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Spring Bird Walk at J2E Tree Farm - May 9, 2026
Hundreds of trips, one beakful of mud at a time. Cliff swallow nests in progress at the J2E Tree Farm lakefront shelter.
J2E Bird Walk Report, by Mike Unger (May 9, 2026)
On May 9, 2026, the Luckiamute Watershed Council hosted its annual Spring Bird Walk at J2E Tree Farm near Philomath, Oregon. Twenty participants joined the outing, dividing into two groups: Joel, Tim, and Suzanne led Group 1, while Todd, Dave, and I guided Group 2. Each group covered approximately one mile over the three-hour walk, exploring a diverse landscape of forests, creeks, ponds, and open areas while observing both birdlife and the surrounding environment.
Weather conditions were favorable, with scattered clouds, temperatures ranging from 54°F to 66°F, and light winds up to 9 mph. Bird activity was strong throughout the morning. Group 1 recorded 48 species, while Group 2 observed 44, for a combined total of 53 species. By comparison, last year’s walk produced 39 species for Group 1 and 43 for Group 2, with a combined total of 51 species.
Bird Walk Highlights
Overall, the walk was highly productive, featuring a strong mix of returning favorites and exciting new additions to the property list.
Salem Audubon offers several bird walks each month. Just go to their website at salemaudubon.org and look under the “Coming Events” listing. We would love to have you join us.
Mike Unger
Keizer, OR
Weather conditions were favorable, with scattered clouds, temperatures ranging from 54°F to 66°F, and light winds up to 9 mph. Bird activity was strong throughout the morning. Group 1 recorded 48 species, while Group 2 observed 44, for a combined total of 53 species. By comparison, last year’s walk produced 39 species for Group 1 and 43 for Group 2, with a combined total of 51 species.
Bird Walk Highlights
- Seven new species--Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier, Canada Jay, Purple Martin, House Finch, and Yellow-breasted Chat—were added to the property list, bringing the cumulative total for these walks to 86 species. We also set a new record for total individuals observed, with 236 birds counted during a single walk, surpassing the previous high of 191 recorded in May 2022. In addition, this year’s walk produced the second-highest species total at 53, just below last year’s record of 56 species.
- The most exciting observations included a Yellow-breasted Chat spotted by Group 1 and two Canada Jays observed by Group 2 near the top of the loop.
- Six warbler species were observed this year, compared to five last year: Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Hermit Warbler, and Wilson’s Warbler. Nashville, MacGillivray’s, and Yellow-rumped Warblers were not observed.
- Only two of the four expected woodpecker species were present: Downy Woodpecker, and Northern Flicker. Notably, a pine tree along the south trail showed extensive sap holes.
- Five swallow species--Tree, Violet-green, Cliff, and Barn Swallows, along with the first ever Purple Martin—were observed near the ponds, along with numerous Red-winged Blackbirds. The group also discussed tips for distinguishing among the swallow species.
- Evening Grosbeaks and numerous Band-tailed Pigeons were observed flying over the trails.
- Additional highlights included a Chipping Sparrow, Western Flycatchers, several vireos, and a pair of Northern House Wrens near a nesting box along the north side trail close to the house.
- Main misses: MacGillivray’s Warbler, most woodpeckers, grouse, and hummingbirds to name a few.
Overall, the walk was highly productive, featuring a strong mix of returning favorites and exciting new additions to the property list.
Salem Audubon offers several bird walks each month. Just go to their website at salemaudubon.org and look under the “Coming Events” listing. We would love to have you join us.
Mike Unger
Keizer, OR
Luckiamute Watershed Council (J2E Tree Farm) Checklist Summary for May 9, 2026 @ 8:13 AM
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Group 1 – Started on north side of property
48 species Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) 1 Mallard 2 Hooded Merganser 1 Band-tailed Pigeon 15 Mourning Dove 1 Great Blue Heron 1 Turkey Vulture 2 Northern Harrier 1 Bald Eagle 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 1 Western Flycatcher 4 Black Phoebe 1 Cassin's Vireo 2 Western Warbling Vireo 3 Steller's Jay 1 American Crow 1 Common Raven 1 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Tree Swallow 5 Violet-green Swallow 9 Purple Martin 1 Barn Swallow 2 Cliff Swallow 13 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Northern House Wren 4 Pacific Wren 1 European Starling 6 Swainson's Thrush 4 American Robin 6 Evening Grosbeak 10 Purple Finch 2 American Goldfinch 1 Dark-eyed Junco 2 White-crowned Sparrow 2 Song Sparrow 1 Spotted Towhee 1 Yellow-breasted Chat 1 Red-winged Blackbird 50 Brown-headed Cowbird 2 Orange-crowned Warbler 4 Common Yellowthroat 1 Northern Yellow Warbler 6 Black-throated Gray Warbler 2 Hermit Warbler 3 Wilson's Warbler 12 Western Tanager 2 Black-headed Grosbeak 1 |
Group 2 - Started on south side of property
44 species 1 Canada Goose 1 Hooded Merganser 12 Band-tailed Pigeon 3 Mourning Dove 1 Killdeer 1 Turkey Vulture 1 Northern Harrier 1 Bald Eagle 2 Northern Flicker 4 Western Flycatcher 1 Black Phoebe 5 Cassin's Vireo 7 Western Warbling Vireo 2 Canada Jay 3 Steller's Jay 1 Common Raven 4 Black-capped Chickadee 5 Tree Swallow 3 Violet-green Swallow 1 Purple Martin 20 Cliff Swallow 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 Northern House Wren 1 Bewick's Wren 1 Swainson's Thrush 6 American Robin 7 Evening Grosbeak 1 House Finch 2 Purple Finch 2 American Goldfinch 1 Chipping Sparrow 3 Dark-eyed Junco 3 White-crowned Sparrow 2 Spotted Towhee 24 Red-winged Blackbird 3 Brown-headed Cowbird 6 Orange-crowned Warbler 2 Common Yellowthroat 2 Northern Yellow Warbler 4 Black-throated Gray Warbler 5 Hermit Warbler 11 Wilson's Warbler 3 Western Tanager 1 Black-headed Grosbeak |
Total Identified Species: 53
Checklist links:
If you would like to see Mike's spreadsheet showing bird walk stats and species over 5 years of bird walks at J2E Tree Farm, click here!
Checklist links:
- Group 1 (north side) – https://ebird.org/checklist/S335647579
- Group 2 (south side) – https://ebird.org/checklist/email?subID=S335699649
If you would like to see Mike's spreadsheet showing bird walk stats and species over 5 years of bird walks at J2E Tree Farm, click here!
A special thank you to Dave and Sarah Ehlers for inviting the LWC to organize these bird walks every year at J2E Tree Farm. Also, we are incredibly grateful to Salem Audubon Society and to Joel Geier for their leadership and expertise on this bird walk, and to Benton Soil & Water Conservation District for providing funding that made this event free of charge!
