Towheeblog

I went to check out the birds at Meyer Farm in southeast Salem this morning. 

Summer officially started yesterday and that was our first 80-degree day of the year.  Today: second day of summer and again we topped 80.  The morning sun and warmth had birds busy feeding.

Meyer Farm is still private open space but that may change.  The city has approved development.  Some co-owners are fighting that plan, as is a neighborhood group wanting to save the open space.  My birding had to be done from the perimeter.  One neighbor let me into a back garden that faces the farm.  Next I birded along Hillrose Drive.  Two dozen species in 90 minutes.

A helpful birder who lives next to Meyer Farm shared a list of 48 species noted there.  I believe nearly all of them breed there. I nominated it as an eBird hotspot.

3 crows pestered a red-tail, ’til it flew to new tree:

Meyer Farm, Marion, Oregon, US
Jun 22, 2022 7:30 AM – 9:05 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
24 species

Eurasian Collared-Dove  X
Mourning Dove  X
Anna’s Hummingbird  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Red-breasted Sapsucker  2
Northern Flicker  1
Western Wood-Pewee  1
Steller’s Jay  3
California Scrub-Jay  6
American Crow  3
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Violet-green Swallow  3
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Bewick’s Wren  1
European Starling  X
American Robin  3
House Sparrow  X
Chipping Sparrow  X
Dark-eyed Junco  1
Song Sparrow  3
Spotted Towhee  8
Brown-headed Cowbird  X

 Meyer Farm is 29 acres with historic house and barn.  It is a mix of grassland and forest.  Native trees include white oak, madrone, Doug fir and cottonwood.  Plants introduced: redwood, hawthorn, ponderosa, lodgepole, blackberry, ivy climbing every tree trunk.  Opposition to development is continuing on two paths—a lawsuit involving the owners’ family; and the Friends of Meyer Farm association as appealed the city decision to allow development.  That appeal goes before the Land Use Board of Appeals.

Here are two reports on Meyer Farm’s future:

First.

Later.

A comment to this blog:

MEYER FARM BIRDS IN SALEM

“Thank you for blogging about Meyer Farm and keeping the public updated and informed of what you are witnessing as a dedicated and experienced birder. This sacred Kalapuya land and its chain of title has largely remained the same over its existence and its varied and thriving wildlife depend on its habitat. Its giant 32-dbh (2019 survey) heritage black walnut tree slated by the developer to be harvested (axed) is among the largest known black walnut trees in Oregon. Not only is it an extremely valuable tree for its lumber, but more importantly to most, it is a historic tree on this property likely planted by J Waldo that has been hosting a wide range of species in the area’s food chain for over 160 years. While this property is located in Salem’s UGB, it is expressly unique and deserves to continue to be protected and preserved as Henry Meyer and the majority of his family has done over the past 75 years. The majority of beneficiaries and a significant core of their descendants wish to continue the legacy, but were undermined by a pack of ravening family wolves in sheep’s clothing who made a deal with their developer friend and fellow ravening wolf. Your thoughtful analysis and reporting and the community’s support and involvement has been integral in shining a light on the importance of protecting this property and its wildlife as the family continues to litigate this Trust matter including the property’s ownership and future through Marion Co court. Community members, preservation stakeholders, Salem decision-makers, and the media are highly encouraged to attend what is expected to be a multi-day, show-stopping court proceeding of jaw-dropping evidence and testimony in the elected Judge Thomas Hart’s Courtroom 2A beginning Monday morning, August 22.”