[obol] Nov. Lincoln Co. Bird Notes Received Through 11/24
- From: Range Bayer <range.bayer@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Oregon Birders OnLine <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Lincoln Co. Birding & Nature Observing" <LCBNO@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2013 21:44:49 -0800
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BIRD FIELD NOTES from the November 2013 Sandpiper 34(9)
for Observations Received Through 11/24 by Range Bayer
The Sandpiper is a publication of Yaquina Birders and
Naturalists, a Lincoln County (Oregon) natural history group.
There is room here for only some of the many Lincoln County
sightings posted to Oregon Birders On-Line (OBOL), eBird.org, Lincoln
Co. Birding & Nature Observing (LCBNO), and BirdNotes.net; or emailed,
telephoned, or mailed to me.
If you have any Lincoln County field notes, please share them
with Range (range.bayer@xxxxxxxxx; P.O. Box 1467, Newport, OR 97365;
541-265-2965) by the 20th of the month. Bird field notes columns in
the Sandpiper since 1992 are at
http://yaquina.info/ybn/bird/bird.htm#recent
Abbreviations, terms, and some Lincoln Co. site locations
(numbers refer to site numbers in the Oregon Coast Birding Trail Guide
http://www.oregoncoastbirding.com/): BEAVER CREEK (#78, in part):
creek flowing through Ona Beach State Park that includes Beaver Creek
State Natural Area (SNA)
(http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_261.php), BOILER BAY STATE
WAYSIDE (#59): about 0.5 mi north of Depoe Bay, COQUILLE POINT (along
#67): southeast corner of Sally's Bend at about mile 3.5 along north
Yaquina Bay Road, ECKMAN LAKE (#84): lake 2 mi east of Waldport along
HWY 34, HMSC (#75): OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center, HIDDEN VALLEY:
oxbow of Yaquina Bay with outlets with deteriorating trestles at Boone
(west) and Nute (east) Sloughs near Milepost 9 along north Yaquina Bay
Road, IDAHO FLATS: large embayment just east of the HMSC, LNG TANK:
large green Liquefied Natural Gas tank on the north side of Yaquina
Bay about 1.5 miles east of Yaquina Bay Bridge, NUTE SLOUGH:
freshwater slough at about mile 9.3 along north Yaquina Bay Road, ONA
BEACH STATE PARK (renamed as Brian Booth State Park in 2013) (#77):
State Park about 6.6 mi south of Yaquina Bay bridge along HWY 101 at
Beaver Creek , SALLY'S BEND (#66): large Yaquina Bay embayment east of
the LNG tank, SPANISH HEAD: Inn at Spanish Head at 4009 SW Highway 101
in Lincoln City, SP: State Park, THIEL CREEK: creek about 3.5 mi south
of Yaquina Bay bridge, YBSJ (#71): Yaquina Bay South Jetty, YAQUINA
HEAD OUTSTANDING NATURAL AREA (#65): headland north of Newport
(vehicle entrance fee without a recreation pass such as the Oregon
Pacific Coast Passport or America the Beautiful Passes).
WATERFOWL-LOONS
In the past, BRANT have arrived as early as 10/22. This year,
observation effort to find them prior to 11/2 (especially at Yaquina
bay embayments where they overwinter) may have been insufficient to
determine their presence.
But on 11/2, several observers independently found Brant. Along
the coast line where Brant migrate, WH saw 3 flying northwest at
Yaquina Head in the morning, PP counted 420 flying south during his
8:00-10:00 morning seawatch at Boiler Bay, and PP did a second
seawatch at Boiler Bay during 2:30-3:45 PM and tallied 250. Where
Brant overwinter, EG reported 8 Brant near the HMSC at 3:55 PM, and RB
spotted 16 at Idaho Flats at 4:15 PM. So Brant arrived at Yaquina Bay
on or before 11/2, but most of the 670 Brant recorded during PP's
seawatches evidently continued migrating south past Yaquina Bay to
California and Mexico where they also overwinter. Thereafter, the
high count of Brant in Yaquina Bay was 158 at Sally's Bend on 11/19
(RQ).
Yaquina Birders & Naturalists is a project partner to the
International Brant Monitoring Project; their Observation Log
(http://www.padillabay.gov/brant/observationlogs/log1314.asp) includes
Brant along the West Coast. Historical Yaquina Bay Brant records are
accessible by clicking "View/Open" at
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/8081
A line of 3 SWANS followed closely by 4-7 WESTERN CANADA GEESE
flew north (not south as one might expect during fall migration) on
11/21 near the Hallmark Motel in southwest Newport (RB). The next
day, J&LM saw 6 (including one immature) at Sally's Bend, and DaT &
DeT reported 6 TUNDRA SWANS at Yaquina Bay.
Our only WOOD DUCKS were 12 found by DHo at Fall Creek Road
(about 14 miles east of Waldport) on 11/24.
JW discerned 7 drake EURASIAN WIGEON while sorting through 1,950
American Wigeon at Idaho Flats on 11/16 (eBird).
On 11/2, PP saw a CINNAMON/BLUE-WINGED TEAL passing Boiler Bay,
and, on 11/8, BY detected a Cinnamon Teal at South Siletz Bay. They
are uncommon to rare this time of year.
During a 11/16 Boiler Bay seawatch, PP & WH viewed a probable
female KING EIDER flying south with scoters.
PACIFIC LOONS were numerous, especially during Boiler Bay
seawatches, with high counts of 10,000+ on 11/2 (PP), 40,000 on 11/3
(C&AH), and 38,000+ on 11/16 (PP). In eBird, C&AH write about their
8:10-10:40 AM seawatch:
"40,000 Pacific Loons. Pouring southbound. Counted one-minute
rates many times while we were sea watching, getting a very good
estimate; 40,000 is conservative guess as to how many flew past while
we were watching, though who knows how many flew by before we arrived.
Spectacular movement for the first 50 minutes, averaging 400/min,
never dropping below 300/min for more than short period of time. At
times pulsing to 10/sec and once up to 1,000/min. At times flocks of
hundreds of birds would stream past in less than a minute. After 9:00
the movement decreased significantly, but picked up from 9:30 to
10:00. After 10:00 we noted a few heading northbound, and the
southbound rate decreased to 1-2/second. My estimates must be low,
because it was impossible while counting to count every bird that flew
past. Far out movement was significant, but usually left out of my
counts because I only counted what I saw through my scope of the
closer in movement. This would result in an undercount during my
random 1-minute counts, which were the basis of my overall estimate,
meaning the overall estimate is probably under by some percentage."
TUBENOSES-CORMORANTS
In Oct., 9 dead NORTHERN FULMARS and 2 SOOTY SHEARWATERS were
found along 4.6 miles of beach north of Ona Beach (B&SLo, D&JD).
11/2 &16 were stormy days, and fulmars and petrels are sometimes
seen closer to shore during or after storms. On 11/2, PP estimated a
total of 500+ NORTHERN FULMARS during two Boiler Bay seawatches, and,
on 11/16, PP & WH surveyed 300+ (including 1 light-phase fulmar)
passing Boiler Bay. There were scattered reports from shore of a few
other fulmars on other days.
On 11/2 at Boiler Bay, PP spotted 1 LEACH'S STORM-PETREL in the
morning and 4 Leach's and 1 FORK-TAILED STORM-PETRELS in the
afternoon. At Boiler Bay, C&AH saw 2 Leach's on 11/3, and PP & WH
also viewed 2 Leach's on 11/16. At Yachats, JW noticed at least 1
Fork-tailed.
On 11/6, B&SLo found the remains of a dead beached BLUE-FOOTED
BOOBY about 3 miles south of Newport. Single dead Blue-footed Boobies
had been previously found on a Tillamook Co. and a Clatsop Co. beach
on 10/23 & 31, respectively (ME; MR; OBOL). Blue-footed Boobies are
rare in Oregon, since as of April 2012, there is only 1 accepted
record (http://www.orbirds.org/acceptedthroughapril2012.pdf).
However, in mid-Sept., this year was reported to be second only to
1972 as the largest invasion year of Blue-foots in California
(http://blog.aba.org/2013/09/abarare-blue-footed-boobies-california.html).
Since mid-Sept., eBird records indicate that there have been many
more reports in California as far north as Bodega Head with live birds
found into the last week of Nov. at Gull Rock near San Francisco and
further south in California (zoom out and drag the eBird sightings map
at http://bit.ly/16ChQwR to see the California and Oregon coasts and
click red icons to see records in the past 30 days). Live Blue-foots
must have passed through Oregon waters because a live one was found
and photographed during a 9/24 whale-watching trip off northern
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
(http://blog.aba.org/2013/10/abarare-blue-footed-booby-british-columbia.html).
Migrating DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS can at first glance be
mistaken for migrating geese, in part because they fly in similar
formations. On 11/3, WH detected flocks of up to 300 and a total of
1,080 during his Yaquina Head seawatch, and A&CH saw a total of 1,500
during their Boiler Bay seawatch and commented: "Several long,
shifting lines headed southward. Obvious southbound movement. Always
in big flocks. Large cormorants with kinked necks. Several pale
juveniles stood out in the flocks." On 11/9, WH saw a flock of 550
flying south past Yaquina Head, and, on 11/15 at Spanish Head (Lincoln
City), PP spotted 40 flying south.
RAPTORS (including Falcons [which phylogenetically are now placed
after woodpeckers by eBird and others])
On 11/2, CP saw 2 adult BALD EAGLES perched on the piling
installed as an eagle perch near Coquille Point at southeastern
Sally's Bend and adds that they recently had been regularly perching
there.
Oregon Winter Raptor Surveys are a good relative index to the
abundance of wintering raptors and are coordinated by the East
Cascades Birds Observatory (www.ecbcbirds.org/Default.aspx?tabid=73);
their web site includes links to data summaries.
Lincoln Co. has 3 Raptor Routes. The North Lincoln Raptor Route
(see map at http://goo.gl/maps/cqiSX) is around the Salmon River
Estuary and east shore of Devil's Lake and was done on 11/6 by DV.
The Inland or Yaquina River-Siletz Raptor Route is about 65-70 miles
long, was completed on 11/6 by JL & CP, and took 295 minutes. The
Coastal Route is about 60-62 miles and runs along HWY 101 from the
north side of Alsea Bay to the Taft area of Lincoln City, with nearby
inland valleys and was not done this Nov.
On both Routes, Red-tailed Hawks were the most abundant species,
and, for the Inland Route, the second-most numerous species was Bald
Eagle. Statewide, the 5 most numerous ("prominent") species in
decreasing order are Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Kestrel, Northern Harrier,
Bald Eagle, and Rough-legged Hawk, with these constituting about
90-93% of all raptors during Dec.-Feb. (see link to chart with "five
most prominent species" at www.ecbcbirds.org/Default.aspx?tabid=73).
-----------------------------------------
No. Lincoln|Inland_|Coastal
11/ |11/ |
Raptor 6 | 6 |
-----------------------------------
Wh-tail. Kite 0 | 2 |
B. Eagle ad. 1 | 5 |
" subadults 0 | 0 |
N. Harrier 0 | 1 |
Sharp. Hawk 0 | 2 |
Cooper's Hawk 1 | 0 |
R-shld. Hawk 0 | 2 |
R-tail. Hawk 3 | 17 |
Am. Kestrel 0 | 3 |
Merlin 1 | 0 |
Peregrine F. 0 | 0 |
RAPTOR SUM 6 | 32 |
MM reported a BROAD-WINGED HAWK that flew over the Newport
Bayfront on 11/1; it was not resighted. Broad-wings have not been
reported in Lincoln Co. previously (SemiL; FN).
Other than during Raptor Routes, there were also 6 other reports
of single RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS (eBird), and single MERLINS at the HMSC
on 11/1 & 2 (RQ; EG), Nute Slough on 11/8 (DHo), and Lincoln City area
on 11/20 (DaT & DeT).
On the other hand, PEREGRINE FALCONS were not found on the
Raptor Routes, but we had 10 reports (m.ob.).
[Image Not Included: Rain drops streaking by a Sharp-shinned Hawk near
USFWS building at the HMSC on Nov. 4. Photo by Roy Lowe. It has a
red eye that indicates it is an adult and a noticeably long middle toe
used to help capture birds
(http://www.hawkmountain.org/raptorpedia/hawks-at-hawk-mountain/hawk-species-at-hawk-mountain/sharp-shinned-hawk/page.aspx?id=575).]
COOTS-MURRES
AMERICAN COOTS seem more abundant than usual this fall in lower
Yaquina Bay. Rough estimates of at least 300-500 were made at Idaho
Flats, where they were so densely packed while feeding high up on the
mudflats that estimating numbers was a guess on 11/15 (RB) & 11/23-24
(NC). Our only comprehensive survey was by DHo, who counted 860 at
Sally's Bend on 11/8. At least 150 coots were also at Eckman Lake on
11/5 (KM).
JW located our only BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER on 11/16 at Idaho
Flats, and our only WESTERN or LEAST SANDPIPERS were 15 Leasts at
Eckman Lake on 11/24 (A&CH, AC, OH, HH).
500+ DUNLIN passed Boiler Bay on 11/2 (PP), and the only others
were 2 at Sally's Bend on 11/24 (A&CH, AC, OH, HH). We had 5 reports
of 1-6 GREATER YELLOWLEGS (eBird).
At Boiler Bay, 2 SABINE'S GULLS during the 11/2 stormy weather
(PP) and a HEERMANN'S GULL on 11/19 (DaT) may be the last of the year.
At 2 PM on 11/10, 10-15 unidentified gulls were hawking insects
over the Hallmark Motel area in southwest Newport (RB). A weather
station at the near YBSJ indicates that the winds then had diminished
to below 5 mph, and it was about 62 F. So, even in November there can
be aerial mating swarms of insects and gulls feeding on them!
A very late ELEGANT TERN was photographed as it roosted with
gulls on a pier at the HMSC on 11/3 (C&AH; MW). Previously, our only
year with a record after September was in 1983 (the year when they
were first found here), and they were noted as late as Oct. 9 that
year (SemiL, FN).
The only jaeger, a POMARINE JAEGER, was at Spanish Head on 11/15
(PP) and Boiler Bay on 11/16 (PP & WH).
The 54 COMMON MURRES in Oct. was the most numerous beached bird
species then along 4.6 miles of beach north of Ona Beach (B&SLo,
D&JD).
[Image Not Included: Spotted Sandpiper at Lint Slough near HWY 34
bridge in Waldport on Nov. 10. Photo by Roy Lowe. The barred wing
coverts ("shoulder") indicates it is a first winter bird. This
barring may not be seen during distant or dim light views.]
OWLS-BLUEBIRD
At 9:35 AM on 11/2, WH flushed an owl with prey (a Townsend's
Chipmunk) from the roadside east of the Yaquina Head Interpretative
Center. This owl was so pale that he first thought it was a Barn Owl,
but after it lit he saw that it was a GREAT HORNED OWL that was the
palest that he had ever seen. Its "chest and belly were basically
white, with narrow and widely-spaced black barring," and it seemed to
be of the "West Taiga" form in Sibley's Guide to Birds.
On 11/3, PD's daughter watched and photographed our only BARRED
OWL for at least 3 hours before dusk. It was perched in a tree
outside her window along the bike path that goes down to Nye Beach
(Newport).
1 RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER was in east Newport on 11/10 (B&PR),
and another was at Hudson Loop between Toledo and Siletz on 4 days
during 11/4-22 (JL).
Last fall and this fall are our only ones with BLACK PHOEBES.
This fall, singles were in South Beach along 35th Street at EH's house
on 11/2, Hidden Valley during the 11/6 Inland Raptor Route (JL & CP),
and the LNG tank/Sally's Bend area on 11/7 & 8 (CP; DHo).
1-2 TROPICAL KINGBIRDS continued from early October through at
least the end of the report period on 11/24 in the HMSC-Oregon Coast
Aquarium area (m.ob.). Singletons were also in South Beach on the
wires of SE 35th Street to Idaho Point on 11/9 (EH) and near the LNG
tank on 11/12 (CP).
A NORTHERN SHRIKE at the HMSC first reported on 10/18 (MW)
appeared to linger until at least 11/10 (RQ; WH). Singletons were
also in the LNG tank/Sally's Bend area on 11/6 & 16 (JL & CP; HH) and
along north Yaquina Bay Road in the Nute Slough area on 11/16 (JW).
1-3 WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS remained near Newport City Hall on 11/4 &
9 (CP) and near Newport High School & Prep Academy (NHSPA) on 10/28 &
30 & 11/1 (NHSPA observers). But singletons were also reported
elsewhere near Eckman Lake on 10/25 (LL fide RL), at Devil's Lake on
11/1 (DV), and in north Newport near the PUD on 11/4 (CP).
A very late report of a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER photographed in
Depoe Bay on July 7, 2007 (LB) that was recently added to eBird (fide
DI & DHo) is only our 2nd record; the previous report was for one at
Yaquina Bay State Park in Oct. 2000 (FN). The Sandpiper newsletter
serves as a crude archive (FN), so adding this record, even years
later, makes it accessible in FN.
DV detected 5 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS in the Lincoln City area during
the No. Lincoln Raptor Route on 11/6.
ROBIN-ORIOLE
In late Oct., BF found and photographed a very strange looking
bird east of Newport. The color of its plumage was unlike any bird
species in the field guides. Fortunately, BF took 4 photos, and the
one shown on the next page indicates the bird was an AMERICAN ROBIN in
which many of its colored feathers are white. This color change
results in it not appearing like a robin. Such birds are called
leucistic, albinistic, pied, or piebald; see:
http://static.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/Albinism_Leucism.htm
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucism
First of season VARIED THRUSHES appeared at Thiel Creek south of
South Beach on 11/15 (BLo) and Hudson Loop between Toledo and Siletz
on 11/22 (JL).
As many as 8 AMERICAN PIPITS were reported on 10/31 at the YBSJ
(CP), 11/9 at the HMSC (WW), and on 11/24 in lower Yaquina Bay
(eBird).
Our only longspur through the end of the 11/24 reporting period
was a LAPLAND LONGSPUR on 11/22 at the YBSJ (EG), and 3 SNOW BUNTINGS
flew over the YBSJ towards the North Jetty on 11/24 (A&CH, AC, OH,
HH).
1-2 PALM WARBLERS were in northwest Newport on 11/9 (DHo) and
Yaquina Bay State Park on 11/21 (DaT&DeT). Straggler ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLERS have sometimes been around in recent winters, and singletons
were seen on 11/24 at the HMSC and along Yaquina Bay Road (A&CH, AC,
OH, HH; A&CH, AC).
On 10/16 JW arrived in the Nute Slough area and noted:
" 'This looks like a nice place for a SWAMP SPARROW.' I got
out, pished, and 60 seconds later I was hearing, then getting great
views of, that exact species. The big grin on my face when I finally
put my binoculars down turned to a chuckle of disbelief when a
Northern Shrike immediately appeared out of nowhere and teed up atop a
shrub. Every once in a while, things just work out."
On 11/24, A&CH & AC found 5 Swamp Sparrows after pishing near the
Sturdevant Rd. junction with Business HWY 20 east of Toledo.
A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW around the USFWS building at the south
end of the HMSC on 11/24 (A&CH, AC, OH, HH) was only our 7th record
since 2000 and is the first since one was also near the same building
on 10/24/2011 (FN).
We only had 2 reports of single WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, and
both were in the Toledo area on 11/18 & 21 (DHo; DHa). There were 5
reports of 1-3 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS at the HMSC, YBSJ, and Sally's Bend
(eBird).
On 11/2, KA had a glimpse of an unidentified oriole near Spanish
Head in Lincoln City (fide CH), and on 11/11, PL saw a juvenile
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE at his home near the Newport Bayfront.
[Image Not Included: A leucistic American Robin east of Newport in
late Oct. Photo by Barney Foster. The original photo is not high
quality, and quality was further reduced in this image through
enlargement, but photos don't always have to be high quality to
sometimes be extremely helpful in identification. At times, even a
series of regular camera or cell phone photos can be useful after
enlargement because body shape, posture, and general coloration can
sometimes be sufficient for identification. This bird's identity can
be determined by an awareness of the possibility of leucism, the
irregularity of white feathers that is a clue to leucism, and its
robin-like posture and shape, mostly reddish belly, back that is
partially dark, and yellow bill.]
OBSERVERS/SOURCES: Kathy Andrich, Range Bayer, Birding Oregon
(http://birdingoregon.info/), Lary Brown, BirdNotes.net, Neal Coenen,
Alan Contreras, Dave & Jean Dempster (D&JD), Pat Dickey, eBird.org
(location and observer not accessible in "View and Explore Data" for
"All Observations" but available through "Bar Charts"), Mark Elliott,
Darrel Faxon, fide ("as reported by" someone other than the observer),
Barney Foster, Eve Gill, Oscar Harper, Dawn Harris (DHa), Hendrik
Herlyn, Christopher & Adrian Hinkle, Wayne Hoffman, Deb Holland (DHo),
Eric Horvath, David Irons, Janet Lamberson, Pete Lawson, Lincoln Co.
Birding & Nature Observing (LCBNO)
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LCBNO/), Janet Lamberson, Bob Loeffel
(BLo) & Shirley Loeffel (SLo), Roy & Laurie Lowe, John & Linda
MacKown, Kathy Merrifield, m.ob. (multiple observers), Michael McMann,
Newport High School & Prep Academy (NHSPA), Field Notes (FN; Lincoln
County records from the Sandpiper since 1992 are searchable at
http://yaquina.info/ybn/bird/bird.htm#recent), Oregon Birders On-Line
(OBOL; recent postings at http://birdnews.aba.org/maillist/OR01),
Chuck Philo, Phil Pickering, Robert Qually, Bill & Pam Rogers, Meg
Ruby, SemiL (semimonthly Lincoln Co. bird records through 1992 for
each species at ScholarsArchive@OSU
[http://hdl.handle.net/1957/8070]), Dale & Dee Toweill (DaT & DeT),
Dawn Villaescusa, Jay Withgott, Will Wright, Yaquina Birders &
Naturalists (http://yaquina.info/ybn/) Field Trip (YBNFT) led by DF,
Brendon Yoder.
--
Range Bayer, Newport, Oregon
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