[obol] Airlie Trumpeter Swan flock update etc.

[Lars and Gail Norgren]

     This is a great place to learn to
distinguish between the two species of
swan. On an unsuccessful attempt at the
Sedge Wren I stopped and observed 29 swans.
There was such a strong south wind that I couldn't
hear them calling from Suver-Airlie Rd although
through the scope it was obvious they were
vocalizing. I drove north on Rolling Hills Rd
and got 3x closer to the flock, the closest I
have ever been to wild swans. I stood behind my
mini-van and was able to look at them with a scope
for as long as I liked. The swans never seemed to
notice me. As I recall I identified 10 Tundras and
18 Trumpeters. Two Trumpeters were recorded on
the Newport Count this year. A recently transplanted
Alaskan reported Trumpeters at Coos Bay early this
December. We no longer have the luxury of assuming
that all those white birds in a field are Tundras.
Lars Norgren
On Jan 18, 2007, at 2:38 PM, Joel Geier wrote:

> Hello folks,
>
> After two days of sitting around with a flu bug I felt like going
> somewhere, but was not entirely up to speed, so I did a little driving
> loop around the Suver-Airlie area in s. Polk Co. Our dog joined me
> thinking that a walk was in store. She was bitterly disappointed.
> Anyway, I did see some birds.
>
> About 200 DUNLIN were wheeling around a puddle in a frozen field just
> south of Suver Junction (Hwy 99W x Suver/Airlie Rd.), and nearby about
> 500 STARLINGS were doing their best dunlinpersonation.
>
> About 50 swans were in the field on the NW side of Suver Junction. Some
> of them (a bit less than half) appeared to be TUNDRA SWANS including 
> one
> with a blue collar (previously noticed by Sylvia Maulding). The rest of
> them (that's a bit more than half, if I'm doing the math right in the
> wake of the flu) were TRUMPETER SWANS.
>
> Farther west on Airlie Rd., by the vacant yellow farmhouse where Airlie
> Rd. bends north, was another flock of 14 TRUMPETER SWANS which bugled a
> bit to help out on the ID.
>
> Somewhere in between, a BALD EAGLE was flapping ponderously behind a
> hundred or so CANADA GEESE which were still accelerating, while another
> 2000 or so Cacklers wheeled around in panic (er, defensive agitation) 
> in
> the field that the geese had just flown out of.
>
> At the Camp Adair Rifle Range, three COMMON RAVENS were perched in 
> small
> trees, contemplating hundreds of AMERICAN ROBINS as they worked over 
> the
> thawing grass field on the other side of Rifle Range Rd.
>
> Along Military Rd. I saw another group of CANADA GEESE standing around
> by the side of a frozen pond, suspiciously close to an unused backhoe.
> It looked like they were discussing how to hotwire the thing and then
> use it to knock a hole in the ice. But maybe I'm gantherpomorphizing 
> too
> much.
>
> Good birding,
> Joel
>
> --
> Joel Geier
> joel.geier at peak.org
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> obol mailing list
> obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
> http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol
>
> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
> obol-leave at lists.oregonstate.edu.
>