[birding] Chat-O-Rama Bicycle Birding at EE Wilson

[Lisa Millbank]

About twenty of us enjoyed the first Audubon Society of Corvallis Bicycle Birding trip of the season, at E.E. Wilson. We split up into two groups, and both groups took the same loop in opposite directions, starting at the pheasant cages, up to the angler pond, up the east side, to the northern marsh and then down the west side (west of the angler pond and nearby marsh) and back to the pheasant cages. The trip lived up to its subtitle, "Chat-O-Rama," as everyone saw and heard YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS in various locations. It was a productive day, but the worst miss was a Willow Flycatcher.

East leg of loop (by Don):
At the angler pond and nearby marsh we watched the OSPREYS catch fish and then protest the arrival of a juvenile BALD EAGLE who flew by without incident. A very tame KILLDEER was gleaning bugs in close proximity to the anglers on the shore of the pond. Further north a GREAT HORNED OWL flushed from grove of tall cottonwoods. In the ash swales and cottonwoods were YELLOW WARBLERS and WARBLING VIREOS. There were many WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES and we had to double take on the pair of OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS. They didn't call so we had to identify them by sight.

North end (by Don):
There were a few LAZULI BUNTINGS singing in the fields with hedges of roses and blackberries. I was surprised to watch a Spotted Towhee singing like a Bewick's Wren. At the north marsh we had success with SORAS and VIRGINIA RAILS responding to our recordings. It was one of those situations when you start them off with recordings and then the two species call back to one another for a while. Some of us got a close look at a BOBCAT carrying rabbit prey.  The bobcat was about the size of a female, and I presumed she was hunting in the the middle of the day to feed her kittens. Some of us got to see a WRENTIT come close and investigate when I imitated its song. 

West leg of loop (by Lisa):
We watched TREE, VIOLET-GREEN and CLIFF SWALLOWS at nestboxes near some of the office buildings.  A few Tree Swallows were brown first-year females.  We had some great looks at singing BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS and listened to a few SWAINSON'S THRUSHES shyly singing just a little.  At the marsh west of the angler pond, a VIRGINIA RAIL came out in response to calling, and a couple of people got to see a long red bill poke out of the cattails, while a MARSH WREN sang.  Some CANADA GEESE goslings were nearly the size of their parents, while others were still fuzzballs.  YELLOW WARBLERS were abundant although we only got a look at one.  RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS were buzzing around everywhere.  Two YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS were singing close by, and one popped out to sing in plain sight.  I checked for snakes under a piece of corrugated metal, and found two beautiful RING-NECKED SNAKES warming up underneath.  As we approached the northern marsh, a pair of SPOTTED SANDPIPERS came out and strolled around on the road near some KILLDEER and MOURNING DOVES.  A pair of CINNAMON TEALS were quite pretty in the sunshine. 

We rode our bikes back to Corvallis, and on Hwy 99W we spotted a RED-TAILED HAWK nest with 2 fuzzy chicks, and a WILD TURKEY hen. While in Corvallis we went home by way of the Campus Way/Covered Bridge path. We spotted a WESTERN KINGBIRD in the snag east of the covered bridge.

For photos (some good, some not so good!) go to http://groups.google.com/group/mid-valley-nature/browse_thread/thread/47bd22b12d7b6388

Don Boucher & Lisa Millbank
www.neighborhood-naturalist.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.midvalleybirding.org/pipermail/birding/attachments/20100530/63b6d274/attachment.html