SAS Minto-Brown Island Park Bird Walk Report

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SAS Minto-Brown Island Park Bird Walk Report

November 10, 2024 

This morning, Joseph and I led the Salem Audubon Minto-Brown Island Park bird walk. We were joined by 18 other birders. It was a nice fall morning with overcast skies and temperatures ranging from 50 to 57 degrees. The wind was calm to 3 m.p.h. (weather records from Salem NWS). We walked a total of 3.02 miles along the Blue Heron Trail on the west side of the park. We observed (saw or heard) 32 species. 

The highlights were as follows:

·         The bird of the day was the Golden-crowned Kinglet (GCKI) which we saw and heard. There were nine (9) GCKI throughout the walk.  This is one of the highest counts we have had on a bird walk.  We also saw two Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

·         We only observed three raptor species including Red-tailed Hawk (4) and a Northern Harrier flying over a field.  Just as we were arriving at the parking lot after the walk several people saw a Cooper’s Hawk.

·         We observed two of the five expected woodpecker species including Northern Flicker (5) and Downy Woodpecker.  We saw a pair of Downy Woodpeckers together in a tree.

·         As we walked along the trails, we saw several flocks of birds foraging together led by the Black-capped Chickadees.  Besides the kinglets there were quite a few Brown Creepers too.

·         Most of the ducks were on the pond on the left side of the trail about a third of a mile past the Oxbow bridge.  There were 20 Mallards, 12 Green-winged Teal and a single American Wigeon.  Earlier we had seen a single Northern Pintail fly over.  There were a few Mallards on the slough too but no Wood Ducks.

·         It was quite some time before we saw any sparrows other than Song Sparrows and Spotted Towhees.  But once we reached the area near the landfill, we hit the mother lode.  On the way to the landfill, we heard three Fox Sparrows with one of them being very vocal.  Along the southern edge of the landfill, we saw 12 White-crowned Sparrows, 6 Golden-crowned Sparrows, 6 Dark-eyed Juncos, and a couple Spotted Towhees.

·         Near the Oxbow bridge we heard a Black Phoebe but could never find it.

·         We missed quite a few species we expected to observe and some that have been seen but are uncommon.  The misses included the doves, nuthatches, Anna’s Hummingbird, and California Quail. The two uncommon species we missed were the White-throated Sparrow and Hermit Thrush.  Also, we did not see any owls. 

The upcoming events include: 

Ankeny NWR Field Trip, Wednesday, November 20, 2024 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 26, 2024 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 10, 2024

Identified Species: 32 

26 Cackling Goose
1 Canada Goose
1 American Wigeon
32 Mallard
1 Northern Pintail
12 Green-winged Teal
3 Glaucous-winged Gull
1 gull sp.
1 Pied-billed Grebe
2 Double-crested Cormorant
2 Great Blue Heron
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Northern Harrier
4 Red-tailed Hawk
2 Downy Woodpecker
5 Northern Flicker
1 Black Phoebe
1 California Scrub-Jay
10 Black-capped Chickadee
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
9 Golden-crowned Kinglet
6 Brown Creeper
2 Bewick's Wren
20 European Starling
4 American Robin
18 Cedar Waxwing
2 House Finch
3 Fox Sparrow (Sooty)
8 Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
12 White-crowned Sparrow
6 Golden-crowned Sparrow
11 Song Sparrow
9 Spotted Towhee

View the checklist online at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S202063139