Last night the Salem Audubon meeting heard a telling and information-rich talk by Dr. Teresa Wicks. It was about the climate, weather. water and birds in the Malheur region. Wicks has lived in that area for about five years. She is a field biologist who works as Portland Audubon’s Eastern Oregon Field Coordinator. Her talk about the annual variations and possible climate trends was recorded and can now be seen on youtube by clicking here.
IN THE GARDEN TODAY
Plenty of macho posturing by tom turkeys–those flared tails, the drooping wings dragging on th4e driveway. A feathery frat party. An increase in spring song–long sequences of calls from Mr. Flicker, full songs from male House Finch, dove coos, the whistles of the Varied Thrush piercing ear and air.
Birds above, from the top: molting American goldfinch; white-throat; male House Finch; Fox Sparrow.
Did I really expect a free pass up my own driveway?
The face of each male is now a ghostly white, easy to notice at 100 yards. Click here for the Facebook page dedicated to the South Salem turkeys.
No fingerprints for Mourning Doves, but each one has a unique set of black spots on its wings. Here are two that were feeding side-by-side:
THE I-5 HERONS
I counted 27 refurbished nests, and at least forty adult herons standing around. This is east of the northbound lanes just south of Exit 263.
National Audubon Society is NOT changing its name (now more than a century old). Click here for the official statement.
954 Ratcliff Drive SE, Marion, Oregon, US
Mar 15, 2023 7:10 AM
Protocol: Incidental
23 species
Wild Turkey 15
Mourning Dove X
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2 male calling often in morning
Steller’s Jay 1
California Scrub-Jay X
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1
Bushtit X
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Varied Thrush 2
House Finch 2
Lesser Goldfinch X
American Goldfinch X
Fox Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 30
Golden-crowned Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Townsend’s Warbler 1
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