The Wednesday birders from Eugene went to the Delta Ponds. The day started
cold and wet and dark, but by 10:00 the sun started to come out from the
clouds and the birds started hopping from the bushes. We started at the
Valley River Center parking lot, in the northwest corner. On the ponds
were the regular ducks (mallards, Gadwalls, Shovelers, Ring-necks,
Bufflehead, Hooded Merganzers). On the river we saw Lesser Scaup, one
Common Merganzer, and some of the pond ducks, but no Goldeneyes. Two of
the three Black Phoebes were found on the ponds and one on the river’s
edge. Two adult Bald Eagles cruised overhead near the end of our morning.
Two Wrentits, which had been found during the CBC, were located in the
blackberries close to the trail before we approached the first large pond.
As we were leaving, a Green Heron was spotted by Sarah at the far edge of
the main pond near the office buildings. Here is our entire list.
Cackling Goose – some on the ponds
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler – a few
Gadwall - lots
American Wigeon – a couple
Mallard
Green-winged Teal – a dozen
Ring-necked Duck – several
Lesser Scaup – a dozen on the river
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser – three pairs
Common Merganser – one on the river
Pied-billed Grebe - eight
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird – very common, heard frequently
American Coot
Killdeer - one
Glaucous-winged Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron - one
Bald Eagle – two adults
Red-shouldered Hawk - two
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-breasted Sapsucker - one
Downy Woodpecker – three or four
Hairy Woodpecker - one
Northern Flicker – only one heard
Black Phoebe - three
California Scrub-Jay – many, but no Stellers
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
White-breasted Nuthatch – one heard
Brown Creeper
Pacific Wren – one
Bewick's Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Wrentit - two
American Robin
European Starling
House Finch – only two
Lesser Goldfinch – not many
American Goldfinch – a couple
Fox Sparrow - one
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow – only one
Golden-crowned Sparrow – several scattered about
White-throated Sparrow - one
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-rumped Warbler – many, especially after the sun came out
House Sparrow – two near the apartments
Sylvia Maulding, Cindy and Mark Armstrong, Jim Regali, Kit Larsen, Judy
Franzen, John Polo, Sarah Vasconcellos, Tom Cable, Jim Mitchell, Ellen
Cantor, Nancy Clogston and Dennis Arendt
