I spent today birding in Lincoln Co with Tristen Hynes. We started at Boiler
Bay in the hope of juicy seabirds but one of the first birds to offer itself
was a CHESTNUT-collared Longspur. I heard it chortle a few times amidst the
other noises and looked without success to find it north of the fence. Then it
suddenly flew directly in front of us (we were on the sandpile, it flew north
along the western fence) calling constantly and went straight north off the
point, climbing a bit and apparently focused on Dawn V’s yard, though I suspect
that it will be tempted by the intervening delights of Salishan Spit. We had a
poor view (stubby longspur in a hurry, tail closed) but the calls are
diagnostic and we reviewed recordings right afterward. I have seen and heard
them before.
More traditional Boiler Bay birds included (on the water) an Ancient Murrelet,
five or six Marbled, two guillemots, maybe 350 murres (mostly in a big feeding
swarm a bit offshore to the south) a few rhinos, all three loons, some small
grebes that were variously identified as Horned and Eared by us and another
party - I confess that I was not paying careful attention. A feeding swarm
offshore included about twenty B pelicans, 75 Heermann’s Gulls and two Sooty
Shearwaters, good scope views of which were obtained as they paddled about with
the murres and Heermann’s.
At least six hundred Western Grebes, maybe more, were on the water north of the
point. Maybe 200 right off the point and several hundred more about a
quarter-mile north-northwest. I can’t recall seeing so many in one place on
the coast before.
We then went to Devil’s Punch Bowl to see if we could find any other migrants,
especially TROPICAL K, and we found one as we were leaving. It remained within
a block or two of the restrooms for other observers, calling often. As we
watched the kingbird, THREE peregrines came idling over, gliding in very close
to each other like gulls, screeching at each other and eventually interacting.
One disappeared into the fog and the other two turned around and went back
north in no hurry. Kind of odd.
On the way to DPB we made a brief loop into the overlook with the big grassy
verge off Otter Crest loop - I can’t remember the name of it, something like
Nice Rocky Surfy View - and four Cackling Geese were grazing there.
After lunch we trawled the south jetty of Yaquina Bay (also checked the north
jetty area - no kingbirds). The estuary contained quite a few loons, mostly
Common. A walk behind the Marine Science Center after 2 pm was very slow,
though we did encounter a rather dull White-throated Sparrow feeding with other
sparrows right below the Osprey platform by the pond north of the Aquarium.
That’s it.
By the way, when and why was the long berm that mostly enclosed the cove just
east of the Aquarium pond removed? Weird to see it gone and that area all
open. I don’t get there that often.
Alan Contreras
acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx
