Wood Duck babies splashing around with glee, gossiping
Killdeer frolicking up and down the busy pathways,
Canada Goose parents sunning themselves nonchalantly on the beaches,
Cliff Swallows indulging in aerial acrobatics. While this carefree scene might bring to mind the mega migration stop-overs of Baskett-Slough or Fern Ridge, this is in fact the atmosphere a travelling shorebird can expect to encounter at the Sheridan Sewage Treatment Ponds Resort of Yamhill County.
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| Western Sandpiper; note the black legs, rufous scapular patch on the wing (though this individual, presumably a youngster, is pretty rufous all over the back and wings), medium-length blunt bill that droops slightly at the end. |
A hip hang-out spot for several years, the Sewage Ponds are a haven for the weary migratory bird and a reliable family-friendly joint for all those worn parents with juveniles. If your plumage is faded and frayed after a year of tireless territory defense and reproductive duties, this is an ideal place to rest your wings.
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| Least Sandpiper; note smaller size and shorter bill than Western, unique greenish-yellow legs, lack of a specific rufous wing-patch. The overall cinnamon-y color on this individual indicates that it is a juvenile, methinks. |
Dining on gourmet food in a down-to-earth atmosphere,
Least and Western Sandpipers animate the shores with their lively chatter and bursts of energetic flight. South America is still a long way off, and the sewage ponds are the perfect spot to relax along the way.
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| Semipalmated Plover (with a photobomber Western Sandpiper). Although superficially similar to a Killdeer, it only has one dark ring on the neck rather than two, and is considerably smaller. |
The Sheridan Sewage Ponds are also a trendy location for the fashion-conscious. In this discrete, out-of-the-way paradise, local paparazzi have been know to locate bird stars such as
Parasitic Jaeger or
Red Phalarope.
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| 2 Red-Necked Phalaropes. Phalaropes are intriguing because of their reversed sexual dimorphism and sexual roles: the females are larger and more colorful, and actively compete for males, defend the territory and their mates, and migrate south immediately after egg-laying is over, leaving the males to incubate and rear the young. Phalaropes practice polyandry, the less common conjugal arrangement in the animal world, in which females take multiple males as mates. |
This Friday's special guests included 3
Red-Necked Phalaropes in non-breeding plumage, one
Semipalmated Plover trying to keep a low profile among the
Killdeer, and one
Hooded Merganser seen socializing with a gaggle of
Cinnamon Teals. We have it on good authority (from our trusty informers CK and PS) that an early
Redhead was spotted in the beginning of August, presumably making sure the high standards their species has become accustomed to in previous years are still followed.
Whether your destination is merely southern Oregon or distant Patagonia, whether you molt before or after migration, are an excitable juvie or a seasoned migration veteran, there is a place for you this fall at the Sheridan Sewage Ponds.
Sheridan Sewage Treatment Ponds, Yours to Discover.
Click here for a full checklist of the guests to the Sheridan Sewage Ponds, Yamhill Co., on Aug. 10th.
