Last week I counted 35 harlequins on the easternmost finger jetty at the
Yaquina Bay South Jetty. There could have be a few more to the west but not
many I would guess. 35 is my high count for Yaquina Bay.
Roy
On Mar 19, 2019, at 11:23 AM, David Bailey <davidcbaileyoregon@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Wow Lars, 65! So much for my claim to fame! Was that also in March? I wonder
if they gather here prior to migration to their mountain breeding haunts
further inland.
David
On Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 11:18 AM larspernorgren <larspernorgren@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I made the same walk you describe at dusk
On a Sunday evening in late winter and counted 65
It was on obol, but not reported elsewhere. About 10 years ago, the weekend
of the Pacific Rim Wrestli g tournament. Courtney is a very conscientious
counter. We did rhe Port Orford CBC together.
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------
From: David Bailey <davidcbaileyoregon@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: 3/19/19 10:50 AM (GMT-08:00)
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, swalalahos_group <swalalahos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [obol] North Coast 18MAR: 49 Harlequin Ducks; pelagic hummingbirds
etc., Clatsop County
Jim Johnson and I hiked out from Seltzer Park at "the cove" in Seaside to
"second point" and back yesterday (18 March 2019). There had been a report
from 04 March of a count of 45 HARLEQUIN DUCKS from Seaside Cove logged on
ebird by Courtney Kelly Jett (of Bend, OR according to her profile). I was
impressed at that number, as was she according to her ebird notes. My
previous high count of harlequins in the state was 25, also from the cove.
We counted groups on the the way out west to second point where we turned
around. We didn't note any flocks west of second point. On our return to
Seltzer Park we did a more careful count and tallied an amazing 49 HARLEQUIN
DUCKS. There were two smaller groups of 8 and 9 and then a larger, and
fairly spread out group of 32 in with some SURF SCOTERS. I wonder what the
largest site tally of Harlequin Ducks is for Oregon--my copy of Birds of
Oregon AGR is currently in storage.
Also at the cove were a couple BLACK SCOTERS, 5 RED-NECKED GREBES, and 7
HORNED GREBES.
As others noted yesterday, the change in weather has correlated with the
northward press of RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS. I noted at least three male RUFOUS
HUMMINGBIRDS flying from the Tillamook Headland out over the ocean and
heading straight north over the water. I have seen them do this later in the
season, but never this early before. By heading straight north across the
cove from Tillamook head they shave some distance off their northward
migration compared to if they stuck strictly to the shoreline. It is really
an interesting sight to observe.
We also saw a large shorebird that was likely a LONG-BILLED CURLEW flying
west from perhaps the Seaside golf course to out past first point and beyond
then going north, then east, then south until we lost sight of it. LB
Curlews are early migrants and this one seemed indecisive in what direction
it was taking. I won't be too surprised if it shows up on the beaches or
estuaries nearby in the coming days.
See ebird for full list:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53988302
Later in the day we followed up on a report of a PILEATED WOODPECKER pair
seen earlier in the day at Carnahan County Park along the trail on the
north end of Cullaby Lake. We heard at least one bird across Cullaby Lake
from the park boat ramp several times, but never saw the birds, though we
did walk the trail around the north end of the lake from there.
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53993274
David
David C. Bailey
Seaside, Oregon
