At the first pull-out, looking back toward the highway, we saw a pair of GREEN HERON (center) along with a few MALLARD (right side).
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| Green Heron Pair |
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| Mallards |
Looking out over the lake, a mama MALLARD and a pretty big duckling.
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| Mallards (female with young) |
To the left I could barely see a female WOOD DUCK in the vegetation -- but after careful watching, I picked out some little tiny black heads following her.
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| Wood Duck (f) |
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| Wood Ducks |
We got in the car to try for a better vantage point. The next stop yielded this great view of four WOOD DUCK ducklings!
At the next turnout, there were several more MALLARDS, mostly females and half-size young.
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| Mallard |
Couldn't resist a photo of this female so nicely framed by the branches.
At the upper end of the lake, we turned up a dirt road for a few more looks around. This GREAT BLUE HERON graced the water's edge.
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| Common Yellowthroat |
On the lake side of the road, a male COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was carrying a large bug.
A very vocal MARSH WREN caught our attention on the opposite side - we finally spotted him, in plain sight of course, singing in the branches of a small tree.
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| Marsh Wren |
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| Common Yellowthroat (f) |
Looking around, we spotted the female COMMON YELLOWTHROAT sitting low in the branches of a nearby bush.
Eckman Lake is located east of Waldport on Highway 34. There is a State Park Wayside on the west side of the lake with a small fishing dock. Most of our time was spent on the east side of the lake where there were plenty of places to stop and get good views.
