February 9, 2019

I’m continuing to find really birdy wetland/ponded areas in my 5MR.

Today’s 5MR birding spot was the Claggett Creek Natural Area. This 42-acre area is in NE Salem and is tucked in between Highway 99E and the railroad. The area is owned by the city.  Claggett Creek runs through the area,  there are two reservoirs, and wood-chipped walking trails provide pedestrian access. Parking appears to only be at the Kroc Center across the street. Very little information about this area is available online. A heads up that the area does have a few homeless camps and associated debris strewn about. We spent a little over an hour here and got 24 species.

Claggett Creek Natural Area; Salem, Oregon; Imagery 2018 Google, Map data 2018 Google.

Claggett Creek Natural Area; Salem, Oregon; February 9, 2019; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Hooded Merganser (and an American Coot); Claggett Creek Natural Area; Salem, Oregon; February 9, 2019; photograph by Linda Burfitt. 

Claggett Creek Natural Area; Salem, Oregon; February 9, 2019; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Ruddy Duck; Claggett Creek Natural Area; Salem, Oregon; February 9, 2019; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Claggett Creek Natural Area; Salem, Oregon; February 9, 2019; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

Canvasback; Claggett Creek Natural Area; Salem, Oregon; February 9, 2019; photograph by Linda Burfitt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 4–5, 2018

I saw a Ruddy Duck today!

I wasn’t even going to venture out today, because I wanted to give my “new” eyes some rest, and because it was pouring rain this morning. I was going to chalk it up as another feeder-yard day and leave it at that.

But, the sun came out, so I hastily grabbed all of my birding paraphernalia and set off to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is approx. 2,800 acres and comprises cropland; wooded swamps; large, ephemeral wetlands; and various forms of edge habitat in between. The refuge was established in 1965 to provide optimal wintering habitat for the “dusky” Canada goose, which is a subspecies of the Canada Goose that nests only in the Willamette Valley.

I focused my birding today in the wetland areas. My list is as follows, followed by some photographs.

American Coot*
American Crow
American Wigeon*
Belted Kingfisher*
Bewick’s Wren*
Black-capped Chickadee
Canada Goose
Great Blue Heron
Green-winged Teal*
Mallard
Northern Flicker*
Northern Pintail*
Northern Shoveler*
Ring-Necked Duck
Ruddy Duck*
Tundra Swan*

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge; January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt

Bufflehead (male) and the backside of an American Wigeon (male); Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge: January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt

Mallard and American Wigeon; Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge; January 8, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt

Tundra Swans (and a coot); Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge; January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt

And, my feeder list from today and yesterday:

American Goldfinch
Bewick’s Wren*
Brown Creeper*
Dark-eyed Junco
Lesser Goldfinch*
Red-Breasted Nuthatch*
Song Sparrow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Western Scrub-Jay

Dark-Eyed Junco; Salem, Oregon; January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt

Lesser Goldfinches; Salem, Oregon; January 5, 2018; photograph by Linda Burfitt

And on that note, I need to stop staring at this screen and rest my eyes for the rest of the evening. Tally below.

*New Birds for 2018: 14 species
2018 Year-to-Date Talley: 41 species