Towheeblog

A shot visit this afternoon to Riverfront.
Two adult Bald Eagles near the established nest across the channel west of the riverboat.
Snipe hiding near mouth of Pringle Creek. Nearby I heard, but could not spot, California Quail.
Flock of Red-winged Blackbirds, all female.
West of footbridge in marshy pool: shovelers and teal.

In our garden today the turkeys (21 in the flock still) were back for the first time since the 20th. The young ones are staring to do a lot of wing-flapping chases. Pre-spring ebullience?
The weather was grim and gray, all day. But the bouncy beauties busy in our garden lightened the mood. About 330PM as the oncoming glum evening began to be felt, the Bushtits arrived energetic and effervescent as always, then our Myrtle Warbler and a single Townsend’s showed up simultaneously. Coincidence, or warbler togetherness? In the Bay Area wintering warbler flocks were usually tens or dozens of yellow-rumps (nearly all Audubon’s) laced with a lone, or few, Townsend’s. Often there would be chickadees, a downy, some Pygmy Nuthatches and maybe a Hutton’s Vireo or creeper tagging along. The resident Black Phoebes found these flocks anathema.

Around 4PM a quartet of Golden-crowned Sparrows–including one glowing bright male–showed up with the wintering White-throated Sparrow. Hungry enough even the few loitering turkeys didn’t scare them off. L:ay on the calories, iut’s gonna be another cold night, friends.

GARDEN BIRDING
Includes my best Townsend’s warbler shot in many moons. Click on any image for full screen view. Near the bottom, those birds up a tree are Mourning Doves waiting for the turkeys to leave.

RIVERFRONT
Male mergansers–common, hoodie. The small lump behind the limb at water-s edge is the hiding snipe. Lords of the lawn. One eagle-eyed watcher.

This is duck season in the Willamette–click here to read my short piece on Salem Reporter website.

Cattle Egrets are not native to North America. Native in Africa, they reached Latin America, then spread north to the U.S., nesting here for the first time in 1953. They have recently spread into Britain where cattle farmers are happy to see them.

954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Jan 25, 2023
23 species

Wild Turkey  21
Mourning Dove  18
Northern Flicker  1
Steller’s Jay  1
California Scrub-Jay  5
American Crow  3
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  1
Bushtit  20
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
European Starling  2
Varied Thrush  1
House Finch  2
Lesser Goldfinch  1
American Goldfinch  30
Fox Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  30
Golden-crowned Sparrow  4
White-throated Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Townsend’s Warbler  1

Clark Creek Park, Marion, Oregon, US
Jan 25, 2023
7 species

Steller’s Jay  1
American Crow  6
Black-capped Chickadee  X
Bewick’s Wren  1
Varied Thrush  1
American Robin  40
Dark-eyed Junco  8

Salem Riverfront Park, Marion, Oregon, US
Jan 25, 2023
18 species

Canada Goose  140
Northern Shoveler  4
Mallard  35
Green-winged Teal  16
Hooded Merganser  2
Common Merganser  5
California Quail  X
Pied-billed Grebe  3
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  30
Killdeer  1
Wilson’s Snipe  1
Glaucous-winged Gull  35     they are common here in winter
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Great Blue Heron  1
Bald Eagle  2     adults near nest opposite the paddle-wheel boat
American Crow  X
American Robin  1
Red-winged Blackbird  30