[birding] Luckiamute State Natural Area Red-eyed Vireo, weasel, etc.

[Joel Geier]

Hi all,

After finishing my last set of point counts at Luckiamute State Natural
Area this morning, I took it easy on the way back through the
cottonwood/ash/maple gallery forest. Among the myriad of SWAINSON'S
THRUSHES, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, YELLOW WARBLERS, WARBLING VIREOS, etc.
I heard one RED-EYED VIREO that was singing back in the forest, about
100 yards off the trail. 

This was near the end of the trail, just before it comes out into the
meadow on the old gravel bar, where the boat-in campground is located. I
heard the vireo give its full set of phrases about 6 or 7 times. During
that time it moved a little bit closer but still at least 75 yards off,
I'd guess.

This was along the stretch of trail that I couldn't get to due to
flooding on June 8th. Judging from the mud that was left on the trees
and bushes, the water over the trail must have been over 7 feet deep,
just past the point where I turned around on the 8th.

The Willamette River is still flowing pretty strong (perhaps due to dam
releases?). It was very pleasant to sit down on a log at the end of the
trail at 7:30 AM, pour a cup of coffee out of my thermos, and just
listen to the water running over the rapids at the Santiam Bar, while a
couple of Spotted Sandpipers fidgeted back & forth along the shoreline.

I did not hear or see any nighthawks, either from this point or earlier
(~6:30 AM) at the Willamette Bluffs greenbelt property just north of the
confluence. 

While bicycling along Buena Vista on the way over there this morning, I
saw a road-killed mustelid which I believe was a LONGTAIL WEASEL. It
seemed larger than the ordinary Shorttail Weasels that I've seen in the
past, and also its underparts were cream-colored rather than white. 

Happy birding,
Joel

--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis