SAS Minto-Brown Island Park Bird Walk Report

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SAS Minto-Brown Island Park Bird Walk Report

June 7, 2026 

This morning, Tim, Paul, and I co-led the Salem Audubon bird walk at Minto-Brown Island Park, attended by 22 enthusiastic participants. Weather conditions were pleasant, with partly cloudy skies, temperatures ranging from 52 to 61 degrees, and light winds up to 7 miles per hour that added a slight chill at the start of the walk. 

We began at Parking Lot #3, proceeding to Oxbow Slough before continuing east along the Red Osprey Loop. The walk covered 1.71 miles over 2.55 hours, during which we recorded an impressive 51 bird species by sight or sound. This represents a slight increase from last year’s June walk, when 49 species were observed, and stands as the second-highest species total recorded over the past 11 years. The highest count remains 52 species, documented in 2019.                                                              

The highlights were as follows:

·         The highlight of the walk was the breeding activity observed along the tree line east of Parking Lot #3. We encountered a family of four Brown Creepers on nearby tree trunks, including an adult feeding a juvenile at close range. A Bushtit was also observed carrying nesting material. Juvenile Spotted Sandpipers were seen along the north bank of the river, and Canada Goose goslings and young Mallards were present on Oxbow Slough.

·         Another memorable sighting was Anna’s Hummingbird hovering as it deftly captured insects’ mid-air.

·         Birdsong accompanied the early part of the walk, with Swainson’s Thrush, American Robin, Song Sparrow, Northern Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Black-headed Grosbeak all singing energetically. A brief time later, we enjoyed an excellent view of a Swainson’s Thrush perched in a tree, singing in full voice.

·         We observed five raptor species during the walk, including Bald Eagle, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, and American Kestrel. Later in the outing, we watched an Osprey carrying a fish back toward its nest. We also observed a Bald Eagle attending a nest on the east end of the park.

·         We encountered four of the five expected woodpecker species, including Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, and Northern Flicker. Many participants enjoyed excellent views of the Red-breasted Sapsucker, a particularly memorable sighting for the group.

·         Swallow activity along the river was exceptional, with five species observed: Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Tree Swallow, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow.

·         Western Wood-Pewee was the lone flycatcher recorded during the walk.

·         Other notable observations included Band-tailed Pigeon (only the second time it has been recorded on these walks), Belted Kingfisher, both nuthatch species, and Western Meadowlark. One participant observed the meadowlark in the field south of the eagle’s nest.

·         The main species we missed during this walk were California Quail, Mourning Dove, Lesser Goldfinch, Lazuli Bunting, any owl, and Brown-headed Cowbird. 

Our next events are: 

Willamette Mission State Park - Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 9:00 AM.  Meet in the Filbert Grove day-use area. A state park pass is required for this location. (Single day permits can also be purchased for $10 from the fee station near the park entrance. 

Ankeny NWR – Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 7:30 AM.  Meet in the Ankeny Hill Nature Center parking lot. Note: Starting in July this walk will start at 8:00 AM. 

Baskett Slough NWR – Friday, June 20, 2026, at 9:00 AM.  Meet at the Rich Guadagno Trailhead Parking Lot on Coville Road. 

Illahe Hills Country Club - Monday, June 22, 2026, at 8:00 AM. Park in the main parking area, not in front of the clubhouse!  Please contact the leader at paule...@gmail.com to confirm your registration for this trip. 

Keizer Rapids Park – Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 9:00 AM.  Meet in the last parking lot near the boat ramp. 

Please join us if you can.

Mike Unger

Keizer, OR 

Minto-Brown Island Park Checklist Summary for June 7, 2026

Identified Species: 51 

Checklists included in this summary:
Minto-Brown Island Park 7:40 AM 

7 Canada Goose
11 Wood Duck
12 Mallard
2 Band-tailed Pigeon
1 Eurasian Collared-Dove
2 Vaux's Swift
3 Anna's Hummingbird
5 Killdeer
8 Spotted Sandpiper
3 Great Blue Heron
1 Turkey Vulture
2 Osprey
2 Bald Eagle
2 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Belted Kingfisher
3 Red-breasted Sapsucker
1 Downy Woodpecker
3 Hairy Woodpecker
5 Northern Flicker
2 American Kestrel
9 Western Wood-Pewee
4 Western Warbling Vireo
3 Steller's Jay
3 California Scrub-Jay
4 Black-capped Chickadee
4 Chestnut-backed Chickadee
4 Tree Swallow
5 Violet-green Swallow
2 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
2 Barn Swallow
1 Cliff Swallow
2 Bushtit
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
8 Brown Creeper
5 Bewick's Wren
7 European Starling
12 Swainson's Thrush
17 American Robin
11 Cedar Waxwing
1 House Sparrow
1 House Finch
3 Purple Finch
3 American Goldfinch
6 White-crowned Sparrow
15 Song Sparrow
5 Spotted Towhee
1 Western Meadowlark
5 Orange-crowned Warbler
7 Northern Yellow Warbler
6 Black-headed Grosbeak

View this checklist online at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S354085625