This was my final Salem Audubon field trip of the year. We saw over forty species in 2 and one-half hours. It began foggy but then the sun came through for us and the birds. Unexpected sighting: two Tree Swallows feeding over Eagle Marsh at 915AM.
Green-winged Teal were the most numerous ducks in the marshes we could see. The Red-shouldered Hawk was screaming and I tried to convince us it was an accipiter, but the hawk made himself visible, and photographable. How I could I imagine an accipiter would be calling in November? Duh.
We started to make one other mistake–turning a bathing sparrow into a Lincoln’s..and after much feedback from OBOL turns out it was, in fact, a Lincoln’s. Though both Savannah and Swamp were suggested. Bathing in its own private mud puddle in the lane to the Rail Trail. Best birding spot was right there: a fruited crabapple next to a chokecherry. In that spot along the lane we saw over a dozen species while we just stood around–from harrier and heron to five sparrows species and two young Purple Finches.
TUNDRA SWANS
Veterans’ Day, national holiday, the national bird:
Why don’t we do it in the road?
No one will be watching us
Why don’t we do it in the road? –Lennon & McCartney
Well, we were watching but our little Swamp Sparrow didn’t mind an audience. We tried to convince ourselves it as a Lincoln’s–plumage all wrong:
We casually, temporarily re-named Pintail March–today it was “Teal Marsh”.
Speaking of pintails…these two I dubbed “pin-pals”.
RAPTORS: Merlin, Kestrel, Red-shoulder, pair of Red-tails:
My favorite shot of the day: heron blocking the road. The car drive actually gave up and went away:
Crabapple tree was a big draw and nobody seemed crabby:
NOT MANY MAMMALS–quick glimpse of a chipmunk climbing tree after crabapples, and some nutria. Note this first image–didn’t Monet paint those haystacks over a century ago?
Ankeny NWR, Marion, Oregon, US
Nov 11, 2020
Checklist Comments: final Salem Audubon field trip of 2020
45 species
Cackling Goose 1500
Canada Goose 30
Tundra Swan 26
Northern Shoveler X
Gadwall X
Mallard X
Northern Pintail X
Green-winged Teal 400
Ring-necked Duck X
Bufflehead X
Ruddy Duck X
California Quail 15
Pied-billed Grebe 1
American Coot X
Long-billed Dowitcher 30
Wilson’s Snipe 1
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 18
Northern Harrier 2
Bald Eagle 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 7
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
American Kestrel 4
Merlin 1
Black Phoebe 1
California Scrub-Jay 4
American Crow X
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tree Swallow 2 over Eagle Marsh!
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Bewick’s Wren 1
European Starling X
American Robin 10
Purple Finch 2
Fox Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 15
Golden-crowned Sparrow 8
Lincoln’s Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 3
Spotted Towhee 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brewer’s Blackbird X
Towheeblog 
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