[birding] Airlie Trumpeter Swans, GWF Geese, Savannah Sparrow flock etc.

[Joel Geier]

Hi folks,

This afternoon a few TRUMPETER SWANS and TUNDRA SWANS were still along
Airlie Rd. SE of the hamlet of Airlie, s. Polk Co., though the bulk of
the flock (about 90 of the swans) have moved to a field about 1/2 mile
south of Airlie Rd., off of Berry Creek Rd. 

Five Trumpeters flew low over me as I was biking along Airlie Rd.,
vocalizing to make for an easy identification, and then landed in a
field a bit NW of De Armond Rd. This is the same place where I saw five
swans two days ago; I wrote them off as Tundras but didn't get a good
look because it was a hazardous place to pull off to the side in the
minivan. With a bicycle, it was safer to get a good look. Assuming that
these are the same five swans, my total estimate of this year's
Trumpeter Swan flock in the Airlie area should be raised to 55.

A flock of nine GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were still hanging out in
the field farther west, with 7 or 8 Tundra Swans. I couldn't spot the
two Short-eared Owls that were there a couple of days ago, but they
might just have been hunkered down in the grass. A WHITE-TAILED KITE was
perched on the fenceline to the north (and possibly a second farther
off).

A flock of close to 100 SAVANNAH SPARROWS were coming down to water in a
ditch, from the cover crop that the Xmas tree farm uses (sudan grass?).
That's the more Savannah Sparrows than I've seen around here during
winter in the last five or six years; I wonder if they might be migrants
already.

I didn't see the Prairie Falcon today. On the theory that it might have
moved farther south on De Armond Rd., I tried looping back on that road.
Big mistake! There is a thick new coat of fresh gravel on this road.
Within a mile my back tire was off the rim and the inner tube wouldn't
hold air.

Being a bicycle birding rookie, I didn't have a patch kit along. I'd
thought about that before leaving home, but figured, "Well, in the worst
case I can always walk home." 

It was good that I had a worst-case plan. I wound up walking the bike
the remaining 4 or 5 miles back home. At least it was a nice afternoon
with a few sun breaks. I saw four ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS (two along Airlie
Rd. before the flat tire) plus the usual Northern Harriers and Red-
tailed Hawks, about 20 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, and gazillions of AMERICAN
ROBINS which really seem to be massing in this area now. I was watching
and listening for Horned Larks but didn't detect any.

Close to home at Toketie Marsh (Coffin Butte landfill's remedial
wetlands, s.i.c.), there were four CINNAMON TEAL (3 drakes and a hen)
and a first-winter GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL which seemed to have an injured
wing. It looks like BEAVERS (yes, not the nutria which are always there)
have made it across the highway from E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area and are
starting to work on some of the poplars around the landfill.

Now, having enjoyed considerably more of the afternoon than I'd planned
on, I guess I'd better get to work.

Happy birding,
Joel

--
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis