Sarah Helmick State Recreation Site
Seasons
Checklists
Location
Drive 5 miles south of Monmouth on Hwy 99W. Turn right (west) on Old Fort Road. Travel 0.2 miles to Helmick Road. Turn left (south) on Helmick Road and the park is 0.2 miles away. The park is usually fairly quiet and a good spot to walk. You can walk over to the bridge over Little Luckiamute River and scan up and downstream for Band-tailed Pigeon and Belted Kingfisher.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
This park boast large trees that offer great nesting habitat for Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Black-capped Chickadee, Bewick’s Wren, Swainson’s Thrush, Western Wood-Pewee, Hutton’s Vireo, Swainson’s Thrush and Band-tailed Pigeon (just to name a few). Migrants to watch for include warblers, vireos, tanager and many more. In winter, Varied Thrush, Great Horned Owl, Red Crossbill, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Brown Creeper are all possible. Red-breasted Sapsuckers are fairly reliably found here. Northern Rough-winged Swallows may nest in the dirt banks of the Little Luckiamute River. An Indigo Bunting was found here in 1979.
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