Subject: Columbia Estuary Report - 4/27/97
Date: Apr 27 11:25:11 1997
From: Mike Patterson - mpatters at orednet.org




Columbia Estuary Report - 4/27/97

VAUX'S SWIFTS and BARN SWALLOWS arrived around my house this
week. AMERICAN GOLFINCHES arrived and took over the feeder at
Astoria High School. WILSON'S WARBLERS are now easy to find.

A MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER was singing on the bike path near Battery
Russell on Saturday. Large flocks of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS
(running at least 60% Myrtle-type) were moving along the river
at Brownsmead. CLIFF SWALLOWS are already setting up nests under
the bridges along Blind Slough and the first hatch of CANADA
GOSLINGS can be observed at the Ziak Refuge.

Six BALD EAGLES (2 adult, 1 nearly adult, 3 imm) were fighting
what appeared to be a long dead PIED-BILLED GREBE. The aerial
battle was quite impressive and finally resulted in the meal being
dropped in the middle of the river where it (apparently) could not
be recovered.

Shorebirds on Trestle Bay now include both flavors of DOWITCHER.
The spring shorebird migration should peak in the next two weeks.
The 5.5 km Clatsop Beach transect produced the following:

Semipalmated Plover 110
Whimbrel 1
Dunlin 2695
Western Sandpiper 336
Least Sandpiper 1
Sanderling 100


--
*********************************** I got the blues so bad one time
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * it put my face in a permanent frown
* mpatters at orednet.org * but I am feelin' so much better
*http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters* I could cake-walk into town