Subject: Columbia Estuary Report - 11/02/97
Date: Nov 2 17:32:06 1997
From: Mike Patterson - mpatters at orednet.org




Columbia Estuary Report - 11/2/97

Winter birds are ganging up quite nicely now. A flock of
12 TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, 5 CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, 3 BLACK-
CAPPED CHICKADEES, 1 HUTTON'S VIREO and 2 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS
has been frequenting the apple tree in my backyard.

94 BROWN PELICANS were at Ecola Point (Ecola State Park) on
Saturday. This is a lot of pelicans for the first week in
November and they were showing no signs of leaving. A huge raft
of loon was just beyond the breakers including 500+ PACIFIC LOONS,
100+ COMMON LOON and 20 or so RED-THROATED LOONS. There were
200+ WESTERN GREBES and at least one RED-NECKED GREBE.

Other species of note at Ecola included 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS,
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE, a THAYER'S GULL (in the parking lot),
a PELAGIC CORMORANT with a bright yellow bill, and a BALD EAGLE
that took time out to fly over to the feeding gull flock just to
see what was happening.

Today I went herping in the old growth remnant on the back side of
Saddle Mountain. We found no herps (though we heard PACIFIC
CHORUS FROG). I did manage to hoot out a NORTHERN PYGMY OWL and
we saw plenty of WINTER WRENS and 3 WAPITI fattening up before the
second phase of wapiti season.



--
********************************* I am but mad north-north-west;
* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * when the wind is southerly,
* mpatters at orednet.org * I know a hawk from a handsaw.
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters -ws