SAS Minto-Brown Island Park Bird Walk Report

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SAS Minto-Brown Island Park Bird Walk Report

November 9, 2025 

Yesterday morning, Tim and I led the Salem Audubon bird walk at Minto-Brown Island Park, joined by 20 enthusiastic participants. It was a beautiful fall morning with clear skies and temperatures between 45 and 57 degrees, and only a light breeze of up to 3 mph (according to Salem NWS weather data). Our two-mile route followed the Blue Heron Trail on the west side of the park, then crossed the Oxbow Bridge to an unpaved path around a pond. By the end of the walk, we recorded 45 bird species, either seen or heard. 

According to my records, this was a record-setting day. The previous high species count for our November bird walks at Minto-Brown was 42 species in November 2017. Last year we counted only 32 species. Although I do not have complete records of individuals counted, we tallied an impressive 421 individuals compared to 219 last year. Notably, this month's total was not inflated by large flocks of geese, making the count all the more meaningful.

The highlights were as follows:

·         Our highlights of the day included several Western Bluebirds and a pair of Hooded Mergansers seen on a pond in the northwest section of the park.

·         The same pond also hosted seven duck species, including a pair of Gadwall, numerous Green-winged Teal, and nine American Wigeon.

·         The Oxbow Slough offered some great sightings, including a Black Phoebe, several Wood Ducks, Greater Yellowlegs, a Belted Kingfisher, and a couple of Wilson’s Snipe. In the far western portion of the slough, we also observed ten Bufflehead.

·         We observed only two raptor species: a Bald Eagle heard near the start of the walk and a Red-tailed Hawk seen perched in a tree toward the end. It was surprising how few raptors were present this time.

·         We observed three of the five woodpecker species expected for this time of year: Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, and Hairy Woodpecker. Everyone enjoyed close views of both the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers.

·         As we continued along the trails, we encountered several mixed foraging flocks led by Black-capped Chickadees. These groups also included Brown Creepers, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and about a dozen Bushtits.

·         Other notable sightings included a Fox Sparrow, Bewick’s Wren, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, and plenty of Steller’s Jays. 

The upcoming events include: 

Ankeny NWR Field Trip, Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 9:00 AM. Meet at Ankeny Hill Nature Center (AHNC) Parking Lot off Ankeny Hill Road SE, Jefferson at 9:00 AM. 

Willow Lake WWTP Bird Walk, Monday, November 24, 2025 at 9:00 AM  Meet in the parking lot off Windsor Island Road in Keizer.  See November Kestrel for directions. 

Please join us if you can.

 

Mike Unger

Keizer, OR 

Minto-Brown Island Park Checklist Summary for November 9, 2025

Identified Species: 45 

Cackling Goose  45
Canada Goose  30
Wood Duck  7
Northern Shoveler  1
Gadwall  2
American Wigeon  9
Mallard  42
Green-winged Teal  150
Bufflehead  10
Hooded Merganser  2
Anna's Hummingbird  1
Wilson's Snipe  2
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Greater Yellowlegs  3
Glaucous-winged Gull  2
Pied-billed Grebe  5
Great Blue Heron  3
Bald Eagle  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Belted Kingfisher  3
Downy Woodpecker  2
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  7
Black Phoebe  2
Steller's Jay  8
California Scrub-Jay  1
American Crow  8
Common Raven  1
Black-capped Chickadee  15
Bushtit  12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet  6
White-breasted Nuthatch  3
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
Brown Creeper  7
Bewick's Wren  2
Western Bluebird  6
American Robin  1
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  2
Fox Sparrow (Sooty)  1
Golden-crowned Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  2
Spotted Towhee  5
Yellow-rumped Warbler  3

View the checklist online at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S283797790