September 14, 2013 Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

Interesting. The weather at Baskett Slough was no different than on the coast. Drizzly, cloudy, somewhere between cool and cold. The big difference was that there was very little water at the Slough, unlike the coast!! It's our guess that that was caused by the very dry summer and the opening of the dam on the north side of the road. Yet, none of the conditions deterred the 13 attending birders from enjoying the refuge and its offerings. This time, there was not a great presence of birds although 27 species were identified. Hard to believe that we didn't even see one Song Sparrow or chickadee!!

Sightings of the Day
Bald Eagle
Western Scrub Jay
Barn Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
American Crow
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Mourning Dove
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Brewer's Blackbird
Bewick's Wren
White Pelican
Northern Harrier
Killdeer
Red-tailed Hawk
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitcher
American Kestrel
Belted Kingfisher

Nutria family of six
Garden Spiders
Black-tailed Deer

September 8, 2012 Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon

Heading due east from the central Oregon coast, birders made their way to Baskett Slough. Welcomed by an American Kestrel sitting high on a wire, the travelers met on Coville Road between 2 bodies of water. Although the water's height had extremely dropped due to hot, dry weather, a number of bird species were seen. To get from one body of water to the next, several Great Egrets flew right over the birders and gave the photographers in the group a perfect opportunity to catch their images against a brilliantly blue sky. Sandpipers of several species skittered along the water's edge seeking a meal of invertebrates. A group of Dowitchers hugged the water's edge next to the road and they, too, offered an excellent photo op for the birders. The Corvallis Audubon group was also here to bird watch. We saw them at the observation deck on the hill above. As they came down below and were driving out, our field guide Mark Elliott, made introductions and got the word that birds were sparse on the hill. Before driving to the parking lot for the hillside hike, a Red-tailed Hawk made its presence known by flying low, right over the group. Prune and apple trees lined the path to the parking lot. Blackberries were also abundant though smaller than what is found on the coast. All were delicious! As announced by the Corvallis group, we didn't see very many birds from the observation deck but we did see a flock of Great Egrets, a patrolling Northern Harrier, and several small bird species. Oh, and let's not forget . . . Bald Eagle was once again present at our bird walk! In all, we report the presence of 34 species seen by the group. Impressive, indeed!

Sightings of the day
American Kestrel
Great Egret
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Long-billed Dowitcher
Red-winged Blackbird
Spotted Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
American Goldfinch
Northern Harrier
Great Blue Heron
Mallard
Ruddy Duck
Gadwall
American Robin
Brewer’s Blackbird
Turkey Vulture
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk
Raven
Bald Eagle
California Quail
Scrub Jay
Oregon Junco
Spotted Towhee
Western Tanager
Wilson’s Warbler
White Pelican
Western Meadowlark
Morning Dove
Green Heron