[obol] bird survey accounts, very, very long

[Linda Fink]

It's been a busy 3 days of birding for this Grand Ronde area birder -- 
all glorious. Sat. was the Yamhill Co. NAMC. Highlights in our Grand 
Ronde area were a RUFFED GROUSE drumming up Agency Creek Rd., the DIPPER 
in its appointed spot below last year's nest, 3 COMMON MERGANSERS 
floating down Agency Creek, an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER on the very same 
snag 2 were on last year (also up Agency), 2 WESTERN WOOD PEWEES flying 
out for bugs from dead limbs next to Agency Creek (on our place) while I 
was secluded in my "blind". Also from that spot I saw a female HOODED 
MERGANSER appear from upstream, fishing, floated down just below my 
high, hidden perch on the bank and fished some more, finally flying back 
upstream and into the woods. I think she may have a nest! And I think I 
may have seen the hole right along one of my woodland paths -- at least 
it was a hole that would be an appropriate size and location for a 
merganser -- will try to figure out how to observe without being seen. 3 
gorgeous male BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS came to eat my black oil sunflower 
seeds in front of the barn. Wow! Oh, almost forgot the GREEN HERON who 
cooperated by hunting on our pond that morning. But the next morning, 
Sunday, there were 3 Green Herons on our pond!! There were some odd 
misses -- no flickers, white-crowned sparrows, killdeer. The BARN OWLS, 
of course, were in the loft -- five fuzzy babies and one adult.

Sunday was the Polk Co. NAMC. Highlights in my Grand Ronde area were 
another RUFFED GROUSE drumming, this time near Murphy Summit (Road 5, 
Rogue River -- great birding spot for the Coast Range), a BLUE GROUSE 
hooting up Gold Creek Rd., 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS in a rare Yamhill Co. 
wetlands (private, Shenk wetlands) -- also a WHITE-TAILED KITE, same 
place. We stopped back at the wetlands on our way down Gold Creek rd. 
and saw the kite again, this time with something in its talons. We 
watched him circle higher and higher until he was just a dot in the sky, 
then glide westward over the hills to, apparently, the Rowell Creek 
drainage. He (she?) must have a nest somewhere that direction. A lovely 
WESTERN TANAGER seemed to follow us, chattering gutterally, as we walked 
the trails at the new Fort Yamhill Park. Two SPOTTED SANDPIPERS 
patrolled the edges of the Grand Ronde sewage ponds.

We were never more than about ten miles from home either day. Cool!

Monday after chores and mowing the lawn, I headed to the coast for the 
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER survey on one of our appointed sites. (I'll decline 
specific location in case any falconers get any ideas, since this story 
is really about Peregrines...) The BLOY pair are not yet nesting -- they 
slept most of the hour I was there. But the resident PEREGRINE FALCON 
put on a spectacular show when another Peregrine entered his territory. 
They screamed and fought right over my head -- boy can those birds 
maneuver at high speed! They turned themselves every which way but 
inside out. After several minutes of this raucous, wild battle, a 3rd 
Peregrine appeared from out of nowhere and all 3 twisted and dove their 
way out of sight. Wow! I went back to watching sleeping BLOY, who seemed 
totally uninterested in the sky war above them. When I checked the usual 
peregrine perch a few minutes later, the original peregrine was back. 
(The BLOY eventually woke up and began foraging, right below the 
disinterested Peregrine.) Also of interest was a lone BRANT, foraging on 
the beach. Beautiful day on the coast.

We'll see what today holds. This afternoon, when the tides cooperate, 
we'll load up the canoe and head for the Salmon River. We canoe across 
to survey BLOY at Three Rocks. Last year we saw Bald Eagles each time we 
went, plus Harbor Seals  basking on the sand at the mouth of the Salmon 
River. About the only canoeing we do anymore is for this survey, so if 
anyone knows of any bird/whatever surveys along the South Yamhill River, 
let me know! I'd love to have an excuse to canoe that near-home river. 
Citizen science is fun!

Linda Fink, usually milking goats and cleaning barns near Grand Ronde