Huge numbers of robins on the Medford CBC, with a request

[Pepper Trail]

Terrence Phillipe and I covered Area L on the Medford CBC on Saturday.  As always, we began on Gold Ray Road near the river to see the morning fly-out of robins, which has often been dramatic.  This year we estimated 15,000 from 7:30 to 8:15.  

In the late afternoon, we went to the Kirtland Road crossing over Bear Creek for the evening fly-out.  We did our best to keep track from 3:45-5:00 PM. Our best - and conservative - estimate was 65,000.  This was based on an estimated 1000-1500/minute from 4:00-4:30, and 500-800/minute for the 3:45-4:00 and 4:30-5:00 periods. It was overwhelming.

There's no way to know how many, if any, of the dawn 15,000 were part of the evening 65,000. The dawn birds were mostly leaving to the northwest; the evening birds were mostly coming in from the southeast, suggesting that at least some of the birds were different.

So here is a request for any Medford birders who like to get up and about early.  It would be great to have a morning fly-out count at the Kirtland Road/Bear Creek area, to compare with our Gold Ray dawn fly-out.  There is a big safe pull-out just on the Medford side of the Bear Creek bridge on Kirtland Road, which we where we did our count.  On Saturday, the robins started to fly out at Gold Ray in good numbers at around 7:30, with some movement beginning around 7:15.  The main fly-out at Gold Ray was over by 8:15.  

It really is an amazing spectacle, and well worth getting out early.  We found the only way to try to tally the numbers was to try to estimate birds passing overhead per 30 seconds, and double that to get the numbers/minute.

If anyone takes this on, please post your results on Rogue Valley Birds.  Thanks!

Pepper

[Kent Patrick-Riley]

I just returned from going to the spot on Bear Creek and Kirtland Road suggested by Pepper. I arrived later than I wanted -- about 7:25 AM - as the traffic was heavy on Kirtland & I had trouble finding the pull-out. I sat in my car for a few minutes looking around and only saw a few robins in the nearby trees and flying low. But when I got out and looked up, I saw a wide river of robins flying "downstream" about 100 feet above and 1/4 mile wide. There were too many robins to count. From 7:30-7:40 it was a continuous robin stream.  Then the numbers started to dwindle and the robins began flying higher - around 200-300 feet.  Small flocks began landing, resting, and then taking off, some flying within 25 feet.  By 8:00 the flight was pretty much over.  But while it lasted, it was as impressive as Pepper suggested - definitely worth seeing. Here's some directions to visit the spot where I was - coming  north on I-5, take the Blackwell road exit and turn right and follow it for about 1.5 miles as it becomes Kirtland Road.  You will pass a big industrial area on the left about 1/8 mile before the bridge over Bear Creek. Just after crossing the bridge, there is a quick turnout on the right -- an access parking point to Denham Wildlife area. I attached a general map and a satellite image to help locate it.  I'm unsure if its the same spot as Pepper recommended, but it works.

[Kent Patrick-Riley]

Here is the satellite image as it was too big for the other email.

[Pepper Trail]

Thanks, Kent.  So it sounds like the birds you saw were mostly leaving from the trees along the river and heading away from you downriver - not flying overhead, but away to the west or northwest.  Is that right?  If so, that suggests that the dawn birds we saw passing overhead at Gold Ray were most likely from the same roost as the evening birds.  That's great information.

By the way, the spot we parked is a small (but safe) paved pullout on the left just after the Bear Creek bridge (coming from I-5).  Very close to your ODFW spot (which is on the right), but perhaps offering a more open view of the sky.  

Thanks again,

Pepper

[Kent Patrick-Riley]

Some were fairly low (<100 feet) that I could see were taking off from the trees and gaining altitude.  But  lots were 150-200+ feet high and looked like they were coming from far off and "headed for Dodge".  And they were all flying upstream East/Southeast, not downstream to the west.  I saw the spot on the opposite side of the road (its also evident in the photograph) but at 7:25 am the traffic was heavy both behind me at and towards me  I didn't want to stop to make a left and hold up traffic while waiting for opposing traffic to clear. I think that your spot, however, would be better - I was tempted to go down a ways and turn around and come back to it.

[Kent Patrick-Riley]

Ya,Pepper has the physique of Robin Hood, I more like Friar Tuck!

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