Grasshopper Sparrows can often be hard to see, but occasionally we hear reports
of birds that are kind enough to sing from fence posts right at roadside.
This one isn't quite so accommodating, but it might be easier than most other
places where this species shows up in the mid-Willamette Valley, and it's close
enough to the road that you could get a decent view with a spotting scope.
South of Brownsville on Gap Road, turn west onto Belts Rd and go 0.2 mile from
the intersection. On the north side of the road, there are a couple of
railroad-tie-size fence posts with a cross-beam in between them that's fallen
down on one end (shown in the lower right-had corner of the attached photo). As
you stand on the road near the next metal T-post west of them, look for a very
conspicuous English hawthorn (white flowering tree) that's in full bloom at the
base of the butte in the distance.
Right in line with that, perhaps 100 yards out past the fence, is a
distinctive, conical-shaped hawthorn shrub that looks like a Christmas tree
(indicated by the red arrow just ahead of the cows in this photo). This shrub,
about 7-8 feet high, turns out to be a favorite singing post for one of the
Grasshopper Sparrows in this pasture. In the second photo (not very useful for
ID purposes), if you squint you can see him perched in the very tip of this
shrub, like a tiny beige Christmas ornament. This morning around 06:30 AM he
was singing almost exclusively from this perch.
I could hear at least one other Grasshopper Sparrow countersinging about 100 m
off to the east, but I couldn't spot that bird. Tom Gilg recorded a Grasshopper
Sparrow singing at this location in late April, so these birds have been around
for at least 2 weeks now.
I'd recommend getting out there early (before 8 AM) as these birds tend to sing
much more infrequently as the day wears on.
There are also a few Vesper Sparrows singing about 1/4 to 1/2 miles farther
west along Belts Road, usually fairly close to the road. If you happen to spot
any banded birds, please let me know!
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
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