A Wild Place!

 8:15 to 9:15am, 58 Degrees, Partly Cloudy, Wind Wind 4 SW, Bar 30.30 Steady

Sat down by Fall Brook, a much wilder place than I had been sitting. Picture above is of the brook. Yesterday when I scouted how to get here, there were pools of water in the foreground of the picture. We are in drought. Should get some rain tomorrow. However, it will not be enough. 

The spot I sat at this morning is on an "island" in Fall Brook. No water so scare quotes. There is forrest in 360 degrees. I need a swivel chair. Birds are in every direction! Where I had been sitting only had a few places to look for birds. This is a whole new experience. The woods are deep. I can see the back of Condominiums 1-4. My subdivision. A shed from one of the houses across the crick. It is down maybe twenty feet below the surrounding areas where the houses are. I only once felt wind. 

I did not see many birds. I did however hear them. In the Fall Brook Valley there are less car noises. Less wind to blow the bird noises away. I heard an Eastern Wood Pewee for a solid five minutes. They will be moving to the Amazon Rain Forrest soon. The Little Forrest is an international hot spot! Definitely worth the price of admission. I need to hear a bird repetitiously for it to be in my brain in a recognizable way.  

I heard a Pileated Woodpecker today. Unlikely in Portland Today. As I said I have seen one not far from here in Payson Park. Multiple calls. I like how my brain is lumping certain species together.  I am noticing the calls of woodpeckers similarities. Mostly I hear Downys, Flickers, and Red-bellied woodpeckers. Their calls and songs are similar. The call of the Pileated was in line with those. So, I am going to say it was there. It was in a deep and dense part of the valley. I stood and turned to see if I could find it. However, I had no such luck. 

It will take some time to know where the birds travel in this part of the Little Forrest. At one point I could see birds flying from my former sit spot across the gulley. I know where the cardinals travel around the gulley. It will take some time to get to know how the birds travel in the valley. I heard one squirrel alarmed at me being on the "Island" I am sure other inhabitants of the Valley in the Little Forrest are not sure about me being there. 

Merlin Identified 19 bird species. Swainson's Thrush is new. I played it back and listened to the calls on the app. I am counting that one. Red-tailed hawk was the only red dot. Since I have seen them in the Little Forrest I am sure it was there. Plus the crows were pissed and chasing something off.