Terry Wahl and I did a bit of birding on Saturday down south. It was clear
and sunny, no smoke and tee-shirt weather much of the day.
We started at AZ Beach SP which turned out to be the best birding. When we
arrived their was a WESTERN KINGBIRD on a powerline there. Good day for
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS, we saw more of them than Yellows and
Orange-crowneds which were also fairly common. Only one Wilsons and one
chat too. A few Wobbling Vireos. Great day for WILLOW FLYS we had 8-10. The
usual RB Sapsucker was around. One Peregrine, saw three total during the
day.
We went down to Gold Beach then and it was windy and fairly quiet along the
N Jetty road. More of the same warblers but only a few birds moving. We
found a huge patch of flowering Fuschia near one of the houses out near the
jetty which was loaded with immature/female Rufous/Allen's Hummers. No sign
of any terns and the usual crowd of Osprey at the mouth of the Rogue.
After stopping for chai chillers at the book store/coffee shop we headed
south to Pistol River. No smoke and blue skies. There was a national
guardsman and a road block along old Hwy 101 so we parked up near the main
101 and got permission to poke around for birds. Hot and sunny and breezy
and we saw more of the same warblers and a Western Fly and another
Peregrine.
From there we headed north of Gold Beach and scoped ocean with not much to
report besides a few merlits.
Our last stop was Ophir where we saw more fuschia and more Rufous/Allens
and a couple chickadee flocks with practically no warblers aboard. One
more peregrine lunching on a gull near mouth of Euchre Creek.
Terry has a male and female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS going on two weeks at
the family ranch near Cape Blanco which we did not visit.
Georgeous day and fun to get out with Terry.
Merry migration!
Tim Rodenkirk
Coos Bay
