provided by:

Priscilla Sokolowski

Eugene, OR

Photos from personal trips  AND trips with

“Birds of Oregon and General Science” (BOGS)


Priscilla’s  

Bird photography



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BOGS Mt Pisgah
June 15, 2023; 8-11
Leader: Priscilla

TRIP SUMMARY and comments by ATTENDEES; Bird List by Janet N.:

It was still cool cool enough for light jackets for some folks when we met at 8am for the first Summer bird walk at the Mt Pisgah Arboretum. Many birds were seen right from where we gathered at the Kiosk before crossing the bridge into the Arboretum proper. There was so much activity Janet called it Grand Central Station. As I arrived a Black-headed Grosbeak was singing constantly - though no one ever did see that one. People were watching a Chipping Sparrow at the top of a smaller tree, also singing. Lesser Goldfinches came and went and Swallows (Tree and Violet Green?) were very active.

The weather was not predicted to reach the high 70s until afternoon so all morning was perfect weather for being out walking around in the lovely Arboretum. It was however too cool for the insects the birds wanted to feed their hatchlings, so it took about an hour before before the activity at the nests became obvious. Much of that first hour we saw some female Bullock's Orioles leaving a particular tree every five minutes and returning somewhat surreptitiously from different directions. We watched and watched and could sometimes hear the baby birds making a racket when the mother returned with food. Sue A. eventually spotted the nest but only from directly below the tree. We thought we would come back to it on our return to the parking lot but instead we had very good looks at another Bullock's Oriole nest, including viewing it through Steve's spotting scope.

BE SURE TO LOOK THROUGH THE AMAZING PHOTO SET BY DON Laufer.!!

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Where we walked today:
From the S end of the arboretum parking area, we walked approx. S across a little creek then SE to the nearby arboretum building, then a little way SW, then S, then W to the river, then back N to parking.

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Bird list; Non-birds & Discussion by JANET NAYLOR

  1. Great blue heron (1) (unconfirmed - seen by only one person).
  2. Turkey vulture (5)
  3. Bald eagle (1)
  4. Red-tailed hawk (1)
  5. Mourning dove (2)
  6. Hummingbird, ? species (1)
  7. Red-breasted sapsucker (1)
  8. Hammond's flycatcher (1)
  9. Western wood peewee (5 - 4 seen plus 1 heard only).
  1. California scrub jay (1)
  2. Cliff swallow (1)
  3. Violet-green swallow (5)
  4. Black-capped chickadee (1)
  5. Bush tit (1)
  6. White-breasted nuthatch (1) (unconfirmed - seen by only one person).
  7. Brown creeper (1)
  8. American robin (4)
  9. European starling (1)
  1. Cedar waxwing (6)
  2. Western tanager (4)
  3. Spotted towhee (2)
  4. Chipping sparrow (3)
  5. Song sparrow (1 - heard only).
  6. Black-headed grosbeak (2 - 1 seen, 1 heard only).
  7. Bullock's oriole (9)
  8. American goldfinch (1)
  9. Lesser goldfinch (4
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Of Interest:

  • A Grand Central Station tree: In the trees just S of parking: In the same tree, sequentially: We saw 1 male American goldfinch, in a largeish tree just SW of S end of parking at creek. Then we saw 1 American robin in same tree as the American goldfinch, after the goldfinch left. Then we saw 1 male Black-headed grosbeak near top of the same tall tree as the American goldfinch and then the robin a bit earlier.
  • At the arboretum:
    One person heard a sprinkler bird at arboretum. Fast zzz zzz zzz zzz. When she followed the sound, it was a sprinkler, not a bird.
  • Orioles:
    At creek just N of arboretum: at creek's S side: 2 Bullock's orioles, flying in and out of a tree. There is a nest in this tree, per their behavior, but too many leaves to find the nest. We heard some oriole baby/fledgling babble in the same tree. S end of arboretum main building: Several people saw 4 more orioles at mid-level in the oaks. 100 feet SE of Arboretum building: Saw 1 male Bullock's oriole go in and out of a hanging nest in moss in a different tree, just a bit N of the L/R = N/S path a few yards E of the Arboretum building in above map. It went in and out several times.
  • Walking S on the path from the SW corner of the Arboretum building: Two of us got dive-bombed by 2 Violet green swallows just 1 foot above our heads.
  • Tanager dads: Near the arboretum, several people saw a male W. tanager feeding its fledgling, then flying with fledgling following it and learning. Later, at the river, people saw another male tanager training a fledgling; far enough away from the first ones so that we had two different lots.
  • Along the river: 1 Bush tit's nest, approx. 9 feet up in moss, in a tree next to path. Some folks saw one of the parents go in and out of the hanging nest, making the nest wriggle.
  • We saw 1 Hammond's flycatcher. It took 2 bird books, 1 sound app., and several people to ID it. (Empids are difficult to ID.)
  • Bird sounds: At parking area: We saw 2 Chipping sparrows. One did "Chip chip chip". We heard and saw 1 Spotted towhee, doing: "tih tih tih tih" (4 times) very fast. One person saw its beak move with each "tih", so we knew it was the towhee. Song sparrow mnemonic: "Hip hip (hip), spring is finally here."

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