[birding] Coffin Butte oriole & other E.E. Wilson birds

[joel]

Hi folks,

This morning a male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE was "singing," if you can call it
that, in an oak tree along the Coffin Butte trail, about halfway up. 

I was surprised to see an oriole in that habitat. However, looking at
Paul Adamus' species account in /Birds of Oregon: A General Reference/,
I see that they're known to use "oak-madrone chapparal" in SW Oregon.
Indeed, there are madrones mingled with the oaks, and even a bit of
coyotebrush (a chapparal plant) on the butte. Whaddaya know ...

A MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER was still singing from the same part of the
butte where I heard one last month.

Other interesting birds around the main part of E.E. Wilson included a
brood of HOODED MERGANSER ducklings (about half grown) with their mom,
plus about 15-20 YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS and at least 6 WILLOW
FLYCATCHERS. One of the chats (NW of the fishing ponds) seemed to have
brought a bit of osprey imitation into his song. Another one closer to
the NW corner marsh almost sounded like it had bits of Marsh Wren mixed
with Virginia Rail.

Just to prove to myself that it can be done, I went to a spot just
inside the west edge of the wildlife area and heard a HERMIT WARBLER
singing from the dense conifers on Coffin Butte buffer lands across the
highway. However, the bird remained well outside the wildlife area
boundary, so I don't think we can add this one to the species list.

Happy birding,
Joel

--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis