeper
4 Pacific Wren
8 Bewick's Wren
10 Golden-crowned Kinglet
6 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
34 American Robin
8 European Starling
33 Cedar Waxwing
8 Fox Sparrow (Sooty)
4 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
3 White-crowned Sparrow
11 Song Sparrow
4 Spotted Towhee
1 House Finch
2 American Goldfinch
Number of taxa, 44 and 1 other.
*Thank you for joining,*
Barbara Dolan
