[birding] Pyrrhuloxia 2009, etc. & flooded yard (from OBOL)

[Jamie S.]

The following is copied from OBOL.  If you don't care about rare birds, you may still find the info about his yard when flooded interesting; see the last paragraph.
Jamie Simmons, Corvallis
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The PYRRHULOXIA survived the cold snap and appears hale and hearty for the new 
year. Today it spent some time in our back yard, but it seems to head for 
deeper cover during bad weather. Yesterday, a windy day, it was in the 
protected area north of the house with the big oak tree. 

Nobody, as far as I know, has seen the Palm Warbler since December 22.

The BLACK PHOEBE was on top of the church this morning.

Yesterday, the first, I found a bright ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER in our back yard.

A PRAIRIE FALCON flew over town today.

I found a SWAMP SPARROW at Snag Boat Bend on Tuesday, the 30th. Right now the 
area is inaccessible due to flooding. (I was in my kayak when I found it.) 


Some of you, I think, have seen our back yard and might be marginally 
interested in what happens here when the water rises. Near flood stage we loose 
all of the lower yard, and about half of our property becomes a bay. Then we 
can count on having PIED-BILLED GREBES--often five or six--in our yard. I think 
they dive to pick worms out of the grass. The past four days we've had a female 
COMMON MERGANSER patrolling the shallow areas with her face under water and her 
crest pointing straight up, as if she were snorkeling. For the past two days a 
GREAT BLUE HERON has occupied a choice spot where the current flows in from the 
main channel, right past its legs. We've seen it chug down five or six fish. 
BELTED KINGFISHERS sometimes sit in the willows over the still water, and we 
always have at least one SPOTTED SANDPIPER bobbing along the water's edge. Of 
course, fantastically rare birds appear here all the time, but usually no one 
is around to see them. 



Randy

Peoria


      
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