Neawanna Ecological Observatory (aka Neawanna Mill Ponds or Seaside Mill Ponds)
Checklists
Location
From US Hwy 101 on the south end of Seaside, turn east at Ave S. Stay on Ave S east for about 1/4 mile to Alder Mill Rd. (just before theWestern Oregon Waste [W.O.W] recycling center). This road is marked Ave U on Google Maps. Turn right on Alder Mill Road. The public area begins south past the cable gate where Alder Mill Road dead-ends. Park in the lawn immediately past the recycling fenced compound.on the east side of Alder Mill Rd.or along the edge of the road on the east side. There is a seed spot just south of the cable with white pipes on it that leads away from Alder Mill Rd. ends. Locals will sometimes leave seed here to attract seedeaters. To avoid scaring the flock, stay on the blacktop and walk around to the west into the city lot, take a turn south at the firefighter training tower and continue through the unlocked gate at the SE corner of the city lot into the Mill Ponds park. CLOSE THE GATE IN THE CYCLONE FENCE AFTER YOU OPEN IT. The Mill ponds are not very visible from the road, but there is a gravel trail around the fresh water mill pond that affords good birding opportunities.
Directions
Habitat and Birds
A list of birds for this location includes the following: Greater White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Redhead, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Ring-necked Pheasant, Ruffed Grouse, Green Heron, White-tailed Kite, Bald Eagle, Northern Goshawk, Red- shouldered Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Virginia Rail, Sandhill Crane, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Whimbrel, Pectoral Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Bonaparte’s Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Band- tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Great Horned Owl, Black Swift, Vaux’s Swift, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Anna’s Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Hutton’s Vireo, Gray Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Purple Martin, Swallows, Wrentit, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Yellow- breasted Chat, American Tree Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Painted Bunting, Bullock’s Oriole, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak.
For more information on the birds and other wildlife of this location, see Mike Patterson’s blog about this location at North Coast Diaries/Neawanna Ecological Observatory.
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