*SAS Minto-Brown Island Park Scouting Trip Report*
Barbara, Fred and I scouted Minto-Brown Island Park in preparation for our
Salem Audubon birding field trip on *Monday, April 4th at 7:00 a.m*. The
three of us walked 3.3 miles as we covered the west side of the park (Blue
Heron and Purple Rabbit Trails) including along Homestead Road. It was a
nice morning with partly cloudy skies and temperatures of 40 degrees at the
start and 50 degrees at the finish. We observed (saw or heard) 41 species.
We did observe some clearings along the Blue Heron Trail and are starting
to see improved shrubs and trees standout such as an apple tree with
blossoms. There appears to be less non-native vegetation and more
established native shrubs.
The highlights were as follows:
· There was an irruption (fallout) of *Orange-crowned Warblers* in
the park. We heard or saw 16 *Orange-crowned Warblers*. At one point all
three of us observed a warbler singing at the top of a tree along the Blue
Heron Trail just past the bridge over the slough;
· We saw two FOY *Osprey* including one near the platform to the
southeast of Parking lot #3;
· Saw four *Bald Eagles* during the scouting trip. Just as we
finished the scouting trip there was an adult *Bald Eagle* and an *Osprey*
in a fight near the river as they dove at each other;
· The pair of *Red-tailed Hawks* were in a tree near the nest close
to Parking Lot #3;
· We observed three species of woodpeckers including *Downy
Woodpecker*, *Red-breasted Sapsucker* and *Northern Flicker*;
· We saw *Wood Ducks *(12) for the first time this year;
· We observed a *White-breasted Nuthatch *going up and down a tree
trunk as well as hearing quite a few *Brown Creepers*;
· We saw quite a few *Ruby-crowned Kinglets *including one where we
could see the crest;
· Other birds of interest were a *Rufous Hummingbird* (FOY)
and a *Hutton’s
Vireo*.
Our next field trip (SAS Shorts) at Cascades Gateway Park is this *Wednesday,
March 30th at 9:00 AM*. The Minto-Brown Island Park field trip is
scheduled for *Monday, April 4th at 7:00 a.m. **(Note time change)**. * Meet
at Parking Lot #3. Please join us if you can.
Mike Unger
Keizer, OR
*Minto-Brown Island Park Checklist Summary for March 28, 2016*
*Identified Species: 41*
2 Cackling Goose
2 Canada Goose
2 Canada Goose (occidentalis/fulva)
2 Canada Goose (parvipes)
12 Wood Duck
11 Mallard
2 Ring-necked Duck
2 Common Merganser
2 Pied-billed Grebe
2 Double-crested Cormorant
1 Turkey Vulture
2 Osprey
1 Cooper's Hawk
4 Bald Eagle
2 Red-tailed Hawk
4 Mourning Dove
1 Anna's Hummingbird
1 Rufous Hummingbird
1 Belted Kingfisher
2 Red-breasted Sapsucker
2 Downy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)
1 Hutton's Vireo
2 Steller's Jay
6 Western Scrub-Jay
3 American Crow
3 Tree Swallow
10 Black-capped Chickadee
4 Bushtit
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
3 Brown Creeper
12 Bewick's Wren
10 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
16 American Robin
1 Varied Thrush
12 European Starling
16 Orange-crowned Warbler -- See general comments.
7 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
2 White-crowned Sparrow
10 Golden-crowned Sparrow
13 Song Sparrow
15 Spotted Towhee
4 House Finch
