Subject: Columbia Estuary Report - 7 July 1997
Date: Jul 4 11:05:42 1997
From: Mike Patterson - mpatters at orednet.org




Columbia Estuary Report - 4 July 1997

I went to Ecola State Park to do a seabird count and got fogged out.
I had good visibility (~1km) until the tide changed then the visibility
dropped to about 25m.

The numbers of COMMON MURRES on Ecola Point and Chapman Point look to
be about the same as they were 2 weeks ago (22 000+ from my vantage point.)
I counted 74 BROWN PELICANS on the rocks, 450 BRANDT'S CORMORANTS, only
9 PELAGIC CORMORANTS and about 140 WESTERN GULLS (excluding chicks)

I saw 9 HARLEQUIN DUCK (2 alt males, 7 other plumed). and only 3 PIGEON
GUILLEMOTS. I had no time to do ocean scans before the fog came in.

A curious looking white headed thing was diving around near the south
rocks at Ecola Point. I only got one look at it before it dove and was
lost in the fog. I presume it was a leucistic cormorant (or maybe a
very young DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT), but anybody planning a trip to
Ecola should keep a weather eye.

On a more terrestrial note, a MOURNING DOVE flew over my house this
morning. This is an uncommon sight, especially in the summer for this
species here in Clatsop County.


--
*********************************** 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