[obol] Re: Futility in Florence
- From: Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: David Irons <llsdirons@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 5 May 2014 13:46:01 -0700
Hi All,
I think the shorebird migration window is a bit larger than Dave Irons
portrays. The biggest numbers in Coos the past few decade have been the
first few days of May. In my 15 yrs. of doing point counts at New
River, the earliest I saw the big movement was 20 April 2005 when I had
36,000 shorebirds/hr. passing me on the river headed north. Several other
years I gave up after about the time Dave mentioned, the 25th or 26th, only
to see some of the largest numbers a week or so later. Here are some
recent high counts of just Western Sandpipers at Bandon Marsh NWR (most
sightings by Dave Lauten and Kathy Castelein):
35,000 April 29, 2002
60,000 May 4, 2002
75,000 May 3, 2006
25,000 May 4, 2008
57,000 hr. passing Bandon Beach on May 2, 2006 (an estimated 400,000
shorebirds that day- mostly Westerns)
So there appears to be a window from around April 20th that some years
extends into the first few days of May. I think one just needs to monitor
the weather as Dave Lauten pointed out and hit it when the weather includes
sunny weather with NW winds. Several days in-a-row of this during this time
period usually gets the birds moving. Of course other years we have crappy
weather the whole time and we don't really see the big movement here at all
but of course it happens nonetheless.
So if April 24th through the 26th do not work next year the following
weekend may still be good as that would be May1st through the 3rd which
coincides with some big number days in recent years.
Happy shorebirding and yes, we still do get shorebirds in the next few
weeks just not the big flocks of Westerns, Leasts, Dunlin and SB Dows. I
actually have better luck seeing Ruddy Turnstones and Red Knots a bit later
in May.
Happy shorebirding!
Tim R
Coos Bay
On Sun, May 4, 2014 at 7:26 PM, David Irons <llsdirons@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi Brandon,
>
> Unfortunately, the shorebird migration futility, at least as it relates
> northbound Westerns, Leasts, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitchers and to a
> lesser extent Black-bellied Plovers, was entirely predictable. David Fix,
> who lives in Humboldt Co. CA, closely monitors the presence and departures
> of the masses of shorebirds that make a northbound stopover on Humboldt
> Bay. He sent me a note after reading OBOL posts which suggested that the
> 'big movement' had yet to happen early last week (after the weekend). About
> 8-9 days ago, the galaxy of these species gathered at Humboldt Bay (usually
> numbers in excess of a quarter million birds) were GONE! The flight
> happened then, but weather conditions were such that we did not have an
> overly conspicuous inshore flight in Oregon. It takes nnw winds and we had
> mostly southerlies during this period. Dave Lauten and Kathy Castelein
> noticed lots of small flocks passing along the southern Oregon coast during
> this period and while birding in Clatsop Co. last Sunday Shawneen and I
> observed a similar passage with flock after flock of 50-100 birds streaming
> past parking lot C at the south jetty of the Columbia River. That was, for
> all intents and purposes, "the flight." It happens within a predictable
> date range, normally during the mid-20s of April, regardless of whether
> conditions are right for us to fully appreciate it. Some shorebirds, like
> Whimbrel, have much more protracted migratory passage along the Oregon
> coast, but the flight of Westerns, Leasts, Dunlin, and Short-billed
> Dowitchers is comparatively compact. These birds leave massive estuaries to
> the south of us, the most proximal being Humboldt Bay, and most don't stop
> again until at least Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor.
>
> If you have any questions about the timing of these shorebird flights, all
> you need to do is check the schedule of coastal bird festivals. Godwit
> Days, held in Humboldt, is always scheduled for the 3rd weekend in April,
> which falls from the mid-teens to the early 20's of that month. That was
> two weeks ago, when the numbers of shorebirds on Humboldt Bay were building
> to a seasonal maximum. The Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival is scheduled for
> the fourth weekend in April, which falls between the early and late 20's of
> the month, again so that festival goers can experience the seasonal peak.
> Their annual festival was last weekend.
>
> If you want to witness the flights of these species along the Oregon
> Coast, you need to be there within the date range bracketed by or
> approximately bracketed by these festivals. Don't expect to find more than
> a modest percentage of the birds in this flight inside Oregon's estuaries,
> because in most years few will ever stop to feed on Oregon mudflats. As the
> shorebird flies (about 35-40mph–we paced a flock on Clatsop Beach last
> weekend), the flight from Humboldt to Willapa/Grays Harbor is no more than
> 12-hour non-stop hop. That's a modest jaunt for a migrant shorebird. Find a
> jetty, a promontory, or a spot up on the dunes fronting a long open stretch
> of beach (really good on days with nnw winds), then sit back and enjoy the
> show.
>
> Looking ahead to 2015, the fourth weekend of April (including Friday)
> spans the 24th through the 26th. Based on my experience, this is close to
> perfect timing. I have almost always experienced good flights when I could
> get to the coast around the 25th of April. You should have no trouble
> seeing lots of shorebirds passing along Oregon's outer coast that weekend.
> Better still, take an extra day and make a long weekend of it at the Grays
> Harbor Shorebird Festival. You'll come home wishing that estuary was in
> Oregon.
>
> Dave Irons
> Portland, OR
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
> Date: Sat, 3 May 2014 16:31:33 -0700
> Subject: [obol] Futility in Florence
> From: brandon.green18@xxxxxxxxx
> To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> Hoping to catch some of the shorebird migration, I birded the north and
> south jetty areas of Florence this morning and there was NOTHING around. I
> had a pair of flyby SURF SCOTERS at the north jetty and a few YELLOWTHROATS
> around the south jetty deflation plane. Yippie. My guess is that the 30
> mph wind gusts didn't help. I did get plenty of sand in my mouth and ears,
> though, so at least I didn't leave empty-handed.
>
> -Brandon
>
>
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