[obol] Re: More on Coos Bay Merlin 7/26/2014
- From: Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Wayne Hoffman <whoffman@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 18:10:43 -0700
Wayne,
I had a quick look and really am not sure on sex at all. Unfortunately it
zoomed through chasing every other bird and zipped off to the north. I was
pretty certain it was a Merlin but have no idea on male/female or age- thus
continuing the who knows what this bird may have been doing here thing. I
just wanted to let folks know that I knew immediately that this was a
sighting that was unusual for this time of year.
Catbirds nesting in Newport?!
Tim R
Coos Bay
On Sat, Jul 26, 2014 at 7:19 PM, Wayne Hoffman <whoffman@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi -
>
> It is always worth while, although often not possible, to try to determine
> age and sex of out-of-season birds where immatures and/or the two sexes are
> distinguishable.
>
> With a Merlin, if you could have determined back color (bluish back =
> adult male. brown = female or immature) you are a step toward answering
> your question. Ad. Females can be distinguished from young birds with
> difficulty.
>
> In Peregrines, spring and summer second-year birds can be distinguished
> from first-year and from adults by wing molt status. I have not been able
> to find out if this is also the case with Merlins, but I kind of doubt it.
>
> Wayne
>
>
> On Sat, Jul 26, 2014 at 4:44 PM, Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
>> I thought the MERLIN I saw on the N. Spit of Coos Bay today was early so
>> I checked the Coos records. It turns out that there are three other July
>> records. In Coos, this species normally disappears in the spring in early
>> May, our latest spring record is 1 June 2000 at New River (TR). In the fall
>> most migrants do not show up until late August or early September. Our
>> earliest August record is a bird seen out on the North Spit on 6 Aug 2003
>> (TR). The three July records are as follows:
>>
>> One on the North Spit on 19 July 1998 (D. Lauten).
>> One at Bandon Marsh NWR on 24 July 2002 (D. Lauten, K, Castelein).
>> And one at the North Spit on 11 July 2008 (TR).
>>
>> These really early records may well be failed breeders or immature birds
>> that never migrate north to their breeding grounds, hard to say? Anyhow,
>> July records anywhere in Oregon are rare. Last I remember there were no
>> breeding records in Oregon.
>>
>>
>> Happy birding!
>> Tim R
>> Coos Bay
>>
>>
>
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