Dennis Manzer posted the following messages concerning Bald Eagles nesting at Jackson Bottom Wetlands, Hillsboro, to the on-line discussion group, Oregon Birder's On-Line (OBOL).
Sunday, February 2, 2003
Greetings!
Today's events prompted me to take time for reflection, gratitude &
greater appreciation while in the field. Setting aside the horrific news, I
made my way out Woods Ave, 0.5 mi W of Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve's N
view stand.
Upon parking my truck I could hear the cacophony of huge numbers of
assorted waterfowl species just out of view S of me in the flooded cornfield
bottomlands just beneath me. I kept a sneaking & stalking low profile for a
couple of hundred yards & avoided rising until I got behind brush at the
edge of the benchland overlooking the dramatic scene of ~600 TUNDRA SWAN, 2k
CANADA GEESE (I saw no collars or oddities but at least 3 subspecies), &
100's each of NORTHERN PINTAIL, MALLARD, 10's GREEN-WINGED TEAL. After
soaking all of this up I returned E on Woods Ave & stopped at the gravel &
rock stockpile.
As I stopped there were 8 WESTERN MEADOWLARK on the utility wires.
When I approached the stockpile 20 MOURNING DOVE arose with a clatter. A
week ago I had 5 sparrow species in the brush at this spot but only a solo
SONG SPARROW today.
I continued on to the N view stand @ JB & upon arrival discovered the M
BALD EAGLE consuming a fresh catch of unidentified prey. In a very few
minutes the F materialized from thin air & made a stately flyover of the
area before taking her perch. It wasn't long before she sailed out &
returned with a fresh waterfowl (Northern Pintail I believe).
Other birds present were 2 disassociated RED-TAILED HAWK, 1
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, 1 LINCOLN'S SPARROW, dozens of unidentified gulls,
a few RING-BILLED GULL, 1 SPOTTED TOWHEE, WESTERN SCRUB JAY (pair), ~15
HOUSE SPARROW, 4 HOUSE FINCH, & 1 BELTED KINGFISHER.
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is located ~0.5 mi S of downtown
Hillsboro on S 1st St (OR Hwy 219). See DeLorme p66, D1.
Yours for better birding!
Dennis E. Manzer
Beaverton, OR
Monday, March 10, 2003
Greetings!
Monday, 03/10/03, 1625 - 1750 hrs I observed incubation behavior at
this location for the first time this season. When I made rounds in a.m. on
03/09 they were still just thinking about it.
Today the F was on the nest when I arrived & the M was perched atop the
highest bare snag SE of the nest. After about 10 min he collected a stick &
delivered it to the nest. The F arose after a couple of minutes & moved to
a perch about 1.5m above the nest. After the M finished working in the
stick he perched alongside her. The nest was bare for about 12 min before
he settled back in.
Meanwhile the F flew to extreme NW & captured a fish which she took to
the bare tree near the Weeping Willow. After she finished it she either
caught another or retrieved remains of a prior catch & delivered it to the
nest. The M remained in incubating position & the F resumed her perch above
the nest.
They made another nest exchange at 1740 accompanied by the typical
egg-turning behavior. Based on today's observations we should expect a
hatch about 04/12.
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is located 0.5 mi S of downtown
Hillsboro, OR, on OR Hwy 219 (S 1st St).
Happily Eagling! (:>}
Dennis Manzer
Sunday, April 13, 2003
Greetings!
Hillsboro's Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve's N view stand is
surrounded with a number of flowering bushes & shrubs which have attracted
the attention of a pair of RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS. While in & of themselves
they are not unusual, I've not had them with any regularity in this location
before. I'm hoping they'll nest nearby.
This location also produced a pair of SPOTTED TOWHEE, (male singing &
female furtively entering & exiting heavy brush). 2 LESSER GOLDFINCH, 1
BAND-TAILED PIGEON, 11 DUNLIN, 7 WESTERN SANDPIPER (first seen on 04/07), 2
pair BARN SWALLOW (my first of season at this location), 11 LESSER SCAUP,
nesting MARSH WREN, 2 pair COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (nesting?), V-G SWALLOWS &
TREE SWALLOWS investigating & claiming nest boxes, 1 COOPER'S HAWK, BELTED
KINGFISHER, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, SONG SPARROW
(nesting?), & my first of season at this location SAVANNAH SPARROW all
provided excellent entertainment & viewing opportunities in addition to the
other regularly seen species.
Fernhill Wetlands just out of Forest Grove yielded a group of 7 TURKEY
VULTURES soaring & then joined by a 4.5Y & a 3Y BALD EAGLE which eventually
sailed away in different directions. The resident nesting pair of Bald
Eagle are brooding a healthy looking pair of 3.5 week old eaglets. AMERICAN
KESTREL are nesting. First of the season for me at this location was
SAVANNAH SPARROW. 7 RED-TAILED HAWK were in the vicinity.
Pacific University continues to host ACORN WOODPECKERS for superior
close-up views. I found an unusual owl pellet containing Crayfish remains
unless there is another crustacean with pincers of an orangish color.
I have located 7 occupied Red-tailed Hawk nests enroute to Cedar Canyon
Marsh from Forest Grove. A pair at one of the sites was just beginning
construction with each bird alternately adding sticks. Note on the MARSH
WRENS making a lot of racket which seems to be on the verge of annoying:
move 15 - 20 paces away. They are very defensively territorial of their
nesting spaces & they're sending the message that they don't like our
trespassing in their living rooms.
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Greetings!
The eagles are making strong suggestions that a hatch has occurred. On
04/14 between 1630 & 1730 hrs the F was in the nest & very fidgety. She
made 7 position changes as the M made 7 deliveries of soft small nest
material.
On 04/15 between 1900 & 2000 hrs I observed 2 likely feeding sessions
each a duration of 5 to 7 minutes approximately 40 minutes apart.
Eaglets may be scope visible in a week, binocular visible in 2 weeks.
Meanwhile the adults' behavior will be very interesting to watch. The staff
at Jackson Bottom hosts their Lunch With the Birds program free of charge
every Wednesday from noon 'til 1:00 with education specialists, field
guides, & optics available.
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve's N viewing stand is located approx
0.5 mi S of downtown Hillsboro on the E side of OR Hwy 219 (S 1st St).
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Monday, April 21, 2003
Greetings!
Two Bald Eagle chicks are now scope visible poking their heads up
during feeding sessions. Sessions last from 4 - 7 min about 40 min apart.
Keep an aye out for signs of the presence of a third chick. Suspected hatch
dates are 04/14 & 16.
On Easter afternoon a visiting eagle was escorted out of the area. It
made no obvious threats before being escorted away by the F while the M sat
on the nest & fed chicks.
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS are now visiting the N viewsite area as well.
The N viewsite of Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is located approx
0.5 mi from downtown Hillsboro on OR Hwy 219 ( S 1st St) on the E side of
the road.
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Friday, May 9, 2003
Greetings!
Nothing too unusual because the Yellow-rumped Audubon's & Myrtles have
been regular for a couple of weeks, the Common Yellowthroats are nesting &
still divying up territory, but my first-ever at this location YELLOW
WARBLER appeared today. The American Goldfinches rounded the yellow phase
of the spectrum. Still waiting on Wilson's & Townsend's.
My first of the season at this location GREEN HERON appeared Tues
05/06, about a month or more late vs. prior 3 years.
Bald eaglet twins are 3.5 weeks old & thriving. Parents are keeping
the larder stocked.
Spotted Sandpipers are pairing off & investigating possible nest sites,
Killdeer & Canada Geese continue to incubate & are due to hatch any day.
The N viewing stand of Jackson Bottom Wetlands preserve is located
approx 0.5 mi S of downtown Hillsboro on OR Hwy 219 (S 1st St).
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Wednesday, July 2, 2003
Greetings!
The BALD EAGLE nestlings are about to become fledglings at any daylight
moment. They're doing lots of limbing & getting as much as 6' of daylight
beneath themselves as they vigorously exercise.
On 06/30 & 07/01 there were ~12 WESTERN SANDPIPER making an appearance
around 1830. GREEN HERON are getting very reliable with as many as six
occasionally verifiable. So far they all appear to be adults. The SPOTTED
SANDPIPER is also very reliable. A pair of GADWALL continues to meander
about. The STARLINGS have begun to flock at about 250 birds. CEDAR
WAXWINGS, HOUSE FINCHES, & AMERICAN GOLDFINCH are also frequent. DOWNY
WOODPECKER is visiting also.
All observations were made from the N viewing stand adjacent to the
wastewater treatment plant on OR Hwy 219 (S 1st St) approximately 0.5 mi S
of downtown Hilsboro, OR.
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Thursday, July 3, 2003
Greetings,
Jim Hill & I saw our first GREAT EGRET as well as our first flock of
about 15 BUSHTIT this season late afternoon/early evening.
The BALD EAGLE nestlings are still working up their courage toward
their first flight. They also are begining to rearrange the interior of
their nest by grabbing sticks & talonsful of soft material, tossing it
about. They are taking advantage of the late afternoon breezes for lengthy
aerial exercises above their nest as the adults each give demo flights
nearby. The youngsters are using their wings as they take their branch
perches as much as 3m away from the nest.
I saw only 3 WESTERN SANDPIPERS today. The GREEN HERONS & GREAT BLUE
HERONS put on great shows in close.
Observations were from 1700 - 1930 at the N viewing stand on OR Hwy 219
(S 1st St) approx 0.5 mi S of downtown Hillsboro, OR.
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Sunday, July 6, 2003
Greetings!
One of the 2 BALD EAGLE chicks escaped the confines of its nest today
between 1700 & 1800 hrs. It managed to pull this off unseen by all of
several distracted observers. As its absence was detected neither adult was
readily in view either. Speculation is that it went from the nest to our
blind side.
The only eagle visible was the remaining chick, gaping widely
(presumably calling), until 2107 when one adult returned from the S & soon
followed by its mate from the same direction at 2112. I used the scope to
track each adult to their perches & thought I did see an extra flutter of
wings in between their chosen roosts. The fluttering was seen poorly under
dimming light & through the thick foliage. I continued to observe
fruitlessly until 2137 when it was just too dark to see well.
Some of the distractions referred to in the first paragraph included
GREAT BLUE HERON, GREEN HERON, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WESTERN SANDPIPER, LEAST
SANDPIPER, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, AMERICAN ROBIN, NORTHERN FLICKER, COMMON
YELLOWTHROAT, HOUSE FINCH, RED-TAILED HAWK, & TURKEY VULTURE.
All observations were made from 0530 - 2137 at the N viewing stand of
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve located adjacent to the wastewater
treatment plant approx 0.5 mi S of downtown Hillsboro, OR on OR Hwy 219 (S
1st St).
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Monday, July 7, 2003
Greetings!
The nest is officially empty as of 0708 hrs on 07/06/03. The beta
chick swallowed really hard several times before taking its first leap of
faith & then to land in a piledriving heap in dense foliage after only a
very short cruise.
We learned that it is also a master of concealment & able to hide very
well from almost any vantage point no matter where it eventually moved to.
Its second landing point must have been very satisfactory as it stayed put
for over 7 hours using the little available shade to its best possible
advantage.
By the close of business at 2140 it had made 3 short flights about the
nest grove. The warmups for each flight were really lengthy & extremely
tentative just before takeoff. We were all surprised that it never
attempted to return to the nest where one of the parents had hauled in about
8 pounds of fresh carp. Beta chick will be screaming for breakfast at
sunrise having not fed today!
The alpha chick was Johnny-on-the-spot to get in on the sushi. It fed
for 40 min on its first session. It made two more lenghty untimed feeding
sesions over the course of the day. On its fourth entry into their aerie it
looked about in the bowl of the nest & didn't feed. I think the buffet was
gone. Each adult had visited the nest once for food as well & only fed
quickly.
The capture of the fish was especially dramatic. The M adult nabbed
the ~12 lb carp from a steep stoop above 1m deep water. The fish was too
heavy to fly away with so the eagle firmly clenched the talons of one foot
on the fish & hop-paddled & swam the chin deep water about 70m before
reaching higher ground under shallow water.
It began feeding & had basically its first fill when it paused & walked
away about 1.5m for a drink of water. As it finished drinking a RIVER OTTER
approached on a fast swim to try to snatch the mostly remaining fish. The
BAEA clutched its hard-won prize with its left talons & lashed out with its
right talons kung-fu style while thrashing with its wings. The otter did
some thrashing of its own & it looked like the donnybrook was on for sure
when it ended almost as quickly with the otter swimming away in a shower of
water. Only a few moments passed before the BAEA was defending against
another attempt by otter. This event was a cakewalk compared with the first
as the otter was very much more tentative. I think that it was just
confirming its perception of the eagle's commitment to its earnings.
The eagle finished another round of feasting when it rested a bit
before again testing the gross payload weight. Still too heavy to lift from
the ground. He gorged some more & tried to reduce the GPW. Test again.
Still too heavy. The M gave up & flew to a sunny branch to enjoy a solar
dry.
The F BAEA swooped down on the still very large carcass & took several
bites before testing the GPW. Still too heavy, so more gorging & testing.
After about the 5th test, she tore off a very large piece & flew it to the
aerie effortlessly. She very quickly returned to the remains of the very
large carcass, where she continued to gorge. She finally took about a 20
min rest to let some of her intake reduce internally. With another couple
of tests she finally locked talons to meat & lifted with a couple of mighty
heaves. She stayed low to the water with the tail of the fish just barely
clearing the water's surface as she labored to gain altitude.
After about 60m of flight the altitude started to gradually build.
Just in time to clear the shoreside low shrubs fronting her nest grove.
With the first hurdle cleared she proceeded on to fly above the recently
mowed grass field & turned 3 wide circles to gain altitude sufficient to
enter her aerie. Oops! Bad turn on circle #2 & lost 30% of altitude!
Power ON & climb, climb, climb just enough to dump the payload barely over
the rim of the nest which alpha chick had graciously cleared to make way!
Just before dark the otter returned to the scene to make sure that
there were no overlooked pickings. There weren't any but it came back a
second time just to make sure it wasn't an hallucination or error on its own
part.
Close of business at 2140 had the alpha chick near the nest, the beta
chick well tucked in to dense branches about 80m away from its familiar home
& one adult beneath a canopy about 20m above beta. The 2nd adult had flown
in & landed on the opposite side of the grove out of view. All in all a
very satisfying day of eagle nest monitoring!
A heartfelt thanks to all who've participated & helped me grow in this
project since Jan, 2000. These were chicks 4 & 5 to fledge from this site!
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Saturday, July 26, 2003
Greetings!
Evening of 07/25/03 an hatch year PEREGRINE FALCON (suspected M) made
an appearance beginning with a really unstable landing (caught on tape) atop
a spindly sapling snag adjacent to the BALD EAGLES' nest. It reconnoitered
the area before strafing numerous waterfowl & raising all kinds of trouble
with other birds in the area.
After about 30 min it reappeared & the adult F BAEA jumped into the air
with her 2 offspring (suspected F twins). The PEFA turned the tails of all
3 BAEA. The adult lit out for parts unknown as the juvies pulled every
aerobatic maneuver they could dish up but the PEFA wasn't duped by their
jukes & bedeviled them in turn as was his wish. What a sight! I got about
6 minutes of hot video before it all ended with the BAEA juvies hiding out &
the PEFA struck south to the retention pond.
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is located approx 0.5 mi S of downtown
Hillsboro, OR, on OR Hwy 219 (S 1st St).
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Monday, Oct 20, 2003
Greetings!
Autumn is officially here according to the presence of the adult BALD
EAGLE pair. Today each pirated a fish from GREAT BLUE HERON & GREAT EGRET.
As each made its move about 5K CANADA GOOSE of mixed subspecies exploded
into the air. The 200 or so NORTHERN PINTAIL remained fairly calm & hardly
moved, but the 70 NORTHERN SHOVELER took to the air as did the 30 MALLARD.
The eagles made several dives near the 3 TUNDRA SWAN subadults which
stretched their long necks & gaped in protest. The eagles took to their
night roost at 1815 & 1820 hrs.
A single RED-SHOULDERED HAWK gave a quick unexpected flyby with a brief
hidden perch stop near the top of the Weeping Willow tree before I could
accurately age it and then disappearing out of view. BELTED KINGFISHER &
AMERICAN KESTREL adorned nearby perch poles.
Friend Jim McBlaine brought his 6 year old grandson, Trevor, out to
explore the South end trails. They radioed me that they had a VIRGINIA RAIL
sounding off beneath them as they crossed the footbridge adjacent to
Kingfisher Marsh. I was sorely tempted to make a dash out there but I had
several interesting geese in my field of view at the moment.
One Dusky with a collar appeared for the third straight season. It's
kind of neat to run into "old friends". There was also a Cackler with a
yellow collar whose number seemed vaguely familiar from either last year or
perhaps the year before. I'll have to check my notes. There was also a
possible ROSS'S X LESSER CANADA GOOSE. It was the same size as the Cacklers
but it had a bold white dirty face with a black eye patch. The bill
appeared to be the smaller size & seemed to be pink & black. I couldn't get
any color on its back because of its angle to me as it swam closely amidst
the flock before they all took to panic flight as one of the eagles changed
perch.
Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve's North viewing stand is approx 0.5 mi
S of downtown Hillsboro on OR Hwy 219 (S 1st St).
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis Manzer
Sunday, November 2, 2003
Greetings!
Today's record early snowfall between 0900 & 1200 hrs kept most of the
birds pretty well hidden. Between flurries of flakes ranging from very
small to very large & fluffy the birds went about their normal business of
_earning a living_ in harsh conditions. My toes got too cold so I headed
for home.
I was greeted by a flock of about 50 BUSHTIT gathering fuel like crazy
before the impending storm arrived. The various groups of WESTERN SCRUB
JAY, HOUSE FINCH, HOUSE SPARROW, LESSSER GOLDFINCH, EUROPEAN STARLING, &
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD all did likewise.
The BALD EAGLES made 3 prey captures (fish) as the 2K NORTHERN PINTAIL
exploded in fright while the 32 COMMON MERGANSER mostly ignored the forays
of the large predators. The 6 HOODED MERGANSER took fish from 6-10cm. They
really cleaned up. Some of the 52 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT fished for
catches exceeding 500g & impressively one-gulped them.
The RED-TAILED HAWK duo was relatively quiet with only a couple of
perch changes. The hoped-for Red-shouldered Hawk of the previous evening
didn't appear. An AMERICAN KESTREL (m) had a look around but didn't reveal
a catch.
9 BUFFLEHEAD made a flyby & a group of 20 NORTHERN SHOVELER took to the
air also. Approximately 200 GREEN-WINGED TEAL foraged & alternately rested
as did the 60 or so MALLARD. The 15 GREAT BLUE HERON were especially
fractious toward each other but left the 2 GREAT EGRET alone. I found only
a half dozen AMERICAN WIGEON. I checked carefully for Eurasian varieties of
waterfowl but found none. Most of the 2K CANADA GOOSE were too far away to
accurately check for collars in the billowing snow. There were waterfowl on
the wing in the distance the whole time. I saw no Swans.
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Saturday, November 15, 2003
Greetings!
I started my day at Hillsboro's Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve's N
view stand at 0810. A mixed flock of ~60 BUSHTIT, 3 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE,
& 3 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET began the day just right. They were soon followed
by a group of mixed Sparrows including LINCOLN'S, GOLDEN-CROWNED, SONG, FOX
(first this season for me at this location), & HOUSE. 5 TUNDRA SWAN gave a
flyby & I eventually located both adult BALD EAGLE. I counted 28 GREAT
EGRET, 22 MOURNING DOVE & 1 PIED-BILLED GREBE.
The "odd" buteo which I first reported 10 days ago is still hanging
around. I got much better looks today in closer, both dorsal & ventral. I
first located it W of the N view stand from Woods Ave. in a bare deciduous
tree ~400m S. I mis-described the bird's wings & tail in my first post.
What I originally thought were white rectrices were instead the white
primaries in folded position.
The wings are white/pied for the outer 1/3 top & bottom on left &
right. The tail has NO white rectrices, but instead most closely resembles
that of imm Red-tailed Hawk. Total conformation & flight style suggests
RTHA as well. It is missing a couple of secondaries on its left side. The
head is as previously described, its face & forward 1/3 of head was dark
creating an almost "masked" look. The back 2/3 of head was pied
predominantly white.
It did eventually share an updraft on this cool, rainy, windy day with
a normal adult RTHA. There was no interaction except that the "odd" bird
made a hasty break for cover & out of view soon after the normal RTHA
started its climb.
The previously reported NORTHERN SHRIKE is still holding forth just
off of the NW corner of the retention pond just N of the Kingfisher Marsh
kiosk.
I arrived at Fernhill Wetlands just off of OR Hwy 47 near Forest Grove
at 1445. The previously reported ROSS' GOOSE was grazing on greens on the W
side of Fernhill Rd with about 200 CANADA GOOSE (mixed subspecies). When I
left at 1710 it had moved into the brown cover on Eagle Perch "Pond"
(forever dry?) Other fun birds included a flock of ~60 DUNLIN, a few
WESTERN & LEAST SANDPIPERS, about 30 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, 2 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS, 1 CANVASBACK, & most of the other usuals. More RUDDY DUCK &
BUFFLEHEAD today.
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
I arrived shortly after 1400 & as I pulled onto the parking lot a BALD
EAGLE was in flight. To my naked eye it seemed perfectly normal. I quickly
got the bins on it as it landed just meters off of the nest grove to
discover a dark subterminal band. A quick scan of the area revealed no
other eagles present.
About 20 min later an adult BAEA cruised in from the west over the
south end to perch near the SW corner of the retention pond. It remained
there for about 10 min before taking a direct flight path toward the perched
stray. Just as the resident adult closed on the 4.5y, the mate to the
resident adult approached at speed from the east side. The three jousted in
mid-air to put on quite a show. Size comparison in flight revealed that the
stray was a male. The adults chased it 'round & 'round before it departed
toward Meriwether Golf Course & out of view. The adults reclaimed perches
in their nest grove.
With things settled down a bit I scanned the goose flock to find close
to 30 DUSKY CANADA GEESE, at least 10 of which bore red neck collars & I was
lucky enough to get 7 complete numbers & 3 partials. About then Mahesh
Ketkar & Prashant Saxena arrived. We were able to pick out 3 RED-TAILED
HAWK in the surroundings. I located a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE resting
among the Duskies. At first we thought it a mutt-goose but eventually
decided imm GWFG. Wrong again. It gradually showed the black belly bars
when it went to graze on shoreside grass & Al Snyder had arrived to check
things out so we enjoyed nice scope views of it.
While Al was there we tallied 29 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT taking flight
after one of the eagles snatched a previously dead NORTHERN PINTAIL drake
from the water's edge. A PEREGRINE FALCON surveyed his chances from atop a
roadside perch some 600m to the south. It slipped away unseen.
Soon thereafter Greg Gillson joined Al & I. Greg was interested in the
recently seen Ross's Goose but it was not present just then. Greg did get
to see the GWFG & was pleased that the stop wasn't a bust. Greg left about
1650 & not 5 min later the evening arrival of geese took place. There had
to be at least 3K CANADA GEESE (mixed subspecies) resting in the large grass
field between the Gene Pool & the eagles' nest grove. As I lifted the bins
for a better look in the dimming light I made out a single white goose among
the flock. It was too dark & too far to get any detail except that I failed
to note any black in the wings as it lit.
As recently as Sat, 11/22, I saw the Ross's Goose out there. Someone
else had mentioned an albino Canada in the area & Jim Hill mentioned a
partial albino Canada in the general area lat last week.
Other fun birds included BELTED KINGFISHER (f), COMMON MERGANSER,
RING-NECKED DUCK, AMERICAN WIGEON, BUFFLEHEAD, HOODED MERGANSER (f), flock
of ~50 BUSHTIT (late dusk), GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREAT
EGRET, & GREAT BLUE HERON.
The N view shelter of Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve is located
approx 0.5 mi from downtown Hillsboro on OR Hwy 219 (S 1st St.
Yours for better birding! (:>}
Dennis E. Manzer