Great info- thanks Range!
Tim
On Sunday, May 22, 2016, Range Bayer <range.bayer@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi,
In Lincoln County records of Brant in late May are common, so they
aren't of particular note (see attached image of semimonthly records
through 1992 that includes explanation for semimonthly codes at the
top is from
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/8070/vol.%204%20pg.%20395-543.pdf
).
Records in early and late June were also not rare during 1982-1992;
our records with best observation effort are from 1974-1992.
From Lewis, T. L., D. H. Ward, J. S. Sedinger, A. Reed and D. V.
Derksen. 2013. Brant (Branta bernicla), The Birds of North America
Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved
from the Birds of North America Online:
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/337 [subscription required]:
"Generally arrives on breeding grounds late May or early Jun, and
begins laying eggs 10–13 d later, depending on breeding location
(Appendix 1)." Their map of the general breeding range does not
indicate nesting as south of the north end of Hudson's Bay, but it is
not clear if they excluded rare, individual nesting attempts further
south.
P. 88 of the Brant account in the Birds of Oregon: General Reference
about Brant: "Have reportedly bred in Coos and Humboldt bays" (Cottam
et 1944. [Food habits and management of American sea Brant. J.
Wildlife Management 8:36-56], Einarsen 1965), but Harris (1991
[Northwestern California Birds. Humboldt State Univ. Press, Arcata,
CA]) suggests that these may have been molting adults mistaken for
young." I have the 1975 edition of Yocom and Harris' Birds of
Northwestern California; p. 22 states only about the Humboldt Bay
account: "We feel that the Brant reported as nesting at Humboldt Bay
by Moffitt (1941. Eleventh annual Black Brant census in California.
California Fish and Game 27:216-233) were actually molting crippled
birds or yearlings in badly worn plumage summering in this year."
P. 739 of "Censuses of Black Brant at Yaquina Estuary, Lincoln County,
Oregon" writes: "In 1958 and perhaps also in 1957, a pair of Brant
raised a brood of young at Coos Bay (p. 36 in Einarsen, A. S. 1965.
Black Brant: sea goose of the Pacific Coast. Univ. of Washington
Press, Seattle [this is at QL696.A5 E5 at OSU Library in Corvallis
and Guin Library at the Hatfield Marine Science Center)
[
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/8081/vol.%206%20pg.%20723-780.pdf
]
Unfortunately, my copy of the relevant page 36 in Einarsen is not
readily accessible.
Below is the p. 739 write up in "Censuses of Black Brant at Yaquina
Estuary, Lincoln County, Oregon" about their rarity in June-October:
N. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: BRANT RARITY IN JUNE-EARLY OCTOBER
N-1. YAQUINA ESTUARY AND LINCOLN COUNTY
Our first report of Brant in summer in Lincoln County is of a female
that was collected on 28 July 1941 at Yaquina Bay by J. C. Braly
(Bayer 1989:38). The first published report of summering Brant is by
Smith (1961), who found a pair along the ocean beach at Lincoln City
on 10 August 1961.
During 1972-1992, Brant were recorded in Lincoln County during June in
12 years and during July-September in 13 years (Bayer 1995:425). In
1982, 1984, and 1988, when summer observation effort may have been
better than usual, Brant were recorded during each month of the year
(Bayer 1995:425). My impression was that Brant were more commonly
found along the open coast in summer than in Yaquina Estuary, where as
many as 13 were found in June 1983, but usually only 1-2 were
uncommonly counted during June-September (Table 9). There was no
evidence that Brant nested in Lincoln County.
In 1973, a pair of intergrade Black X Atlantic (B. b. hrota) Brant
were spotted at Yaquina Estuary in late July (Hoffman and Elliott
1974). Determining intergrades can be difficult because summering
Brant are commonly molting and look a lot different than wintering
birds.
N-2. ELSEWHERE IN OREGON
The earliest published summering records were by Giesler (1952:38,
55), who found as many as 13 Brant in Coos County during six days from
18 June through 2 July 1951. Batterson (1954, 1968) saw a flock of
five along the ocean beach in Clatsop County on 14 August 1954. In
1958 and perhaps also in 1957, a pair raised a brood of young at Coos
Bay (Einarsen 1965:36).
Although usually only 1-2 summering Brant are found, they may
sometimes be more numerous at Netarts Bay as about 200 Brant were
reported on 12 July 1975 (calculated from Munson 1976:156, 165) and in
late August 1977 (Contreras 1977:21). However, Munson (1976:163-165)
only found Brant during one of his 15 censuses from 28 June-17 August
1975 at Netarts Bay, so they were apparently not very common there
that summer.
=======================
Range Bayer, Newport, Oregon
On Sun, May 22, 2016 at 1:28 PM, Roy Lowe roy.loweiii@xxxxxxxxx
<javascript:;>
[LCBNO] <LCBNO-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <javascript:;>> wrote:
Long ago I remember hearing about a possible Brant nesting attempt atCoos
Bay but since Tim didn't mention it perhaps it was another Oregonlocation.
<javascript:;>> wrote:
There was a singleton Brant at the Yaquina Bay South Jetty on Friday.
Roy
On Sunday, May 22, 2016, Tim Rodenkirk <timrodenkirk@xxxxxxxxx
for
Hi All,
Brant have been oversummering regularly (nonbreeders) in small numbers
sinceclose to 20 years in Coos County (first record back in 1951, regular
Coos or1997). I am no longer surprised to hear about June or July birds in
whetherelsewhere along the coast. I am SHOCKED to hear there is a potential
breeding pair in Lane though. Hopefully Diane can keep us updated on
<javascript:;>> wrote:or not they are successful.
Merry migration!
Tim Rodenkirk
Coos Bay
On Sunday, May 22, 2016, Brandon Green <brandon.green18@xxxxxxxxx
mudflats
I had a half-dozen heavily worn Brant at the Siuslaw North Jetty
thatin July of 2013. These individuals all appeared to be either adults or
immature birds that were at least a year old. So there was no evidence
ofthese Brant were local breeders.
Brandon
Eugene
-----
Subject: Re: Lane Coast BRANT nesting.../ Barnacle Geese nesting south
therange
Date: Sun May 22 2016 9:48 am
From: joel.geier AT peak.org
According to a Swedish colleague whom I asked about this a few years
ago, the nesting population of Barnacle Geese in southern Sweden and
in
Baltic region was introduced. So that lines up with Lars' suspicions.
My Swedish field guide notes that nesting was first observed on Gotland
in 1971 and thereafter on the island of Öland, then the Stockholm
archipelago. They are now a common park bird in Stockholm. About 15
years ago I saw a hybrid Canada x Barnacle Goose swimming on the Fyris
River in Uppsala, Sweden. Canada Geese are also an introduced species
under
the Baltic region.
Regarding Brant, I think there have been small numbers of non-breeding
but apparently wild birds on Yaquina Bay for quite a few summers. Range
Bayer mentioned something about this when I reported a small group
the bridge a few years ago.
Joel
