Towheeblog

Our McMinnville birding class headed north today.  We made three stops along Hwy 47.  First, Yamhill city sewer ponds.  Next Hagg Lake.  Finally, Fern Hill Wetlands in Forest Grove where we were overflown, overwhelmed, out-numbered and drowned out by thousands of geese.  The one mammal we saw was a very quiet nutria.

Highlights included the Common Loons at Hagg Lake. A pair of adult red-tails in evident courtship there.  Being ignored by scads of Lesser Goldfinches in the weeds at Fern Hill.  Bald Eagles at Fern Hill and the resulting tumultuous rising of the geese flocks, resounding in their loud complaints abut being disturbed.  A dozen species of waterfowl altogether.  Good weather.

Here are some of the Lesser Goldfinches along the trail at Fern Hill:

Geese galore, second picture shows the furore when thousands of Cacklers took to the sky together at Fern Hill:

Also at Fern Hill, many dabblers, close at hand were Green-winged Teal, further off were shovelers, pintail, wigeon, Gadwall and more:

Red-tail Tale

First, one of our birders spotted a red-tail perched in a nearby Doug fir overlooking Hagg Lake.  Then we heard the bird give its descending “scrreeeee” call.  It was repeated a couple more times.  Lo and behold a second hawk responded  by flying into the top of the same tree. We then presumed the “singer” was the male, his responder the female and a larger bird.  After a brief companionable interlude the caller flew off.  Later she followed.  They were last seen far up in the sky across the lake.

Yamhill Sewage Ponds (restricted access), Yamhill, Oregon, US
Oct 26, 2019
8 species

Northern Shoveler  X
Eurasian Collared-Dove  X
Killdeer  9
California Scrub-Jay  X
American Crow  60
European Starling  X
American Robin  X
Dark-eyed Junco  X

Henry Hagg Lake Park (Scoggins Valley Park), Washington, Oregon, US
Oct 26, 2019
21 species

Cackling Goose  X
Canada Goose  X
Mallard  X
Bufflehead  X
Hooded Merganser  4
Common Merganser  X
Pied-billed Grebe  X
Eared Grebe  X
Western Grebe  X
American Coot  500
California Gull  5
Common Loon  2
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  3
Great Egret  2
Red-tailed Hawk  2     pair in apparent courtship
Northern Flicker  X
American Crow  X
Common Raven  X
American Robin  X
Dark-eyed Junco  X

Fernhill Wetlands, Washington, Oregon, US
Oct 26, 2019
28 species

Cackling Goose  10000
Canada Goose  X
Northern Shoveler  X
Gadwall  X
American Wigeon  X
Mallard  X
Northern Pintail  500
Green-winged Teal  X
Ring-necked Duck  1
Common Merganser   x
American Coot  X
Glaucous-winged Gull  20
Double-crested Cormorant  5
Great Blue Heron  X
Great Egret  1
Bald Eagle  3
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Northern Flicker  1
California Scrub-Jay  1
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
European Starling  X
American Robin  1
House Finch  1
Lesser Goldfinch  30
Dark-eyed Junco  X
Song Sparrow  X
Brewer’s Blackbird  X