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 Booth-Kelly Millrace
May 13, 2022

Bird list for BOGS walk at Booth Kelley Path Trailhead,
Friday, 05-13-22; 9:00 am. – 11:20 am.
Leader: Steve Barron.
Weather: Cloudy, 45 to 53 deg., fairly calm.

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Directions from Eugene:
To reach Booth Kelley Path Trailhead (Springfield Millrace):
Take Franklin Blvd east out of Eugene, or Main/South A in Springfield,
or MLK/Centennial or Harlow to 5th. Then go south (past South A street)
and cross the railroad tracks at the end of 5th.
After crossing the railroad tracks turn left on S "B" street; (south B street).
The parking lot is a block or so east.

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Where we walked today:
We met at the Booth Kelley Trailhead parking lot, near downtown Springfield, at 9am.
We walked east along the bike path that goes to the E, past factories and mills on our left (N), until we got to a little bridge across the bike path past the last factory/mill.
Then we returned the same way. A millrace creek runs along the S side of the bike path,
and there are several ponds along the N side of the path.

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Bird list

  1. Mallard
  2. Green-winged teal
  3. Great blue heron
  4. Turkey vulture
  5. Osprey
  6. Red-tailed hawk
  7. American kestrel
  8. Eurasian collared dove
  9. Vaux's swift
  10. Anna's hummingbird
  11. Willow flycatcher
  1. Black phoebe
  2. Steller's jay
  3. Barn swallow
  4. Northern rough-winged swallow
  5. Tree swallow
  6. Violet-green swallow
  7. Bewick's wren - heard only
  8. European starling
  9. Common yellowthroat
  1. Orange-crowned warbler
  2. Yellow-rumped warbler, myrtle race
  3. Yellow-rumped warbler, Audubon race
  4. Song sparrow
  5. Brewer's blackbird
  6. Red-winged blackbird
  7. House finch - heard only
  8. American goldfinch
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Most common birds today:
Red-winged blackbirds (17), followed by Mallards (9).

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Not birds:
Nutria; Beaver dam; Beaver lodge; Tree chewed completely off by beaver;
Fake "Stump deer"

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Highlights and of Interest:

  • Seeing so many female Red-winged blackbirds (4), as well as 12 males (including a first-year male with yellow on its wings but no red.)
  • Seeing both a myrtle race and an Audubon race Yellow-rumped warbler..
  • Seeing a female mallard hiding her duckling by swimming behind it into some reeds.
  • Seeing a Great blue heron flying, with a Red-winged blackbird harrowing it and almost hitting it.
  • Seeing a beaver dam in the creek on the S side of the path, and further E a beaver lodge
    in one of the ponds N of the path, plus seeing a completely severed ash tree, 5" diameter trunk, very freshly chewed off.
  • Seeing a male Common yellowthroat sitting out in the open for several minutes. (They usually hide.)
  • Seeing 2 Northern rough-winged swallows! Flying around near the little bridge at the E end of our walk. Plain brown, with cream belly, per Steve's book. No other swallow species at the bridge.
  • Several of us trying to ID a small bird sitting on a 3-foot high twig next to the "stump deer". Hard to ID, some thought it might possibly be a female junco. But from a photo and input from several members, plus its near the ground position, it turned out to be a Willow flycatcher.
  • A very few yellow irises in bloom (quite a few leaves, but only 2 or 3 buds and blooms) at/near creek today, plus 1 purple iris (?native?)
  • Fake "Stump deer" Approx. 1-1/2 to 3 ft. high. Looked like a greyish deer with its head turned back, to the naked eye. Larger views (binocs. and cameras) did not see the illusion; showed it just as a broken off tree stump.

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