John Thaw, Carol Ledford, and I birded in the Brownsmead area today
from about 9:45am until around 3pm. It was not raining when we arrived,
and only rained a short bit a couple of times while we were there.

We all want to thank everyone again who has posted (or sent me private
emails) on the ARCTIC LOON and other avian beauties in the Brownsmead
area. This is a lovely area to bird in general. How many places can
one go on a winter day and find over 50 species, and see nice scenery
at the same time. Thanks also to the patient residents of the area.
Beautiful Brownsmead!

Highlights:

ARCTIC LOON: This extremely cooperative diver was just E of the
Barendse Rd bridge when we arrived at 9:45 am. There was another
birder already there (on winter break from Alaska, I think) when we
arrived. We watched the ARCTIC LOON feeding actively on both sides of
the bridge. Our total observing time was about 40 minutes. A person
would be hard pressed to get better views in better light. What a
wonderful, winter plumage LOON! There was also a RED-THROATED LOON
there in excellent light and proximity to allow for good scope and
binocular comparisons. We watched them both until they eventually swam
continually E to the vicinity of the boat launch area on Ziak Gnat
Creek Road. When we returned near 3pm to look one last time, we did
not see the LOON. We later saw an additional RED-THROATED LOON on
another slough.

PALM WARBLER: Around 11am, we each had brief (seconds-long) views of
the PALM WARBLER in the yard of the home at the SW corner of Jackson Rd
and Brownsmead Dike Rd. The WARBLER then moved to the brush along the
edge of the slough at that intersection, and we lost it.

PEREGRINE FALCON: Along Aldrich Point Rd, we watched a PEREGRINE
FALCON harass a flock of about 50 or so mixed species Gulls on a wet
field. The PEREGRINE FALCON and one of the Gulls nearly collided,
before they veered in different directions. The Gulls settled back
down on the wet field, and the PEREGRINE flew off to the W.

WHITE-TAILED KITE: Between 2:30 and close to 3p, there was a
WHITE-TAILED KITE seen from Ziak Gnat Creek Rd between Barendse Rd and
Blind Slough Station Road. We watched hovering, flying, and perched.
Very Nice.

Bill Clemons
SW of Portland in Mtn Park
Willclemons AT Yahoo dot com


Complete list of 57 species seen / heard in the Brownsmead area:

RED-THROATED LOON
ARCTIC LOON
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Greater White-fronted Goose (in a field along Aldrich Point Rd)
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
BRANT (in a field along Aldrich Point Rd)
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
CINNAMON TEAL (between Rd)
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
WHITE-TAILED KITE
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
COOPER'S HAWK
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
PEREGRINE FALCON
American Coot
Greater Yellowlegs
Mew Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Rock Pigeon
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush
European Starling
PALM WARBLER
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
House Sparrow


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