LOCATION: Perkins Peninsula Park
Directions: Going W on W. 11th/126, partway along Fern Ridge Reservoir on the R = N side,
Perkins Peninsula is on the N side of W. 11th/126 opposite Central Rd. To get to Cantrell Rd.,
from Perkins Peninsula, cross W. 11th/126 carefully, go S on Central Rd., then L = W on Cantrell Rd.
The Cantrell Rd. N pullout is on N side of Cantrell, then South Coyote Unit is on S side of Cantrell,
then Nielsen Rd. goes N from Cantrell. Nielsen turns E and eventually runs into W. 11th going back to Eugene.
TRIP ATTENDEES & Weather: About 22 people, in 10 cars.
Cold, cloudy and breezy, with light showers, then a heavy rain and wind front that came in at around 11:20am.
Bird lists & Highlights by JANET NAYLOR
- White pelican (2, plus 5 more seen by 1 person)
- Canada goose (10)
- Green-winged teal (10)
- Mallard (2)
- Grebe, ? species (1)
- Pied-billed grebe (1)
- Western grebe (5)
- Double-crested cormorant (1)
- Turkey vulture (1)
- Bald eagle, adult (1)
- Red-tailed hawk (1)
- Killdeer (2)
- Acorn woodpecker (1)
- Northern flicker (2)
- Steller's jay (1)
- American crow (4)
- Common raven (1)
- Swallows, (possibly tree sw.) (5)
- Black-capped chickadee (1)
- Black-capped chickadee (1)
- Ruby-crowned kinglet (1)
- Kinglet, ? species (2) (seen by one person)
- American robin (42)
- European starling (2)
- Spotted towhee (1)
- Golden-crowned sparrow (3)
- Song sparrow (1)
- Dark-eyed junco (6)
- Red-winged blackbird, male (1)
N pullout along Cantrell Rd., approx. 300 yards W of South Coyote Unit.
- Canada goose (2)
- Green-winged teal (6)
- Shoveler (21)
- Violet-green swallow (22)
- Western bluebird (2)
- Yellow-rumped warbler (myrtle race) (2)
N pullout along Cantrell Rd., approx. 300 yards W of South Coyote Unit.
- Canada goose (2)
- Green-winged teal (6)
- Shoveler (21)
- Violet-green swallow (22)
- Western bluebird (2)
- Yellow-rumped warbler (myrtle race) (2)
South Coyote Unit. On S side of Cantrell Rd. approx. 200 feet W of where Nielsen Rd goes N.
(Restricted area; park and bird from Cantrell Rd.)
- Canada goose (10)
- Green-winged teal (18)
- Pintail (5)
- Hooded merganser (2)
- Turkey vulture (1)
- Northern harrier, male (1)
- Greater yellowlegs (1)
Along the north/south section of Nielsen Rd.:
- Cackling goose (500)
- Canada goose (1)
- Greater yellowlegs (13)
- American crow (17)
- Western meadowlark (1) - heard only.
OF INTEREST:
- No Varied thrushes today at Perkins Peninsula. Sometimes in winter, one or two will be on the lawns with the robins.
- Seeing a few pelicans and Western grebes out on the water.
- See 2 Turkey vultures - one flying over Perkins, the other flying over South Coyote Unit). In the last 10 or 15 years, some years one or two will winter here.
- Seeing an adult Bald eagle at Perkins Peninsula, also a Red-tailed hawk. (No Red-shouldered hawk today.)
- 3 people saw an Acorn woodpecker at Perkins Peninsula.
- Seeing some early swallows - possibly Tree swallows at Perkins, and definitely Violet-greens at Cantrell Rd. N pullout.
- Seeing approx. 500 cacklers east of the N/S section of Nielsen Rd. They generally winter at Fern Ridge and come in to Cantrell/Nielsen Rds. during the day.
- Seeing a few Greater yellowlegs at the water at South Coyote Unit and N/S Nielsen Rd.
- Seeing a pair of Hooded mergansers at South Coyote Unit.
- Seeing a male Northern harrier flying (we usually mostly see females).
- Seeing 2 Western bluebirds flying around and landing on a horizontal gate post, at Cantrell Rd. N pullout.
- Seeing so many Shovelers (17 males plus 4 females) in a vernal pond at Cantrell Rd. N pullout.
Note: We didn't do Perkins Peninsula's NE shore path today; water high, ground wet, and path degraded
when I checked it in 2022.
Note: We didn't do South Marsh (1/4 mile W of Perkins Peninsula,
a little pullout on N side off W. 11th/126) today, as there have been no Yellow-headed blackbird sightings recently
in Lane Co.
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