[obol] Re: Curry County Gyrfalcon update
- From: Phillip White <phillip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 01 Feb 2015 08:25:32 -0800
Oh, be we? =)
But seriously, thanks, Tim, for all the updates on Coos and Curry birds.
With so few people eBirding in this area, and with the lack of much
organized birding around here, it's invaluable intel.
We didn't set out to be an apologist for the Curry Gyr. Hmm not a bad
name for historical novel The Gyrfalcon's Apologist. But I digress.
The Curry Gyr wasn't even a lifer for us, having been lucky enough to be
living in SoCal (lucky? hmm) in 2012 when a CBRC-blessed Gyrflacon spent a
couple of months thinning the coot population at the San Jacinto Wildlife
Area in Riverside County, California. By a mere 17 minutes of latitude,
that still appears to be the most southerly bona fide Gyr sighting ever (the
second best being a 2002 bird widely reported in Lubbock, Texas in 2002).
But having seen that SoCal bird another 700+ miles south of here probably
did help us to suspend our disbelief!
Granted, a white bird is a horse of another color. Still, everyone we
contacted in the falconry community assured us that if someone were looking
for the bird, they'd waste no time contacting us. The fact that no one ever
got anywhere near enough to see if it had leg gear could even militate
against the idea that it's an escaped captive, no?
Anyhow, on to less controversial spring birds. There were also incredible
rafts of Surf Scoters (900+), Buffleheads, and Scaups just off Fossil Point
yesterday enjoying the warm afternoon. This truly is an amazing place to
live and bird.
Thanks again for the frequent, helpful OBOL posts.
Phillip White
North Bend, Oregon
From: Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Saturday, January 31, 2015 6:27 PM
To: Phillip White <phillip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Info <info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [obol] Re: Curry County Gyrfalcon update
Hi Phillip,
We be neighbors. Anyhow, from what I heard, no one has seen the bird since
Monday or Tuesday and many people looked Wednesday through today. Not sure
anyone got close enough to actually see bands or leg wear, socks, iPod, or
whatever else a traveling Gyr may need : - ) But seriously, I think the
bird has moved on for the time being. It was originally spotted by Jim
Heaney back in November at Winter Lake which is near Coquille, so it
travelled tens of miles between then and January when it was finally
respotted (JIm was so hoping for that verification!).
Time for the rains to return, it has been a most wonderful January with many
60+ degree days including today in Coos Bay.
ENJOY!
Tim R
Coos Bay
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