[obol] Sedge Wren update
- From: Joel Geier <joel.geier@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Oregon Birders OnLine <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Mid-Valley Nature <mid-valley-nature@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2014 17:33:35 -0800
Hi all,
Today's field trip to the north half of E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area went
by the location where I recently observed a Sedge Wren. I was keeping
this location quiet out of concern for the Short-eared Owls that were
using adjacent habitat, as well as a possibly nesting Barn Owl.
However, when we arrived at the location today, we saw that an ODFW
worker was just finishing up mowing the area where the Short-eared Owls
had been roosting. So that concern becomes moot. Those owls have already
been displaced and hopefully will find other suitable habitat.
The Barn Owl is still a concern but it is easier to describe which area
to stay out of, in order to avoid disturbance: Please just do not walk
up close to the shed where you can see the Barn Owl nesting box. You can
see into the box from a respectful distance. It seems likely that one
owl from this pair has already been killed as I found remains along a
nearby roadway a couple of weeks ago, and the remaining owl might have
left by now.
However, I strongly encourage all of you to behave as if you knew that
nest box was occupied. Barn Owls are very vulnerable to Red-tailed Hawks
and other diurnal raptors if flushed by day, as well as to Great Horned
Owls at night.
The Sedge Wren was very close to the road that runs straight north from
headquarters to this shed, about halfway between the shed and the oak
grove where the Acorn Woodpeckers have started a colony. You should not
have to walk out into that patch of habitat (which has not been mowed)
to listen for it. It was within 25 feet of the road when I saw it, and I
doubt that it has moved out of that patch.
I see this as a situation where judicious use of playback could be
preferable to having people doing zig-zag grid searches or skirmish
lines through the habitat, trying to flush the bird (that is what I was
trying to avoid). We tried a bit of playback today but conditions were
not exactly optimal, with a cold north wind, and we didn't get any
response.
The numerous Lincoln's Sparrows that were using the area that ODFW has
mowed are now squeezed into a narrow strip of unmowed vegetation around
the edges of the field, so we had good looks at a couple, fleeting looks
at quite a few, and heard even more. Raptors and ravens were enjoying
the easy pickings in the mowed area.
Some of the other participants surely kept better track than I did, of
the species that we observed, so I encourage them to post. It was a very
nice group of birders and I enjoyed meeting some new folks as well as
visiting with the ones whom I already knew. Credit for spotting birds
was very widely shared -- I would have missed some good ones if not for
more keen eyes in the group.
Happy birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
OBOL archives: www.freelists.org/archive/obol
Manage your account or unsubscribe: //www.freelists.org/list/obol
Contact moderators: obol-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Other related posts:
