Hi All,
A few of us decided to start the New Year working the Tillamook area. Don
Berg and I, and his boys Andrew and Jonathan met Jimmie Billstine on
Boquist Road to look for the Harris Sparrow. Before we got to that, some
140+ Great Egrets took off from their roost just to the south, and within
the hordes we spied the 2 Cattle Egrets which have been being seen. There
were 2-3 Swamp Sparrows near the bridge. We then walked a hundred yards
north and began looking over the sparrow flock, and it took about 20
minutes for the Harris Sparrow to show. We next went over to Goodspeed Rd
and on the way in found the Mountain Bluebird which was reported recently,
a nice addition to anyone's county list there. We found another Swamp
Sparrow there along with a Lincoln's Sparrow and a few others. We saw 3
Palm Warblers back toward the east end of Goodspeed Rd.
Those were the highlights of the day. Don, I and his teens next went to
the Bay City Sewage Ponds and saw some expected ducks. We then went to the
oyster plant but did not find any turnstones. We next went to the jetty
for alcids, but they were not to be found. Next stop was the Cape Meares
Lake where there were 10 Redheads along with other expected ducks. We
linked up with Jimmie again there and then when to look for Western
Bluebirds since I need such for the county, but came up empty. We did find
a Red-shouldered Hawk near the blimp hangar, a nice consolation.
All in all a nice way to open the new year, and it was just a beautiful day
there: sunny and calm.
--
Bill Tice
:
Birding - The best excuse for getting outdoors, and, for avoiding chores
