[obol] A magnificent friggin' bird -- but was it a Magnificent Frigatebird?

From: Jay Withgott <withgott@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: OBOL <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2015 22:23:11 -0800
Hi all -- 

As Mike Patterson has noted, today's frigatebird at Seaside Cove, although a 
magnificent sight, is not yet determined to species, and could potentially be a 
Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor).  Of all the many possible plumages of 
frigatebird, as luck would have it, we happened to get the one that is most 
difficult to sort out -- an apparent 2nd-cycle juvenile. And although 
Magnificent would seem to be most statistically likely at first blush, the 
seasonal timing of today's occurrence makes it more of a toss-up:  The three 
Great Frigatebirds documented for the ABA Area occurred in Oct, Nov, and Mar (2 
in CA & 1 in OK), whereas Magnificents typically vagrate north along the 
Pacific Coast in the late summer & early fall. Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata 
ariel) is an outside possibility, but I think will get less support from our 
observations and photos.  In the morning I will finish getting photos and 
videos organized and edited for a presentation that will facilitate viewing and 
feedback.  Stay tuned....

Magnificent Frigatebird has been documented only 7 times in Oregon. The first 
was right near Seaside Cove: at Tillamook Lighthouse, collected in 1935. The 
date was 19 Feb. Interestingly, 3 of the 7 OBRC-accepted records come from 
Feb/Mar, with the other 4 coming from Jun-Aug. There was also a 
Magnificent/Great Frigatebird Sp. documented in March.

Today's bird was last seen disappearing behind the trees past the south end of 
the cove, presumably heading south. Anyone on the coast from Ecola SP on south 
this weekend may want to keep an eye out.

Several agile first-responders were able to join me for views this afternoon:
     * Steve Warner, alerted by Zach-the-Surfer-Dude who was the first local to 
ask me what I was so excited about.
     * Cindy and Dave Hebert (sorry if I'm butchering the names?) from Gearhart
     * Mike Patterson, approaching the geographic outer edge of his 
rarity-chasing orbit
     * Bud, a friend of Steve's (though everyone in Seaside seems to be a 
friend of Steve's)
     * Neil, a star of last night's Oregon Field Guide episode on the Gearhart 
Elk herd. (It was his 3rd appearance on OFG!).

David Bailey, alas, paid the price of being a faithful and responsible 
husband/father/home-builder; he was out doing work in the yard when the news 
broke, and the bird was gone by the time he arrived. ... Demonstrating once 
again that success in birding in 2015 means never leaving your phone or 
computer, never being out of touch with OBOL, and being ready to desert your 
home and family on a moment's notice.

The reason I was trespassing into Clatsop County in the first place was to 
chase the Black-headed Gull, which I located about 9:45 am at the "usual 
place", but after a bit of effort. No small gulls were apparent anywhere near 
the shore in the wind and rain, or at Wireless Rd, and finally, soaking wet, I 
scoped the bay from the lot across from the high school, sheltering myself from 
the rain and wind next to the dentist?/office building. One paler, 
slimmer-looking gull was sitting far out on the water with several Mews, and it 
finally lifted its head to confirm its identity. Not the best of views, but the 
bird is still there.

After the frigatebird, I had just enough daylight on the way home to put in a 
second try for the Washington-Co. Clay-colored Sparrows, YB Sapsucker, and 
Short-eared Owls that I'd struck out on last week. This time, success! Both 
little Clay-colored beauts were there, right up front with a zillion Zonies, 
and gave me great views. Then at Milne Road I found Casey Cunningham trying to 
conjure up a sapsucker from the quiet, barren trees at the homestead. It was 
getting late and dark, and we had no luck, but soon we saw five Short-eared 
Owls appear in the distance to the southeast, high against the sky. Two 
approached more closely, and on my drive out I had a close photo encounter with 
a perched bird.

I am wondering whether any birder has ever had the following trio of species in 
a single day before?:
     * Black-headed Gull
     * Magnificent Frigatebird
     * Clay-colored Sparrow

Talk to you all tomorrow, 

Jay Withgott
Portland



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[obol] A magnificent friggin' bird -- but was it a Magnificent Frigatebird?

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