Subject: Columbia Estuary Report - 1/12/97
Date: Jan 12 16:46:42 1997
From: Mike Patterson - mpatters at orednet.org




Columbia Estuary Report - 1/12/97

The recent press that the SJCR Snowy has received (_Daily Astorian_,1/6/97 and
_The Oregonian_,1/8/97) has made it a very popular celebrity. It was seen
yesterday and today by car loads of people. And today was a beautiful day
to go owling. There was not a cloud in the sky.

Henry Gilmour reports 3 SNOWY OWLS and a sizable flock of SNOW BUNTINGS
at Leadbetter Point yesterday. Hip boots are required to get to the place
where the owls are.

I drove Clatsop Beach from Sunset Access to Del Rey Access (5.5km). There
were about 2000 SANDERLING and 200 DUNLIN and only one dead bird, a thoroughly
oil soaked CASSIN'S AUKLET. I was expecting higher mortality in the wake
of all this weather.

In the willows near parking lot A at Fort Stevens, is a flock of no fewer
than 200 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. At one point at least 5 HERMIT THRUSHES
were wooking it up around me as I pished the brush. I was momentarily
puzzled by an odd song which turned out to be RED CROSSBILL enjoying the
sunshine with a happy full song I would normally expect to hear when the
day length is a bit longer.

--
*********************************** I was of three minds
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * like a tree
* mpatters at orednet.org * in which there are three blackbirds.
*http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters* -Wallace Stevens