Hi -
I birded around Newport most of the day today.
From the eastern end of the South Jetty, where I was talking with Steve Nord
and Diane Pettey, I spotted "interesting" goldeneyes over by the Fishing Pier ,
so went over there to check them out: One was a drake hybrid (Barrow's X
Common) and I think is the same bird that has been regular in this area for
several years. It has an intermediate amount of white on the scapulars, an
intermediate white facemark - elongated upward but not nearly as far as on a
Barrow's, and maroon iridescence on its head.
The second bird looks like a backcross - [(Barrow's X Common) X Common]. The
scapulars had just slightly more black than a pure Common with more variation
among them than on other hybrids (presumably F1) I have seen. The face spot was
not much different from that of a Common - very slightly elongated oval, with
the long axis about 45 degrees from vertical. Oddly, the iridescence on the
head looked maroon-purple at some angles, and green at others. I suspect it is
an offspring of the obvious hybrid.
Other sightings
HMSC Oriole still present still looks atypical for any species.
Long-tailed Duck at South Jetty
Merlin (female/imm) just north of Waldport
Wayne
