January 25, 2025—After weeks of rain, the past two weeks have been dry. While some days have been foggy, there have been plenty of sunny days. The reason I mention this is because this time of year is normally rainy. With the nice weather, I had to do something outdoors. The lack of rain means a lack of snow up in the mountains, so no snowshoeing, which I would normally be doing this time of year. Issues with my knee lately make it difficult for me to ride my bikes. I decided to grab my camera gear and drive to the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge to hike and photograph the wildlife.
I arrived at the refuge and headed for Tavener Marsh to see what duck species were there. Waterfowl populations seemed much smaller than I have witnessed in past winter visits to the refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has been restoring the marsh to approximate what it was like prior to the area being turned into farmland, which might be impacting the populations of waterfowl in the marsh. I spotted large numbers of American coot but much smaller numbers of northern pintails, northern shovelers, and mallards. I did spot some gadwalls that I haven’t seen in the marsh before.
I decided to drive to the parking lot and hike the Rich Guadagno Trail that loops through a woodland comprised of white oak. Douglas fir and other species not originally there had been allowed to encroach on the white oak over the years. However, USFWS staff for the last three years have been conducting a major restoration project that saw the removal of the Douglas fir and other non-native plants. The removal of non-native trees and brush has resulted in a more open woodland, allowing the native white oak to thrive. Acorn woodpeckers are now easier to spot.
A spur trail off the Rich Guadagno Trail takes hikers out to a scenic viewpoint overlooking Tavener Marsh and into another patch of white oak. At this time of the year, however, the trail past the viewpoint is closed to protect wintering waterfowl. After walking out to the viewpoint, I retraced my steps back to the Rich Guadagno Trail and headed into the oak woodlands.
I didn’t hike far when out of the corner of my eye I spotted movement on an oak branch. Perched on a branch was a hawk. I couldn’t quite distinguish the species right off because the tail was hidden. At first, I thought it might be an immature Cooper’s hawk. However, its size seemed large for a Cooper’s Hawk, so I was leaning toward it being a red-tailed hawk. Perplexing me was the location of the hawk. Red-tailed hawks tend to prefer more open areas like farm fields and pastures where they can soar while hunting for food. Woods just aren’t the typical habitat for red-tailed hawks, hence my confusion over what bird I was looking at. When the hawk’s back finally turned toward me and I could see the tail feathers, the tail didn’t look red, further adding to my confusion. Clarity would have to wait until I got home and could submit a photo to the Merlin bird identification application for final confirmation.
I took a different trail and hiked out to where the trail overlooks Morgan Lake to see if there were any elk in the pastureland. I didn’t spot any and was prohibited from hiking further along the trail due to additional trail closures. I backtracked back to the Rich Guadagno Trail.
The sun was starting to sink low in the sky, and the light was beginning to fade on the eastern half of the loop. A slight breeze was chilling my hands as I hiked along the trail, so I decided it was time to head back to the parking lot.
Once at the parking lot, I heard a western meadowlark close by. Unfortunately, I had already put my camera gear away when I spotted him.
If you live between McMinnville and Monmouth and surrounding areas, I recommend a visit to the refuge. The Rich Guadagno Trail is a popular trail with families. After April 1, all the trails open to the public. Be sure to bring binoculars or a camera. Leave your dog behind, however, as dogs, even on leashes, are not allowed in the refuge or on the trails.
The birdlife at the refuge changes with the seasons. If you visit in the winter, you’re likely to see lots of waterfowl. Come spring, most of the waterfowl have migrated north replaced by visiting songbirds. Visit in May to spot the Fender’s blue butterfly, a threatened butterfly species, that lays its eggs on lupine found on the grassy hill overlooking the refuge and view the blooming wildflowers.
Update: Once I got home and logged into Merlin, the application confirmed the hawk I spotted was an immature red-tailed hawk.
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