The morning was cold and clear and the woods were quiet... 22 people joined Audubon Society of Lincoln City group leaders dawn villaescusa and Caren Willoughby on a birdwalk adventure through Friends of the Wildwood Open Space in Lincoln City last Saturday, sponsored by Lincoln City Parks & Recreation.
The birds were scarce for the first half of the walk - we heard a few, but had no sightings. Several of us got out our phones to try the new sound identification on the Merlin app. It picked out a Pacific Wren (which we all could hear singing), Brown Creeper, and Red Crossbills.
At the end of the trail, we turned around to head back - and found the birds that we had missed! Flocks of small songbirds - chickadees, kinglets, and even a Townsend's Warbler - tripped around the tops of bare deciduous branches. Looking at a Northern Flicker, we happened to spot a Downy Woodpecker high in the canopy.
Once out of the woods, we wandered down to the boardwalk for a look at the wetlands, then crossed the street to get better views of the lake - where we saw Pied-billed Grebes, Bufflehead, and several distant ducks.
Sightings of the day: