Jay,
I just dove into the historic CBC data. The year was actually 1980. That year
David Fix, my dad and I were part of the team that covered our old neighborhood
and haunts in Eastmoreland/Westmoreland/Sellwood area of SE Portland. Over the
years a number of different folks teamed with my dad and I to cover that
sub-sector for the Portland count. My recollection was that we had five species
of warblers in our area in the year that we had the Yellow. Indeed we had the
Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Orange-crowned (2) and Black-throated Gray and Hermit in
our area. As I recall the Hermit and Yellow with with a Townsend's flock at
Crystal Springs, the Black-throated Gray was in the tall Douglas-firs on the
bluff above Oaks Bottoms in Sellwood Park (in another Townsend's/chickadee
flock) and the two Orange-crowneds were down along RR tracks on the blackberry
covered slopes between Oaks Bottoms and the Ross Island Bridge. My dad dropped
Fix and I off at the bridge and we met him at Sellwood Park where he had found
the flocks with the Black-throated Gray.
I can't imagine that any Portland CBC team before or since has found five
species of warblers in a day on the count. This makes a case for birding
neighborhood parks in town during the winter months.
Dave Irons
Beaverton, OR
________________________________
From: obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <obol-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Jay
Withgott <withgott@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, January 9, 2019 3:07 AM
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; portland-area-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [obol] Re: NE Portland Yellow and Palm Warblers
Hi all —
Philip’s Yellow Warbler is a very rare find. As far as I can tell, it is the
latest-staying / latest-surviving winter Yellow Warbler ever recorded in Oregon.
One or more of the Esteemed Birding Elders of this listserv will probably chime
in with X number of historical examples now to prove me wrong (please do if
they exist), but from what I can find from a search of eBird and Birds of
Oregon: A General Reference, there are a handful of Nov. and Dec. records of
Yellow Warbler, but no records after January 1st.
In terms of eBird records alone, Philip's is the latest winter Yellow Warbler
record anywhere on the West Coast north of Humboldt Co., California. The very
mild winter thus far in Portland has no doubt contributed to its survival.
However, “our" bird is currently in competition with a Yellow Warbler in
Tacoma, WA, that has been seen this month from 4 Jan. to 7 Jan. — so we’ll have
to see which one survives and is seen the longest! The Sounders-Timbers
rivalry ain’t got nothin’ on this one.
Jay Withgott
Portland
* From: Philip Kline <pgeorgekline@xxxxxxxxx>
* To: OBOL <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
* Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2019 18:21:12 -0800
I refound Colby Neuman's Palm Warbler today just to the north of the Fazio
Landfill along NE Fazio Way and 13th Avenue across the road from the Oak
Harbor Freight Lines building. It was with a flock of 25-30 Yellow-rumpeds
and a surprise glowing adult male YELLOW WARBLER! Just in the nick of time
for Portland CBC count week.
I think Colby mentioned before that weekends may be a better time to visit
this area. The landfill is active with heavy machinery moving piles of
dirt around. There aren't any No Trespassing signs, but I'm not sure how
welcoming the landowners may be to birders, so all the usual warnings
apply. The older weeded-over piles of the landfill were a goldmine of
birding activity this afternoon when the rain ceased. The bramble thickets
on the east side of 13th Avenue to the north (and south of Gertz Road) were
also very active and I later refound the Palm Warbler here. I would not be
surprised if there are more hidden gems lurking in this area.
Good birding,
Philip Kline
