Hi all,
A friend and I birded the coast today from Newport to Tillamook. Conditions
were rainy and not promising for passerines, so we focused much of our time
on gulls and other larger birds.
At the Newport South Jetty there were a few Common Goldeneyes, a
Red-breasted Merganser, and two Horned Grebes on the water. Gull numbers
were decent, but most were Western-Gwing complex, with one each textbook
adult and first-year Thayer's Iceland Gulls, one second-year Herring, and
one adult Mew. To the east, one BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, two Eared Grebes, and
two Common Loons were in the water at the east end of the Newport Marina.
During the extremely high tide today, there was a mysterious lack of
rockpipers at Depoe Bay except one Black Turnstone. Maybe there is higher
ground at the jetties or at Devil's Punchbowl. Boiler Bay yielded seven
ANCIENT MURRELETS, close in to the south entrance of the wayside. Gull
action in Lincoln City was very heavily Western/G-wing, with only a single
light gull, possibly a Thayer's × Glaucous.
Gull numbers were good on the fields of Tillamook Co. in the afternoon. The
highlight of the day was the continuing first-year GLAUCOUS GULL, a lifer
for me, across the road from the Tillamook Airport. Many Herring and
Glaucous-winged and a few Californias were also present. We ran out of time
to check for Cattle Egrets to the north. At least 300 blackbirds, mostly
Brewer's, were present where the road that runs north of the airport hits
101. It was a fun day on the outer coast, despite the rain and wind.
Good birding to all,
Caleb Centanni
