[obol] A wet n' wild one- s. coast 10/25/2014

From: Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 14:38:18 -0700
I started out at low tide in the AM in the Empire area of Coos Bay.  It was
blowing pretty good with brief heavy rain showers, and got much wilder as
the morning went on.  Highlights in Empire:

10- MARBLED GODWITS
1- WILLET
300- DUNLIN
80- BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS
50- BLACK TURNSTONE
50- WESTERN SANDPIPERS
20- LEAST SANDPIPERS
40- ELEGANT TERNS
1- BONIE GULL
1- late RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (close looks)
and the usual hundreds of gulls, mostly CAs but quite a few Mews also.

I then decided to go to Cape Arago but conditions were getting pretty bad,
the wind was blowing so hard and visibility was very reduced so I decided
to drive out to Bastendorff Beach instead.

Quite a wad of gulls at the mouth and a heavy offshore movement.  The waves
and wind were spectacular.  I waited out some very heavy showers and then
set up my scope behind my truck as we were having gusts 50+ by now.  In 45
minutes I counted 37 JAEGERS, mostly right offshore, all headed south.  One
flew in and circled over my truck (Parasitic) then went out again.  Every
few minutes I would see a few Elegant Terns go by, usually with 3 or 4
jaegers trailing them.  Many (jaegers) landed just offshore then flew up
and off again.  I would say 2/3rds Pom and 1/3 Parasitic.  Holly  then came
out to meet me and we did a quick half hour beach walk between showers- I
saw 8 more jaegers from the beach with my bins.  Phalaropes were
occasionally blowing by, all REDS.

I then went down to Charleston were the BROWN PELICANS were stacking up, I
counted 600 (there were hundreds more offshore and around the bay).  Many
HEERMANN'S GULLS here and offshore, several hundred anyhow. Many RED
PHALAROPES blowing around Charleston by this time.

The conditions just kept getting worse and the rain was picking up.  I
decided to stop at Pigeon Point one last time, the water was very high
there and there was no beach.  Visibility was almost gone, the bay was
looking like the ocean.  There were about 20 Elegant Terns fishing right
offshore here and two PARASITIC JAEGERS showed up and landed in the bay and
disappeared in the swell and blowing water off the waves- cool!  Then a
large tree banch broke and fell right behind me- I decided it was probably
time to head home! Final jaeger total- 47.

While at Pigeon Point Knute Andersson called me and said there was a pretty
good wreck of pelis in Port Orford, they were all over town.  He mentioned
a gust of 94mph, must have been at Blanco.  Anyhow, the shack at the end of
the harbor in PO blew off into the ocean this morning also.  In Coos Bay,
there has been a boat anchored off Fossil Point for several months now.
Not sure whose boat, looks like an old dredge, I saw it floating up the bay
at my last stop in Pigeon Point.

By the way- the McCullough Bridge coming into Coos Bay has been CLOSED for
several days now.  I truck went off the bridge a few days ago and killed a
person and there was some damage to the bridge from some scaffolding that
came apart.  It was suppose to maybe open today but I can't imagine they
got much work done.  Traffic has been routed around the bay.  It takes one
hour to drive around the bay- just a warning to anyone headed south through
Coos Bay.  Maybe they'll have it done tomorrow?  Check ODOT for updates.

Suppose to calm down by this evening, first good windy storm of the season,
ENJOY!
Tim R
Coos Bay
[obol] A wet n' wild one- s. coast 10/25/2014

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