Subject: [Tweeters] WOOD SANDPIPER-Yes, Yes!! Around 8-10 AM, Wednesday
Date: Oct 1 15:46:37 2008
From: khanh tran - khanhbatran at hotmail.com




Hi Tweeters,

The active peep was seen early this morning by many birders at at distance not too far from the directions that are included below.

Several birders did see the key features including the white rump as it actively fed and flew. At a distance, it's bobbing tail behavior will help you zone in on the probable bird you can then observe the key field marks. Also, the bird tends to dart and move quite fast when feeding.

I would have easily missed the bird if it weren't for some birders who had seen it the previous week. They were very gracious in trying to get everyone on it-especially Barry McKenzie. Many thanks..

Good Luck to all, and thanks to Sir John Sullivan for an AMAZING find and reporting it promptly. It is a large area with great number of shorebirds to scan for, so be PATIENT!

Other birds reported in the area by Larry McQueen:

I won't post the whole list, but highlights were about 4 Pectoral
Sandpipers, several Dunlin, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper and one semi Plover, 4
Black-bellied Plover, 1 Stilt Sandpiper, 1 Am. Bittern, 1 Snowy Egret, 1
Tundra Swan, 4 White-fronted Geese, 1 Black Phoebe, and maybe a thousand
Long-billed Dowitchers. I think the flocks are getting used to the presenceof a Peregrine, as they rarely flushed and when they did, it was a small group.

DIRECTIONS...

Fern Ridge Reservoir is west of Eugene, Lane Co., OR

The Fisher Unit is in the Southeast corner of Fern Ridge lake. To get there, take Royal Avenue west until it dead ends at the gate into Fern Ridge.

Walk in on Royal Avenue which is gravel at this point, continue west 100 yards or so on the gravel road to a road that branches off to the south. There is a sign posted here with permitted dates of entry.
Turn south here (left) then make an immediate turn back to the west (right) and follow this road around as it curves back south to the viewing platform.

The bird was on the east side of the dike that runs south from the platform. Continue south (straight ahead) past the platform maybe 200 yards. After a 5 minute walk the road makes a slight bend to the east (left), there are some bushes on the west (right) side and a grassy island on the east (left).

This grassy island is pretty much the end of the water on the east (left)
side, this is where the bird was. There are only small puddles of water between the dense vegetation here. There is much more water, and many more birds on the west side. I hope this will get you there.

Per directions posted by Greg Gillson in April, here is a Google map of the area. Zoom in and out.

http://maps.google.com/?q=44.061864,-123.264335

CAUTION should be used as this has been a site of car break-ins.