Gold Creek Road
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Location
From Rickreall, head west on hwy 22 for 16 miles. Just as you pass over hwy 18 for the coast, make a left at the blinking yellow light for Yamhill River Rd. Follow this for .4 mile and take another left on Fort Hill Rd/Yamhill River Rd, which will follow west along the river. Follow for 2 miles and then turn left on Gold Creek Rd. Head up this road for about 1.5 miles and take the paved middle road where the road splits into 3 directions. This is the beginning of the road, which heads uphill into the coast range. Keep an eye out for Mountain Quail and stop at any clearcuts or interesting spots. Traffic is usually minimal along this road. At about 2.5 miles in there is a split in the road. Both sides have good birding, but keep track of your way to get back to this spot as this is the way back out.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
There is a lot of area to cover in these hills. Birds to look for include Hermit Warbler, Mountain Quail, Townsend’s Solitaire, Sooty Grouse, Northern Pygmy Owl, Barred Owl, Band-tailed Pigeon, Purple Martin, House Wren, Swainson’s Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Pileated Woodpecker, MacGillivray’s warbler, Pine Siskin, Evening Grosbeak, Purple Finch and Red Crossbills.
From the Y intersection mentioned above, there is a clearcut about 2.5 miles down the road. Park at the gate and walk down into the clearcut. There are some old snags here and it has been a good area for Purple Martin, Western Bluebirds and House Wrens.
Going the other direction from the Y intersection, there is an overlook about a half mile west. This spot is good to listen for Pygmy Owls, Evening Grosbeaks and booming Sooty Grouse. Be aware that it is also sometimes used for people target practicing against the hillside (generally you will hear them before you get there). There are other roads in the area with small patches of old growth, and gated roads that you can walk past. A person or group could easily spend all morning up in this area and not fully explore it. Early mornings in May-July are the best as the chorus of bird songs in the forest can be an amazing experience.
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