Hi,
Re: Dave's question about "the status of Red-breasted Sapsucker in
Lincoln County."
Dave wrote: "In my view, a "good bird" is one that even a resident
birder would get excited about finding...a species that one might
expect to encounter only once or twice every few years of active
birding." Each of us uses words in our own way based on our
experience, but in my opinion even "resident" birders who are "active"
may miss species or seldom record species because they do not
birdwatch in every habitat in their county of residence during
nesting, migration, and wintering seasons. A "resident" birder who is
"active" in Red-breasted Sapsucker nesting areas in Lincoln County
might characterize them as common and to be expected every year. A
"resident" birder who actively birds only the Hatfield Marine Science
Center, Seal Rocks, Yaquina Head, and unforested areas without trees
or shubs that sapsuckers frequent might never see a Red-breasted
Sapsucker at all and may get excited about finding one.
Specifically for Red-breasted Sapsuckers in Lincoln County, I do not
know if there are any "resident" birders who are "active" enough in
habitats where Red-breasted Sapsuckers nest every year to determine
their nesting status. If there were "resident" birders who did, we
would have many more Red-breasted Sapsucker nesting records in eBird
and elsewhere.
Below is a longer answer to Red-breasted Sapsucker status in Lincoln County ...
------------------------------------------------
The Oregon Breeding Bird Atlas map results on CD (which may be more
available to OBOL readers as p. 358 in Birds of Oregon: a General
Reference [BOGR]) indicates that Red-breasted Sapsuckers were
confirmed nesters in some octagons that were partially in Lincoln
County and possible nesters in some others, including octagon 27176
that was entirely in Lincoln County. BOGR p. 359 indicates that they
showed an association with forest stand age and had a close
association with old growth and it "uses a wider range of wooded
habitat in winter and migration." So when they are most commonly seen
by birders in Lincoln County in fall and winter may be because
Red-breasted Sapsuckers are then in habitats and areas that they would
not be in during the breeding season and also because birders may not
often be in sapsucker breeding habitat during the nesting season.
* I don't have time to search the references cited, but if you are
interested in birds in the Coast Range during the nesting season
(including Red-breasted Sapsuckers), check out Part IV: "Spring Bird
Communities in the Oregon Coast Range" that includes Lincoln County is
in "Wildlife and Vegetation of Unmanaged Douglas-Fir Forests, General
Technical Report PNW-GTR-285, May 1991 is available for free, along
with other research at http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr285/ [Note
that their "young" forest is 40-72 years old, so it is not recently
logged over.]
------------------------
For the Salado (009) Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) in Lincoln County from
2001-2014, 1-3 Red-breasted Sapsuckers were recorded in only three
(2005, 2013, and 2014) of 14 years (a method on how to access these
records is at http://yaquina.info/ybn/bird/bird.htm#cbc-bbs). BBS are
roadside surveys and not in forests, with each of 50 stops being 3
minutes long
(http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/birds/mountainplover/AdditionalReferences/Sauer%20%202010.pdf).
But 1 or more of the BBS stops may be near forests where Red-breasteds
are during the nesting season. So they can miss forest-dwelling
species that may be intermittently near roadsides, so to me it is
noteworthy that they were reported for the Salado route on more than
one year. Although BBS have limitations, they are systematic and have
been repeated over the years and provide an invaluable guide to the
occurrence during the nesting season and that is done all over North
America. I salute all those who do Breeding Bird Surveys because
systematically made observations are essential in trying to determine
status and changes over time. For the Salado Route, I salute Jamie
Simmons, Don McDonald, and others who have continued this for so many
years (I don't have time to look it up, but I think Don started this
Route in the 1960s).
-----------------------
A map showing eBird June-July Red-breasted Sapsucker reports during
the nesting season in Lincoln County (the map also shows records
outside of Lincoln Co.) is at http://bit.ly/1M3CNm4 Lincoln Co.
records then:
* Beverly Beach SP, Lincoln County, Oregon, US by Tim Avery on
7/7/2015; the checklist map indicates observations were east of HWY
101. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24239806 (also
Varied Thrush)
* Reed Creek Site 1, Station 1 (approx. 6 miles from coast), Lincoln
County, Oregon, US by Kim Nelson on 6/11/2014 at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19152368 (also Varied
Thrush)
* 44.54355_-123.60954 (south of Burnt Woods), Lincoln County, Oregon,
US by Doug Robinson on 6/4/2015 at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23779997 (also Varied
Thrush and Gray Jay) (The map link indicates the site is near Shot
Pouch Road south of Burnt Woods; Tim Janzen in his email in this
thread stated "One location in the county where I found them
[Red-breasted Sapsuckers] with consistent reliability over the years
is along Shotpouch Creek just south of Burnt Woods.")
* Aire Apparent, Lincoln County, Oregon, US on 7/29/2012 at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S11307491 (also Varied
Thrush)
* Lincoln Co.--E 5 Rivers Rd., Lincoln County, Oregon, US by Jamie
Simmons on 6/6/1995 ("Shown to me and Ted Kenefick by Chuck Philo (on
the private land of an acquaintance). Paired with Red-breasted
Sapsucker; young in nest.") at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S15879390 (no Varied
Thrush included in checklist).
* Salado BBS--Stop 12, Lincoln County, Oregon, US by Jamie Simmons on
6/15/2013 at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S23952933 (no
Varied Thrush)
Note that 2 of these 6 records are within 6 miles of the shoreline and
that Varied Thrushes were also reported in 4 of 6 of these checklists,
including at Beverly Beach. Doug Robinson also recorded Gray Jay.
Like Red-breasted Sapsuckers, these species in summer are associated
with forest (e.g., see the General Technical report linked above and
also BOGR: p. 381-382, 409-410, 487-488; see also ). These records
pique my interest because I often hear from birders that Varied
Thrushes and Gray Jays are only in Lincoln Co. in winter or that they
only nest at high elevations. Although birders most often record
these in fall and winter when they appear in areas frequented by
birders, they can also occur in summer at places with appropriate
habitat. Varied Thrushes nest in stands of appropriate large
second-growth or old growth in Lincoln County even near the coast (I
have heard other reports of Varied Thrushes in summers 10 or more
years ago at Beverly Beach SP, and one summer while studying Great
Blue Heron nesting in large second growth about 2 miles from the
shoreline at an elevation of less than 250 ft, I also commonly heard
Varied Thrushes singing). BOGR: p. 488 cites Gabrielson and Jewett
(1940) that Varied Thrushes are, quoting BOGR, a "fairly common
breeder in low-elevation hemlock and spruce forests along n. coast,
but elsewhere only rarely nests in lowland conifer forests." Also
look for Varied Thrush citations in the General Technical report
linked above.]
eBird also has one record that I wonder about:
* Boiler Bay State Wayside, Lincoln County, Oregon, US by Justin Wrinn
on 7/27/2002 at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S22621922
Red-breasted Sapsucker is the only species on the list, the map point
indicates the observation was west of HWY 101, and there is no mention
of how many miles were traversed. It is possible that the bird was
seen east of HWY 101 in forest, and the site location given as west of
HWY 101 at Boiler Bay. Perhaps this record is in error, perhaps not;
I wish there were more details.
An eBird limitation is that the habitat where birds are observed or
heard is not included; however, including habitat would greatly
complicate or discourage reports to eBird. But one can look at a
checklist and can try to figure out the habitat, and when I see
June-July records of Red-breasted Sapsucker, Varied Thrush, and Gray
Jay in Lincoln County, I think forest. Greg Gillson had a summer
field trip to Timber, Oregon in Washington County
(http://nwbackyardbirder.blogspot.com/2010/06/summer-birds-in-oregon-coast-range.html)
which is informative as is the General Technical Report linked above.
The lack of Red-breasted Sapsucker, Gray Jay, and Varied Thrush
records in Lincoln County by birders in June-July may be for the same
reason--birding observation effort in the habitats where these birds
are may be too low to detect them.
----------------------------------------------------
The "Semimonthly [presence in first or last half of a month] bird
records through 1992 for Lincoln County, Oregon; Part II: Records
sorted by species" (1995), available through View/Open link at
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/8070) indicates
that for Lincoln County as a whole, we had records every month of the
year with the first record in 1886, but they tended to be more
recorded more often during October-December.
A compilation of Darrel Faxon's 1973-1990 field notes at Thornton
Creek ("Birds of the Coast Range of Lincoln County, Oregon: v.1. Birds
of Thornton Creek" (1991) available through View/Open link at
http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/8419) indicates
that there were a scattering of Red-breasted Sapsucker records in all
months, and they occurred 8- 9 deciles (approximately equivalent to
80-90%) of years during 1973-1981 in June and December but that they
declined in frequency during 1982-1990 to where they were present at
most 4 deciles (approximately 40%) of the years during 1982-1990 in
October and December and were less frequent or did not occur in some
months. They were not seen most days in a month, since the peak
monthly frequency of 5 deciles (50%) of the observation days was in
August 1977. Darrel added "This species may be becoming extirpated by
humans because it girdles and kills trees. Accordingly they are shot,
but not at the Faxon Farm."
Janet Lamberson lives between Toledo and Siletz at an interior site
and her "Birds of Hudson Loop on Newton Hill, Lincoln County, Oregon"
(1996) is available through view/open link at
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/8078 Her
1985-1990 records indicate that Red-breasteds occurred at least once
2-4 months each year during September-December.
Floyd Schrock's 1982-1985 records in another interior site in the
Siletz/Logsden area in "Schrock's bird records for the Siletz/Logsden
area of Lincoln County" (1994) available through view/open link at
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/8048 indicate
that during 1982-1985 they were most common during September-December
but were also present in 2 of the 4 Junes during 1982-1985.
For the 40 Yaquina Bay Christmas Bird Counts that extends to just
outside of Toledo through the 2013/2014 count, Red-breasted Sapsuckers
were only recorded on 20 of the 40 counts (see link to results at
http://yaquina.info/ybn/bird/bird.htm#ybcbc). So they are a "good
bird", too, on our CBC. I know our CBC group tries for them but
haven't been lucky in recent years.
-------------------------------
I would guess that 90% or more of the birding effort in Lincoln County
is within about 10-12 miles of the coastline and even along the coast
few of our observations are in forest, so many of our ideas of
Red-breasted Sapsucker status may reflect the status of birder effort
rather than the actual status of the species. Along the Coast, my
impression as field notes editor for our local newsletter is that most
of our Red-breasted Sapsucker records are during September-December
when 1-2 show up near people's houses but can be unpredictable for
when they will show up on a particular day for visiting birders.
Darrel's characterization that they are a "good bird" for visiting
birders fits well, I think.
So what is the status of Red-breasted Sapsuckers in Lincoln County?
It depends upon the location and habitat. From eBird, Breeding Bird
Atlas,and Salado Breeding Bird Survey records and a scattering of
records in summer in past years, it appears they nest in appropriate
habitat. However, this habitat may not occur at Darrel's Thornton
Creek, Janet's Hudson's Loop, Floyd's Siletz/Logsden observation areas
or in locations frequented by birders during the nesting season are
fine in what they show about the areas covered, but it can be
extrapolating their results to other areas.
Red-breasted Sapsucker status may also depend upon their avoiding
areas and habitats where they are not welcome, as noted by Darrel.
In areas without appropriate nesting habitat, especially along the
coast, seeing 1-2 in their fall and wintering habitat where they they
may be regular but are in such low numbers that seeing them on a
particular day at a particular location can be dicey. I agree with
Darrel's characterization that they are a "good" bird to see.
Although I have spent much too long on this (and to do in justice I
should do much longer by digging out research references in BOGR: p.
358-360; revising this more would also help), I do so because the
"status" of a species in an area as small as Lincoln County can be
more complicated than a short 2-5 word answer. I think there is a
richness that comes with "seeing" and appreciating the variation in
the seasonal occurrence of individuals and populations of a species
among habitats and locations in an area like Lincoln County. With
seeing this variation and recognizing that birders are not covering
all habitats throughout the year, comes humility and that
extrapolating conclusions based on limited data or from not all
habitats used by a species can be not only wrong but can also
discourage birders from exploring habitats that need more observation
effort.
Besides Red-breasted Sapsucker and Varied Thrush that show this
variation, another good example in Lincoln County is White-crowned
Sparrow. It could be said in 2 words that the status of White-crowned
Sparrow is that they are a "permanent resident" in Lincoln County.
However, there is much variation in their status among locations. At
some inland locations they are commonly present during March or
April-October (e.g. at Thornton Creek, see above), at other inland
sites they are present March-May (see Lamberson's Hudson Loop above),
at some sites they are spring vagrants only, and even along the coast
where birders can record White-crowns thoughout the year (though it
can be tougher in winter), there is evidence of an immigration in late
March-April, and it is possible that some of the wintering
White-crowns may migrate away to nest elsewhere.
There are many other species in Lincoln County whose status varies
depending upon location and habitat. At one time, I roughly estimated
that 20-40% of species commonly present every year in Lincoln County
can have different status depending upon location and habitat.
In my opinion, pigeon-holing (or perhaps more appropriately for this
context, "sapsucker-holing") a bird species's status as __, __, and
___ can be tidy and have its usefulness as a generalization, but it
can miss a lot that can be interesting...
Real estate is about location, location, location. It could be said
that for the main part, bird occurrence during the nesting season is
about habitat, habitat, habitat and that a species's nesting habitats
can be quite different than their nonbreeding season habitats. For
wintering birds, habitat is also important.
Happy birding & wondering about birds!
Range Bayer, Newport, Oregon
On Fri, Oct 30, 2015 at 11:33 PM, David Irons <llsdirons@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Greetings All,
In a post earlier today, Darrel Faxon was cited as saying that Red-breasted
Sapsucker is "a good bird in Lincoln County." This comment caught my
attention, as I think of Red-breasted Sapsucker as being a common to
uncommon species almost anywhere in northwest Oregon (west of the crest of
the Cascades), with perhaps more modest numbers on the coastal slope of the
Coast Range and outer coast and greatest densities in the lower foothills of
the west slope of the Cascades and the east slope of the Coast Range.
Typically, eBird provides a pretty good resource when such questions arise,
so I checked the map of sightings for Red-breasted Sapsucker in nw. Oregon.
Around the areas of greatest population and the highest densities of active
eBirders, the pin drops for Red-breasted Sapsucker sightings are quite
dense. The total number of pin drops was considerably less dense along the
outer coast and on the western slope of the Coast Range, perhaps by as much
as an order of magnitude. That said, there are still a lot of eBird reports
of this species in Lincoln County. I counted about 45 pin-dropped sites with
Red-breasted Sapsucker reports, with many sightings over time listed for
some locales (i.e. Janet Lamberson's yard).
Next I looked at the reporting observers listed for those sightings. Aside
from Janet's long roster of yard sightings, many of the Lincoln County
reports of this species have come from folks who live outside the county.
This raised another question. How many of the most active Lincoln County
birders are active eBirders? The answer....not many. Of the top 15 all-time
eBirders for Lincoln County (based on number of species seen in the county),
only two live in the county–Janet Lamberson at #3 and Dawn Villaescusa at
#12. Then I looked at the standings based on the number of checklists
submitted, which is a better indicator of overall observer effort. Janet and
Dawn are #1 and #2 respectively, but the next eight spots are held down by
non-residents, including Greg Gillson at #3. Greg doesn't even live in
Oregon anymore and to my knowledge has only been back in Lincoln County once
(for a pelagic trip) since he and Marlene moved to southern California a
couple of years ago.
Please understand that I am not making any value judgment here towards those
who opt not to record sightings into the eBird database. However, in this
case I think who is reporting to eBird in Lincoln County to some extent
skews the picture that the eBird distribution map shows for Red-breasted
Sapsucker in the county. If you consider that we out-of-town birders (who
account for probably devote most of our birding time to seawatches,
shorebirding, and hitting coastal vagrant traps rather than birding
heavily-wooded inland areas inhabited by Red-breasted Sapsuckers, maybe it's
not that surprising that eBird reports of this species are comparatively
few.
Off the top of my head, I would add the following names (in no particular
order) to those of Janet, Dawn, and Darrel as the most active resident
Lincoln County birders (I'm surely overlooking someone):
Wayne Hoffman
Range Bayer
Phil Pickering
Deb Holland
Chuck Philo
Roy Lowe
I would be curious as to how some of these folks would characterize the
status of Red-breasted Sapsucker in Lincoln County. Perhaps this is no more
than a difference in what Darrel and I would call a "good bird" (a vague and
subjective notion at best). If a species is known to be resident and a
breeder in the county, I would call it expected, uncommon, or perhaps
locally uncommon even if that species might be missed during several visits
to appropriate habitat. In my view, a "good bird" is one that even a
resident birder would get excited about finding...a species that one might
expect to encounter only once or twice every few years of active birding.
Dave Irons
Portland, OR
