Best spot this morning for cranes was Raccoon Point. Some in the shallow
lake near parking area and hundreds in fields east of the dog kennels. That
is where we saw our lone Snow Goose in with some dozens of Canadas. The
Trumpeter swans were on the main body of Sturgeon Lake which is furthest
from parking. They were barely visible through the trees. The Common
Mergansers we saw were all in the Multnomah Channel and all were males!
Most of the other ducks we saw were at the Sauvie Island Wildlife Viewing
Area (the elevated bird blind) on NW Reeder Road, north of the road to
Willow Bar. Ducks there included Redhead and Canvasbacks.
There were numerous kestrels, none wanting to be photographed, However, one
harrier flew right down the road in front of us. We saw no male harriers.
The Peregrine was perched, the Merlin was speeding, the eagles all distant.
One seemed to be hanging out above a group of fishing cormorants.
For me the main reason to visit Sauvie--the cranes. Plenty of bugling but
no dancing.
https://atowhee.blog/2022/11/18/a-sauvie-friday-perfect-weather/
--
Harry Fuller
author of: *San Francisco's Natural History: Sand Dunes to Streetcars:*
https://ecowise.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/sfnh/
author of *Great Gray Owls of CA-OR-WA*:
https://ecowise.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/the-great-gray-owl-book/
author of *Freeway Birding*: *freewaybirding.com
<http://freewaybirding.com>*
birding website: http://www.towhee.net
my birding blog: atowhee.wordpress.com
