[obol] American Tree Sparrow still at Scappoose Bottoms

[Paul T. Sullivan]

OBOL:

On Jan. 25, Jay Withgott wrote:
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Columbia Co. Am. Tree Sparrow & other birds
Jay Withgott withgott at comcast.net
Fri Jan 25 21:00:03 PST 2008

Best bird was an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW on Honeyman Rd. at Scappoose
Bottoms.  ... To find the American Tree Sparrow, drive Honeyman Road north 
and east past the airport, then
past the quarry, then past the open grove of big oak trees on the right. 
When you come to the first poplar plantation, on your left, this is where 
the Tree Sparrow was. Immediately after this there is a dirt road and 
pulloff on the right, a poplar plantation on the right, and a huge field on 
the left with a yellow house in it.
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On Saturday afternoon, Feb. 16, Carol Karlen & I followed Jay's directions. 
We passed flocks of sparrows crossing the road at the oak grove.  We crossed 
a drainage ditch/slough at a sharp right turn and stopped at the first 
poplar plantation on the left.  We walked the road beside the plantation and 
found some SONG SPARROWS crosssing the road between blackberry patches. 
Among them we found a couple LINCOLN'S SPARROW and a FOX SPARROW.  Not many 
birds in the mid-afternoon.

We doubled back toward the oak grove, checking the flocks of SONG SPARROWS 
crossing the road.  Then Carol spotted the AMERICAN TREE SPARROW in the 
blackberries.  It flew across to the north-westernmost oak in the grove.  So 
it is still around.  Yipee!

We continued on around the Honeyman Loop, seeing legions of Song Sparrows, 
and a few other species, D-e. Junco, Golden-crowned Sparrow, etc.  We saw 30 
GREAT EGRETS, 60 DUNLIN, 3 GTR. YELLOWLEGS, 250 MEW GULLS, and 3 BALD 
EAGLES.

Finally, at the marina at the east end of Johnson's Landing Rd. we found a 
couple of the EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES that were mentioned by Jay, first 
reported by John Gatchet.

Good birding, everyone,

Paul T. Sullivan

"...my list, as embellished as it is, reveals nothing
  about the enjoyment that I have had being outdoors.
  And how could it?  A mere bird checklist can no more
  reflect my outdoor experiences than a menu can capture
  the many subtle flavors, aromas, and other sensory
  experiences of a delicious and satisfying meal."

  James B. Ferrari, BirdWatcher's Digest, Jan/Feb '05, p. 45