I sorted through OBRC records and _Oregon Birds_ field notes
to see what years were kingbird years. One would have, at least,
expected a strong spike in 1982 if there was any close correlation
Michael Patterson writes -

---------------------
This of course does not exclude the possibility
that this years kingbird push wasn't caused by...say...all
those eastern Pacific hurricanes or the unseasonably pleasant fall
we're having, both of which are El Nino related. It just doesn't
appear to be a pattern followed by previous events.

76 x
77
en---->78
79 x
80
81 xxx
82 xx
en---->83 xx
84 xx
85
86 xx
en---->87
88
89
90 x
91 x
en---->92
93 xx
en---->94 x
95 x
96
en---->97 xxxxxxxx
----------------
The El Nino of 1982 had the greatest-yet magnitude of any El Nino event. However the current El Nino has shown the *fastest rate of warming* on record, although, so far, just short of the 1982 peak anomaly. Every El Nino is different from the previous e.g. this current one is rampant with western Pacific typhoons at least 4 of which have reached super-typhoon status (and which is the main reason for the warm water at Alaskan latitudes - not the eastern Pacific waters migrating northward). Combine this with the two or three super-hurricanes off the Baja earlier this fall and you get the idea that there is a lot of energy being released by the current even. The *depth* of the warm water with our current El Nino is also unprecedented and is the major factor in various seabird die-offs.

- Jack Bowling
jcbowling at mindlink.bc.ca
Fort Nelson, BC

P.S. The remains of Typhoon Keith will be making their way onto the N. American coast the middle of next week - mostly aimed at Oregon...