[obol] Willamette River birds

[Paul Hohenlohe]

Hi all-

A few bird sightings of note from a paddle down the Willamette River south of Corvallis yesterday (6/1/08).  In addition to the expected swallows of all kinds, spotted sandpipers, blackbirds, and great blue and green herons:

- an incredible abundance of cedar waxwings -- along 20 miles of river, I was almost never out of sight of several of them perched in the willows or flycatching over the water
- a female harrier harassing first an osprey and then a bald eagle that were perched 100 yards or so from each other
- two flocks of 100+ band-tailed pigeons, one of them flushed by a red-tailed hawk landing in their tree
- mother-and-duckling families of both common mergansers and mallards
- assorted flycatchers: willow, olive-sided, and western wood-peewees

All in all, a great day on the river!

Paul in Corvallis