March 11, 2018

This past Sunday, I set out to hike and bird Mary’s Peak, the highest peak in Oregon’s Coast Range. I planned on hiking the 6-or-so mile hike up through the forest, up up up, back and forth, to the peak. I’ve done this before. It’s a beautiful hike. I knew there would be snow up there, but it’s been so warm that I figured that at least the road would be ok. The road was NOT ok. The drive up the mountain started out fine, but eventually the warm wet road turned into a one-lane snowy-slush road. I was still at least 1 mile from my parking lot, and honestly, I probably could have made it, but considering I could not turn my car around as it was, I grudgingly made the right decision, backed up out of the snowy road, turned around when it was safe to do so, and drove down the mountain, feeling a bit defeated. I really didn’t want to have to be rescued again while birding this year.

I don’t like driving, and I especially don’t like superfluous driving. I don’t mean that I’m not a safe driver or that I’m not comfortable driving; I just find it monotonous. We should seriously be able to apparate by now.

So what was my Plan B? The Philomath Sewage Ponds were tempting, but I really wanted to move (that is, hike). Using my All Trails app, I made a quick decision to bird the Mulkey Creek Trail.

While driving to the trailhead, I saw bird #117: Turkey Vulture! Ok, driving can be tolerable sometimes, even though I continued to see TVs throughout the day as well as today in Salem. They are back folks!

Mulkey Creek Trail is a 4.6-mile out-and-back trail near Corvallis. From what I can tell, it’s partially in the Bald Hill Natural Area, which is managed by the City of Corvallis, and partially on the Bald Hill Farm property, which is managed by the Greenbelt Land Trust. The first mile of trail starts out in an open, bucolic setting but eventually climbs into a Doug-fir forest near the creek and then eventually up into a forest of moss-covered oaks and lovely views.

The birding was quality, as follows. I don’t always include full lists, but as soon as new species begin to show up, I think a comprehensive list is worthwhile.

Turkey Vulture*
Bald Eagle
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestral
Steller’s Jay
California Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven (building a nest, or up to no good while flying around with sticks)
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Pacific Wren (providing the soundtrack to most of my hike)
Ruby-crowed Kinglet
Western Bluebird*
American Robin
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
House Finch

*New Birds for 2018: 2
2018 Year-to-Date Talley: 118

Mulkey Creek Trail; northwest of Corvallis, Oregon; March 12, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Mulkey Creek Trail; northwest of Corvallis, Oregon; March 12, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Mulkey Creek Trail; northwest of Corvallis, Oregon; March 12, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Mulkey Creek Trail, facing the Three Sisters (I think?); northwest of Corvallis, Oregon; March 12, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt

Western Bluebird (bird #118!); Mulkey Creek Trail; northwest of Corvallis, Oregon; March 12, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Bluebird box; Mulkey Creek Trail; northwest of Corvallis, Oregon; March 12, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Waning crescent moon this morning during coffee; Salem, Oregon; March 12, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

 

March 2 and 4, 2018

To two younger birders yesterday, I described the male Ring-Necked Ducks at Minto Conservation Area as looking so dapper and so dressed up and put together that it looked like they were  ready to go somewhere special. Oscar-quality red carpet ducks, indeed. I love ducks.

Ring-Necked Ducks; Minto Conservation Area; Salem, Oregon; March 4, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Before this weekend, I was holding steady at 115 Oregon birds species until Friday when I saw (finally) a Hairy Woodpecker*. And, not that it was needed, but a Downy flew in and joined the Hairy, and for the first time, I got to see both species side by side. Did I get a photo? I did not. It was a busy place full of excitement and nobody was staying still for that long.

Today, I saw a second Hairy Woodpecker and was able to get one decent photograph.

So where was I this past weekend? I birded in Minto-Brown Island Park on Friday and at Minto Conservation Area on Sunday. The weather hollered “spring!” and I called back by spending as much time outside as possible.

*New Birds for 2018: 1
2018 Year-to-Date Talley: 116

Hairy Woodpecker; Minto Conservation Area; Salem, Oregon; March 4, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Minto-Brown Island Park; Salem, Oregon; March 4, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

White-Crowned Sparrow; Minto-Island Brown Park; Salem, Oregon; March 2, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Song Sparrow; Minto-Island Brown Park; Salem, Oregon; March 2, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Brown Creeper; Minto-Brown Island Park; Salem, Oregon; March 2, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Golden-crowned Sparrows; Minto-Brown Island Park; Salem, Oregon; March 2, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Western Grebe; Minto Conservation Area; Salem, Oregon; March 4, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Minto Conservation Area; Salem, Oregon; March 4, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Spotted Towee; Minto Conservation Area; Salem, Oregon; March 4, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt.