Calendar

Past Activity

Delta Ponds

  • Start date: 04/11/2017

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 04/11/2017

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

DEPARTS North End Green Way Bridge in the Valley River Parking Lot. This will be a leisurely hiking and birding trip around Delta Ponds. We should see a variety of waterfowl besides song birds and others. Last year there was a great blue heron rookery in the tall trees along Delta Highway that can be viewed from our hike. I am hoping the herons will be nesting there again this year.

  • Event Leader: Anne Montgomery

  • Event Leader Phone: 541-688-7025

  • Event Leader Email: 000157@obsidians.org

  • Assistant Leader:

  • Event category: Trips

  • Area Type: Urban

  • Departure Location: See Trip Description

  • Rating: Easy

  • Roundtrip total drive miles:

  • Season: 2017

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: Binoculars, raingear, water, optional bird book.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 4

  • Member Fees: 1

  • Elevation Gain:

  • Non-Member Fees: 2

  • Committee: Trips

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

We enjoyed a cloudy but dry morning and had a good time. Because of all the stops we made, the 4 mile walk took us three hours. I have led a bicycle and birding at the West Eugene Wetlands for the Obsidians for quite a few years, but this year's Delta Ponds hike and birding trip proved to be more popular. Among the species we spotted included the usual suspects of Canada geese and mallard ducks. Many pairs of the Canada geese already had fluffy, little goslings with them. Other species included red-winged blackbirds, bufflehead ducks, bushtits, coots, cormorants, crows, bald eagle, gadwall ducks, pied-bill grebes, red-tailed hawk, great blue heron, green winged teals, Anna's hummingbirds, merganser ducks, osprey, robins, sandpipers, scrub jay, song sparrows, orange-crowned warblers and downy woodpeckers.

We also saw the first of the wild larkspur and smilacina blooms in addition to lots of current bushes in bloom.

A big THANK YOU to the pleasant group of hikers who joined me on this trip.

NOTE: I couldn't get the ID List to appear. I needed to add Jim Northrop to the list. The number should be 8 members and 2 nonmembers for a total of 10. I'll send in $12 in trip fees.