Subject: Columbia Estuary Report (and NAMC summary)
Date: Sep 21 11:57:07 1997
From: Mike Patterson - mpatters at orednet.org




Columbia Estuary Report - 9/21/97

Boy, there's nothing like an east wind for ruining fall migration.
The Clatsop Co. NAMC numbers are tentatively in with 99 species
and just short of 4300 individuals. It was a difficult day with
a very poor shorebird showing and a spotty seabird count.

Cool birds included two SABINE'S GULLS still hanging around the
SJCR, two molting CASPIAN TERNS on Trestle Bay, a stray MOURNING
DOVE on the dunes, a MERLIN (one of two for the day) sitting on
the beach and a daylight GREAT HORNED OWL at Shively Park.

Only 2 SOOTY SHEARWATERS were seen in spite of efforts from SJCR
and Ecola State Park. 129 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were counted, most
of them on Cannon Beach and Astoria Sewage Ponds. 620 SANDERLINGS
on Clatsop Beach were the only _Calidris_ sandpipers seen. Birds
that appeared to be on the move included STELLER'S JAY and SAVANNA
SPARROW.

Notable misses included:Wood Duck, scaup, Bald Eagle, most
shorebirds, most alcids, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Townsend's Warbler,
Dark-eyed Junco and Pine Siskin. If you were in Clatsop Co. on
Saturday and saw any of these species or anything else you think
noteworthy, let me know.

Finally, there was what appeared to be another impressive movement
of those smallish red DRAGONFLIES. They were moving along the
jetty as I have reported in the past, right into the wind. I was
even speculating that it might even have been an artifact of the
wind direction until I got to Ecola. They were flying south over
the headlands in phenomenal numbers. And they seemed to come
through in waves.



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