[birding] Re: news from Corvallis/ (Airlie nighthawk)

[Joel Geier]

Hi Susie,

I'm forwarding your note to the MidValley birding list
(www.midvalleybirding.org), as these kinds of reports can be of local
interest. Also, if you join the list, you'll hear about lots of
Corvallis-area sightings that usually don't make it onto the statewide
birding list.

We had a bit of discussion on Common Nighthawks a couple of weeks ago,
in which Jim Fairchild commented on nighthawk breeding habitat. In and
around the edges of the Coast Range, the key "habitat" seems to be
clearcuts. The one you heard near Airlie Winery may have nested around
one of the recent clearcuts on Dunn State Forest (I think that road you
were on continues past the wineries into Dunn State Forest), or nearby
private timberlands. They sometimes use the less-used logging roads and
"landings" for nesting sites.

Nighthawks also nest on gravel bars along the Willamette River, and
other places with a gravel substrate. According to birders who've lived
in the Willamette Valley much longer than me, they used to nest on
gravel rooftops in towns, and at one time (up to the 1960s?) were a
common sight over Eugene, Corvallis etc. However, numbers have since
declined steeply. Some suspect that insecticides are to blame. Others
have suggested that changes in roofing materials and a general increase
in urban crow populations could also be a factor.

So yes, these days a nighthawk counts as a notable sighting in our area,
particularly anywhere away from the Coast Range.

I'll leave your V-g Swallow nest box questions to the Bluebird Trails
volunteers who have a lot of expertise on this subject!

Happy birding,
Joel


Subject: news from Corvallis
From: "Susan Hatlevig" <hatlevis AT comcast.net>
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:13:16 -0700
Hi,

I forgot to mention that my neighbor has a bird house on a pole in his front
yard-within a few feet of ours.  Violet-green swallows nested in it this
year.  I had been worried about them in the intensely hot days wondering if
they would bolt from the nest due to the heat.  However, they stayed and the
babies got noisier and noisier.  Finally one day they were just gone and a
few evenings later we saw 5 rather than 2 swallows in the sky.  Do they just
immediately fly?  Should I suggest the box get cleaned out now or will the
birds do it themselves next time?  I don't know enough about their behavior.

Last night we were at a private farm/vineyard for a wedding on the same road
that leads  to Airlie or Emerson wineries.  The ceremony was on a very high
hill overlooking the valley and under towering white oaks.  Quite a lovely
site.  Around darkness I distinctly heard a nighthawk(s) calling.  I asked
my husband if there was water around since that has been my past experience
with them in Wisconsin.  They were always many around the Rock River in
Janesville.  He told me that there was a small lake/pond nearby. I was told
by a birding friend that it is unusual for them to be in this area which
surprised me. Is this true?  I know that I've heard them here in the past.
Susie in Corvallis

 
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis