[birding] north corvallis

[Joel Geier]

Hi Rich,

Here is a link to Environment Canada which tells how to report collared
swans:

http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/nwrc-cnrf/default.asp?lang=En&n=725379F9-1

That's been a regular spot for Prairie Falcon for several years now, so
I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same bird from year to year. It
seems like Prairie Falcons use the same territories year after year
(like the Davis Rd. birds and one that used to visit our place east of
E.E. Wilson). Could be habitat, but there's a lot of similar habitat. I
guess they can live for 10-15 years or more. 

If more of our winter raptors were this distinctive, my hunch is that
we'd notice that many of them return to exactly the same territories
year after year. One Harlan's Hawk originally found by Rich Hoyer's dad
showed up for something like 15 years on the same utility pole at the
east end of Suver Rd. I kind of felt like we should have done a memorial
service for the bird after it finally stopped showing up.

Cheers,
Joel


On Mon, 2009-12-28 at 12:02 -0800, rich armstrong wrote:
> 1. actually mary garrard and i began in west corvallis at 6 am but
> cound not hear a saw-whet owl.
> 2. then i went north to robison road hoping to get trumpeter swan
> and/or prairie falcon in benton county - i didn't.
> 3. i had 2 groups of 5 and 7 swans fly over me (not making a sound),
> but i think they were tundra swans. i then went to the corner of 99
> and airlie where there were about 70 swans and 8 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
> GEESE. i think most of the 70 were tundra but i am pretty sure there
> were 5-10 TRUMPETER SWANS. there was 1 swan (tundra i am reasonably
> sure) that had a blue neck band "P975". if anyone knows someone who
> would be interested in that please pass this on.
> 4. i did find the PRAIRIE FALCON that paula & marcia found on the
> airlie count - right where they found it in polk county (on d'armond
> almost to airlie road) about 1 mile from benton.
> 5. i find it interesting that i lead a field trip out to this area
> last winter and we found a prairie falcon right where this bird was,
> and we found a flock of swans that had about 8 white-fronted geese
> with them.
> 6. there was 1 WHITE-TAILED KITE and 1 NORTHERN SHRIKE on military
> road just south of robison.
> 7. there were lots of kestrals, harriers, and rough-legged hawks with
> all the red-tails all along robison. i saw a small falcon fly at a
> flock of blackbirds and i was hoping for merlin, but it was a kestral
> 8. the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was in his tree for 30 minutes with
> just 2 quick breaks to fly off toward the pond. i even called paula
> vanderhuel who drove out while i watched the bird and it was still
> there when she arrived. there are many many sap holes in the tree and
> if you want to try for the bird i would suggest just stand on the road
> with a good view of his tree (tall bare tree on north side of road
> just west of the hq road) and wait. you may get lucky like i did last
> 2 days or you may have to wait a while, but i don't think he goes far
> from that tree. 
> 9. there has also been a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK right near that
> interection last 3 times i have been there.
> Rich Armstrong
> 541-753-1978
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