Places We Love to Bird - Chitwood Bridge

During a recent trip to the Oregon Coast, we veered off of modern Highway 20 to travel the old route through Eddyville and Chitwood. It's a road filled with bends and curves as the route follows the winding Yaquina River through the coast range, fighting for space with the historic Corvallis & Eastern Railroad in the narrow corridor. It brought back memories for me of my families many miserable trips in the 1940s from Lebanon to Toledo and Otter Rock in our old GMC plumbing truck. But on this day, Jeanette and I enjoyed the slow pace and bucolic setting of this almost forgotten route.   

Chitwood was a railroad settlement of 200 people and a bridge, along a dreamed-up train route over the Cascades that would connect the Pacific to the East Coast.  Bankruptcy brought a halt to Colonel Hogg's scheme, and only the connection from Yaquina to Corvallis remained intact for many years. Now the rails lie empty and rusting away. Ony the historic bridge serves to remind us of the important past.

Our stop for a break, and a look around, was rewarded with bright sunshine and a good variety of birds. Barn Swallows were the overriding species, with close to 20 busy swoping over the river for bugs and visiting nesting sites in the rafters of the covered bridge. Here is our bird observation list.  Birders take note, Chitwood Bridge is now a recognized eBird Hotspot. This will definitely be a recurring stop in future trips to the Coast.