Seven of us met in Coquille at Sturdivant Park at 5AM and then carpooled to Powers Park where we started birding just after sunrise. One of our first birds was an unusual treat, a very vocal Western Kingbird hanging out on a power line right next to the pond we were walking around. Nearby an immature male Bullock’s Oriole was calling away and right after that we were all able to see a MacGillivray’s Warbler down low in the veg along the edge of the pond, not a bird you see in the lowlands very often- and a life bird for one of the crew! We continued around the pond and found all the expected swallow species including a pair of Purple Martins sitting together on a power line. Several Western Tanagers were visible and there were many singing birds including Yellow and Wilson’s Warblers and a few Warbling Vireos. We got views of all these birds although the Warbling Vireos were tough to see. It is peak migration time now and as we circumnavigated the Powers Pond there was a continuous stream of birds to see and hear, what a birdy morning! We had particularly good looks at a few species not often easy to observe including Western Flycatcher, a very cooperative Swainson’s Thrush, and a Cassin’s Vireo. A Green Heron flew by at one point and an Osprey would periodically fly by, a few times with a fresh fish catch. Toward the end of the walk in the more wooded end of the park, we had close up looks at both Black-throated Gray and Hermit Warblers. We then headed over to the Powers Ranger Station, only a few blocks from the pond, where we parked and birded a bit and then walked over to and up nearby Woodward Creek at the base of the steep open hillside along the South Fork (SF) of the Coquille River. There were many gorgeous, singing Lazuli Buntings which we had ample opportunities to see well, a Chipping Sparrow that came in close, and a striking, Yellow-breasted Chat that we watched flit around us for several minutes. In the river we saw three Common Mergansers “shooting” some steep rapids and a Spotty Sandpiper flying up creek that landed in plain view. As we walked across the SF of the Coquille Bridge on our way back to the car at the end of the trip, we spotted an American Dipper below. It was in a calm, crystal clear pool area and we had an awesome vista in which to watch it repeatedly dive into the water from the rocks just below us and “fly around” underwater catching prey and then pop back out of the water up onto its rocky perch. What a treat and a fine species to end the morning on!

It was cloudy early with temps in the 50s all morning with some blue skies appearing later in the morning. It was dry all morning which we really lucked out on as our trip day was sandwiched between rainy weather the day before the trip and the day after the trip!