[obol] Baskett Slough area larks, stilits, terns, pintail

[David Irons]

Like Joel, I am volunteering with ODFW to help conduct grassland bird surveys in the southern Willamette Valley.  I walked transects along Bond Butte and Center School roads
in Linn Co. this morning, and surveyed transects along Smith Rd. and
Kirk Rd. yesterday.  It was a nice to spend these mornings strolling
through the countryside.  The four transects (4.9 total miles)
produced a total of just 23 HORNED LARK detections and, sadly, just three
WESTERN MEADOWLARKS (all on the Bond Butte Rd transect).  Over the past
decade (probably a lot longer) there has been a steady removal of roadside hedges and small
trees along the two roads I walked today, and where there were once
quite a few meadowlarks, now there are virtually none.  I presume the
abandonment is in part tied to the lack of singing perches for
territorial males.


Joel mentioned in his post about yesterday's transects that he found Horned Larks in clusters.  I had a similar experience.  I would
often find one or two birds feeding along the road or road's edge and
there were be an "attending" male skylarking and singing overhead.  I
had one pair that was moving north along Smith (formerly Harmony) Rd.
north of American/Creek Dr. in Linn Co.  As the birds on the road moved
north ahead of me the singing bird overhead seemed to follow along.  



Unfortunately, the intensive monoculture of the Linn Co grass
seed industry is producing a nearly 100% closed canopy (so to speak) of
24-36+" deep grass crops with few if any bare ground or sparsely vegetated openings, and in many cases
zero perches.  The Horned Larks I saw/heard were generally concentrated
along gravel road ways or the gravel or bare dirt margins of gravel and
paved roads.  This open habitat constituted only  about 3-5% of total
habitat within the 200m+ wide transect margin (100m on each side of the road, plus the road and right-of-way) for which the ODFW was requesting a
habitat description.

These transects were selected based on the historically high densities of Horned Larks and Western Meadowlarks that used these sites.  While the detections of Horned Larks and W. Meadowlarks were less than spectacular, SAVANNAH SPARROWS appear to be thriving.  I did not keep track, but I  estimated that I was hearing an average of about 15-20 territorial singers per mile, and over the course of the past two mornings.  There were some sites where the density of territorial singers was at least twice this high.  I had several Savannahs giving highly agitated alarm calls and carrying food (green worms), which is usually indicative of a nearby nest or recently fledged young.  I also observed several birds that were attempting to lure me away from a likely nest site (a la a Killdeer) by acting injured.  

Also this morning, I saw at least eight NORTHERN HARRIERS in the Belts Road/Bond Butte/Center School/Lake Creek Rd. area s.w. of Brownsville.  At least three adult birds were observed carrying food while flying significant distances, suggesting they were feeding young. 

After finishing up my transects, I needed a fix of some better quality grassland birding, so I drove through Tub Run and Belts roads.  The ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER continues at the 90 degree turn on Tub Run Rd. (about 0.5 mi. n. of the intersection of Tub Run and Belts).  LAZULI BUNTINGS are thick all along this stretch.  I heard/saw about 25-30 at various stops along Tub Run and Belts roads.  Along the east/west stretch of Belts (going w. from Gap Rd.) I heard at least five GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS and 4-5 VESPER SPARROWS singing.   I also heard several WILLOW FLYCATCHERS along these two roads.  

Dave Irons
Eugene, OR 
  

> From: joel.geier at peak.org
> To: list at midvalleybirding.org
> Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:52:19 -0700
> CC: obol at oregonbirdwatch.org
> Subject: [obol] Baskett Slough area larks, stilits, terns, pintail
> 
> Hi folks,
> 
> This morning I completed two more mile-long lark transects in the area
> NW of Baskett Slough NWR (Polk Co.), finding 9 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS (but
> no Horned Larks) along Morris Rd., then 5 HORNED LARKS (but no
> meadowlarks) along the stretch of Beck Rd. between Van Wall and
> Enterprise Rds.
> 
> A female NORTHERN HARRIER was perched on a fenceline along a ditch on
> the north side of Beck Rd. She then disappeared down into the grass, so
> she may be tending a nest there.
> 
> After doing the transects, I stopped by the Farmer Rd. wetland just for
> fun. This is a private restoration project but I believe it's OK to walk
> out along the railroad right-of-way which gives a view of the wetland.
> 
> Just as I got out of the car, an AMERICAN BITTERN made a short flight
> over the wetland on the north side of the road. In the main restoration
> to the south of the road, two territorial-acting pairs of BLACK STILTS
> were still around, as Matt Blakely-Smith reported last week, so it seems
> likely that they're attempting to nest there. At least two BLACK TERNS
> were foraging over the wetland, and several YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS
> were singing.
> 
> I saw a female NORTHERN PINTAIL fly in, then fly out again, heading west
> toward the NWR. With MARSH WRENS singing away in the bright sunshine, it
> did seem almost like a Great Basin wetland!
> 
> Happy birding,
> Joel
> 
> P.S. The north end of Morris Rd. used to be vacant/derelict farm place,
> surrounded by a grove of oaks which have sometimes attracted Lewis's
> Woodpeckers. However, someone has now built an enormous house of the
> soulless beige sort that seem to be sprouting up on hilltops all over
> the valley, complete with an enormous dog (or at least enormous-
> sounding). Just before the dog started barking, I did hear a few ACORN
> WOODPECKERS calling in the oaks, as I came to the the end of the
> transect.
> 
> --
> Joel Geier
> Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
> 
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