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BIRD FIELD NOTES from the May 2015 Sandpiper 36(5), published on May
29 for Observations Received during April 29-May 25 by Range Bayer
The Sandpiper is a publication of Yaquina Birders and Naturalists, a
Lincoln County (Oregon) natural history group.
Comments in this column about abundance or seasonality refer to
LINCOLN COUNTY only.
There is room here for only some of the many Lincoln County sightings
posted to Oregon Birders On-Line (OBOL), eBird.org and Lincoln Co.
Birding & Nature Observing (LCBNO) or emailed or telephoned to me.
If you have any Lincoln County field notes, please share them with
Range (range.bayer@xxxxxxxxx; P.O. Box 1467, Newport, OR 97365;
541-265-2965) by the 20th of the month.
Abbreviations, terms, and some Lincoln Co. site locations (numbers
refer to site numbers in the Oregon Coast Birding Trail Guide
http://www.oregoncoastbirding.com/): BEAVER CREEK (#78, in part):
creek flowing through Ona Beach State Park (now known as Brian Booth
State Park) that includes Beaver Creek State Natural Area (SNA)
(http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_261.php), BOILER BAY STATE
WAYSIDE (#59): about 0.5 mi north of Depoe Bay, COQUILLE POINT (along
#67): at about mile 3.5 along north Yaquina Bay Road at the southeast
corner of Sally's Bend, CRITESER'S MOORAGE: downstream of Toledo at
about Mile 10.2 on Yaquina Bay Road, ECKMAN LAKE (#84): lake 2 mi east
of Waldport along HWY 34, FISHING ROCK STATE PARK: a small park about
300 ft north of Fogarty Creek State Park along HWY 101 and south of
Lincoln Beach, HMSC (#75): OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center, LINCOLN
BEACH: area along HWY 101 between Depoe Bay and Kernville, LNG TANK:
large green Liquefied Natural Gas tank on the north side of Yaquina
Bay about 1.5 miles east of Yaquina Bay Bridge, ONA BEACH STATE PARK
(renamed as Brian Booth State Park in 2013) (#77): State Park about
6.6 mi south of Yaquina Bay bridge along HWY 101 at Beaver Creek,
SALLY'S BEND (#66): large Yaquina Bay embayment east of the LNG tank,
YAQUINA HEAD OUTSTANDING NATURAL AREA (#65): headland north of Newport
(requires recreation pass or vehicle entrance fee).
[Image Not Included: Roy Lowe's © photo of a Green Heron at the Eckman
Lake outlet on April 30. Roy writes that this Green Heron "is not
real fond of people!"]
LINCOLN CO. NORTH AMERICAN MIGRATION COUNT (NAMC) RESULTS by Compiler
Dawn Villaescusa
With all but one of the reports in, we have the following results from
the weekend count during May 9-10 in Lincoln County: 129 total species
with an additional 17 species during Count Week. We had 9 teams,
including two field trips, and three yard/feeder counters.
Special thanks to Deb Holland who birded a number of areas that we
didn't have covered and graciously allowed me to use her Saturday
eBird reports for the count. She saw our only RUFFED GROUSE, MOURNING
DOVE, and WESTERN SCRUB JAY, among others. Desi and I were delighted
to have a SORA out in the open at Eckman Lake - it was a life bird for
me. Lincoln City Audubon had a huge group on their bird walk (38
people) and saw our only DOWNY WOODPECKER (thank you Caren Willoughby
for compiling). Linda and Johnny Fink, the 4-county wonder-team,
added our only RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, AMERICAN
DIPPER, and NASHVILLE WARBLER. Ernie Rose walked his neighborhood and
saw our lone WOOD DUCK.
This is truly a fun count and I hope more of you can come over to the
coast and help us out this Fall - mark your calendars and come join
us!
A big THANK YOU to all of our volunteers!
WATERFOWL
May is the departure time for many waterfowl, but some like WESTERN
CANADA GEESE, COMMON and HOODED MERGANSERS and MALLARDS nest here, a
few RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and SCAUP often linger into June, and
others such as scoters and occasional BRANT and HARLEQUIN DUCKS can
oversummer as nonbreeders.
Last dates for departing waterfowl include LONG-TAILED DUCK on 5/1 at
Boiler Bay (JJ, RE, & JR), GADWALL on 5/4 at Boiler Bay (JJ, RE, &
JR), GR. WHITE FRONTED GOOSE on 5/6 at Eckman Lake (SN), NORTHERN
PINTAIL on 5/9 at Alsea Bay (DHo), RING-NECKED DUCK on 5/10 at Eckman
Lake (DV), BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON or BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, and RUDDY DUCK on
5/16 at Sally's Bend (DHo); CACKLING GOOSE on 5/18 at Newport (JGr),
NORTHERN SHOVELER on 5/19 at Boiler Bay (RH), BRANT on 5/24 at Yaquina
Bay (M&JG), AMERICAN WIGEON on 5/25 at the HMSC (MSu), and
GREEN-WINGED TEAL on 5/25 at Eckman Lake (DHo).
Flocks of northward nonbreeding or failed breeding WESTERN CANADA
GEESE going on an apparent molt migration to the Columbia River area
were noticed on 5/15 over Lincoln City DV), on 5/17 over Eckman Lake
(RL) and on 5/23 over Newport (RB). These flights often continue into
June.
One area for nesting waterfowl in Lincoln County includes the Siletz
River near Logsden, where BLl found pairs of WOOD DUCKS & MALLARDS and
3 COMMON MERGANSERS on 5/11.
[Image Not Included: Ernie Rose's © photo of a male Surf Scoter
walking the beach at north Lincoln City on May 17. Though rare on
land, they can walk!]
[Image Not Included: Don Campbell's © photo of the female Peregrine
feeding her 4 small young at Yaquina Head on May 8. Don took 496
photos that day in "an effort to catch the rare event of all chicks
with their heads up and none obscured by either the female adult or
other chicks to the point of missing the correct count." This was
challenging because the fourth chick was smaller and visible only for
a few seconds.]
GREBE-RAPTORS
A single CLARK'S GREBE was at Boiler Bay on 5/3 (SH) and by Fishing
Rock Drive on 5/25 (SRo).
The three young Swedes (JJ, RE, & JR) finished their Boiler Bay
seawatches as they scheduled on 5/5. See their blog at
https://boilerbayseawatch.wordpress.com/ for details. They had our
only FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS during 5/2-5.
A rare MURPHY'S PETREL was about 50 miles off Yachats during a
Princess Cruise on 5/21 (PL fide TR).
May also brings northward flights of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS that
can appear like geese. BB & SaL saw a "V" formation of them on 5/3
near Waldport.
A RED-SHOULDERED HAWK flying over Yachats on 5/2 (BB) is only our
second since February, and our latest MERLIN was in Toledo on 5/5 (JJ,
RE, & JR).
On 5/4, DC saw 2 chicks in the PEREGRINE FALCON nest at Yaquina Head
that MMe estimated to be a day old and predicted would fledge during
June 8-13. A very patient DC found 3 chicks on 5/3, and 4 chicks on
5/8. Their nesting this year at Yaquina Head is 12-13 days earlier
than in the past three years, when first hatching was reported on
5/16-19 (2012), 6/12 (2013), and 5/17 (2014).
The evening of 5/18, MMa was climbing the stairs at Cobble Beach at
Yaquina Head when she spied a Peregrine "strolling on the beach just a
few feet from the (somewhat alarmed/interested) harbor seals." The
Peregrine was picking at things in the rocks before a flock of 3-4
crows came in squawking and chased it off the beach and over the hill.
SORA-ALCIDS
D&DeV found a SORA at Eckman Lake on 5/9 or 10. On 5/12, RC was on a
trail at South Beach State Park and heard "an increasing racket of
loud calls from the brush when the source stepped out onto the path
ahead - a Sora. There were two of them calling loudly back and forth.
The bird in the open remained on the path for 15 seconds and then
crossed to the marshy pond on the north side and disappeared. I never
saw the other bird, which remained hidden on the south side of the
path, but the calling continued for another half-minute."
There were no SNOWY PLOVERS, but a probable GOLDEN-PLOVER sp. flew by
Boiler Bay on 5/3 (PP, DR).
Our only LONG-BILLED CURLEWS were 10 passing during a 5/1 Boiler Bay
seawatch (PP; JJ, RE, & JR), but it was a good May for MARBLED GODWIT
sightings with 10 reports of 1-13 through 5/23 (m.o.).
There were 11 sightings of 1-3 RUDDY TURNSTONES, not including a total
of 29 passing during an 8.5 hr Boiler Bay seawatch on 5/2 (JJ, RE, &
JR). The last Ruddy was at Yachats on 5/15 (AF).
1-14 RED KNOTS were noted 9 times, with the latest on 5/14 (m.o.).
The most numerous migrating shorebirds were tallies during Boiler Bay
seawatches of 1,200-8,000 DUNLIN, 12,000-54,000 WESTERN SANDPIPERS,
and 200 or fewer LEAST SANDPIPERS during 5/1-5/3; 2,000-35,000
RED-NECKED PHALAROPES passed during 5/2-3 (PP; JJ, RE, & JR).
Red-necked Phalaropes continued through the end of the 5/25 reporting
period, but no Red Phalaropes were identified.
2 uncommon FRANKLIN'S GULLS passed Boiler Bay on 5/1 (PP; JJ, RE, &
JR), and we had only 2 reports of single HEERMANN'S GULLS at Boiler
Bay on 5/3 (JJ, RE, & JR) & 5/11 at Lincoln City (DV). Heermann's
typically are more expected in mid-June.
12-16 ARCTIC TERNS flew by Boiler Bay on 5/2-3 (PP; JJ, RE, & JR;
C&AH, WW), but there were no COMMON TERNS.
On 5/19, JGi & CB watched a rare LONG-BILLED MURRELET for at least an
hour at north Depoe Bay that was on the water about 150-200 ft from
shore.
A single TUFTED PUFFIN was noted during Boiler Bay seawatches on 5/1,
2 & 4 (JJ, RE, & JR; PP).]
[Image Not Included: Ernie Rose's © photo of an adult Bonaparte's Gull
in breeding plumage at Lincoln City on May 3.]
DOVE-SWIFT
On 5/10, RC & WN were working in their garden north of Ona Beach, when
they "heard a terrific clatter of wings from the top of a close-by
pine; looked up to see a EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE tumbling down through
the branches, flapping wildly but unable to take flight. The bird
tumbled all the way to the ground and disappeared behind our fence,
then managed to get off the ground a minute later as it reappeared on
the fence right by where we stood. It still could not really fly, but
fluttered past us and then walked rapidly around on the driveway,
quivering its folded wings and generally looking disoriented and
agitated. We were baffled as to what was wrong, but then a dark shape
moved overhead, and we looked up to see a COMMON RAVEN flying off with
a chick in its beak. I knew the doves had a nest in one of the pines
by the garden, but didn't know exactly where it was. The raven must
have spotted the nest from above, and judging from the dove's fall and
subsequent behavior, the dove was on the nest brooding the chicks, and
the raven attacked the dove violently enough to partially stun it and
knock it out of the tree. Within a couple of minutes after the attack
the dove seemed recovered enough to fly normally. Five minutes after
the first theft the raven came back and carried off the remaining
chick(s). The dove pair spent the next hour flying into and out of
the nest site, calling and singing, more active than usual."
Migrant VAUX'S SWIFTS were first reported on 4/25 (eBird), and about 6
were in the area between NE Douglas/Eads and NE 7/8th in Newport
around 5/4 (SS).
[Image Not Included: John & Linda MacKown's © photo of a Northern
Mockingbird at their home near Coquille Point on May 11. This is only
the second since 2011 (FN).]
SPRING ARRIVALS, DEPARTURES, AND VAGRANTS
Spring arrivals include BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK on 4/30 at Yachats (BB),
WESTERN TANAGER on 5/1 east of Lincoln Beach (JeRo), HAMMOND'S
FLYCATCHER on 5/1 between Toledo and Eddyville (JJ, RE, & JR),
WARBLING VIREO on 5/1 (eBird), OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER on 5/3 at north
Beaver Creek (EH), SWAINSON'S THRUSH on 5/5 east of Lincoln Beach
(JeRo), MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER and NASHVILLE WARBLER on 5/8 east of
Lincoln City (EC & SRu), WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE on 5/11 at Logsden (BLl),
and migrant CEDAR WAXWING on 5/16 at the HMSC (ID).
Departures include AMERICAN PIPIT at Yaquina Bay on 5/8 (EC & SRu),
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER east of Lincoln Beach on 5/9 (JeRo), LINCOLN'S
SPARROW on 5/10 at the HMSC (PO), and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW on 5/16
at Yaquina Head (IS & MSt).
A WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was in SW Newport on 5/9 (DHo) and in NE Newport
on 5/14, where PR had not seen one since January.
WESTERN BLUEBIRDS nest in clearcuts near the coast, and 2 were between
Toledo and Siletz on 4/29 (JJ, RE, & JR) and north Beaver Creek on 5/8
(DHo).
The YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT appearing in BLl's Logsden neighborhood on
5/10-11 is only our ninth record (SemiL; FN).
A LARK SPARROW visited Yachats Commons Park on 5/16 (AF), which is the
first since 2009 and our 11th overall (SemiL; FN).
LAZULI BUNTINGS are a spring and fall vagrant, and SK saw and
photographed a male near Toledo on 5/16.
JRob watched a young male oriole, apparently a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, which
has been coming to a hummingbird feeder in the Newport area for 3
months through at least 5/16.
[Image Not Included: Laimons Osis's © photo of a pale male American
Goldfinch between 2 normal plumaged males on May 16 at north Beaver
Creek. For the pale male, the yellow has been replaced by white, but
the black forecrown and wings are still black.]
OBSERVERS/SOURCES: Betty Bahn, Range Bayer, Birding Oregon
(http://birdingoregon.info/), Clark Blake, Don Campbell, Rebecca
Cheek, Earlham College, eBird.org (location and observer not
accessible in "View and Explore Data" for "All Observations" but
available through "Bar Charts"), Isaac Denzer, Rasmus Elleby, fide
("as reported by" someone other than the observer), Andy Frank, Jeff
Gilligan (JGi), Mel & Jeanne Goff, Jerry Griggs (JGr), Dawn Harris
(DHa), Sally Hill, Christopher & Adrian Hinkle, Deb Holland (DHo),
Eric Horvath, Rich Hoyer, Jon Jorpeland, Steve Kupillas, Lincoln Co.
Birding & Nature Observing (LCBNO)
(https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/LCBNO/info), Paul Lehman, Bob
Llewellyn (BLl), Sally Lockyear (SaL), Roy Lowe, m.o. (many
observers), Meredith Matherly (MMa), Scott McNeeley, Michael Mefford
(MMe), Walt Nelson, Field Notes (FN; Lincoln County records from the
Sandpiper since 1992 are searchable in search box at
http://yaquina.info/ybn/bird/bird.htm#recent), Oregon Birders On-Line
(OBOL; recent postings at http://birdnews.aba.org/maillist/OR01),
Oregon Pelagic Tours (OPT) out of Newport
(http://www.oregonpelagictours.com/), Pam Otley, Phil Pickering, Paul
Reed, Jerry Robbins (JRob), Doug Robinson, Tim Rodenkirk, Jennifer
Rothe (JeRo), Stephen Rossiter (SRo), Jacob Rudhe, Skip Russell (SRu),
SemiL (semimonthly Lincoln Co. bird records through 1992 for each
species at ScholarsArchive@OSU [http://hdl.handle.net/1957/8070]), Ian
Souza-Cole, Mark Stevens (MSt), Molly Sultany (MSu), Stacy Strickland,
Dawn (DV) & Desi (DeV) Villaescusa, Will Wright.
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