[Umpqua Birds] GREAT (EGRET) NEWS!

From: Matthew G Hunter <matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx>
To: umpquabirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2014 17:37:47 -0700
Hi Folks,

Today I talked with Dan Karpa of Reedsport who has been watching the
Double-crested Cormorant colony on Bolon Island (just west of Hwy 101 in
the middle of the confluence of the Umpqua River and Smith River) for a
number of years. Dan says that this is the first year he has seen GREAT
EGRETS nesting in with the cormorants on Bolon Island!  He says he thinks
there are at least 5 or 6 nests. One nest has young that look close to
fledging. WAY COOL!

Quick background: While Great Egrets have nested in eastern Oregon for at
least 150 years (maybe hundreds of years), they were first found nesting in
western Oregon on the coast of Coos County in the late 1980s, where they
now seem well-established and numerous. Great Egrets were typically absent
from coastal Douglas County at least by mid-May through June and early
July. This year there were numerous reports of Great Egrets on mudflats and
in trees near Bolon Island in May and June. In early July, Great Egrets
were found nesting with a Double-crested Cormorant colony along the Siuslaw
River near Cushman. So, this year, 2014, it appears that for the first
time, Great Egrets have nested in coastal Douglas and Coos County.

Dan described to me a couple behavioral observations I have never thought
about that I thought were intriguing. Sometimes the cormorants swim in sort
of a front, or line, or net, "herding" the fish (which I have seen).
Sometimes the egrets, seeing this, fly up ahead of the cormorants in the
shallower water, and take advantage of the cormorant's efforts! Perhaps
some of you have seen this before, and maybe I have, but I did not put the
whole thing together.

Dan also noted that in areas where the boat traffic is heavy and with
substantial wake, it ends up making it more difficult for the egrets to
feed (turbulent and cloudy water vs still and clear) and they need to go
elsewhere to find food. An important observation if boat/egret management
becomes an issue.

I hope at some point Dan will get his internet back so he can tell us more
of his observations in the estuary.

Happy Observing,

Matt Hunter
Melrose, OR
[Umpqua Birds] GREAT (EGRET) NEWS!

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