Local Birding at Ankeny and Baskett Slough NWR

8/25/16

Hi All,

Today I headed over to Baskett Slough NWR to check on shorebirds. I ended up trading quality for quantity, as there were not many around, as compared with last week. At the narrows along Colville Rd was an American Avocet and 2 Baird’s Sandpipers, the latter of which I have missed in Polk County for at least 5 years. The Avocet was the 4 county record in the last 3 years, and 12th overall since I have been keeping records. Otherwise, just a few peeps and Greater Yellowlegs and a Bittern here.

I next went over to Morgan Lake with plans to hike to Parvipes Marsh, which sits between the narrows and Morgan Lake, and the last 2 weeks has held good numbers of shorebirds, but today it was quite empty because the water has all but dried up, and there were only a few Least’s and one Semipalmated Plover. En route there, at the marsh below Morgan Lake were some 53 Pelicans, which eclipses the old record of 40 of a few years ago. It was getting hot by mid morning so it was time to flee the heat, but not before I raided a certain Italian prune tree, which I doubt anyone knows about.

Yesterday I needed to get my car serviced in Corvallis and intended to visit the PPP afterward, but did not realize it would take 3 hours to deal with the recall items. And as we needed to head to Albany anyway, I asked my wife if she’d be interested in seeing all the bull frogs I saw at Ankeny NWR the day before. She likes frogs for some reason, so was quite agreeable to the idea, so we headed there.

Like the day before, it was quite dead for shorebirds as compared to last week, but there was one spotted sandpiper which I had missed both times. It was mid afternoon when we got there, and there were not as many frogs. I wonder if the took refuge in the grass nearby?

Here are some pics from yesterday and today.