Towheeblog

Albert Ryckman and I launched a birding trip today. We left Albany shortly after 8AM and headed for the Klamath Basin. We went across the Cascades on Hwy 58 from Springfield. We did see a few birds before we got to US97. We made a stop at Dexter Reservoir where we found numerous ducks including Greater Scaup.

Our first enthralling stop was at Klamath Marsh where I had feared frozen wasteland. Oh no, it was alive with ducks and Rough-legged Hawks and harriers and Tundra Swans. We stopped at Collier State Park on the Willliamson River–it was badly burned over last year and most of it is still closed except for the day use area’s toilet building, Two Canada Geese were all we could find. We found Canvasbacks at Hagelstein Park on the east shore of Klamath Lake.
There was a lot of waterfowl activity both at Putnam Point and at the south end of the Link River. There we saw our first Barrow’s Goldeneye of the trip, and the usual tree full of lazing night-herons.

We covered about 300 miles today and ticked over forty species including Bald Eagles and crows in the Willamette Valley.

Some of Albert’s photos, including a pair of cormorants fighting on an overhead wire across the link River:

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Klamath Marsh NWR, Klamath, Oregon, US
Mar 10, 2021
17 species

Canada Goose  10
Tundra Swan  34
Cinnamon Teal  2
Mallard  X
Northern Pintail  X
Ring-necked Duck  4
Lesser Scaup  8
Bufflehead  50
American Coot  1
Northern Harrier  4
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Rough-legged Hawk  14
Black-billed Magpie  2
Common Raven  7
Song Sparrow  1
Western Meadowlark  10
Red-winged Blackbird  X

Hagelstein Park, Klamath, Oregon, US
Mar 10, 2021
6 species

Canvasback  X
Greater Scaup  X
Bufflehead  X
Belted Kingfisher  X
American Kestrel  X
American Robin  X

ebird-checklist@cornell.edu	8:21 PM (28 minutes ago)
to me

Klamath Lake Shore, Klamath, Oregon, US
Mar 10, 2021
30 species

Canada Goose  X
Northern Shoveler  X
Mallard  X
Green-winged Teal  X
Canvasback  X
Ring-necked Duck  X
Greater Scaup  X
Lesser Scaup  X
Bufflehead  X
Common Goldeneye  X
Hooded Merganser  5
Common Merganser  X
Ruddy Duck  X
Pied-billed Grebe  X
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  X
American Coot  X
Killdeer  1
Mew Gull  X
Ring-billed Gull  X
California Gull  X
Double-crested Cormorant  X
American White Pelican  9
Great Blue Heron  3
Black-crowned Night-Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  X
Belted Kingfisher  3
Northern Flicker  1
Black-billed Magpie  X
American Robin  X
Red-winged Blackbird  X

Link River Trail, Klamath, Oregon, US
Mar 10, 2021
16 species

Canada Goose  X
Mallard  X
Ring-necked Duck  X
Lesser Scaup  X
Bufflehead  X
Common Goldeneye  X
Barrow’s Goldeneye  X
Common Merganser  X
Ruddy Duck  X
Pied-billed Grebe  1
American Coot  X
Ring-billed Gull  X
California Gull  X
Double-crested Cormorant  15
Black-crowned Night-Heron  16
Red-winged Blackbird  X