Albert Ryckman and I birded Baskett Slough today, sharing trails but not vehicles. All trails open, water level high in all lakes and marshes. Bird density excellent.
Bittern and Sora in ponds along Livermore Road. Eagles along Coville Road. Dabblers plentiful though pintails seem to be gone. Many White-fronted Geese, some stilts and Greater Yellowlegs. Great Horned Owl chased by scrub-jay in early afternoon sunlight. Over a dozen displaying Yellow-headed Blackbird males. Blooming fruit trees alive with yellow-rumps–both Audubon’s and myrtle. Fifty-one species in four hours. Song from yellowthroats, blackbirds, Pied-billed Grebe, Marsh Wrens and meadowlarks. Also heard: wigeon, Gadwall, Mallards, geese–a lot of noise therefrom, especially when an eagle passed overhead. Sometimes for no discernible reason.
SORA
THE DAY
GEESE
CINNAMON TEAL
GADWALL
BALD EAGLE JUVIE
KESTREL
STILT
YELLOW-RUMPS, almost as numerous as swallows or blackbirds
STILL MORE BIRDS
TREES cotton in profusion, tossed into the wind by the cottonwoods, hawthorns in rich garment of flowers, concealing those thorns:
We never saw more than five cars at any one place simultaneously. One refuge worker spoke to us and was welcoming.
Baskett Slough NWR, Polk, Oregon, US
Apr 27, 2020
51 species
Greater White-fronted Goose 500
Cackling Goose X
Canada Goose X
Cinnamon Teal X
Northern Shoveler X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon X
Mallard X
Green-winged Teal X
Ring-necked Duck X
Lesser Scaup X
Bufflehead X
Ring-necked Pheasant X
Pied-billed Grebe X
Mourning Dove X
Sora 3
American Coot X
Black-necked Stilt 10
Killdeer 2
Least Sandpiper 30
Greater Yellowlegs 4
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Northern Harrier 2
Bald Eagle 6
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Great Horned Owl 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
American Kestrel 1
California Scrub-Jay 2
American Crow X
Common Raven 1
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow X
Cliff Swallow X
Marsh Wren X
European Starling X
Lesser Goldfinch X
Song Sparrow 6
Lincoln’s Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 3
Spotted Towhee 4
Yellow-headed Blackbird 15
Western Meadowlark X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brewer’s Blackbird X
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 4
Yellow Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 50
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