ASLC and the US Forest Service hosted more than 27 bird watchers and curious visitors at two major US Forest Service restoration sites in the Salmon River estuary on Saturday, June 9. Trip leaders Mark Elliott (ASLC avid birder) and Michelle Dragoo (USFS wildlife biologist) guided the group through the restored Tamara Quays and Pixieland sites. Michelle, Catherine Pruett of the Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council (SDCWC), and ASLC led visitors through the restored landscapes as they discussed the efforts to restore natural hydrology and native plants to the former trailer park and amusement center. Dikes, ditches, and old infrastructure were removed at Tamara Quays in 2009 and at Pixieland 2010-2012; however, efforts to eliminate invasive plants and to help native plants out-compete the invasives are on-going, and the SDCWC welcomes volunteers to planting and weed removal work days at these sites. The Pixieland site includes a number of new bird boxes as part of the habitat restoration effort. Birders logged 35 species (see list) and a special find: a bushtit nest and resident bushtit! The Salmon River Estuary is one of Oregon’s "Important Birding Areas." The Tamara Quays site is open now to the public for bird watching. The Pixieland site will be open in the future after removal of the last infrastructure later this year.

Sightings of the Day
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson’s Thrush
Wilson’s Warbler
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Cooper’s Hawk
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Purple Finch
Warbling Vireo
Belted Kingfisher
Great Blue Heron
Barn Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Tree Swallow
American Crow
Pacific Wren
White-crowned Sparrow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Hermit Warbler
Red-tailed Hawk
Anna’s Hummingbird
Rufus Hummingbird
Band-tailed Pigeon
Willow Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Wood Duck
European Starling
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch
Downy Woodpecker
Bushtit
American Robin