Meadowlark Prairie
This 400-acre site is a magnificent example of wet prairie restoration.
The City of Eugene, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook a $5 million project completed in 2003 to remove Amazon Creek levees and reconnect the creek with its adjacent floodplain. You can view the area from atop the relocated berm at the parking lot of the Meadowlark Prairie Overlook or walk along the bike path around the northern and eastern perimeter of this wildlife area from the Checkermallow Access point.
In the near distance you can view the Coburg Hills to the northeast and Spencer Butte high above Eugene’s south ridgeline; on clear days, the snow-capped Three Sisters volcanic peaks far to the east can be seen from the Overlook. A walk along the bike path in late summer, when the three-foot tall tufted hairgrass is golden and swaying in the breeze, allows one to imagine what the Kalapuyans and early Oregon Trail settlers experienced in these vast Willamette Valley prairies. A singing Red-winged Blackbird and soaring Turkey Vulture add to the natural experience.
Sightings:
Winter and spring are the best times for viewing when the lower, saturated area that includes several ponds attract a wide variety of waterfowl and shorebirds. A spotting scope is clearly helpful here to study the migrating birds. The site hosts a variety of wintering birds of prey, as well; Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks, White-tailed Kite, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier (Marsh Hawk), Peregrine Falcon, and American Kestrel are all possibilities. At times in winter you can view flocks of Cackling Geese that number between two and ten thousand individuals. Scan the flocks for Snow, Ross’ (rare) and Greater White-fronted Geese and check through the American Wigeon flocks for the occasional Eurasian Wigeon. At dusk, dawn, and on dark, cloudy days, keep an eye out for Short-eared Owls hunting on the wing over the prairie. Western Meadowlark, the Oregon State bird, winters and nests here. During the breeding season, its beautiful song fills the air, joined by the buzzy notes of the Savannah Sparrow.
