Overnight and morning rain showers delayed day 3 of wildlife week but by 9am things were starting to clear up. With the later start I had decided it would be the day I visited Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge. It is the closest refuge to our home in Salem, just under 20 minutes, and I was only expecting to do a 5-to-6-mile hike meaning I’d likely still be home around Noon. This was my sixth visit to the refuge (2010, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024) and I was looking to do something a little different during this visit. Looking at the refuge map and Google Earth there was a possible route/trail around the base of Baskett Butte along it’s west and south sides and my mission today was to check it out. I wound up with a 5.5-mile lollipop (with a short handle).
I parked at the familiar Baskett Butte Trailhead and set off on the signed trail staying right at junctions eventually passing Morgan Lake, the Smithfield Road Trailhead and Moffitti Marsh.
You can actually see some of the route I explored on the left side between Parvipes Marsh and the butte and at the bottom of the picture wrapping around the butte.
It might be wildlife week but for the first half mile I saw more wildflowers than wildlife.
Manroot
Camas
Plectritis
Checkerbloom
Tolmie’s mariposa lilies
My first non-flying bird wildlife sighting was a doe from the saddle on the butte.
After watching her for a moment I started to move and noticed two more deer on the other side of the trail in the woods.
Morgan Lake with a bit of Moffitti Marsh to the left.
Columbine
Iris
Robin
Sparrows
Gold crowned sparrow
The grass was low enough that the lake was fairly visible. Later in Spring you’re lucky to see any water from the trail.
Not a great picture due to the distance and light, but there are a couple of ruddy ducks to the left hanging out with some ring-necked ducks.
Mallards
American coot
Gadwalls
Buffleheads
Common yellowthroat
At the end of Morgan Lake (by the sign above) I started scanning the wetland below for a bittern. I’ve heard them in the area before and had them fly off before I could get a picture, but I was usually coming from the other direction. This time I had the high ground, and it made a difference.
Looking for a bittern.
American bittern. I could only see the bittern from a very short section of trail and as soon as I lost a little elevation it disappeared from sight. It never flew off, but I couldn’t see it even knowing where it was.
Following the trail next to Smithfield Road.
Lots of red-winged blackbirds near the trailhead.
Finch
Heading back toward Baskett Butte and Moffitti Marsh.
Northern flicker
Moffitti Marsh
American wigeons
Female common yellowthroat
Spotted towhee
I watched a crow chase off a hawk that had apparently gotten too close.
The official trail heads up the hill to the left. I veered right just beyond the trail sign pointing toward Moffitti Marsh.
I followed tire tracks from the refuge vehicles through the muddy grass. It wasn’t the easiest walking, but it wasn’t too hard to follow the tracks.
Lilac
Parvipes Marsh ahead to the right.
A refuge tractor was a little behind me so when I came to a “T” junction with a clear but less worn track heading uphill to the left I turned that way.
The tractor turned right and drove over a dike at the end of Parvipes Marsh to a field on the other side.
Deer farther up the hillside.
The track I was on turned to the right and traversed the hillside around the butte.
This appears to be balsamroot. There were just a couple of patches on the SW side of the butte.
Cottonwood Pond
Buttercups and miniature lupine
Meadow checker-mallow
Lomatium and plectritis
South Slough Pond
I was a bit surprised to find a bench along this route given it isn’t shown as an official trail.
Grass pea
More checkerbloom
Golden paintbrush
The path I was on was leading toward Coville Road and I could see the trailhead, but I hadn’t been to the overlook on Baskett Butte yet. In 2023 I had come down from the overlook on a trail that connected up with the track I was on, so I kept watch and then turned uphill when I spotted the tread.
If I hadn’t been looking for the tread I don’t think I would have noticed it.
Lupine
Another Tolmie’s mariposa lily
Western meadowlark
The overlook ahead.
The obligatory photo from the overlook.
It was a steep climb up to the overlook and in hindsight I was wishing I had done the loop in the opposite direction. I had opted not to do that though because I wasn’t 100% this route was going to work. After a brief break at the overlook I headed down to the trailhead on the official trails.
Lots of patches of plectritis on the butte.
Ground squirrel
Swallow
Before heading home I drove up Coville Road to the parking area at Cottonwood Pond since I had seen a lot of birds on the water during my hillside traverse.
Baskett Butte from the Cottonwood Pond parking area.
Mallards
Northern pintails
Northern shovelers
Lesser scaup. They look a lot like ring-necked ducks only without the ring.
Ring-necked ducks
Nap Time.
Another nice day at a wildlife area. In addition to the photographed subjects a bald eagle, Bullock’s oriole, goldfinch, turkey vulture, and Canada geese all flew by me but refused to pose for a picture. The next couple of days are forecast to be sunny before more showers arrive on Friday in time for the weekend. Hopefully I will have some cloud free morning light over my next couple outings. Happy Trails!
Flickr: Baskett Slough 2025
wanderingyuncks 