[birding] Y-B Sapsucker: YES!!!

[Gail Andrews]

Finally after many visits, I got GREAT views of the famous Yellow Bellied
Sapsucker at EE Wilson this morning about 10 a.m.

 

Five women from Corvallis gathered at the parking lot at 9:45 a.m.  (The
"Bird Chicks" we walk, we talk, we watch birds, if it is raining we sip tea
and play cards - what were the chances that this gabby group would see the
elusive bird? I didn't even take my scope or camera.)  There was light fog,
heavy overcast, no precip--I mention this because 2 miles away the sun was
shining and skies blue.

 

We climbed through the fence and immediately I saw a white flash and heard
the call.  We waited and watched.  It flew, flashed, called, and disappeared
again.  After doing this 3 times, it landed on a low branch with an open
view and stayed put.  We all got excellent views with binocs.  The red on
the head and the yellow on the belly were quite evident, as was the head
marking.  Lighting wasn't perfect, but quite adequate.  The bird moved
around to give us good views from all angles.  Much better view than I had
hoped for based on other reports.

 

The sapsucker was working the area just south of the gate, on the west side
of the road, as others have described - never returned to the same spot
twice while we were there.  The great view was with the bird in the big tree
next to the fence, about 50 yards (rough est.) west of the gate.  It was
sitting a little above eye level on one of the side branches that sloped
down from the trunk to the ground.  Good view standing next to the inside of
the gate.  (Just in case anyone wants to see the spot where the famous
sapsucker once sat..)

 

Mike R. from Portland drove up as we were studying the perched bird, got out
of his car, climbed through the fence, and joined in the viewing-talk about
luck!  (I at least felt a little better knowing that this was his second
trip.)  I'm going to miss meeting folks at the Sapsucker Crossing, but not
enough to keep hanging out there day after day.

 

Nice to finally be able to enter this into eBird (sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

Gail Andrews

Corvallis

 

 

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