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Spring Bird Walk at J2E Tree Farm - May 12, 2024

J2E Bird Walk Report, by Mike Unger (May 12, 2024)

Joel Geier, Todd McLeish, and I along with Dave Ehlers and Suzanne Teller led a bird walk at J2E Tree Farm located near Philomath Oregon. We were joined by 22 other birdwatchers which is a large group. So, we split the group into two groups with one group going up the north side and the other group going up the south side of the property.  One group walked about 1.2 miles (south side group) while the other group walked 1.72 miles. We all walked around the tree farm checking for birds and nature in forests, along creeks, ponds, and a few open spaces. The group was met with clear skies after some early clouds. The temperature was nice at 55 to 70 degrees (NWS – Corvallis).  The wind was calm for most of the walk with just a couple of periods with 3 m.p.h. winds. The bird activity was good as we observed (saw and/or heard) a total of 43 species.
 
Note: Only one checklist was kept but after speaking with the other group most of the observations were similar.  
 
Identified Species: 43

The highlights were as follows:

• We observed four new species for the property including Red-breasted Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hooded Merganser, and Golden-crowned Kinglet.  (The new species are based on being observed during these walks)!
• We heard a few flycatchers throughout the walk. Most of the flycatchers were Western Flycatchers (formerly Pacific-slope Flycatcher). We also saw and heard a Western Wood-Pewee.
• We observed three wren species including House Wren, Bewick’s Wren, and Pacific Wren.
• There was a Cassin’s Vireo calling near the house. We also heard quite a few Warbling Vireos.  One group observed a Hutton’s Vireo too.
• It was a six warbler species day including Orange-crowned Warbler (1), Common Yellowthroat (2), Black-throated Gray Warbler (3), Townsend’s Warbler (3), Hermit Warbler (5), and Wilson’s Warbler (8). We heard all the warblers singing but only got a glimpse at a couple of warblers.
• Near the ponds we saw four different swallow species including Tree, Violet-green, Cliff and Barn Swallows. We had a nice discussion on identifying the various swallows. There were also numerous Red-winged Blackbirds around the ponds and a female Hooded Merganser on the main.
• While walking along the trails we had a few Evening Grosbeaks flying over us. Also, there were a few Band-tailed Pigeons that flew over us.  One group also observed a Chipping Sparrow.
• Our main miss was MacGillivray’s Warbler.

 
Salem Audubon offers several bird walks each month. Just go to their website at salemaudubon.org and look under the “Events” tab. We would love to have you join us.
 
Complete list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S174058060

A special thank you to Benton Soil & Water Conservation District for providing funding that made this event free of charge to all participants!