I drive to and from Eugene via Peoria regularly (at least once a week), and
typically make the trip more interesting by doing quick drive-by birding
along various routes on some of the less-traveled roads east and southeast
of Peoria. I had Prairie Falcons in southern Linn County on 4 dates last
winter (all between November and the end of January). This winter, I
haven't noticed a single PRFA in that area. However, I have had
substantially more Rough-legged Hawks this winter. Only 2 (both singles)
all of last winter, versus RLHAs on 7 dates this winter (including multiple
individuals on most of those dates).
It is my understanding that Prairies hunt mammals much more than Peregrines
do: perhaps there is some competition for prey between Prairie Falcons and
Rough-legged Hawks?
Nancy Stotz
On Wed, Feb 13, 2019, 1:35 PM <clearwater@xxxxxxxx wrote:
Hi all,Just after noon today while checking on the swan flock at Suver
Junction in s. Polk County (numbers down today but there were still at
least a half dozen TRUMPETER SWANS in with 35+ Tundra Swans), I saw a
PRAIRIE FALCON as it came off the perennial grass field just west of where
the swans have been feeding.
The falcon flew west along Airlie Rd. in the direction of De Armond Rd.,
which turns into Robison Rd. where it comes into Benton County about a mile
south of there. In other words, this was not far, as the falcon flies, from
the intersection of Wiles x. Robison Rd. where I found a Prairie Falcon
during a raptor survey on 30 Jan.
According to eBird, two other local birders recorded a Prairie Falcon in
that same area (Robison Rd.) during the first 2 weeks of February. I'm
guessing that this is the same bird that Kai Frueh found along Ryals Rd.
just east of Adair Village on 5 Jan, as there haven't been any further
reports from there (I've checked a few times, including today when I did
find a dark-morph ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK but no Prairie Falcon).
However there's another cluster of Prairie Falcon reports from recent
weeks in the area between Corvallis and Finley NWR. So it seems likely that
another one is patrolling that territory.
There have also been about half a dozen recent reports in the area between
Fern Ridge and Junction City, just about up to Monroe. One report from
Meadowview Rd. was at 11:44 on 2 Feb, less than 45 minutes after one was
photographed along Eureka Rd. on the east side of Finley NWR, 15 miles to
the north.
It seems like a fair bet that at least 3 Prairie Falcons are currently
patrolling territories on the west side of the Willamette River: one mainly
in northeastern Benton Co., one mainly in southeastern Benton Co., and one
in Lane Co. south of Monroe. Surprisingly there are no eBird reports from
western Linn Co. since early January, but that might be a function of lack
of coverage -- usually there should be several Prairie Falcons on the east
side of the mid-valley region in winter.
About that "blanched collard-dove" -- a flock of 20+ EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVES (EUCDs) along Robison Rd. just west of Wiles includes one
strikingly pale individual. When it tipped up in the act of ground-feeding,
I thought I could see dark grayish undertail coverts, similar to typical
EUCD. So I think this is just an aberrant EUCD, rather than a Ringed
Turtle-Dove (domesticated version of African Collared-Dove). There was also
a BLACK PHOEBE along Robison Rd. just w. of there, where it crosses Soap
Creek.
Earlier this morning during a walk around the south end of E.E. Wilson
Wildlife Area, I found a pair of BLACK PHOEBES calling back and forth in
the wetland where a pair was in courtship last spring. Also a flock of 6+
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, 1 SWAMP SPARROW, lot of LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, about
120 MOURNING DOVES in one field, and a singing HUTTON'S VIREO. Two GREAT
HORNED OWLS were duetting in broad daylight, a WESTERN SCREECH-OWL sang
briefly in response to my efforts to get a look at the W-t Sparrow flock,
and an adult SHARP-SHINNED HAWK perched contentedly with a full crop.
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
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