Towheeblog

This morning was my first stint as volunteer eagle watcher here in Salem. The city and U.S. Fish and Wildlife are co-operating on an eagle next monitoring program for two of the four known nest sites on, or adjacent to, Minto-Brown Island. The one I’ve volunteered to watch is west of Riverfront Park, near where the Willamette Slough empties into the Willamette River. This is just south of the bridges between Salem and West Salem.

Both adult eagles were present when I arrived at 945AM. During the next 75 minutes both were visible. Around 1020AM there was a rendezvous atop the nest, copulation, then soon the male went off and returned with stick. The worked it into place. Soon the male went off to perch about fifty yards north, just over the water. The female stayed at the nest except for a quick flight to grab another stick which she then worked into the pile. After 11AM the male flew off and she then perched near the river.

There was a lot of activity. When I arrived about 80 Canada Geese covered the park lawn. In small groups they later flew into the slough. By 11AM the were all afloat, leaving the lawn to the crows and robins. Several duck species were in the slough: Hooded and Common Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead. Also a kingfisher male, Greater Yellowlegs…and a raccoon wading in shallow water along Minto-Brown.

From my friend Mike Lund in Virginia: “State bird is the cardinal, but we have a good population of bluebirds in town and I have several houses. This guy, I think, is checking out one of them.”

From Lee French near Ashland:

The ultimate mud-bath. Video provided to CBS by my friend Lee McEachern from a recent trip to East Africa. Click here. Have you ever seen that many happy elephants? Making quite a splash.

The Northern Cascades have lost a major glacier from the range east of Seattle. Once ice, now small lake–click here.

Good news reigns. Monarchs having a good winter in California as the count is up–click here.

You might not see many Canada Geese, but maybe some other interesting birds in Brazil–want a little intense tropical birding? Klamath Bird Observatory in Ashland is organizing a trip in April.
Join KBO’s dynamic duo Director of Conservation Jaime Stephens and Board President Shannon Rio for a memorable 9-day trip to Brazil, April 12th – 20th, 2023. This trip will be guided by past KBO intern and co-founder of Mantiqueira Bird Observatory (OAMa) Luiza Figueira. The cost of this trip includes hotels, food (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and transportation (to and from the airport and during the trip). The total cost of the trip is $5,000, $2500 to reserve your seat, and the total amount is due by February 10th. With 12 people attending, these funds will cover a FULL YEAR of OAMa’s banding program. It will also be used to help support a student intern that is participating in KBO OAMa’s intern exchange program.  To inquire or sign-up email: Elva Manquera ejm@klamathbird.org

Salem Riverfront Park, Marion, Oregon, US
Feb 1, 2023 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.3 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     eagle monitoring
24 species

Canada Goose  80
Mallard  40
Green-winged Teal  30
Lesser Scaup  6
Bufflehead  4
Hooded Merganser  4
Common Merganser  2
Pied-billed Grebe  4
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Glaucous-winged Gull  10
Double-crested Cormorant  50
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  1
Bald Eagle  2     nesting pair; copulation and nest-building
Belted Kingfisher  1
California Scrub-Jay  1
American Crow  12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
European Starling  X
American Robin  40
Golden-crowned Sparrow  4
Song Sparrow  3
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Brewer’s Blackbird  X