ROTARY PARK, MCMINNVILLE
Rob Schulman and I spent ninety minutes birdings in Rotary Park after noon. One of the first birds we heard was calling Cooper’s Hawk. Then we got a brief glimpse of its flying across the treetops. likely the bird is planning to nest there That species is most vociferous during courtship and while establishing territory. Later it becomes much more secretive about its presence. Stealth is its main hunting strategy.
We saw a pair of Pacific Wrens. Other paired birds I have seen recently include Spotted Towhee, and Red-breasted Sapsuckers (at Wennerberg Park).
This youngish rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) crossed our path. Rob spotted him. First one I have seen this year. Do not touch. Nerve toxin on the newt’s skin.
Above: One of our day’s kinglets. Song Sparrow below:
We saw two Townsend’s chipmunk. This one was on a branch twenty feet above the ground.
Among the sounds we heard: Pacific Wrens scolding, Purple Finch song, Flickers and Red-breasted Nuthatch calling. Chorus frogs were also sounding off.
McMinnville Rotary Park (Tice Park), Yamhill, Oregon, US
Mar 21, 2019 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
14 species
Mallard 7 in the shallow seasonal pond
Anna’s Hummingbird 1
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Northern Flicker 2
Steller’s Jay X
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Pacific Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
American Robin X
Purple Finch (Western) 2
Lesser Goldfinch 1
American Goldfinch 2
Song Sparrow 1
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