[obol] Coos Birds of Late
- From: Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 15:25:14 -0800
Here is a summary of some birds I have observed the past few days:
12/24:
Eastside of Coos Bay:
while walking Teak I cut through the neighborhoods to get back to my
vehicle. On one block I saw three ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS.
12/25:
N. Spit of Coos Bay, south end near the north jetty:
Holly, Teak and I did a loop out near the end and walked the bay then
returned via the beach. Didn't see a soul AND it was gorgeous sunny with
no wind. Best birds:
2- BROWN PELICANS (in the bay)
1- PIGEON GUILLEMOT (in bay)
1- GLAUCOUS GULL on the beach (same bird as a couple days before)
Interestingly on the beach I saw a Sanderling flock with some peeps which
from a distance I assumed would be Dunlin. However, all 30 peeps were
Western Sandpipers, unusual for this time of year!
Later in the PM I walked Teak in Eastside in a different spot than on the
25th and saw a continuing ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER near White's Point (west
of Millicoma Marsh).
12/26:
Empire area of Coos Bay, low tide (with actual mud exposed, been pretty
high water lately), AM, sunny, 40's:
2- RED KNOTS
2- MARBLED GODWITS
1- WILLET
4- PIGEON GUILLEMOTS
6+ COMMON GOLDENEYE
6+ EARED GREBES
plus a few hundred shorebirds including BBPL, DUNL, WESA, LESA and one LBDO.
I have been unsuccessful at finding either a Long-tailed Duck or a Snowy
Egret in the bay this fall/winter. If I miss Snowy Egret for the year it
will be the first time since I started birding here in 1997. Overwintering
egret numbers have dropped the last decade to just a single bird the past
few years.
I then drove over to the still flooded Coquille Valley. Impressive high
water lines. I was able to walk into Johnson Mill Pond with hip waders.
There were patches of grass here and there and the water was way down.
High water line there was neck high though! Only found a single SWAMP
SPARROW there and the pond was empty of ducks as they now have an entire
flooded valley. I didn't see any duck blinds that survived the high water
in Winter Lake either- no fencelines to be seen out there!
I did see six TURKEY VULTURES while driving around in the Arago and Norway
areas. Later in Coquille I found a PALM WARBLER. It was in the same
general area where Mary Ann Sohlstrom and Patti Bernardi found several on
the Coquille Valley CBC a couple years back. Directions for those of you
who will be here for the CBC on 3 Jan as follows:
Take Hwy 42S from Hwy 42 near Surdivant Park in Coquille. You will
immediately pass Sturdivant Park then go over a bridge, take the first
right (Fishtrap Road) just past the bridge and park off the side of the
road where you can. I saw the bird on the right (east) side of the road
here and then it flew across the road to the west where it flitted around
for a while (right near the int. with Hwy 42S). The birds that were here
two winters ago worked the entire area nearby including underneath the
bridge and even were sometimes along the south side of Hwy 42S at or near
the bridge. This is a real birdy area and a good spot for an occasional
Orange-crowned Warbler also.
Merry 2015!
Tim R
Coos Bay
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