Oregon Waterfowl at the Waterfalls

My son-in-law wanted to show me the new constructed wetland that the City of Albany had built to cool the temperatures of waters discharged from the municipal sewage treatment plant, as well as discharge from a near-by industrial park. The Albany-Millersburg

Mallard, American Coot, American Widgeon

Oregon Talking Water Gardens is not officially open until spring, but the trails are complete and there were a great range aquatic birds taking advantage of the warmer than ambient temperature wetlands: Bufflehead, Harlequin Ducks, Mallard, American Coot, and American Widgeon - a Great Blue Heron flew by when we first arrived. The 

Golden-crowned Sparrow

purpose for the garden is to reduce the discharge water temperature before it runs into the Willamette River. Also, around the upper ponds, there are lots of upland birds including Golden-crowned Sparrow, Marsh Wren, and White-breasted Sparrow. Also, in the brush there was a yellow feathered bird, but I couldn't get a clear picture of it as I stalked, and it kept moving ahead of me, hiding in the tall grass - likely, it was a Yellow Warbler. In the wooded area along Cox Creek near the bridge on Waverly Drive leading into the parking area, I spotted a Red-breasted Sapsucker working the trunk of a large tree, and Scrub Jay high up in its canopy.

I searched on line for an identification guide and came across the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Ducks at a Distance Water Identification Guide that has a nice interface that is easy to access, though identification is a bit difficult since the drawings are a bit hard to distinguish apart. The National Geographic Backyard Bird Identifier Website is still an excellent resource, particularly for upland birds when trying to distinguish among similar looking species - the "More" [whatever kind of bird you are looking at] feature is very handy to use, allowing for quick comparisons of similar appearing birds.

Bufflehead and Harlequin Ducks

American Widgeon

American Coot

Putative Yellow Warbler