I have a different understanding of HOUSE WREN occurrence in Clatsop County
than Mike Patterson. Incidental to Marbled Murrelet surveyes in the Clatsop
State Forests over the last several years I have encountered House Wrens
fairly regularly. They have been around Cougar Mountain near Hamlet
consistently each year I have surveyed that area; this year no exception. I
have also found territorial birds NE of the Elderberry Inn off Hwy 26,
above the Nehalem River near Jewel and at Elsie. I found another in August
in the Astoria municipal watershed not far from Shively Park. From my
experience, I would be surprised if House Wren doesn't breed in significant
numbers annually in Clatsop County.
Rock Wren most surely passes through the county as a migrant each year
given the data up and down the Coast Range each Spring in all the coastal
counties, but I was surprised to learn from Mike Patterson's earlier post
that he has recorded observations of that species more than House Wren. I
think this represents a case of observer/coverage bias. I have mostly found
House Wren in the interior south and southeast of Clatsop. It is my
understanding (correct me if I am wrong) that Mike's surveys of the county
have for the most part been north and west of this region. I predict that
anyone wanting to find House Wren in Clatsop could find one fairly easily
by concentrating on clear cuts around the intersection of the four counties
(SE Clatsop) mid-May through July. I would not predict the same for Rock
Wren. Though if I were going to attempt to list Rock Wren for the county I
would target the peak of Saddle Mt. and similar buttes, though I have
climbed Saddle Mt. several times and never heard any from the top.
Chats on the other hand are very rare, and I agree that two in a day is
noteworthy. It should be noted though, that even with Mike's efforts over
the years, only a very small percentage of the available habitat has been
sampled. Chats are rare and local, so there could be some spots that are
regular, but have just not been found by birders yet.
On a somewhat related note, I encounter GRAY JAYS regularly in the Clatsop
State Forest and they frequently utter a series of calls that I find to be
very like portions of the songs of Yellow-breasted Chat, though since the
sounds come from the mid-tree-canopy or higher the songster is never
mistaken for chat. Does anyone else with familiarity with Gray Jay calls
find this similarity?
David
David C. Bailey
Seaside, Oregon
