[obol] Fern Ridge birds

[Tim Lee]

Obol,

Along with the Tricolored et al., we noticed two
Virginia Rails in flats and marshes near Fisher Butte,
which were surprisingly tame. We could hear their
high-pitched calls only few meters front of us, often
stepping out in open view. 

Tim Lee
Eugene 

--- Alan Contreras <acontrer at MINDSPRING.COM> wrote:

> I went to Fern Ridge Reservoir with Tim Lee and his
> father Chun-il today.
> This was Tim's "farewell" birding trip, as he leaves
> Eugene in three weeks
> to begin his freshman year at Berkeley.
> 
> The marshes and flats between Fisher and Royal were
> very birdy today.  Three
> small flocks of ibis were present.  At least fifty
> Greater Yellowlegs were
> spread out over the area.  At least five Lessers
> were present.  Other
> shorebirds included about 40 Least, widely
> scattered, two Western, local
> killdeer and one imm. Wilson's Phalarope on the
> Redhead Pond.  About 50
> dowitchers were around; all that we could see well
> or hear were Long-bills.
> Light was not good on them for the most part.
> 
> About 25 Great Egrets were around, plenty of GBH and
> a Green Heron.
> 
> Black tern numbers are very high this year.  The
> ponds south of Royal are
> swarming with them.  Likewise Purple martins; there
> were at least 30 martins
> perched and flying over those ponds, and scattered
> singles all over the
> area.
> 
> At the SW corner of the large pond just south of
> Royal, usually called the
> Redhead Pond, Tim saw a blackbird with a white
> epaulette edge.  Better views
> a few minutes later showed a nice white edge, a bill
> more slender and
> "orioly" than that of an adjacent redwing, and at
> some angles a somewhat
> Brewers-like gloss.  The red on the epaulettes was
> not in direct sunlight,
> and looked pretty red to me most of the time,
> perhaps not red enough for
> Tricolored according to one observer's thoughts.
> 
> My three photos, all in bad light, show the white
> edge very nicely, show
> some partly hidden red and unfortunately don't show
> a side view of the bill.
> I had excellent comparative looks at the bill with
> an adjacent redwing.
> 
> One thing the photos seem to show is longer primary
> extension on the
> Tricolored cmpared to adjacent Redwing; I have no
> idea if that is a
> legitimate field mark.
> 
> This is a fifth county record.  Four previous
> reports, August 13, 2005, July
> 13, 2003, Jan. 6, 1999 and Apr. 6, 1996, all at Fern
> Ridge Res.
> 
> Tim can add anything I forgot.
> 
> -- 
> Alan Contreras
> EUGENE, OREGON
> acontrer at mindspring.com
> 
> 
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