E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area.

I don't usually venture far to look for just one bird, but for some reason yesterday I decided to head to E.E. Wilson near Corvallis to look for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  The first thing you notice in the parking area is all the game birds in pens... I don't really get it, but they were cool to look at.

I took some bad photos through the rain and chicken wire... The Lady Amherst Pheasant was definitely the most impressive:


The Salmon Golden Pheasant was pretty too...


Anyway.  After peeking at all the random birds, I took Jake for a long walk on the interpretive trail.  I only encountered one hunter and one jogger the whole time.   Oh, and one smiling fruit:


I am easily amused.

At the lake area were lots of kinglets, chickadees, Bushtits and sparrows, but only one bird in the water- a female Bufflehead.  There was also a sign about the hunting seasons...


Ok so I don't know much about hunting.  I don't do it, I'm not too fond of the hunters I've met, but I can appreciate those that hunt for food and not for sport.  Anyway, my point is that I had NO idea that people hunted snipe and crows?!  That just seems so weird to me! 

After the long walk I decided to follow the directions I got from OBOL to look for the sapsucker.  I walked down the road toward the headquarters and started scanning the trees.  The third tree was the lucky one...




I got eight quick shots before he took off across the road and disappeared into a huge flock of goldfinches and Pine Siskins.  I never found him again.  Oh well- I was pretty amazed that I was able to find him at all!


Hmm, apparently I should have headed over to the Coffin Butte Landfill afterwards to look for the strange dark-backed gull

Comments

  1. Very cool to see that sapsucker. I didn't realize that about crows and snipe either. boo- hiss

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  2. Neither Boomer or I understand or like hunters, but don't get me going.

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  3. Yeah, we have a lot of "seasons" for hunting here, divided by weapon as well as by animal. It's ridiculous. I know we owe a lot of our preserved natural habitat to hunting dollars, but gosh, they even want to hunt cranes now.

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  4. Hmmmm....dark-mantled gull...I would guess its a light-eyed (not rare in the species) Western Gull (southern subspecies), and not a Slaty-backed (which I'm guessing is what people want it to be?) for a number of reasons. I reckon you saved yourself a trip to a landfill.

    I <3 sapsuckers.

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  5. WOW you got some super shots of the sap sucker!!
    on Hunting--Amazing isn't it? Well in my book any hunter who owns a 4x4, a camo painted rifle with a super dooper scope, decked out in LL Bean boots and Bass Pro Shops clothing its a pretty good bet they are not HUNTING for food--its a common excuse in my area too...Ive faced many a redneck toting a rifle and a cooler of Bud Lite and found most to be lacking in most areas including civil graces, but none looked hungry to me! (sorry about the rant)

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