[birding] Quick trip list from ASC field trip to Albany/Tangent areas

[Joel Geier]

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

Date: March 13, 2010
Location: Oregon

Today's Audubon Society of Corvallis field trip consisted of Lucie
Clark from Tangent, Bill Bradford and Tom (last name?) from Portland,
and me. We enjoyed beautiful sunny weather though with a chilly
breeze most of the day. Stops included Stewart Lake in Corvallis,
Simpson & Grand Prairie Parks in Albany, and the oak grove along
Tangent Rd. in Tangent, after which we birded east to Seven Mile
Lane, then east along Glaser Rd., followed by a meander past Ward
Butte and back north past the west side of Peterson Butte, to loop
back on Glaser Rd. to Tangent.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order, FUN STUFF IN CAPS):

CANADA GOOSE       One sitting high atop osprey nest south of bridge in 
                   downtown Albany.
EURASIAN WIGEON    Drake at Grand Prairie Park
American Wigeon    Hundreds at Stewart Lake & Grand Prairie, plus a few dozen 
                   at Simpson park.
Mallard            Plus some very suspect ducks at Stewart Lake & Grand Prairie.
CANVASBACK         Male & female at Stewart Lake.
Ring-necked Duck   Stewart Lake
Lesser Scaup       Stewart Lake and (VERY CLOSE!) at Grand Prairie Park.
Bufflehead         Stewart Lake
Pied-billed Grebe  Stewart Lake and Simpson Park
Double-crested Cormorant  Waverly Park (drive-by)
Great Blue Heron   One way up river at Simpson Park?
Turkey Vulture     Over Simpson Park.
Bald Eagle         One adult at Simpson Park, one adult east of Tangent.
Northern Harrier   A total of 5 seen (all but one were adult males) in grass fields
                   east of Tangent.
Red-tailed Hawk    widespread
American Kestrel   widespread
American Coot      Stewart Lake & Grand Prairie
Killdeer           One flock of 14 along Glaser, otherwise not many.
Glaucous-winged Gull Adult & imm at Grand prairie
Glaucous-winged x Western Gull  One imm gull at Grand Prairie appeared to be this.
Rock Pigeon        Flyby in Albany
Eurasian Collared-Dove  Two feeding on ground in yard near Simpson Park.
GREAT HORNED OWL   One on nest just east of Tangent (south of Tangent Rd.).
Belted Kingfisher  One along Willamette River across from Simpson Park.
ACORN WOODPECKER   Two played hide-and-seek at the oak grove in Tangent.
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER  Two in Simpson Park, one foraging at sap wells *extremely* close
                        to us.
Downy Woodpecker    Simpson Park and in oak grove in Tangent.
Northern Flicker    various spots
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
COMMON RAVEN        Flock of 6 or 7 cavorting over small butte just east of Ward Butte.
HORNED LARK         About a half-dozen along Glaser Rd., including several singing
                    males, chasing each other around. Life birds for Tom! All
                    appeared to be the locally nesting, imperiled ssp. strigata
                    (Streaked Horned larks).
Black-capped Chickadee  Singing, very active at Simpson Park.
Bushtit                 PAIR at Simpson Park.
Red-breasted Nuthatch   Stewart lake
BROWN CREEPER           Several at Simpson Park.
Bewick's Wren           Singing at Simpson Park
Golden-crowned Kinglet  Simpson Park
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET    Singing at Simpson Park
American Robin
European Starling       Widespread, including some checking out cavities in Simpson
                        Park, plus one dense flock swirling like smoke east of Tangent.
AMERICAN PIPIT          Big flock of 100+ along Glaser, with a few strutting around
                        puddles close to road and even sitting up briefly on a wire
                        fence.
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Stewart Lake, Simpson Park & Tangent; all seen well seemed to 
                        be Myrtles.
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow        A few along Glaser, mixed in with pipits along fenceline.
Song Sparrow            Lots singing.
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Brewer's Blackbird      Just a few, mixed in with starling flocks near Ward Butte.
Western Meadowlark      One heard far in distance along Glaser Rd.
Lesser Goldfinch        Mixed goldfinch flock nibbling on alder cones in Simpson Park.
American Goldfinch

Total number of species seen: 52