[obol] Alsea River Salmon Watch & Mary's Peak

[Joel Geier]

Hello folks,

Today I joined the Corvallis Lincoln School middle-schoolers for a field 
trip to the Salmon Watch program at Clemens Park east of Alsea (in the 
Benton County Coast Range). The highlight as always was watching the 
spawning CHINOOK SALMON, but one very cool bird was a female COMMON 
MERGANSER that rode the fast current right past us, while the kids were 
eating lunch by the bridge. I had the kids' hopes up for an American 
Dipper but they were no-shows this year.

Afterwards Wil and I went up Mary's Peak where I had briefly encountered 
the Eugene Wednesday morning group on my way out to Alsea -- wish I 
hadn't been in such a hurry. This afternoon the conditions were truly 
nasty up there. Wil took one look and decided he would rather work on 
his homework than join me on the hike.

Like Kit described, it was hard to even stand on the summit with the 
wind, and this afternoon the pelting rain felt like needles. There was 
nothing visible on the summit (as much as I was able to look without 
getting hydro-acupuncture in the face), but on my way back down three 
ROSY-FINCHES flew over calling, just below the junction with the 
Meadow's Edge trail. Not a great look but anyway there are still some up 
there. Sylvia Maulding mentioned that she had seen 16 in the parking lot 
yesterday.

Good birding,
Joel

--
Joel Geier
jgeier at attglobal.net