8 species at Talent Irrigation Ditch (Oregon)

Reported by mallards on October 18, 2008

Species Reported:

Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Spotted Towhee

6 species at Bear Creek (Oregon)

Reported by mallards on October 18, 2008

Species Reported:

Northern Flicker, Western Scrub-Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, American Goldfinch

11 species at Lithia Park (Oregon)

Reported by mallards on October 17, 2008

We spotted the red-breasted nuthatch (a first) on the trunk of a tall tree, climbing in its clinging fashion as it gleaned insects (we presume). It responded to our recording playback incessantly and with gusto. Unmistakable! The northern flickers (a first) were foraging on the lawn, near to the robins. Only through the binoculars did we realized they were not robins - spotted and significantly larger. They were beautiful in flight, their dusky red under wing feathers visible in the in the bright, golden afternoon light. At first we thought they were gilded flickers, but their range is in the Southwest and their underwings are yellow. They responded to our playback recording with similar loud calls. The golden-crowned kinglet (another first) was high in the tree-tops and difficult to see. We did see the golden crown, which locked in the ID on top of the shape, eye ring, and bill size. It sounds also matched (though it wasn't singing, just calling). The spotted towhee was in a large bush right outside the window of our lodging, across the street from the park (but close enough to count). The downy woodpecker was a tough one to be sure of, but its small size and bill, its slow, short drilling (albeit less frequent than the guide says), and the dark bars on its outer white tail feathers (75% on this field mark) leaned us toward downy rather than hairy. The wood ducks were seen descending from tree roosts into the upper duck pond a couple of times (a first of that behavior for us).

Species Reported:

Wood Duck, Mallard, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Spotted Towhee

BirdingCentral.com - Recent Sightings in Oregon

8 species at Talent Irrigation Ditch (Oregon)

6 species at Bear Creek (Oregon)

11 species at Lithia Park (Oregon)