Roxie Evans visual summary of our day on Sauvie Island, breath deeply (click on any image for full screen view):
Four fine shots by Paul Evans:
I go to Sauvie Island in fall or winter for the Sandhill Cranes. Once my severe crane drought is eased, after relishing the sight of a few hundred, I can then pay atttention to the many lesser species–both in size and elegance. Yet one of our group of eight noted later in the day that the sound of crane bugling was omnipresent, even when you couldn’t look up and see a flock overhead, nor find some digging edibles in the nearest stubblefield. A day any craniac would savor.
We had over 60 bird species from 9AM until 230PM. Most numerous were the dark geese of the north, and their honking or cackling was often louder even than the cranes.
I have added a few notes to Mike Unger’s detailed checklists. What we surmised could be unusual buteo was–not a Ferrugy nor Roughie, a Harlan’s Hawk. Here is Roxie Eavns’ pic of the passing buteo:
Here iks a hawkk experts exact comment on this Harlan’s: “Correct. Heavy duty Buteo with very broad secondaries. White marbled tail. Dark trailing edge bordering wings = adult. The banded outer primary mark is used to separate darker Harlan’s juveniles from darker Western or Northern juveniles, so doesn’t say much for an adult…”
Photos below reveal much (both by Paul Evans). The bird went past us at Raccoon Point in good afternoon light.
Here is typical family of three–yiungster has white dot above his head which does yet have the red face shield of a mature crane:
Two of our land birds: tiny Pacific Wren, Red-breasted Sapsucker:
Sauvie Island, first half hour:
Cackling Goose 500
Common Merganser 1
Mourning Dove 2
Sandhill Crane 20–across from the store near the access bridge
Double-crested Cormorant 30
Bald Eagle 1
California Scrub-Jay 1
American Crow 2
European Starling 7
Wapato Access Greenway SP, Multnomah, Oregon, US
Oct 29, 2021-pond dry and overgrown by plants
16 species
Cackling Goose 500
Anna’s Hummingbird 1
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Flicker 1
Steller’s Jay 1
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
Brown Creeper 1
Pacific Wren 5
Bewick’s Wren 2
Varied Thrush 2
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 10
Fox Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee 2
Sauvie Island (Multnomah Co.), Multnomah, Oregon, US
Oct 29, 2021 10:11 AM – 11:01 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.54 mile(s)
20 species
Cackling Goose 2020
Canada Goose 20
Mourning Dove 12
Sandhill Crane 350
Ring-billed Gull 21
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Northern Flicker 5
American Kestrel 6
California Scrub-Jay 2
American Crow 7
European Starling 125
American Robin 31
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 150
Brewer’s Blackbird 100
Sauvie Island–Multnomah Channel, Multnomah, Oregon, US
Oct 29, 2021 11:06 AM – 11:23 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.793 mile(s)
12 species
Cackling Goose 500
Canada Goose 2
Sandhill Crane 100
Ring-billed Gull 1
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
American Kestrel 1
California Scrub-Jay 1
European Starling 1100
Golden-crowned Sparrow 3
Western Meadowlark 6
Red-winged Blackbird 220
Sauvie Island–Multnomah Channel (Columbia Co.), Columbia, Oregon, US
Oct 29, 2021 11:25 AM – 12:01 PM
Protocol: Traveling
8.049 mile(s)
22 species
Cackling Goose 7500
Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 25
Gadwall 2
American Wigeon 110
Mallard 4
Green-winged Teal 20
Common Merganser 9
Ring-billed Gull 73
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Double-crested Cormorant 21
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 1
Northern Harrier 1
Cooper’s Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 2
California Scrub-Jay 5
Common Raven 14–sharing a repast of ripened beef carcass
European Starling 1250
Fox Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 1
Brewer’s Blackbird 200
Sauvie Island–Wildlife Area Headquarters, Multnomah, Oregon, US
Oct 29, 2021 12:02 PM – 12:08 PM
Protocol: Stationary
9 species
Anna’s Hummingbird 1
Sandhill Crane 2
Northern Flicker 1
House Sparrow 1
House Finch 2
Lesser Goldfinch 1
Dark-eyed Junco 11
Golden-crowned Sparrow 6
Spotted Towhee 1
Sauvie Island–Raccoon Point, Multnomah, Oregon, US
Oct 29, 2021 12:26 PM – 12:43 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.058 mile(s); This was over-looking Sturgeon Lake south end, the lake was less than half its full surface area and cranes were landing behund trees along the shoreline.
20 species
Gadwall 4
American Wigeon 200
Mallard 2
Green-winged Teal 12
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 8
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Sandhill Crane 78
Glaucous-winged Gull 1
Great Egret 4
Northern Harrier 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Ferruginous Hawk 1 A large hawk with an all white tail. It appeared to be a dark morph. It could be a Rough-legged Hawk but it did not have a dark terminal band on tail and was larger than a RLHA. We ruled out a 4th year subadult Bald Eagle as it did not seem nearly large enough to be an eagle. Ruled out Red-tailed Hawk based on no red tail, no visible belly band, no patagial bars and no pale “V” on back. Photo to come.
American Kestrel 2
California Scrub-Jay 1
Bewick’s Wren 1
European Starling 50
House Finch 1
Fox Sparrow 2
Golden-crowned Sparrow 2
Sauvie Island–Reeder Rd. Observation Shelter, Columbia, Oregon, US
Oct 29, 2021 12:55 PM – 1:16 PM
Protocol: Stationary; the klake was low but had enough depth for diving ducks. Most other seasonal ponds, inc. Wapato were dry.
15 species
Wood Duck 3
Northern Shoveler 30
American Wigeon 4
Northern Pintail 25
Green-winged Teal 150
Canvasback 5
Ring-necked Duck 100
Lesser Scaup 3
Common Goldeneye 1
Ring-necked Pheasant 1 Male
American Coot 40
Ring-billed Gull 1
Northern Harrier 1
Bald Eagle 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Sauvie Island–Rentenaar Rd., Columbia, Oregon, US
Oct 29, 2021 1:26 PM – 2:03 PM
Protocol: Traveling–we walked the road to get the sparrows.
0.613 mile(s)
21 species
Gadwall 1
Northern Pintail 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 3
American Coot 8
Sandhill Crane 6
Killdeer 3
Ring-billed Gull 6
Northern Harrier 2
Bald Eagle 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1
Northern Flicker 3
American Kestrel 1
California Scrub-Jay 2
House Finch 1
Dark-eyed Junco 14
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 10
Song Sparrow 5
Lincoln’s Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 6
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