McDonald Forest N. Pygmy-Owl, Wilson's Warbler
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Lisa Millbank
Apr 13, 2014, 9:18:20 PM4/13/14
to Mid-valley Nature
This morning, I took a ride out to Bald Hill Farm and McDonald
Forest while Don was running in the Corvallis Half-Marathon.
It was about 6:45 when I saw a flock of 6 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS flying westward over Circle Blvd., and I wondered if they were headed for the coast.
At Bald Hill Farm, the highlights included at least 5 VESPER SPARROWS (including 3 singing males and 2 others feeding on the ground), a few CHIPPING SPARROWS, many singing SAVANNAH SPARROWS and a few pairs of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. A flock of WILD TURKEYS were feeding in a nearby lawn, and some of the toms were displaying a little.
I stopped at the Audubon Society of Corvallis' Hesthavn Nature Center on Oak Creek Drive. I'd hoped I might find a House Wren there, but didn't hear any, so I continued up the road and into McDonald Forest.
A couple of miles up the road, I started hearing a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL "tooting." The tiny owl was surrounded by angry GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES. I could only get a mediocre picture, but it was exciting to see this little fella.
I took a break at about 1300', and while I was sitting on the edge of the road, I watched a family of GRAY JAYS swooping down to the ground and silently gliding from tree to tree. This was about 4.5 miles or so from the Oak Creek Drive trailhead.
I heard at least 15 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS today, getting looks at several of them. All of them were singing the buzzy "zebra-zebra-zebra-zeet!" song. There were also TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS mixed in, but both species seemed to be singing distinctive songs today. Everywhere there were blooming Bigleaf Maples, there seemed to be ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS. I watched one little guy seemingly sipping nectar from multiple flowers between the songs he was giving every few seconds. Many male YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in their spring finery (mostly Audubon's) were singing and foraging in the maples as well.
Past Lewisburg Saddle, I came to a clearcut overlooking Soap Creek Valley, and three adult BALD EAGLES soared by.
When I arrived at Cronemiller Lake, there was a single female HOODED MERGANSER there. Just past the lake, on a forest road that goes back to Hwy 99W north of Peavy Arboretum, I found one singing male WILSON'S WARBLER. They're pretty darn cute with their shiny black toupees.
Throughout the forest, many flowers were in bloom. A few notable ones included LYALL'S ANEMONE, PACIFIC HOUND'S-TONGUE, many CALYPSO ORCHIDS, VANILLALEAF, GREAT CAMAS, and PACIFIC BLEEDING-HEART.
While riding home, I found a roadkilled MYOTIS bat of some kind on the shoulder of Hwy 99W.
Lisa Millbank
www.neighborhood-naturalist.com
65 bird species
Hooded Merganser
Sooty Grouse
Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Anna's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Hutton's Vireo
Gray Jay
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak
House Sparrow
It was about 6:45 when I saw a flock of 6 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS flying westward over Circle Blvd., and I wondered if they were headed for the coast.
At Bald Hill Farm, the highlights included at least 5 VESPER SPARROWS (including 3 singing males and 2 others feeding on the ground), a few CHIPPING SPARROWS, many singing SAVANNAH SPARROWS and a few pairs of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. A flock of WILD TURKEYS were feeding in a nearby lawn, and some of the toms were displaying a little.
I stopped at the Audubon Society of Corvallis' Hesthavn Nature Center on Oak Creek Drive. I'd hoped I might find a House Wren there, but didn't hear any, so I continued up the road and into McDonald Forest.
A couple of miles up the road, I started hearing a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL "tooting." The tiny owl was surrounded by angry GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES. I could only get a mediocre picture, but it was exciting to see this little fella.
I took a break at about 1300', and while I was sitting on the edge of the road, I watched a family of GRAY JAYS swooping down to the ground and silently gliding from tree to tree. This was about 4.5 miles or so from the Oak Creek Drive trailhead.
I heard at least 15 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS today, getting looks at several of them. All of them were singing the buzzy "zebra-zebra-zebra-zeet!" song. There were also TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS mixed in, but both species seemed to be singing distinctive songs today. Everywhere there were blooming Bigleaf Maples, there seemed to be ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS. I watched one little guy seemingly sipping nectar from multiple flowers between the songs he was giving every few seconds. Many male YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in their spring finery (mostly Audubon's) were singing and foraging in the maples as well.
Past Lewisburg Saddle, I came to a clearcut overlooking Soap Creek Valley, and three adult BALD EAGLES soared by.
When I arrived at Cronemiller Lake, there was a single female HOODED MERGANSER there. Just past the lake, on a forest road that goes back to Hwy 99W north of Peavy Arboretum, I found one singing male WILSON'S WARBLER. They're pretty darn cute with their shiny black toupees.
Throughout the forest, many flowers were in bloom. A few notable ones included LYALL'S ANEMONE, PACIFIC HOUND'S-TONGUE, many CALYPSO ORCHIDS, VANILLALEAF, GREAT CAMAS, and PACIFIC BLEEDING-HEART.
While riding home, I found a roadkilled MYOTIS bat of some kind on the shoulder of Hwy 99W.
Lisa Millbank
www.neighborhood-naturalist.com
65 bird species
Hooded Merganser
Sooty Grouse
Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Anna's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Acorn Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Hutton's Vireo
Gray Jay
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak
House Sparrow
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