You Down with PPP (Yea You Know Me)

Go ahead and roll your eyes at me. I’ll give you a few minutes. Don’t run out of eye rolls though, because once I define this marvelous abbreviation for you, you’ll be back at it again.

PPP = the Philomath Poo Ponds, aka the Philomath Sewage Ponds.

Note: Access to these ponds is restricted! You need to have a permit, which is available free of charge from the Philomath Public Works Department.

It’s been several months since I’ve birded the PPP because it’s now more than 2 hours away. But, enter the Willamette Valley Birding Symposium in Corvallis, plus a visit from my birding sister Lindsay, and I’m back down in arguably the best birding area in Oregon (IMHO). The symposium was on the Saturday, and we birded on Sunday. We planned on birding the PPP and Finley, but hitting both in 1 day is difficult when the sun sets at 4:30-ish and you’ve slept in and had a lazy morning birding your AirBNB property.

Views of the Coast Range from the Poo Ponds.

And sometimes, you get a rainbow over the sewage ponds. But … where are all of the birds?

There are six cells (ponds). We found the birds. This cell is boiling over in Northern Shovelers. We counted approximately 930 individual shovelers. No that’s not a typo.

A possible Eurasian x American Wigeon (hybrid)? https://ebird.org/checklist/S63844912

An Eared Grebe with a robust dust ruffle!

The cacophony that is the PPP seed pile. Check out my video here, if only just to hear the juncos and their crazy 80s video game-themed calls.
https://youtu.be/uTbaCbODsZI

This Lincoln Sparrow was a nice highlight at the seed pile.

A White-crowned Sparrow nestled in a small depression. I’m guessing he’s full of seed.

A Northern Harrier flying in for some afternoon preening. See video here:
https://youtu.be/pJ6j_TJBBcU

Alfred the Greater Sage-Grouse at the Willamette Valley Symposium with pals Lindsay and Linda.

The traditional post-symposium beers and burgers at Squirrels in Corvallis.