February 8, 2020 Hostetler Park with Devils Lake State Park

Saturday’s birdwalk began with a big question mark. Sponsored by Lincoln City Parks and Recreation, it started at Hostetler Park with trip leader Mark Elliott welcoming 31 participants. We had birders from Pacific City, Waldport, Tacoma, WA, Keizer, Brooks, Salem, Depoe Bay, Albany, Dallas, and Tillamook Community College. The weather challenged us to stay dry. We lost! We also lost entrance to the boardwalk in the direction to Devil's Lake State Park due to repairs. It didn’t take us long to realize that Devil’s Lake State Park was completely flooded and closed to everyone, so we decided that we needed to go to Regatta Park and check out the birds there. The walk through the woods and neighborhood gave us a few birds and kept the group out of high water!

Sightings of the day:
Pacific Wren
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk
American Robin
Canada Goose
Bald Eagle
Rock Dove
Common Raven
American Crow
Bufflehead
Western Grebe
Western Gull
Lesser Scaup

September 20, 2019 Hostetler Park (D River) and Devil's Lake State Park, Lincoln City

Mark Elliott was joined by 17 enthusiastic adults and two children for our Hostetler Park/Devil's Lake Bird Watching Clinic. The weather was perfect and the birds a delight! We started the morning watching a flock of Mallards on D River when a beautiful Green Heron flew by right in front of us! We were disappointed that it didn't stop to allow better looks, but it was a treat to see!

Belted Kingfishers entertained us throughout the walk, chasing one another or perched for nice looks. There were dozens of Cedar Waxwings - and a flock of seven Great Egrets flew overhead in a vee formation. At the lake, a pair of Caspian Terns flew over, a pair of Double-crested Cormorants were swimming and diving, while a small flock of California Gulls splashed nearby.

We were just getting ready to leave the lake when someone spotted an Osprey "swimming" in the water. While we watched, it used its powerful wings to lift itself out of the water, looped around and, while we watched, dove with a crash into the lake. It again struggled briefly, then flew up out of the water - but once again, without its prey. It dove a 3rd time, also unsuccessfully, then flew away.

Sightings of the day:
Mallard ~ Common Merganser ~ Rock Pigeon
Anna's Hummingbird ~ Western Gull ~ California Gull
Caspian Tern ~ Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret ~ Green Heron ~ Great Blue Heron
Osprey ~ Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker ~ Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay ~ American Crow ~ Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee ~ Chestnut-backed Chickadee
swallow sp. (dozens circling up in the high clouds)
Wrentit ~ Red-breasted Nuthatch ~ Bewick's Wren
European Starling ~ American Robin ~ Cedar Waxwing
Dark-eyed Junco ~ Song Sparrow ~ Spotted Towhee
Brewer's Blackbird ~ Red-winged Blackbird

March 8, 2019 Hostetler Park (D River) and Devil's Lake State Park

It was a cold and rainy morning for a bird walk at Hostetler Park and our trip leader, Mark Elliott, predicted there would be two additional birders that would show up. He was pleasantly surprised that there was a total of 16 that wanted to search this area for birds. Some were surprised that this little park was hidden within our city! We saw 23 species including, a first for many, Lincoln’s Sparrow!

Thanks to Lincoln City Parks & Recreation for sponsoring!

Sightings of the Day

Mallard

American Crow

Bufflehead

Common Raven

American Robin

Steller’s Jay

Song Sparrow

Ring-necked Duck

Canada Goose

Northern Flicker

Western Gull

Rock Pigeon

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Dark-eyed Junco

Fox Sparrow

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Violet-green Swallow

Greater Scaup

Ruddy Duck

Hummingbird sp.

Spotted Towhee

September 22, 2018 Hostetler Park (D River), Devil's Lake State Park

Great Egret, flamingos, Canada Geese photos: Copyright Ernie Rose

Twelve intrepid birders from as far away as Missouri (!) enjoyed two hours of birding along D River and Devil's Lake State Park. It was a pretty quiet, overcast morning but we ended up with 26 species - 27 if you count the pair of Pink Flamingos gracing one of the campsites. Birds were busy and hard to spot in the falling leaves and movement from the slight breeze. A lovely Great Egret landed in D River, while an unexpected Merlin chased a flock of blackbirds overhead - one of the blackbirds was also chasing the Merlin!

Sightings of the Day

Canada Goose
Mallard
Ring-necked Duck
Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Western Gull
Turkey Vulture
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Belted Kingfisher
Merlin
Steller's Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Wawing
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler