I started the day before sunrise at Millicoma Marsh dog walking and putting
seed down, the yellowthroat continues.
Late AM Pip and I headed down to Coquille to put more seed down and scout
a bit for next Saturday’s CBC. It was very foggy so scouting was slow. I
did see three TVs near Norway. I decided to look for the N MOCKINGBIRD that
Kay and Joanne Bernt found on 8 Dec on their raptor route. I found it in
“downtown” Arago where the two main roads meet at Fishtrap and Crossroad
Lane (road to Lampa Mtn). I played a tape and it popped up in fruit tree
just north of this intersection near where a cotoneaster loaded with
berries is. Just north of town I counted 8 TVs circling upwards- not sure
if any of the three earlier birds had flown north and joined this group or
not? Also 58 Great Egrets in one group.
I then drove back to the Empire area of Coos Bay to Fossil Point where I
was finally able to locate the LONG-TAILED DUCK that eluded us on our Coos
Bay CBC. Also had a grebe slam: 10 Westerns, 1 Clarks, 15 Red-neckeds, 3
Eared, 15 Horned, and one Pied-billed. Many Common loons close, the
distance ones all appeared to have yellow bills in the bright sunlight : )
I ended my birding day at the sea lion overlook at Cape Arago where I had
put off finding my last county bird of the year, ANCIENT MURRELET- there
were five or six together.
Fun day - merry New Bird all!
Tim R
Coos Bay
