Our BOGS trips to Finley Refuge near Corvallis are always popular. Although the weather forecast was 90% likelihood rain with wind gusting 15-25mph, and only about a dozen to sixteen people braved the elements, the weather was only really bad for a portion of the time. We had one very hard downpour which went on for maybe 20 minutes. By the last 30 minutes of our time at Finley, it was sunny and calmer.

Raptors were abundant just about everywhere we went. Especially common were Northern Harriers. These were mostly females or juveniles, as we saw no all gray males.

McFadden Marsh always seems to live up to our expectations, providing numerous species. This time we saw several Ruddy Ducks there along with two Bald Eagles, Ring-necked Ducks, Northern Shovelers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Marsh Wren and other species.

Headquarters provided a close-up view of a Golden-crowned Sparrow, as well as Green-winged Teal in the pond behind the building along with several Ring-necked Ducks. Among the trees were a Steller's Jay and a California Scrub Jay. No Acorn Woodpeckers were seen or heard. While a Lewis's Woodpecker has been seen in a particular tree for some time a few days before our visit, and was reported again the day AFTER our Finley visit, and although we had sunshine when we were at the right location, we didn't see The Lewis's Woodpecker.

Two Videos of Dunlin flock flying over wetlands along Belts Rd, Linn County
First Dunlin Video
Second Dunlin Video

Don Laufer and I re-drove some of the Raptor Run route the very next day to see if we could find American Pipits or Horned Larks, and of course to check Diamond Hill for Short-eared Owls. We got some nice raptor photos and videos of a Dunlin flock flying, but no Pipits or Larks. A Western Meadowlark brightened up our day with its song in a nearby tree. It posed nicely for our cameras