---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Jay Withgott <withgott@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, May 20, 2022 at 6:04 PM
Subject: [obol] 218 species on Birdathon: Fort Rock to Newport, 13-15 May
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Hi OBOL,
After a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus from statewide Birdathon trips,
Portland Audubon's Wild Turkeys team, like a mythical Phoenix rising from
the ashes, reassembled and launched itself this past weekend into yet
another epic 48-hour Gonzo birding adventure across Oregon this past
weekend to raise thousands of dollars for Portland Audubon's vital
conservation and education programs. Our group was smaller this year, but
we all scored negatives on our daily COVID tests and managed to pull off a
wonderful in-person expedition just like in olden times. We traveled from
Fort Rock and Summer Lake westward over the Cascades to Fern Ridge and
Philomath and ended in Yachats and Newport, finding a total of 218 species.
Highlights are below.
Checklists for each site are on eBird, with a full Trip Report here:
https://ebird.org/tripreport/58088.
And you can still make pledges to our team (or any other Birdathon team)
here: https://audubonportland.org/ways-to-give/birdathon/.
A huge THANK YOU to all of you who support Portland Audubon's important
work with your pledges!
DAY ONE: Lake County Bonanza
Friday the 13th can be an auspicious day for birding when you’re talking
about the month of May and the height of spring migration. And it’s hard to
improve on our route's starting location, the magnificently scenic Fort
Rock. As we set our 48-hour clock in motion, a succession of species
presented themselves, including GRAY FLYCATCHER, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, and
TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE. CANYON WRENS sang from the cliffs and WHITE-THROATED
SWIFTS wheeled above them. Dashing into the bowl of the iconic rock
formation, we spread into subgroups and encountered resident birds like
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, SAGEBRUSH SPARROW, VESPER SPARROW, and GREEN-TAILED
TOWHEE, together with migrants like WESTERN TANAGER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, and
a male CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD. Then all too soon we had to move on. We'd
failed to find Prairie Falcon, a usually reliable breeder here, but
otherwise we were thrilled with our productive start.
Driving north to Cabin Lake, we picked up sagebrush passerines like
BREWER’S SPARROW and HORNED LARK, together with SAY’S PHOEBE and
FERRUGINOUS HAWK. At Cabin Lake the water feature was swarming with RED
CROSSBILLS, and soon MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES, PYGMY NUTHATCHES, and CASSIN'S
FINCHES came in, too. A CLARK’S NUTCRACKER passed through the ponderosa
pines, and soon we heard, then spotted, a single PINYON JAY as it flew
past. We could not find White-headed Woodpecker but were happy to get a
LEWIS’S WOODPECKER.
Heading south, we came to Paulina Marsh. After a bit of a scare over how
dry things looked from the region’s chronic drought, we eventually came to
a few wet spots. Although numbers of birds were low, all the expected
species were here, including WILLET, WILSON’S PHALAROPE, LONG-BILLED
CURLEW, SANDHILL CRANE, WHITE-FACED IBIS, and several duck species. Soon we
hit the highway and progressed east through the arid landscape to Picture
Rock Pass. Here a BLACK-THROATED SPARROW we had scouted sang for us, and a
GOLDEN EAGLE soared overhead.
It was late afternoon as we climbed the dirt road to Winter Ridge, which
seemed an appropriate moniker given the unseasonably cold weather and
gathering breeze. Birds were quiet, and we struck out on the usually
reliable Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. At a bend in the road where species
normally come thick and fast, we struggled to slowly, one-by-one, eke out a
FOX SPARROW, a HOUSE WREN, a WB NUTHATCH, and couple of WESTERN BLUEBIRDS.
A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER called briefly as it zoomed into a snag where it
had nested last year, then simply disappeared. Finally, Daniel called out
that he had a BULLOCK’S ORIOLE and other birds down the hill on the other
side of the road. We rushed over and soon had our first RUBY-CROWNED
KINGLET and WILLIAMSON’S SAPSUCKER. On our way out, while striking out with
the Gnatcatcher for a second time, I glanced up and spotted three specks
bolting through the sky in the distance. They were BAND-TAILED PIGEONS, a
species quite uncommon east of the Cascades, and one that I’d seen in
almost the exact same spot and circumstances 15 years earlier.
At last, it was time to drop down to Summer Lake NWR, a favorite location
of just about every Oregon birder. Our first stop was at the Summer Lake
Lodge, where we’d arranged to pick up dinner to go. As we got our meals, we
enjoyed the maelstrom of birdlife around the lodge and the refuge
headquarters, highlighted by TRUMPETER SWANS, CEDAR WAXWINGS, and a
multitude of handsome LEWIS’S WOODPECKERS flycatching from trees and
fenceposts. A single Lewis’s greeted us on the lawn at the Summer Lake Rest
Area, where we enjoyed dinner under the cottonwoods while a GREAT HORNED
OWL looked on from a nearby tree. After scoping Dutchy Lake and picking up
REDHEAD and CLARK’S GREBE, we contemplated the morbid sight of the owl’s
dinner: the limp feathered corpse of an American Coot draped over a
cottonwood branch, its bizarre lobed toes dangling down in the high-desert
breeze.
As the temperature dropped further and the wind picked up, we spent the
last hour of daylight circling the Summer Lake Wildlife Loop, scooping up
one species after another. FORSTER’S TERNS sliced through the air while
gulls and CASPIAN TERNS clustered on their nesting island. AMERICAN
AVOCETS, BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and other shorebirds foraged in the
impoundments, along with a single SNOWY PLOVER and 13 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES
mixed in with the spinning flocks of Wilson’s. We watched the head and neck
of an AMERICAN BITTERN moving through the reeds, stopping occasionally to
issue its plunger-in-the-toilet call. A BANK SWALLOW flew by and a SAGE
THRASHER teed up on a sagebrush. As darkness descended, BLACK-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERONS took to the sky and we listened to a marsh full of grunting
VIRGINIA RAILS and wheeping and whinnying SORAS.
The loop completed, one vehicle headed for our hotel in La Pine, while the
“owling” vehicle hit a series of spots for nocturnal birds. Thanks to
location pins on eBird, we found the correct spot for Yellow Rail
(realizing that for years we’d been going to the wrong place, which may
have explained why we never found any). Even in the correct spot, however,
we found one field devastated by cattle and another bone-dry. So once
again, no Yellow Rails. On our way out of the Summer Lake basin we did
manage, despite the high-desert wind, to coax a COMMON POORWILL and a BARN
OWL to call from traditional spots. On our last stop of the night, we
failed to find a Flammulated Owl (too cold? too early?) but did hear an
unusually loud and persistent NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL. Judging by its
location, volume, and extraordinary stamina, I feel this must have been the
same individual Saw-whet Owl that I’d heard one year earlier here during
the record-setting Oregon Big Day I participated in. I imagine this bird to
be the Energizer Bunny of Saw-whet Owls.
DAY TWO: Over the Top
We awoke and hit the road at dawn on 14 May, stopping first at the Little
Deschutes River crossing at Gilchrist. The morning was lovely: The air was
still, the ground was wet from rain, and the birds were singing. Migrant
passerines were clearly on the move through this north-south riparian
corridor of willow thickets, mixing with the resident birds setting up
territories. In short order we added DUSKY FLYCATCHER, CASSIN’S VIREO,
WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, LAZULI BUNTING, and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW to our list
as they moved about amid numerous WILSON’S WARBLERS, WARBLING VIREOS, and
YELLOW WARBLERS. RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER was a key find here: this spot had
long been reliable for this species, but in recent years Red-breasted
Sapsuckers had moved in, resulting in a swarm of hybrids. The main target
bird here, though, is Northern Waterthrush, which breeds locally on this
stretch of river and almost nowhere else in Oregon. This species eluded us.
Perhaps given the cold spring, the birds had not quite arrived yet.
Next was a quick stop at Crescent Creek Campground, where a HERMIT THRUSH
sang in the distance and a MACGILLIVRAY’S WARBLER afforded nice views. From
there we headed through a wildfire-shaped landscape to the campground at
Davis Lake. A short trudge out to the shore produced the hoped-for BARROW’S
GOLDENEYES and a CHIPPING SPARROW on the way. Then it was back into the
vehicles and up the Cascades.
Our highest-elevation stop was Salt Creek Sno-Park. From the parking lot,
with patience, the surrounding forest gradually produced singing VARIED
THRUSHES, calling GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, our first DARK-EYED JUNCOS and
CB CHICKADEES, and finally a CANADA JAY. While Salt Creek Falls is famous
for its nesting Black Swifts, we figured it was a few days too early (and
the birds are best seen at dawn and dusk), so we did not try. With mounds
of snow all around us, we figured it might also be too early for Lincoln’s
Sparrow at the nearby bog, so instead we headed over Willamette Pass and
down the west slope, picking up HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER, PACIFIC WREN,
PILEATED WOODPECKER, and BROWN CREEPER along the way.
Many bridges in the Cascades host nesting AMERICAN DIPPERS, and each year
we scout at least one site to ensure an observation of this species. This
time, though, the scouted-out nest appeared to be no longer active. Another
bridge was only a couple of miles away, but it was unscouted and would mean
backtracking, when we were already an hour behind schedule. We chose to
take the chance, and it paid off: A Dipper was waiting for us at this
second site we nicknamed “Backtrack Bridge.”
We needed to reach the coast that evening with enough daylight for birding
or, more precisely, in time to pick up our 6-pm sushi order from a local
restaurant. And there was a long way to go. Some stops would need to be cut
from the itinerary. Driving downslope, we huddled to assess the species
needed and what each region might have to offer, and opted to cut a
time-consuming Coast Range detour whose birds could hopefully be found
elsewhere. It ended up being a good call, and our next stop, below the
Dexter Reservoir Dam, produced a slew of birds including OLIVE-SIDED
FLYCATCHER, WRENTIT, BC CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, and more. With
fewer and fewer passerines left to get, we headed down into the Willamette
Valley toward Fern Ridge Reservoir, spotting our team namesake, a WILD
TURKEY, by the side of the road on the way.
Advances in technology and communication through the years have made it
easier and easier to plan routes and strategy for big days and birdathons.
The flood of information from eBird and the minute-by-minute updates on
mobile chat groups informed several decisions on this trip. We needed
Ring-necked Pheasant, for instance, and I discovered on eBird that the best
current locale for this species was just ahead of us: Meadowlark Prairie, a
spot we’d had no intention of visiting. So we pulled in, taking refuge from
a sudden rainstorm under the picnic shelters, and within minutes were
looking at a smartly dressed RING-NECKED PHEASANT standing out in the
field. Ka-ching!
Then it was on to Royal Avenue, stopping at the oak grove just east of the
entrance to Fern Ridge. This grove has hosted ACORN WOODPECKERS for years,
and they seemed especially numerous and conspicuous on this day. We spotted
our only WESTERN KINGBIRD off in the distance, and then parked at the Fern
Ridge entrance. The lot was eerily empty as we pulled in, with a
suspicious-looking car parked nearby and an odd truck loitering around for
no apparent reason. This place is known for its break-ins, so three of us
stayed near the lot for security while the rest of the group hiked to the
viewing platform. A flock of WHITE-FRONTED GEESE was the highlight from the
platform, while a walk in the other direction failed to produce a
Grasshopper Sparrow. As we were ready to leave, we ran into Vjera Thompson
and asked her what had been around. She kindly explained exactly where and
how to look for three species we had seen reports of but had failed to
find: Snow Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, and Short-eared Owl. Evidently our
group had missed the turn for the goose and wigeon, and had walked right
past the owl. If only we had run into Vjera on the way IN instead of on the
way out!
With no time for a “do-over” of the Fern Ridge hike, we put those three
misses in the rearview mirror and headed north to Finley NWR. There with a
bit of work (and another assist from eBird) we managed to find BLACK PHOEBE
and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT. And then it was north to the sewage treatment
ponds at Philomath, known lovingly to locals as the Philomath Poo Ponds
(PPP). A week earlier, this spot had hosted a mind-boggling array of rare
shorebirds and gulls brought in by rain and winds at the height of
migration, and reports of Black Swifts had come from the local WhatsApp
messaging group in recent days. By the time we arrived the rarities had
mostly departed, but we did find a lingering COMMON GOLDENEYE reported by
others, 47 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES (down from hundreds in previous days), and
a few WESTERN SANDPIPERS on a nearby flooded field.
Having decided to bag the Coast Range detour, we made a quick stop for
Barred Owl that produced SWAINSON’S THRUSH instead, and then sped on to
Newport, where our Sushi Rendezvous (by now pushed out to 7 pm) was
awaiting us. Bringing our dinner to the Hatfield Marine Science Center
trail at Yaquina Bay, we staged what might possibly be the first sushi
picnic dinner ever held in the little viewing shelter beside the tidal
flats. With rainy weather again moving in, we happily added a collection of
coastal gulls, loons, and cormorants to our list and noted WHIMBRELS,
GREATER SCAUP, and RED-NECKED GREBE in between bites of eel rolls, Vegas
rolls, chicken katsu, and miso soup.
DAY THREE: Coastal Cleanup
With last night’s owling scratched by the rain, we actually managed to get
some sleep, and were out of our hotel in Yachats bright and early to begin
our final morning with a sea-watch. Conditions were a bit foggy and misty,
so visibility was not great, but the ocean was fairly flat and wind and
rain were holding off, so we were not complaining. From the platform at
Yachats State Park, numbers of birds were lower than usual, but with
patience we picked up most of the expected species, including SURF and
WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, PIGEON GUILLEMOTS, MARBLED MURRELETS, RHINOCEROS
AUKLETS, COMMON MURRES, and BRANT. BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS and WANDERING
TATTLERS were on the rocks, and we puzzled over a couple of very bleached
and worn gulls on the river sandbar, one of which (after helpful input from
outside experts the next day) we confirmed as a rather late ICELAND
(THAYER’S) GULL. Since winds had been from the southeast, we were not
expecting to see migrating shorebirds or pelagic seabirds pushed in close
to shore, and indeed we did not.
While half our group ventured over to the Green Salmon for coffee and
breakfast, four of us walked along the rocky shore and then looped back
through the town commons park, finding our first PURPLE FINCHES. As we
exited the park, I was crestfallen to find that a densely forested private
lot that had been for sale was now cleared for development. Ironically, the
next moment we encountered one of the rarest birds of our birdathon at this
site, an out-of-range DUSKY FLYCATCHER, wet and bedraggled in the drizzle,
flycatching amid the huge brushpile the trees had been reduced to. Lose
some, win some, I guess.
With a new bird on my Lincoln County list and my spirits lifted by a
sour-cherry bear claw and a Kopi Jahe coffee-drink from my favorite coffee
shop in Oregon (thanks, Peg!), we headed north to Beaver Creek. Here we
found the water levels too high for marshy shorebirds like yellowlegs, and
we failed to find Red-shouldered Hawk. But the birds were so active and the
whole scene so pleasant that it was hard to drag ourselves away. We also
managed to hear the monotonous but very welcome calls of a HUTTON’S VIREO,
almost the last remaining passerine species we had a realistic chance of
adding to our list. So although we were doing poorly on shorebirds, we were
rocking the passerines.
We detoured south to scan Seal Rock for Harlequin Duck, but found nothing
new. Then it was north to Newport, where we stopped at Mike Miller Park
hoping for Hooded Merganser and Green Heron. We went 1-for-2 when Dave
somehow spotted a female HOODED MERGANSER camouflaged amid a dense swampy
thicket of snags, sticks, and lily pads. Now it was time for a return trip
to Hatfield. Without the sushi mojo this time, we picked up fewer species,
but did add MARBLED GODWIT.
We decided to spend the final 45 minutes of our 48-hour clock at Yaquina
Head, a traditional ending location for our birdathon trips. Most group
members located a PEREGRINE FALCON at its nest site, while I led a splinter
group to scan the sands of Agate Beach far below for any trace of the
Bar-tailed Godwit that had been reported there 3 days earlier. As we all
headed to the tip of the peninsula, though, the weather took a nasty turn.
Rain was spotting our binoculars and 25-mph winds were buffeting us and
whipping around the lighthouse such that we could find no place to steady
our scopes. Our hopes for several species we generally get here (Black
Scoter, Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Harlequin Duck) were fading fast. Huge
rafts of Murres were in the water below their nesting rocks, and Brandt’s
Cormorants were in their striking breeding plumage, but it was difficult to
look through our optics at anything. At last Dave and I found a spot that
offered protection, and were able to locate 13 HARLEQUIN DUCKS huddled
against the lee side of some offshore rocks. Species Number 218 for our
trip.
As folks were peering through our scopes at the Harlequins, I checked my
phone and saw a WhatsApp posting from Nolan Clements, forwarding news of an
eBird report by Thomas Cramer from earlier that morning. Apparently back at
Yaquina Bay State Park Thomas had found 3 species we needed: Sanderling,
Long-tailed Duck, and Bar-tailed Godwit, probably the same godwit we’d
looked for without success just minutes ago. We quickly did the math. Our
watches told us there were 15 minutes left on our clock. GoogleMaps told us
it was a 13-minute drive to the park. Add 2 minutes to load ourselves back
in the vehicles, plus whatever time it would take to actually FIND these
birds back at Yaquina Bay. … No way; not possible. Our birdathon would end
with 218 species.
But heck, we still wanted to see the godwit, a major rarity for the state
of Oregon! So we hit the road, letting our 48-hour clock expire
unceremoniously as we navigated Hwy 101 traffic in Newport. At Yaquina Bay
we looked down from the high bluffs onto the sandy beach far, far below and
saw …. not much. … But wait! There, amid the dozen Whimbrels on the sand
near the base of the jetty was a bird that appeared a bit slimmer and a
slightly different color. It was about as far away, even in a 60X scope, as
one could possibly separate a godwit from a whimbrel, but when the bird
turned we could see that its bill was not downcurved but instead a bit
upcurved. It was the BAR-TAILED GODWIT! High fives all around, even if it
wasn’t even remotely a good view. I posted the news on WhatsApp so other
birders could come enjoy the bird, and we headed for the nearby Rogue
Brewery for a celebratory feast.
This year's team was once again led by Ron Carley and Dave Ward. The rest
of the WILD TURKEYS roster included: Nic Carley-Navarro, Peg Christensen,
Eric Gropp, Devon Johnstone, Daniel Newberry, Jim Rapp, Anne Sammis, and
your faithful correspondent. Here’s looking forward to more COVID-free
birding in groups like we all used to enjoy, and wishing everyone a
wonderful year of birding across our great state of Oregon!
Jay Withgott
Wild Turkeys '11–’22
