Towheeblog

There had been no official declaration, nothing with force of law or even tradition. Just fate–it was waxwing day. A small flock of them were feeding in the still bare trees at the south end of Minto-Brown Park. They were my first waxwings of the year thus making this Friday the 14th Waxwing Day.

Also at Minto-Brown today at least one of the Back-headed Grosbeaks was singing, OC Warblers were singing as was a male Purple Finch. There were no ducks on Duck Pond. In the slough adjacent to the first parking lot there was a female Hooded Merganser and one duckling to match. The dowitchers were in privately owned vernal pool just across Homestead Road and south of the park.

Blooming plants at the park today included dog rose, hawthorn, manroot, cow parsnip, bindweed, California poppy, chokecherry, thimbleberry and red-osier dogwood–nearly all blooms were a shade of white except the poppies.

Minto-Brown Island Park, Marion, Oregon, US
May 14, 2021
25 species

Cackling Goose  19–one family with two goslings included
Mallard  7
Hooded Merganser  2     female with lone duckling
Long-billed Dowitcher  20
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  6
Northern Flicker  3
California Scrub-Jay  2
American Crow  2
Tree Swallow  4
Barn Swallow  2
Bewick’s Wren  3
European Starling  X
American Robin  2
Cedar Waxwing  5     first of the year
Purple Finch  2
White-crowned Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  12
Spotted Towhee  2
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Red-winged Blackbird  11
Orange-crowned Warbler  3
Yellow Warbler  1
Wilson’s Warbler  1
Black-headed Grosbeak  3