[birding] E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area (main tract)

[Joel Geier]

Hi all,

Nothing too exotic here but pretty good diversity for a 1.5-hour walk.
Some sort of volunteer event is being staged around the HQ area, so lots
of activity which might explain the abandoned Wood Duckling that I came
across. A couple of Cinnamon Teal broods on the northwest marsh were of
markedly different ages -- one batch nearly adult size, and the other
just a few days old. Lots of water everywhere.

One curiosity is that I haven't yet seen a Green Heron on the wildlife
area this year. Normally they're fairly visible by now. I know there
have been reports from elsewhere -- has anyone seen them on E.E. Wilson
this spring?

Happy birding,
Joel

This report was mailed for Joel Geier by http://birdnotes.net

Date: June 3, 2010
Location: E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area (main tract), Benton County, Oregon

Walk around north part of wildlife area. Oregon geranium now blooming
along the Nature Trail. A large blackish slug had crawled up on a
stream lupine (L. rivularis) and was munching on the flowers.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Canada Goose                        8
Wood Duck                           2 
     Male on north marsh, also a day-old duckling that was wandering
     around in circles on the roadway west of headquarters, and
     eventually tipped over on its back, unable to get up. No sign of
     mom anywhere. I took the duckling in to HQ.
Mallard                             4
Cinnamon Teal                      10 
    Two broods of ducklings on northwest marsh.
California Quail                    6
Pied-billed Grebe                   2
Great Blue Heron                    1
Turkey Vulture                      4
Osprey                              2
Red-tailed Hawk                     2
American Kestrel                    1
Virginia Rail                       2 
     Squawking and running around in the wet vegetation just north of
     the canal on A street.
American Coot                       3
Killdeer                            2
Spotted Sandpiper                   2
     Pair hanging around on NW corner marsh.
Rufous Hummingbird
Red-breasted Sapsucker              1
Downy Woodpecker                    1
Northern Flicker                   15
Western Wood-Pewee                 20
Willow Flycatcher                   2
Pacific-slope Flycatcher            1
Cassin's Vireo                      1
Hutton's Vireo                      1
Warbling Vireo                      3
Steller's Jay                       2
Western Scrub-Jay                   2
American Crow                       3
Common Raven                        1
Tree Swallow                       10
Violet-green Swallow               15
Cliff Swallow                      30
   Feeding over NW corner marsh again, must be a nesting colony 
   on private land somewhere just north of the wildlife area.
Barn Swallow                        6
Black-capped Chickadee              8
Bushtit
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Western Bluebird                    2
Swainson's Thrush                  10
American Robin                     15
Wrentit                             2
European Starling                  15
Cedar Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat               10
Western Tanager                     2 
     Male singing in trees east of angling pond
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Black-headed Grosbeak
Lazuli Bunting                      2 
    Pair on east side of wildlife area.
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch

Total number of species seen: 59