Towheeblog

Tim Johnson and I went to Luckiamute State Natural Area (north unit) this morning to scout for a field trip we are leading there next Sunday. We found plenty of birds, heard almost ceaseless bird song, and then found professional birders. A team of four were busily most-netting and banding birds. A fifth observer was doing a route of point counts. Some of the most vocal birds today were Swainson’s Thrush, Yellow Warbler, Song Sparrow, towhee, flycatchers and American Goldfinch. The forest is now fully leafed-out so some birds we found only by voice–chat, tanager, Warbling Vireo.

The bird banders told us that half of the birds they catch are Swainson’s Thrushes. While we watched the banders also had a Yellow Warbler and a Song Sparrow. They said they had no evidence of an oriole there yet this year so I won’t feel so wanting…yet. The point counter said she’d recently had a day at Luckiamute when she totaled 74 species. Among those species found recently, that we missed, were MacGillivray’s Warbler and Lazuli Bunting.

Tim heard two species I missed: Orange-croned Warbler and Pac-slope Fkycatcher.

Luckiamute SNA North unit (general), Polk, Oregon, US
May 16, 2021
40 species

Canada Goose  16
Mallard  2
Mourning Dove  X
Anna’s Hummingbird  1
Rufous Hummingbird  1
Great Blue Heron  3
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  2
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1
Red-breasted Sapsucker  X
Downy Woodpecker  X
Northern Flicker  X
Western Wood-Pewee  X
Hammond’s Flycatcher  X
Hutton’s Vireo  1
Warbling Vireo  X
Steller’s Jay  X
California Scrub-Jay  X
American Crow  X
Common Raven  X
Black-capped Chickadee  X
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  X
Barn Swallow  X
Swainson’s Thrush  X
American Robin  X
Cedar Waxwing  10
Purple Finch  X
Lesser Goldfinch  X
American Goldfinch  X
Chipping Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow  X
Song Sparrow  X
Spotted Towhee  X
Yellow-breasted Chat  X
Brown-headed Cowbird  X
Common Yellowthroat  X
Yellow Warbler  X
Wilson’s Warbler  X
Western Tanager  X
Black-headed Grosbeak  X