[obol] SE Oregon Highlights from WINGS tour – Red-shouldered Hawks everywhere
- From: Richard Hoyer <birdernaturalist@xxxxxx>
- To: OBOL <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 21:59:51 -0700
Hi All,
Just a few noteworthy sightings from the past few days while guiding a private
WINGS group:
July 30: We visited Summer Lake and Lake Abert (thanks to the Hinkles for
suggested spots to hit). A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was on a fence post about 300
yards south of milepost 86 south of Summer Lake. At the State Wildlife Refuge
buildings where you turn off for the auto route, the hummingbird feeders were
hopping – one CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD was among the many Rufous and Anna's
(perhaps 5-8 Anna's seems high for this area). I might have seen a
Broad-tailed, but it took off before I could be certain. The phalarope
spectacle was incredible. In the evening three of the six joined me to Idlewild
Campground where we had 3 very responsive FLAMMULATED OWLS about 1/3 mile down
Hwy 395 from the campground entrance, as well as a Rubber Boa and a North
American Porcupine, also both on Hwy 395.
July 31: a family (or maybe two) of BLACK ROSY-FINCHES were below East Rim at
Steens Mountain, easy to see immediately upon our arrival. Eye-level juvenile
PRAIRIE FALCON and a pair of WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS were also fun to see there.
August 1: We birded through Malheur NWR. Headquarters was not as quiet as I
expected with many WESTERN TANAGERS, LAZULI BUNTINGS, and very noisy EASTERN
KINGBIRDS in addition to three species of empids – singleton WILLOW, "WESTERN,"
and GRAY FLYCATCHERS. We flushed a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK from the first row of
trees at Benson Pond, and had a teed-up female BOBOLINK about 1/2 mile north of
P Ranch; most of the breeding population has departed to gather in a big flock
somewhere, presumably. A pair of male WOOD DUCKS on the Blitzen north of Buena
Vista were not expected, and two HOODED MERGANSERS and a FRANKLIN'S GULL were
on the Island Ranch Rd pond on Hwy 205 S of Burns.
August 2: Early this afternoon we had our third RED-SHOULDERED HAWK of the
trip, this one at Yellowjacket Lake NW of Burns-Hines. Other highlights from
the day included seven species of woodpecker along just a couple miles of Jack
Creek Road W of Bear Valley in southern Grant County, as well as a distant
NORTHERN GOSHAWKS – an adult calling and a begging young.
August 3: We did the long drive back to Portland from Hines today, with an
early morning at Aldrich Mountain as last year. But different from last year
was a complete lack of Dusky Grouse on the road – perhaps they didn't have as
good a breeding year as last (when we had nearly 30). But seven species of
woodpecker, including a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER (my first here since visiting
nearly every year since the 2006 burn) was great. Finally a MOUNTAIN QUAIL
crossed the road a few miles south of Fossil, Wheeler County, and several
CHUKARS on the highway just north Dyer State Wayside north of Fossil, Gilliam
County.
All sightings will soon be posted to eBird.
Good Birding,
Rich
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Rich Hoyer
Tucson, Arizona
Senior Leader for WINGS
http://wingsbirds.com
my blog: http://birdernaturalist.blogspot.com
fabulous bloggers: http://birdingblogs.com
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