[birding] Dexter Reservoir & Fall Creek Reservoir birds (Lane Co.), plus Brownsville area

[Joel Geier]

Hi folks,

Some of this is a bit of out of the mid-valley area, but since OBOL is
still hit-and-miss, thought I'd post to both lists.

Today my daughter Martha and I hauled a minivan load (900 lbs worth!) of
Willamette Valley Birding Trail guides from Tangent down to the Army
Corps of Engineers site at Lookout Point Dam near Lowell in Lane Co.

We gave just a very quick look at Dexter Reservoir and spotted one
WESTERN GREBE just as it dove, among the masses of COOTS and probably a
few ducks. We also made a brief stop at Orchard Park on the north shore
of Dexter Reservoir, but saw just a few BUFFLEHEADS and STELLER'S JAYS
there.

North Shore Park at Fall Creek Dam had more variety, including both TREE
and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS plus WESTERN BLUEBIRDS checking out the nest
boxes in the meadow below the dam. A couple of PINE SISKINS were working
over the alders and an OSPREY was perched lower down along the creek.

On the way home we ran a box over to Brownsville in Linn Co.. The
Diamond Hill wetlands had lots of NORTHERN SHOVELERS and no doubt plenty
of other ducks if we'd stopped to look at them. At Gap Rd. x Belts Rd.
we enjoyed the warm sunshine while surrounded by at least 4 male WESTERN
MEADOWLARKS singing on territory, along with several females giving
rattle calls. Still too early for grassland sparrows.

Along Sand Ridge Rd. north of Brownsville, we braked for some unusual
birds sitting up in a small tree, and saw that they were AMERICAN
(BUFF-BREASTED) PIPITS. They remained perched there so we had great
looks at these "tree pipits." While still showing a few spots on the
upper breasts, they were decidedly pink below, so well into breeding
plumage. We also saw a couple of STREAKED HORNED LARKS along Glaser Rd.
where they nest in small numbers every year.

Happy Birding,
Joel

--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis