Towheeblog

A small flock of birders gathered in the heavy fog at Ankeny this morning. We were treated to a fine variety of birds–locals, migrants, wintering vacationers, molters, predators, quackers, soloists, flockers, clearly viewed, hidden in reeds. Our biggest bird was a lone juvie White Pelican at Pintail Marsh (loaded with its namesake docks and their dabbling cousins), smallest was American Goldfinch though we suspected a hummer who was not seen. Other critters included woolly caterpillars and numerous eating nutria, the rodent weed-whacker.

Here is the bittern along the edge of the emergent veg east of the Pintail Marsh parking lot. Yellowlegs in foreground:

Two yellowlegs–greaters near shore. They made a point of walking along the shore nearest the parking lot–show-offs.

The single, immature White Pelican was busily feeding, pausing to preen, feeding some more. The was speculation that it was eating frogs, newts, and other small vertebrates as there are likely no fish in that shallow marsh which sometimes dries up. All the other and older pelicans here earlier this month seemed to have left. Did this rebellious teenager stay so he wouldn’t have to hear scolding oldies say things like, “Real pelicans eat real fish. Not those slimy things, ugh.” Wouldn’t a youngster find it easier to scoop small critters out of shallow water rather than have to follow oldies around to surround speeding minnows? During one preening break the young pelican pulled put onto a bare peninsula along with ducks, snoozing dowitchers and a few cacklers…then hundreds more cackling cacklers began to arrive, and young Peli departed. “One silly goose is tolerable, but when all crowd around they never shut up!”

Peregrine, without the foggiest notion of when he’d be able to see again:

At the Nature Center in dense fog: bluebirds and yellow-rumps (all Audubon’s):

Ankeny NWR, Marion, Oregon, US
Oct 8, 2022
Checklist Comments:     Eagle Marsh drained for restoration work.
46 species (+1 other taxa)

Greater White-fronted Goose  8
Cackling Goose  400
Canada Goose  X
Wood Duck  2
Northern Shoveler  X
Gadwall  X
American Wigeon  X
Mallard  X
Mallard (Domestic type)  X
Northern Pintail  X
Green-winged Teal  X
Pied-billed Grebe  2
Eurasian Collared-Dove  X
Killdeer  X
Least Sandpiper  2
Long-billed Dowitcher  60
Wilson’s Snipe  2
Greater Yellowlegs  10
American Bittern  1
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  1
Northern Harrier  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Northern Flicker  1
American Kestrel  3
Peregrine Falcon  1
California Scrub-Jay  6
American Crow  3
Common Raven  1
Barn Swallow  6
European Starling  X
Western Bluebird  6
Cedar Waxwing  15
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  X
Dark-eyed Junco  1
White-crowned Sparrow  X
Golden-crowned Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  1
Western Meadowlark  X
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Brewer’s Blackbird  X
Yellow-rumped Warbler  5