[obol] Purple Martins in Canby

[Kay Carter]

This morning I found a pair of Purple Martins apparently nesting in an old
piling in the Willamette in Canby.  It's possible there were 4 birds, but if
so 2 of them were present only briefly.  The male of the pair that did stick
around was mostly perched on top of the piling, while the female flew into
and out of a hole near the top several times in the course of 5 or so
minutes.  A couple of times the male chased off Starlings that came too
close.

 

I've been birding this location at least once a week for nearly 3 years and
have not seen Martins there before.

 

The location is at the north end of N. Molalla Forest Road, which intersects
with NE Territorial road in Canby.  This section of Molalla Forest Rd is
closed to traffic and is really just a wide,  mostly-graveled walking path
that dead-ends at the river.  There's a parking area off Molalla Forest Rd
near the intersection with Territorial; from there it's about a mile to the
end of the road.  The "trail" passes through several different habitat types
and the area is nearly always birdy.  My species count from this week (2
visits) is at 36, plus 5 mammals. 

 

Let me know if more information is wanted.

 

Kay Carter

Canby

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