Hey all,
I had a very fun, albeit frustrating, day of birding on the Lincoln coast
today. I started at the HMSC trail where highlights included over fifty Marbled
Godwit, four Whimbrel, two LB Curlew, eight or more Eurasian Widgeon, and a
Palm Warbler. Next, I stopped at Yaquina Bay State Park, where my frustrations
began...after successfully relocating the the Snow Buntings by the jetty I came
across a large mixed flock. This included a ridiculous number of Townsend's
Warblers, an Orange-crownes Warbler, and a couple Hutton's Vireos. While
scanning the flock I spotted a very drab, bulky warbler. It was backlit and my
view was very brief, but my immediate impression was of a Pine Warbler. That
said, given the circumstances of my sighting, I'm by no means sure. Despite a
concentrated effort to relocate it, I came up empty handed.
Next, I went to Yaquina head where I found a Lesser Goldfinch (they seem to be
becoming more regular in the coast) and more frustration. While scoping the
ocean north of the lighthouse parking lot, I got a very brief, but relatively
clear view of a Murrelet that I almost think was a Scripps. Right after I
spotted it, it dissapered and it proved impossible to relocate. Again, given
the circumstances of the sighting I didn't feel comfortable calling it,
especially given the rarity of near shore sightings (also not sure if there are
any november records). At any rate, I thought these sightings were worth
mentioning, given the potential rarity of the birds in question...
Good birding,
--Isaac
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