Towheeblog

Today at Minto-Brown I walked the trail to the Duck Pond from the Entry Parking Lot. I was accompanied by a flock of Bushtits. I stayed on the pavement, they stayed in the bordering willows. It is a sad oversight that fashion designers have not become aware of the intensity of Bushtit brown. Today the bustling bunch of Bushtit-brown bundles of vibrant vitality was a vision I could not turn away from. From trailside grass tops to the upper branches of the bare willows they were feeding, flitting, fluttering–often clinging to the underside of a branch or twig where the lichen, moss, spider eggs were protected from rain and sun.

Four nortern states including Washington have already set records for daily highs in December, 70-plus. So why should I be surprised that I saw fresh blackberries on a leafy cane today?

Wonder if my garden has the right soil for sugar cane and pineapples?

While you’re outside, keep your eyes and ears observing...E.O. says there are new species to be found, click here.

Minto-Brown Island Park, Marion, Oregon, US
Dec 3, 2021. 6 species

Gadwall  5
Mallard  2
Black-capped Chickadee  1
Bushtit  25
Song Sparrow  11
Spotted Towhee  2

Last week there were flickers in the field at M-B Park. b bHickory, dickery, dock, we saw a flicker flock. They must’ve been finding morsels amongs the grass tufts.

Minto-Brown Island Park, Marion, Oregon, US
Nov 26, 2021. 8 species

Cackling Goose  30
Gadwall  5
Pied-billed Grebe  1
Northern Flicker  25
American Kestrel  1
Bushtit  18
Golden-crowned Sparrow  23
Song Sparrow  1

FIELD TRIP: Saturday, December 4, 2021 – Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge
Leader: Harry Fuller (971)312-1735
Established in 1965 as part of the Willamette Valley NWR Complex, Baskett Slough is primarily managed to provide wintering
habitat for the Dusky Canada Goose, a subspecies of Canada Goose with very limited summer and winter ranges. This refuge
also provides wetland and woodland sanctuary for migrant and resident wildlife, including Fender’s Blue Butterfly, once
thought extinct but rediscovered here! Meet at the Rich Guadagno Trailhead parking area, just off Coville Road, near the
center of the refuge. We will look for waterfowl and waders in Taverner and Cackler marshes, watch for raptors which
frequent the area in all seasons. On our way back to town, we will drive along Livermore Road looking for Horned Lark,
sparrows and other fall/winter migrants.
Meet at the Rich Guadagno Trailhead Parking Lot on Coville Road at 9:30 AM. Restroom and picnic facilities are available.
Bring water, binoculars, a snack and dress for the weather. Trails may be uneven so please use appropriate footwear. We will
finish around noon.
Directions: From Salem, take Hwy 22 west to 99W. Proceed north to Coville Road and turn west (left). Continue to the
trailhead which will be on your right. Restroom and picnic facilities are available.
NOTE: All participants must be fully vaccinated to participate in the bird walk. You are considered fully vaccinated twoweeks after your second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two-weeks after a single-dose
vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. In addition, we will be following all the CDC and state COVID-19
guidelines in effect at the time of the walk.