SAS Minto Brown Island Park Bird Walk Report

[ung...@gmail.com]

SAS Minto-Brown Island Park Bird Walk Report

July 4, 2025 

This morning, Tim, Paul, and I had the pleasure of leading the Salem Audubon bird walk at Minto-Brown Island Park. Our 4th of July outing drew an enthusiastic group of 30 birders, prompting us to split into two groups to better explore the park’s diverse habitats. Paul guided Group A westward along the Orange Turtle and Purple Rabbit Loops, while Tim and I led Group B east on the Red Osprey Loop. 

We enjoyed a beautiful morning under partly cloudy skies, with temperatures ranging from 57 to 64 degrees and gentle breezes up to 3 mph. Group A covered 2.17 miles in 2.82 hours, spotting 43 different bird species. Group B walked 1.61 miles over 2.3 hours and tallied an impressive 47 species. Altogether, our combined efforts resulted in sightings of 58 unique bird species—an exciting increase from the 47 species observed on last year’s walk!                                                              

The highlights were as follows:

·         Group A enjoyed excellent views of several birds striking dramatic poses, including a Great Blue Heron perched 50 feet high on a snag and an Osprey resting on a branch over the slough. Meanwhile, Group B was treated to a special sighting of a Lazuli Bunting out in the open field, as well as both seeing and hearing a Wrentit—a real highlight of the morning.

·         The bird of the day was undoubtedly the vociferous Swainson’s Thrush, with an impressive total of 33 individuals counted. These thrushes filled the air with their distinctive calls and song throughout the entire walk for both groups. Group A even had the pleasure of watching a Swainson’s Thrush hopping along the trail as it collected insects. This year’s tally surpassed last year’s count of 25, making the Swainson’s Thrush a standout highlight of our outing.

·         We observed six Wood Ducks this year, most of which were juveniles—a notable decrease from the 21 Wood Ducks seen during last year’s walk. Additionally, Group B spotted a Common Merganser along the Willamette River, adding to the variety of waterfowl encountered on the outing.

·         It was an exceptionally good raptor day with six different raptor species including Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Osprey and American Kestrel.

·         During the walk, we observed five warbler species: Black-throated Gray, Yellow, Wilson’s, and Orange-crowned Warblers, along with the Common Yellowthroat. Some of these warblers offered only brief glimpses, making each sighting especially rewarding.

·         Other notable sightings included Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Black-capped Chickadee. We also recorded four woodpecker species: Pileated, Downy, Hairy, and Northern Flicker. However, we did not observe a Red-breasted Sapsucker during this walk.

·         The main species we missed this year were Belted Kingfisher, Rufous Hummingbird, Western Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, and Barred Owl. 

The upcoming events include:

Illahe Hills CC – Monday, July 14, 2025 at 8:00 AM.  Please contact the leader at paule...@gmail.com to confirm your registration for this trip. Registered participants should meet at the Country Club entrance at 8:00 AM. Please park in the main parking area, not in front of the clubhouse! 

Common Nighthawks at Minto-Brown, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 7:30 PM.  Meet in parking lot #3 at the end of Minto Island Road SE.

 

Ankeny NWR Field Trip, Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:30 AM. Meet at the Ankeny Hill Nature Center parking lot off Ankeny Hill Road. 

Please join us if you can. 

Mike Unger

Keizer, OR 

Minto-Brown Island Park Checklist links for July 4, 2024

Group A (Paul’s group) - https://ebird.org/checklist/S256912819

 Group B (Tim & Mike’s group) - https://ebird.org/checklist/S256846456 

Trip Report link (combined group results) - https://ebird.org/tripreport/391578